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. Fraxxo
    Sep 9, 2023
    5
    I think this one may be one of the worst mainline Pokémon ever created.
    Sure the game has some good concepts like the Wild Area, the camping and raids, but they are all bad executed and boring.
    The game is one of the most linear experience of the entire franchise, even more than the original Red and Green on Game Boy, and the game general design is bland, slow, uninteresting. After a few    I think this one may be one of the worst mainline Pokémon ever created.
    Sure the game has some good concepts like the Wild Area, the camping and raids, but they are all bad executed and boring.
    The game is one of the most linear experience of the entire franchise, even more than the original Red and Green on Game Boy, and the game general design is bland, slow, uninteresting. After a few hours in, there was nothing that motivated me to play the game more since all there was to know and do was throwed at the player face during the first hour and that was it. Nothing more is introduced after the first hours of gameplay, nothing. It never changes, it never tries to give you something new.
    The game is so easy, it's basically a button mashing game since your Pokémon will always be 15 or 20 levels over the average enemy.
    The only good thing about the game is that there's a decent degree of personalization, from your team of Pokémon to your character clothes, and catching 'em all is less frustrating than past games thanks to the high catch rate and how easy is to find any species.
    As for the story, it's mediocre even for the series standard: the character had potential that is just not used at all. Their only purpose is to get destroyed by the player.
    Kinda forgettable soundtrack (Idc Toby Fox made one OST, that's not gonna change the fact I don't remember 3/4 or the soundtrack), dull and lifeless art direction and the worst online interface I've ever saw in a videogame.
    Also, bad graphics, bad performance. A mess of a game...    … Expand
  2. fnenamg
    Sep 8, 2023
    6
    Considering it's a product of Game Freak, it's somewhat acceptable.
  3. M1sfiT
    Sep 3, 2023
    7
    Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!! shield
  4. assisjunior
    Aug 19, 2023
    5
    Although I had my fun it is really repetitive. After some time you just want to finish it and move on.
  5. Killerpummkin
    Aug 10, 2023
    7
    Graphically, it is a change for the better. The wilderness area is a beta, it is very underused as for the story. Compared to the rest of the Pokemon games, it seems to be lacking in some aspects. I hope they use this base well for the future.
  6. Cer2xrafa
    Aug 7, 2023
    6
    De los juegos que más he jugado en la switch, pero fue por una época de cuarentena, haciendo intercambios y combates onine continuamente, por ello, creo que es una experiencia remplazable, y no recomendaría jugar teniendo otros juegos mejores dentro la misma saga
  7. MasterGubbers
    Jul 11, 2023
    6
    Shield certainly has several flaws, but it also brings many new interesting Pokemon into the series. The biggest flaw is that you can blast through the game with seemingly no challenge, as it is easy to level up your Pokemon to level 60 before beatiflng the first couple of gyms. This ruins most of the game, but the Wild Area and new Pokemon make the game better.
  8. KeybladeHero_05
    Jun 29, 2023
    7
    This game is okay. The only thing I'm going to talk about are the absence of voice acting to some parts of the game. It felt really weird during my first playthrough and I'm sure that I'll feel the same after going through my second attempt.

    The raids however is amazing and honestly, that's the only redeeming thing this game has. A good way to grind via EXP Candies because shared EXP is    This game is okay. The only thing I'm going to talk about are the absence of voice acting to some parts of the game. It felt really weird during my first playthrough and I'm sure that I'll feel the same after going through my second attempt.

    The raids however is amazing and honestly, that's the only redeeming thing this game has. A good way to grind via EXP Candies because shared EXP is a nightmare. If you're playing it for the first time and you don't have any time for grinding, go do the raid den as much as possible.    … Expand
  9. SANTIACO
    Jun 19, 2023
    5
    Un juego que deja mucho que desear. El juego carece de varios aspectos, empezando con el apartado gráfico y en las animaciones, además de que la historia de este juego es bastante lineal y sin profundidad. Aparte de que es la primera vez, que se agrega un DLC a un juego de Pokémon, que sinceramente no agrega nada llamativo y carece de contenido. Honestamente es un tropiezo de Gamefreak, elUn juego que deja mucho que desear. El juego carece de varios aspectos, empezando con el apartado gráfico y en las animaciones, además de que la historia de este juego es bastante lineal y sin profundidad. Aparte de que es la primera vez, que se agrega un DLC a un juego de Pokémon, que sinceramente no agrega nada llamativo y carece de contenido. Honestamente es un tropiezo de Gamefreak, el juego debió de ser algo revolucionario, ya que es uno de la saga principal y además se está lanzado para nintendo switch… Expand
  10. DeadSmack
    May 17, 2023
    7
    Can't get the hate on this series. The games are GREAT, the online events were great also. The new regional forms are... meh, i don't like the idea of regional forms, but that's me. The story is not that great at all, but it's entertaining at least. Gameplay is fine, the pokedex are great, and the dlc's add the diversity much needed in the game. While they are not the best games of theCan't get the hate on this series. The games are GREAT, the online events were great also. The new regional forms are... meh, i don't like the idea of regional forms, but that's me. The story is not that great at all, but it's entertaining at least. Gameplay is fine, the pokedex are great, and the dlc's add the diversity much needed in the game. While they are not the best games of the series, or in general, great addition to the franchise.… Expand
  11. Christian_TV
    Apr 15, 2023
    6
    This game it's just what you expect from Game Freak.Nothing more,nothing less
  12. Dyl_lionaire
    Feb 10, 2023
    7
    I know, Its a travesty that I enjoy this game but Its true, I thought the new designs were kind of meh but the best designs are some of my favourites, the trainer designs were very unique and the gym battles were a good combination of Sun and Moon trials and the original battles. I didn't really care that they didn't have all the Pokémon and the story wasn't good, but I've got a lot ofI know, Its a travesty that I enjoy this game but Its true, I thought the new designs were kind of meh but the best designs are some of my favourites, the trainer designs were very unique and the gym battles were a good combination of Sun and Moon trials and the original battles. I didn't really care that they didn't have all the Pokémon and the story wasn't good, but I've got a lot of good memories playing this game, especially doing a nuzlocke.… Expand
  13. saplign
    Feb 2, 2023
    5
    ‎this one is definetly a 5 out of 10‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
  14. Satsoku
    Jan 8, 2023
    7
    I feel like this game gets a lot of criticism for the poor graphics more than anything else. To me personally however, the graphics are not as relevant if I'm being honest. The story was OK. The gameplay is focused around the traditional formula that fans of the series know and love by now. Even though the small issues that I had with it, this game managed to keep me busy for 200+ hours,I feel like this game gets a lot of criticism for the poor graphics more than anything else. To me personally however, the graphics are not as relevant if I'm being honest. The story was OK. The gameplay is focused around the traditional formula that fans of the series know and love by now. Even though the small issues that I had with it, this game managed to keep me busy for 200+ hours, so giving it anything less would be unfair.… Expand
  15. gian_pkr
    Dec 28, 2022
    7
    Animations model and graphic style is really good. Unfortunately this kind of gameplay starts to feel a bit old and repetitive. Performance are fine.
  16. Derpcat
    Dec 6, 2022
    5
    I haven't played many Pokemon games. Before this, only Diamond. But this game was the reason I bought a Switch. I thought it would be great! But, as you can see, I didn't love it so much. Why? Isn't a Pokemon game a Pokemon game, at heart?

    The story-where to begin? They highlighted gyms, even though they were gone for, like, 4 years. Whatever. This chairman guy sees potential in you,    I haven't played many Pokemon games. Before this, only Diamond. But this game was the reason I bought a Switch. I thought it would be great! But, as you can see, I didn't love it so much. Why? Isn't a Pokemon game a Pokemon game, at heart?

    The story-where to begin? They highlighted gyms, even though they were gone for, like, 4 years. Whatever. This chairman guy sees potential in you, and same as the champion. So you join the Pokemon league. Oh boy! Pokemon games always have at least satisfactory stories, but this one makes no sense.

    Pokemon games play very similarly. Don't fix something that isn't broken, right? Well, it gets stale. These games have become more and more linear, and you don't get to do decide your fate... at all. It becomes very, very, VERY boring. There is an open-world area called the wild area. I think that it is the predecessor to Legends: Arceus or Scarlet & Violet. But it's just so worn in and small. 6/10 gameplay. Way too boring.

    The presentation isn't great. It doesn't load that well. If you're expecting a game that looks good and runs well, like Super Mario Odyssey, don't be surprised if it's not what you want. It doesn't load that well, look good, and runs at 30 fps. The music is pretty good, though. Toby Fox composed a song. 7/10 presentation. Nothing to say.

    It's content is a bit light. The main adventure is too easy, and takes 10 hours. The post-game takes about 5 hours. Then you can "Catch Em All!" and shiny hunt. Yeah, this should be a 40 dollar game. Captain Toad Treasure Tracker cost that much. I didn't play it, but I hear it has a lot of content. 6/10 content.

