Pokemon Shield

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3465 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,154 out of 3465
  2. Mixed: 587 out of 3465
  3. Negative: 1,724 out of 3465
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  1. eduardocb31
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    Small Innovation from previous games. Cut 55% of all pokemon and the game is TOO easy
  2. Billhous
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Same game (more or less) with some new features and some missing features. Game play is good if you enjoy pokemon. Graphics are pretty bad for modern console release. Can't speak too much for the full scale of content here as im only 5 hours in but it seems thinner than usual though.. #thankyougamefreak… Expand
  3. Azuris
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Well, the Formula is still ok, but the lack of old Pokemon, with the Reason that the Animations and Graphics are so good and then delivering this, is just something i can not support.
    I could support a Game with Graphics that are not high end, but has a really good Content, but this Game has not.
    Aside from letting many Pokemon out and some Gameplay Mechanics like the Mega Evolutions,    Well, the Formula is still ok, but the lack of old Pokemon, with the Reason that the Animations and Graphics are so good and then delivering this, is just something i can not support.
    I could support a Game with Graphics that are not high end, but has a really good Content, but this Game has not.
    Aside from letting many Pokemon out and some Gameplay Mechanics like the Mega Evolutions, the Game has nearly no Endgame.
    Gamefreak has become lazy or decadent    … Expand
  4. Huynguyen123
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Just very disappointed about this game. Through 8th generation, even 5th or 6th I feel so hopefull and love them, but seeing all those humanoid starter pokemon makes me feel bad and the story is too boring.
  5. GemsofStarlight
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    So many cut corners, barely any animation or customization. Wish my character didnt have to look 12. All Pokemon not present or able to be imported to the game. Animation is lackluster, dialogue is cheap and superficial. They just want to pump out half games to make money and they will literally kill the franchise if they keep this up. The fans are OVER it.
  6. Hermis27
    Nov 19, 2019
    2
    Nice graphic and awesome sound but dameplay is boring. Side characters are dumb. No opinion to transfer my colection of shinies from 3ds.
  7. dirvin
    Nov 20, 2019
    3
    Very underwhelming Nintendo Switch title. It felt as though they took a 3DS game, added very little unimportant features, made the game super easy and also cut a lot of content that people originally enjoyed about Pokémon such as being able to catch all of the Pokémon, instead of having a limited Pokédex. The graphics are also horrible for a main entry title and the animations areVery underwhelming Nintendo Switch title. It felt as though they took a 3DS game, added very little unimportant features, made the game super easy and also cut a lot of content that people originally enjoyed about Pokémon such as being able to catch all of the Pokémon, instead of having a limited Pokédex. The graphics are also horrible for a main entry title and the animations are horrible. I’ll be selling my copy very soon.… Expand
  8. GabrielCZ
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    The backgrounds are not good Glitches all the time
    Graphics are so simple and the attack’s animation made me cry
  9. HollyS
    Nov 20, 2019
    2
    Very short, bland and low quality Pokemon game. It is definitely not worth $60. It uses graphics from the 3DS and has many bugs in gameplay, it can even fry your Switch and all other games save files. It only has about 40% of existing Pokemon available. It is very tutorial and baby proofed feeling the entire game. Too easy. Characters are annoying and constantly interrupt gameplay.
  10. InTheMood
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is by far the worst Pokémon game I have ever played. Most people have complained about the exclusion of Pokémon species as their main concern, but I put all of those basic complaints aside when I played. The graphics are essentially the same as Pokémon Sun. The different being able to look around in the wild area. However, Pokémon and people “pop” in and out of the world with a clear lack of regard for proper rendering. Towns are built as if you can look around, but you can’t, so everything looks off and it’s hard to interact with stores and NPC’s. I like the idea of being able to “dynamax” but honestly it just makes battles longer without adding any extra difficulty. My major beef is that there are no difficult or long routes in the game. All the routes are very short and there are hardly any trainers to battle. I do like how they changed the championship battle, except it’s made extremely easier than any elite four because they heal your Pokémon after every battle. Also, it only took me 25 hours to beat even though I caught over 200 Pokémon and explored every area/battled every trainer. On top of that, the only post game content is the battle tower. There are no new areas to explore, no new trainers.... it’s a very short game and a very short post game. I don’t understand how the metacritic score is so high when this game sucks so bad.… Expand
  11. sojasonk
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    Lazy writing, bad graphics, an absolute mediocre and underwhelming introduction to Mainline Games for the Nintendo Switch. GameFreak has done the community a disservice by removing integral parts to long time loyal fans such as the National Dex. They do this because they feel they can get away with cossting simply on the name of Ppkemon alone
  12. Dreadwolf85
    Nov 20, 2019
    3
    Lazy game design. Pokemon still dont hit each other and some moves are not even animated your pokemon just bounces about like a statue abit. The game is also mind numbingly easy with nearly every encounter being a one shot to win.
  13. FoxxForever
    Nov 21, 2019
    2
    The game design feels very lazy. From the graphics to the animations and all the small little details in between, I have very disappointed. Yes it is a pokemon game and yes they overall gameplay of pokemon is fun but I would rather play something else than what feels like a lazy knock off on a console that can handle much better.

    There were fps drops in grassy areas, the pop in is    The game design feels very lazy. From the graphics to the animations and all the small little details in between, I have very disappointed. Yes it is a pokemon game and yes they overall gameplay of pokemon is fun but I would rather play something else than what feels like a lazy knock off on a console that can handle much better.

    There were fps drops in grassy areas, the pop in is horrendous, even the berry trees pop in, the landscape is dull and feels lifeless. Overall the sense of exploration is stunted from these factors.

    Small details such as not being able to choose your trainers outfit when going into a gym EVEN WHEN you can buy them right outside the gym entrance is insane to me, there are only a hand full of good animations but honestly I have seen better from free to play MMO rpgs.

    This literally feels like it should be free to play, that is the quality I am experiencing.

    You’d think being on the switch they’d add touch screen support, friend lists and other quality of life additions to make at least playing with your friends enjoyable but it is annoying at best and frustrating if not the majority of the time.

    Pokemon deserves better.    … Expand
  14. USRobotics
    Nov 22, 2019
    2
    In the new console generation for Nintendo, Gamefreak are not able to create a Pokemon experience based on a open world with a next-gen graphic and jrpg quests/storytelling. i'll try to list ten bad/old things and anachronistic elements in pokèmon:
    1. Locked camera, my god in 2019 a game 'fake-openwolrd' is inconceivable;
    2. Graphic has been ported from 3ds with pop-up problems,    In the new console generation for Nintendo, Gamefreak are not able to create a Pokemon experience based on a open world with a next-gen graphic and jrpg quests/storytelling. i'll try to list ten bad/old things and anachronistic elements in pokèmon:
    1. Locked camera, my god in 2019 a game 'fake-openwolrd' is inconceivable;
    2. Graphic has been ported from 3ds with pop-up problems, framerate drop, low texture and models with low polygons. Gamefreak didn't do a new graphic engine;
    3. No quests, no endgame, no jrpg activities or stoytelling.
    4. Unbalanced opponents' pokemon levels. You can get a lot of pokemon with a great gain of experience that will overlevel or your team in short time. In that condition the challange with other opponents doesn't exist.
    5. No difficulty selector. the game has been development to be easy to play for people that are 5 years old or less. If the game is too easy you can end it in a short time
    6. Bad animation for a lot of skills. GF sayd that they would have improve the skills' animations for the new game. I have seen little improves in a small part of theese.
    7. Mute dialogues.
    8. Plot concept locked since first game in 1995.
    9. Hop
    10. The online is full of problems. infinite time to find a trader for your pokemon, expecially if u know that player and u want to connect with him.    … Expand
  15. Cabi0l
    Nov 22, 2019
    1
    Bugs ohne Ende.
    Auch die Dreistigkeit nicht alle pokemon zu übernehmen. Einfach Geld macherei.
  16. Irondruid8991
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    It has Pokémon in it. That's about the only good thing. Lack luster and boring game with some quality of life upgrades.
  17. Tam3000
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    Pokemon were cut without any official post I had to learn this information the hard way. It's not even worth the cut, the online service is lagging, everything freezes by a simple transaction(going up and down the ladder). The gimmick is uninteresting and doesn't change much of the battle
  18. ZephyrSunDragon
    Nov 27, 2019
    3
    What a disappointment.

    The good: 1. There's new pokemon. 2. The graphics look really good in some areas. 3. The gym presentation feels more immersive and exciting, treating it like a real sports competition with other competitors that fits really well into the setting. 4. The wild area in theory. The bad: Literally everything else. Everything else about this game is literally a    What a disappointment.

    The good:
    1. There's new pokemon.
    2. The graphics look really good in some areas.
    3. The gym presentation feels more immersive and exciting, treating it like a real sports competition with other competitors that fits really well into the setting.
    4. The wild area in theory.

    The bad:
    Literally everything else. Everything else about this game is literally a HUGE step backwards for what is supposed to be a "new era" of pokemon on a mainline console.

    1. This might be the smallest region yet... the SMALLEST. I guess the wild area compensates but a large open field with a movable camera is hardly innovative. But the camera is fixed everywhere else. And there's these awful hallway like routes and caverns that leave no room for exploration at all. Sun and Moon was bad enough as it was, but this is just so much worse.

    2. Way too easy. This as been a problem for the last few generations but it just makes the game boring and forgettable. Pokemon has so much potential to be engaging with the amount of strategies available. It seems like such a waste. Also the force exp. share is absolutely horrid.

    3. Story is the worst it's ever been. Everything happens on the side and you don't get to see any of it. Now would've been the perfect time for high quality cut scenes but we don't get to see any of it. There's not even a cut scenes for flying to town to town like every other game. The only cutscenes we get this time is boring NPC dialogue. When the DS and 3DS had more exciting cutscenes, you know you messed up.

