Pokémon Ultra Sun (2017)

Pokemon Ultra Moon is the 'third game' of Alola.

Let me explain what I mean.

Until Pokemon Black and White Version every new generation featured three Pokemon games in the region. For Kanto (ignoring the Japanese-only Green Version) it was Yellow Version, for Johto it was Crystal, for Hoenn it was Emerald, and for Sinnoh it was Platinum Version. Unova's lack of a Pokemon Grey Version was an oddity when the fifth generation of Pokemon games released, but the subsequent lack of a Pokemon Z in Generation VI seemed to place the final nail in the coffin of 'third' Pokemon games.

The 'third game' in each generation featured similar traits, with the ability to catch the Pokemon unique to the other two versions being the main selling point. However, the 'third game' also usually featured a bit more depth in the story, a focus on a third legendary, and often a bit more post-game content or unique features.

What Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, and Platinum were to their respective generations, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are to Alola. The story, while the same, has a bit more depth. Necrozma is the main focus as opposed to Solgaleo or Lunala. There is more post-game content. All the boxes are effectively checked out.

There are two problems with this. The first is that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were advertised as sequels, not alternate versions. Black 2 and White 2 were sequels in that they had a different story from Black and White, while still taking place in the same region. The Ultra games only slightly alter the story of the original Sun and Moon, making them more akin to Platinum than Black 2 and White 2.

The second problem is that, like the other 'third games', Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon both render the original Sun and Moon obsolete and, frankly, not worth your money. People who do not own Sun and Moon have no reason to buy it over the Ultra versions because they are objectively inferior. On the same logic, owners of Sun and Moon feel cheated because they wasted money on an inferior version and are forced to buy another game simply to enjoy everything Alola has to offer, hence the mixed feelings on the Ultra games' release.

In conclusion, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are not sequels, but alternate versions of the game. People looking to get into Alola for the first time should not waste their time or money with the original Sun and Moon, while those who do own them should consider if some post-game content and a few extra features are worth the price of a whole new game.

I'm trying to enjoy playing this but I'm so bored. I beat Sun & Moon last year, and going for a third (and fourth) time feels so tedious.

I'm especially bored because I've been trying to have a "challenging" playthrough. Sun & Moon were already the easiest games in the series, and these ones give you even more ways to make it easier (for example, the Roto Loto power-ups). I have to put in all this extra effort just to make the game not a cakewalk, so I feel like I have to choose between fully exploring the extra content or having actually interesting Pokémon battles. In other words, half of the game is going to be uninteresting either way, and I just get to choose which half.