    It is way too linear, and what was good in it is way too worn in. I don't get why Scarlet & Violet has a lower user score. It is ambitious, big, and creative. Gen 8 was pretty good, but this game wasn't. I'm sorry, everyone in the U.K.    … Expand
  17. xSpOokie
    Dec 1, 2022
    6
    stop listening to this critics , the game is great , the graphics are a bit poor but the game is a lot of fun and the story is good , not the better , anyways the generation is so good have some pokemons who are so cool , people nowadays in nintendo always try to make something to give a game a poor rating , they want everything in a game , the cons in this game are the legendarys and thestop listening to this critics , the game is great , the graphics are a bit poor but the game is a lot of fun and the story is good , not the better , anyways the generation is so good have some pokemons who are so cool , people nowadays in nintendo always try to make something to give a game a poor rating , they want everything in a game , the cons in this game are the legendarys and the fact that the game is to easy , but yes if you're a pokemon fan YOU SHOULD buy this game! [UPDATE] after 2 years i replayed the game , after playing brilliant diamond and arceus to , for the record i love arceus 9/10 , after replaying the game , i can tell the game isnt that good , than i first writed , not talking about graphics , but talking about performance itself , a lot of fps drops , and when you connect to wifi to do raids , very laggy servers , the first time i didnt pay to much attention on the story but after replaying i have to say that the story is not that good , you get very confused even if you pay to much attention + is boring and one more thing that is extremely anoying is the fact that you constantly battling with your rival who btw is to much annoying , changing from 9/10 to a 6/10 , the only thing who is preventing me from putting red score is the pokedex , the pokedex was the reason who made me replay the game because the first time i played it i didnt use any of the new pokemons from this gen , and other thing that is preventing me to put score 5/10 is the world building , citys and the wild area + the gym leaders are well designed , concluding i dont change my opinion about the game , if you like pokemon i recommend you buying this game , because after all its still a pokemon game , the mechanics , the thing of training them and the gameplay itself is what can get you through the game and make you have fun , because is still pokemon and the essence is there , so yes if you are a pokemon fan you should buy this , its gonna get you those 25 hours of fun .… Expand
  18. ColeEngo
    Nov 30, 2022
    5
    This game was the definition of okay. Nothing insane but nothing great. Just the same old pokemon.
  19. Luky1996
    Nov 30, 2022
    6
    Tecnicamente arretrato rispetto ai giochi contemporanei, comunque gradevole da giocare.
    I nuovi Pokémon sono molto belli e accattivanti.
  20. LeJanman
    Nov 29, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es ist ok. Ich hatte mein Spaß mit dem Games. Es hat sich aber am Ende nach nichts angefühlt, einfach nur hingeklatscht, als wären die Ideen ausgegangen wie man das Endgame machen soll.… Expand
  21. jljosue
    Nov 28, 2022
    5
    The game promised a lot but in the end it came to nothing, it was just a graphical update of the 3DS trees and very poorly used ideas, with a very mediocre story. It would have been nice if the base game included DLCs for a more optimal experience, as the sparse content didn't show the game's potential. I really disliked Dynamax's mechanics, as the flow of the battles are slow, and theThe game promised a lot but in the end it came to nothing, it was just a graphical update of the 3DS trees and very poorly used ideas, with a very mediocre story. It would have been nice if the base game included DLCs for a more optimal experience, as the sparse content didn't show the game's potential. I really disliked Dynamax's mechanics, as the flow of the battles are slow, and the animations tiresome.… Expand
  22. Patrick95
    Nov 27, 2022
    6
    Tenemos delante una entrega algo floja de la franquicia. Pero a pesar de eso, creo que tampoco merece el hate desmesurado que recibe. El juego hace cosas mal, como la trama, la dificultad o los gráficos del área silvestre, pero hace otras muy bien como algunos personajes, el primer leve contacto con mundo abierto o su banda sonora. Al final es un juego más de Pokémon, por lo que, es divertido.
  23. ZYMROD
    Nov 25, 2022
    7
    El juego prometía mucho pero al final se quedo en nada, solo fue una actualización grafica de 3DS y con arboles de PS1. Si hubiese salido con todos sus DLCs incluidos, hubiera sido mas amena la experiencia y no seria decepcionante por su escaso contenido. Las mecánicas Dynamax son entretenidas en el competitivo, siendo lo mas destacable gracias a la propia comunidad.
  24. eye-zitt
    Nov 23, 2022
    7
    The game is a little underwhelming, but overall I really appreciated my time with it and have put more hours into this game than almost any other.
  25. LeGabrielUrbano
    Nov 21, 2022
    5
    The game has very good ideas that it did not know how to take advantage of, the high points are overshadowed by the lowest points, so the game remains a weak product, which hardly supports itself, it is a strong step back then the small advance that had been achieved in the seventh generation.
  26. ND-Bringer
    Nov 11, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokemon Sword and Shield is perhaps the most controversial game of Generation 8. I remember hating this game during my first play through back in high school. With its overpriced DLC and its lackluster post game content. But while taking a look back before the release of Scarlet and Violet, some positive memories came flooding back to me.

    And with more critical eye, I can tribute the moments I did really enjoy all those years ago. Because when you take a moment to ignore the overpriced DLC, as a stand alone game, it's actually quite enjoyable. Let's take look into one of Game Freak's ultimate mixed bags.

    The game starts off with you and your best friend Hop obtaining your Galarian Starters from the Champion himself, Leon. Who decides to endorse your Gym Challenge, hoping to meet worthy opponents in the future. The Gym Leader challenge has returned, now paired with a "Sporting Event" theme. With Galar's design heavily based off of Great Britain, it makes sense to throw the country's love for sports in the mix.

    And while not every Gym Battle is a winner, hearing that roar from the stadium took me back to the days I watched Ash Ketchum compete in the Pokemon League. The closest games to create that effect were the Pokemon Stadium games and it's great to play a core-series game that creates the same effect.

    And to add to the flavor, trainers can now Dynamax their Pokemon and transform them into giants. Increasing their HP drastically and giving them the ability to use powerful new Max Moves to crush opponents into dust. Some Pokemon even have the ability to change their form and Gigantamax, allowing them to use powerful signature Max Moves and show off a Kaiju inspired appearance.

    The only thing standing in the way of my enjoyment is the story. Which isn't as bad and yet somehow just as bad as I remember in multiple portions of the game. Problem number one, Hop, the Master of None.

    While not as pathetic as the X and Y rivals, Hop doesn't build a decent Pokemon team until the post game. And is entire character can be summed up as unfocused. He's really positive like Hau but also pretty bland like most of the Gender-Swap Rivals. And at the end of the post game when he decides to become a Professor, I'm simply confused. Enter the Pokemon Hall of Shame on your right.

    Whenever the story annoyed me, I went to to explore the wild area. A large world designed for those who love to capture Pokemon. At the surface it's really fun to explore. You get to find rare items, high leveled monsters, gorgeous lakes to surf on...it's everything you would want out of long Pokemon level. Hiking through this open world is incredibly relaxing, it's a grand mechanic that several Switch games are aiming for these days. It doesn't feel like you're exploring Galar anymore, it feels like you're exploring the world of Pokemon itself.

    Their's one fatal problem with this set up, some Pokemon are exclusive to the wild area. Making Pokedex completion an eyesore since some Pokemon will only appear once per week...half of the time. I'm not joking when I say it took me two real life weeks to build my original ultimate Pokemon team, because certain members couldn't be found in the wild area yet.

    It's not that there are no decent Pokemon to capture in the main game routes, but it's really annoying that the game will only allow certain Pokemon of the week to appear. It's bad enough that Gamefreak had to remove several Pokemon and moves in order to make room for this new content. But it's outright scummy to make some of those rejected Pokemon obtainable through overpriced DLC.

    And as for the adventure itself, it's still enjoyable. Rising from the ranks of the Gym Challenge tournament aiming to dethrone Leon. But the game gets unbelievably easy after the fifth gym. Version exclusives mean nothing to me, Rock Types and Ice Types are not difficult to defeat.

    The villains of this game are a huge let down as well. With Chairman Rose being a weak twist villain with a pathetic Steel-Type Team to match. His plan is to use the Legendary Pokemon as an energy source, he just needed a master trainer to control it. And while Leon did say he would comply and battle Eternatus after the tournament, the Chairman proceeds without him, due to his inability to wait one day.

    And then theirs Sordward and Shielbert...who are perhaps the most annoying villains in the entire Pokémon franchise. They have all the most annoying quirks. Ex Machina fleeing powers, an army of evil NPCs, boring Pokemon teams. And if you want the new staple legendary Pokemon on your team, you have to complete a post game challenge where Sonia mentions her new assistant, who has no name.

    So in conclusion, the game gets annoying half way through. It reminds a lot of Skylanders Trap Team. A game with really fun new gameplay mechanics, a predictable story, overpriced extra content, and a bunch fun boss battles mixed in with pathetic ones.    … Expand
  27. Hkeitz323
    Nov 8, 2022
    5
    Pros:
    - A myriad of well-designed pokemon
    - Really cool gym leaders - Added a lot of cool features (accessing the PC from the menu, G-max) - Easy-to-access online features Cons: - Game has horrible pacing, and shoves in the entire plot at the very end of the story - Can't transfer pokemon without a pay wall (pokemon home) - Is way too short for a $60 game - No difficulty and no    Pros:
    - A myriad of well-designed pokemon
    - Really cool gym leaders
    - Added a lot of cool features (accessing the PC from the menu, G-max)
    - Easy-to-access online features

    Cons:
    - Game has horrible pacing, and shoves in the entire plot at the very end of the story
    - Can't transfer pokemon without a pay wall (pokemon home)
    - Is way too short for a $60 game
    - No difficulty and no postgame
    - The game feels unfinished at some parts, with the Wild Area specifically being very buggy
    - Extra content is locked behind payed DLC, which is an extra $60    … Expand
  28. hector_bcn98
    Oct 31, 2022
    6
    +
    Fórmula Pokemon, funciona y divierte.
    Muchísimos pokemons a ser capturados y criados. Las áreas silvestres pueden suponer un reto, ya que hay pokemons de todos los niveles. - Gráficamente es para echarse a llorar, de lo peor de la consola. Es para despedir a cada uno de los trabajadores de Game Freaks y otorgarles el premio al vago del año. Inadmisible en un AAA. 0 interés en    +
    Fórmula Pokemon, funciona y divierte.
    Muchísimos pokemons a ser capturados y criados.
    Las áreas silvestres pueden suponer un reto, ya que hay pokemons de todos los niveles.