    4. Arguably less side activities than any other previous game. Definitely less than X&Y, Sun and Moon, and Diamond and Pearl. They removed so many beloved features. The one that hurt the most for me was not included following overworld pokemon like in Let's Go.

    5. Gamefreak lied to us about dexit. They said they were cutting pokemon because of expressiveness and "high quality animations" when the pokemon's animations are literally IDENTICAL to the 3ds games. The only new animations I've seen are the ones for the new pokemon.
    The pokemon are like dead lifeless puppets with no emotions. The battle animations on the Wii and gamecube looked better!

    6. The graphics look bad in other areas. Obviously an improvement compared to previous pokemon titles but total garbage compared to other switch games.

    The fact that they played this up to be the "next evolution of pokemon" and the "ultimate pokemon game" is complete **** While I will give some credit to the art director for the atmosphere of the region and new creature designs, this is clearly the least ambitious and most bare bones pokemon game I've ever played. I'm sure there were devs who were passionate about this project but the higher ups clearly didn't care or just didn't have the time.

    I hope this outrage is a wake up cake because changes NEED to be made. For being the first mainline game on the home console, this is just unacceptable. I'm glad people are angry. I'm glad the japanese fans are angry. I seriously hope we can get a new development team for future pokemon games because pokemon deserves better than this.    … Expand
  19. fiTy
    Nov 29, 2019
    2
    An RPG game with competitive online system with more exploits than its 20+ years ago predecessors.
  20. teroblepuns
    Dec 1, 2019
    4
    Pros:
    - good Pokémon designs
    - some beautiful shots (starter town, snow town, legendary shrine) - new Pokémon nature-changing gimmick - great simplistic user interface design - customizable league (or "trainer") card - rival Hop shortly has a character arc from an annoying optimist to a depressed loser back to an annoying optimist (similar to Hau's character from Pokémon Sun and    Pros:
    - good Pokémon designs
    - some beautiful shots (starter town, snow town, legendary shrine)
    - new Pokémon nature-changing gimmick
    - great simplistic user interface design
    - customizable league (or "trainer") card
    - rival Hop shortly has a character arc from an annoying optimist to a depressed loser back to an annoying optimist (similar to Hau's character from Pokémon Sun and Moon)
    - smug rival Bede has a kickass battle theme
    - the soundtrack is overall good
    - league theme is inspired by the UK's love for football/soccer and gym leaders dress accordingly
    - Marnie rival is somewhat interesting as a character
    - breeding has improved, you can now pass egg moves from one Pokémon to the other partner without breeding a completely new one
    - Pokémon boxes are now accessible from your inventory
    - waifu material
    - wild area touches the idea of an open-world game with a moveable camera
    - defeating a raid boss will give you EXP candies which level much better than rare candies, reducing grinding for lvl 100

    Inbetween:
    - Surf has been replaced by a water bike and Fly by a flying taxi, it makes it much easier to travel but removes the interactivity of your Pokémon with the environment
    - camping is just like Pokémon-Amie and all the spin-offs and encourages you to interact with your monsters which can be cute for those who like that kind of stuff but strengthening your bond with a Pokémon will result in extra animations during battles and make your team OP - as if the forced EXP share didn't overpower you enough, camping also gives your mons EXP
    Cons:
    - awful graphics for a 2019 Switch game, textures look ridiculously low res
    - only half of the national Dex "for better animations"
    - animations are bad and reused over and over again (characters turn on the spot, Double Kick is a simple up and down of the entire model, same character encounter poses)
    - rival encounters are inevitable and happen every 5 minutes
    - cutscenes are lackluster and rare
    - wild area is a mess: bad graphics, tiny LOD (level of detail = "viewing distance" -> subjects pop in and out very often, also on routes and cities), hefty frame drops, very limited interactivity with other players, it takes ages to find other players for raid battles which then take just as long to wait for one turn to be over - oftentimes the raid boss triggers its ability once for each of your ally's Pokémon and then resets it after some turns to repeat the madness, level cap for capturable Pokémon which depends on your badge number, entire area feels more like a big field with a lot of grass than an open world
    - flat characters with no arc
    - minor improvements and changes from previous titles, the formula of the game hasn't changed a bit
    - time occasionally freezes when climbing ladders
    - a LOT of handholding, there is not a single moment you don't run into a forced cutscene or steamroll through a gym with one pokemon
    - EXP share is mandatory
    - team yell is forgettable and has no charm
    - the story does not involve you, most of the time you are a bystander, giving opinions and then catch the legendary ultra beast-like creature with 100% succession rate for any Pokéball
    - some TMs have been reduced to one-time use TRs
    - link trade is no longer that simple to perform
    - no voice acting, dialogues only consist of speech bubbles, text and repeating simple animations
    - curry dex (is this to mock the removal of the national Dex?)

    Verdict:
    Not worth $60. Even $15 indie games provide better quality than this. I hear praise from some fans and outrage from others. I feel terrible for those at Game Freak who poured their hearts into this franchise, only to realize that someone with high power decided to rush it and drag the company through the mud. The entire drama is unnecessary. But, this game is a joke and there is no denying. Get the game to experience it yourself but be prepared to laugh at how bad it can get. Also, even though they rushed this title to hell, this game had the highest box-office of all Pokémon games and received high scores from game journalists (#notsponsored). Embrace the absurdity of our world.

    "The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy    … Expand
  21. Solarhands
    Dec 2, 2019
    4
    This game had so much potential and expectations were high, unfortunately it failed to meet any of them. On much more powerful hardware I expected to see some brand new assets and graphics for the series but was dismayed to see a huge amount of assets reused or half finished. The cinematics excluding the introduction to the starters were lazy and unfinished, with stiff rotating modelsThis game had so much potential and expectations were high, unfortunately it failed to meet any of them. On much more powerful hardware I expected to see some brand new assets and graphics for the series but was dismayed to see a huge amount of assets reused or half finished. The cinematics excluding the introduction to the starters were lazy and unfinished, with stiff rotating models looking like a grade-schooler tried to animate them. The story was mediocre at best but the constant hand-holding from the minute you begin your adventure to the final battle was irritating, the lack of freedom in an rpg with an open-world aspect was disappointing. The cities looked fantastic however the routes between them felt tiny and lackluster, the only saving grace being the glimwood tangle.

    On a positive note, all the brand new pokemon look fantastic, they have excellent designs, interesting type combos and a lot of them have cool and unique evolution methods. The starter evolutions unfortunately failed to impress and were sent to the box as I'd rather have a rattata. The music was fantastic and the ability to customise your character with a wide variety of clothing was refreshing.

    Overall I don't think the game is worth its retail price and as a mainline pokemon series it was extremely disappointing. Lacking a true post game and having seemingly unfinished graphics and animations has left a sour taste in my mouth. I would only buy this game again if it was on sale for 1/2 price.    … Expand
  22. WillyViking
    Dec 3, 2019
    3
    De principio es un juego que logra atraparte debido a la exploración de una nueva región y los nuevos pokemon (en mi caso evite ver las filtraciones) que aparecen, pero simplemente la baja dificutad termino por cansarme, pokemon que aguantaban ataques de gigamax quedando en 1 ps porque no quería ''darte pena'', repartir experiencia obligatorio que hizo que mínimo superara a los rivales yDe principio es un juego que logra atraparte debido a la exploración de una nueva región y los nuevos pokemon (en mi caso evite ver las filtraciones) que aparecen, pero simplemente la baja dificutad termino por cansarme, pokemon que aguantaban ataques de gigamax quedando en 1 ps porque no quería ''darte pena'', repartir experiencia obligatorio que hizo que mínimo superara a los rivales y lideres de gym en 10 niveles usando 6 pokemon en la ''aventura'', amigo/rival hincha pelotas que no estuvo ni cerca de derrotarme 1 miserable pokemon, mapa super lineal que no representa ningún desafío durante el trayecto, el team yell es un chiste... y en lo técnico popping demasiado notorio y molesto de ver, animaciones muy poco pulidas en diferencia a los de 3DS... En fin, una decepción total, ya que de tan solo imaginar como sería un pokemon (antes de que anunciaran escudo y espada) en nintendo switch me hacia explotar la cabeza, más cuando estaba jugando BOTW por primera vez.… Expand
  23. AlfonseK
    Dec 4, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok so first off it's a ds version on a switch second the whole game was lazy
    The starters are boring types and after having all the creative dragon types.Wasnt worth an extra cost    … Expand
  24. Aprexdator
    Dec 5, 2019
    1
    Pinshe juego qlero, la camara va como el culo y snorlax gigamax, a diferencia de su ilustracion no se se mueve -1 por publicidad engañosa.
  25. PachirisuFanNo1
    Dec 9, 2019
    1
    The game is way to easy. I cleared the story in about 7 hours. There are also numerous bugs and glitches, like being able to teach an egg tm's, seeing the eggs stats before it hatches, and a computer mouse cursor moves across the screen in multiple cutscenes, just to name a few. To top things off, the meta is completely revolving around a single Pokemon. If the national dex was available,The game is way to easy. I cleared the story in about 7 hours. There are also numerous bugs and glitches, like being able to teach an egg tm's, seeing the eggs stats before it hatches, and a computer mouse cursor moves across the screen in multiple cutscenes, just to name a few. To top things off, the meta is completely revolving around a single Pokemon. If the national dex was available, I don't think this would have been an issue due to not having a limited number of pokemon. This game feels very rushed.… Expand
  26. Herbyy
    Dec 10, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The routes were way too short compared to previous games which destroyed any sense of exploration and made it feel rushed. The cities and towns were just there, there were no activities or mini games only the gyms and Pokémon centers which made it really boring. The story was bland and the plot twist at end came out of nowhere and tell yell is the worst team in the series by far. I was really hoping to love this game but I just ended up being super disappointed. I really hope gamefreak learned their lesson and give us a much better game that ya Pokémon deserve next time.… Expand
  27. OTMRUSH
    Dec 11, 2019
    3
    Not the best Pokémon they have released. The game it’s self is not that bad but if you’re big into shiny hunting don’t even bother... I’m 83 hours into Pokémon shield and still haven’t gotten a single shiny. I’ve breezed and hatched over a thousand Lapras eggs and battled over 1000 zigzagoon and the list goes on. It’s kind of ridiculous
  28. jimmya0
    Dec 16, 2019
    4
    This has been the worst pokemon game in the franchise by far:

    - They have cut many features which were available in previous games. - Not all pokemon are available in the game. - Difficulty is WAY too easy specially with the multi-exp you have from the start. - End game is basically non-existent - Graphics look like the ones you'd expect in a 3DS game. - Your rival is the most    This has been the worst pokemon game in the franchise by far:

    - They have cut many features which were available in previous games.
    - Not all pokemon are available in the game.
    - Difficulty is WAY too easy specially with the multi-exp you have from the start.
    - End game is basically non-existent
    - Graphics look like the ones you'd expect in a 3DS game.
    - Your rival is the most incompetent I have seen in the pokemon franchise.

