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. Sakoondomla
    Nov 26, 2019
    2
    A total let down. I had such high hopes for this game and I bought both versions, but the 20 hours of gameplay (across both titles) and totally subpar endgame make me want to cry.

    When are we going to het a truly open world immersive pokemon game on the level with BoTW? I desperately want to be wandering through open world forest in an expansive setting seeking my prized caterpie using my    A total let down. I had such high hopes for this game and I bought both versions, but the 20 hours of gameplay (across both titles) and totally subpar endgame make me want to cry.

    When are we going to het a truly open world immersive pokemon game on the level with BoTW? I desperately want to be wandering through open world forest in an expansive setting seeking my prized caterpie using my pokeball plus to rain pokeballs down on creatures.    … Expand
  2. Theaquagroup
    Nov 27, 2019
    2
    Fun for the first few hours, but in all reality the main story can take you between 20 and 60 hours. I went with the 60 hours, except that was also pretty much finishing the living pokedex for the region. I got to the point where it was kinda pointless not to finish the game. The post game (if you can call it that) takes between 200 minutes and 2 hours. Honestly this game kinda reaches itsFun for the first few hours, but in all reality the main story can take you between 20 and 60 hours. I went with the 60 hours, except that was also pretty much finishing the living pokedex for the region. I got to the point where it was kinda pointless not to finish the game. The post game (if you can call it that) takes between 200 minutes and 2 hours. Honestly this game kinda reaches its limit when you hunt down the gigantamax Charizard, catch it in a luxury ball with Hidden ability. Everyone says there's more to do, except within 100 hours, you can have 100% done.… Expand
  3. BachelorMusty
    Nov 28, 2019
    2
    This game is in my opinion the worst game in the series. I have played casual and competitive for the last few years (since Gen4) and I never saw such a poor Pokemon game! I will break down my review in two parts for casual and competitive players:
    -----------------------------
    Casual: Lets start with the graphics. Its well known that they reused older models from the 3DS and some were    This game is in my opinion the worst game in the series. I have played casual and competitive for the last few years (since Gen4) and I never saw such a poor Pokemon game! I will break down my review in two parts for casual and competitive players:
    -----------------------------
    Casual:
    Lets start with the graphics. Its well known that they reused older models from the 3DS and some were just slightly altert. Still they say they had to redo everything ... a poor excuse too cut content from the game. The design of new Pokemon is a mixed bag. You got some really solid designs but on the other hand there are some really bad ones and some of them are just altert versions of older pokemon. Animations have been recycled as well. NPCs animation are the same as in USUM (of course not all of them) and Pokemon have a limited pool of animation when attacking or getting hit. Dynamax looks weird and is causing some weird visual glitches.

    The story isn´t great either. Pokemon never had that great of a story, but this game just tops it all. I don´t remember anything special about it ... The rival(s?) has been the same for a few games now, there is now real bad guy in this game and the post game is content that would have fit in the main story. Since there is no bad guy the danger of the game is gone and you basically just have too do all the gyms and become champ. There is one part in the story were they try to implement a bad guy but he doesn´t do anything special.

    The Gameplay has been downgraded as well. The exp-share is constantly active, you level way too fast and NPCs don´t understand how Pokemon work. Gone are the days of Megas and Z-Moves!
    Dynamaxing becomes such a must, that the entirety of the game revolves around that mechanic. The first time it is fun, but after watching the same animation for 10 times you get bored of it very quickly. The concept is boring and a weak combination of Megas and Z-Moves.

    Now to the part i was disappointed by the most: The Wild Area. This area is so poorly made it hurts. It looks bland, no details and it feels empty. Sure it made catching good Pokemon easier, but I can´t shake off the feeling that this could have been just another route. Every other place/route in the game looks more gorgeous and detailed than the wild area. The area is also very small. You can walk though it in the blink of an eye.

    Something equally as bad are the new dens/raids. They made catching Pokemon easy as hell. The easy way to get Pokemon with hidden abilities, Pokemon with near perfect stats and evolved forms. This makes certain parts of the game less important: Breeding, trading and training. Why do all of these when you can just catch the Pokemon you want in the wild area in a raid? If you want to catch those Pokemon you have to defeat them first ... but it is not that easy. The raid Pokemon generate shields which nullify all damage, the are Dynamaxed for the entire battle and if you don´t play online your NPC partners don´t do anything useful in the fight. If you manage to defeat them you are able to throw a ball, but good luck catching them. The higher the difficulty, the lower the chance of catching the Pokemon (even lower if it is a Gigantamax-Pokemon). The rewards are free rare candy, TR (basically the older TMs which are destroyed when used) and some stuff for cooking.

    -----------------------------
    Competitive:

    You really feel the cut of content here. Less Pokemon, no Megas or Z-Moves and a mechanic that takes over the entire way of playing the game. You are sadly forced to use Dynamax. If you do not you lost the battle because the mechanic is broken and can sweep a full team in VGC format. The meta will only contain a few Pokemon that everyone will use because the other ones won´t be viable.

    -----------------------------
    Conclusion:

    If you want a stripped down Pokemon with poor design, less Pokemon than Gen 4 and removed features that made Pokemon what it is ... then go for it. It is sad to see this games getting less and less content or mechanics being removed for the sake of getting more casual. The game plays itself on auto-pilot and the experience is NOT worth the money. I will go back to older games and play them. If you bought this game let me tell you this: Go to the store you got the game from and get your money back or trade it for a Pokemon game on DS or 3DS - bettern known as the good Pokemon games. And I am not joking!

    I left out a lot of things i don´t like about the games, but i just had 5000 characters to make this review. Be aware that there is even more stuff in the game, that will ruin your experience with the game.    … Expand
  4. fiTy
    Nov 29, 2019
    2
    An RPG game with competitive online system with more exploits than its 20+ years ago predecessors.
  5. AlfonseK
    Dec 4, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok so first off it's a ds version on a switch second the whole game was lazy
    The starters are boring types and after having all the creative dragon types.Wasnt worth an extra cost    … Expand
  6. tenebrarum91
    Dec 7, 2019
    2
    This game makes me sad: Popping in characters, low resolution textures, embarissing animations.
    There is no remarkable character, a stupid loser rival, the gameplay is stucked in the 2000s and there is no real innovation at all. This game was so boring, that even my wife, who never says something about my video games, commented, that this game looks "dumb and boring".
    Bringing Pokémon    This game makes me sad: Popping in characters, low resolution textures, embarissing animations.
    There is no remarkable character, a stupid loser rival, the gameplay is stucked in the 2000s and there is no real innovation at all. This game was so boring, that even my wife, who never says something about my video games, commented, that this game looks "dumb and boring".

