Well, here are my comments and thoughts on the game so far:
First off, I commend whoever sprited the 2 Player Characters and Gym Leaders! Selene especially looks cute; for some reason I thought she looked like a cute Latina Trainer on first glance! I love the color schemes used as well. And the Gym Leaders look cool as well, with Warren's toughness from the get-go and Hayden exuding a sense of serenity! Liking the names so far; especially Hayden's (who reminds me of the beautiful Hayden Panettiere...)
Special commendation for the VS Sprites as well; I'm hoping Helios, Selene, and the rival get one, as well as The Mercenary and Julian! Though I have no skill in making a VS sprite from scratch as of now, it gets a tad annoying when I can easily recognize where an edited VS Sprite came from (i.e., a VS Whitney edit).
I haven't seen all of the Pt/HGSS VS Sprites yet, but from what I can tell, the ones currently displayed are original (not to mention awesome), with new poses to boot. The fact that the artist dedicated that much time to create tricky yet original VS Sprites hints at the great potential this game holds in store for the future..
The synopsis and plot appear to be at an adequate length. Obviously, the whole plot can't be doled out at once, and a substantial amount of it would detract from the gaming experience. I actually prefer not being given much of the plot, to enrich the experience since I'm experiencing a new world/adventure for the first time which, IMO, is a definitive videogame experience. Take the game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, for example (the best action-adventure game I've ever played on a console, even though I haven't finished). I could easily go to ZeldaWiki or a walkthrough and read the plot, bosses, weapons, and attacks featured in the game before I even complete the game. But why would I want to do that to ruin the whole point of buying the game, when I can play the game myself and engage in epic discovery, sans spoilers?
What is present right now would likely fit on a GBA/DS game box, so I don't think there should be excessive clamoring for more plot. If Pokemon Helios was in a box at Gamestop, the synopsis and plot would be exactly what would replace the normal Pokemon blurbs you find on the back of the box. To find out the rest, you'd have to purchase and play the game.
As for what I think of the plot, it seems intriguing, somewhat exploring a new direction than what past Pokemon titles have delved into... Selene hanging out with a Grunt/Admin of the game's crime syndicate could be explored further, I'm guessing... While the player's motivation for becoming a Trainer are a bit odd, they seem to fit. I love how "Aaron" (keeps on reminding me of E4 Aaron, though, which could be problematic) goes after you in an attempt to stop you, essentially becoming your rival. Instead of a natural childhood rivalry, your friend is kind of forced to become your rival out of caring for the player, in order to knock the player back to his/her senses...
The high school thing seems a bit odd, though, since hardly anyone in Pokemon goes to school, let alone high school (the players actually look a bit young for high school...)! The Pokemon Academy and Pokemon Tech come to mind, but those seem like elementary schools...
I'm wondering why Team Solar wants to restart on the Moon, instead of Earth. I get the excessive pollution thing would be harmful and force humanity's relocation, but couldn't they just take the easy route and use Pokemon to wipe everyone out instead? And it takes quite a bit of effort to get to the Moon... They could just use force to get their way quickly, instead of waiting for pollution to take its toll... I really like the pollution theme going on (hails to RSE, the games which hooked me back to Pokemon :D and where weather was utilized as a key plot element), though, and I'd like it to work. Anyway, maybe I'll learn why Team Solar wants to invest all of that seemingly unnecessary effort into polluting the earth and seeking out the Moon...eh?
Does Rayquaza really have to die?! Death can be a primary shifting factor for people's mindsets, but Rayquaza is a freaking LEGENDARY! It should be much more resilient from dying by a stabbing! Plus, it's one of my favorite Titans (my term for the version mascot Legendaries, Heatran, and Arceus...) The way I interpret the Pokemon canon is that there is only one of each Titan (I know some games imply there can be more than one of other Legendaries), so one of them dying is a bit...disheartening for me, for lack of a better word. I'd accept Rayquaza getting severely hurt to the point that it entered a near-death state...
The graphics confuse me a bit... The overworld seems to be the style of DPPt & HGSS, while the battle screen is that of RSE... I'd prefer the DPPtHGSS battle screen since it looks crisper than the GBA menus, etc., but I can manage... They are coming along really nicely, though...
For some reason, Pirashock from the back screams EPIC... I don't know why, but it exudes a sense of strength somehow... :)
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Finally, 2 questions:
1. Will this game have a Battle Tower/Frontier, complete with a Tower Tycoon/Frontier Brains? That's the main thing holding up Emerald's replay value for me, and I feel this game could benefit from one as well...
2. Have you decided on Legendaries yet? I think someone said something about Rayquaza's spirit being divided into a trio of 3 Ghost legends... However, my question relates more to the game's Titans, if any... (the Pokemon that would be considered as the mascot of Helios, along the lines of legendaries like Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, etc.)
Earlier, I saw 2 exceptional Fakemon Legendaries that were originally drafted for BW, and they fit PERFECTLY with your game's sun/moon theme... It would be a shame to see them relegated only to Fakemon art, though, when you could possibly incorporate them into your game. If you want, I can link to the post I first found them in... :)
In closing, everyone keep up the excellent work with this game! :D