I dunno about all that. Nearly every trainer on a route is avoidable if you just skirt through a bit of grass (though I definitely had to keep repels stocked because fleeing battle was tricky before you got the Smoke Ball), and there was always someone who offered to heal you up before you got to the tricky bits.

They’ve always got one NPC in their games that gauges friendliness in a slightly-vague sort of way, but she’s not until the last chunk of the second island, in Konikoni City.

Pokemon Moon. I’m at my fourth kahuna, and quite impatient to finally evolve my Charjabug.

I’m not sure Refresh increases their friendliness, just their affection, which is its own stat. (Thank XY for that craziness)

Not saying it would, just that they’ve announced a switch in focus specifically due to the success of Go. *shrug*

Eh, but that’s only your opinion. I happen to like the game. It’s simple and only has a few mechanics, but so do most mobile games. Its impact on gaming is significant and yet to be seen; Sony’s already come out and said they’re going to do more in the mobile space thanks to Go being such a phenomenon.

But the category IS about being family-friendly. Look at the other four nominees: Skylanders, Lego Star Wars, Ratchet & Clank, Dragon Quest Builders. All of those are single-player experiences that are good for all-ages.

Re: Pokemon Go; I think it’s more about being family-friendly than it is about being multiplayer. (Since there’s a separate Multiplayer category) I think more than any other game this year, Pokemon Go brought together people spanning all ages and generations. My 50-year old mom actually knows Pokemon names outside…

OP asked why Popplio in particular, and breeding isn’t the reason if you’re going for females of all three.

Because Popplio’s final form looks like a mermaid. *shrug* Looks never stopped me from raising a Male Gardevoir, but whatever.

Oh sure. Fighting against some 12-year old’s team of hacked Mewtwos with perfect stats. That’s the one thing I’ve been missing in Pokemon.

Why do people want a Pokemon MMO? The last thing I want in my Pokemon game is other players running around in it.

Third versions usually come out about a year later than the initial two, so this isn’t new.

Funny enough, that’s maybe the one major monster-catching game that I’ve never really bothered with. I think it was the giant eyeball creature with the big tongue that put me off of the series.

I kind of don’t miss having to schedule my life around a TV schedule, especially when my free time exists soley in the 9pm-midnight range.

You can also watch ‘em free on the Pokemon TV app. The episodes cycle in and out periodically, but you can see all the different seasons.

Oooh, does this also mean it’ll air on Hulu? :D Fingers crossed!

Well I mean yeah, in the context of the game part, it can’t guess your drawing and tells you what other people drew instead. I’m just thinking like, now that network doesn’t know the shape of an aircraft carrier, all thanks to a bunch of dumb humans.

HAH, what happens when humans draw the wrong thing? Google’s neural network now thinks an “aircraft carrier” looks like a plane, thanks to a bunch of dummies drawing planes.

If they’re not paying for Sun/Moon in the first place...