Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

 Switch
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
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  1. LastOrigin21
    Nov 16, 2018
    2
    Only 153 Pokemon, and a few alternate forms despite previous remake FRLG having all Pokemon from Gen 1-3
    No Sevii Islands despite FRLG having them
    Is for kids, but requires them to pay $50 and/or $20 and/or walk several miles with a phone draining battery app that also needs cellular data to 100% the game (Super Sonic being $2 doesn’t seem so bad now) Despite an annual subscription for    Only 153 Pokemon, and a few alternate forms despite previous remake FRLG having all Pokemon from Gen 1-3
    No Sevii Islands despite FRLG having them
    Is for kids, but requires them to pay $50 and/or $20 and/or walk several miles with a phone draining battery app that also needs cellular data to 100% the game (Super Sonic being $2 doesn’t seem so bad now)
    Despite an annual subscription for online play, there are less features than the 3DS games such as wonder trade, battle spot, and the GTS
    No wild battles
    No Safari
    No games at the game corner, just text
    Animations are completely recycled from USUM, including the walking animations for Pokemon
    Blastoise shoots Hydro Pump from its forehead
    Gym Requirements force you to have an advantage over the gym
    They also made traditional nuzlocke rules impossible
    Exp share can not be turned off
    Lance uses Seadra simply because Kingdra isn’t in the game, as with the case with many bosses
    The champion has no Pokemon with 4 moves
    Red himself uses a Fire Blast Machamp without No Guard or Specs
    AVs increase stats beyond what stats normally can be and can be maxed out in every stat, making Mega Slowbro+Chansey Core nearly unbreakable
    Btw Megas don’t require items since no Pokemon can hold items
    No abilities either
    They didn’t bother making a skeleton aerodactyl for the museum
    Co op is wasted potential with it making battle 2v1s with P1’s team and no other functions
    Following Pokemon and Co-op will likely be dropped in Gen 8    … Expand
  2. emjoria
    Nov 16, 2018
    2
    Pokemon: Let's Go was my third most anticipated game for the switch this year, following Smash Ultimate and Civ VI on Switch. I picked it up yesterday at the prerelease event. I have played and beat every main series Pokemon game a few times each, and consider myself experienced enough to write this review.
    Pokemon: Let's Go is for children and people who have never touched a Pokemon    Pokemon: Let's Go was my third most anticipated game for the switch this year, following Smash Ultimate and Civ VI on Switch. I picked it up yesterday at the prerelease event. I have played and beat every main series Pokemon game a few times each, and consider myself experienced enough to write this review.
    Pokemon: Let's Go is for children and people who have never touched a Pokemon game before, not counting Pokemon Go. Nintendo promised a few times that this game would accommodate old fans of the series and still provide a fun experience. I can affirm that that is false. This is the easiest, most watered down game in the series, even if it is supposed to not count as a main series game. The game refuses to respect the intelligence of the player by not permitting you to challenge gyms if you don't have a Pokemon that is strong against the gym on your team. You are given Poke balls after nearly every battle in the overworld for no repercussions, and there are additionally a few NPCS that will refill your balls for free if you run out, like the one in Mount Moon. Your partner Pokemon is likely the most powerful creature on your side, which is odd seeing as Pikachu and Eevee both lack competitive viability. In order to improve this, the game allows you to teach some powerful, exclusive moves of any type to your partner Pokemon ensuring that you will never get stuck once during the entire game. IVs are now completely invalidated as you can pay an NPC 10,000 pokecoins to change the nature of every wild Pokemon you encounter for the next while. After every battle and wild encounter, your Pokemon automatically share experience points, a feature that you CANNOT turn off. This makes the game even easier, ensuring nobody will ever be challenged or underleveled once during their playthrough.
    Breeding, which was my favorite feature in past games, has been removed entirely. Held items and abilities are out, removing nearly every nuance from competitive battling aside from type advantages.
    There are a few things in this game I enjoy, however. The two positive points in this review are for them. The remastered music is very well done and is very immersive. I will also say that this game has the best implementation of the Switch's trademark "HD Rumble" to date. The vibrations that the joycon and the Pokeball Plus make are very convincing and realistic. I usually enjoy capturing Pokemon in the new system for the most part, and I'm sure children will adore it, but it is NOT a replacement for the old one. The gameplay when capturing Pokemon is very unengaging. In practically all of my encounters I just alternated between throwing a Razz Berry and a Poke ball each time until I captured the Pokemon. The nuance is completely gone.
    Do not buy this game. Do not buy this game for your child. Do not buy this game for a friend who likes Pokemon Go. Show these people a good Pokemon game and introduce them to the series properly. If this game sells well, and Nintendo refuses to listen to the community, I truly hate to think of what the next Pokemon game will bring.    … Expand
  3. kickedUp
    Nov 16, 2018
    2
    i used to have unwavering faith in the franchise, went in almost blind expecting great things from this lastest new installation. Not anymore. All that waited me was a washed out experience of a game I already played removing and worsening the mechanics of the games I fell in love with as a child. Do we actually need pokemon go catching, what was wrong with the previous method. This justi used to have unwavering faith in the franchise, went in almost blind expecting great things from this lastest new installation. Not anymore. All that waited me was a washed out experience of a game I already played removing and worsening the mechanics of the games I fell in love with as a child. Do we actually need pokemon go catching, what was wrong with the previous method. This just feels like getting rewarded for minimum effort, which is what masuda and game freak expect this game to do honestly. Bring back traditional pokemon, if anybody wanted mechanics from the mobile game they'd play the mobile game. Please reconsider gamefreak.… Expand
  4. Daito
    Nov 16, 2018
    2
    Unica impressão positiva que pude ter foi a "nostalgia", um jogo que tentou mudar o conceito de lutas com pokémons selvagens e treinos incessantes de forma errada. Diversas mudanças, no meu ponto de vista, erradas, ou melhor, arriscadas, a nintendo deveria avaliar um pouco mais "o que os fans querem" e o pouco menos "o que nós achamos que eles querem". Minha nota será 2 pelos diversosUnica impressão positiva que pude ter foi a "nostalgia", um jogo que tentou mudar o conceito de lutas com pokémons selvagens e treinos incessantes de forma errada. Diversas mudanças, no meu ponto de vista, erradas, ou melhor, arriscadas, a nintendo deveria avaliar um pouco mais "o que os fans querem" e o pouco menos "o que nós achamos que eles querem". Minha nota será 2 pelos diversos erros que o jogo cometeu, uma lástima.… Expand
  5. amiibro24
    Nov 17, 2018
    2
    At first, I was excitied when Nintendo announced Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee but after seeing more and more gameplay, I started to lose interest in it that I cancelled my preorder for it. No wild battle catching mechanics, no EV Training, no breeding, no nature, no abilities. To me, it's not a remake but more of a downgrade to Pokemon Yellow. Plus, the game seems like it isn'tAt first, I was excitied when Nintendo announced Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee but after seeing more and more gameplay, I started to lose interest in it that I cancelled my preorder for it. No wild battle catching mechanics, no EV Training, no breeding, no nature, no abilities. To me, it's not a remake but more of a downgrade to Pokemon Yellow. Plus, the game seems like it isn't challenging enough. It's just seem too easy, like it's holding your hand and repetitive. Graphics wasn't much of an improvement and the camera angles haven't changed. The overall world hasn't changed either. No new places to explore and you have to continuously catch pokemon in order to level up your pokemon team. I'm a HUGE Pokemon fan but personally, this game isn't something I would buy $60 for. I bought instead Pokemon X, Omega Ruby and Ultra Sun.… Expand
  6. Komache
    Nov 19, 2018
    2
    A Honest review for both Lets go Games
    I picked this game up Thursday morning off the Japaneses eshop it took around 2 hours to make it to the point in the game to receive the gift in the mobile game "Pokemon go". In that time i had a single lvl 30 Pokemon with 250 in each stat making the game so easy there was little point for me to finish the game. here are some pros and cons
    -Pro    A Honest review for both Lets go Games
    I picked this game up Thursday morning off the Japaneses eshop it took around 2 hours to make it to the point in the game to receive the gift in the mobile game "Pokemon go". In that time i had a single lvl 30 Pokemon with 250 in each stat making the game so easy there was little point for me to finish the game. here are some pros and cons
    -Pro
    -The game is visibly the best representation of the Kanto region

