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. Reciter5613
    Dec 27, 2019
    7
    I've played through it and didn't feel the hate and disappointment like most have. I guess they were expecting something groundbreaking when getting a new game on the latest system. I rent my games and I thought it was OK to try but not great enough to keep.

    The usual formula of the series is still here as to be expected. I wish they would make a more new unexpected story but whatever.    I've played through it and didn't feel the hate and disappointment like most have. I guess they were expecting something groundbreaking when getting a new game on the latest system. I rent my games and I thought it was OK to try but not great enough to keep.

    The usual formula of the series is still here as to be expected. I wish they would make a more new unexpected story but whatever.

    Graphics seem OK since I don't expect them to focus deeply on them. I'm not gonna be like them whining about the tree textures so long as it's not getting in the way of the game.

    Some are angry for not having the national Pokedex keeping them from getting all Pokemon in the game. I mean there are some I wish were in this but it was not a deal-breaker for me.

    The Dynamax system is awesome! Of course, I'm not into having to capture or breed ones for Gigantamax forms. I have a Butterfree and Drednaw that I've trained the whole time and it's sad I can't have them get their Gigantamax forms.

    Online features needed work though. I mean I don't know why they don't let you pick what specific Pokemon you want in online trade and only let you do the random surprise trades.

    The Max raids were great but hard to find other players for the hard ones. They should have it so the notifications pop up faster so players can find other player's raids to enter. I mean at least have a refresh option.

    All in all, Sword and Shield is nice but not groundbreaking. Hopefully, they improve on this in the name game and get less controversy against them.    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. Kyo_Bogard
    Jan 16, 2020
    7
    Demasiado fácil.

    Es un regreso a la fórmula. Pokémon de toda la vida con las suficientes novedades como para que no se sienta el mismo juego de siempre. Los nuevos Gimnasios Pokémon hacen que no sea tan repetitivo. Por otra parte, el área silvestre, aún siendo una gran idea, le falta por pulir ya que tiene grandes bajadas de framerate, sobre todo conectado a internet. En cuanto a la    Demasiado fácil.

    Es un regreso a la fórmula. Pokémon de toda la vida con las suficientes novedades como para que no se sienta el mismo juego de siempre. Los nuevos Gimnasios Pokémon hacen que no sea tan repetitivo.
    Por otra parte, el área silvestre, aún siendo una gran idea, le falta por pulir ya que tiene grandes bajadas de framerate, sobre todo conectado a internet.
    En cuanto a la nueva generación, aún siendo muy fan de las 2 primeras generaciones, no me ha resultado tan mala. No creo que el hecho de no tener a todos los Pokémon existentes sea un punto negativo.    … Expand
  4. Pookytookybaby
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    I had a lot of fun with the game. I was a little shocked at the lack of graphics and textures, especially in the wild area. Zelda botw and Mario Odyssey set a standard for this generation Nintendo games. This game is not great in that department. I have a lot to say about this game, but not here. Was wanting more out of a console Pokemon game.
  5. BlooperTanooki
    Mar 20, 2020
    7
    It's without a doubt a step backwards from what seasoned Pokémon fans were accustomed, especially with games like Platinum, HGSS and Black an White 2 existing. However, the games do give a fun time, a nice roster of new Pokémon, good characters and incredible music. It's a shame nothing blends together nicely either. It's like a sandwich made of a lot of nice things: Nutella, Jam, Cheese,It's without a doubt a step backwards from what seasoned Pokémon fans were accustomed, especially with games like Platinum, HGSS and Black an White 2 existing. However, the games do give a fun time, a nice roster of new Pokémon, good characters and incredible music. It's a shame nothing blends together nicely either. It's like a sandwich made of a lot of nice things: Nutella, Jam, Cheese, but they don't taste good in the final thing.… Expand
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. Digi
    Nov 24, 2019
    7
    This game is a well made, beautiful looking pokemon game. However huge flaws include the lack of a hard mode, that veterans have been awaiting for decades. Finally the story was quite lacking compared to previous games.
  9. 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
  10. Dsros96
    Jun 3, 2020
    7
    Probably one of the best Pokémon games ever graphics wise. I'm not giving it perfect score because of the Pokedex cut, the lack of postgame, the Mega evolutions being forgotten and the incursions (they are uninteresting). But besides that, this game is amazing. Also version exclusives are a thing from the past and some online functions should be for free but anyway, overall a very good game.
  11. PredatorPlus
    Nov 23, 2019
    7
    Gráficamente es un cambio a favor. El área silvestre se trata de una beta, está muy desaprovechada. En cuanto la historia me ha parecido pésima y post-game de tan solo 3 horas. En 70 horas me he pasado el juego al completo, historia y pokedex con la ayuda de únicamente de los exclusivos. En comparación con el resto de juegos de pokemon me parece que se queda corto en algunos aspectos.Gráficamente es un cambio a favor. El área silvestre se trata de una beta, está muy desaprovechada. En cuanto la historia me ha parecido pésima y post-game de tan solo 3 horas. En 70 horas me he pasado el juego al completo, historia y pokedex con la ayuda de únicamente de los exclusivos. En comparación con el resto de juegos de pokemon me parece que se queda corto en algunos aspectos. Espero que esta base la utilicen bien para el futuro.… Expand
  12. kaelmato
    Dec 1, 2019
    7
    First off, I really wanted to give the game a 7,5 but since that isn't an option I leaned more heavily on the 7 side.

    So lets get the good things out of the way first. The gameplay is fun. The new raid system is suprisingly fun (when it actually works). The wild area is actually a neat idea. The entry for competitive battling has been streamlined a great deal, which is great for people    First off, I really wanted to give the game a 7,5 but since that isn't an option I leaned more heavily on the 7 side.

    So lets get the good things out of the way first. The gameplay is fun. The new raid system is suprisingly fun (when it actually works). The wild area is actually a neat idea. The entry for competitive battling has been streamlined a great deal, which is great for people like me who don't have all day to breed and ev train those perfect pokemon. The music is really good and I absolutely love most of the new designs.

    So why a 7? This game has... Issues. a lot of them.

    I'm not going to touch on the graphics issues as this game in my opinion has passable graphics for a switch game. They're not great, but they're not horrible, it's a switch game.

    So lets start actually with missing features: Over half of the entire national dex have been cut from the game, and while I can live with this decision, I know a lot of others cant.
    The GTS has also been cut, this allowed people to easily trade pokemon around the world without the hassle of going to online forums looking for trades. In fact the online features of the game have been turned to an absolute nightmare. You go online, and you see bunch of people... doing stuff, but there's absolutely no way to interact with any of them in any way. Jacob is searching for a double battle? Well too bad, I can't join him. Nessie wants to trade? Well good luck with that. The only relevant information that shows up is people seeking for raids and even those rarely show up, and when they do show up, the joining window has most likely passed already.

    Moving on,

    The story in this game is actually so bad it would've been better if there wasn't one. Now pokemon games have never had that good stories going on (With the exception of black and white), but this one was especially bad. The lack of any kind of decent post game (with the exception of copy-paste battle tower and version legendary catch) doesn't really help either.

    This game is also incredibly easy, but this has been a trend for years so I cant really pin it on this games faults.

    And last but not least, the fps in wild area when connected to the internet tanks hard. I'm not just talking about few frames here, for instance when you're breeding in the wild area, sometimes it's lagging so bad that when your egg starts to hatch, your character stops in their tracks a few SECONDS before the text box "oh" pops up.

    In conclusion, the game is OK, not great, but it's not bad either. It is actually super fun to play and battling online still feels mostly the same, however the game is plagued with crippling issues that may or may not hinder your enjoyment of the game.    … Expand
  13. Kashmoney
    Apr 17, 2020
    7
    Intro: (note, this review comes from a long time casual player)
    After playing through the game fully now, I can say Pokemon Sword and Shield are still very decent pokemon games and still deserve around a 6 or 7 out of 10 for me. While there are still issues with the games that could use some rework, I still had a very good time playing through the Galar region.
    The Good: Let's start    Intro: (note, this review comes from a long time casual player)
    After playing through the game fully now, I can say Pokemon Sword and Shield are still very decent pokemon games and still deserve around a 6 or 7 out of 10 for me. While there are still issues with the games that could use some rework, I still had a very good time playing through the Galar region.

    The Good:
    Let's start off with the good, the game has a great look pretty good. Yes, the wild areas could be better, but the cities/towns, gyms, and pokemon look pretty solid. The gyms in this game, while easy, felt the closest I believe to the anime. Battles are fought in large coliseums and it's pretty **** cool to see your player battle through the game's leaders and feel like your actually part of the game. Also, in my opinion, this region has some of the most likable new pokemon hands down. All of them felt unique and are some nice additions to the world of pokemon. Character customization is back and it's nothing too amazing, but it's nice that they are still on this trend of being included in the games. The characters in this game are also really great for the most part. Many main characters have a unique personality or cool design to them and it's a really nice crowd of people (my personal favorite is Melony if you know what I mean ;3). Also, this is a very unpopular opinion, but I really like Dynamaxing. Having your pokemon grow to the size of Godzilla and blow up your opponent is really fun and feels like it can give everyone a chance to shine like with z-moves. And while it's not as cool as Megas, I welcome this new way of battling,

    The Meh:
    While the wild area is a really cool idea and is fun, it looks a bit bland. Some areas look like it wasn't properly textured and does look like some old grass stains were left on there (and no, the trees are not the best, but it's a **** tree so who cares). The game also suffers a bit with the National Dex issue. While I personally did not feel affected in my gameplay of the lack of the National Dex, I do still wish they would have allowed players to transfer their Pokemon into the new games with not dex entry like in USUM. 400 pokemon are still a lot however and what's here is a pretty solid roster of mons.