    Bringing Pokémon to the Switch could have been the opportunity to finally innovate in a big scope, but Gamefreak fricked it up. Unbelievable. Sorry Pokémon. That's it for me.    … Expand
  7. Silaf
    Dec 14, 2019
    2
    This game was made in really little time cutting the corners. To me it kind of fell soulless even tough it has his own good points like the characters and new pokemon designs (stonejourner is an exception).
    Online services, grafic and animations are unacceptable.
    The missing pokemons in the pokedex could have been easily added by hiring new programmers for the job. Fake buildings with    This game was made in really little time cutting the corners. To me it kind of fell soulless even tough it has his own good points like the characters and new pokemon designs (stonejourner is an exception).
    Online services, grafic and animations are unacceptable.
    The missing pokemons in the pokedex could have been easily added by hiring new programmers for the job.
    Fake buildings with no doors and linear corridor like cities and routes (wrose than other pokemon games).
    Oh and it's super short.    … Expand
  8. nochianand
    Jun 12, 2020
    2
    This game is so boring. It does nothing new at all and the graphics look like ****
  9. YuckZane
    Jan 17, 2020
    2
    I wanted to like this game very much. But I just couldn’t. Pokémon Sword and Shield felt completely uninspired, uncreative, and I felt no drive to keep on playing through it (But I did anyway).

    Pros: * Setting * Very cute and cool new Pokémon * Music for most of it (there were some repetitive songs that got really annoying like in the wild area) * Wild area * Playing with the toy    I wanted to like this game very much. But I just couldn’t. Pokémon Sword and Shield felt completely uninspired, uncreative, and I felt no drive to keep on playing through it (But I did anyway).

    Pros:
    * Setting
    * Very cute and cool new Pokémon
    * Music for most of it (there were some repetitive songs that got really annoying like in the wild area)
    * Wild area
    * Playing with the toy and games like fetch with your Pokémon for about three minutes before it got boring
    * More variety of types available (Ice, Fairy, Dark, Ghost, Fighting)
    * More variety with the Gym leader types
    * Get ability to “fly” early and no HMs

    Cons:
    * Not a lot of depth
    * WAY TOO EASY
    * Shared exp is STILL too much
    * Story doesn’t really start kicking in until very late
    * Characters were annoying (except Bebe and Marnie)
    * Hop is an extremely boring character and his constant positivity and uncomfortable amount of worship towards his brother gets obnoxious after a while.
    * Team Yell is useless
    * Bike outfit is yuck
    * The look and art of the interface, health bars, experience points were all very lazily done
    * Charizard is no longer a Pokémon I enjoy anymore because of overstimulation
    * The first play through should not leave me in a questioning state of “what was the point of any of this?”

    While I personally think this game looks really good a lot of the time, there is a severe lack of depth and characters that players can connect to and enjoy. I think this game was lazily made and basically pushed out for profit and should’ve given it another year to maybe make a game worth playing.    … Expand
  10. Mediocur
    Jan 7, 2020
    2
    a game title which almost guaranteed million of sales number. I don't understand why they don't invest more money to improve their coding and graphic.
    in the beginning GameFreak said because there are too many pokemon have to made. so they need to make a compromise to remove some of them to guarantee the quality.
    but the fact is, most of the pokemons are the same model from the mobile    a game title which almost guaranteed million of sales number. I don't understand why they don't invest more money to improve their coding and graphic.
    in the beginning GameFreak said because there are too many pokemon have to made. so they need to make a compromise to remove some of them to guarantee the quality.
    but the fact is, most of the pokemons are the same model from the mobile pokemon game. which means they should had more time to improve other stuffs.
    THEY DIDN'T. the game is overrated.
    The background story should be very attractive, don't know how they screwed this up to tell players the story so badly.
    Pokemons animation is so so lazy, fire not even shot by my Charizard' mouth.
    The stupid competitor ( the champion's brother) is kind of forcing player to do tutorial. sometime even force you to fight against him. why can't I choose to fight him or not?
    in the 2/3 of game, everything became so rush. I don't even know what's my next challenge and is almost over.
    Everything, Everything should had make better experience for players, but it just screwed up.

    But the bgm is good though, that's why I gave 2/10.    … Expand
  11. Bojack349
    Jan 9, 2020
    2
    Unacceptable DLC price when the game is still stuttery online/doesn't really change the Pokemon formula.
  12. Oxyacetylene_
    Jan 9, 2020
    2
    Missing massive amounts of content that was available in previous entries, and costs more to boot.
  13. Xelfyy
    Jan 9, 2020
    2
    Historia pobre, personajes secundarios poco interesantes, te lo puedes llegar a pasar bien si le echas imaginación, el area silvestre está laggueadisima. Le hubiese puesto un 4, pero me entero de que van a sacar DLC'S... ENCIMA! se han cagado en la saga.
  14. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    2
    Tutorial de como estragar uma franquia super conhecida e aclamada por todos:
    Passo número 1: Chame a Nintendo!
    Parabéns!!! Você concluiu seu tutorial.
  15. notakid
    May 20, 2020
    2
    How anybody who's been a fan of the pokémon games for a long time can excuse big flaws of these games is truly beyond me. All of the criticism directed towards the developer is fully justified seeing as the complaints have to do with things that could have been implemented in such a way to increase everyone's satisfaction with the games.