    -Con
    -so easy my 3 year old beat it.
    -multiplayer is a giant letdown
    -online is the biggest joke to try to connect with a friend
    -capture mechanics are down right broken in docked mode
    -unfaithful remakes as many things are changed
    -only around 1/6th - 1/7th of the pokemon are available so forget using your favorites if its not Pikachu or Charizard
    -end game content can be beaten with lvl 19 making it irreverent
    -locks content behind a 50$ purchase

    In the end save yourself the money and don't buy this unless you want to see what a HD Kanto game would look like without playing a game.    … Expand
  7. Sigils
    Nov 17, 2018
    2
    Worst game in the entire series by far.

    In addition to the many things (literal dozens) they've removed from the series since 2009/2010, they further removed another half dozen features including some of which had been there for the entire series duration meaning no one who likes the series as is wanted them removed because if you like a game you don't want the basics changed    Worst game in the entire series by far.

    In addition to the many things (literal dozens) they've removed from the series since 2009/2010, they further removed another half dozen features including some of which had been there for the entire series duration meaning no one who likes the series as is wanted them removed because if you like a game you don't want the basics changed arbitrarily, you want them built upon.

    I wasn't against a return to Kanto in the slightest when leaks started happening that made it appear to be the case. But it should have been a BotW or Odyssey outing. A return to the series roots to build up with all of the content that had been present since the originals and more new content.

    Instead we get a game worse than a nearly 15 year old remake that wasn't that great itself objectively speaking.

    Graphic style is fine, following Pokémon is a nice return but this is a game and the game play is SEVERELY lacking. Especially for a the price. This is what should have been an easy mode in a full content game sold separately for people who don't know better or can't help themselves.

    I love Pokémon. Have played the series for about 65 THOUSAND hours over the last 20 years and this is not at all what I ever wanted Pokémon to be. The last few weren't impressive but to say they were outright bad would have been a lie. Just barely a lie in the case of the most recent brand new games, but a lie nonetheless when considering the game play alone. The same is not true here.