    The bad:
    The game really lacks in the number of dungeons and possible wild areas. There have been many times in the story I wished that there were some dungeons to fight through or more wild areas then what we have. The game's evil team, Team Yell, is also the worst in the WHOLE series. Being nothing but some punks who could have been more was a huge letdown. I felt that there was so much more the team could have done, but they didn't do **** which sucks. This game also suffers from poor post-game. Like X and Y, this game has a lack of post-game and doesn't offer much. I feel once the DLC comes out this could change, but still, it's not great at all.

    Overall:
    This game is fun like other pokemon games. It does need a lot of work, but it's not as bad as some people were putting this game out to be (but hey we all have our opinions). Also with the new DLC coming out, I feel this game might be a start to how pokemon "definitive titles" will play out so here's to hope everything turns out great.    … Expand
  14. Speedie
    Nov 24, 2019
    7
    If you're looking to compare this game to the rest of the Pokemon series, don't bother. Game Freak is taking their world famous series in a different direction, and as a life long Pokemon fan, I'm not upset at all. There are new introductions to the series between battle functions and main quest direction that keep things interesting at all times. There is of course room for improvement,If you're looking to compare this game to the rest of the Pokemon series, don't bother. Game Freak is taking their world famous series in a different direction, and as a life long Pokemon fan, I'm not upset at all. There are new introductions to the series between battle functions and main quest direction that keep things interesting at all times. There is of course room for improvement, as with any video game produced, but it's plenty of fun, and a welcome introduction to my lineup of Pokemon game cases.

    When the game was first announced, and we were told that the National Pokedex was gone (meaning not every existing Pokemon would be in the game) I was quite upset to say the least. I had a feeling some of my favorite Pokemon would be cut, and I was correct. Looking back on it, I was an idiot. The 400 Pokemon included in the game fit so perfectly into the world, being spread out not too thin, but also not having an overwhelming variety in each area. The game feels balanced on the combat side of things due to the limit on specific Pokemon and abilities. Cutting Pokemon from the final project wasn't a split second decision of laziness, it was a decision made to ensure the world feels expansive enough without being crowded, it it works like a charm.

    The story driven content in the game isn't very deep. Not in the slightest. The sad excuse for the "Team" of this generation is something to be disappointed over for sure. The climax has very little build up at all, and a majority of the game is just the protagonist children talking about how they'll be the best trainers there ever was. The post game content is a bit better. More witty, funny, and overall entertaining, but short. I do wish there was deeper lore in the game, or really any significant lore at all to make me excited about the world, but sadly there is no hope. The one slight upside, is that some of the character development is very fun to follow, and caused a few smiles and laughs from me watching the characters change, or chose not to.

    The online features work a bit better than I expected. A bit laggy in the Wild Area sometimes, but otherwise very smooth and reliable. The servers had some issues at the start, but that has nothing to do with the actual experience I had while they were active. The new Raid addition to the game, as well as Trades and Battles are very smooth and work like a regular online game server, which is more than is usually expected from Nintendo.

    In conclusion, this generation is very fun, without a doubt. If compared to the rest of the Pokemon games, sure, it's towards the bottom of the list. As a standalone Switch game though, it truly is a great experience! If you can will yourself to simply get excited about a new video game, and jump into it with a positive, or even neutral mindset, you truly will enjoy yourself. The game is worth a full play through, and deserves praise for the things it does well.    … Expand
  15. 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!
  16. Freesteff
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Nach 5 stunden spielzeit finde ich pokemon schild im grossen und ganzen sehr gut die grafik sehr anständig die naturzone ist riesig die sogenanntentem raids machen spass
  17. 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
  18. amandamagliaro
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Switch is a better console than 3DS, so I was expecting more. But anyway, I was still surprised with the game and the news in this new generation
  19. Dahcs
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Before finishing the game, I am actually enjoying this game a fair bit. So far, this is definitely the best the Pokemon series has looked to date. Period. The games run at a stable framerate out side of the wild area, and the battles actually feel pretty immersive. Dynamaxing is a cool feature, and it really shows that that's where a lot of the love and effort really went into, along withBefore finishing the game, I am actually enjoying this game a fair bit. So far, this is definitely the best the Pokemon series has looked to date. Period. The games run at a stable framerate out side of the wild area, and the battles actually feel pretty immersive. Dynamaxing is a cool feature, and it really shows that that's where a lot of the love and effort really went into, along with the gyms. Alot of the user reviews are baseless, and it shows that they have obviously not played the game. I went into this game expecting Pokemon and I got exactly what I expected, and even a bit more. So far, I reccommend it, but definitely not for the full price. Will update my review when I finish the game.… Expand
  20. PointingGaming
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think the game is extremely good so far, as someone who has played Pokémon since Gen 1 I am quite happy, there are some features they did remove, some with obvious reasons some without. Such as global trade, in the previous games they were flooded with cheated in shinys and legendaries. It adds more challenge to the game so you can’t just trade a garbage Pokémon for one super high leveled, and they made it so you can’t catch a Pokémon higher level than what your gym badge allows.

    I enjoy the wide open areas and being able to see other players in the wild areas. I think the dynamaxing is cool, and a lot better than the mega evolutions and the special moves and other gimmicks they have had in the previous games in the main storyline.

    In terms of new pokemon it was a hit and a miss, they have some good ones and some terrible ones. It’s about the same as gen 5 where they had some great ideas, and they also had some absolutely retarded ones.

    So far I am happy with this game, and I am about half way through it I have to say it was money well spent. A lot of people may hate on this game but I believe that it deserves more credit than it is givin considering this is the first main story game that has come out for the Pokémon franchise that isn’t completely pixelated.    … Expand
  21. DiscoToot
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    An honest review for the common player, bias aside. If you’ve already played through the entirety of Pokemon Sword/Shield, you had the time on your hands and that’s cool. Personally, I have not played through. I don’t doubt the most popular disdain; a considerably short story and post-game, lackluster character diversity and dynamax features. But I want to point out some review pointsAn honest review for the common player, bias aside. If you’ve already played through the entirety of Pokemon Sword/Shield, you had the time on your hands and that’s cool. Personally, I have not played through. I don’t doubt the most popular disdain; a considerably short story and post-game, lackluster character diversity and dynamax features. But I want to point out some review points you’re going to read that are more than likely the fault of bias and nostalgia. - Wild areas don’t lack the richness players claim. The wild area is a new concept. It’s not supposed to be the open field in Breath of the Wild. The mechanics of the wild areas are exciting and challenging. Seeing your wild opponent before entering battle changes how you’re gonna play the game, for the better. It makes it more fun to train, without all of the running away from Zubats so you can battle a Graveller. Much easier and fun to hunt down a Pokemon with a certain nature or ability. - Graphically, the game is just taking flight. The first true 3D Pokemon rendition since Colosseum/XD, this game fulfills the wishes those games dreamed of. While maybe underdeveloped, it’s not ugly or underhwelming. There were no textures and objects to operate from, aside from X/Y/Sun/Moon monster designs. This is the first modern rendition of Pokemon in 3D, it serves in its flashy and expressive gloat. - As for the story, I can’t speak to that. I have not completed the game. BUT. Sun and Moon earned the worst story award. If you don’t tout through the game gingerly, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Pokemon in the context of Shield/Sword is meant to be played more like the pace of a slice of life game. In summation, you will enjoy this game if you like to take your time but not if you like to play through competitively and fast. If you want a fulfilling Pokemon experience instead of a jam-packed Pomemon experience, you’ll enjoy this game.… Expand
  22. Somonoxide
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    The wheel hasn’t been reinvented. No giant leap forward.