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

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

    There are many more reasons as to why users dislike these games, just have look at the reviews, but one thing is for certain: Game Freak is a lazy developer who is not to be trusted, considering all the lies that have been spouted.    … Expand
  16. LesterYida
    Jun 25, 2020
    2
    Worst gen ever. Compared with other games on Switch, the graphic Sword & Shield is not good tbh. But let's forget that, Pokemon is never good with the graphics. But excluding hundreds of Pokemon from the game? Making such a boring story with absolutely no innovation? Selling a DLC with such poor content (oh, that's nice. at least is not ultra sword & shield) ? Game Freak and The PokemonWorst gen ever. Compared with other games on Switch, the graphic Sword & Shield is not good tbh. But let's forget that, Pokemon is never good with the graphics. But excluding hundreds of Pokemon from the game? Making such a boring story with absolutely no innovation? Selling a DLC with such poor content (oh, that's nice. at least is not ultra sword & shield) ? Game Freak and The Pokemon Company seems very satisfied with what they have right now and have no intention to improve anything in the Gen 8. The only good thing about this gen is getting a Pokemon ready for online battle is much easier than before. Unfortunately I don't like online battle. So screw it, worst Pokemon game ever for me.… Expand
  17. Sesma007
    Jul 19, 2020
    2
    More of the same, next generation of Pokémon and we still see same combat mode no effort in the game Nintendo is just milking the franchise
  18. Niwai
    Jun 11, 2021
    2
    Нет русского языка. Игра и так не шедевр, а без русского вообще шлак. Русский язык третий в мире, но разработчику пофиг.
  19. Paragonii
    Jul 20, 2020
    2
    Tbh this game is not good. I just cant understand people who are saying that generation 8 should be the best. It just steps back. If you still want to go through this game, expect like 25 hours, which is definitely the shortest Pokemon game, less content, a story that is non-existent and a rushed game in general. But that is not enough, they destroyed Competitive Play with thatTbh this game is not good. I just cant understand people who are saying that generation 8 should be the best. It just steps back. If you still want to go through this game, expect like 25 hours, which is definitely the shortest Pokemon game, less content, a story that is non-existent and a rushed game in general. But that is not enough, they destroyed Competitive Play with that 20-minutes-timer. The new feature the wild area is not really good, its like an excuse for doing less routes because you have to go through it many times instead of going on a new route and your wont be able to see new stuff there. Playing online while being in the wild area is a pretty bad idea, players gonna teleport around and the performance will be even more bad. The bad graphics is a point you can really see in the wild area, nothing looks really impressive plus things and NPCs are just appearing right in front of you. The only good thing about this game is probably the design of the characters which looks pretty decent. So should you play it? No. Should you play it if you are a big fan of Pokemon? No. And now, they want more money for more Pokemon in the DLC, I cant say how good or bad the newest DLC is, but one thing Im sure about is that Im not gonna waste any more money on Pokemon.
    Title: Worst Pokemon main game.    … Expand
  20. Saintadi
    Jul 10, 2020
    2
    Boring, nothing new, a bad game is a bad game. It feels like a 3ds game.
    Spend your money else where
  21. Sibree
    Jul 24, 2020
    2
    most pokemon missing, what pokemon there are in this game are the more boring ones. It's basically the same as all the other pokemon games but with a changed gym battle system and gimmicky dynonaxing (nowhere as cool as mega evolutions in some of the more recent games former games) You can change your players appearance slightly (not many options)
  22. frdifrna
    Aug 8, 2020
    2
    A very shallow pokemon experience, with a story and lore where everything happens under the player's nose, and cities that, no matter how big a populous, you only have access to a few houses, besides the extremely short routes. All this for a very badly executed open world that is the Wild Area, where it relies mostly of the online services that are very primitive in Y-Comm. InterestingA very shallow pokemon experience, with a story and lore where everything happens under the player's nose, and cities that, no matter how big a populous, you only have access to a few houses, besides the extremely short routes. All this for a very badly executed open world that is the Wild Area, where it relies mostly of the online services that are very primitive in Y-Comm. Interesting characters but extremely bad exploited in the game itself. It simply could be a better game with the developers weren't so greedy.… Expand
  23. Kung_Kjartan
    Aug 14, 2020
    2
    Ugly graphics (TPC should be ashamed of themselves for that), bad story, weak gameplay and a way too easy game. Definitely the worst RPG of this generation. That's a shame, Pokemon has so much more potential but there isn't passion and boldness anymore.
  24. Puma10
    Sep 26, 2020
    2
    Es un juego incompleto, mal programado y demasiado lineal, se hecha de menos los juegos hechos de la primera a la 5ta gen, donde se superaban cada juego, ahora se nota que hacen juegos por hacer
  25. xchrmoney
    Oct 5, 2020
    2
    Rapido e incompleto. post-game absurdo. Y online pesimo
    Cuando me lo compre tenia mucho hype y disfrute las primeras 20 h pero cuando me pase el juego no había otra cosa que hacer ni estaba la pokedex completa ni habia un online bueno como el online de juegos anteriores. Kenebfujsnjeifisjenoeuyfnfrk dibfrn ixbrnek k la is a good 7 for all the use of the web and the website itself is not    Rapido e incompleto. post-game absurdo. Y online pesimo
    Cuando me lo compre tenia mucho hype y disfrute las primeras 20 h pero cuando me pase el juego no había otra cosa que hacer ni estaba la pokedex completa ni habia un online bueno como el online de juegos anteriores. Kenebfujsnjeifisjenoeuyfnfrk dibfrn ixbrnek k la is a good 7 for all the use of the web and the website itself is not the same as the one who has the most excellent quality and quality and you can buy a new one 4 a great price and a great idea of how many you will need for the new year with a price for of your two products to make sure you your best product and for the selling of product and is the a leading supplier to for sale your business product in order with the highest quality and affordable quality of product for your home customers or with other any products that are available for purchase and sell or products to or from any from the manufacturer or from any other any manufacturer of products or services that are available in the following categories or by the seller or by the seller or by the manufacturer or manufacturer supplier of to provide information on the    … Expand
  26. CurriMan
    Jan 4, 2021
    2
    My expectations were really low, and it still dissapointed me.

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

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

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

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

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

    In a nutshell: SW/SH are really underwhelming pokemon games and even with their DLCs and punchrasable content, they don't mach any spectations and come out as lame and unidimensional.    … Expand
  27. jar6
    Feb 18, 2021
    2
    Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst in the franchise's history. The potential that a Pokemon game on the Switch has is incredible. This could have been one of the greatest games of all time. Period, full stop.