    To be a little more specific:
    -Level design which makes children characters look like they're either 7 foot tall and 8 foot around or building look like they're 5 and a half feet tall and 6 and a half feet wide as opposed to being much more reasonably sized comparitively in the actual gameboy games they're based on.
    -Terrible mobile game controls.
    -Lack of wild battles.
    -No random encounters making the grass utterly pointless to have included
    -Everything appearing in the overworld and with little animations build up and cause extreme graphic lag the 3DS games already only hit 30 at best and now you get about 15.
    -Stat system is ridiculously OP even beyond what the originals were.
    -Messes up the previous game's storyline entirely by introducing these into the same story without any explanation as to what's happened to change things.
    -Requirements on gyms. Some of which don't just teach you the game like some erroneously argue since it requires you to have very specific stuff even when those things are NOT the only way you could do it. They're teaching you only part of the game which I'm sure will lead to confusion on the part of any new players they might be targeting with this. To be clear, I know this isn't needed at all. Tens of millions of people have figured all of this out just fine on their own even as very young children - there are world championships for children if they can understand the metagame they can play casually without issue - but even accepting that as the intent, it's been done wrong. And done worse than the previous remakes which had the Teachy TV item for this and should have just been kept in and updated but is one of the dozens of things that these games have continued to leave out instead.
    -One of the Pokémon can only be obtained from physical DLC - a controller which has limited functionality than the ones it replaces and doesn't work with any other game.
    -You cannot access 80% of the only characters who matter AT ALL.

    And I could go on but I think I've gone on long enough.

    If you like what the series is you should not buy this. Game Freak's track record is to let each content lesser game define what the next ones will be because they have admitted to wanting yearly games at the cost of quality. You will get something worse than this if you let them know you will buy it no matter what.

    If you think you might want to transition to the other games from this? You should not buy this. The originals are available on 3DS and will actually wean you in where this is the furthest thing from the modern main series they've created to date.

    Like Go? You shouldn't buy it. I may not like it but you already have access to a superior and much more cost worthy version of this game.

    Are you a child or thinking about buying it for children? Do not buy this. Go buy the recent 3DS games. While they're certainly not the best of the series, you/they will find this game entirely condescending with it's baby talk and probably dislike anyone involved in buying it for them. You have a much more cost effective way to appease them and not treat yourself/them like mental invalids in the 3DS games.

    Are you nostalgic for Gen 1? Do not buy this game. It has a host of many things you do not want that were not in the originals. If you want straight Kanto HD this is not the game for you. Once again, the 3DS has what you're looking for on it's Virtual Console at a much better price point.    … Expand
  8. crashcount
    Nov 18, 2018
    2
    The reviews leaving 10/10 or 0/0 are both disingenuous, but Pokemon Let's Go is ultimately a disappointing entry in the Pokemon series, and a big regression compared to earlier titles.

    If you're an adult, you will likely find this game to be a bad purchase for the price point. It's an extremely watered down experience; many features such as abilities, held items, weather and battling    The reviews leaving 10/10 or 0/0 are both disingenuous, but Pokemon Let's Go is ultimately a disappointing entry in the Pokemon series, and a big regression compared to earlier titles.

    If you're an adult, you will likely find this game to be a bad purchase for the price point. It's an extremely watered down experience; many features such as abilities, held items, weather and battling wild Pokemon have been removed, whereas battle animations (or complete lack-thereof) haven't been touched. This all leaves battles boring both visually and mechanically. There is no challenge to be had, and the game also suffers from lag in some areas because it's badly optimised.

    Overall I played around 20 hours before loosing interest. I don't feel it's worth the price point at all, and I would not recommend purchasing it when there are far better games available on the Switch.    … Expand
  9. GaryOakPR
    Nov 18, 2018
    2
    This game is a shallow remake that doesn't offer a lot different from the games it's supposed to be remaking. The new capture mechanics are flawed as well. A newbie to the Pokemon series might find enjoyment out of this, however even they'd find more substance by playing literally any other Pokemon game.
  10. itswagman
    Nov 19, 2018
    2
    Bom, terminei o jogo ontem então já posso dar a minha review.

    O jogo em si não é de todo ruim, os gráficos estão bacaninhas (tirando as ridículas sombras do jogo), ter de novo a mecânica do Pokemon seguindo é muito sensacional, rever os personagens que marcaram a minha infância de novo e em HD foi incrível (apesar de já te-los vistos incontáveis vezes em jogos anteriores e os modelos em    Bom, terminei o jogo ontem então já posso dar a minha review.

    O jogo em si não é de todo ruim, os gráficos estão bacaninhas (tirando as ridículas sombras do jogo), ter de novo a mecânica do Pokemon seguindo é muito sensacional, rever os personagens que marcaram a minha infância de novo e em HD foi incrível (apesar de já te-los vistos incontáveis vezes em jogos anteriores e os modelos em "chibi" não terem me agradado nadinha) .

    Porém muito mais coisas me incomodam do que agradaram no jogo.

    Certo, se você for comprar esse jogo para o seu filho conhecer o mundo Pokemon, eu o recomendo. Ele cumpre bem o papel de introduzir o universo para os novos jogadores de uma maneira bem simples.

    Mas agora, se você for um fâ de longa data da série, eu aconselho você pular os jogos "Let's Go" e esperar pela oitava geração que sai no ano que vem, pois você provavelmente vai se frustar.

    Se você é do tipo casualzão e quer ter um jogo para relaxar, compre esse jogo, mas espere o preço cair pois ele não está valendo o preço atual.

    Agora vamos partir para o que eu não gostei do jogo, a começar pelo sistema de captura, que em si não é ruim, mas tirar as batalhas com Pokemon selvagens foi um pecado imenso. Ver os Pokemon andando livremente na natureza é bacana e espero que mantenham isso nos próximos jogos, mas tirar a possibilidade de batalhar com os mesmos é muito triste. Ficar capturando Pokemon sem parar enjoa com o tempo, eu inclusive durante minhas jogatinas acabei cochilando varias vezes por conta disso.