    -
    Gráficamente es para echarse a llorar, de lo peor de la consola. Es para despedir a cada uno de los trabajadores de Game Freaks y otorgarles el premio al vago del año. Inadmisible en un AAA.
    0 interés en completar la pokédex invirtiendo una descomunal cantidad de horas en conseguir todos los pokemons para que la recompensa sea nula.
    Las incursiones no funcionan y suponen una pérdida de tiempo inmensa.
    La franquicia pide a gritos una revolución. La habrá? No lo creo.    … Expand
  29. kems
    Oct 29, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Historia 5
    Historia sencilla, predecible, sin mayor complejidad. Después de la 6ta medalla se vuelve excesivamente acelerada, muy probablemente por los tiempos de desarrollo. Mediocre inclusive para lo que se espera de un Pokémon.
    Desarrollo 8
    El desarrollo del juego es bueno, sin muchos altibajos. El momento más débil es justamente la parte final, donde más debía relucir, quitándole mérito a un avance con un buen ritmo la mayor parte del juego. El cambio en los gimnasios es bastante positivo, el torneo que reemplazó el Alto Mando pudo haber sido bueno, pero fue muy soso.
    Personajes 9
    Cada personaje secundario que acompaña la historia tiene su carisma, personalidad y desarrollo armonioso Lo más débil son los personajes principales y el team Yell, que podría no estar y de hecho mejoraría.
    Diseños 8
    En cuanto a personajes, nuevamente son sobresalientes sus diseños, todos menos los protagonistas. En cuánto a los nuevos Pokémon, son los mejores en mucho tiempo, ya sea por su apariencia final o por el concepto que está detrás de éstos, teniendo en su gran mayoría una gran armonía; son muy pocos los casos donde haya un pokemon genérico o con un concepto débil detrás. El diseño del mapa es pobre, donde al salir de la Wild Area, las rutas son básicamente pasillos que conectan a la próxima ciudad.
    Gameplay 9
    Los cambios en gameplay que apuntan a modernizar mecánicas que ya hace tiempo se sentían antiguas es bienvenida. El fin de los encuentros aleatorios, el wild area, los raids (que pudieron ser más difíciles, pero es una buena adición), la mayor accesibilidad para la crianza. El core gameplay se mantiene igual que siempre, pero sigue siendo efectivo y cuenta con agregados atractivos.
    Duración 9
    El juego es tan largo como quieras que sea, pudiendo ser bastante extenso si te gusta explorar y ser completista al 100% o cazar shinies y criar Pokémon perfectos. A pesar de ello, luego de cierto punto se hace evidente que tuvieron que lanzar el juego antes de terminar todo lo que tenían planeado.
    Postgame 3
    Patético. Únicamente en su evento final hay algo bueno. Terminado ese pésimo postgame, existe un frente de batalla que pese a ser simplón, se agradece su adición.
    Gráficos 5
    Las gráficas de los Pokémon y los personajes está bastante bien, pero desentona con el pésimo apartado gráfico y texturas del resto de los elementos, principalmente el wild área donde algunas texturas a plena vista recuerdan los tiempos del N64.
    Música 9
    Banda sonora bastante cumplidora. Algunos temas a veces se sienten genéricos o fuera de lugae, pero en general cumplen bien, con buenos temas y buena implementación de éstos. Sin estar al nivel de otras IP donde es realmente sobresaliente, cumple en totalidad su cometido.
    Sonido 6
    En contraste con unos temas que acompañan bien al juego, se encuentra el tema sonoro, donde la mayor deficiencia es la falta de voice acting. Mientras el juego era portátil, jamás se sentía necesario contar con uno, pero al dar el salto a una consola de sobremesa, pide a gritos el haber tenido. Desde que inicias el juego, la intro que intenta ser épica, se cae sola al ver un estadio repleto con el presidente Rose anunciando a gritos lo que nos encontraremos, mientras mueve la boca sin emitir sonido.
    Performance 2
    Todo el apartado técnico es lo más deficiente del juego, se vio en la parte gráfica y sonora, pero también en ciertos tiempos de carga, como en el online. Si intentas hacer algo online, lo más recomendable es quedarse parado esperando a conectar. porque el framedrop es severo, especialmente en el wild área. Incluso si no te interesa el online, el pop up es increíble. Los personajes, los árboles y los Pokémon, prácticamente te saltan en la cara, más aún si vas en bicicleta. Faltó tiempo de otimización.
    Multijugador 9
    El multiplayer y el online es un aspecto muy fuerte en Pokémon, de lo más positivo y da para jugar cientas y cientas de horas. Queda al debe la falta de personalización al no poder buscar intercambios y depender de la suerte del jugador que te encuentres o tener que coordinarte con alguien mediante otro medio previamente.

    Valoración final 7
    La experiencia se nota muy recortada, pero a la vez es disfrutable. Finalmente la sensación que deja es agridulce, siendo el mejor de la saga en muchos aspectos y el más deficiente en otros muchos. Queda la sensación de ser una oportunidad desaprovechada, donde teniendo el cuidado que se merecía, pudo haber sido de los mejores de la franquicia.
    Finalmente, siendo fan de Pokémon hace más de 20 años, debo decir que una vez más me atrapó sin soltarme, pero queda claro que el enfoque es sacar el juego más recortado posible que permita ser funcional para continuar exprimiento la franquicia al menor costo.    … Expand
  30. baja_dan
    Oct 27, 2022
    6
    A solid entry in the franchise mixed with a few new ideas. I enjoyed the online play and battling my friends from across the world. The new "open" areas were interesting, but felt like they could have benefitted from some more polish. I noticed some frame-rate issues and a few bugs during my 200hr playthrough. I've been a fan of the series since the red/blue/yellow days, but I stoppedA solid entry in the franchise mixed with a few new ideas. I enjoyed the online play and battling my friends from across the world. The new "open" areas were interesting, but felt like they could have benefitted from some more polish. I noticed some frame-rate issues and a few bugs during my 200hr playthrough. I've been a fan of the series since the red/blue/yellow days, but I stopped playing the series during the DS run due to fatigue and how the Pokemon Company hadn't really strayed from it's basic formula. I think that helped me view this entry with a fresher set of eyes overall.… Expand
  31. FireBroFilms
    Aug 15, 2022
    5
    ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎
  32. VincentKirby
    Jul 9, 2022
    5
    This game is lazy af and we know Game Freak can do better than this. Also the absence of the National Dex is sad to see and the game looks flipping hideous
  33. Herbalmouse1305
    May 29, 2022
    6
    this is a pokemon game

    plain and simple, if that statement does not appeal to you, please god dont buy this game. luckily it does appeal to me, and i mustered quite a bit of fun out of this. not enough to get the dlc tho. Btw dexit is fine, it was inevitable. their excuse kinda sucked, as this game doesnt look too good, but with PLA and Sc/Vi it looks like the smaller scope is    this is a pokemon game

    plain and simple, if that statement does not appeal to you, please god dont buy this game.
    luckily it does appeal to me, and i mustered quite a bit of fun out of this. not enough to get the dlc tho.
    Btw
    dexit is fine, it was inevitable. their excuse kinda sucked, as this game doesnt look too good, but with PLA and Sc/Vi it looks like the smaller scope is starting to pay off    … Expand
  34. Ventuski
    Apr 6, 2022
    7
    First Pokemon game I've played since Gold on GBC. Probably a timid entry regarding the changes they wanted to introduce in this console generation, specially after playing Legends Arceus. The main story felt short and the post game was ackward story wise. Still a enjoyable Pokemon journey.
  35. ScottishFan013
    Apr 2, 2022
    5
    Bruh, The Pokedex was the problem, i dunno why, but i like the characters than Pokemon
  36. SIRBIGWELD
    Mar 8, 2022
    5
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are very lazy, uninteresting games. Whereas previous pokemon games specifically the DS era had significant charm and plenty of content, these games lack miserably in both regards. With very limited post-game content and the most flaccid graphics ever produced, they are just unpleasant to look at and have no semblance of an interesting story to give you a reason toPokemon Sword and Shield are very lazy, uninteresting games. Whereas previous pokemon games specifically the DS era had significant charm and plenty of content, these games lack miserably in both regards. With very limited post-game content and the most flaccid graphics ever produced, they are just unpleasant to look at and have no semblance of an interesting story to give you a reason to look. Battle timers for online battling are still a major issue, and the lack of many pokemon from previous games is disappointing. DLC feels like it made up for what should have been in the games, to begin with. They are still pokemon games, however, and there is some fun to be had, it's nice to have a legitimate online ladder and competitions from time to time. New pokemon designs are a very mixed bag, generally on the worse side. Dynamax is a generally unpleasant gimmick. The game is laughably easy. The two strong points in the game are the wild area, which definitely could be improved, and the fantastic soundtrack, as is the case in most pokemon games.… Expand
  37. Parco8
    Mar 5, 2022
    7
    This is a great Pokémon game. I don't care about the missing Pokémon. The bad critics are only caused because of the bad answer Game Freak gave about the Dex cut. It is a thing they would have done someday. The story is linear, a sufficiency without any problems. Designs and musics are perfect, those are things Game Freak never made a mistake about. Besides that, the short time theThis is a great Pokémon game. I don't care about the missing Pokémon. The bad critics are only caused because of the bad answer Game Freak gave about the Dex cut. It is a thing they would have done someday. The story is linear, a sufficiency without any problems. Designs and musics are perfect, those are things Game Freak never made a mistake about. Besides that, the short time the developers have for making these games are the main reason why it shows big criticisims. At the end of the game it slowly loses originality like they didn't have enough time to think exciting challenges to put at the end. Single player endgame's kind of absent, too. It can't be less then a 7 for me by the way.… Expand
  38. Firekirb74
    Feb 19, 2022
    6
    Is this game the best PKMN game? Absolutely not. The story isn't that great, the game's map design is pretty terrible, and the game is rather easy overall. I don't mind the lack of the National Dex, but the graphics should definitely be better. There are also not many QoL features in this game. But, this is one of the best games for competitive battling, the characters are all great, theIs this game the best PKMN game? Absolutely not. The story isn't that great, the game's map design is pretty terrible, and the game is rather easy overall. I don't mind the lack of the National Dex, but the graphics should definitely be better. There are also not many QoL features in this game. But, this is one of the best games for competitive battling, the characters are all great, the Wild Area is super fun and enjoyable, and the music is bopping. I don't think this is the best thing in the world, but it certainly does not deserve this much hate.
    Gameplay: great 8/10
    Charm: 6/10
    Graphics: 4/10
    Sound: 9/10
    Other: 5/10
    Total Score: 6/10    … Expand
  39. sunny_rip
    Feb 5, 2022
    7
    Pokémon Sword and Shield are alright games in the series, I feel like they deserve more credit, but as time goes on, I'm more willing to point out it's flaws.

    Pros: -Really high quality batch of new Pokémon. -Stunning looking towns and cities. -(With the DLC) you get a lot of content and ways to play online. -Competitive Battling is incredibly accessible and easy to get into. -Cool    Pokémon Sword and Shield are alright games in the series, I feel like they deserve more credit, but as time goes on, I'm more willing to point out it's flaws.

    Pros:
    -Really high quality batch of new Pokémon.
    -Stunning looking towns and cities.
    -(With the DLC) you get a lot of content and ways to play online.
    -Competitive Battling is incredibly accessible and easy to get into.
    -Cool characters with some really nice designs.
    -Dynamax and Gigantamax are fun.
    -Z Moves are removed.

    Cons:
    -Wild Area graphics can look kinda rough sometimes
    -The story isn't that good.
    -Some evolution methods are incredibly annoying.
    -If you don't get the DLC, then there isn't much to do in the post game.
    -Removes Mega Evolution.
    -Some Pokémon are very hard to obtain.    … Expand
  40. albegres
    Feb 5, 2022
    7
    70/100
    If you're into competitive Pokémon battles, this is one of the best in the series! If you're not, this game has a boring story, even more than the previous games. Artstyle and music good as always. Story and graphic are terrible, sadly.
  41. FullFeeder
    Jan 26, 2022
    5
    Amazing game, overall a fantastic addition to the franchise, even though graphic wise it's average at best.
  42. LunarD3ATH
    Dec 30, 2021
    5
    Shills making reviews now? These are FAR from the best Pokemon games ever made. In fact, they're low-tier and average *at best* but even that feels like it's giving Game Freak too much credit.

    Let's ignore the lies about needing more time to spend on animation and the drama of cutting out the national Pokedex and, worse than that, going a step further and making it impossible to get    Shills making reviews now? These are FAR from the best Pokemon games ever made. In fact, they're low-tier and average *at best* but even that feels like it's giving Game Freak too much credit.

    Let's ignore the lies about needing more time to spend on animation and the drama of cutting out the national Pokedex and, worse than that, going a step further and making it impossible to get those Pokemon in-game AT ALL. Let's ignore that these games can be ugly in the wild areas and that your Pokemon don't follow you anymore, because the games are actually quite beautiful on the linear routes despite some pop-in. Let's ignore the technical issues.