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

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

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

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

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

    In summation, Pokemon Shield (and Sword) are easily the worst games in the franchise. I credit this label to numerous parts of the game that are either low quality or obstruct good parts of the game (the general Pokemon game formula). This game is not worth buying. Please, value your voice as a consumer and don't encourage lazy, greedy behavior in the gaming companies which are supposed to cater to YOU. I understand that companies are greedy by nature and will cut corners if possible, but you are able to hold them accountable with your dollar. So, PLEASE, do not purchase either game in this installment in the franchise. You are better off playing a fanmade rom hack (this is not to insult these games, they are sometimes better than most of the mainline games) and have an exponentially greater amount of enjoyment. Thank you, do not buy these games, be well.    … Expand
  28. Kennanady
    Mar 6, 2021
    2
    I was very excited for this game when it came out being an avid Pokemon fan, but boy was it a huge disappointment. I’d like to address its flaws:
    The online is horrible. Nintendo online has never been great, but this takes it to a whole other level. While in the Wild Area and connected to the Y-Comm, the game’s frequent lag-spikes and FPS drops to at times 5 FPS can be truly unbearable.    I was very excited for this game when it came out being an avid Pokemon fan, but boy was it a huge disappointment. I’d like to address its flaws:
    The online is horrible. Nintendo online has never been great, but this takes it to a whole other level. While in the Wild Area and connected to the Y-Comm, the game’s frequent lag-spikes and FPS drops to at times 5 FPS can be truly unbearable. They managed to downgrade true online system that the 3DS had already well-established. The graphics are nothing short of lazy. The tree textures look fresh out of a PS2 game, not to mention the same poor Pokemon move animations that haven’t changed since essentially the original with Pokemon not even getting up close. How is a Pokemon using scratch going to show me a poorly animated claw effect that my Pokemon just summons that doesn’t even go near the opposing Pokemon?
    These are only a few of this games several horrific flaws—completely skipping over the story (with writing that truly does show how much of a rushed project this was, the post game is probably the worst wrote thing I have ever seen in a game), the limited amount of content in the base game and more. The only well-done original thing I can see from this game is Pokemon camp. This is where you can tell the animators had more time to give your Pokemon character and life rather than the soulless beings they are everywhere else. The cooking I also found to be quite fun and just watching your Pokemon interact with each other each with actual personality was definitely my favourite part. The game also has the huge national dex problem which was sought to be fixed by a poor and sloppy dlc that I won’t be talking about. Overall, very lacklustre and there are so many games out there on the switch that are just better. This was the game that truly told me to wake up and stop buying Pokemon, the franchise is running itself into the ground.    … Expand
  29. eljajas
    Jan 30, 2022
    2
    El peor juego de toda la saga, excesivamente facil, muy lineal, no hay nada interesante en todo el mapa, y el area silvestre pese a estar muy bonita es aburrida y no hay nada mas alla de pokemon(poca variedad) arboles, y mierdas para incursiones . No le doy un cero por que el apartado grafico me parece bonito y el diseño artistico de escenarios es muy bueno tambien
  30. Patedus
    Mar 15, 2022
    2
    An absolutely pathetic game to add to a franchise with so much potential. Extremely disappointing.
  31. UltanCombo
    Feb 8, 2022
    2
    I feel so burned by this. Ive been a fan of this series since the beginning and this is a poorly put together and offers little new. Its your basic pokemon game set in a 3D space but takes no advantage of the 3D space. You have a fixed camera for most of the game. Why?

    I have a list of issues with this game and the pokedex doesn't crack the top 10. If your new to the series I'm unsure    I feel so burned by this. Ive been a fan of this series since the beginning and this is a poorly put together and offers little new. Its your basic pokemon game set in a 3D space but takes no advantage of the 3D space. You have a fixed camera for most of the game. Why?

    I have a list of issues with this game and the pokedex doesn't crack the top 10. If your new to the series I'm unsure if this will interest you. It feels like a low budget indie title but its made by a huge company who makes huge money from this series. This is a bizarre game.

    If I'm to be objective this is maybe a FOUR or a FIVE by I'm emotional so TWO. Don't bother with this.    … Expand
  32. Latios___
    Nov 18, 2021
    2
    So unfortunate to see a dexcut, hand holding, lack of interesting plot and introduction of Dynamax, a worse gimmick than Mega evolution. Overall subpar compared to all other Poke-titles.
  33. That0sy
    Sep 24, 2022
    2
    Pokemon sheild is wanna of the worst game I've ever played, First of all, the graphics is dog **** and this was made by Nintendo and game freak and they made games with beautiful graphics are amazing like Mario kart and legend of zelda and sometimes the graphics can look beautiful and what did pokemon sheild nothing like look at the trees they already have good trees like how game freak.Pokemon sheild is wanna of the worst game I've ever played, First of all, the graphics is dog **** and this was made by Nintendo and game freak and they made games with beautiful graphics are amazing like Mario kart and legend of zelda and sometimes the graphics can look beautiful and what did pokemon sheild nothing like look at the trees they already have good trees like how game freak. Now the story oh my god the story is so boring and bland I don't even know what the story is **** The animation omg the animation is dog **** **** pokemon is the biggest RPG franchise their net worth is 90 billion and they can't make good animation and they **** reused the animation.
    Ok, now gameplay.....its dog **** it's so easy just click the super effective one, and done it's so easy it's boring and the models of pokemon have the same models.
    and that's my review the game is dog ****    … Expand
  34. La_langosta
    Jul 2, 2022
    2
    He estado con Pokémon desde el principio y encuentro que este juego es la razón perfecta para abandonar la franquicia. Pensemos en esta franquicia como esa vaca famélica a la que nadie se atreve a carnear porque aún produce leche, Pokémon es así, no importan las malas críticas (muchas vienen de los fans más acérrimos a la saga), lo gastado de sus dos mecánicas ni del patético rumbo queHe estado con Pokémon desde el principio y encuentro que este juego es la razón perfecta para abandonar la franquicia. Pensemos en esta franquicia como esa vaca famélica a la que nadie se atreve a carnear porque aún produce leche, Pokémon es así, no importan las malas críticas (muchas vienen de los fans más acérrimos a la saga), lo gastado de sus dos mecánicas ni del patético rumbo que tomaron desde X & Y, nada de eso importa. Gamefreak está aquí para ganar dinero de la forma más sucia y perversa posible, vendiéndote un juego con gráficos de PS2, diseño de un juego de Gameboy y con la narrativa más estúpida que me haya echada a la cara desde el arco de la boda de Batman y Catwoman. Pokémon dejó de significar aventuras entrañables con tu mascota ficticia favorita para convertirse en una trituradora de sueños y esperanzas que produce dinero, dinero de fanáticos enfermos y recalcitrantes que se niegan a madurar y aceptar que Pokémon a estas alturas es basura. Diría que lo mejor que podemos hacer es dejar de comprar estas porquerías jugables pero ¿Para qué? si habrán hordas de pokétarados ahí afuera dispuestos a comprar hasta dos veces el mismo maldito juego. Pokémon está muerto, y Gamefreak lo ha matado. Le doy dos puntos porque el campamento pokémon está bonito y lo del curry la currydex se me hace original.… Expand
  35. Bozzy943
    Nov 20, 2022
    2
    Stop giving Game Freak your money. Quality is just as important as gameplay.
  36. Skyblue93
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Let me just get this outta way first, I’m a massive Pokémon fan. I’ve never been more disappointed. Gamefreak not only betrayed fans but outright lied to consumers. The games still have the same problems plaguing the franchise ever since gen 6.