    Basically it is a rushed game which shouldn't have released in this state. I hope this serves as a wake up call to Gamefreak and the next installment is much better    … Expand
  29. ASDfdffsf123314
    Dec 16, 2019
    1
    I think the game may be a great gift for a small child who has never played a pokemon game before but that's about it. And it's a 60$ gift too if you go that route. Otherwise, it's just a bad game. The series is incredibly formulaic if you've played more than one and way too easy. And for people who want to play competitive battles, you can just play pokemon showdown online without theI think the game may be a great gift for a small child who has never played a pokemon game before but that's about it. And it's a 60$ gift too if you go that route. Otherwise, it's just a bad game. The series is incredibly formulaic if you've played more than one and way too easy. And for people who want to play competitive battles, you can just play pokemon showdown online without the grind. Also, not all pokemon are available so many people's favorites are missing which seems lazy when they are just reusing sprites; it’s not that big of a deal to those new to the franchise and it does push people to newer and fresh options but at the same time it was a disappointing choice game freak made. The dialogue coming from the NPCs seems strange and inhuman when talking to characters besides the main cast. I’m sure someone who has never played one of these before or is just into the games for the quite designs and nostalgia would still find it enjoyable and I can’t honestly recommend it to anyone else.… Expand
  30. N7NormandySR2
    Dec 16, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A below average Pokemon experience. The national Dex and graphics are the majoritys complaints it seems and I can respect that. It's not something that bothers me a lot though. Biggest things that get me are the inability to play the game ranked. Sure they made it easier to grind out comp. Pokemon but what's the point if I can't even find someone to play ranked with? Last game session I spent an hour and a half searching and found 1 person. One before that spent an hour to find nobody. Ranked is completely broken so I'm forced to go play casuals and all that happens there is playing against legendaries or cheated g max Pokemon. I've played for 200 hours so far and at least 100 of it has been going for ha pokemon or grinding up comp. teams for ranked. Now I'm realizing it was a complete waste of time since can't play against anybody. By far worst game in the series. There are some innovative things I enjoy like I said about being able to grind comp. mons easier but that's really about it except some of the new mons designs. Either than that. Meh. Worst story as well imo with the worst antagonists. Almost felt forced in for no reason. End game is weak as hell compared to sun and moon. Hopefully GF steps it up next gen and actually starts putting in a lil effort instead of putting in the bare minimal. 1 more thing. WHY NO MASS RELEASE FEATURE. Releasing Pokemon 1 at a time is absolute insanity. Thought I might try my hand at shiny grinding but not a chance without that feature lol seems Niantic is a bit smarter than GF when it came to that. Take a page out of their book GF. All in all there's things that I like but only a few and out of all the Pokemon games it's definitely the weakest. Thanks to any for reading my rant!… Expand
  31. nochianand
    Jun 12, 2020
    2
    This game is so boring. It does nothing new at all and the graphics look like ****
  32. dabsdabsdabs
    Dec 18, 2019
    0
    Ok I wanted to write so many things about this game, all of them bad, but I will just summarize in that the game looks like a 3DS game and it is even worst with the on line part. It doesn't update if you don't start a wonder trade or something. The animations are boring and extremely similar to the 3DS Pokemon. I got a Nintendo Switch only to play this game, I only played Pokemon by theOk I wanted to write so many things about this game, all of them bad, but I will just summarize in that the game looks like a 3DS game and it is even worst with the on line part. It doesn't update if you don't start a wonder trade or something. The animations are boring and extremely similar to the 3DS Pokemon. I got a Nintendo Switch only to play this game, I only played Pokemon by the way, no experience or very few with other video games, and I thought the Switch was bad because of how poor this game runs but then I tried other switch games and they are beautiful! Thank you Nintendo and Gamefreak for making this a boring game, we can see how lazy you were with it. Now I will sell it and get other interesting games for the switch :). Oh by the way, battling on line is the same as in the 3DS, exactly the same. It is a 3DS game! wait until they get a good Pokemon for the Switch.… Expand
  33. Anonijm21
    Dec 18, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Same animations as the 6th and 7th Gen ,Copy and Paste everywhere. Cut half of Pokedex and, many bugs and glitches… Expand
  34. DavidLFen
    Dec 31, 2019
    0
    Objetivamente, el juego parece un port cutre de un juego de 3ds y ni siquiera de uno que explote al máximo de la 3ds, las animaciones son cutres, la exploración es nula y el balanceo está roto, el juego entero está ROTO, cada elemento mínimamente interesante de la narrativa es desaprovechando, y el postgame es casi inexistente, quita mecánicas a las que nos acostumbramos hace mucho como laObjetivamente, el juego parece un port cutre de un juego de 3ds y ni siquiera de uno que explote al máximo de la 3ds, las animaciones son cutres, la exploración es nula y el balanceo está roto, el juego entero está ROTO, cada elemento mínimamente interesante de la narrativa es desaprovechando, y el postgame es casi inexistente, quita mecánicas a las que nos acostumbramos hace mucho como la GTS y encima añaden cosas molestas como las MT de un solo uso, la ausencia de más de la mitad de los pokemon se nota mucho, es un insulto a los fans de toda la vida, si alguno de tus pokemon favoritos no estabprogramado por que a los de GAME FREAK, les apetecía rascarse las pelotas, jodete, y para colmo esta cosa cuesta 60€, lo único bueno que puedo decir es que lo conseguí por 40 en el black friday y aun así me siento estafado, os aconsejo que de comprarlo lo hagáis de segunda mano o que esperéis a la típica versión 1.5, también de segunda mano ya que no veo como puedan arreglar esta cosa… Expand
  35. Sureshot125
    Dec 27, 2019
    3
    Game is completely uninspired and a complete mockery of the franchise. Asides from the state’s fiascos, you get the sense that there is very little passion in the game. The dialogue and story feels quite awkward, and many Pokémon in the new generation feel almost like a focus group as opposed to the previous generations. The mechanics feel like they’re made for someone who is barely payingGame is completely uninspired and a complete mockery of the franchise. Asides from the state’s fiascos, you get the sense that there is very little passion in the game. The dialogue and story feels quite awkward, and many Pokémon in the new generation feel almost like a focus group as opposed to the previous generations. The mechanics feel like they’re made for someone who is barely paying attention to the game, and isn’t actually interested in the world. In short, it seems like a game that they made “because they had to” with arbitrary changes and very little effort or passion. I’d rather they take new spins and stories on the previous regions than introduce more scope with so very little added to the quality of the world. This feels like a dilution of the franchise and a cash grab, not a Pokémon game. And frankly it’s heartbreaking.… Expand
  36. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    2
    Tutorial de como estragar uma franquia super conhecida e aclamada por todos:
    Passo número 1: Chame a Nintendo!
    Parabéns!!! Você concluiu seu tutorial.
  37. Warbringer
    Feb 21, 2021
    1
    No story. No Pokedex. Not all Pokemon available. Only handholding. Content locked behind DLC. Content locked behind third party apps like "Pokemon Home" "Pokemon Bank" "Nintendo Switch Online". Gamefreak lied to all of us and they admited it.
  38. TRAHANATOR
    May 1, 2020
    4
    In all of the entries in the main series of Pokemon games, Pokemon Sword and Shield are by far the most polarizing. There are so many positive things to say yet some major negative things to say about the game. Some of the new Pokemon designs are great and offer interesting match ups in battle. Obstagoon being my personal favorite in the entire game. Yet, there are some Pokemon that areIn all of the entries in the main series of Pokemon games, Pokemon Sword and Shield are by far the most polarizing. There are so many positive things to say yet some major negative things to say about the game. Some of the new Pokemon designs are great and offer interesting match ups in battle. Obstagoon being my personal favorite in the entire game. Yet, there are some Pokemon that are straight up boring. All 3 starter Pokemon are the lamest starters in the entire series, I had never felt more compelled to box my starter when I saw what it evolved into. The story is also bland. There are some great characters like Leon, Marnie, Piers, Opal, and the legendary Ball Guy. But, other characters are straight up lame. Hop is by far the poorest rival in all of the games, Chairman Rose being evil was the easiest read since the invention of the "ABC's" book, and Swordward and Shieldbert are the worst designed and dumbest characters Pokemon has ever seen. Team Yell is in the same boat as Team Skull; they do not have some evil plan, they are there to just distract the player. At least Team Skull was funny and didn't take themselves too seriously. The real evil team, Macro Cosmos, has the lamest motivation in Pokemon since Team Flare. The narrative of "energy crisis can only be solved by drastic means" is too played out in media. Some of the cities are cool to go to, but this game is so restrictive on exploration that it kills the feel of discovery. Character customization is better than ever, but the fact that you cannot wear different uniforms in the gym battles is still lame. But out of all of the negatives this game has, exp candies are the biggest sin. One of the rewards of winning a max raid battle is at least 2-4 exp candies. These candies completely break the game's balance. If you use candies during your gym challenge, it becomes the easiest Pokemon game in the entire franchise. I am not even joking, one of the games newest mechanics and source of identity rewards with items that remove all challenge. When I got to the champion, I was almost 20 levels ahead of his strongest Pokemon. I would say to a new player to just don't use exp candies, but why should a player just ignore what essentially becomes the game winning strategy. Post game it is find to get candies for competitive. The second worst sin of this game is the laughable lack of post-game content. You beat the game, and not a single new or significant area is opened up. Obviously this is mostly because of future dlc, but you have to put content in your launch if you want your game to be great. In short, if I was given the entire main series of games and I could only choose one to play, Sword and Shield would be the last possible games I would pick.… Expand
  39. pdrcode
    May 4, 2020
    0
    I would like Shigeru Omori to leave the project. Please do not destroy the Pokémon.
  40. routerlite
    May 4, 2020
    4
    NPCs are extreamly stupid and annoying in wild Dynamax Pokemon. They are the opposite of normal battle.
  41. CrisSonic_Drago
    May 11, 2020
    0
    Llevo jugando a Pokémon desde pequeño, empecé en Pokémon Oro y Plata y he jugado prácticamente a casi todos los juegos de la saga. Me compre Pokémon el día de su lanzamiento y después de escuchar varias opiniones y haberlo jugado mucho estos meses, sin duda estamos ante el peor de la saga.