    However! If your a Pokemon series fan this will satisfy your itch. Wild zone has huge potential for future games. Gyms are back with fun “all be it simple” puzzles. The games still aimed at kids, it always will be.... And tbh how many people actually completed the National Dex anyway.
  23. Yauboio
    Nov 17, 2019
    7
    These games are not bad. In fact they are perfectly decent Pokémon games. In some areas there has been great improvement, in particular the menus, the ability to skip some tutorials, the concept of the wild area. However for the first console Pokémon game it's dissapointing and unimaginative. If you love Pokémon you'll have some fun with it but it could have been so much better.
  24. iMDario
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    +good music
    +dynamax/gigantamax seems ok in competitive
    +new gyms are ok -no national dex
    -GameCube grapichs
    -0 character design
    -poor coded
  25. RandomS0lar
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    It's an average game and although I thought what game freak did was wrong, I thought it was a pretty decent game. I'm neutral on the national dex because I feel bad for the people that got affected by this but at the same time it doesn't really affect me. I liked the new pokemon and the dark type gym but, I wasn't a fan of Hop. He seemed a little annoying and some of the facial design inIt's an average game and although I thought what game freak did was wrong, I thought it was a pretty decent game. I'm neutral on the national dex because I feel bad for the people that got affected by this but at the same time it doesn't really affect me. I liked the new pokemon and the dark type gym but, I wasn't a fan of Hop. He seemed a little annoying and some of the facial design in this game feels out of place.… Expand
  26. Akayomi
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    Short version:
    The Good:
    - Refreshing feeling overall - Good character designs - Good looking graphics and animations (Half of the time, more on this down on the 'bad') - Wild Area is amaizing The bad: - Lazy animations on a lot of attacks (Which makes it even worse, considering some attacks have beautiful animations) - FPS drops on the Wild Area, even in Docked mode - Cutting    Short version:
    The Good:
    - Refreshing feeling overall
    - Good character designs
    - Good looking graphics and animations (Half of the time, more on this down on the 'bad')
    - Wild Area is amaizing

    The bad:
    - Lazy animations on a lot of attacks (Which makes it even worse, considering some attacks have beautiful animations)
    - FPS drops on the Wild Area, even in Docked mode
    - Cutting the National Dex to "include better animations". Animations that are not in the game.
    - General unpolished feel to the game. This game needed at least 3-6 more months of development, and it could've easily been the BEST pokemon game of all time. Instead, we get a half-baked, mediocre pokemon game.

    Overall: If you enjoyed pokemon games, you will have fun. The game lacks in a lot of aspects, but it's still an enjoyable experience. I wish GameFreak would've taken more time to polish it a bit more, or at the very least that they adress the issues on patches down the line.

    Long version:
    I'm glad I bought this.

    Yes, the game has issues (FPS drops, some animations are cheap as **** it's generally unpolished, unnecesary dexit) but the game really ISN'T as bad as leakers and naysayers would have you believe. It pisses me off because if they had a few more months (say, 3 months, like Animal Crossing) this game could have been the BEST pokemon game ever. Instead, we get a half-assed mediocre game, but with enough fun stuff that it guarantees a huge profit for GameFreak, therefore they will not learn, and will continue to half-ass games, most likely. That's pretty sad.
    Also, anyone saying "the game is short!!! you can beat it in 8 hours!!" is full of **** I haven't even finished the main story and check it: 26hs and ticking. And I haven't even started doing max raids or anything endgame like that.
    The XP share turned on all the time is a pain in the ass, and we SHOULD have an option to turn it off.
    The difficulty is... very low. You can just mash A and you will probably win most fights. That being said, difficulty does spike in a few battles here and there. But most of the time it's very easy.

    Is this game perfect? No, not at all. Is it bad? Not really. It's average, or mediocre, whatever word you prefer to use. But it's fun. If you walk into the game wanting to hate it, you'll nitpick and hate every part of it. If you walk into the game wishing to have fun... well, you'll have tons of fun.

    Whether or not this game is worth 60$ is up to you to decide. For me, it should be 40$ and not a cent more. But I still bent over and paid full price. Even tho I reckon it shouldn't be full price, I personally am having lots of fun, and that makes it worth my time and money.    … Expand
  27. Krakuan
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    Its by no means perfect but the game is fun to play. The new pokemon look cool and i particularly like the look of Dragapult and toxitricity. I'm a bit bummed about the fact that i can't bring in Regus ( my swampert from my emerald game) but it's honestly a minor annoyance for me as i tend to use a team of new gen pokemon anyway and only bringing in one or two old favourites from previousIts by no means perfect but the game is fun to play. The new pokemon look cool and i particularly like the look of Dragapult and toxitricity. I'm a bit bummed about the fact that i can't bring in Regus ( my swampert from my emerald game) but it's honestly a minor annoyance for me as i tend to use a team of new gen pokemon anyway and only bringing in one or two old favourites from previous gen games.

    Collecting all the pokemon is only one aspect of pokemon and I've always maintained that its the journey and becoming champion that are the main aspects of pokemon. Personally i don't do multiplayer at all for anything so i don't really do the whole battling other people thing. Dynamax raids are a bummer in this regard but hey i can just not do them so its fine. I would have liked team yell to be a bigger threat and since i still have all my pokemon in my pokebank i have still basically almost caught them all ( still struggling with dreepy aquisition) so it doesn't really matter if i can't have them all in one game as i still have them. I do recommend getting it on special or do what i did and split the price of a sword and shield bundle with a friend or family member to reduce the cost. Graphics are a bit lackluster but honestly as someone who plays almost all his games on low quality i don't really care ( this is a personal thing) and i would have liked the option to turn shared exp so that i actually use pokemon to get them to evolve (this is actually a very good way to find out move sets and abilities about pokemon you thought sucked based on looks but turn out to be awesome when you take the time to battle with them. I would have liked some more end game content like in emerald with the battle frontier or something similar to heartgold with those race minigames and pokemon contests from emerald where you could be a coordinator. All in all its not a bad game its just missing a few minor things some some people are blowing a bit out of proportion. You can still catch all the pokemon you just can't have them all in the same region now and lets be honest that makes sense. Satoshi doesn't take all his pokemon with him when he goes to a new region ( he just takes pikachu) he leaves them in kanto. I view this the same way i just wish i could have taken my version of pikachu ( Regus) with me    … Expand
  28. Cassichu
    Nov 20, 2019
    7
    I have been a long time pokemon fan since before I can remember, and have faithfully followed the franchise through thick and thin, from Kanto to Hoenn to Alola and now to the wide open fields and idyllic landscapes of Galar. I came into this new game with certain expectations - and they were met to a certain degree, and in some areas they fell miserably short. I got a pokemon game, withI have been a long time pokemon fan since before I can remember, and have faithfully followed the franchise through thick and thin, from Kanto to Hoenn to Alola and now to the wide open fields and idyllic landscapes of Galar. I came into this new game with certain expectations - and they were met to a certain degree, and in some areas they fell miserably short. I got a pokemon game, with its beautiful world and its unique character designs, both human and pokemon; I got a promising look into the post-game competitive scene and the excitement of all the new ways to find shinies! Personally, the cut pokedex never bothered me personally - we all knew it was coming, and you would be disillusioned to say that you didn't, what with there being over 1000 unique pokemon and designs when including form variations into the mix - but I will say that the PR response by Nintendo and GameFreak has been disappointing. The game suffers not only because what it could have been, but for the excuses that were given that these features were not available.

    The game itself is solid (though the lack of a real VILLAINOUS PRESENCE really was something that I found more disappointing than I thought I would), but I will say that they are lacking in some respects. The wild area is an amazing concept, but never quite reached its full potential, the story was shallow and I found myself reminiscing about the deeper more engaging stories of generations past; the textures were rough visually in some places, and we all know about the animations.

    My score comes from a place of concern and love. This was a pokemon game - but it was nothing more. It wasn't unique and revolutionary like Pokemon Black/White's story, and it wasn't the first of its kind for the time like Pokemon Yellow/Red/Blue. Pokemon has and continues to be one of my favorite franchises, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Galar thus far (~50 hrs at the time of this review), I am left with wanting more.

    More content, a deeper story, a heftier post game concerning more than just the competitive scene that will turn off plenty of casual players. I loved Sword and Shield, more than likely many of the upset fans leaving their countless reviews here - but as a fan of the franchise, I want it to be better. I want it to be more than what we've been shown and to take advantage of all the resources laid out at their feet. I hold close to my heart a dream that soon, we'll be given the pokemon game we want that gives us a new look on the franchise without wiping clean the slate that they have laid out for us in generations past, where we're given voice acting, a more high-def view of the world, and a story that carries more weight. Pokemon may be considered a child's game, but it carries with it the nostalgia and the love of generations of fans - and GF/Nintendo haven't quite found the balance where it caters to both.

    Pros:
    - Beautiful at a glance, a new take on how a pokemon game is laid out
    - Amazing new designs, human and pokemon alike
    - Small steps towards innovation in the form of the Wild Area and erasure of restrictive HM moves
    - Customization is much more varied and refreshing; finding a trainer that looks like you is a hard task
    - A genuinely enjoyable experience for a casual player, as well as old fans looking for a comfortable playthrough

    Cons:
    - Limited graphics compared to what the Switch is capable of
    - A story that lacks the weight/impact of previous titles
    - A lackluster post-game unless you're looking into getting into the competitive/shiny breeding scene
    - Where there is some innovation, there feels like there's a loss of soul that makes pokemon what it is

    Any hard core pokemon fan would be remiss to not get these games, but the $60 price tag is certainly something that hurts a game that feels like it would have been nearly the same as a $40 DS title. I would recommend the games wholeheartedly, but with the footnote that it's all what it appears on the surface: a pokemon game. Time will tell if this whole debacle will finally get through to GameFreak and Nintendo as a whole, but for now - until the next games come out - I will enjoy my foray through Galar. I hope those that give these games a chance will do the same.    … Expand
  29. BobeoFunnelcake
    Nov 21, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It’s a solid Pokémon game, and is the first to bring back the enjoyment I felt playing black and white for the first time. Animations leave things to be desired, but what it lacks in animations it makes up for in new Pokémon designs. The wild area makes leveling up much easier, as opposed to grinding in previous games. Dynamaxing Pokémon is certainly an interesting mechanic, though I’m disappointed that mega evolutions were removed, as that felt like a new constant game mechanic. It’s a perfectly fine Pokémon game, however I hoped that gen 8 would’ve done more with the series, but if you like Pokémon games, I’d say give it a shot.… Expand
  30. Keeb79
    Nov 27, 2019
    7
    OK, this game is really difficult to talk about, as it gets a lot of things right, but also a lot of things wrong. Let's start positively, though.

