As the user above me, GameBunnyAdvance mentioned, whether or not Scarlet and Violet are good depends on what you want out of a Pokémon game. Gameplay-wise, unlike other Pokémon titles, the game mostly exists as an open-world sandbox, where you can freely explore the region of Paldea without having to complete most parts of the story. However, I said "mostly" because to truly explore every aspect of the region, you need to unlock certain abilities that your "ride Pokémon" can have, such as the ability to climb and surf. Despite this, I was able to explore the vast majority of the map without being able to climb or surf, and luckily you learn to climb fairly early in the story. Similar to the Wild Areas in Pokémon Sword and Shield, Pokémon roam freely in the open, which is different from the traditional Pokémon appearing randomly in tall grass. Nowadays, you no longer have to spray Repels when walking in areas with Pokémon, caves, or surfing on the water. Personally, I say this is a plus, but everybody has different tastes. Much of the world is open space and terrain, but not to the extent of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, if you played that. While much of the world is terrain, Paldea still has its traditional cities and towns you can visit in the midst of the huge map.
As mentioned before, the games do revolve around going to school. Your character and other kids are students at Uva Academy, and your main assignment is basically to explore all of Paldea at your leisure and find the "hidden treasure." The "hidden treasure" is really what you make it, as it is just a slogan basically to denote the freedom of exploration you have in the game. You can actually take classes in the school in different subjects with different teachers. For instance, in math class, you can learn about the mechanics of damage calculation and stat boosts. In the history class, you can learn about the history of Paldea and the lore surrounding its legendary Pokémon. In fact, I believe that the history class is required to seek out the legendary quartet of Pokémon in Paldea. It is recommended that you take all your classes! Personally, I actually find this feature fun and interesting. You are given four different uniforms based on the seasons and unfortunately, at least to me, you are practically stuck with them. You no longer have the option to change your entire outfit like in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but you can change things like hats, gloves, and shoes.
Certain features no longer exist like fishing, but practically every Water-type Pokémon can be found roaming freely in or around water. You no longer ride a bike as well, as you have access to your "ride Pokémon," which is one of the box legendary Pokémon. The Pokémon is Koraidon for Pokémon Scarlet and Miraidon for Pokémon Violet. You can alternate from using them in battle and as a "vehicle" of sorts. Another missing feature is battle facilities like the Battle Tower, which would be the only Pokémon game since the Gen I games to lack them. As a person that loves battle facilities, this disappointed me, but I got over it. Not all players are into this feature anyway. I should mention this because I am aware that many Pokémon fans hate it, but the game does have the Exp. Share, where every Pokémon in the party earns experience and thus EVs for battles even if they didn't participate. Again, this is another personal plus, but everybody has different tastes. More importantly, much like Pokémon Sword and Shield, not every Pokémon is available in the game, but with the addition of the DLC now, you have a good selection of Pokémon to use and encounter. I personally got used to all these changes and I even welcome some, such as riding the legendaries.
You have the ability to send your Pokémon out of their Pokéballs and have them walk with you, but they can't keep up if you walk too fast, causing them to return to their balls automatically. Similar to how the cooking and camping feature existed in Pokémon Sword and Shield, the gimmick for bonding with your Pokémon in these games includes picnicking and making sandwiches. Different sandwiches have different effects, where some might, for example, make encountering Pokémon of Ghost and Fighting-type appear more in the wild, whereas others might make it take less time for Eggs to hatch. Speaking of Eggs, the Pokémon Nursery no longer exists for Egg hatching. Instead, you get Eggs from picnics. Simply start a picnic with Pokémon that can breed in your party, and you can get several Eggs in your picnic basket at once after a bit of time passes. Some sandwiches can even make Shiny Pokémon appear easier with a special topping, which can mainly be obtained only through high-level Max Raids. I don't mind these features or changes at all personally, but like the sandwiches, everybody has different tastes.
Speaking of Max Raids, one of the main gimmicks for the game is, of course, the Max Raids, which are similar to the Dynamax Raids in Pokémon Sword and Shield. However, Max Raids in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet involve your Pokémon attacking a superpowered "terastallized" Pokémon in groups. You do this because it has a lot of health. You also don't have to wait turns attack, as you can attack freely, unlike the Dynamax Raids. When a Pokémon "terastallizes," it basically temporarily changes its type, seemingly turns to crystal, and wears what looks like party hats representing the type it transformed into. For example, a Tera Type Flying-type Pokémon would have balloons on its head. Despite changing its type, it can still deal STAB damage with moves of its original type. Tera Types last for the duration of the battle, and they can only be used once per battle. You can give any Pokémon any Tera Type with enough Tera Shards. As for the story, it is divided into three parts, which is based on your typical Gym Leader Challenge, battling Team Star, this generation's evil team, and one that involves taking down Titan Pokémon, which are Pokémon much larger than average. Me personally, I am not the biggest fan of Max Raids, but I could just be the oddball out. You might love them. However, I do really enjoy the Tera Type gimmick, as I find it very strategic, and it makes certain Pokémon useful and better in competitive.
In terms of graphics, the open world, people, and Pokémon have more realistic textures. The open world, in my opinion, seems to be more similar, but not 100% as detailed and HD, to New Pokémon Snap in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as opposed to Sword and Shield. Pokémon have more detail, such as furry Pokémon having fur that can easily be seen, Steel-type Pokémon such as Magnezone's line looking shinier and like real steel, and even scratches on Blastoise's shell and whatnot. Regarding humans, they look more realistic. You have more customization options with your player character, but I do hate how the dark skin tone was removed. The darkest skin tone available is much lighter than my actual skin tone. While I do personally enjoy the graphics, I do understand that other fans expect more out of Pokémon graphics and I don't know where you stand. I am also not sure what your skin tone is, so you might or might not care about the darkest skin tone being lighter than what is seen in my avatar from Sword.
Anyway, regarding the DLC, you get two different kinds, which are "The Teal Mask" and the "Indigo Disk." Both added a ton of returning Pokémon and a few new Pokémon to the games, and offer their own storylines. However, you have to complete "The Teal Mask" before advancing to the "Indigo Disk" story. The Teal Mask has you go on a field trip to another little region called Kitakami, where you are able to explore more culture, find more Pokémon, and play a mini-game called "Ogre Oustin." In my opinion, it is pretty fun. In the Indigo Disk, you go to Unova and transfer to the Blueberry Academy and visit an underwater place called a Teratium, not unlike how Sandy from SpongeBob lives underwater. However, it is massive and contains many biomes such as tropical/coastal, savannah, polar ice caps, and canyon biomes, each with different types of Pokémon appearing there. The Indigo Disk introduced a new feature where you can briefly control your Pokémon, and you can earn BP by doing these mini-quests called "BBQs." It has nothing to do with cooking, but instead stands for "Blueberry Quests." It is little stuff like picking up 10 items from the ground, catching a certain type of Pokémon, taking pictures of different Pokémon, and so on. You can pile up BP when you do them online with friends and do group quests for even more BP. Personally, I enjoy the feature a lot.
All and all, I think I explained everything these games have and don't have to offer. If you read all this, perhaps it can help you understand if you would like it or not. I want to let you decide because simply because I love it doesn't mean you would, but it is possible you could end up loving it just like I do.