    En este juego hemos perdido un monton de cosas; la explotación, las pokemonturas y interacciones con    Llevo jugando a Pokémon desde pequeño, empecé en Pokémon Oro y Plata y he jugado prácticamente a casi todos los juegos de la saga. Me compre Pokémon el día de su lanzamiento y después de escuchar varias opiniones y haberlo jugado mucho estos meses, sin duda estamos ante el peor de la saga.

    En este juego hemos perdido un monton de cosas; la explotación, las pokemonturas y interacciones con edificios y mas cosas. Es juego totalmente limitado y pasillero.


    La historia sin duda es lo peor y la historia que hay después del juego también. Nos prometieron una historia emocionante después de pasarte el juego nos encontramos con semejante basura nada interesante para el jugador.

    Enserio recortan la pokedex para esto? Vaya basura de juego has creado GF. Esto no se salva ni con los dlc y ni los remakes de 4 generación.

    Espero que lean esto y se apliquen para la generación 9.    … Expand
  42. Murilokelevra
    May 19, 2020
    1
    I play pokemon since pokemon crystal. This game is the worst pokemon ever. The gameplay is so boring, i want to battle and everytime someone stop me to talk something that sometimes i already know. The weather its a joke. The wild area is a joke. We are in 2020 and the game is still on click and click and click to talk, we need a good evolution. Keep the good stuff and develop things thatsI play pokemon since pokemon crystal. This game is the worst pokemon ever. The gameplay is so boring, i want to battle and everytime someone stop me to talk something that sometimes i already know. The weather its a joke. The wild area is a joke. We are in 2020 and the game is still on click and click and click to talk, we need a good evolution. Keep the good stuff and develop things thats is already old.… Expand
  43. notakid
    May 20, 2020
    2
    How anybody who's been a fan of the pokémon games for a long time can excuse big flaws of these games is truly beyond me. All of the criticism directed towards the developer is fully justified seeing as the complaints have to do with things that could have been implemented in such a way to increase everyone's satisfaction with the games.

    Higher quality and more advanced animations? An    How anybody who's been a fan of the pokémon games for a long time can excuse big flaws of these games is truly beyond me. All of the criticism directed towards the developer is fully justified seeing as the complaints have to do with things that could have been implemented in such a way to increase everyone's satisfaction with the games.

    Higher quality and more advanced animations? An option to turn off the EXP. Share that is making the game too easy even for a small child? Having all the previous pokémon included in the game, seeing as we know they have the models for them? All of these suggestions, do they hurt you? Is this sort of criticism "unfair" or "exaggerated"? Who do you think you are to decide what is "reasonable" criticism? The fact is, these things clearly matter to the majority of user reviews - looking at the user score clearly reveals that. If you can't handle people disliking a game you yourself like then, man, life has to be very difficult for you. Implementing these suggestions would hurt nobody. The games would be of a higher quality.

    There are many more reasons as to why users dislike these games, just have look at the reviews, but one thing is for certain: Game Freak is a lazy developer who is not to be trusted, considering all the lies that have been spouted.    … Expand
  44. Ceyarove
    Sep 17, 2020
    0
    como fui a perder mi dinero con este juego. pésima historia, dificultad inexistente, personajes nada interesante.
  45. jikan2004
    May 27, 2020
    0
    This game is a cut in paste copy of x and y that game freak messed up and caused problems so that can sell solutions to the complete piece of trash that is this game. It is by far the worst Pokemon game out there. They took out the national Dex and the animations are so bad that Pokemon Stadium one had better grapghics. No one in their right mind should buy this game.
  46. Th3rdEye89
    Jun 14, 2020
    1
    As a long time Pokémon fan I’m sad to say that this game is by far the worst Pokémon game I’ve ever played. I bought a switch mainly for the excitement I felt about a Pokémon game finally coming to a console...my switch now collects dust. AND NOW GAMEFREAK WANTS TO CHARGE FOR EXPANSIONS WITH WHAT LITTLE THEY PUT INTO THE POST GAME?! Big slap in the face to all the life long Pokémon fans.As a long time Pokémon fan I’m sad to say that this game is by far the worst Pokémon game I’ve ever played. I bought a switch mainly for the excitement I felt about a Pokémon game finally coming to a console...my switch now collects dust. AND NOW GAMEFREAK WANTS TO CHARGE FOR EXPANSIONS WITH WHAT LITTLE THEY PUT INTO THE POST GAME?! Big slap in the face to all the life long Pokémon fans. Gamefreak pass the Pokémon franchise on to game developers and writers that actually care about video games because the way your company has been making these games the last few years has been horrible. I hope the next Pokémon game is a redemption because if not the franchise will no longer be appealing to anyone. And I’m not review bombing just to be a jerk, it’s because I care deeply about Pokémon and want to see it return to its glory. You get a 1 because some new Pokémon designs were good.… Expand
  47. timren1
    Jun 19, 2020
    1
    Franchise ruined by lazy GreedFreak who refuse to put any effort into their games anymore and push out games every year like it's Call of Duty. Pokemon died after Gen 4.
  48. juanignacio021
    Jun 18, 2020
    0
    Not worth. The game has barely any content and what little it has, it isn´t that good to begin with. The game took less than 8 hours to beat its main campaign and around one or two for the lackluster postgame.

    The story is bad: doesn´t make sense, has little to none character development (only Hop shows significant growth) and is not engaging at all. I dont usually care much for the    Not worth. The game has barely any content and what little it has, it isn´t that good to begin with. The game took less than 8 hours to beat its main campaign and around one or two for the lackluster postgame.

    The story is bad: doesn´t make sense, has little to none character development (only Hop shows significant growth) and is not engaging at all. I dont usually care much for the story in Pokemon games but this time it was unbeareable.

    The wild area, the main selling point of this game, is absolutely dissapointing. It is basically Hyrule field from Ocarina of Time (N64 graphics and all), just as empty and uninteresting but has some Pokemon popping out over the place.

    Gamefreak lied directly to the face of the playerbase. They stated they were cutting the Pokedex to polish the game some more and improve models and animations, which we now know it is completely BS since it has been proving these have been imported from the 3DS meaning they are the same from 2013.

    Finally, the gameplay. There is some good in SWSH, like the music and some of the new designs are actually good but these are all swept under the rug because of the horrid gameplay.

    Remember in past Pokemon games where there were dungeons like Silph co., Sky Pillar, the numerous caves, buildings and more? All gone. Galar is one straight line from beginning to end. Traversing the world was brief and boring and while some towns showed interesting features (like Stow-on-side and the Digglet statues) they had barely anything inside to interact with.

    But the biggest offender here is the battling. After all, it is Pokemon´s main attractive. Dynamax is a horrible mechanic as it is basically a nuke button and every battle revolves around who has the bigger nuke making battles really repetitive. Even if mechanically the system is flawed, aesthically isn´t good either. Again, animations from the 3DS are reused and some aren´t even good to begin with. Some attacks just have the model rotate around or hop statically a few times while the iddle animations are bland and do not express any personality. If you compare battles in SwSh with battles in previous home console iterations (Stadium 1&2, Battle Revolution, Colosseum) Swsh is really boring and unappealing to watch.