    The story is bad, the writing is bad, the characters are bad, the pacing is bad. The main villains and evil team keep progressingly getting more    Let me just get this outta way first, I’m a massive Pokémon fan. I’ve never been more disappointed. Gamefreak not only betrayed fans but outright lied to consumers. The games still have the same problems plaguing the franchise ever since gen 6.

    The story is bad, the writing is bad, the characters are bad, the pacing is bad. The main villains and evil team keep progressingly getting more embarrassing each generations. The game keeps getting easier easier easier literally brain dead play through.

    On top of charging more for these games, they cut content. I don’t even need to write it down. I’m sure anyone who bothered to read the reviews of these games know what I’m talking about.

    To all the people who keep supporting Gamefreak...why? Why? WHY?    … Expand
  37. QuarterLife
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Imagine making ~40% of a game, and then charging ~120% for it. That's Pokemon right now. This game is rushed, buggy, and overall an insult to anyone that has enjoyed the series before. You might consider it if it's your first Pokemon game, but if you have others in your library just keep playing them -- they're better.
  38. Joseph28
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Easy 1/10. There are great ideas here like the wild area and the game is fun but no more so than older games. What that leaves us left to evaluate is content, and it is here that the game suffers horribly. Less than half of the old roster and environments that amount to long hallways can kill the enjoyment when you realise theres little to do when the games over.
  39. kujaligula
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Este Pokémon deja mucho que desear , su duración va de 15 a 18 horas , es algo ridículo , los gráficos son básicamente del Nintendo 3ds , deberían aprender de Luigui mansión 3 El recorte de Pokémon es ridículos , muy pocos Pokémon
    Que sucede con los glitches y falla de texturas? Deberían haber esperado y pulir este juego , no está a la altura de la saga Pokémon.
  40. TomasLacerda
    Jul 26, 2020
    1
    I love Pokemon universe, I played the red, ultra sun, h2, emerald, masterpieces! But this one, my god don't buy this one. It's insultingly easy, I tried doing a run without leveling up pokemons just fighting in gym battles and still I managed to finish the game.
    It's also really uncreative, the characters are annoying, the villains are plain pathetic, honestly, such a shame that a game    I love Pokemon universe, I played the red, ultra sun, h2, emerald, masterpieces! But this one, my god don't buy this one. It's insultingly easy, I tried doing a run without leveling up pokemons just fighting in gym battles and still I managed to finish the game.
    It's also really uncreative, the characters are annoying, the villains are plain pathetic, honestly, such a shame that a game with this potential in the Switch is murdered like this. Don't waste your money on this. Even the story is really dumb.    … Expand
  41. Irarius
    Feb 14, 2020
    1
    ok so it took me a month to actually rly rly get through this game because it was just so boring.
    i originally gave it a 4.5
    but i have to go down. this game is miserable. the story sucks ass, like you cant even understand how bad, **** just happens for no reason... the graphics are ps2, like jesus christ you will notice it. the wild area feels good for like an hour AT MAX 2-3    ok so it took me a month to actually rly rly get through this game because it was just so boring.
    i originally gave it a 4.5
    but i have to go down. this game is miserable.
    the story sucks ass, like you cant even understand how bad, **** just happens for no reason...
    the graphics are ps2, like jesus christ you will notice it.
    the wild area feels good for like an hour AT MAX 2-3 bland, empty, nothing to do.
    npcs in raids are actually retarded. you get magicarps and wobblefet into ur team. and that is rly rly bad. the pool of mons is rly small too...
    the wil area pop in kills the idea of it. you dont see mons exept u are in front of them 2 meters away,    … Expand
  42. themangoose
    Dec 21, 2019
    1
    Game lags constantly, worse in wild area, really worse when connected to internet
    No GTS
    Limited Pokedex No Pokebank access Max Raid System bugged, locked raids, doesn't reload in a timely manner, show raids that are instantly backed out of if it shows anything at all. 90% of the main story is carried out by NPC asd you just hear about it and are told to not worry about it since    Game lags constantly, worse in wild area, really worse when connected to internet
    No GTS
    Limited Pokedex
    No Pokebank access
    Max Raid System bugged, locked raids, doesn't reload in a timely manner, show raids that are instantly backed out of if it shows anything at all.
    90% of the main story is carried out by NPC asd you just hear about it and are told to not worry about it since you've got the gyms to focus on. How absolutely disappointing.
    Bicycle controls are somewhat more realistic, but reaslitic doesn't always translate to most fun in a game.
    Too many overworld Pokemon spawns, many that run at you at max speeds making it nearly impossible to search the grass for rare spawns that DO NOT spawn in the overworld. It's not a fun mechanic in this way. It should have been all overworld or none, not both.
    All but 2 pokemon in the butchered Pokedex are easily found and caught. Resulting in a very short endgame with no real reason to keep playing. If I'm done with it in a week playing a couple hours a night then it's not worth sixty bucks. You're just buying a name, not content.
    Most importantly #GameFreakLied    … Expand
  43. smw66466
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    Horrendously ugly games. Pokemon XD and Colosseum are more graphically impressive and they're both over a decade old. What's even more amazing is that these games are coming from one of the most profitable IPs in the world. Nintendo and Gamefreak are truly taking advantage of the loyalty of their fans.
  44. IkeEllis
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Not as good as earlier games. Story is flat and uninspired. They could have made breath of the wild style pokemon. Instead they made garbage.
  45. DoublePesto
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied
  46. Haydinho
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The more I play this the more I realize this is a shameless cash grab. Don’t trust the reviews of delusional pokefans, this game was rushed to market and gamefreak has simply done the minimal amount of effort required to call this a Pokémon RPG. Skip this game if you haven’t already bought it, and if you have, return it if you can.
  47. jacksondawg25
    Jan 31, 2020
    1
    Yes, the following is the same as my sword review. They are the same goddamn game.

