Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

 Switch
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 84 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 84
  3. Negative: 0 out of 84
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  1. Ars Technica
    Nov 16, 2018
    I call it a portable, comfort-food quest suited perfectly for my get-in, have-fun, get-out tastes (along with, honestly, my affinity for a range of colorful, oddball monsters). Anybody who's tired of the games' ancient Kanto region may struggle to feel the same jolt I did, and that's fair.
  2. Eurogamer
    Nov 13, 2018
    Pokémon's Switch debut deftly toes the line between returning fans and all-new ones, with a few small wobbles along the way. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  3. GamesBeat
    Nov 13, 2018
    I bet longtime Pokémon fans appreciate, if not embrace, this first Switch outing. It adapts much of what makes the series shine while adding effective motion controls and a bridge to Pokémon Go, the mobile game tens of millions of fans still play. Much of my enjoyment came from taking my kids along on this journey, benefiting from their love and knowledge of Pokémon to enhance what I found here.
  5. Kotaku
    Nov 13, 2018
    There is very little new or novel about Pokémon Let’s Go! Eevee and Pikachu. Even the divisive new mechanics are cribbed from Pokémon Go. In the end, I don’t feel like that matters. It’s still Pokémon. It’s still a story about learning who you are and what you’re capable of, still a chance to become emotionally connected to the creatures who help you on that journey.
  6. Polygon
    Nov 13, 2018
    Co-op play or one-button wild battles may not be what I’m used to, but reiteration seems against the point here. This is Pokémon’s console debut, and with that comes reinvention for all kinds of players, not just the ones who came of age with Pokémon a long time ago.
  7. The Jimquisition
    Nov 19, 2018
    It’s not going to be for everyone, but I must confess I’ve not been this into a Pokémon game since Pokémon Red, way back when I was a ruddy boy. Just a shame the motion controls Nintendo forced in wreck it for a lot of people.
  8. The Verge
    Nov 13, 2018
    I was excited every single time a new pokémon would appear on-screen for me to catch. Small touches like the sheer scale of pokémon — an Onix or an Arcanine, for example, dwarf your player character — bring the series to life in a new way. Even dressing up my Eevee, or spending time rubbing its head, for no reason other than that I could, made the game feel that much richer.
  9. VG247
    Nov 13, 2018
    Let’s Go is trapped between fans hungry for more of what they already love and those keen to see the series really do new and different things. I’ve fallen firmly into the latter category for a while now, but Let’s Go ended up being something really unexpectedly needed for me: a nice nostalgic palette cleanser before a hopefully significantly changed Pokemon experience next year.

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
1
#1 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1782 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 952 out of 1782
  2. Mixed: 283 out of 1782
  3. Negative: 547 out of 1782
  1. bowser12
    Nov 16, 2018
    10
    This is the BEST Pokemon game in years. It looks super clean, is a nice throwback to the old days and has plenty to do for the avid pokemonThis is the BEST Pokemon game in years. It looks super clean, is a nice throwback to the old days and has plenty to do for the avid pokemon fan. Ofcourse smogon players aren't real pokemon fans so they'll just bash this game, while its actually one of the best iterations in the franchise! I can recommend it to anyone who loves pokemon:)… Full Review »
  2. WorriedDenizen
    Nov 16, 2018
    1
    No, no, NO, NO, NO!!! THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!

    Where do I even begin with this? Well lets start with the biggest problem with this game, it is a    No, no, NO, NO, NO!!! THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!

    Where do I even begin with this? Well lets start with the biggest problem with this game, it is a full priced Switch game, for how little content there is. A Kanto rehash for $60 USD? I might as well just replay Fire Red and Leaf Green, or Heartgold and SoulSilver.
    Now as for the game itself, oh god almighty... It carries the flaws that Game Freak never bothered to fix (thanks Masuda) while TAKING OUT features.
    This game keeps the nature system while it retcons abilities, and hold items, and takes out a lot of attacks notably Dragon Dance, Giga Drain which is merged with mega drain, and rapid spin, and defog, btw for competitive players Stealth Rocks is still in the game so have fun. Oh and the EV system changed from being maxed out at 252, I can't necessarily explain it's like 200 in every stat if possible. YET THEY LEAVE IN THE IV SYSTEM, THANKS GAME FREAK.