    I can´t stress this enough but he game is plain bad. I´m mad I bought this game, I´m mad Gamefreak lied to players and I´m mad Pokemon is going downhill as a franchise.    … Expand
  49. Ageman20XX
    Jun 18, 2020
    4
    Pokemon Shield

    “Okay” at best. , but for me - someone who has played and owns at least one game from each generation for the last 20+ years - this entry was hugely disappointing and may have killed my love for the franchise overall. This isn’t the first Pokémon game to cut fan-loved features and content included in previous entries, but it’s certainly the most egregious. In addition to    Pokemon Shield


    “Okay” at best. , but for me - someone who has played and owns at least one game from each generation for the last 20+ years - this entry was hugely disappointing and may have killed my love for the franchise overall. This isn’t the first Pokémon game to cut fan-loved features and content included in previous entries, but it’s certainly the most egregious. In addition to cutting the roster of compatible/playable species down by more than half, the usable moves afforded to the remaining ones have also been culled by a considerable margin. Mega evolution (Gen 6-7) as a mechanic has been dropped entirely (reducing the amount of unique designs even further), Z moves (Gen 7) are gone, following Pokémon (appeared in the Let’s Go games a year earlier) have been dropped (though re-added behind a paywall in the latest DLC for a single area), rideable Pokemon (also from the Let’s Go games) have also been dropped, and the various special skills / field moves (Let’s Go upgrade to HMs) have been removed as well leaving the uninspired stamina-based bike as the only unique traversal/exploration method in the game. Shiny Pokémon appearing in the overworld (another Let’s Go improvement) has also been removed, and the new method for finding shinies in tall grass is bugged at the code level with no acknowledgement from the devs or any fix in sight. This list of dropped features is only in comparison to the most recent games before Sword/Shield - if we were to go back further the list would expand tenfold.

    In terms of what the game does offer, there isn’t much. There’s a barebones single-player campaign where you collect badges from the gyms (like every other mainline Pokémon game), and then a mini tournament at the end. The story for the entire game could be condensed to a single paragraph and doesn’t go much further than “bad guy tries to use legendary for bad stuff at the end”. The writing is flat, all the interesting events happen offscreen where your player can’t see them, the animations in battle/cutscenes/etc. are very inconsistent with a few being nice but the rest looking like they were made for a handheld. There’s also the weird choice of characters moving their mouths but no voices coming out - especially awkward when you attend a rock concert where a character plays a guitar and “sings” but the entire scene is silent. The new Dynamax mechanic is flashy and interesting for one, possibly two battles and then becomes tiresome. The raid mechanic is more frustrating than fun with all its limitations, and the online component is infuriating to use and rarely works as intended.

    When I finally beat this game (and the 1 hour “post-game” quest it included) I was happy - not because I enjoyed it but because it was over. I put in my time like a good little consumer and now I was allowed to offer my opinion on it. It was a bad experience that I paid twice the price for compared to previous entries and barely got half the enjoyment.    … Expand
  50. sabiogamer
    Jun 19, 2020
    0
    Un juego Recortado, eh incompleto, muy mal, le falta mucho por delante, y recortaron el juego solo para cobrar mas. las gráficas son las peores
  51. jotade86
    Jun 27, 2020
    4
    Por partir el juego en trozos y venderlo a precio de oro, por traer una generación tan corta, por no mejorar los gráficos que parecen de 3DS, por la pokedex nacional incompleta por no llevar megaevoluciones, este pokemon no merece la pena.
  52. Lindagamer
    Jun 20, 2020
    0
    El juego esta incompleto, y te lo venden a trozos , las versiones anteriores tienen mas contenido que este.
  53. LesterYida
    Jun 25, 2020
    2
    Worst gen ever. Compared with other games on Switch, the graphic Sword & Shield is not good tbh. But let's forget that, Pokemon is never good with the graphics. But excluding hundreds of Pokemon from the game? Making such a boring story with absolutely no innovation? Selling a DLC with such poor content (oh, that's nice. at least is not ultra sword & shield) ? Game Freak and The PokemonWorst gen ever. Compared with other games on Switch, the graphic Sword & Shield is not good tbh. But let's forget that, Pokemon is never good with the graphics. But excluding hundreds of Pokemon from the game? Making such a boring story with absolutely no innovation? Selling a DLC with such poor content (oh, that's nice. at least is not ultra sword & shield) ? Game Freak and The Pokemon Company seems very satisfied with what they have right now and have no intention to improve anything in the Gen 8. The only good thing about this gen is getting a Pokemon ready for online battle is much easier than before. Unfortunately I don't like online battle. So screw it, worst Pokemon game ever for me.… Expand
  54. Sesma007
    Jul 19, 2020
    2
    More of the same, next generation of Pokémon and we still see same combat mode no effort in the game Nintendo is just milking the franchise
  55. Chartium97
    Jun 23, 2020
    0
    The beginning of the decline of pokemon, since the change to the 3d, gamefreak and the pokemon company have found the goose that lays the golden eggs doing less and less effort in each delivery, game and putting more abusive prices than the previous one with absurd dlcs that Supposedly they fix the content of the game, it is very sad that they give a kick to the fans that we have supportedThe beginning of the decline of pokemon, since the change to the 3d, gamefreak and the pokemon company have found the goose that lays the golden eggs doing less and less effort in each delivery, game and putting more abusive prices than the previous one with absurd dlcs that Supposedly they fix the content of the game, it is very sad that they give a kick to the fans that we have supported these games to only become more and more casual with other players, the exploration factor is totally suppressed in addition to the story, getting to do an annual installment to get the maximum possible benefit, when they could use that money to hire more people and that the final product becomes of quality like other games like super mario odyssey or breath of the wild… Expand
  56. Ihatemetacriti
    Jun 23, 2020
    0
    I HATE THAT **** ICE LEVEL WHERE YOU FALL THEOUGH TJE SNOW I HATE IT AND WHEN MY DAD LEFT I DIDNT KWNWO WHAT TO DO BUT THEN I PLAY POMXKON SWOFDAND SHIELD AND I FALL THROUGH THE SNOW **** YOU **** YOU SONY I HATE YOU REMOVE THE ICE LEVEL ****
  57. Niwai
    Jun 11, 2021
    2
    Нет русского языка. Игра и так не шедевр, а без русского вообще шлак. Русский язык третий в мире, но разработчику пофиг.
  58. Paragonii
    Jul 20, 2020
    2
    Tbh this game is not good. I just cant understand people who are saying that generation 8 should be the best. It just steps back. If you still want to go through this game, expect like 25 hours, which is definitely the shortest Pokemon game, less content, a story that is non-existent and a rushed game in general. But that is not enough, they destroyed Competitive Play with thatTbh this game is not good. I just cant understand people who are saying that generation 8 should be the best. It just steps back. If you still want to go through this game, expect like 25 hours, which is definitely the shortest Pokemon game, less content, a story that is non-existent and a rushed game in general. But that is not enough, they destroyed Competitive Play with that 20-minutes-timer. The new feature the wild area is not really good, its like an excuse for doing less routes because you have to go through it many times instead of going on a new route and your wont be able to see new stuff there. Playing online while being in the wild area is a pretty bad idea, players gonna teleport around and the performance will be even more bad. The bad graphics is a point you can really see in the wild area, nothing looks really impressive plus things and NPCs are just appearing right in front of you. The only good thing about this game is probably the design of the characters which looks pretty decent. So should you play it? No. Should you play it if you are a big fan of Pokemon? No. And now, they want more money for more Pokemon in the DLC, I cant say how good or bad the newest DLC is, but one thing Im sure about is that Im not gonna waste any more money on Pokemon.
    Title: Worst Pokemon main game.    … Expand
  59. Hanekoma
    Jul 3, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What this game describes in game freak is very different from what I felt when I was playing. What is more regrettable is that the characters in the game plot have an interesting background and excellent design, but the story they are arranged in the game is too simple and boring… Expand
  60. Kas_scientist
    Jul 4, 2020
    0
    It's sad that a company with so many resources did this.
    FPS problems, there are no strategy in the RPG and it's sooo easy... can't disable the XP share...

    The only thing that it doesn't make me regret buying it, is because I never played a Pokemon game since Pokemon Silver. But I still think that I maybe regret it anyway.
  61. TwinJacks
    Jul 6, 2020
    3
    I've been playing Pokemon since 2004. I've played every main series game since the GBA era and this is my least favorite Pokemon game of all time. Honestly, I bought this game because our gamestop was closing down and it was on sale. I plan to buy the DLC but rn, I'm just waiting for the next generation.
  62. Saintadi
    Jul 10, 2020
    2
    Boring, nothing new, a bad game is a bad game. It feels like a 3ds game.
    Spend your money else where
  63. publicitystunt
    Jul 8, 2020
    0
    I’ve played every single Pokémon game and I can inform you that this is the worst game in the franchise. Gamefreak decided to cut more than 55% of all Pokémon to take more of your money with dlc. Second if they were gonna do that at least make the game good, this game is complete trash, when it comes to story and difficulty. I could give this game to a 5 year old and they would be able toI’ve played every single Pokémon game and I can inform you that this is the worst game in the franchise. Gamefreak decided to cut more than 55% of all Pokémon to take more of your money with dlc. Second if they were gonna do that at least make the game good, this game is complete trash, when it comes to story and difficulty. I could give this game to a 5 year old and they would be able to beat it. In Gen 6 to Gen 7 (excluding the Let’s Go games) the exp share was OP but at least you could turn it off, but in these games you don’t have an option. This makes every battle easy as hell. Also the friendly rival is trash, his Pokémon will always be 2-5 levels below yours. Also the lack of post game hurts. It’s like they took X and Y’s lack of difficulty and lack of post game and called it Pokémon Sword and Shield. Lastly they took away not only mega evolutions but also z moves, making the gameplay predictable. It’s safe to say that gamefreak doesn’t care about their fans, they only care about money… Expand
  64. Xavi_Banks
    Aug 2, 2020
    0
    No tengo mucho que decir... me encantaría puntuar más alto el juego, en serio. Pero no pienso alabar estas jugadas sucias de gamefreak por mucho que lo tengan "justificado" ante el rechazo de sus fans a juegos hechos con cuidado como los de 5ta generación. Espero que les baste solo para atraer público y que a futuro realmente se pongan las pilas con el desarrollo de un buen videojuego,No tengo mucho que decir... me encantaría puntuar más alto el juego, en serio. Pero no pienso alabar estas jugadas sucias de gamefreak por mucho que lo tengan "justificado" ante el rechazo de sus fans a juegos hechos con cuidado como los de 5ta generación. Espero que les baste solo para atraer público y que a futuro realmente se pongan las pilas con el desarrollo de un buen videojuego, porque todos sabemos que estos no son buenos ejemplares, solo son Pokémon (más o menos).… Expand
  65. frdifrna
    Aug 8, 2020
    2
    A very shallow pokemon experience, with a story and lore where everything happens under the player's nose, and cities that, no matter how big a populous, you only have access to a few houses, besides the extremely short routes. All this for a very badly executed open world that is the Wild Area, where it relies mostly of the online services that are very primitive in Y-Comm. InterestingA very shallow pokemon experience, with a story and lore where everything happens under the player's nose, and cities that, no matter how big a populous, you only have access to a few houses, besides the extremely short routes. All this for a very badly executed open world that is the Wild Area, where it relies mostly of the online services that are very primitive in Y-Comm. Interesting characters but extremely bad exploited in the game itself. It simply could be a better game with the developers weren't so greedy.… Expand
  66. Xverr
    Aug 11, 2020
    0
    As a pokemon player, this game is a complete disapointments. Graphics are an insult, wild area is bad imolemented, the game is ridiculously easy, no all pokemons,caves and dungeons are so linear, the history is awfull, to sum up, game is very incompleted.
  67. Kung_Kjartan
    Aug 14, 2020
    2
    Ugly graphics (TPC should be ashamed of themselves for that), bad story, weak gameplay and a way too easy game. Definitely the worst RPG of this generation. That's a shame, Pokemon has so much more potential but there isn't passion and boldness anymore.
  68. LindaSuperGamer
    Aug 20, 2020
    0
    Juego Recortado, una basura, precio muy alto, las versiones anteriores tenían mas contenido que este, mal juego
  69. SammyDelicious
    Jul 20, 2023
    1
    Pokemon blue, red, yellow, gold, silver and crystal are easily some of my favorite games of all time. I have replayed them countless times. I have waited for 25 years for a 3D pokemon game and this game was an insult to any lifelong, diehard pokemon fans. I don't have enough space to list everything that is wrong with this game so I'll keep it short.