    Game Freak has gotten either incredibly lazy or incredibly cheap. There's no other way to put it. They spared as many expenses as possible while making this game. They left out a bunch of Pokemon from previous games. The story mode is shorter than any previous game in the series. There is less post-game    Yes, the following is the same as my sword review. They are the same goddamn game.

    Game Freak has gotten either incredibly lazy or incredibly cheap. There's no other way to put it. They spared as many expenses as possible while making this game. They left out a bunch of Pokemon from previous games. The story mode is shorter than any previous game in the series. There is less post-game content than any previous game in the series. The animation quality is the worst it's ever been. The GTS has been removed. And the reason for all these problems? Laziness and/or greediness. Game Freak put minimal effort and resources into the making of this game and it shows. The worst part is that not only did this game disappoint me, it also got me thinking critically to the point that I realized that ever since Pokemon Black and White, this series has become just... lesser in every category. In addition to the problems listed above, anyone could look at the actual plot of recent games and see that the stories are becoming less inspired and overall more boring. Rivals seem like regular trainers that don't matter anymore, villains don't seem to be worth any concern at all, there is nothing motivating the player aside from the same old gym challenge plot. The soundtracks have also begun sounding more generic over time. Save for one or two decent songs per game, nothing has measured up to the fantastic soundtrack Black and White had.

    To add insult to injury, Game Freak's response to all this criticism was horrible. They didn't update the game to add Pokemon or fix animations, or return the GTS, or add post-game content. They did however decide to add PAID DLC. Their solution to a game almost void of content was to add some, but make players pay 30 more dollars (more for me because I'm Canadian) to turn an unfinished game into what might be a full game.

    In conclusion, don't get this game. Don't get the DLC, and don't buying anything to do with Game Freak until they get their **** together.    … Expand
  48. Tmato
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Game look well But i miss some kind of graphics improvements. Graphics suck to be a game of 2019. More things... Online subcription to trade pokemons, 0/10 trade should be FREE ALWAYS, like balloons were free in Mario Odyssey. Not national dex too.
    New mecanics are great But all this send game to 1/10
  49. pokeanon
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    With this entry the developers behind Pokémon go deeper in a trend they should have stopped years ago: story modes that are insultingly easy, insultingly short and filled with forced cutscenes and handholding. That reason alone is enough to guarantee a red rating: The games are simply not very fun; they are less of a game and more of a showcase of the new Pokémon and new characters thatWith this entry the developers behind Pokémon go deeper in a trend they should have stopped years ago: story modes that are insultingly easy, insultingly short and filled with forced cutscenes and handholding. That reason alone is enough to guarantee a red rating: The games are simply not very fun; they are less of a game and more of a showcase of the new Pokémon and new characters that will drive TPC's merchandise lineup for the rest of the generation. That is bad, but they reached new unexpected lows with the deletion of more than half the monsters and the mediocre artistic direction. Variety of monsters was the strong point of the series, a game about collecting and training your favorites. With this loss Pokémon drops its strong point and is mostly a list of bad or questionable elements. It does not help that it has pops-in everywhere, bad animations (some of them really glaring for a 2019 game, and even worse when they were the given excuse for the deletion of the monsters), a region with few routes (less than ever before, including corridors) and no dungeons at all. Good points are the intention of an open world adventure with Wild Area and the improved breeding mechanics. Those are the reasons why I did not give this a zero.… Expand
  50. Quickness
    Dec 17, 2019
    1
    As a long time pokemon fan I'm disappointed in the amount of effort they put in this game 0!
  51. Lttrev
    Nov 24, 2019
    1
    Played and finished game with around 200 pokemon caught out of the 400. By far worst Pokemon game in the main series. Seemed rushed and expected more from a handheld to console leap.
  52. Revoltado
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6 - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas - Pior liga de todas as    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais
    - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6
    - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções
    - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy
    - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer
    - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas
    - Pior liga de todas as gerações, e como resto do jogo também utiliza reaproveitação
    - Cooking system (gosto pessoal, odeio essa mecânica em todos os jogos)
    - Sem legenda pt-br
    - Preço alto pelo baixo conteúdo
    Estranho as revisões de sites "especializados", pois o jogo parece ser produzido para jogadores novos, minimizando os custos e priorizando os ganhos reaproveitando e cortando conteúdos    … Expand
  53. carreracarrera
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Le pongo un 1por que el juego no inova en nada...graficamente nos quieren dar el mismo atole con el dedo como si de have dos generaciones se tratara. Los personajes en pelea ni tienen movimientos acordes a nuestro tiempo y las batallas siguen igual de dodas
  54. VultureMovie
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Creatively and morally bankrupt.
    For some reason the game has less features than a previous title that cost 20 dollars less.
  55. mrfrank79
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    a pesar de reciclar todo el contenido de 3ds, utilizar la misma bases de Lets Go, y tener un desarrollo de 3 años el resultado es la mediocridad en estado puro
  56. 360barrier
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Awful graphics, awful controls, awful camera and bad theme. This is a pretty mediocre release in every way. Graphics are like welcome to five years ago. Were they blindfolded when making the camera? Main character is boring. Hopefully this is the last game in the series.
  57. Gelider
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Un juego q aburre desde el minuto 1... faltan pokemon , errores gráficos graves ( parece un juego de ps2 y no de esta generación ) animaciones recicladas , juego muy monótono . No veo la innovación por ninguna parte, solo en los pokemon grandes, q a mi parecer son un coñazo
  58. Lobo_Nocturno
    Jan 12, 2020
    1
    A pesar de todas las críticas decidí comprar el pokemon para tener una opinión certera de este juego. Y quedé completamente decepcionado.