    Most of the things that this game does will satisfy fans, at least I think so. There's about 90 new Pokémon and most of them are great, you'll definitely get a lot of fun battles out of them, even if the game isn't all that challenging. The    OK, this game is really difficult to talk about, as it gets a lot of things right, but also a lot of things wrong. Let's start positively, though.

    Most of the things that this game does will satisfy fans, at least I think so. There's about 90 new Pokémon and most of them are great, you'll definitely get a lot of fun battles out of them, even if the game isn't all that challenging. The Gym Challenge is a fun idea, and with a little bit more exploration, would have really improved this game. There isn't a lot of outstanding points to make, but this game does most things pretty well.

    But I know why you're here. The Pokédex has been Thanos Snapped, the story is well... non-existant and most of the characters are boring and have no personality. Look, these are major flaws that do prove how rushed the game is, but if you're just a casual player looking for some Poké-fun, you will probably look past these annoyances and be able to enjoy the game for what it is. No, it's not as good as let's say, Sun & Moon, but it still holds up... decently. At least I think it does.

    You don't have to agree with me, but I think it's ok. 7/10/B-    … Expand
  31. Amytitt
    Nov 27, 2019
    7
    I can see why a lot of people dislike this game (lack of national dex, bad animations and graphics) but overall the game is fine. It’s not the greatest Pokémon game like some people say, nor is it the worst thing to ever exist like others say too. I had fun with this game which is the only thing that I want in a video game, to have fun. But I can see why some people won’t have fun in thisI can see why a lot of people dislike this game (lack of national dex, bad animations and graphics) but overall the game is fine. It’s not the greatest Pokémon game like some people say, nor is it the worst thing to ever exist like others say too. I had fun with this game which is the only thing that I want in a video game, to have fun. But I can see why some people won’t have fun in this game, like if their favorite Pokémon isn’t in the game or something like that. A lot of people say that the game was short, but to me it was ok length. It took me 28 hours in main game which isn’t much but it’s not as measly as what others say. Many others say how one of the rivals, Hop is a rip off of Hau if you spam A while their talking. Unlike Hau, Hop actually has character development and changes as a person. Hop is a bit annoying in the beginning but he gets better throughout the game. Most of the characters are good and perfectly fine. For Pokémon and their designs are fully opinionated. But to me their most good and fine with a few slip ups. Overall, the game is great for casual fans, but if you’re a hardcore fan, don’t get your hopes up.… Expand
  32. FriedMelon
    Nov 28, 2019
    7
    In my personal opinion these games are mediocre. They’re not Omega Ruby levels of awfulness but Story Wise they don’t hold a candle to Gen 5 or even mid to late game Ultra Sun and Moon. It doesn’t have Mega Evolution or Z-Moves. It does have the speed though, fastest to date. It makes do with what it has. One thing before I end this I ain’t looking for perfection, I’m looking for jawIn my personal opinion these games are mediocre. They’re not Omega Ruby levels of awfulness but Story Wise they don’t hold a candle to Gen 5 or even mid to late game Ultra Sun and Moon. It doesn’t have Mega Evolution or Z-Moves. It does have the speed though, fastest to date. It makes do with what it has. One thing before I end this I ain’t looking for perfection, I’m looking for jaw dropping experiences and that’s what the Switch has been doing back to back to back to back. Unfortunately Sword and Shield, don’t do it. Was it fun, yes, does the music slap, yes. But even if it’s fun it doesn’t mean this franchise is stuck in ’96. This game even with the wild area feels the same and as I’ve said before that’s a damn shame. 6.7/10.… Expand
  33. Rare289
    Dec 12, 2019
    7
    So, let's just get this out of the way: the story is very meh. To be frank, I haven't felt as engaged with a Pokemon story in a while, with the last time I actually enjoyed one being in Pokemon X and Y. But this go around, I feel like this is mainly do to the lackluster characters involved in the story. Not to mention that, rather than let my character get more involved in theSo, let's just get this out of the way: the story is very meh. To be frank, I haven't felt as engaged with a Pokemon story in a while, with the last time I actually enjoyed one being in Pokemon X and Y. But this go around, I feel like this is mainly do to the lackluster characters involved in the story. Not to mention that, rather than let my character get more involved in the mystery/world-ending phenomenon, it just gets pushed aside so that I can "continue my journey while the adults take care of stuff". Aside from that, what did save this game for me was the new quality of life improvements, the Wild Area, Surprise Trade and the new Pokemon from the Galar region. I love Dreepy, Grapploct and Boltund, but all the other new Pokemon are cool and unique in their own ways and in their designs. Especially since I found Sun and Moon's new pokemon to be pretty bland, Shield really did impress me with it's Pokemon. And I've put tons of hours into just exploring the Wild Area, doing Max Raids, and doing tons of surprise trades with people. And, I've got to admit, I've had fun. This is still a fun and enjoyable Pokemon game. I would say try it out before completely rejecting it, but I do hope that we can see and even better game, with an actually good story, in the next generation. Not sure if I'll write a Sword review, but it will probably be similar to this.… Expand
  34. Maucritic
    Dec 11, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Esse jogo é bem divertido dependendo do seu ponto de vista , porém , ele tem problemas gráfico-visuais em alguns pontos , os vilões são ridículos ( no caso a team Yell ) , falta de pokemons e novos pokemons sendo alguns com designes horríveis pode fazer você odiar o jogo .… Expand
  35. HappyTorchic255
    Jan 3, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not a 'great' game but it's also not a bad game. Yes, it sucks that 455 Pokémon are removed from the game (including one of my favorite Pokemon Blaziken) and some animations are honestly bad (like Dubwool using headbutt with its feet). The wild area and Max raid battles are some of my favorite features of this game. Plus this generation introduces in my opinion many great Pokemon's (Dragapult and Cursola are two of my new favorites). The games are flawed, but still fun. So I think 6-7/10 are the most fair and deserving scores this game can get.… Expand
  36. Rebel20
    Dec 20, 2019
    7
    Un juego que ilusionaba por su salto de generación y las posibilidades que está podría ofrecer, hay conceptos innovadores que no concretan un elemento sólido en la experiencia general.
  37. harry_j_harry
    Dec 22, 2019
    7
    The story and difficulty of the game felt non existent. The lack of every Pokémon is lazy. But this is a decent Pokémon experience with a bunch of cool Pokémon design's.
  38. DarthNexus
    Dec 24, 2019
    7
    The Story - 5/10

    The story begins simple enough. You live in a small town called Postwick, in the far southern end of the Galar region. Galar is based on western Europe, and plays that up rather well, as Euro slang such as ‘telly,’ ‘cuppa,’ ‘shut yer gob,’ etc, are frequently seen throughout the game. Your mother is even named ‘Mum!’ You’re quickly introduced to Hop, your rival for the    The Story - 5/10

    The story begins simple enough. You live in a small town called Postwick, in the far southern end of the Galar region. Galar is based on western Europe, and plays that up rather well, as Euro slang such as ‘telly,’ ‘cuppa,’ ‘shut yer gob,’ etc, are frequently seen throughout the game. Your mother is even named ‘Mum!’ You’re quickly introduced to Hop, your rival for the campaign, and you will get annoyed with him faster than Hau from Sun and Moon. His brother, Champion Leon, provides you with your starter (The grass-type monkey Grookey, the water-type gecko Sobble, and the fire-type rabbit Scorbunny). He tasks you with taking on the Gym Challenge, and hopefully one day to face him in a battle (The writing heavily plays up his ‘undefeated’ status). You travel with Hop around the region, collecting Badges, meeting NPCs, and capturing Pokemon. I will refrain from going into specifics to avoid spoilers, but you gain a few new rivals and meet Team Yell along the way.

    Overall, the writing is kind of odd. I felt like I was a side character to the main plot, while the NPCs figured out each of the major driving plot details, and my character was just along for the ride. The end of the story was interesting to me. I will say this much, I was not expecting what happened to happen. The story itself was alright, fit well with the theme of the region, but did not stand out as ‘great’ to me. My play time of the story, including the post-Champion battle story, clocked in at about 25 hours.