    As long-time Pokemon fans, many of us have grown to expect some level of both quality and muck. Old, cool mechanics are tossed in the bin to make each game feel "special" and new features are added to differentiate the new ones from the old. Gen 3 and 4 had their own variation on contests that were great, for example, whereas Gen 6 had things like the Battle Maison and introduced Mega Evolutions. The latter of which was scrapped almost completely (may return someday, but they are not present in Gen 8).

    These games are still fun, but if you've ever played a Pokemon game before you WILL notice the untapped potential. These games were rushed out for no discernible reason, cutting a large portion of content and leading to very linear, bland route designs with no opportunities to explore (all of that exploration is thrown into the wild areas, which are not that interesting to explore beyond just seeing how it changes when you go from area to area). Many new Pokemon designs are very cool and I think they did a fantastic job with the regional forms they added, like Ponyta and Zigzagoon. A few shiny designs are quite interesting now that palette swaps are mostly a thing of the past, such as shiny Galarian Zigzagoon, but many are also quite boring and don't fit that well with their base form shinies, like Gigantamax Centiskorch.

    But I guess those are small complaints. Really it's just the fact that you're bound to see less to praise the game for and ultimately feel disappointed. In older games there was usually enough to make up for the older content being cut, some new gimmick that at least made things interesting. Now, not so much. Unless you really like making curry in the game, which I can't imagine why you would, there's not much going on.

    It's a good game, it's just not a very good Pokemon game. You'll have fun with it if you really try and give it a shot, but you're going to feel ripped off for full price, especially with the cost of the DLC being a whopping $30 extra, and even after the DLC there are still many of your old favorites that won't be available in the game at all. And from now on you'll have to get used to checking compatibility lists to determine if you can build your team the way you want with your favorite Pokemon because no game will ever include all of the old Pokemon, even though the models have been ready since the start of Gen 6.

    Seriously, what's the point of future-proofing models if you're just not going to use them?    … Expand
  43. PokeMaester
    Nov 22, 2021
    7
    I absolutely love this remake, opening the game gave me goosebumps and playing it gives me flashbacks of playing this game with groups of friends in high school. So many fond memories. However I only have 1 real complaint which took away quite a bit of my personal rating which are the flash animations that pokemon make during an attack even when animations are shut off. Normally theseI absolutely love this remake, opening the game gave me goosebumps and playing it gives me flashbacks of playing this game with groups of friends in high school. So many fond memories. However I only have 1 real complaint which took away quite a bit of my personal rating which are the flash animations that pokemon make during an attack even when animations are shut off. Normally these flashes do nothing to me; I can't say the same for others. But for me, if I'm in a Team Galactic fight the flashes can trigger seizure auras. I remember pokemon would blink in the DS version; in this one the moves make brilliant tiny flashes. I quickly took some medication before it got serious, but it would be very nice to be able to shut the flashes off and I would give it a 10.… Expand
  44. denisferro
    Nov 16, 2021
    5
    Nada nesse jogo funcionou direito...
    Acredito que as únicas coisas de positivo são as batalhas (inclusive online) que ficaram ótimas, a wild area que dá um gostinho de mundo semi-aberto e a trilha sonora que é ESPETACULAR.
    De resto, é tudo muito fraco... História contada de forma totalmente horrível... Após a metade é percebe-se que é tudo rushado.. Graficamente tem hora que é bonito    Nada nesse jogo funcionou direito...
    Acredito que as únicas coisas de positivo são as batalhas (inclusive online) que ficaram ótimas, a wild area que dá um gostinho de mundo semi-aberto e a trilha sonora que é ESPETACULAR.
    De resto, é tudo muito fraco...
    História contada de forma totalmente horrível... Após a metade é percebe-se que é tudo rushado..
    Graficamente tem hora que é bonito até, e tem hora que é simplesmente terrível...
    Um game que tinha um enorme potencial e acabou sendo um total fracasso em termo de qualidade...    … Expand
  45. carlosplays
    Nov 6, 2021
    7
    Pokemon games follow a standard formula and this one was no different. I was surprised how easy the game was though...despite not being quite familiar with the new Pokemon after skipping generations it was still a breeze and the game felt a little on the shorter side. Still it wasn't bad at all. It's definitely not a bad game to spend a week or two with if you grind through. I kept puttingPokemon games follow a standard formula and this one was no different. I was surprised how easy the game was though...despite not being quite familiar with the new Pokemon after skipping generations it was still a breeze and the game felt a little on the shorter side. Still it wasn't bad at all. It's definitely not a bad game to spend a week or two with if you grind through. I kept putting it down and then forcing myself to finish it and then I finally did without too much fanfare.… Expand
  46. grimreapersims
    Nov 1, 2021
    7
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  47. ChristianBentro
    Oct 20, 2021
    7
    Is a great looking game compared to 3DS titles. Falls short on the story but makes up for it in the environment. I would have liked to have seen more animations, seemed as though they used upscaled 3DS models. The DLC was very good and added some much needed story elements.
  48. Raftalos
    Sep 26, 2021
    5
    The game has no reason for being this ugly, it looks like an upscaled 3ds game. The innovation is minimal, mostly just some generational gimmicks as usual. It's still a pokemon game and there are some cool new ones so I wouldn't give it below 5, but if you want better pokemon games, don't buy this one.
  49. BADxPENY
    Sep 19, 2021
    7
    I would like to give this a higher rating, But there are some parts of the game that just dont work. One is if you can only use one uniform in gym battles the whole game, what is that point in obtaining new gym suits? its is a waste of time to change into a suit you have no control over, when in the tv show they wear what ever they want!
  50. BoopWalks
    Sep 5, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Its alright?
    the game has some elements of greatness - dynamaxing being a much better system than the past two power-up gimmicks (Mega's being restricted to only 48 pokemon, z moves just being one-hit ko buttons). Dynamaxing has great side effects that come with its moves, which change how you look at battling - do you use max overgrowth for its healing side effects? Or do you use max knuckle to raise your attack? A game where all pokemon can power up is great, and the pokemon's stats do not change - no absurd base 180 dragon ascents or insane "Light that burns the sky" here.

    The rival's are mixed - Bede is your typical rival like Silver, or Blue, who is out to be better than you, who has this snobbish attitude. He often tests you, blaming his defeat on stupid excuses, obviously acting like a spoilt child. Which is not a bad thing - whenever you see bede, you want to beat his team. However, he is not the games main rival, and dissapears between gyms 4 and the game's end.

    Your main rival Hop, starts off as your typical friendly rival, similar to Hau or Bianca, until his confidence is effected, and he begins to doubt himself. This doubt could have gone somewhere, but ends up with Hop cheering up after 1 or 2 more gym badges, going back to normal. His sudden announcement that he wants to help at the pokemon centre comes out of nowhere, and should have been developed more. Your final rival is Marnie, who is just a throwaway character. They're just there to be "cute", and don't show much emotion at all.

    The evil team is probably the worst. They're just a group of fans. There's no evil organisation which is a mafia that steals pokemon like team rocket. They don't match the morally grey team plasma, or just the deviant team skull. They're just ugly-looking fans, who never cause that much trouble. The other evil team in this game, Macro Cosmos, are drived by the dumbest plot. "Energy will run out in 1000 years so lets resummon a pokemon warned about in ancient times!". Stupid.

    Animations are reused from the 3ds games. Not many old moves look better. Blastoise still shoots water out of his head.

    The game's story is feeble, it's routes are not expansive, but some of the environments are rather nice looking - like the slumbering weald, or glimwood tangle. The best thing about the game compared to its predeccessors is the gym challenge, and how it feels like a sport, not fighting in a room with 2 or 3 other trainers watching.

    The national dex cut was pretty annoying also. But the game introduced a lot of items competitive players welcomed - nature mints and heavy duty boots for example.

    The game is ok if you like it for battling or whatever    … Expand
  51. Bearoo
    Aug 18, 2021
    5
    Rather mixed feelings regarding Pokemon Shield and Sword. The game seems rather lazy with it's design. No new animation for battles, not all Pokemon are available and the Dynamax... not really an innovative idea. I much more prefer mega evolutions from back in the day.
  52. gameing
    Aug 16, 2021
    5
    Pros: its Pokémon
    Cons: its Pokémon
    Its a very flawed experience however it is still fun at the end of the day.
  53. Luche
    Aug 14, 2021
    5
    Este fue el primer juego que terminé en la Switch (y será mi primera review en la web), lo adquirí junto con la consola y era de los que me incluía la compra de segunda mano, así que no tenía muchas expectativas y tras muchos años fuera del mundo de las consolas me dejó bastante frío. Me pareció excesivamente sencillo, no es que esto fuera un problema si no fuese porque no sentí que meEste fue el primer juego que terminé en la Switch (y será mi primera review en la web), lo adquirí junto con la consola y era de los que me incluía la compra de segunda mano, así que no tenía muchas expectativas y tras muchos años fuera del mundo de las consolas me dejó bastante frío. Me pareció excesivamente sencillo, no es que esto fuera un problema si no fuese porque no sentí que me plantease ningún tipo de desafío. El uso de los tipos de pokemon es casi irrelevante, no tuve que modificar mi equipo durante todo el juego salvo una vez para el gimnasio de hielo. Mi recuerdo de los pokemon de antaño no era excesivamente complejo pero si planteaba desafíos no ya en las batallas en sí, si no en ciertos momentos del juego como aquella cueva tras el primer gimnasio en el rojo/azul.
    Es destacable que hay elementos que parecen señalar un camino muy interesante para la saga (que quizás culminen en el Arceus) como el área silvestre o las pruebas de gimnasio, personalmente el Dinamax no me entusiasmó pero es otro elemento a explotar. Pero ambos elementos se sentían en una fase beta, sin explotar completamente, quizás en el caso de las pruebas de gimnasio precisamente por su escasa dificultad.

    La parte gráfica no me decepcionó tanto como he visto por aquí, personalmente el juego lo vi bonito, no soy un experto en este aspecto y pienso que no soy muy exigente pero puedo decir que me agradó.

    En conclusión, el juego me dejó un poco frío y sin interés en rejugarlo o probar las expansiones y un poco decepcionado con mi recuerdo de infancia, y desilusionado con próximas entregas. Espero que sea de alguna utilidad pese a que ya hay tropocientas críticas del juego.