    A historia é a mesma coisa de RBY com alguns elementos a mais, e só. Diferente dos remakes FR&LG que tiveram conteúdos incríveis, Lets Go conseguiu piorar a historia original. O rival amigável foi a coisa mais nonsense, por mais que os rivais dos últimos jogos estarem nessa pegada de serem amiguinhos, ver essa formula aplicada em Kanto foi uma facada no coração. Fora a bagunça temporal que fizeram, que não vou me aprofundar nesse assunto pois seria spoiler,

    O pós-game é ridículo e vazio. Tudo bem que é Kanto, mas é só comparar Lets Go com FR&LG que você vai ver a clara diferença entre os jogos, inclusive em seus pós-games. Na real, eu estava na esperança de que Lets Go fosse mais uma especie de Remaster de FR&LG, mas no fim das contas ele foi apenas um remake tosco de Yellow em um console mil vezes superior ao GBA.

    A real é que esse é o problema do Lets Go, ele é um jogo bom na plataforma errada. Se fosse um jogo para celulares ou ate mesmo para o 3DS não teria problemas. Mas cara, é um jogo de Switch, as pessoas claramente vão colocar suas expectativas la em cima por conta disso, é fato.

    Acredito também que aconteceu uma falta de comunicação por parte da GameFreak com o publico. Eles deveriam desde o inicio anunciar claramente varias vezes que esses jogos são focados para o publico novo, ao invés de mencionar isso uma misera vez.

    Ah, e eu não entendo o motivo dos jogos ainda não virem traduzidos nem para o português de portugal! Cara, isso me enfurece.

    Enfim, é isto.    … Expand
  11. Garus24
    Nov 19, 2018
    2
    Total decepción, el juego es tan sencillo que he pasado los gimnasios matando de un solo golpe a los pokemon de los lideres! Es una historia identifa al primer pokemon de game boy, casi nada cambia. Por lo que se paga, no hay compensacion del juego. Deberia de ser un juego casi regalado por lo,chafa. Ni siquiera adaptaron las animaciones de batalla a los pokemon. Son copy paste.
  12. Lyghtning
    Nov 19, 2018
    2
    Awful. This is another game that just revisits kanto for the 5th time while making the game have less content than the remakes of gen 1, firered and leafgreen. So many pokemon are cut so you are left with the original 151 and a new pokemon only transferable from the mobile game, Meltan. You cannot capture them all without buying a $50 controller that will barely work outside of pokemon,Awful. This is another game that just revisits kanto for the 5th time while making the game have less content than the remakes of gen 1, firered and leafgreen. So many pokemon are cut so you are left with the original 151 and a new pokemon only transferable from the mobile game, Meltan. You cannot capture them all without buying a $50 controller that will barely work outside of pokemon, making this game effectively $100 if you buy the game + ball deal. The main game is offensively boring and way too easy. A game being easy can be seen as a selling point, but this game takes it too far and makes every battle require no thought. You are always over leveled because every caught pokemon levels up everyone in the party and cannot be toggled off like the exp share in sun&moon. Even if you tried to do a self set challenge, the game even tries to stop you from doing that because gyms now have requirements to enter, such as forcing you to have a pokemon of the type effective against the gym, have enough different pokemon caught, or have a pokemon be 3 levels higher than the gym leaders pokemon. There are also stat candies which raise the stats of pokemon up by a whopping 200 extra. This would have been a good optionial addition for players who wanted the game to be easy, but the game was balanced without these in mind and thus make them completely useless to those who wanted a challenge, and the players who do like to minmax just turns the game into a one hit ko fest. The post game is also lacking in content. There is no battle frontier or battle tower, or even the battle maison. Just master trainers, who are barely even trainers because they have only one pokemon that is the same as yours and the battle requires no thought, just leveling that pokemon up and feeding lots of candies is the only effective strategy.

    As for presentation, the graphics aren't great and has very little performance issues, but should not be a deal breaker reason. The music is surprisingly very lackluster, since every song has no kick to it. Most of it is remixes to music we have heard before, but there are no standout instruments to each track. Good for overworld and peaceful music, but terrible for battle themes.

    And the major game design choices made are poorly executed. Pokemon being in the overworld is a good change, but it ruins the urgency of finding the exit of a cave or dungeon to prevent your team from being weakened, because there is no incentive other than to be done with the game quicker. With encounters being easily avoidable, preparation for a cave/dungeon isn't necessary at all. A change could have been made so pokemon fight you in these areas. As for the new catching mechanics, party wide exp and motion controls should not be forced. For some stupid reason, the motion controls cannot be disabled in docked mode. The 2 player mode is also poorly implemented. You get to travel with a friend in the overworld, but the second player cannot do anything but walk around with them. This also created a problem with the difficulty again, making no trainer be fun since everything would die in 1 turn.

    The game is marketed at those who have nostalgia for kanto and very VERY young children as a way to ease them into other games, yet hold their hand way too much and do nothing to prepare them properly at all for an already easy series due to the different mechanics and play style the game wants you to go for.

    Overall, the game has poorly executed ideas and suffers immensely from a difficulty level being toned down way too much even when trying your hardest to implement your own challenges. A very easy platformer like kirby can be enjoyable because of the many different ways you can play around with the mechanics. A turn based rpg cannot work when even the dumbest of decisions wont kill you. The original games could be beaten by many as a child, so why is there a need to change it to be the level of easiness there is now? Very boring, lacking in content, and would be best to wait and see how the next pokemon game comes out, or buy the many other, and better rpgs on the switch.    … Expand
  13. Toddiffer
    Nov 20, 2018
    2
    This was a game made for kids, not for fans. Game freak has been keeping their games age locked for some time now and their newest installment, Pokemon Let's Go, is no different.