    The Gameplay - 6/10

    The core gameplay of catching Pokemon and battling with them has not changed much in the last 20 years. Heck, it took almost 15 years for them to add a new Pokemon type to the series (Fairy-type was added in X and Y in 2013, previous to that the last new types were Dark and Steel introduced in Gold and Silver in 1999) Notable cut features are Mega Evolutions (introduced in X and Y in 2013), and Z-Moves (Sun/Moon, 2017) in favor of the new Dynamax ability, allowing you to grow one of your Pokemon into a giant Kaiju-sized powerhouse temporarily, gaining strength and increased health to combat your opponent. Dynamax does not last until the end of the battle, rather ending after a few turns. In addition, it can only be done in certain places (you're given a minor cutscene at the beginning of a battle if Dynamax is available).

    Dynamax feels like a nerf of Mega Evolution, and personally, I don’t like it. Mega Evolution certain pokemon changing types, or giving them a different passive Ability, on top of changing their appearance. The fact it only lasts for three turns presents a new dynamic of when to use this power spike over the course of a battle. In the context of the story, most times I used it was at the end of a battle where Dynamax was allowed, to help seal victory.

    New Pokemon Designs - 7/10

    91 new Pokemon were added to the game. While not all of the designs look great, a good portion of them look pretty well done. One Pokemon in particular, Alcremie, has 63 different forms. Which one your Milcery evolves into is determined by its held item and how quickly you spin in a given direction. Overall, the designs of the new Pokemon (and the Galarian variants on existing pokemon) mostly fit the theme of the region, and those that don’t do not look out of place in the Pokemon world.

    Quality of Life Changes - 9/10

    Continuing the quality of life changes from the previous games carry over, including seeing if an attack will be super effective (provided you’ve got the pokemon registered in the pokedex), and the Bottle Caps from Sun and Moon return. New to Sword and Shield are the Mints, which will allow you to change what stats are affected by the Pokemon's nature, as well as removing the cap on using vitamins to fully train your Pokemon's stats. These small changes help to open up competitive play to more people! Some other changes are the Name Rater and Move Relearner are present in every Pokemon Center, and you are now allowed to nickname a Pokemon you got in a trade, provided they do not already have a nickname.

    Overall - 7/10

    Pokemon Sword and Shield bring a lot of new ideas to the table, while removing a few things that worked in the past. As for a product that stands on its own, it's ok! Not terrible, but not great. Yes, the controversy surrounding Dexit and some of the graphics bring the score down a bit, but overall it's still a decent entry into the Pokemon franchise, even if it's not the greatest (That honor to me still goes to HeartGold and SoulSilver). The new Pokemon designs are above average, the story feels like it was rushed in order to get the game out on time, leading to a short campaign, the characters you interact with regularly are overly annoying (Looking at you, Hop), and the new gameplay elements do not deliver compelling gameplay compared to previous titles.    … Expand
  39. Wildrover
    Dec 28, 2019
    7
    This game is fun going through the story portion, but fails in online play.

    Joining raids and trading pokemon are a real pain. There is no in game chat to set up trades and surprise trade is a gamble.

    I still enjoy the game for what it is, but it could be better.
  40. Insight_Sami
    Jan 4, 2020
    7
    I like pokemon shield,but it lag.
    Bruhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
    I love pokemon!!!!
    I don't know what i can write.
  41. Hanneymax
    Jan 4, 2020
    7
    There are enough very good Pokémon to make the game fun and although once completed there isn’t much to do, if you rate this below a 6 you are dim
  42. random_person89
    Jan 7, 2020
    7
    For a Pokemon game it's pretty mediocre, it had it's moments when it was fun and sometimes when it's not. The game is not worth $60. It feels rushed compared to other Pokemon games. Some of the Pokemon this generation where pretty cool and interesting. This generation had some of the best music in the series and some good characters. But the characters interact with you too much and thereFor a Pokemon game it's pretty mediocre, it had it's moments when it was fun and sometimes when it's not. The game is not worth $60. It feels rushed compared to other Pokemon games. Some of the Pokemon this generation where pretty cool and interesting. This generation had some of the best music in the series and some good characters. But the characters interact with you too much and there isn't really much of a story. Some of the most suspenseful moments are over when you arrive there. Some of the areas are too small and the textures are some objects are well... not good. Some of the areas look amazing and some just look lazy. They put so much work into some area's but some just look lazy. Also the battle animation with the Pokemon don't really look that good. They don't even move for some of them, some Pokemon have work put into them and some don't. They have done battle animations in the past but why can't they do that now. We can expect these things from game freak but they don't really seem to care about Pokemon.… Expand
  43. Robertinho123
    Jun 20, 2020
    7
    I really enjoy the base game, but there's very little postgame, raiding is okay, but honestly the online system is so crap that 5 star pokemon are almost impossible to catch.

    When some of the mechanics are so broken, it's hard to give it more than a 7. If they fix the online, I'll bump it to 8, but I doubt that'll happen.
  44. noleme
    Jan 28, 2020
    7
    I had a lot of fun playing this pokemon game. Being able to see the pokemon in the grass is a great addition as I can choose the encounters instead of random annoying encounters. Because of this, this is the first pokemon game where I actually wanted to catch them all. The exp share takes away the annoying grinding and encourages you to try new low level pokemon you catch in your party. InI had a lot of fun playing this pokemon game. Being able to see the pokemon in the grass is a great addition as I can choose the encounters instead of random annoying encounters. Because of this, this is the first pokemon game where I actually wanted to catch them all. The exp share takes away the annoying grinding and encourages you to try new low level pokemon you catch in your party. In prior games I would just use a couple strong pokemon as I did not want to grind to level up additional pokemon. There was not an hours long tutorial or as much hand holding as ultra sun had. The gyms being arenas like a sports competition made them feel exciting.

    Dynamaxing pokemon is nothing special. The z-moves from ultra sun are better and provide more strategy in battles. The story in the game is dumb and uninteresting. Especially the team baddies which are just obnoxious fans of an opposing gym challenger and provide no real challenge. Previous games baddies like team magma from ruby were actually interesting and had motivation. The game had no good puzzles to get through. The story advances illogically as if they forgot about it. The wild area was not as fun and interesting as I thought it would be. You can't even catch all the pokemon in it until you beat all the gyms. It is so annoying encountering a pokemon and realizing it is too high a level for you to catch.

    As a casual fan who had no idea the national dex even existed until the outrage from a very vocal minority, I enjoyed this game; Although pokemon can and should be much more than this.    … Expand
  45. Maxtron
    Feb 12, 2020
    7
    A good game but it falls in some parts like in the main game it seems that is unfinished an the climax appears from non-where; the graphics are not the same quality as the other games from the console. But at the end is fun, I would recommend it? Only if you are a big Pokémon fan.
  46. Nitroade24
    Jul 17, 2020
    7
    It felt a bit empty but overall it was enjoyable as a game. Nothing to write home about.
  47. MonkdemMan
    Feb 20, 2020
    7
    Ok gamefreak didn't really push the boat out too far and kinda played it safe. Fanboys giving it a zero need to get a life. This is a game made for all ages and all level of "fans" not the obsessive angry weirdos. Its exactly what I expected from a pokemon game. Travel a decent looking world catch all the pokemon take on gyms ect. I like the graphics not every game needs high detail theOk gamefreak didn't really push the boat out too far and kinda played it safe. Fanboys giving it a zero need to get a life. This is a game made for all ages and all level of "fans" not the obsessive angry weirdos. Its exactly what I expected from a pokemon game. Travel a decent looking world catch all the pokemon take on gyms ect. I like the graphics not every game needs high detail the art work works. The sounds is more of the same and can't say I'm a fan of the music.
    I had a good time with pokemon shield it's an innocent piece of my childhood bought to a colourful great map. It's not a perfect masterpiece but should we really expect that from a game that is made for ages 3 and upwards. I can enjoy it and so can my kids.... when I eventually have some    … Expand
  48. Enterkiou
    Feb 25, 2020
    7
    No es un mal juego, claramente no merece una cero. Lamentablemente no es lo que los fans de pokemon esperaban del juego. No tiene mucho avance en relación a otras entregas de la franquicia, salvo el área salvaje. Cuenta con limitaciones técnicas inexplicables para la época, como texturas mediocres y Pop-In, lo cual no concuerda con lo que uno espera de un triple A. Sin embargo, esNo es un mal juego, claramente no merece una cero. Lamentablemente no es lo que los fans de pokemon esperaban del juego. No tiene mucho avance en relación a otras entregas de la franquicia, salvo el área salvaje. Cuenta con limitaciones técnicas inexplicables para la época, como texturas mediocres y Pop-In, lo cual no concuerda con lo que uno espera de un triple A. Sin embargo, es principalmente más bueno que malo, dado que mantiene la jugabilidad adictiva de otras entregas, y respecto a eso, la jugabilidad siempre debiese tener más peso en un videojuego. Pasarás horas y horas de entretenimiento con este juego, siempre y cuando seas capaz de dejar de un lado sus notorios defectos.… Expand
  49. TheFanOfFans
    Mar 11, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So I thought that this game was pretty cool, but has many flaws. First off, the national dex doesn't bother me. It can be a game breaker if you want to use your favorite Pokemon. However I like using the new ones the most, and to anyone on the fence about the game because of this. I say get it and just try some new Pokemon, you might find a new favorite! Now the game is slow paced. The main characters will stop you over, and over. This is definitely a damper on the experience as a whole as when you want to go somewhere you are almost guaranteed to be stopped by a character. The graphics are nice when in towns and on the routes. Nothing crazy, but sometimes the towns actually look great. But in the Wild Area stuff goes downhill. The graphics aren't too great. The tree's look very strange and pokemon pop in and out (though this is an issue with the whole game). In the Wild Area you can do these Dynamax pokemon battles. These I am a bit mixed on. Once you beat the game most if not all raids are 5 stars. This means they put up their shield multiple times. The shields in my opinion aren't very good. A Dynamax pokemon deals 2 bars, while regular does 1. If there is 1 bar, a dynmax pokemon wastes it's attack and still only does one. This wouldn't be an issue except it wastes 1 of your 3 turns in as a Dynamax. Also the CPU players aren't to great. I'll get to the online after this but just know that you get the same pool of CPU Pokemon and it can feel really bad when one just keeps using stat boosters. Now the online (at least for me) is very hit or miss. Sometimes when I try to trade it takes a while to connect, other times it's almost instant. It definitely works more then it doesn't, but that's just something to keep in mind. The gameplay is great, it's just pokemon. The gyms this time are the best they have ever been, definitely a highlight. After you beat the game you can make tournaments with the gym leaders and that is constantly fun. Now there isn't much of a story in this game. Basically Leon and Sonia get most of the action and just tell you about all the crazy stuff that happened. Towards the end stuff starts picking up and you fight one of the Legendary Pokemon. The scaling of him was very weird though. His size seemed to change a lot. Overall I don't mind the lack of story, it would have been nice though and if you want one this game will not deliver. The difficulty is a bit too easy, but I've come to expect that with Pokemon at this point. I might have left some things out, but overall, it's a fun experience that has it's faults. Get it at a discount because $60 is a bit to much.… Expand
  50. JancoBH
    Jun 1, 2020
    7
    Este juego es bueno, no el mejor pero si es bueno y disfrutable, lo malo es que mejora al tener switch online.