    Saludos!    … Expand
  54. BrownKnight
    Jul 15, 2021
    5
    This game is just a disappointment, I'm genuinely sad this is the direction Pokémon is going. This game had so much potential on a much more powerful consolle but it's all wasted. The cause can be summed up just with one concept: laziness. Most of the things they put in was rushed, half-finished, it looks like they don't even care anymore. This game should cost 30 $ AT BEST, it's surelyThis game is just a disappointment, I'm genuinely sad this is the direction Pokémon is going. This game had so much potential on a much more powerful consolle but it's all wasted. The cause can be summed up just with one concept: laziness. Most of the things they put in was rushed, half-finished, it looks like they don't even care anymore. This game should cost 30 $ AT BEST, it's surely not worth 60. Too bad, if they go on like this the franchise is doomed.… Expand
  55. Mark6440
    Jul 6, 2021
    5
    well it's not a secret that the game isn't to good, but its a chill game to just relax to its not that hard you can basically play the whole game without dying once and you don't have to be a pokemon expert to do so. The game is very new player friendly when in battle because it sometimes says what is super effective and what isn't. Pokémon shield isn't as good of a game as Pokémon blackwell it's not a secret that the game isn't to good, but its a chill game to just relax to its not that hard you can basically play the whole game without dying once and you don't have to be a pokemon expert to do so. The game is very new player friendly when in battle because it sometimes says what is super effective and what isn't. Pokémon shield isn't as good of a game as Pokémon black and white, but it does the job all though Pokémons can spawn right in your face when using the bike. which is annoying when you just wanna avoid them and get going in the story, i would much rather recommend Pokémon let's go Pikachua and eevee, even though they are a remaster of Pokémon Yellow.… Expand
  56. GoPackGo08
    Jun 6, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I’ve been a Pokémon fan for almost a decade now, and this is the worst main line Pokémon game I have ever played. Even though this game isn’t inherently awful, I feel like the dev team should have spent a bit longer developing it. The biggest problem many have is the absence of the National Dex. This means that not every Pokémon from past games are in this game. This wouldn’t be a major problem to me, however, the lack of some Pokémon like Squirtle and Bulbasaur at launch really angered me, especially considering Charmander and it’s evolution line had a crucial role in the game. Now, Bulbasaur and Squirtle were added in the DLC, but I’ll hash my massive complaints about that later. The story in this game is incredibly weak. It uses the “create a new world” schtick like half the games before, but the villain was predictable, and it just seems stupid to me. I was ok with the way the villain Pokémon were defeated in the past but “Oh! Now two random dogs are helping us after they came from the woods where we saw them at the beginning, Wow!” Just pisses me off. Also, I laughed to hell and back when the characters Swordward and Shielbert came in, they just look SO STUPID. They have no reasons to exist in this game, other then to add a pointless postgame plot line. Now something I strongly disagree with other people about when it comes to this game is new Pokémon designs in the Galar Region. Even though it has some stinkers, Squovet, Dottler, the entire Galatians Meowth line, it also features some of the best designs in the history of the series. Yamper, Grookey, Corviknight, Copperajah, Hatterene, Runerigus, and so many more. I think the designs are amazing. With the review above, I would have given it a 7/10, and said fine. But the DLC was SO BAD, that I put it at five, and could have put it lower. This DLC is just ass. That’s it. The crown tundra was fine, but I hate Calyrex, and the music was just annoying. My real beef is with the Isle of Armor. Oh my god the isle of armor. It is the most boring, monotonous thing, I have ever played. The fact they locked this many Pokémon behind a paywall is really scummy to me, considering people already payed $60 for the game. Also, Kubrick and Urshifu look COMPLETELY DISGUSTING. I was really worried that one of them would get added into smash bros. It’s way too easy, and it would have been so much cooler if they had made it level scaling with the Pokémon in your party. I didn’t even finish Isle of armor, the first time I haven’t fully finished the story in any Pokémon game. It’s ok if you buy the game, just don’t buy the DLC.… Expand
  57. hknyrbkn
    May 8, 2021
    5
    As per the generation of newly introduced Pokemon I love this game. The rest, meh. The DLCs, disaster...
  58. nowhy
    May 6, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The "plot" gets forgotten about halfway through the game, and when you're reminded that there's supposed to be a story, the champion tells you to mind your own business and keep getting gym badges. Then when the story gets decent, they tell you that Eternatus was awakened! Who or what is Eternatus? They don't tell you, and it's an insta-catch. This was a rushed game and it shows.… Expand
  59. Pnwotter
    Apr 19, 2021
    5
    I have been a long-standing pokemon fan and the degredation of the series is really starting to get tiring and sad. This game is playable but hardly much fun. I spent 30 hours on it and finished all the main fame and the tiny bit of postgame content, then paid for the DLC and finished that in 10 hours. The DLC is way wayyyy more fun than anything in the main game. The DLC should not makeI have been a long-standing pokemon fan and the degredation of the series is really starting to get tiring and sad. This game is playable but hardly much fun. I spent 30 hours on it and finished all the main fame and the tiny bit of postgame content, then paid for the DLC and finished that in 10 hours. The DLC is way wayyyy more fun than anything in the main game. The DLC should not make the total game cost 90$ though. Absolutely not worth the money.

    Performance and presentation-wise there is such a mixed bag in this game- some areas are really pretty, some are and interesting and fun- but then a majority of it is poorly textured and the pop-in of the pokemon in wild areas, especially in the DLC is massive in its immersion-breaking and made me put down the game multiple times because it was so jarring. The storyline is bland and the game doesn’t stop holding your hand, it has not even 1/2 the depth and lore of earlier games like Gold/Silver or Diamond/Pearl. I found myself also uninterested in any of the lore put in this game because its breezed over so quickly and is only used as a plot device to bring you to the next gym. None of the characters are memorable and they don’t have any complexity to them.

    The raid-battles and gigantamax mechanics DID add some interesting and fun changes to battles, but not enough to save the very poorly written story and dialogue. I wanted so much more for this game and got a “meh” experience.    … Expand
  60. LordJazbin
    Apr 19, 2021
    5
    I think there's too much hate around them, Sword and Shield are definitely not bad games... But after Sun and Moon that was great... This is just: disappointing. In every way. And even worse than XY.

    Good part is: Pokémon designs and music. But in terms of the story is one of the worse, difficulty is really bad, game is dull...
  61. Cormacd69
    Mar 7, 2021
    6
    It’s easy to hate on the game because of the graphics, however even if the graphics were better, would this be a memorable experience? In what is in my opinion are worst the worst games to date, Pokemon must wake up and realise it needs to take a leaf out of it’s book and evolve. From a boring world and open area with next to no little grooves and hidden areas to explore, to the theIt’s easy to hate on the game because of the graphics, however even if the graphics were better, would this be a memorable experience? In what is in my opinion are worst the worst games to date, Pokemon must wake up and realise it needs to take a leaf out of it’s book and evolve. From a boring world and open area with next to no little grooves and hidden areas to explore, to the the abysmal and uninteresting story, these games are a hugely disappointing and lazy entry in the franchise. The open area seeks to be something intriguing but instead is a mess, where Pokemon only roam wild when you are close enough for them to pop in, the first encounters may amaze you but it grows old very fast. The DLC adds more to the wild area idea and is definitely a more polished and likeable wild area(s). However these games have let themselves down hugely nonetheless.… Expand
  62. cfc1998
    Feb 19, 2021
    5
    This is the worst Pokémon game ever. Gamefreak hited an all time low with this release. The game is to easy and the routes are just a joke, staight lines with no life and personality. The wild area was a good step forward but it feels like a missed opportunity. Lets not forget the graphics, after seeing Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild this game feels just like a Nintendo DS game thatThis is the worst Pokémon game ever. Gamefreak hited an all time low with this release. The game is to easy and the routes are just a joke, staight lines with no life and personality. The wild area was a good step forward but it feels like a missed opportunity. Lets not forget the graphics, after seeing Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild this game feels just like a Nintendo DS game that was port into the Switch. Pretty sad to see what this franchise has become.… Expand
  63. Shadowsky101
    Jan 22, 2021
    7
    It‘s a fun game. It‘s Pokemon! But technical it‘s not the best. Gamefreak needed one Year more for this game. 7/10 is decent.
  64. HellsaintED
    Jan 20, 2021
    6
    After seeing the evolution of other Nintendo franchises in the Switch like "Mario Odyssey" and "Breath of the Wild", it is just lame to see Pokemon receive little to no evolution at all, it is a 3DS game with a Switch price tag.
  65. leeaw
    Jan 8, 2021
    5
    I can best describe this game as "it's Pokemon, again!" And while Pokemon is good, this entry feels very, very tired. Yes, it has made some improvements over prior entries, the core gameplay is the same, with all of the dated mechanics therein, rushed into what's at it's core just "another one"- though it admittedly does still preserve the good parts as well. The Pokemon series hasI can best describe this game as "it's Pokemon, again!" And while Pokemon is good, this entry feels very, very tired. Yes, it has made some improvements over prior entries, the core gameplay is the same, with all of the dated mechanics therein, rushed into what's at it's core just "another one"- though it admittedly does still preserve the good parts as well. The Pokemon series has essentially survived on changing very little between entries, but with the jump to much more powerful hardware, it feels more blatant than ever. I did have a fun time with the game at launch, but several playthroughs later, the cracks are definitely showing.
    If you're craving a new Pokemon story, sure. This is just that, and it does have some delightful elements- the exploration of the wild area was fantastic the first time around, and I'm a big fan of some of the new designs- it's the same structure, and it's beginning to rust. I can only hope Game Freak sees the criticism and is overhauling the series, because without, I can only worry the magic will become lost on the public as it now is on me, but with the sales numbers they got, I question whether they truly have the motivation to.    … Expand
  66. fed_up_nerd
    Dec 21, 2020
    6
    Expected way more, it was enjoyable but the mechanics and game design has not changed in two decades.
  67. Luts1224
    Nov 30, 2020
    6
    A really basic RPG. Nothing special about it. A few fun moments. Poor graphics. Poor story.
  68. emilyratesgames
    Nov 20, 2020
    7
    Score: 7
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  69. sera1
    Nov 17, 2020
    5
    Pretty small step from the 3DS version, a game for a console that is capable of a game like Zelda BOTW shouldn't just be stamped off with a 3DS-Feeling game. The big cut in the Pokedex is my opinion a big mistake, compared to all the reused skins it just feels lazy. I wouldn't mind the cut if we got some new and awesome sprites for the new Pokemon, but everything here seems pretty reused.Pretty small step from the 3DS version, a game for a console that is capable of a game like Zelda BOTW shouldn't just be stamped off with a 3DS-Feeling game. The big cut in the Pokedex is my opinion a big mistake, compared to all the reused skins it just feels lazy. I wouldn't mind the cut if we got some new and awesome sprites for the new Pokemon, but everything here seems pretty reused. Another big nope from me is the lame world, the potential of the nature zone isn't used fully and the lack of content on the routes is just a disaster, boring walks and some couple of fights aren't what i call a "long time adventure". This feels also approved by the fact that EP sharing is always on, there no need to grind before gym fights. Overall its not a bad game but it has its own fight with many missing content, like who thought its a good idea to cut the GTS and put it on a phone app?? Pokemon Shield just gives me the feeling of "laziness" and "filling the market with a new entry". Gamefreak could and can do better. Also i would prefer a open world game like Borderlands, big free explorable areas. after playing this game, ike i read it in many other reviews i don't think Gamefreak is ready for a open world game like BOTW.… Expand
  70. Reed_Reviews
    Oct 28, 2020
    5
    For everything this game does well, it does another thing poorly. There is now a wide-open wild area full of realistic encounters that reduce the tedium of random encounters, but every other route in the game is painfully linear and short. Combat added the new gigantimax gameplay addition to make battles bombastic, but gigantimax is not a particularly strategic core gameplay mechanic. GymFor everything this game does well, it does another thing poorly. There is now a wide-open wild area full of realistic encounters that reduce the tedium of random encounters, but every other route in the game is painfully linear and short. Combat added the new gigantimax gameplay addition to make battles bombastic, but gigantimax is not a particularly strategic core gameplay mechanic. Gym leader battles are now epic with well crafted game feel elements, but there is no Elite Four. Most of the new Pokémon are great, but many of the old Pokémon do not make an appearance. Towns take cultural inspirations from England, but there is hardly any interactivity with those towns.