    - Los gráficos en algunos puntos como montañas o árboles son de nintendo 64 por decirlo mejor. La potencia de la consola no es excusa ya que The Witcher 3 hizo un juego de mundo abierto con gráficos que nunca había visto en Switch, súper detallados,    A pesar de todas las críticas decidí comprar el pokemon para tener una opinión certera de este juego. Y quedé completamente decepcionado.

    - Los gráficos en algunos puntos como montañas o árboles son de nintendo 64 por decirlo mejor. La potencia de la consola no es excusa ya que The Witcher 3 hizo un juego de mundo abierto con gráficos que nunca había visto en Switch, súper detallados, por lo que jugar con estas gráficas se siente mal para un juego AAA.

    - No se encuentran todos los pokémon. Aunque Game Freak había dicho que era por que requería mucho esfuerzo y mucho espacio para tenerlos a todos programados, cosa que les creímos, resulta que anunciaron una expansion donde van a colocar 200 pokemon más, otra vez, mintieron al poner de pretexto la capacidad del juego para que al final se una estrategia de venta.

    - Es el juego de pokemon más corto y es increíblemente fácil, no representa ningún reto ni te motivan para la crianza. Además de que la historia es inexistente, de verdad no hay historia en este juego, es simplemente recorrer los gimnasios y ya. En los DLC recientemente anunciados van a colocar regiones nuevas con su respectivo pago, a solo dos meses de su lanzamiento... ¿por qué no colocar este contenido de un inicio? Por dinero claro, la codicia es exagerada en este juego ya.

    En general, es un juego mediocre, gráficas de playstation 2, le falta contenido (el cual te venden en un DLC), le faltan pókemon (los cuales te venden en un DLC), le falta historia y le falta mucha jugabilidad. Además Game Freak ha mentido desde el inicio y ha dejado ver su verdadero rostro: codicia extrema al prostituir una saga con paywalls asquerosos.    … Expand
  59. gamerhero
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Creo que no se merece mas de 1 por el poco trabajo y respeto a los usuarios de la serie... teniendo en el año juegos como gears5, death stranding, sekir y resident evil 2, nintendo nos viene a vender este juego de hace dos o mas generaciones a precio de los anteriores. Un timo por cualquier lado que lo vean y sobre todo que te lo vende doble a precio full. Cuando no inova em ni un solo aspecto
  60. achillescubel
    Nov 19, 2019
    1
    Made to be a handheld game you can play on your TV not a console game you can take with you. Charging 60 dollars. Horrible animations for 2019. No voice acting, with the excuse being they were released in too many languages. Bad graphics for 2019. Missing half the total pokemon. This could have genuinely done something amazing, but gamefreak chose to do the minimum knowing it would sell anyways.
  61. RetroMatero
    Nov 29, 2019
    1
    Con todo lo que tenían para hacer un nuevo juego de la saga, vinieron con esto.
    Mi primo, luego de 12 horas de juego, no aguantó más, y lo iba a devolver. Yo le di una chance, porque no me parecía tan malo...
    2 horas después... Uffff... -Gráficos que no van a la altura ni de las otras franquicias que gráficamente son excepcionales, para esa consola, se ve como un port en HD de la 3DS.    Con todo lo que tenían para hacer un nuevo juego de la saga, vinieron con esto.
    Mi primo, luego de 12 horas de juego, no aguantó más, y lo iba a devolver. Yo le di una chance, porque no me parecía tan malo...
    2 horas después... Uffff...
    -Gráficos que no van a la altura ni de las otras franquicias que gráficamente son excepcionales, para esa consola, se ve como un port en HD de la 3DS.
    -Jugabilidad muy aburrida, y es poco para esta consola. Nos castigan con el mismo sistema de hace 20 años, sin mucha variedad.
    -Lo que era un RPG en el pasado, se redujo al ir de punto A a punto B, sin siquiera dar la sensación de volver al punto anterior.
    -He sabido de usuarios que en 5 horas ya eran los más fuertes, cuando en entregas de la GB me tomó casi 70 horas llegar a tener pokemons del nivel de Zapdos, Moltres, y Articuno.
    -Parece hecho para niños de 5 años, y encima con un estilo de jugabilidad muy anticuado.
    -El lore es completamente absurdo, y los personajes muy mal aprovechados. Qué se meten los guionistas para tirarnos personajes que lucen interesantes y terminan siendo más planos que una tabla, a la par de acartonados? Agárrate, Final Fantasy XIII...

    En resumen, no puedo recomendar esta entrega a alguien que quiera iniciarse en la saga, recomendaría los de GB del clásico al Advance, y los Black and White, que al menos se sienten (más o menos) como juegos frescos...

    Nintendo y Game Freak... Les duele sacarse unos millones de dólares para hacer algo de verdad, no?    … Expand
  62. Rochter
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Bought, both, and I would had forgiven the Animation errors, and framedrops if they actually worked more on them rather than just using it as an excuse or token of exchange for cut content.

    Not only that, but, i payed 50 bucks to get my save data wiped out... And a lot of games dont support online cloud saves.... Thanks a lot...
  63. theoftime12
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Gracias de nintiendo 64, un juego muy pixelado, un diseño muy infantil me encontré el juego muy aburrido, gracias a Dios que no lo compre y mejor lo conseguí pirata
  64. Bnois
    Dec 5, 2019
    1
    1, not 0, because it was still playable. I've so many bad things to say about this "game" and only few good, but there's no point in doing so cause everybody already knows how bad it's, and if you don't - stop lying to yourself and others
  65. JinnRemona
    Nov 27, 2019
    1
    Pokemon Sword and Shield was supposed to be the first great Pokemon game on the Nintendo Switch and people were very excited for a console mainline Pokemon, and what the game actually contained within itself was nothing short of horrible.