    This Game Is Not Fun. Plain And Simple.
  70. NuiHarime
    Aug 27, 2020
    0
    el peor pokemon de la historia, juego incompleto, sin contenido completo, pokedex incompleta. una basura
  71. manuel812
    May 29, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es un juego pésimo primero de todo es juego es SUPER fácil ya al comenzar te dan una cantidad de dinero absurda segundo el repartir XP es un desastre ya que entre el repartidor, los absurdos caramelos de XP y los pokemons a niveles absurdos en el área salvaje tu equipo siempre va a ir tipo 10 niveles por encima de los enemigos aparte de eso casi todos los npc te regalan items por la cara después la historia es una mierda primero de todo no hay ningún equipo villano porque me rehusó a llamar equipo villano a la mierda de team gel o como se diga y el villano final no tiene sentido porque como la crisis pasara dentro de 1000 años en ese tiempo la tecnología podría mejorar y solucionar todo aparte cuando lo vences el te APLAUDE wtf le acabas de arruinar el plan y el se alegra wtf aparte de eso es el juego con las rutas mas simples y lineales el 99% de ellas son puro pasillo aparte de eso tira a la mierda a los movimientos z a la megaevolucion y al ultravuelo para agregar a putos pokemons grandes por cierto los gráficos son asquerosos parecen de 3ds sin mencio lo unico bueno del juego es el competitivo… Expand
  72. joshuee
    Aug 26, 2020
    3
    pessimo in tutta la sua interezza (breve interezza)
    Post game nullo, tecnica pre 2010 e difficoltà inesistente... Zero chicche e solo corridoi
  73. Maattio97
    Aug 30, 2020
    4
    Llevo jugando a este juego desde pokemon plata, y puedo decir que soy un gran fan. Tenia muchisimo hype con esta entrega, la decepción fue gigante. Ni termine el juego de lo aburrido que era, solo tienes que clickar sin parar y te lo pasas todo, la historia aburrida, 0 dificultad, la falta de los pokemon de generaciones anteriores, el dinamax no hace falta ni opinar de el... no saben conLlevo jugando a este juego desde pokemon plata, y puedo decir que soy un gran fan. Tenia muchisimo hype con esta entrega, la decepción fue gigante. Ni termine el juego de lo aburrido que era, solo tienes que clickar sin parar y te lo pasas todo, la historia aburrida, 0 dificultad, la falta de los pokemon de generaciones anteriores, el dinamax no hace falta ni opinar de el... no saben con que innovar y se estan cargando la saga. Es triste que prefiera jugar a juegos de hace 10 años antes que a las nuevas entregas. Parece que prefieren sacar juegos con los que contentar a niños de 6 años en vez de hacer un punto medio y gustar tanto a gente nueva como a los que llevamos amando esta saga desde hace mas de 20 años.… Expand
  74. NakedWizard
    Sep 7, 2020
    4
    Pokemon Shield has great new pokemon designs, a few beautiful places and some nice new mechanics. But, overall, this game has so many problems that I simply cannot recomend it to anyone.

    Graphics and animations: It looks and feels exactly like a HD version of a 3DS game. That's not a metaphor, that's not a joke. Pokemon sword and shield are upscaled 3ds games. It is really disapointing    Pokemon Shield has great new pokemon designs, a few beautiful places and some nice new mechanics. But, overall, this game has so many problems that I simply cannot recomend it to anyone.

    Graphics and animations: It looks and feels exactly like a HD version of a 3DS game. That's not a metaphor, that's not a joke. Pokemon sword and shield are upscaled 3ds games. It is really disapointing to see those battles with almost no movement on the TV screen, and the characters animations are robotic and unatural in a way I've never seen in a console game.

    Difficulty is inexistent in this game. This is the easiest entry in the franchise and that says a lot. It is also one of the most handholding entries (comparable with sun & moon) and sometimes it seems like you are only pressing A.

    The wild area was the biggest promise of this game (and for god sake, it's only an open 3D area), but turns out it's only another big disappointment. This part of the game has big performance issues, including heavy pop-in, frame rate drops and terrible textures. Besides that, the area seems empty and there's not really much to do after you try the dinamax raid battles a few times (spoiler: these battles are boring too).

    Overall, the game feels empty, childish and unfinished. Unacceptably bad for a console game, even more if you consider it's one of the biggest and more profitable game franchises.    … Expand
  75. pikminpro20
    Sep 13, 2020
    3
    Its a pokemon game...but not really I've played almost all of the other pokemon game and this one has significantly less content than them even though its a $60 console game. Even the wild area isnt actually very big (I explored the whole place in less than an hour) and the routes are incredibly linear to the point of even caves being a straight path. For reference in the original redIts a pokemon game...but not really I've played almost all of the other pokemon game and this one has significantly less content than them even though its a $60 console game. Even the wild area isnt actually very big (I explored the whole place in less than an hour) and the routes are incredibly linear to the point of even caves being a straight path. For reference in the original red and blue the first cave was 3 floors this game doesnt even have a multi layer cave. i dont really mind the dex cut but the game literally look like an upscaled 3ds game 90 percent of the time (That ten percent of the time is the camping minigame) the graphics could have been good just look at rescue team and poken tournament dx. One of the towns is just a gym and a pokemon center and the other ones arent really much better. The game really just feels rushed and thats about all there is to say about it.… Expand
  76. xchrmoney
    Oct 5, 2020
    2
    Rapido e incompleto. post-game absurdo. Y online pesimo
    Cuando me lo compre tenia mucho hype y disfrute las primeras 20 h pero cuando me pase el juego no había otra cosa que hacer ni estaba la pokedex completa ni habia un online bueno como el online de juegos anteriores. Kenebfujsnjeifisjenoeuyfnfrk dibfrn ixbrnek k la is a good 7 for all the use of the web and the website itself is not    Rapido e incompleto. post-game absurdo. Y online pesimo
    Cuando me lo compre tenia mucho hype y disfrute las primeras 20 h pero cuando me pase el juego no había otra cosa que hacer ni estaba la pokedex completa ni habia un online bueno como el online de juegos anteriores. Kenebfujsnjeifisjenoeuyfnfrk dibfrn ixbrnek k la is a good 7 for all the use of the web and the website itself is not the same as the one who has the most excellent quality and quality and you can buy a new one 4 a great price and a great idea of how many you will need for the new year with a price for of your two products to make sure you your best product and for the selling of product and is the a leading supplier to for sale your business product in order with the highest quality and affordable quality of product for your home customers or with other any products that are available for purchase and sell or products to or from any from the manufacturer or from any other any manufacturer of products or services that are available in the following categories or by the seller or by the seller or by the manufacturer or manufacturer supplier of to provide information on the    … Expand
  77. ObamaGames
    Oct 12, 2020
    0
    I wish this game was good but it just isn't. The story is mediocre, even by pokemon standards, fan-favorite features are consistently missing, the difficulty is nonexistent, animations are abysmal, graphics look like a 3DS game, and the Dynamax feature is a complete gimmick that exists for no reason other than to be shoved into advertising. Overall, Sword and Shield are just 3DS games thatI wish this game was good but it just isn't. The story is mediocre, even by pokemon standards, fan-favorite features are consistently missing, the difficulty is nonexistent, animations are abysmal, graphics look like a 3DS game, and the Dynamax feature is a complete gimmick that exists for no reason other than to be shoved into advertising. Overall, Sword and Shield are just 3DS games that are on the Switch. Not ObamaGames approved.… Expand
  78. prakx9
    Nov 26, 2020
    3
    Un pokemon malo,corto, con unos gráficos feos y con un rendimiento malo también. Han quitado pokémon's para meterlos en el dlc (que es contenido recortado).
  79. GingerLoves
    Oct 25, 2020
    3
    It is the same box standard pokemon game as pokemon Red and Blue. The visuals have been updated (In some regards only slightly,) The basic gameplay loop is the same. The plot is non-existant, the online is quite disappointing. There are even frame rate drops at times. It seems like Gamefreak do not have enough staff to make a competent and satisfying game in the strict timetable theyIt is the same box standard pokemon game as pokemon Red and Blue. The visuals have been updated (In some regards only slightly,) The basic gameplay loop is the same. The plot is non-existant, the online is quite disappointing. There are even frame rate drops at times. It seems like Gamefreak do not have enough staff to make a competent and satisfying game in the strict timetable they have to uphold. If you own any pokemon games, you will have played this game before.… Expand
  80. honchkrow_lover
    Dec 14, 2020
    3
    very lazy and mediocre game , for a triple A game it feels like a half assed $20 indie game
  81. StarLorder
    Dec 2, 2020
    0
    Absolute **** a fan of pokemon since im 5 yo,but gamefreak simply doesnt give a crap anymore for the games.
  82. JackReviews
    Dec 20, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I bought both Sword and Shield and was very underwhelmed. The game could be very ugly at some points, there was 0 game after catching the legendarys, and half time game was DLC. The game was also VERY easy I only lost twice once to Leon once to the dragon gym leader. Yes you can do a nuzlock and it’s very fun but that’s self imploded rules not the game. I don’t think it was worth the 60$ price tag and I wish I hadn’t bought both. If you want to play it be my guest but if I were to recommend a Pokémon game it wouldn’t be this one.… Expand
  83. Joeycapss
    Dec 22, 2020
    1
    Absolute **** excuse for a Pokémon game, I’ve seen higher quality animations and visuals in GameCube games from 20 years ago, need some serious restructuring at gamefreak cause they have no idea what they’re doing anymore
  84. SwShDie
    Dec 28, 2020
    0
    When will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if GameWhen will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if Game Freak doesn't mess up that one too). Even a month with Sword/Shield is far too long.… Expand
  85. JohnnyBanana99
    Dec 31, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Before starting my review, I want to say that I had good expectations for this game before playing it, as these are the first main pokemon games on a home console I was expecting a huge revolution for the saga. Addressing some issues, I think the pokedex cut was necessary, there are now too many pokemon and this was going to happen sooner or later (that doesn't mean GF can lie though). Reusing models is not that big of a deal they are well made... What I’m saying is I don't hate this game because of controversies, I just want to review this game as any other game... and I must say it's a disaster, it doesn't hold up in any department.

