So I never got into Pokemon. I now have a 3DS (with a fair number of virtual console games including said Super Metroid) and decided to try Alpha Sapphire.
It's an interesting RPG. With three badges so far, I have a better feel now for the monster-trading and luck-of-the-draw romps through grass. There's a little bit in the Types combat that reminds me of Final Fantasy V style jobs, which is attractive. I also have a single Shiny Linoone that evolved from a Zigzagoon. She's orange colored so I named her Cowboy out of respect for friends back in Oklahoma.
I don't think I can get deeply into the game though. It's super grindy and repetitive. I constantly have to look back at my smartphone to look up either specific weaknesses or the type table. The ancillary mechanics like beauty contests, breeding, pokeblocks, and such are more distracting than engaging. It's fun, but not extraordinary into-it fun. I might try Sun or Moon, but not too sure about that yet. The Steam backlog calls.
What it mostly feels like mechanically? Dragon Quest. The same kind of repetition without the depth of combat mechanics that games like Final Fantasy offer. Dragon Quest is good, sometimes brilliant, but it occupies a very specific niche that hasn't change a whole lot since the late 80s, early 90s. Pokemon feels like that to me; a storied franchise that works and serves its niche well. I see the attraction, but the spell hasn't blessed me.
