Thread by @Selviorn

With a week of #PokemonScarlet #PokemonViolet and a solid almost 100 hours logged, my "final" verdict:
-Performance issues make the game difficult to swallow and inexcusably rough to look at. Game was NOT ready for release. For casual fans this is where the hate train started.

-It's glaringly obvious some areas got less time than others, The Asado Desert is even more barren than most Pokemon games' deserts and some locales obviously have low res jank textures.
-A memory leak is evident. Performance tends to differ over time and is fixed by a reset.-

-Despite all this, the game beneath the issues is fantastic. It is a properly open world that opens up after only an hour of gameplay and isn't a guided gated tour that opens as you progress.
-The three different main quests are fun in their own way, with Gyms being the weakest.

-Some new designs are a win, some are hit or miss. This isn't new though, Pokémon has had some stinkers for a while.
-Overworld encounters are a cool shake up in the dynamic. That said, they really could use the shiny jingle from PLA. People ARE going to miss some spawns.

-For how open the game is, the number of trainers and the sheer ease with which they are avoided is off putting for some longtime fans. Gone are the days of tense walks through long routes between cities with unavoidable groups of trainer battles.

-Pacing is awkward in terms of levels. Even having completed the game with mostly the same team throughout I found myself feeling under leveled by the endgame and trainer battles were difficult to track down in the final areas.

-Characters are fun if not a bit annoying at times. Arven is a douche but with a fun story under it. Nemona isn't nearly as annoying as recent rivals. Clavell is a dipshit but his FellowKids demeanor is kind of a good meme. Star starts weak but gets more interesting over time.

Overall I think that if these games had more time in the oven to be finished they could have been the best on the series in a LONG time, with an interesting new direction for the mechanics, pacing, and adventure style of the game. But the game is rough and needs time to be fixed.

The hate train is unwarranted and frankly it's more of a circle jerk than people genuinely critiquing the game. But while unwarranted, it's understandable. Nintendo is a 50 Billion dollar company and Pokemon is the highest grossing video game franchise ever. They can do better.