    Dentro de poco habrá un DLC que complementará el videojuego y lo hará mejorar mucho, lo malo es tener que pagar 30$ usd por ese contenido.

    También hace falta algunos Pokémon. hola
  51. Faxi
    May 23, 2020
    7
    Pokemon Sword & Shield introduces us to the galar region, with a bunch of new but also returning pokemon from the past games in the series. While the national dex isn't a thing in Pokemon Sword & Shield, the game is still a great pokemon game.

    While the game has a lot of different elements compared to the other pokemon games in the series. It was still fun exploring the Galar region,    Pokemon Sword & Shield introduces us to the galar region, with a bunch of new but also returning pokemon from the past games in the series. While the national dex isn't a thing in Pokemon Sword & Shield, the game is still a great pokemon game.

    While the game has a lot of different elements compared to the other pokemon games in the series. It was still fun exploring the Galar region, and leveling up and evolving one's pokemons.

    The game was far too easy, and the gyms didn't really offer any challenge whatsoever. The game did offer a more open area also known as the ''Wild Area'' with many different pokemon, one could catch.
    While also even your rival isn't even challenging at all, just makes the game far more easy and not challenging at all.

    Other than the easy gym challenges the game offers, there is no elite four, but instead ''Semi-Finals'' which felt like beating the gym challenges all over again.

    The game doesn't even offer a interesting story, but rather an awkward story about your rival and his constant craving beating you.

    Though, even with the small disappointments the game has, the game was still quite fun to play through.

    With the 2 ekspansions releasing later this year, hopefully we will get a lot more of great content.    … Expand
  52. BrunoMacielS
    Apr 29, 2020
    7
    I really had a very high expectation for this pokemon. Unfortunately it is a good game but not what I expected.
  53. Baximi
    May 3, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es ist ein gutes Spiel, aber eines der schlechtesten seiner Reihe. Die Story lässt wieder einmal zu wünschen übrig und Dynamax ist meiner Meinung auch nicht sonderlich interessant. Die meisten neuen Pokémon sind sogar in Ordnung, aber ein paar waren wie immer unnötig. Dennoch hatte ich mit dem Spiel eine Menge Spaß.… Expand
  54. pinkdino1
    Jun 19, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. for the first main Pokemon title for a big system, the game is very mhe.

    the new pokemon are good, with a lot of ones i like.
    but the story is very underwhelming. every time it starts to get interesting, the someone tells you not to worry about it and just go to the next gym.

    it also doesn't help the final boss is a guy so worried about something that won't affect the region for almost 1000 years, that he can't wait one day for the champion to do something then come help him with his plan.

    the gimic of this game, dinamaxing, also isn't as fun as i thought it would be. yes its neat to encounter large wild pokemon, but outside battling the gym leaders, the tournament, and maybe 3-4 random times, the gimic isn't used. its a water down mega evolution mixed with Z-moves.
    (even worse is both Charizard and Gengar have new forms dispight already having megas)

    its a good simple game, but not much more then that. (this review is not counting DLC)    … Expand
  55. jona000100
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    el juego es decente pero pudo hacerse mejor las graficas en algunos puntos en estan bien en otros no las animaciones pocas son buenas y reusan demasiado contenido de sol y luna pero en general es disfrutable y tiene el mejor competitivo de la saga en mi humilde opinion
  56. Danielife
    Jun 22, 2020
    7
    This game is fun, the story is good, even though I didn't like the end. Every character has their own personality. GF always gets better with characters, story and OST in new games. New Pokémon are very cute, they all are very caracteristic. BUT, this game has lots of problems that distract you from the good points. Of course, graphics and animation, those are very bad, and they can'tThis game is fun, the story is good, even though I didn't like the end. Every character has their own personality. GF always gets better with characters, story and OST in new games. New Pokémon are very cute, they all are very caracteristic. BUT, this game has lots of problems that distract you from the good points. Of course, graphics and animation, those are very bad, and they can't justify the choose of Dex Cut... I honestly don't really care about that, but the Cut was done so GF could improve graphics and animations, which has not been done. There are also problems with how they hand backgrounds... for example, there are 2 battles with a character on 2 different bridges, but only 1 of that has the bridge background. So I think this game was done in 1 year, without lots of quality checks. The online wasn't clearly test, because it's terrible. And this is a big problem for a game with a poor post game.… Expand
  57. 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
  58. Arturos
    Jul 1, 2020
    7
    Fun game to play with friend a family, if you are a big pokemon fan but it.
  59. 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
  60. emilyratesgames
    Nov 20, 2020
    7
    Score: 7
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  61. 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
  62. 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
  63. 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
  64. 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
  65. 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
  66. 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.
  67. 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
  68. grimreapersims
    Nov 1, 2021
    7
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  69. 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.
  70. 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
  71. 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
  72. 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.
  73. 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.
  74. 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
  75. 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.
  76. 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.
  77. 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.
  78. 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
  79. 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.
  80. M1sfiT
    Sep 3, 2023
    7
    Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!! shield
  81. 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.
  82. WinterSoldierAM
    Mar 2, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So how is Pokemon Shield on its own? The answer is mixed to say the least. The first thing any Pokemon games exposes you to is your rival and starters. I like the design of the starters but ended up choosing Scorbunny. Your rival Hop is one of the worst rivals in the series, partially because he is so much like Hau. He is the brother of the Champion (another awful character) who just wants to be able to win. And he doesn’t. He loses over and over again throughout the game. To the point that it is annoying to even interact with him. The professor of this region isn’t present much in the story at all, instead her granddaughter is the one who follows you around and reveals plot points throughout the story. Sonia is the most likeable character in the game and has the best story of all the characters. One that shows her full growth from aspiring historian to full on Pokemon Professor. The Champion as mentioned earlier is hollow. He appears several times to simply save the day (offscreen) and when he actually interacts with you it is usually just to stroke his own ego. He is the “Unbeatable Champion”. And you will read that again, again, and again. And I say read because there is no spoken dialogue in the game, but we will get to that. The main baddie doesn’t appear until the very end when you and several leaders and other rivals come together to confront a legendary brought back to life. Team Yell follows around Marnie, another rival with limited time and development, which is more than team Yell gets. Unfortunately, Pokemon Sword and Shield have some of the worst characters in the series as well as a story with most of the interesting points being hidden as you get shuffled to the next gym(arena) to face the next leader.

    Pokemon games have never had voiceovers, however at this point dull characters backed up by zero spoken lines reflects poorly on these next-gen games. This would have been a great time to introduce voice acting to help make these characters more endearing to the player. But like many of the other woulda coulda shoulda elements of these games, a lot of it comes down to time. As for the other audio in the game many of the Pokemon cries are good and reverb throughout the open wild area as they spawn. The music tracks don’t really start to pick up until the very end of the game, but they are really good. The beats during the tournaments in the game are great fun and really push the feeling of a crowded stadium battle. The old traditional sounds from pokemon hatching to leveling up and evolving are all present and are as great as they have always been.