    You start the game, same as the others, but you don't play the game quite the same. Half the fun has been removed. Where you used to be a trainer battling Pokemon, getting stronger, catching the ones you like    This was a game made for kids, not for fans. Game freak has been keeping their games age locked for some time now and their newest installment, Pokemon Let's Go, is no different.

    You start the game, same as the others, but you don't play the game quite the same. Half the fun has been removed. Where you used to be a trainer battling Pokemon, getting stronger, catching the ones you like and having engaging battles with other trainers, well, all of that is gone now. All you do is catch Pokemon. You get bonus multipliers for experience when you catch the same Pokemon multiple times in a row. You keep the ones you want and give the rest to professor Oak. He gives you candy as a reward. At first I thought this was kind of funny 'haha I'm turning Pokemon into chicken nuggets' then the sad, glooming shadow of realization finally struck me, this is the entire game. Catching Pokemon, which levels up your party, and turning the rest into candy. The battles with trainers are shallow and lack energy. Almost every trainer you meet only has one Pokemon and most gym leaders only have at least two. This makes all the battles short and unengaging which takes away the best part about being a 'pokemon trainer'. I cannot in my right mind leave a good review for this game. Your kids will enjoy it as a fun little past time activity, but if your like me and you grew up with the games and the cards, and you were looking for the next great game, this isn't it so save your money. The franchise doesn't care about the fans that stuck with them through the years. Which is something we will have to deal with.

    I'd also like to leave a short review about the pokeball pro controller. As I get older and after working with my hands they have gotten stiff. The pokeball controller is way too small. I can not comfortably play the game with it for more than an hour. Again it's great for kids but trying to grip this little controller for more than an hour is pretty difficult for an adult.    … Expand
  14. sac1603
    Nov 22, 2018
    2
    + good overworld changes
    + Green is finally a canon character
    + good music + following pokemon is cool - Holds your hand - "Friendly" rival is patronizing - challenges for getting into gyms are patronizing - catching mechanics blow - attack animations are lazy - only 153 pokemon in the game - leveling is limited to catching pokemon over and over again - master trainer    + good overworld changes
    + Green is finally a canon character
    + good music
    + following pokemon is cool

    - Holds your hand
    - "Friendly" rival is patronizing
    - challenges for getting into gyms are patronizing
    - catching mechanics blow
    - attack animations are lazy
    - only 153 pokemon in the game
    - leveling is limited to catching pokemon over and over again
    - master trainer post-game is lazy and just busy-work in terms of content, no substance

    Why would you play this game instead of emulating Fire Red? There's more content, a post-game, and even more pokemon in the game! This is just Pokemon Go for the switch! Are you seriously gonna spend $60 on a FREE MOBILE GAME YOU CAN PLAY ON A SMARTPHONE?

    Get smart and don't buy this game. Vote with your wallet.    … Expand
  15. Beaumontbass
    Nov 26, 2018
    2
    The critic reviews are absurd. "This game is for everyone", except anyone who enjoyed Pokemon before Pokemon Go came out. The catching mechanic is a slap in the face to anyone who found Pokemon Go already dumbed down, but I actually grew to like it for a couple gyms. But then it gets insanely old with no interesting storylines to keep us interested, and grinding for anything like a shinyThe critic reviews are absurd. "This game is for everyone", except anyone who enjoyed Pokemon before Pokemon Go came out. The catching mechanic is a slap in the face to anyone who found Pokemon Go already dumbed down, but I actually grew to like it for a couple gyms. But then it gets insanely old with no interesting storylines to keep us interested, and grinding for anything like a shiny is so monotonous, at least I used to have to go to the Pokemon canter to refresh PP. Battling and trying to catch a rare Pokemon used to pay off, now what's the point of training up? I can use every Pokemon I have at any time during the game, are there going to be events or expanded multiplayer? With the absence of held items, random battles, and everything else that made the main series different from every other knockoff, I feel like I'm playing a knockoff. If I wanted to just play anything with the Pokemon name on it, I'll pick up Pokemon Pinball again, even that has depth.

    Really I'm just disappointed, this feels like a game that could have come out on my iPhone 5 years ago. Anyone who's played one of those online Pokemon MMO's knows the potential of this game. We could have seen real players walking around in game and spark up a battle in Viridian Forrest, or at least battle something. Why would you advertise or even hint at such potential and then deliver such a stripped down version, are they taking tips from Bethesda? lol. I really wish this game was fun. They've had me hooked since I was 10 and I want to play a great (or even good) Pokemon game, but this isn't it. Just download one of the knockoff Pokemon games on your app store, any of those will deliver about as much content.

    I will say the music and graphics, etc. have improved, but who gave a hoothoot about that when playing Pokemon? Priorities are reversed, hopefully some of this feedback gets to the developers and they make a game for us again. This game is for children or people who have never played a Pokemon game or video game at all. If it was billed/marketed this way, there would be only a fraction of these poor reviews.    … Expand
  16. BlockFort
    Dec 3, 2018
    2
    If I had to sum up my problems with these games it would be that they're very shallow, unambitious and soulless. After having normally proportioned humans and non-grid based environments in Sun and Moon it feels like a huge regression to suddenly have chibi characters and unnaturally squared world designs again, especially since the Switch is a much more powerful console than the 3DS. ItIf I had to sum up my problems with these games it would be that they're very shallow, unambitious and soulless. After having normally proportioned humans and non-grid based environments in Sun and Moon it feels like a huge regression to suddenly have chibi characters and unnaturally squared world designs again, especially since the Switch is a much more powerful console than the 3DS. It doesn't help that it looks much cheaper than all other big Switch titles such as Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey or even Splatoon. That wouldn't really be a problem if it wasn't sold at the same price as these.

