Pokémon Sun and Moon make a good first impression with their formula-shaking tweaks

It’s time to do that whole Pokémon thing again. What is the catch phrase? I think it’s: “I’m Ashley Graball and I’m going to grab all of them!” That sounds right.

Sun and Moon for the Nintendo 3DS launch November 18, and they represent the seventh generation of Pokémon games. We’ve been playing these things for 20 years, and despite graphical improvements, not much has changed. You still pick one of three Pokémon at the start (a Fire, Water, or Grass-type) and then leave your small town for an adventure to become a master. Thankfully, catching and training Pokémon is still fun. But are Nintendo and developer Game Freak willing to shake up a formula that has served them so well?