    Gameplay is much the same as usual, catch Pokemon, have them battle in turn-based segments and repeat. The battle animations vary widely with a handful being really cool and most others being very bland and old by this point. You travel through very small linear routes and no dungeons to get to each town some of which look much better than others, all fairly small and desolate overall. Even the final city is filled with buildings with nothing to do in them. No interesting side quests, items or dialogue. They just exist as window dressing. The Wild Area gives you an open area with a free camera to use and explore. While it is a great new element, it is pretty limited and presents many bland looking vistas and major performance drops. The weather changes are nice but some like fog and sandstorms obscure raids and Pokemon because they are so thick. The max raid battles are a new interesting element not devoid of issues of course. The rng nature of them makes trying to find a specific Pokemon an arduous task. The game saves before starting the raid off so whatever Pokemon appears in that bastion appears until the day resets or you beat it. Jumping into a raid with ai is frustrating as the ai can often have Pokemon weak to the raid boss leading to multiple faints and a loss on your part. Waiting for real people to join sometimes works and other times fails entirely. But what is worse is getting a match finally only to have your teammate earthquake and lose the match just because they have nothing better to do.

    The post-game is not long, however the story is much more enjoyable and introduces raid battles in case you have been waiting to do them. You revisit some gyms and fight a new threat that makes a lot of sense. It resolves in a fairly benign and unsatisfying way, but it is a lot more interesting to see the characters develop some compared to the main story. The battle tower is as you would expect from the series, fight several battles with your teams at preset levels for BP that can be used to buy items.

    Ultimately, Pokemon sword and Shield are games that display just how stuck in the past Game Freak is and how the development schedule for Pokemon games keeps them from ever innovating unlike newer jrpgs. Pokemon has the potential for so much more, and it is a shame that this is the best we will get for the foreseeable future.    … Expand
  83. death12123
    Jan 11, 2020
    6
    The game is still Pokemon and fun but the lack of content and with how easy this is, just wait for a used copy at the bargain bin. Full price isn't worth it. Especially with how easy this game is. You can beat it in a day if you wanted to. The amount of FPS drops this game has is also eye hurting. Down to as low as 10FPS. The performance alone is what hurts the game most for me and hopingThe game is still Pokemon and fun but the lack of content and with how easy this is, just wait for a used copy at the bargain bin. Full price isn't worth it. Especially with how easy this game is. You can beat it in a day if you wanted to. The amount of FPS drops this game has is also eye hurting. Down to as low as 10FPS. The performance alone is what hurts the game most for me and hoping a "Switch Pro" would fix that issue. You can still enjoy and like a game but you can also still give full criticism.

    Some good things on the other hand are the raids are actually cool and it's still at the end of the day Pokemon as usual. The soundtrack is great and the character models are better than ever. However why add those models and not add them as available clothes to wear? The customization in the game is pretty barebones and NPC outfit parts should easily be available.    … Expand
  84. Prequarantine
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    This game is not the game for long-standing Pokemon fans that was promised last year. Few of the new features are new. This should have been a game similar in scope to other Nintendo franchise on the Switch, but it really isn't. Ultimately, this is just another Pokemon game. Hopefully next year the game will be improved, as this release feels half baked.

    The positives: +A minimum    This game is not the game for long-standing Pokemon fans that was promised last year. Few of the new features are new. This should have been a game similar in scope to other Nintendo franchise on the Switch, but it really isn't. Ultimately, this is just another Pokemon game. Hopefully next year the game will be improved, as this release feels half baked.

    The positives:
    +A minimum of 20 hours of new adventure
    +New Pokemon
    +Raids
    +Overworld Pokemon!
    +Game is Pokemon and includes many Pokemon you have always loved
    +Breeding made even more approachable, allowing more people to dip into the competition
    +Game will likely maintain the majority of its sale price for at least a year
    +Dynamax adds an interesting fusion of megas and z moves

    The negatives:
    -Overworld Pokemon are currently not capable of being shiny
    -Half of all Pokemon removed, including many days favorites like Greninja, Dragonite, and Metagross. Even Arceus is removed.
    -Roughly 150 moves removed. Most of these are irrelevant, but there are some very notable removals that threaten the balance and encourage rain teams more than ever, which were very strong already.
    -the endgame is essentially just the battle tower and raids. Something larger would have been nice.
    -GTS REMOVED
    -Game feels incredibly unpolished, including many bugs
    -no ability to set difficulty of game or turn off experience share, or turn off the forced healing given at ever corner. Game is incredibly easy as a result. You will find yourself bored.
    -Very few routes
    -No real dungeons
    -The removal of megas and z moves. Megas were incredible because they turned awkward Pokemon into powerhouses, fixing many of their flaws and making them finally usable. Gigantamax essentially reset this important progress.

    Overall, this game is fun for the 20 hours it lasts, but for its price and console, it really leaves you wanting a lot more. The game as a whole feels half baked. 6/10.    … Expand
  85. 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
  86. gooblaster
    Nov 20, 2019
    6
    Does a lot of stuff really well,but what it doesn't do well, it does terribly. A one step forward, three steps back kind of game.
  87. dislexicpotato
    May 6, 2020
    6
    Pokemon Sword & Shield are by far the weakest mainline Pokemon games in years, just a bit of context:

    Gamefreak lied to the fanbase, claiming that they needed to remove over HALF of the Pokemon in order to ‘improve animations’ when in reality the animations are ripped right from the 3DS games. The annual releases are killing this franchise nevermind the mediocre graphics, laughable    Pokemon Sword & Shield are by far the weakest mainline Pokemon games in years, just a bit of context:

    Gamefreak lied to the fanbase, claiming that they needed to remove over HALF of the Pokemon in order to ‘improve animations’ when in reality the animations are ripped right from the 3DS games. The annual releases are killing this franchise nevermind the mediocre graphics, laughable animations, noticeable pop in, EXP share being mandatory making the games even easier than usual when the Pokemon games are already too easy, the game also only takes 15 hours to beat and has practically 0 post game. Do not support Gamefreak with these half assed efforts. They even removed Aipom wtf???    … Expand
  88. julianym89
    Nov 20, 2019
    6
    Nueva entrega, en general continuista, con algunas nuevas mecánicas, dirección artística muy buena (inspirada en UK) aunque motor gráfico rozando lo mediocre. Las animaciones en combates han avanzado poco.
    Mantiene el encanto y sigue siendo adictivo.
  89. mashedtatter
    Nov 18, 2019
    6
    I originally posted a review giving Shield a perfect 10, mostly to offset the review bombing of angry former fanboys who haven't even played the game and believe bogus reviews. But that doesn't really help out in the end, so this is going to be a very honest review.

    I like this game. I don't LOVE it. But it's not bad. If I had to rank this generation against the rest, I can say it's at    I originally posted a review giving Shield a perfect 10, mostly to offset the review bombing of angry former fanboys who haven't even played the game and believe bogus reviews. But that doesn't really help out in the end, so this is going to be a very honest review.

    I like this game. I don't LOVE it. But it's not bad. If I had to rank this generation against the rest, I can say it's at least better than every Pokemon game that isn't Heart Gold/Soul Silver, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, or Black/White/2.

    I don't really miss any of the old Pokemon, and even though I having a Living Pokedex on my copy of Ultra Sun, I don't mind not being able to bring them all over to this game. That said, I get why people are upset, but also think they're blowing it out of proportion. Anyone with half a brain would realize they couldn't just keep throwing the same 800+ Pokemon into each game forever. You call it "laziness", I call it realizing a lot of the Pokedex is useless filler.

    The story thus far (I've only gotten up to fourth gym as of this review, currently 15 hours in and I'm taking my time exploring the wild area) isn't really much to write home about, sure. But you don't REALLY play these games for story, do you? I don't. I play to catch cute creatures.

    The music is some of the best Masuda had done yet. All the battle themes just might end up being my favorites of the whole series.

    The graphics/art are much improved over the last gen, though I will always miss the sprite art.

    Overall, I'd say this game is worth your time if you're not horribly attached to old Pokemon and don't mind that a bunch of moves were cut as well. It's not bad. It's just not great either. Middle of the road, I guess.    … Expand
  90. RahmenX
    Nov 21, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. May contain very minor spoilers.

    Cons:

    -Very easy, and gym leaders have only like 3 pokemons, that are also low level. Untill lategame where they get higher level and have more pokemons. Still MEGA easy, mainly because of EXP share that you can't turn off.

    -I've played for many hours postgame and so far I've filled half my pokedex with pokemons caught in this one same area. All you have to do is run around aimlessly and wait for the right conditions for certain pokemon to spawn.

    -Dynamax pokemon fights in the Wild Area are essentially identical. No matter which pokemon you are facing you do the same thing. And you can only do so much damage before they enter a protection phase. Which then repeats once more. So it really doesn't matter how much stronger you are cuz you will hit this damage cap and trigger the break point for the protection phase anyways.

    --Using support abilities and poison moves in the Wild Area Dynamax fights are essentially pointless due to the protection phase and damage cap.

    ---High level Dynamax Fights can feel cheap. With a full NPC team it's pointless cuz they will get killed off 4 times, and thereby you lose the fight. Same thing happens if you are strong and playing with lower level players. No matter how strong YOU are, if you are the only one not getting one-shotted/not doing any damage you will most likely lose the fight because of damage cap and protection phase.