    "But graphics aren't everything!" I can hear you say and you're absolute right. Sadly, the gameplay reflects the same half hearted, lackluster attitude as the game's looks. This 2018 game's map offers the exact same content as a Gameboy game from 1996. You might try the weak excuse of "It's a remake" but even that fails when the 2004 GBA remakes offered more content in form of the Sevii islands which also greatly expanded the amount of Pokemon you could encounter. LGPE has no such thing, no new post game areas, no way to encounter new Pokemon. It has the smallest regional dex with 153 since Diamond and Pearl but even GameFreak realised this and expanded it with Platinum. So this fully priced Switch game gives you less content than the 2004 GBA Kanto adventure and has the least Pokemon of any game since 2006.

    Saying that LGPE are an overpriced, lazily made cash grab is at this point an understatement. But it even gets worse. The Pokeball plus accessory is the only way to obtain Mew in this way. Locking a Pokemon behind a 50$ paywell is just bad business practise. It's especially shocking to me that gamers are just accepting this since there was such a loud outcry againnst stuff like day 1 DLC, lootboxes and pay2win strategies. And GameFreak made sure you can't transfer Mew from Pokemon Go to Pokemon Let's Go. So they're fully aware of this and simply using it to exploit their customers.

    I could go on about how the combat was stripped of all the mechanics that were introduced over the years such as abilities, hold items and natures or how the gym requirements further casualize a series that's already overblown with casualization but I think I've made my point. However, I do want to be fair and mention some positives for me like the usage of Pokemon on the overworld or that some characters were more fleshed out with more interactions.

    On a technical level these games are fine. They're harmless fun for people who want to relive their childhood experiences of Kanto. But as someone who has been with this series for over 15 years I can't just ignore all of what I've said above. I can't ignore how much these games have been a regression from what came before and how exploitative and cheap they feel. It's not anyway near what the Switch or Pokemon as a franchise is capable of. And GameFreak is aware of that. They know they can just release mediocre, lackluster products and they will sell. That's the real reason why despite saying that on a technical level these games are fine I'm giving them such a low score. Scummy behavior like this should be discouraged as much as possible. I can only hope that Gen 8 will be better and have some actual effort put into them.    … Expand
  17. Auron732
    Jan 8, 2019
    2
    It's really hard to put the sheer disappointment of these games into words. These game are single-handedly the worst pokemon games that Gamefreak has ever made. Gamefreak has made a lot of questionable decisions as of late but those decisions were always at least balanced with some iota of passion or vision. These games are a debatable improvement over Pokemon GO. DEBATABLE!!! How is itIt's really hard to put the sheer disappointment of these games into words. These game are single-handedly the worst pokemon games that Gamefreak has ever made. Gamefreak has made a lot of questionable decisions as of late but those decisions were always at least balanced with some iota of passion or vision. These games are a debatable improvement over Pokemon GO. DEBATABLE!!! How is it that we can compare A FREE MOBILE GAME TO A $60 RELEASE WITH PERIPHERALS AND DLC AT EXTRA COSTS!!! These games are an insult to everyone who purchased them. The graphics are identical to Pokemon GO with none of the excuse of it being on a phone. The gameplay (if you could call it that) is directly ripped from the mobile game with the story of the Yellow being lazily glazed over it. There is nothing in this game that justifies the cost. I have to return both of these games because I have more self-respect and self-awareness to let Gamefreak take advantage of me. Anything less then demanding a full refund would be a desperate act of denial. I understand that a lot of people played GO and they enjoy this game but, you deserve so much better than GO's sloppy seconds. There is a depth to this game that is sorely missing with none of the passionate flash that enraptured kids in the 90's. I have to wait for user reviews for every pokemon game after this, Gamefreak simply has no credibility anymore putting out something so shamefully half-assed. If you need a reason justify your Switch purchase, buy Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, Breath of the Wild, or Bayonetta 2. If you desperately need to play a pokemon game, play the original Yellow Version on ROM. Gamefreak doesn't deserve the money from digital sales, go pirate the game that's 20 times better from 20 years earlier.… Expand
  18. Nick766
    Oct 25, 2019
    2
    Pokemon let's go Pikachu on its own is an ok game but it can't be even nearly considered as good as games like omega ruby and alpha sapphire. Most of the best features that have stayed since the start of Pokémon games have been removed: when you encounter a wild Pokémon, you enter a Pokémon go like catch sequence instead of battling the Pokémon, this just makes the game boring and almostPokemon let's go Pikachu on its own is an ok game but it can't be even nearly considered as good as games like omega ruby and alpha sapphire. Most of the best features that have stayed since the start of Pokémon games have been removed: when you encounter a wild Pokémon, you enter a Pokémon go like catch sequence instead of battling the Pokémon, this just makes the game boring and almost childish. It doesn't feel like a game you would pay $60 for, it feels like a indoor version of Pokémon go. In conclusion, I really dislike what they did to this game, I hope they fix it in sword and shield.… Expand
  19. MazdoTechno
    Nov 19, 2019
    2
    This game is horrible, it really is
    If you want to play Kanto so badly just play the extremely superior Fire Red/Leaf Green or even the original games
    Incredibly easy
    Incredibly boring
    Just taking Gen one and sucking anything good or interesting from it was not a good idea
  20. GreenDude1
    Jan 17, 2020
    2
    This is easily the worst pokémon game I've ever played. I despise it with all my might. It removed everything that made pokémon good, yet for some reason, mega evolution is still a thing, when all it does is boost your stats. Oh yeah, abilities are also gone, which makes the competitive extremely weak. The new rival is probably one of the worst in the series, being a generic friendly rivalThis is easily the worst pokémon game I've ever played. I despise it with all my might. It removed everything that made pokémon good, yet for some reason, mega evolution is still a thing, when all it does is boost your stats. Oh yeah, abilities are also gone, which makes the competitive extremely weak. The new rival is probably one of the worst in the series, being a generic friendly rival that has no conflicts to make him interesting or endearing. The gameplay is so easy that it makes X & Y look like Dark Souls. Also, your starter, while the partner Pikachu and Eevee were pretty interesting concepts, and the idea of them having unique movesets of different elemental attacks is pretty good...on paper. Instead of just one at a time, they straight up made it so you can have your entire moveset just OP moves. Before you say "oh but Pikachu and Eevee are weak" well not in this game, especially with the game's mechanics. The partner variants have higher stats, so giving them one at a time would've been enough. I get that this game is catering to Pokémon Go players, but even with that excuse, it's poorly executed. And to top it all off, this game has nothing new. You can criticize X & Y all you want, but at least there it had something new and interesting to it. What does this game have going for? Melmetal. That's it! There's no reason for it's existence except a cheap cash grab that makes me feel disgusted. It gets worse every time I see it, and I hope to god they don't make another game like it. But if they do, actually make it good.… Expand
  21. pokeanon
    Nov 17, 2018
    1
    The good: You can have following pokémon. You can ride some pokémon. The master trainers