    Best part of the game: the gym leader battles.
    Worst part of the game: the barebones story and heavy-handed dialogue.    … Expand
  71. DeltaHaven
    Oct 20, 2020
    6
    one of the most bland Pokemon games yet. Finished the main campaign in less than 18 hours, and other than completing the Pokedex (what is left of it in this generation), I had little to no reason to keep playing this game. The raid battles are a slog, the Battle Tower is boring, the Online is even worse than S&M Festival Plaza and makes the game lag in the Wild Area and the Wild Area looksone of the most bland Pokemon games yet. Finished the main campaign in less than 18 hours, and other than completing the Pokedex (what is left of it in this generation), I had little to no reason to keep playing this game. The raid battles are a slog, the Battle Tower is boring, the Online is even worse than S&M Festival Plaza and makes the game lag in the Wild Area and the Wild Area looks like a badly executed concept that was added last minute.
    Buy this game on sale. Maybe buy the $30 DLC if you like it.    … Expand
  72. BrightAbyss
    Oct 19, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not a ton of new things added and the national dex being cut is a huge con. I am aware of the dlc's coming out later and think that this is a better format than dropping pretty much the same game with a new cover, but the complete lack of a postgame makes waiting for these dlc's difficult. I can't help but feel these games were rushed, and that the creators just needed a little bit more time to make these games perfect. I did enjoy the atmosphere of the gym battles, and I thought most of the new pokemon added had great models, but there are really only 2 new legendaries currently in the postgame, and the battle tower is a joke. Overall, the story isn't terrible, but it's not great either. Team Yell, the newest evil team in the galar region, is by far the worst team to ever be introduced in the pokemon franchise. They play almost no part in the story and have no real purpose. In the end, I do think that this is a step in the right direction for pokemon if they can take these criticisms into account for the next games, as I believe the switch will have a longer lifespan than the traditional handhelds pokemon releases on. Hopefully the upcoming generations won't need to be rushed onto a new console, because I truly believe that we could be in for a treat if the developers are given proper time to make these games great.… Expand
  73. JoshuaEric
    Oct 13, 2020
    6
    As someone who has only kind of played one other Pokemon game before this (Ruby), I went into this game basically as a new Pokemon player. After 16 hours of game play, I can confidently say that this is a GREAT game. I am having so much fun battling and catching as many Pokemon as I can.

    The game follows the same formula as previous games, at least from my little knowledge of them.    As someone who has only kind of played one other Pokemon game before this (Ruby), I went into this game basically as a new Pokemon player. After 16 hours of game play, I can confidently say that this is a GREAT game. I am having so much fun battling and catching as many Pokemon as I can.

    The game follows the same formula as previous games, at least from my little knowledge of them. Start off in a small town, follow routes, get to the next town, get badge, route, town, etc. Battling seems to be the same, aside from dyanmaxing in gyms which is super fun and makes me laugh seeing these tiny cute creatures turn into giants.

    The characters are great. I love Hop and his ambition to take his brothers spotlight, but he never seems jealous of his brother, only driven by his greatness and how to be better than him. Sonia keeps the story interesting by continuously researching the events of the past and the truth behind it.

    The game is definitely not what it could have been, however, it is exactly what it needs to be. I have not encountered anything in the game that would make me consider it to be "bad". The game is very well polished, no glitches or other hiccups that might cause frustration to the player.

    Overall, the game is FUN. I am having a blast. The backlash and enormous negativity surrounding it almost kept me from buying it, but I got it anyway and I have no regrets. If you like Pokemon and can see a game for more than just graphics, this game will be perfect for you! Looking forward to the next entry in the series.    … Expand
  74. Jose-Colon
    Oct 3, 2020
    7
    Es un juego hermoso gráficamente comparado con los anteriores. Me encantaron los nuevos pokemon y las nuevas dinámicas dinamax, pero el juego tiene muchos errores y la historia es pésima, llega el momento dónde piensa que la historia no tiene importancia, parece cómo si hubiera cortado la historia para sacar el juego antes de tiempo. Con la expansión de armadura arreglan un poco algunasEs un juego hermoso gráficamente comparado con los anteriores. Me encantaron los nuevos pokemon y las nuevas dinámicas dinamax, pero el juego tiene muchos errores y la historia es pésima, llega el momento dónde piensa que la historia no tiene importancia, parece cómo si hubiera cortado la historia para sacar el juego antes de tiempo. Con la expansión de armadura arreglan un poco algunas cosas, pero esa mala historia daño el juego.… Expand
  75. hoznex
    Sep 13, 2020
    6
    It is not a bad game, but far from the best.
    We are not on the 90’s anymore so we don’t hace any hardware restrictions to cut the pokedex, there are so many unpolished places and the ones that look awesome you can barely interact with it. The difference between male and female customization is abysmal and it leaves you with less replaying value when you choose to play as the male    It is not a bad game, but far from the best.
    We are not on the 90’s anymore so we don’t hace any hardware restrictions to cut the pokedex, there are so many unpolished places and the ones that look awesome you can barely interact with it. The difference between male and female customization is abysmal and it leaves you with less replaying value when you choose to play as the male character. Not being able to rematch the gym leaders when they have all theese enormous gyms created is a huge miss too.    … Expand
  76. Crisener
    Sep 9, 2020
    6
    Pokemon formula has been proving to be timeless for many generations of consoles. Here we are, at the brink of a new decade, with Pokemon being the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, and yet it seems like for a good and polished game we will have to wait another few years.
    Every part of the game feels like it's unpolished in some way, the story is predictable and not    Pokemon formula has been proving to be timeless for many generations of consoles. Here we are, at the brink of a new decade, with Pokemon being the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, and yet it seems like for a good and polished game we will have to wait another few years.
    Every part of the game feels like it's unpolished in some way, the story is predictable and not interesting in the slightest and there are many additions which feel unnecessary, and the resources put to make them appear in the game could have been directed to making graphics look better or making multiplayer work intuitively.
    If you haven't played any Pokemon game for some time, go and grab this one (the best option being resale), as it still is a fun game. The Pokemon mechanics still work really well in 2020, the thrill of catching new monsters and making a team is still there, and the new Pokemon designs are very well done. It's just that Pokemon deserve better and releasing a game like that considering the franchise's position is just outrageous. It may not necessarily be Game Freak's fault, maybe they've done the best they could, and it's the pressure or lack of support from Nintendo or The Pokemon Company that resulted in all of this. But something definitely needs to change.    … Expand
  77. LucarioSmash246
    Sep 1, 2020
    7
    Lets get this out of the way: I get why people might not like the fact that not all the Pokemon are in the game but that alone doesn't make it terrible. There is still enough mons to play with and alternate between. As for the graphics, I do agree that some of the textures aren't great but there are some good or great ones too like the caves, cities, and forests. The main characters haveLets get this out of the way: I get why people might not like the fact that not all the Pokemon are in the game but that alone doesn't make it terrible. There is still enough mons to play with and alternate between. As for the graphics, I do agree that some of the textures aren't great but there are some good or great ones too like the caves, cities, and forests. The main characters have great arcs and personality and Gym leaders are interesting to listen to and aren't only standing at the end of the gym like some of the other games do while also having personality. All the pokemon designs are either fantastic or just okay and the pokemon animations are either really awesome or bland. I like the activities you can do in the game like the Max Raids and the timed bicycle runs. The Wild area is a great idea though it really needs to be expanded upon(i don't mean size of the area). The only things that i'm not a big fan of is the Y-comm ,though I do like the idea of what it is and it just doesn't update very well, and having a little more people in the bigger cites as well as being able to look at more in said cities. Overall, I think Sword and Shield are good games but not fantastic games and believe they can do better. I don't think they are bad games since they still work and play well. They just aren't groundbreaking games.… Expand
  78. jsharkey621
    Aug 13, 2020
    5
    Simply put, Pokemon Sword and Shield can best be described as phoned in games that take one step forward and 3 steps back for the Pokemon series.

    The Bad: When Gamefreak said they were cutting down the number of available of Pokemon in the game in order to improve the models and animations I was hopeful that we would finally get a main game that had animation quality equal to or    Simply put, Pokemon Sword and Shield can best be described as phoned in games that take one step forward and 3 steps back for the Pokemon series.

    The Bad: When Gamefreak said they were cutting down the number of available of Pokemon in the game in order to improve the models and animations I was hopeful that we would finally get a main game that had animation quality equal to or surpassing games like Battle Revolution (a Wii game from 2006). Instead we get terrible animations where barring signature moves, most Pokemon have a single unique animation or just hop in place to attack and which one they use seems incredibly arbitrary and can lead to comically awful results like pokemon doing a kicking animation for a charging or punching attack and just hopping in place for kicking attacks. In addition, many of the idle animations seem lifeless. In a game that’s main gameplay loop revolves around battles, this is unacceptably bad. Another aspect where this game fails is the content. The routes in this game are incredibly short and linear compared to previous generations and offer no ability or incentive to explore since there are no optional routes and only one item that allows you to explore additional areas that is used in 1 route you can backtrack to. There’s also almost no endgame since the only things you unlock after the endgame are stupidly rare gigantamax raids and the Battle Tower. There are no new routes or optional legendaries to explore/find. Compounding this, all of the towns are small and offer no fun activities to do outside of checking out new clothing options in towns that have boutiques. There are only two “mini-quests” in the game that both occur in the same town. Where are series staples like the safari zone, arcades, and contests? As is you basically just go from town to town to complete the main story and then have nothing to do but grind out max raid battles and the Battle Tower. Finally, why did they remove QoL features like super training for easy EV training? Instead you have to put your Pokemon on jobs in your PC and then can’t use them until the job is done.

