# Too Much Water

Too Much Water is a catchphrase pulled from IGN's November 2014 review of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, where the reviewer listed the game's abundance of ocean routes as a drawback and docked the score to 7.8 out of 10[1]. Fans rushed to mock the critique, which turned a three-word complaint into a years-running punchline about reviewer nitpicking.

## Origin
On November 18, 2014, IGN published its review of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS and gave the game a 7.8 out of 10[1]. The review praised the 3D remake of Hoenn for its small environmental details and nostalgic plot, but called out the excess water Pokemon and the dull navigation of their habitats as cons, listing Too Much Water among the drawbacks on the scored summary[1].

Because Hoenn is a fictional region built out of islands and sea routes, readers treated the critique as absurd on its face[3]. The IGN article drew more than 5,800 comments within 24 hours of publication, most of them pushing back on the water complaint, which gave the phrase enough early visibility to escape the review page[3].

- **Platform:** IGN (review publication) / Reddit, 4chan, YouTube (viral spread)
- **Creator:** IGN (phrase origin); meme format originated with Pokemon fans online
- **Date:** 2014

## Overview
Too Much Water is the shorthand fans use to needle IGN after the outlet cited the ocean-heavy map of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as a knock against the 3DS remake[1]. The review's reviewer flagged the excess of water Pokemon and the dull navigation of their habitats as flaws glaring enough to lower the score, and the three-word complaint got singled out as emblematic of overthinking a Pokemon game that is literally set in a tropical archipelago[1].

As a meme, the phrase gets wielded two ways. Fans quote it straight as a jab at IGN whenever the site publishes a middling score, and they also use it as a template, slapping Too Much Water onto screenshots of unrelated games, movies, and real-world photos of oceans or puddles to parody nitpicky review bullet points[3]. The joke works because the Hoenn region's whole identity is built around sailing routes, diving sequences, and water-type gym leaders, which makes the critique read as a reviewer complaining that a desert game has too much sand[1].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Too Much Water?
It is a catchphrase pulled from IGN's 2014 review of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, where the reviewer listed the game's abundance of ocean areas as a drawback[1].

### Where did Too Much Water come from?
The phrase appeared in IGN's November 18, 2014 review of the Pokemon 3DS remakes, which scored the game 7.8 out of 10[1].

### What does Too Much Water mean?
In meme usage, it is a mocking shorthand for nitpicky video game review criticism, since Hoenn is a region built around islands and sea routes[1][3].

### How do you use Too Much Water?
Fans typically drop the line as a jab at IGN or paste it onto screenshots and photos as a parody of pointless review complaints[3].

### Is Too Much Water still popular?
It is a classic Pokemon-fandom in-joke that resurfaces whenever IGN posts a new Pokemon review or a 7.8 score[3].

## References
1. [https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/18/pokemon-alpha-sapphire-and-omega-ruby-review](<https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/18/pokemon-alpha-sapphire-and-omega-ruby-review>)
2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPagBDc04kg](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPagBDc04kg>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/too-much-water](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/too-much-water>)
4. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh_vwmQrWQ4](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh_vwmQrWQ4>)
5. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Too%20Much%20Water](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Too%20Much%20Water>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/too-much-water
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library