    *EXPLORATION: My biggest issue with this game. For me pokemon was always a game about exploring the world around you but in this game and just like in pokemon sun&moon routes feel like corridors except this time it feels more accentuated without any hidden paths nor mistery. Routes' only purpose in this game is to connect point A to point B unlike any other pokemon game where you could find other sub-areas like the power plant in gen 1 or shoal cave in RSE for instances.
    As for the Wild Area, it's completely empty and spreading some pokeballs over the place with useless items doesn't solve the problem, everything mildly interesting in this area is just decoration like the watchtower ruins or the lake of outrage. The wild area is just a flat terrain with the layout of an "old times route" (you can't just call it “route” since now it means corridors) and with the false impression of "open world" they give you by letting the player handle the camera.
    Lastly, towns and cities are full of inaccessible buildings and there’s nothing to do other than buying items or clothes and beating the gyms.

    *COMBAT: So as everyone says the game is easy you already know what I’m going to say: exp share bad, rival gets the weaker starter to yours, Sonia gives you a ton of revives, etc. But i want to focus mainly on dinamax and gigantamax.
    They should have sticked to megaevolution, I already thought that Z moves were a "nuke button" but now with dina/gigantamax you get 3 turns of that. Megaevolutions at least were more circumstantial in the sense that it changed the pokemon's typings, abilities and stats in a way that sometimes it could play against you (for ex: pokemon losing speed, gaining weaknesses due to the typing changing, etc), on the other hand dina/gigantamax is just a power boost that makes you win instantaneously without any negative consequences

    *PLOT: Almost non-existent, and the story is told almost entirely in speech bubbles by Sonia. The plot is driven by a boring villain with stupid motivations.

    *CHARACTERS: I'm unable to care for any of the 3 rivals, Leon doesn't have a personality, Sonia doesn't let me go anywhere without talking for over 3h, Rose is stupid, Oleana's personality is that she's Rose's assistant, the Gym leaders are OK, just OK, and don't get me started on the royalty brothers from the postgame, they are unbearable.
    *ANIMATIONS: I won’t say much but there are only 2 combat animations for each pokemon which doesn't look good for a good part of the moves. Outside of battle you will see a lot of moments where the screen fades to black to avoid animating the characters, there are moments where the screen doesn’t even fade to black and the characters are still not animated.

    *MUSIC: Probably the best thing of this game but still (and this is to my liking), the music sounds cheap, as in it is mainly made by computer and not instruments, in previous games you could already hear orchestrated themes, in Sw&Sh you get very generic rpg library themes.

    *POSTGAME: Lacking, the episode of the royal brothers is poorly written, boring, and even frustrating at some point, once you finish it the only thing left is the battle tower.

    *CONCLUSION: It’s a boring and rushed game without any incentive to ply it other than "it's pokemon", and it's a terrible game, nobody should defend this; it fails as an RPG, as an open world, as a game by home console standards, but as a pokemon game apparently not because people would buy anything that says “pokemon” in the title. This game would still be a bad game even it had come out for the Gamecube, it makes some mistakes that are unforgivable for any game. I could keep highlighting bad aspects of this game all day: performance issues, graphics, character customization, pokemon camp, the curry mechanic which CONTRIBUTES NOTHING TO THE GAME, immersion, etc. There are a lot of issues I haven’t talked about that I despise in this game, but I think these are the most important aspects to highlight.
    I won’t talk about the DLCs because I haven’t played them, but since it must be built from the base this game has established, I doubt making 2 new areas and introducing some pokemon is going to change this game’s problems.
    I give this game 1/10 (and not 0/10) because it has Yamper and I love corgis.    … Expand
  86. CurriMan
    Jan 4, 2021
    2
    My expectations were really low, and it still dissapointed me.

    The game takes out a lot of stuff from previous titles and gives really little back, the only way I found to make this game even a little difficult is by imposing limitations yourself, wich is really underwhelming. Most of the stuff in the DLCs and the other services this game requiers you to have for you to enjoy it as    My expectations were really low, and it still dissapointed me.

    The game takes out a lot of stuff from previous titles and gives really little back, the only way I found to make this game even a little difficult is by imposing limitations yourself, wich is really underwhelming.

    Most of the stuff in the DLCs and the other services this game requiers you to have for you to enjoy it as it was supposed to is stuff that was included with the purchase of games that came long before it, and even then most things are poorly optimized and really leave a lot to be desired.

    The "plot", gameplay and several aspects of the game are really underwhelming, even with the standards that the last few titles have set. The game doesn't rival the grafic capacyties of most switch games, and the plot doesn't even get close to other pokemon games that came more than a decade before it, everithing in the game seems really artificial, you don't get rewarded for exploration and most times random NPCs will pop up and drag you in the direction required for the game to progress, most of the adventure and region comes out as linear and really unnatural, when I, for example, came across people repairing or doing contruction works in a route, that served as a roadblock and also felt natural in it's enviorment, but when i come across a random corvinight in the middle of nowhere blocking a path, that feels really forced and artificial.

    The dinamax mechanic, as mos other recent gimmicks, is absurdely broken, and the fact that it can be used by any pokemon without any restriction or downside really hurts. The other gimmicks in the franchise at least had some limitations and downside, but this one is just plain broken.

    In a nutshell: SW/SH are really underwhelming pokemon games and even with their DLCs and punchrasable content, they don't mach any spectations and come out as lame and unidimensional.    … Expand
  87. Gio00
    Jan 13, 2021
    1
    Such a shame for pokemon legacy to be so poor and lazy this game..0 Creativity and the skills you ve got to have for this game is a 2years old kid
  88. jar6
    Feb 18, 2021
    2
    Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst in the franchise's history. The potential that a Pokemon game on the Switch has is incredible. This could have been one of the greatest games of all time. Period, full stop.

    BUT, GameFreak decided to just wing it this time. This game, to put it bluntly, sucks. The graphics are legitimately 3DS quality (arguably worse at times), the    Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst in the franchise's history. The potential that a Pokemon game on the Switch has is incredible. This could have been one of the greatest games of all time. Period, full stop.

    BUT, GameFreak decided to just wing it this time. This game, to put it bluntly, sucks. The graphics are legitimately 3DS quality (arguably worse at times), the gameplay is the same as every other Pokemon game and does stand out, and this entry in the series is by far the most empty one. This is despite touting its expansive wild area as a selling point. Speaking of the wild area, it also sucks. When you're connected to the internet, you are moving at around 3 frames per century. And, as alluded before, despite being the largest area in a Pokemon game to date, it is barren of any content. The dynamax dens are cool for the first five or so raids. After that, it's just a slog fest and is honestly one of my least favorite parts of the game.

    I forgot to mention this point before, but now that I'm on the topic of the dynamax dens, it needs to be mentioned: the candies you get from these dens make this game so unbelievably easy. In fact, even without these candies this game is a breeze. Realistically, the only way to make this game challenging is by using a self-imposed ruleset known in the community as the Nuzlocke ruleset. This means, essentially, when you lose a Pokemon, it's gone for good. I could go on about the difficult,y, but that is one of the most cited issues.