    Finally, the online features are abysmal. Playing online in the Wild Area makes your game lag like crazy. They also removed the ability for you to search for online trades based on what you want and then see what others want in turn or vice versa, and instead force you to post a public trade offer and hope that whoever decides to take your offer has what you want... when there’s no in-game chat so you can say what you want. Finally, they didn’t put a refresh button for event cards so half the time you try to join someone else’s raids you discover they already have a full party or started the raid already.

    The Good: I like a lot of the designs for this gen (which is admittedly entirely subjective). I love new mons like Appletun and Corviknight. Also, certain QoL features like being able to transfer egg moves between breeding partners are really convenient. Finally, the Wild Area is a (small, unpolished) step in the right direction for what the series can hopefully become.    … Expand
  79. ShaddowMaann
    Aug 3, 2020
    6
    I think there is alot of negative reviews here the game isn't bad but its not amazing its a pokemon game with open world which is pretty cool but battles are too easy
  80. Tabamon97
    Jul 31, 2020
    5
    I just feel like the developers were lazy. The game progression feels dumbed down to the max. streets being blocked by grunts that well for no apparent reason. Pokemon ruby was at least forcing you to use special moves in order to block progress until the gym leader was defeated. The plot does not make much sense. The supposed villain is again, dumbed down and without any personalityI just feel like the developers were lazy. The game progression feels dumbed down to the max. streets being blocked by grunts that well for no apparent reason. Pokemon ruby was at least forcing you to use special moves in order to block progress until the gym leader was defeated. The plot does not make much sense. The supposed villain is again, dumbed down and without any personality traits or clear end-goal like team magma and aqua were, and I am not even comparing this game to the best pokemon games ever made. Ruby and Saphire have their flaws, but not as big as this one. From the same people that have Zelda on their console, this is just a joke. Graphics were lazy, character development was extra lazy. The combat is almost the good old "find a good pokemon against a certain type and spam their move". I kind of wish they were a bit braver with this.… Expand
  81. EatMyMayo
    Jul 29, 2020
    6
    I think having a mainline Pokemon game on Switch is awesome, and overall I have had a good time with the game. I am well over 150 hours into the game and I enjoy my time shiny hunting and completing my Pokedex. However, the story for this game was atrocious...it was the most mind numbing, hand holding experience that I have ever had in gaming. At every corner I was being told to go do thisI think having a mainline Pokemon game on Switch is awesome, and overall I have had a good time with the game. I am well over 150 hours into the game and I enjoy my time shiny hunting and completing my Pokedex. However, the story for this game was atrocious...it was the most mind numbing, hand holding experience that I have ever had in gaming. At every corner I was being told to go do this or go do that, and I was given little freedom to explore and do the game at my own pace. Hop is also super annoying to the point where I would dread going into new towns or going into gym challenges. Besides the story the game is pretty good in my opinion and I hope that GameFreak can pull their act together and make a really great game in the next couple of years.… Expand
  82. Agiru2003
    Jul 28, 2020
    5
    (I'm sorry for my bad English, but I'm Italian)

    +FOR > The new Pokémon designs are fantastic, I love almost all of them > OSTs are the best in the series > I quite liked the main characters, they're very well written (except Chairman Rose) -AGAINST > Graphics and animations are REALLY bad. It looks like a N64 game > The plot had excellent potential, but it turned out to be the usual    (I'm sorry for my bad English, but I'm Italian)

    +FOR
    > The new Pokémon designs are fantastic, I love almost all of them
    > OSTs are the best in the series
    > I quite liked the main characters, they're very well written (except Chairman Rose)

    -AGAINST
    > Graphics and animations are REALLY bad. It looks like a N64 game
    > The plot had excellent potential, but it turned out to be the usual predictable and poorly written story
    > Dexit
    > The main campaing is only 15 hours long, while older games (like HGSS or BW) lasted something like 40 hours
    > Galar is a terrible region, due to its lacking level design > This game's E A S Y. I haven't lost even once
    > They removed MegaEvolutions and Z-Moves for Dynamax, the least inspired novelty in the series
    > The online is horrible
    > If you wanna enjoy a full experience you have ti pay 300$ (Switch) + 60$ (Pokémon Sword or Shield) + 18$ (Pokémon HOME) + 30$ (DLC). More than 400$ for this bad game.    … Expand
  83. Keeb999
    Jul 23, 2020
    6
    This is definitively this series' lowest point for me. It has all the things that make a Pokemon game great, but because of how rushed the game feels, a giant leap to stronger hardware just means that so many other staple positives of the series are brought down. Although it's not all doom and gloom, hardcore fans of the series and families will likely still have fun playing it,This is definitively this series' lowest point for me. It has all the things that make a Pokemon game great, but because of how rushed the game feels, a giant leap to stronger hardware just means that so many other staple positives of the series are brought down. Although it's not all doom and gloom, hardcore fans of the series and families will likely still have fun playing it, experiencing the (obviously now limited) array of wonderful out-of-this-world creatures this series is known for, a decent battle system (while I find the X&Y battle system to be definitive) and *some* fun characters like Marnie and Bede.… Expand
  84. Darkmagician13
    Jul 22, 2020
    6
    As a massive pokemon fan this surely has been the most disappointing main game yet. The fact that game freak is making us pay extra to "catch them all" the lazy animation and some lazy graphics too. Also the story and plot are really boring and the villain has to be the less memorable of them all.
    On the other hand, the game has a beautiful soundtrack and the multiplayer raids it's    As a massive pokemon fan this surely has been the most disappointing main game yet. The fact that game freak is making us pay extra to "catch them all" the lazy animation and some lazy graphics too. Also the story and plot are really boring and the villain has to be the less memorable of them all.
    On the other hand, the game has a beautiful soundtrack and the multiplayer raids it's something that really is appreciated.
    The champion is actually great, with some charisma and it's actually pretty hard to beat unlike other champions before.
    Overall it's a mesh game, not to bad but not too good.    … Expand
  85. Mordgesr
    Jul 21, 2020
    6
    This is my first game in the Pokémon series, so I cannot compare it with the previous installments. For a beginner, this is a good game that allows you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of adventure that was in the old anime series.
  86. anxotheboss
    Jul 21, 2020
    7
    Pkmn Shield and Sword are not bad games, they're pretty acceptable Pkmn games, but the problem is that we've been playing the same type of games for two decades. Pkmn needs a big change as Zelda has done with Botw. And Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for this change. I seriously ask Game Freak and The Pkmn Company to try something new with this franchise. In addition, I think thisPkmn Shield and Sword are not bad games, they're pretty acceptable Pkmn games, but the problem is that we've been playing the same type of games for two decades. Pkmn needs a big change as Zelda has done with Botw. And Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for this change. I seriously ask Game Freak and The Pkmn Company to try something new with this franchise. In addition, I think this game could be very better in technical aspects, it looks like a 3ds game with HD resolution, while there are other games on Switch like Mario Odyssey, Zelda BOTW, Mario+Rabbids or Doom that look amazing.… Expand
  87. Alvz9
    Jul 20, 2020
    7
    Este juego no es la revolución que todos estábamos esperando. Es bien continuista respecto a las entregas de 3DS; más allá del apartado gráfico, me refiero principalmente a la parte jugable. Creo que el tema de "no agregar todos los pokémones de la pokedex" resta ganas de jugarlo tras terminar la historia principal, y el hecho de que los DLCs añadan más pokémons no soluciona el problemaEste juego no es la revolución que todos estábamos esperando. Es bien continuista respecto a las entregas de 3DS; más allá del apartado gráfico, me refiero principalmente a la parte jugable. Creo que el tema de "no agregar todos los pokémones de la pokedex" resta ganas de jugarlo tras terminar la historia principal, y el hecho de que los DLCs añadan más pokémons no soluciona el problema inicial (de hecho, vuelve grave que se tenga que pagar nuevamente para agregar nuevos pokémons). Espero que la próxima entrega de la franquicia logre posicionar una narrativa más profunda, un nivel gráfico que exprima la potencia de Nintendo Switch, y todos los pokémon.… Expand
  88. DantiDurum
    Jul 20, 2020
    7
    Esta nueva edición de Pokémon nos ha traído cosas muy buenas como la música, los diseños de las criaturas, los mejorados gimnasios y una mayor facilidad para introducirse al mundo del competitivo. A su vez, estas cosas buenas vienen acompañadas de otras horribles como los gráficos, que son bastante flojos para una Switch; algunas animaciones y texturas o incluso la historia del propioEsta nueva edición de Pokémon nos ha traído cosas muy buenas como la música, los diseños de las criaturas, los mejorados gimnasios y una mayor facilidad para introducirse al mundo del competitivo. A su vez, estas cosas buenas vienen acompañadas de otras horribles como los gráficos, que son bastante flojos para una Switch; algunas animaciones y texturas o incluso la historia del propio juego, la cual no tiene consistencia.… Expand
  89. Nitroade24
    Jul 17, 2020
    7
    It felt a bit empty but overall it was enjoyable as a game. Nothing to write home about.
  90. Palletown
    Jul 5, 2020
    5
    Nice but not enough.
    The new adventure starts as every generation, it is impossible to contain the hype as you are in a new region, you meet new characters and so on. The problem starts with the unbalanced battles and the lack of interest to keep on playing, why? Well, basically the game rush through the main story, suddenly characters burst out of nowhere with no reason at all ( as    Nice but not enough.
    The new adventure starts as every generation, it is impossible to contain the hype as you are in a new region, you meet new characters and so on. The problem starts with the unbalanced battles and the lack of interest to keep on playing, why? Well, basically the game rush through the main story, suddenly characters burst out of nowhere with no reason at all ( as Oleanna being wicked towards you). The only character who deserves our attention, is Hop, he grows at the same time we grow and he end up being an amazing rival.
    Anyway, GF put all their efforts in this game, but still is not enough to what habitual players are looking for and how the game feels like a long demo and not a complete game. Therefore, the Galar experience turns into something boring and when you end the main story, there is nothing more to do in the game, like back in the first generation.
    In conclusion, as a huge Pokemon fan, this game is not that bad as to receive such bad critics, but somehow it fails in the main story and the experience of training your pokemon as the Exp share in this generation makes the game a complete joke    … Expand
  91. rparzial
    Jul 3, 2020
    5
    I really wanted to enjoy this game. I ignored all the bad reviews and bought it anyway to give it a fair shake.

    BUT the game is just not a good game. It did some things well, and had some nice additions, but overall the game took 2 steps forward and 5 steps back. The magic and spirit of Pokemon is missing. The biggest complaint is how easy the game is. It's so easy, that it    I really wanted to enjoy this game. I ignored all the bad reviews and bought it anyway to give it a fair shake.

    BUT the game is just not a good game. It did some things well, and had some nice additions, but overall the game took 2 steps forward and 5 steps back. The magic and spirit of Pokemon is missing.