    The bad: Insultingly easy, it is press A to win. Eliminated wild battles, I dislike the GO catching method. Eliminated competitive play, the whole breeding aspect!. Eliminated 6 entire generations from the pokédex. Eliminated day and night cycle. Protagonists are too young. Rival is too friendly.    The good: You can have following pokémon. You can ride some pokémon. The master trainers

    The bad: Insultingly easy, it is press A to win. Eliminated wild battles, I dislike the GO catching method. Eliminated competitive play, the whole breeding aspect!. Eliminated 6 entire generations from the pokédex. Eliminated day and night cycle. Protagonists are too young. Rival is too friendly. Excessive focus on cuteness. Basically, it is a step in the wrong direction for the series, relying on nostalgia by genwunners and the success of Pokémon GO mobile. Make the games a challenge, please! At least provide difficulty options!    … Expand
  22. thestarsquad
    Mar 29, 2019
    1
    This game is literally garbage. Obviously it's intended for children and casual Pokemon Go fans who don't know what they're doing, but this game could not be easier. It's like Game Freak thinks we're 2 years old. The starter Pokemon are overpowered and beat everything in the game without trying and get broken moves super early on, they don't let you enter gyms without certain types/levels,This game is literally garbage. Obviously it's intended for children and casual Pokemon Go fans who don't know what they're doing, but this game could not be easier. It's like Game Freak thinks we're 2 years old. The starter Pokemon are overpowered and beat everything in the game without trying and get broken moves super early on, they don't let you enter gyms without certain types/levels, you can't battle wild Pokemon, and the enemy AI is trash. Enemy Pokemon will intentionally use non-damaging moves to let you win. Like, constantly. On top of that most other trainers have 1 Pokemon, 2 at best. And if you play co-op mode you get an extreme unfair advantage. How is this acceptable? If you have a full party I genuinely don't think you could lose a battle if you tried. What happened to trial and error? The game holds your hand the ENTIRE game. You can design a game for children without making it such a cakewalk! I mean, look at generations 4 and 5. Those games were definitely children's games, but the difficulty was still ramped up enough that you lost battles occasionally, and you had to battle wild Pokemon to gain levels. I was like 9 years old when I played generation 4 and I struggled, but I still beat the game! Children are not idiots. And if you insist on designing a game for idiots, why not implement a hard mode? Why not AT LEAST give the player the freedom to enter a gym, get obliterated, learn a lesson, and come back once they understand how types work? The game has completely streamlined any difficulty whatsoever. You don't learn or figure out anything on your own- the game does it all for you and gives you all the answers. Not only does it give you the answers but it FORCES you to play the game a specific way.

    There are obviously a few good things about the game. Pokemon following you, being able to access the box anywhere you want, no more wild encounters- all good things. However the game sugarcoats these improvements in the easiest Pokemon game literally ever. I honestly can't believe that the Pokemon Company thinks this is acceptable. Pokemon is a huge franchise and it deserves better. This was the most disappointing Pokemon game by far, especially after generations 6 & 7, the easiest generations of all time. Pokemon can be a game for kids but it's also a game for adults- they can't keep giving us bad games, with bad plots, that have literally no difficulty at all and FORCE you to use Pokemon that make the game easier. The game sucks and it's a depressing representation of modern Pokemon. The games could be so much more, but it feels like GF and TPC don't even care about pleasing fans. I'm sick of it. 1/10.    … Expand
  23. Zisis151
    Nov 16, 2018
    1
    Would you look at that, another Kanto remake! Only this time, it's fully priced but with less content. No wild battles, no breeding, no wonder trade, no REAL rival and NO ENDGAME... Unless you like to call Master Trainers endgame.. fine, but I'll call them a lazy and sorry excuse of an endgame.. The animations are also terrible (if there are any), which make the moves themselves lookWould you look at that, another Kanto remake! Only this time, it's fully priced but with less content. No wild battles, no breeding, no wonder trade, no REAL rival and NO ENDGAME... Unless you like to call Master Trainers endgame.. fine, but I'll call them a lazy and sorry excuse of an endgame.. The animations are also terrible (if there are any), which make the moves themselves look boring and dull. Is this what you want people? Spending more money for less content? If you care about the future of gaming, the future of Nintendo or even the future of Pokemon, then stay the **** away from this cash grab.