    This game also LAGS when there are too many pokemon on the screen, ya you noticed in the trailers when they showed Co-op the FPS dropped? Well you weren't crazy, this game is HORRIBLY OPTIMIZED, while looking like the ORAS chibi models, but somehow being even **** It was bad enough when they removed Triple, and Rotation battles in Generation 7. But dear god Lets Go makes those games look like solid Pokemon games... Seriously, how many generations of taking out features, yet they can't even fix the goddamn FPS? AND implement multiple save features. No wonder why Game Freak had to go to HAL for help back in the day. ABSOLUTE INCOMPETENCE, and it really shows with this game.

    Main story is just Kanto... Again, and again... except with no Game Corner, with another friendly rival, with worse graphics than the 3ds games. Gym leaders don't even have full movesets sometimes. Seriously? An Alakazam with just Psychic and Nightshade? Wheres Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast, and some other coverage attack!??!? Also the Elite Four first match got deleveled slightly.

    Rivalwise, HE'S ANOTHER FRIEND YET AGAIN, ya know for a company that really loves Kanto so much, you would think they would actually implement a proper rival like Blue, or Silver. But no of course not just like in Generation 5-7 seriously Game Freak piss off with this trend. He heals you up, and gives you items. Oh and btw Cerulean Cave is really disappointing.

    Now a lot of people already went off on the stupid GO style of capturing, which is just stupid since it's taking out a core aspect of Pokemon since GEN 1, the capturing mechanics in GO weren't even the liked aspects of it. It was the exploration and going to different real life locations to get a rare mon. Anyhow it's braindead as hell, and there is almost no challenge with the actual capturing. Seriously Mewtwo should be kicking your ass, not a wrist-flicker fest.

    Endgame is extremely barebones, even more so than X/Y, and Sun and Moon. You rematch the gym leaders, fight the e4 again, and capture Mewtwo, and fight more elite trainers, the fight Green, and Red? Blue is already a new gym leader so I didn't count him, but that's it for content? And again this is being charged as a full priced triple-a Nintendo game???

    The animations are lazy. Look at any kick related attacks in Pokemon Stadium 1, and 2. Both games that were made during the N64 days, and compare it to say... Double Kick in Let's Go. Also Blastoise still doesn't use his cannons. Come on Game Freak you retcon the other gens and left it as strictly Gen Wun, yet you don't take the time to make the animations less **** This is even worse than in Gen 6, and 7.

    No Switch Pro Controller support, are you serious Game Freak? Just why... WHY WHY WHY.
    On a side note I forgot to mention that if you want Melmetal, have fun getting it since you have to feed Meltan 400 candies in GO. Also the Mew unlock, don't even bother spending $50 on that... Also paid online is a thing. just in other words, if you want Kanto skip these games entirely and just play Fire Red/Leaf Green, or Heartgold/Soulsilver.

    Overall the excuse "for casual players" is a stupid excuse that just doesn't work. The original Gen 1, and 2. Were for kids but they still had some degree of freedom and didn't hold your hand every step of the way. Of course Masuda is a senile out of touch incompetent idiot, and clearly doesn't see this. (Look at the guys director track record) This game is somehow more dumbed down than Sun and Moon was. That's an impressive feat. Plus they continued to take out features, yet for some reason they kept in Mega evolutions??? While taking out held items, and abilities? Again as I stated repeatedly, Generation 3, and 4, are more worth your time if you want Kanto. This is a shameless disgusting rip off of a "game" I honestly would go as far as to calling it **** Save your money for Smash Ultimate, don't blow it on this. Hell I would say this isn't even worth pirating it's just that ****    … Full Review »
  3. Robert95
    Nov 16, 2018
    0
    It's a **** game for to the casual people but really horrible, it's like an ORAS in HD but with much less content.
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