    The biggest complaint is how easy the game is. It's so easy, that it completely ruins any enjoyment of the game, everything seems inconsequential. From gym battles to even catching "rare" pokemon.

    Between EXP share always being on, and the EXP candies, the game is near broken. And in the DLC you get an EXP charm boosting EXP even further. I barely fight trainers or wild pokemon. Much less than you would have to in say gen 1-4, and i am 10-20 levels higher than every gym or trainer. I could EASILY be 30-50 levels higher if i grinded for even an hour on Raid battles for EXP candies. I just about 1 shot every single pokemon i face, even without type advantages.

    You CAN avoid the EXP candies, but you shouldn't have to set obstacles by omitting features of the game to get enjoyment. And without them, the EXP share is still too overpowered and can't be turned off.

    Everything down to the smallest detail is dumbed down. Gen 1-5 your rival always chose the starter that had a type advantage against you. In this game the rival chooses so YOU have a type advantage against him making it even easier. Your move selection tells you what is super effective, or not effective now. It's like they thought of every possible way to hold your hand.

    This is completely avoiding the other issues it has as well like the national dex cut, the poor performance of the game, DLC just to get all pokemon, bland story, etc.

    I could forgive ALL of that, if the game was challenging and fun. But it just isn't :(

    I can only hope they learn and make the next game better. Because the potential and possibilities are endless on the switch for pokemon. To those saying "Pokemon was always easy", sure it was easier than some other RPG's, but you still needed to grind and be smart about your pokemon/move choices. And i don't know a single person who NEVER got wiped out by a trainer at least a few times over the first few games.    … Expand
  92. Bahethoven
    Jul 2, 2020
    5
    the game is lackluster and they held back pokemon for the 2DLCS....and the one dlc that realised was bad
  93. Arturos
    Jul 1, 2020
    7
    Fun game to play with friend a family, if you are a big pokemon fan but it.
  94. Neku_Tennyson
    Jun 26, 2020
    5
    Pokemon Gen VIII/8 is some mixed feelings for me at its core it's a Pokemon game but doesn't really improve on anything its basically the same formula since the beginning of the franchise. The new addition is the wild area which is great but what's not great so you can't catch a pokemon that's slightly higher level then your pokemon like if your Pokemon is level 28 you can't catch a levelPokemon Gen VIII/8 is some mixed feelings for me at its core it's a Pokemon game but doesn't really improve on anything its basically the same formula since the beginning of the franchise. The new addition is the wild area which is great but what's not great so you can't catch a pokemon that's slightly higher level then your pokemon like if your Pokemon is level 28 you can't catch a level 32 Pokemon, which in my opinion is very dumb. I think The Pokemon Compay should get another company to handle the mainline Pokemon games due to Gamefreak just being done with Pokemon. Gamefreak did handle all the work but I think their workers would be super tired of doing franchise over 20+ years yes I did repeat myself but this needs to be addressed, I'm excited that they are doing DLC instead of making other versions of the Gen 8 games so maybe this a step in the right direction. Oh another thing I didn't like is we lost Megas do to lets make Pokemon gigantic so I hope that for the DLC we get Megas back… Expand
  95. MarinoMele
    Jun 25, 2020
    7
    A good game, certainly not great, that barely scores a 7.
    Game Freak has to understand that they're not on a portable console anymore.
    The absence of half of the existing Pokèmons is a let-down, I get it, but it doesn't ruin the experience. THE REAL ISSUE HERE IS HOW BAD THIS GAME IS FROM A TECHNICAL STANDPOINT. It's a tragedy that "Pokémon Battle Revolution", a 2006 game for the    A good game, certainly not great, that barely scores a 7.
    Game Freak has to understand that they're not on a portable console anymore.

    The absence of half of the existing Pokèmons is a let-down, I get it, but it doesn't ruin the experience.
    THE REAL ISSUE HERE IS HOW BAD THIS GAME IS FROM A TECHNICAL STANDPOINT.
    It's a tragedy that "Pokémon Battle Revolution", a 2006 game for the Wii, looks incredibly better. Look for yourselves:
    Pokémon Sword and Shield are Nintendo 3DS games, with upscaled resolution and not-enough-upscaled textures. They tried their best to mask themselves as Switch games, but to no avail.

    To add salt on the wound, on top of the poor graphics, the most jarring aspect is that the animations are straight terrible.
    I haven't seen anything this basic since the PS2 era - even Pokémon on Game Cube had better animations (even if extremely over-the-top sometimes).

    The main campaign is pretty enjoyable but you'll reach a point where you start wondering if they ran out of time/resources. There are cities as small as a corridor...
    Not to mention that this game doesn't have the Elite Four:
    You'll re-battle some of the gym leaders instead. It's sad.

    The best aspect of these games is how well-balanced the competitive scene is. Especially double-battles that really are turn-based gems.
    It's truly a pity that COVID-19 put an end to every competition this year...

    All in all this was an overall good experience for a Pokémon game, but since it doesn't cost 40€ anymore... It was not worth the money, sadly.

    Game Freak has to understand that they're not on a portable console anymore.    … Expand
  96. Arthur26670
    Jun 24, 2020
    6
    Animações porcos e mal feitas e não tem quase nenhum desenvolvimento dos personagens além de não atribuir em nada o universo pokemon mas pelo é divertido as raids principalmente.
  97. dash383535
    Jun 23, 2020
    5
    #DashReviews

    The Pokémon series has finally come to home consoles after two decades of handheld mainline games. With expectations high for what the series can do with this new powerful hardware, will it be able to live up to these expectations or will fall flat on its face compared to the less powerful 3DS versions of the game? The story in Pokémon Sword and Shield is pretty generic    #DashReviews

    The Pokémon series has finally come to home consoles after two decades of handheld mainline games. With expectations high for what the series can do with this new powerful hardware, will it be able to live up to these expectations or will fall flat on its face compared to the less powerful 3DS versions of the game?

    The story in Pokémon Sword and Shield is pretty generic when it comes to the standard Pokémon adventure. Nothing really deviates you from going to the gyms, getting the badge, rinse and repeat. The story has a villain and a bit more going on besides the standard of trying to become the ultimate Pokémon trainer but it strangely set up near the end of the game. This makes for a story with super-fast pacing that has almost nothing interesting happening through most of its run time. The pacing is so fast and rushed, that the box art legendary plot is saved for the post-game. The story is easily one of the most boring aspects of this game which is a shame since titles like Pokémon Black and White had more going on and those are $30 DS games.

    Gameplay-wise, this is a Pokémon game through and through. It’s the standard turn-based RPG everyone has been playing for years. There a few new gimmicks like Dynamaxing, a way for your Pokémon to turn into kaiju monsters. There one open area in the game with a free-roaming camera. The game treats this as a big deal but consoles games have had free moving cameras since the N64 days. The best new mode in the game is Co-Op raid battles since you will be working with your friends to catch powerful Pokémon. These few new modes and gimmicks are also at the expense of half of the Pokémon roster being cut. Even with the fun of raid battles, it not enough to make these games stand out as next-gen titles. They are painfully average games in the series that are super easy to boot. If you love Pokémon games, they're passable but I feel like these games need more innovation for being console games in 2019.

    This is the least polished Nintendo I have ever played. Framerates dropping drastically every time you go into the open area, models pop in constantly, and it graphically looks like Pokémon Sun and Moon unscaled to HD. Animations are so stilled to the point that everyone moves like a robot and no one blinks. The soundtrack is my personal favorite of the series but the amazing songs don’t make up for this game's wealth of technical problems.

    Pokémon Sword and Shield are passable games in the franchise that will either please fans that want more of the same or anger others that wanted these games to have a new life on a home console. They don’t do enough to innovate this stale franchise and don’t even bother to give this generic game the polish it should have. I would wait for a discount or skip these games entirely. Hopefully, the next installments in this franchise give fans what they truly deserve.

    Pros:
    +It’s the Same Old Pokémon
    +Great Soundtrack

    Cons:
    -Boring Story
    -No Innovation in the Gameplay
    -Technical Mess
    -Cut Roster for Little Change    … Expand
  98. Antares_87
    Jun 23, 2020
    5
    No National pokedex , No Party. Besides this game haven't a long story , only 15 hours of campaing, I'm sorry gamefreak but this is a Shame
  99. A99wxy
    Jun 23, 2020
    5
    This game costs like a triple A therefore, in my opinion, as such it should be evaluated, therefore, it does not deserve a higher rating than this.

    The game is really disappointing, certainly as a fan of the saga I would have expected a better debut on a console with the capabilities of Nintendo Switch, however, this game not only does not even reach the quality of triple A games like    This game costs like a triple A therefore, in my opinion, as such it should be evaluated, therefore, it does not deserve a higher rating than this.

    The game is really disappointing, certainly as a fan of the saga I would have expected a better debut on a console with the capabilities of Nintendo Switch, however, this game not only does not even reach the quality of triple A games like Zelda, Mario Odissey, Dragon Quest 11 etc. but it has some mechanics that just don't work.

    The only reasons I didn't give a minor grade are:
    the design and the values ​​of many new pokemon introduced, really interesting (but after all this is an advantage of the whole brand not of sw / sh), the new dynamax mechanics (which is actually not so original but it works), the new metagame and the new features introduced for some time by competitive players (even if I'm not one of them).

    For the rest, however, the game really has problems everywhere. Among the problems there are:

    - the really low technical and graphic level, not in step with the times and not comparable with what a triple A should offer today (poorly detailed textures, bad animations);

    - a level design that is too linear and flat and which eliminates the exploratory component of the title.

    -a setting and a loore with interesting ideas but often left to chance and treated superficially;

    - a story that is too linear, without feelings and tension and in general told badly. There is an absence of cutscene and dubbing.

    -the total absence of valid secondary and postgame activities and missions, present in every jrpg worthy of the name.

    - an excessively low level of challenge, even lower than the previous chapters of the saga. Leveling up is too easy but not only, even completing the pokedex is now very easy (even the rarest pokemon such as Lucario and Tyranitar can be found walking through the Wild Areas).

    - the bad online system prevents you from enjoying mechanics like raids etc. without problems.

    In general, the lack of attention to detail that the game denotes is evident. It has at its base interesting ideas which, however, are left to themselves and not completed.

    I do not want to express myself about the dlc because they must be evaluated apart in my opinion, however, just because they are products separate from the base games and must be bought separately, it does not make sense to say that they solve the situation of the base games. In other words the dlc will not be able never justify the purchase of sword and shield pokemon.

    From Gamefreack I expect more on Nintendo Switch.    … Expand
  100. coolwali
    Jun 23, 2020
    6
    A game that takes several steps forward with features that really bring Pokemon onto the home console experience.....but takes several steps back in the process. The overly linear nature, the inconsistent story and a lack of postgame do little to justify the hefty price tag
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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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