    P.S. I will never accept such a **** argument as "this game is made for the casual crowd".. I mean how much more casual can a Pokemon game get? I was 7 years old when I beat Pokemon Blue (which might actually be the most difficult out of all)... 7 YEARS OLD! And you're telling me that it needs to get more casual? Everytime I play a Pokemon game, I catch whatever Pokemon I want and faceroll everything until the elite 4 which gets A BIT challenging. So screw this game and everyone who thought that this was a good idea.. Also screw the Pokeball controller and it's Mew exclusivity. This game is a fraud    … Expand
  24. ReiAyanami
    Nov 16, 2018
    1
    80 Billion Dollars & yet Gamefreak still manages to release the same outdated piece of **** that we've been given for the past 20 years. **** this game & the franchise, there's really nothing to say about this game other then it's a literal rehash & reskin of Pokemon Yellow except somehow with even less features then past Pokemon games. How did we go from Black & White 2 to this piece of80 Billion Dollars & yet Gamefreak still manages to release the same outdated piece of **** that we've been given for the past 20 years. **** this game & the franchise, there's really nothing to say about this game other then it's a literal rehash & reskin of Pokemon Yellow except somehow with even less features then past Pokemon games. How did we go from Black & White 2 to this piece of ****?
    Cute Girls are literally the games only redeeming factor    … Expand
  25. umbershap
    Nov 19, 2018
    1
    They advertise this game as a mainstream game but it's not.
    There is only 151 pokemon I wouldn't buy it if I knew this.
  26. PolishJohn
    Nov 19, 2018
    1
    Could be an ok entry level, budget game for YOUNG kids on the 3DS - but as a full-priced Switch game, it's lacking in every way - feels uninspired and pretty boring.
  27. SailorSonic
    Nov 17, 2018
    1
    Feels lazy. Incredibly easy and there's a pay wall. Complete trash. My Switch is still gathering dust... :(
  28. 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 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    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 ****    … Expand
  29. HonestReviews4U
    Nov 16, 2018
    1
    Take everything that makes Pokemon Pokemon: Random Battles, a difficulty level anywhere between really easy and somewhat hard, breeding, natures, abilities, held items, a thriving competitive scene, GTS, wonder trade, fun, and throw ALL of them out the window. Boom! you get Pokemon Let's Go. It's a game for casuals or genwunners, so people who shouldn't be playing Pokemon nowadays anyways.Take everything that makes Pokemon Pokemon: Random Battles, a difficulty level anywhere between really easy and somewhat hard, breeding, natures, abilities, held items, a thriving competitive scene, GTS, wonder trade, fun, and throw ALL of them out the window. Boom! you get Pokemon Let's Go. It's a game for casuals or genwunners, so people who shouldn't be playing Pokemon nowadays anyways. It's too bare bones to even be considered a Pokemon game, even as a casual RPG it fails because of it's ease of gameplay. The ONLY, and I mean only good thing about these games are the graphics. They look decent, and if we were to get a Gen 8 on Switch or (finally) Sinnoh remakes, I'd love to see this art style return. That's why these games are clearly a 1/10. I hope these games sell poorly and Nintendo notices what fans, true fans, really want.… Expand
  30. gbanshee
    Nov 16, 2018
    1
    This is a horribly lazy game that has nothing going for it other than nostalgia and graphics, which aren't even all that great if you compare them to other games on Switch. Tons of content removed for no real reason other than the excuse that "it was too complicated". No pro controller support, a 40$ accessory that is pretty much USELESS, in addition to the 60$ price tag on the gameThis is a horribly lazy game that has nothing going for it other than nostalgia and graphics, which aren't even all that great if you compare them to other games on Switch. Tons of content removed for no real reason other than the excuse that "it was too complicated". No pro controller support, a 40$ accessory that is pretty much USELESS, in addition to the 60$ price tag on the game themselves. The games aren't worth even half their price.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 5, 2019
    85
    A simple, nostalgic return to the Kanto region, offers little if you are a series veteran eager for complexity and challenge. But if that's not your main interest, Pokemon Let's Go has it all! It's a simple, cute and fun game that will keep you hooked for hours. An excellent starting point for newcomers, and a great nostalgia trip for those in a search for one.
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  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 26, 2019
    85
    If you've got a kid in your life who's never played Pokémon before? Buy this game immediately. [Issue #37 – January/February 2019, p. 67]
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Feb 8, 2019
    78
    It’s hard to make sense of the game that’s basically a Switch port of iOS/Android remake of Pokemon Red/Green. Is it a step forward, step backward – or maybe just a shameless cash-in? Turns out, it’s a great remake – the world looks exactly as we imagined it back when we were staring at black and white pixels of original Red/Green. [Issue#235, p.44]
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