<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>REVIEW:</span></strong><span> When I first previewed Pokemon Legends Z-A I gushed about its new battle system. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It demands attention, quick thinking and knowledge of super effective strategies. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Hundreds of moves have been redesigned to fit this real-time challenge, which deserves applause from a series which has been welded to the same slow, turned-based system for the better part of three decades.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/pokemon-legends-za-preview-its-not-the-pokemon-you-grew-up-playing-its-a-whole-lot-more-fun/bbf384b3-f488-449a-bcad-bc396a7d8fe5" rel="" target="" title="'It's not the Pokemon you grew up playing': Pokemon Legends Z-A Preview"><strong><span>'It's not the Pokemon you grew up playing': Pokemon Legends Z-A Preview</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now that the game is on store shelves, I'm happy to report that battles are still the best part of Pokemon Legends Z-A. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Unfortunately, the game doesn't know how to get out of its own way. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>My preview didn't start from the beginning of the game.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/technology/the-pokemon-legends-z-a-review-as-a-longlapsed-pokemon-fan-it-feels-like-legends-za-was-made-for-me-but-this-is-my-only-wish-for-the-new-game/b1fd8b39-1881-448c-8333-95ec90a7c6e2" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>I was dumped into a wild zone to catch some Pokemon, then dumped into a battle against a mega-evolved Victorybell.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There was no down time between which let the battle system shine. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Booting up the real thing is a far more taxing experience. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first six hours is basically one big tutorial.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There's no way to fast forward through dialogue and forget about skipping cutscenes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It feels like there's zero trust in the player figuring anything out on their own.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The game is basically the anti-Breath of the Wild. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>I get that Pokemon is designed for kids.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>I get that it has to establish a story, Lumiose city and explain how its Pokemon and humans live side by side, but c'mon. Let a man learn!</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's a shame because underneath the outdated game design is a remarkably engaging story and some of the most insane characters I've ever met in a video game. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/super-mario-galaxy-and-super-mario-galaxy-2-bundle-australia-price-worth-it-nintendo/1ce136b4-0e4c-4846-8196-f8726e752d7a" rel="" target="" title="Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 bundle: Is it worth it?"><strong><span>Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 bundle: Is it worth it?</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first trainer you face in a promotion match of the Z-A Royale is a cab driver who wants to rise to level 'A' so he can ban all other forms of transport besides taxis!</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's bizarre and I love it. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rising through the ranks is the fundamental "loop" of Pokemon Legend Z-A. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During the day, you're free to explore the city and its "wild areas" to catch roaming Pokemon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At night, a large "battle zone" appears in the city for you to battle trainers and earn points to win a "ticket" for a promotion match.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's an addictive loop, when the game's story isn't getting in the way.  </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Disappointingly, you don't make your way through all 26 letters of the alphabet.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>You get to level 'V' and then get a chance to jump to level 'F;' which undercuts the game's entire theme. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/drag-x-drive-review-the-new-chaotic-game-that-is-easy-to-pick-up-but-incredibly-difficult-to-master/f394324c-fe02-4d46-b9f5-e2b36d5c37cd" rel="" target="" title="Drag x Drive review: The new chaotic game that is easy to pick up but incredibly difficult to master"><strong><span>Drag x Drive review: The new chaotic game that is easy to pick up but incredibly difficult to master</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Promotion matches are this game's gym leaders.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's not as simple as levelling up and beating them though, some are tied to side missions like helping track down a karate master's sister or winning a fan contest for a chance to battle a famous streamer. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Getting to know these quirky characters has been one of my favourite parts about the game, despite the lack of voice acting.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For one of the biggest franchises in the world, Pokemon Legends Z-A is sorely lacking in its presentation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That's not to say the game looks bad.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The game runs at a rock solid 60 frames per second and is incredibly crisp and colourful.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>My wife - who had just been watching me play Ghost of Yotei - walked past as I was exploring and remarked, "this game is really pretty." </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Pokemon has never looked better - but I wish they'd done a little more.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/developers-take-us-step-by-step-through-the-creation-of-baby-steps/7dde235d-058f-4d76-b978-fe368ce443ca" rel="" target="" title="Baby Steps creators take us step by step through the game's development"><strong><span>Baby Steps creators take us step by step through the game's development</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All of Lumiose city looks the same.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It has five regions, why can't each region have differently styled buildings?</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>You'll also notice a LOT of "pop-in" as you run around as people and Pokemon suddenly materialise 30 feet ahead of you. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In spite of all that, Lumiose is probably the franchise's best example of a living Pokemon city.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Restaurants struggle with rogue Trubbish eating scraps off customers' plates.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Bats infest the sewers, ghost-types like Ghastly haunt graveyards and birds like Pidgey swarm the city's rooftops.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There's even a subplot about some residents who are angry about the city's plans to build more "wild zones" for Pokemon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's all very well thought out. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>My only wish is that there was a little room to explore outside the city walls.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Imagine if Hogwarts Legacy let you explore the castle but nothing of the grounds outside.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lumiose city is great, but by the end it starts to feel a little claustrophobic.   </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As a long-lapsed Pokemon fan, it feels like Legends Z-A was made for me.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/interview-with-sonic-teams-takashi-iizuka-following-the-release-of-sonic-racing-crossworld/8942c90e-d331-4e9a-9b10-d9f25a222ea5" rel="" target="" title="Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds"><strong><span>Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Newer Pokemon do call Lumiose home, but the game leans heavily on the earlier generations I grew up with.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Picking Totodile and Charmander again, like I did as a kid, and levelling them up into a beefy Feraligatr and Charizard was such a joy. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Pokemon Legends Z-A is a great game wrapped in an average one. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Is the franchise headed in the right direction? Yes. Is it the perfect Pokemon game? No.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Let's hope this new and improved battle system inspires some excellent games to come. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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