TORONTO -- The monster-hunting phenomenon "Pokemon" has not only maintained its popularity over the last two decades, it has spawned a global blockbuster franchise that has produced best-selling games, animated shows and movies, and plenty of merchandise.
Heck, breakout character Pikachu once got his own balloon in a Macy's Thanksgiving parade.
Still, "Pokemon" has arguably never been more visible than this year, with the release of "Pokemon Go" on mobile devices. The killer app turned casual gamers of all ages into Pokemon trainers, sending them into the streets in an effort to catch them all.
For many people, using their smartphones to catch a Pidgey in a local park or evolve an Eevee into a Jolteon will be reward enough for their efforts. But for those who have mastered "Pokemon Go" and crave a deeper experience, now is an ideal time to get into the core games with the release of "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon" for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming system.
It should be noted that this review is being written from a newbie's perspective, particularly one who never cared to try a "Pokemon" game until captivated by the "Go" experience.
At its core, the main draw of "Sun" and "Moon" is not that different from that of their mobile cousin -- building a stable of mostly adorable and sometimes disturbing critters known as Pokemon.
The 3DS games offer a much deeper experience. There are many more Pokemon available to catch than in "Go," and you need to do more than just chuck a ball at a monster as you stroll past the post office.
The key to acquiring Pokemon in "Sun" and "Moon" is to fight them with your existing roster, wearing them down before you stuff them into a pokeball. Combat is turn-based and is less hectic than the fighting in "Go," allowing for deeper combat strategies.
The 3DS games take place on the Hawaiian-themed island chain of Alola, and your character is tasked with completing a series of missions known as the "island challenge."
The perfunctory story is necessarily benign, as the game is designed to appeal to a wide range of ages. The meat is in the monsters, catching and raising them to be fierce fighters.
What is perhaps most impressive about these games is how well they scale to your play style. While the number of Pokemon to catch and the amount of customization available may seem daunting, a casual gamer can still easily complete all the plot's challenges with a basic roster and a fairly simple strategy. So long as you don't throw out a fire-based Torracat to fight a water-wielding Wishiwashi, you're probably savvy enough to go far in the base game.
New to the "Pokemon" series are Z-moves, which allow your Pokemon to use souped-up versions of their basic attacks. Z-moves are cheap to use and let you breeze through much of the game's content if you so choose.
But those who want to take a deeper dive can make "Sun" and "Moon" as complicated as they like. You can customize a Pokemon's arsenal of moves, trade with people from across the globe, and search for rare Pokemon.
The really hardcore can get into competitive mode, where fine-tuning esoteric hidden statistics is the key to victory. Getting this far requires research, trial-and-error and careful planning. There are several helpful websites, some explaining how to raise key statistics with nightmarish math formulas. Registering with the Pokemon Trainers Club gives you access to an event finder where you can hone your skills against other trainers.
Outside of esthetics the "Sun" and "Moon" versions of the game are not overly different, though there are Pokemon exclusive to each version. Trading creatures between games is permitted. Bigger fans will no doubt be interested in picking up both versions, but newbies are recommended to choose the one they think has the cooler monster on the cover and have at it.
The ultimate success of "Sun" and "Moon" is that they can be what you want them to be, from the next step into gaming for a casual player to a highly complex and competitive experience. The core of catching these impressive creatures can appeal to everyone, and its the universal nature of that concept that has kept the franchise so popular for so long.