    In fact, everything I've brought up has been talked to death. However, I think a less common insight (while still being pretty well-discussed) is how this game's mechanics translate to the competitive side of the game. Dynamax is a terrible mechanic. Ever since mega evolution, Pokemon's gimmick mechanics have been getting worse. Mega evolution was actually a pretty cool opportunity to give weaker Pokemon the boost they need to be competitively viable (did this happen? No, but you can thank GameFreak for this). Z-moves were kind of a mess and spawned a lot of annoying builds (i.e. Z-Geomancy Xerneas). However, topping the faults of both of these mechanics is Dynamax/Gigamax. This ability, on its face and in concept, should be the best gimmick. However, the implications of stat-boosting moves, doubled health, and the fact that any Pokemon (including already broken and overpowered ones) have access to this makes it terrible to play against and not that exciting to use either.

    Finally, perhaps the worst transgression that this game has made is the $60 price tag. Now, I would understand $60 if this was the greatest Pokemon game in the history of the planet. However, I believe that this is the opposite. This is the worst Pokemon game in the history of the planet, and I'm including Pokemon GO, Let's GO, and Pokemon Rumble Blast in this history. Charging the player $60 for a bad 3DS (at best) is one of the most insulting things I've ever seen a company like GameFreak do. On top of this egregious pricing, GameFreak has the audacity (THE AUDACITY!) to charge money for DLC that should have been in the game on release, bumping up the price for the (full) game to $90 ($60 for the base game and $30 for the expansion pass which gets you Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra). I will not address the Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra DLC expansions for two reasons: this section of Metacritic is for the base game of Pokemon Shield (and Sword) and I was smart enough not to buy the DLC.

    In summation, Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst games in the franchise. I credit this label to numerous parts of the game that are either low quality or obstruct good parts of the game (the general Pokemon game formula). This game is not worth buying. Please, value your voice as a consumer and don't encourage lazy, greedy behavior in the gaming companies which are supposed to cater to YOU. I understand that companies are greedy by nature and will cut corners if possible, but you are able to hold them accountable with your dollar. So, PLEASE, do not purchase either game in this installment in the franchise. You are better off playing a fanmade rom hack (this is not to insult these games, they are sometimes better than most of the mainline games) and have an exponentially greater amount of enjoyment. Thank you, do not buy these games, be well.    … Expand
  89. Jejeff
    Jan 23, 2021
    0
    Gamefreak stopped in 1996. Terrbile technical issues, animations and lacks challenge.
  90. GameFriet
    Feb 2, 2021
    0
    For a Switch game Compaired to Mario Zelda DragonQuest it was not that good..
    The game feels behind in Year 2010
    Where is the exploration, difficult and good story?
  91. hammyG
    Feb 8, 2021
    1
    The weakest games from the mainline Pokémon series yet. Developed entirely by greed, truly these games are proof that evil still exists in the world. Skwovet's pretty cute though.
  92. Tonico8
    Mar 2, 2021
    1
    I only could enjoy the first 2 hours, afterwards it's an empty game, the routes are shameful, and there's no sign of difficulty in any part of the game, except one or two exceptions. I've never felt more cheated
  93. Kennanady
    Mar 6, 2021
    2
    I was very excited for this game when it came out being an avid Pokemon fan, but boy was it a huge disappointment. I’d like to address its flaws:
    The online is horrible. Nintendo online has never been great, but this takes it to a whole other level. While in the Wild Area and connected to the Y-Comm, the game’s frequent lag-spikes and FPS drops to at times 5 FPS can be truly unbearable.    I was very excited for this game when it came out being an avid Pokemon fan, but boy was it a huge disappointment. I’d like to address its flaws:
    The online is horrible. Nintendo online has never been great, but this takes it to a whole other level. While in the Wild Area and connected to the Y-Comm, the game’s frequent lag-spikes and FPS drops to at times 5 FPS can be truly unbearable. They managed to downgrade true online system that the 3DS had already well-established. The graphics are nothing short of lazy. The tree textures look fresh out of a PS2 game, not to mention the same poor Pokemon move animations that haven’t changed since essentially the original with Pokemon not even getting up close. How is a Pokemon using scratch going to show me a poorly animated claw effect that my Pokemon just summons that doesn’t even go near the opposing Pokemon?
    These are only a few of this games several horrific flaws—completely skipping over the story (with writing that truly does show how much of a rushed project this was, the post game is probably the worst wrote thing I have ever seen in a game), the limited amount of content in the base game and more. The only well-done original thing I can see from this game is Pokemon camp. This is where you can tell the animators had more time to give your Pokemon character and life rather than the soulless beings they are everywhere else. The cooking I also found to be quite fun and just watching your Pokemon interact with each other each with actual personality was definitely my favourite part. The game also has the huge national dex problem which was sought to be fixed by a poor and sloppy dlc that I won’t be talking about. Overall, very lacklustre and there are so many games out there on the switch that are just better. This was the game that truly told me to wake up and stop buying Pokemon, the franchise is running itself into the ground.    … Expand
  94. MaddoxWhite
    Apr 24, 2021
    1
    There are so many things wrong with this game.
    The graphics. The national dex. The gameplay itself.
    I don't have much to say that hasn't been said already.

    The fact that this even exists makes me want to not even buy New Pokemon Snap.
    But I'm a sucker, so I already preordered it.
  95. Traumvita
    Sep 6, 2023
    4
    Baby hand holding simulator. Looks like an up res 3DS game. Limiting options. Can’t explore without someone telling me where to go. Worse Pokémon game to date. A shame because the setting was interesting
  96. EasyGamerBoi
    Jun 10, 2021
    4
    I’ve never experienced a game that brought out such vivid anger & disappointment from me until this one. Pokémon has been on a steady decline for years in terms of quality but this was undeniably the breaking point. I know it’s all been said before but Dexit should have NEVER happened. Cutting major content while increasing the price of your product is always an L & I don’t care how manyI’ve never experienced a game that brought out such vivid anger & disappointment from me until this one. Pokémon has been on a steady decline for years in terms of quality but this was undeniably the breaking point. I know it’s all been said before but Dexit should have NEVER happened. Cutting major content while increasing the price of your product is always an L & I don’t care how many Nintendo apologists throw themselves into the fire over this pile of crap. This game should have been delayed for another year at most to get it right & it’s incredibly frustrating because there’s glimmers of hope in this trainwreck. The gym battles are actually an event this time & got me hype everytime, the visuals don’t always look terrible in spots, the new Pokémon roster took some getting used to but there are many gems among them like Appletun & Toxtricity, & I did enjoy the max raid system a lot more than I thought I was going to. At this point in the game’s lifespan I’m completely burned out on just about everything though. Despite my criticism, I played this game for 400 HOURS. That’s mostly from shiny hunting in max raids & being the only new Pokémon game out in a while. The DLC is overpriced tbh but the Crown Tundra alone was infinitely better than anything else this game had going for it. My biggest problem with this game’s existence is the pitiful excuses the developers gave for its shortcomings. Focusing on “higher quality animations” as a reason for cutting over half the Pokémon in the dex is a load of bull, especially since we got very few of those animations in the final product. Then adding some of them back later saying “it was always planned this way” is damage control 101 & y’all know it. Pokémon is a stagnant bubble waiting to burst & the sooner they get GameFreak’s crap together, give them a workable budget & timeframe, then they can maybe avoid a potential Pokècrash. Because this is unacceptable. I can’t believe this is the same studio that gave us classics like Platinum, HGSS & Black n White. While the game can be fun at times & has things going for it, it pales in comparison to the rest of the series (I’d still rather play this than any Gen 1 game though). Pokémon, GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER.… Expand
  97. Moxiberry
    Jul 5, 2021
    1
    This game is **** Awful, I played it on release and I did have fun but the the flaws really show through the towns and routes are do bland and uninterested the game looks awful it looks ok in some areas but it's mostly awful and the game is so easy to boot, this is one of the most brain dead pokemon games I've ever played
  98. Foxylary
    Apr 3, 2023
    4
    A lot of good ideas poorly executed. The idea of ​​the dynamax is not so bad, the new creatures are cool, fighting in stadium is great, gym leaders are charismatic, character customisation is pretty good and the country has a good atmosphere. But it's extremely ugly and empty. The npc's are all the same (there are often clones next to each other), there are no voices, no cutscenes, theA lot of good ideas poorly executed. The idea of ​​the dynamax is not so bad, the new creatures are cool, fighting in stadium is great, gym leaders are charismatic, character customisation is pretty good and the country has a good atmosphere. But it's extremely ugly and empty. The npc's are all the same (there are often clones next to each other), there are no voices, no cutscenes, the game is designed as a 2D game. The "main story" unfolds by itself without us havin any role to play. There is no epic moment, no plot twist, no real story after all. The game is much too easy, so much so that I tried to add more difficulty by myself. When I remember Pokemon Blue or Silver, even Black... Did they try to makes peoples dumb and lazy by avoid the frustration of difficulty ? And what about difficulty options ?! There is no options to organize Pokemon Boxes. It's that hard to make ?! The list is long and it really is a beautiful mess. Because of laziness, lack of time or developers ? I don't care. Releasing a product like this is insulting. When I see that they added content that should be in the base game for 25€, I find it disgusting. There are no excuses, Game Freak don't put any effort on it, it's just easy money. I bought it second-hand years after its release because it's the only game on Switch that has all my favorite creatures and despite everything, it's not so bad next to Pokemon Scarlett Violet, that's to say the level of this last game. Looks like they want to see what the players were willing to accept.… Expand
  99. dragonblade
    Feb 1, 2022
    4
    A bunch of half baked ideas put into one package. I will put as much effort in this review as gamefreak has put into this game.
  100. GamingGuy25
    Nov 20, 2022
    0
    sh1t game refer to a review about scarlet on why its ****

    Pokecucks are mentally ill
Page:

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best Switch Game of 2019
3
#3 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    90
    Sword & Shield have a lot to love for old and new fans, and they're pure quality from top to bottom. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 72]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
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  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
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