    -Graphics are kinda 3DS'y and can definitely be improved ALOT. This is not even close to the Pokemon remake.

    -Abyssmal animations compared to MY expectations. And I have low standards here. Some attacks are awesomely animated, but other times the pokemon just jumps up and down.

    -NPCs and pokemons pop in to existence only when you get real close.

    -No compelling postgame whatsoever. Nothing more entertaining to explore and everything siphoned down to running around in the hub, AKA the Wild Area.

    -No real "bad guy"? I felt like the entire plot was all around people misunderstanding eachother and they all actually wanted the best for everyone.

    -Doing stuff with other random players is MEGA ANNOYING. You have to through a list of people wanting to trade or fight, BUT if they have cancelled/finished their request their announcement is STILL THERE and when you click it you get an error message. This happens ALOT cuz there is no "UPDATE LIST" BUTTON. It happens automatically when certain conditions are met. (Restarting game / finish a dynamax fight with other players etc). My god, man, come on Game Freak.

    Pros:

    +It was quite enjoyable to play through the game. Even though you got interrupted every 5seconds of walking through it cuz some story event or npc wanted to interact with you.

    +Not too many tutorials, you could skip alot by choosing you already knew the thing.

    +The Wild Area made it possible to get your pokemon team set up really early.

    +Plenty of accessible TMs and TR's(one-time use TM's) to choose from so you could hook your pokemons up while playing through the story.

    +Each gym had, in addition to the fighting, different tasks to complete. They where really fun.

    +You could see pokemons walking around. But you didn't get one following you, nor being able to mount one, like in the Pokemon remake.

    To reach this conclusion I spent about 50hrs in the game.    … Expand
  91. 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.
  92. 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
  93. Comradely
    May 14, 2020
    6
    I think a lot of the criticisms are harsh. I don't *really* think it's any easier than the older games. The Pokemon series has always had a problem with difficulty. I don't think the map is any smaller or lacking in 'exploration', I think the simplicity of the route design and the camera (in caverns and caves) is just deceptive and makes you feel like a path is more linear and lessI think a lot of the criticisms are harsh. I don't *really* think it's any easier than the older games. The Pokemon series has always had a problem with difficulty. I don't think the map is any smaller or lacking in 'exploration', I think the simplicity of the route design and the camera (in caverns and caves) is just deceptive and makes you feel like a path is more linear and less convoluted than the caves and routes in the previous games. And I don't think the designs of the new Pokemon are the worst we've ever seen.

    However, the lack of story is there and very disappointing. Pokemon games have never had strong stories or narratives, but the way that your engagement of the mythos with the region is constantly usurped by supporting characters and you're told to (and restricted to) focus on the next gym challenge is such a weird and bad decision...    … Expand
  94. jimmercise
    Nov 21, 2019
    6
    Extremely mediocre game. It starts well but quickly becomes tedious. The end is a real drag with no elite 4. It's just the same dudes you've already thrashed with crappy teams, plus one actual champion fight at the end.

    zzzzz.
  95. MrCrowley
    Nov 22, 2019
    6
    While it doesn't deserve the hate it's gotten, this Pokemon installment is somehow both satisfying and disappointing at the same time. On one hand, we have some interesting new Pokemon designs, fun Gigantamax raids, very refreshing gym mechanics, and a fairly beautiful region. On the other hand, we have lazy Pokemon designs, dated and rushed graphics, an extremely simplistic storyline thatWhile it doesn't deserve the hate it's gotten, this Pokemon installment is somehow both satisfying and disappointing at the same time. On one hand, we have some interesting new Pokemon designs, fun Gigantamax raids, very refreshing gym mechanics, and a fairly beautiful region. On the other hand, we have lazy Pokemon designs, dated and rushed graphics, an extremely simplistic storyline that even a child could predict, and a Dynamax mechanic during some battles that barely does anything in my opinion. Therefore, while I had fun playing it, I would only recommend this installment to true fans of the franchise that can look past all of the issues.… Expand
  96. JadedSince91
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    I was very conflicted about the new Pokemon game and while it didn't completely win me over, I also didn't let the hate cloud my judgement about this new installment. Is it the best Pokemon yet? Far from it. Is it enjoyable fun? Definitely!

    Let's start with the negatives. The characters in this game (mainly Hop, Leon, Sonia) are extremely annoying. Hop never shuts up about how great    I was very conflicted about the new Pokemon game and while it didn't completely win me over, I also didn't let the hate cloud my judgement about this new installment. Is it the best Pokemon yet? Far from it. Is it enjoyable fun? Definitely!

    Let's start with the negatives. The characters in this game (mainly Hop, Leon, Sonia) are extremely annoying. Hop never shuts up about how great this adventure is and how he will be the next champion while he is a pathetic opponent. He is Hau 2 basically. His brother, Leon, is presented as the unbeatable champion of the region and the "all around" cool guy, but he is just a lame guy with a terrible fashion style. Sonia is just stopping you to share irrelevant information all the time. They are just annoying.

    The animations are sometimes really basic. There are a few flashed our moves (mostly the recently added or new moves), but the older ones (like Double Kick) are just sad to look at. The graphics are alright in my opinion, but this is largely due to the better camera movement in cutscenes and battles. What is a huge negative for me is the battle backgrounds. I encountered several indoor fights where the background was just a generic grey area (like another dimension) which is truly pathetic from Gamefreak. They clearly rushed the product for the Christmas season.

    I read many people complain about the difficulty, but I think it is fine. I played with "set" ruleset and didn't grind my team and some of the fights were challenging without using items - although never lost a single battle in the end. It is important to remember this game is for everyone so if you are 14+ and want a challenge then don't grind, use set rule, don't use items, and change your team frequently. You can also do Mono type challenges, whatever. I had some really tense moments and I'm 28 and played all Pokemon games in the past.

    Ultimately I had fun so far playing the game. The new Pokemon are fun, the world is interesting and the gym challenges are a welcome change (especially the Fire challenge, that was quite fun). Obviously the game could have been much much better if the development was not rushed, but people giving 1s and 2s to the game? Come on!    … Expand
  97. Herowill
    Nov 18, 2019
    6
    Gentlemen, you have talked a lot about the game. Your rating should not be 3.3 how it is valued in metacritical, however, the game should not cost $ 60 either.

    In my opinion, I give it a 6.8, Gamefreak should check and fans who defend the indefensible too, as well as those who are not obedient to it (hate). The franchise is not on the right track, Pokémon played from Red and Blue and it    Gentlemen, you have talked a lot about the game. Your rating should not be 3.3 how it is valued in metacritical, however, the game should not cost $ 60 either.

    In my opinion, I give it a 6.8, Gamefreak should check and fans who defend the indefensible too, as well as those who are not obedient to it (hate). The franchise is not on the right track, Pokémon played from Red and Blue and it is worth it.

    The comparison is made taking into account the console where it runs and this game does not take even 60% of the benefits of Nintendo Switch. You just have to see Zelda.    … Expand
  98. GrungeHamster
    Feb 16, 2020
    6
    The game does scratch the itch for capturing and battling fun, colorful monsters. However the game feels lackluster in a number of departments.

    The game admittedly does get some things right, things such as accessing all monsters from anywhere in the game world except for battles. Creating battle ready teams is easier than ever. Though some changes are a little strange. The Escape Rope,    The game does scratch the itch for capturing and battling fun, colorful monsters. However the game feels lackluster in a number of departments.

    The game admittedly does get some things right, things such as accessing all monsters from anywhere in the game world except for battles. Creating battle ready teams is easier than ever. Though some changes are a little strange. The Escape Rope, a dungeon escaping item is no longer limited to being a purchase item and has unlimited uses. This would normally be a good thing, however there are no dungeons in the game and no puzzles.

    This leads to the next issue that the game is fairly hand-holdy. You can explore the 'Wild Area' which allows for real defeat and failure. Outside of this however the game feels and plays like a theme park.

    The story isn't very engaging, while this may not be the primary reason one plays these games it needs to be said that the game doesn't seem to have a clear idea of what it wants the player to focus on. Without any spoilers, the game wants you to focus on your journey through the land, all while hinting at some corporate issue go on in the background. Characters will tell you to pay it no mind, then 20 minutes later interrupt your adventure to have you pay attention to the very thing they just told you to ignore.

    Finally, graphics are fairly off here. The game feels and looks like it was mashed together by several different teams and studios, and we see that is the case in the end credits. Some visuals are very clean and clear, while others are muddy, bland and polygon-like. The final icing on the cake is the fact that you can literally see a mouse cursor in the end credits as the editor was working on their computer to edit the sequence.

    It's an okay and playable game, but it is not out of this world. If you want more of the same or are a returning fan, you will likely enjoy it. If you were hoping for something to blow your mind, look elsewhere.    … Expand
  99. 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
  100. Zoomzeta
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    While I don't believe there is anything wrong with the game, I do feel it is rather in several areas given how far RPGs have gone prior to Gamefreak making the jump to consoles. Overall, I have hope this merely the first step for something better.
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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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