I still haven’t played much of Pokémon Moon.

I’ve meant to, but I keep putting it aside in favor of other games. The beginning’s slow pace has made it difficult for me to get into it, even though I enjoyed the more story-driven focus of Pokémon Black and White.

However, I’m still interested in learning more about Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which will be out on November 17. In particular, I want to know what they are.

Are they upgraded versions of Sun and Moon? Are they sequels like Black/White 2? I had these questions when they were announced, and I still have them.

I was excited when I learned Ultra Sun and Moon news was coming over the weekend… but it was just the announcement of Dusk Form Lycanroc.

We still have a little over 3 months before Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon come out, but I hope we learn more about them before then. What do you think Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon are — and when do you think we’ll find out?

Since their announcement, I haven’t said a lot about Pokémon Sun and Moon.

Pokémon X and Y were a disappointment to me. I haven’t touched my copy of Y in ages, not even to get any of the event Pokémon. (And I was the sort of person who visited the mall with multiple Pokémon games to get the event Pokémon in all of them.)

But I can’t hold a grudge against the whole series. I might even give Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire a chance after all. And when it comes to Sun and Moon, here are my hopes for it.

Improved Exploration

To me, X and Y didn’t feel like they had a lot of exploration. Sure, the world was 3D, but there wasn’t much of it. Caves, especially suffered. While I’m not a big fan of Pokémon caves, they felt lifeless.

I don’t mind a little linearity, but I never felt a real interest in X/Y’s world. Was it just me?

I hope Sun and Moon have a world I want to explore, with cool locations and side areas. Since the Alola region is a series of islands, it sounds like a perfect fit.

A Good Story

I know, looking for a good plot in Pokémon games is a bad idea to start with. After Black/White, though, I can’t help it. I loved the story in those games, and I have no end of praise for them because of it.

While the main plot of X/Y didn’t do it for me, it had glimmers of excitement… and the Looker side quest in the post-game had better writing than the entire rest of the game.

I’ve also heard the ORAS Delta Episode has good writing.

Pokémon doesn’t need to reach epic JRPG levels of plot, but I hope Sun and Moon have an interesting storyline again, one where I care about the characters and want to know what happens next.

Good Villains

Even without a strong story, I’ll settle for good villains. You know what my biggest problem with X/Y was? Team Flare. It’s hard to take villains seriously when they look like this.

Lysandre was at least intimidating. He wants to use an ultimate weapon to destroy anyone who isn’t part of Team Flare, then remake a more “beautiful” world.

Except Cyrus did it better!

Cyrus wants to destroy the universe to remake a universe without any conflict. (Or emotion.) He has a more concrete backstory than Lysandre. He’s crazy, but within the context of his insanity, his actions make more sense. (Aren’t the members of Team Flare exactly the sort of people Lysandre hates? Why are they the ones he’s saving?)

All right, I know there are people who like Lysandre better, but I couldn’t help but see him as a less-interesting imitation of Cyrus.

Fun Mini-Games

Pokémon contests, the Pokéathlon, Voltorb Flip, that awesome mining stuff in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum… I want more fun mini-games like that. (What did X/Y have? Just Pokémon-Amie?)

And while it’s not quite a mini-game, the Join Avenue in White 2/Black 2 was the main reason I kept playing my copy long after I finished the main game.

These are a few of the things I hope Pokémon Sun and Moon have. I apologize for my X/Y ranting. What do you hope to see in the new Pokémon games?