    As the game approached launch, many problems with the game began to surface from people who got leaked or broken street date copies of the game. What    Pokemon Sword and Shield was supposed to be the first great Pokemon game on the Nintendo Switch and people were very excited for a console mainline Pokemon, and what the game actually contained within itself was nothing short of horrible.

    As the game approached launch, many problems with the game began to surface from people who got leaked or broken street date copies of the game. What came to light was that Gamefreak has lied about a insane amount of its promises and left out so much content that it feels like they don't even care about the series anymore.

    These problems are fairly well documented by this point, but I'll do my best to list them off again:
    - The game has a strange amount of technical and graphical problems. Graphics in areas look like they came straight out of an old PS1 game and problems have been found with both the frame rate and movements of both characters and on screen Pokemon.
    - In the new Wild Areas that Gamefreak introduced in this game, there is a lot of Pop-in issues as you attempt to navigate these areas looking for Pokemon.
    - Cutscenes in the game feel like they were originally designed to have voice acting, but it was later removed, so the characters movements feel very awkward.
    - This was one of the larger issues with the game that Gamefreak has enforced multiple times to its fans. The much beloved National Dex has been completely removed from the game, along with nearly 600 Pokemon. The sheer amount of removed Pokemon is crazy enough as no previous Starter Pokemon, Legendaries and more were included into this new game.
    - The story that Pokemon Sword and Shield attempts to tell is very bland, even compared to other Pokemon games, and the complete lack of any good End Game is problematic for long term players of the game.
    - This was another major problem with the game. Gamefreak said multiple times that they were removing so many Pokemon from the game in order to use that Manpower to improve the Pokemon's models and make them new and better. Once the game leaked out, players found that almost all of the returning Pokemon's models were ripped straight out of Pokemon Sun and Moon and were not changed in the slightest, proving that Gamefreak has lied to their fans to try and calm them down about the National Dex.
    - Nearly 144 moves were removed from the game as well with no plausible reason as to why this was done. Like all the removed Pokemon, some of the removed Moves were ones that had been in every iteration of the game since the move was introduced.

    So far I have been very disappointed in what this game has attempted to sell to its fans, and even more disappointed by how many people are buying into it regardless of these problems. It has now shown Gamefreak that no matter how bad of a job they do on a game, if they put the name Pokemon on it, there will also be people willing to waste money to buy it.    … Expand
  66. veteranplayer88
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I never think i would give a bad rating to a pokemon game. I'm really dissapointed... that's what happen when you make a lazy game only thinking about money, not listening the players, long time fans. This game is buggy, graphics are mediocre comprared to other switch games, pokemons models are from 3ds, except new ones. But they really lied to us. And the worst, they excluded alot of content. No mega evolutions, no zmoves, lots of excluded moves, more that 400 pokemon excluded. Thats so so bad. I would like to give a good rate, but this is just bad. This game could be good, some new things are cool, but isnt enough. I hope they dont do this again, or i will not buy any more.… Expand
  67. Wingmanwesty
    Dec 5, 2019
    1
    This game had huge potential, but ultimately put half effort into each and every aspect of this game. The Raids were the biggest dissapointment to me. Such a cool idea. Teaming up online with friends to fight a giant pokemon you'd been hunting for. Wild. Yet actually broken online matchmaking completely ruin that experience. You can join an online raid that the game tries to matchmake youThis game had huge potential, but ultimately put half effort into each and every aspect of this game. The Raids were the biggest dissapointment to me. Such a cool idea. Teaming up online with friends to fight a giant pokemon you'd been hunting for. Wild. Yet actually broken online matchmaking completely ruin that experience. You can join an online raid that the game tries to matchmake you into maybe 10% of the time. Otherwise you've timed out, its no longer available, lost connection. This game may as well use link cables again. There is no friend system so its much harder to link up with my friends in game then should be for anyonline game made after 2010. There is no GTS so trading for specific pokemon isn't an option unless I go on reddit to match with someone and hopefully the 4 digit code actually works. Sometimes it just doesn't. This isn't a bad idea, your online just isn't usable. This game is not finished, this part doesn't work. Shoddy. For a game about giant pokemon it is super jarring that scaling is completely gone from the game. All pokemon are now 4 feet tall. That's so jarring. Routes are essentially boring hallways. No discovery or adventure here. One route is literally a hallway made of ice. Remember the first time you went through the whirl islands? Finding rare mons, discovering how to navigate with boulders, trying to remember the layout. In swsh you get an infinite use escape rope. i haven't had to use it yet cause galar mine 1, and galar mine 2 (super epic names fit for adventure btw) are straight lines. Just hold up to get through it. No routes reward or require exploration. The story was super bland and felt detached from gameplay. I loved the part of the story where they told me to ignore the cool action, and mystery and let an npc deal with it offscreen. What idiot put that on a storyboard. I liked the story of really pushing the gym challenge. Too bad that's really only 3 hours of story there. Leon is a terrible champion. His only character trait is that he's undefeated, spoiler alert, he gets defeated. Such a shallow charcter, with a lame signature pokemon for him and this generation, and such a poorly designed character. Seriously looks like an 8 year old picked out all the cool clothes they could think of to put on him. Hop as well was shallow, his only character trait is that he'll kiss your butt, and he's sad that you outshawn him. Actually a cool trait if only it wasn't said just as much as was leons undefeated status. Shiny hunting is just a grind now, kill 500 mons, no chains, no combos, no dexnav hunting. Just start killing everything you see. NPC's in raids actually negatively impact you as the AI are apparently missing the I part of AI. Sure bring your jolteon against the Runerigus, spam quick attack, and thunderbolt to no effect and die every other turn. Designing my own character is severely limited. why can NPC's have clothes, and hairstyles I can't, and No one on earth would ever go on a cross country adventure wearing that travesty of a bag, who backpacks with a suitcase. Get a backpack, or an over the shoulder bag, or better yet. Give players a choice. The bag isn't meant to be worn like this, yet here I am with a roller-suitcase on my back. The cities were huge to look at but ultimately empty, easily explorable in under 5 minutes, not very rewarding, and only two cities have more than 5 buildings in them. This is the worst battle tower in generations, lack of super-battles, and multi battles make it boring, and the absolutely trash reward system make it a chore to do. 2BP per win, forever, and when you reach the highest rank you get less rewards cause you can't go up a tier. Such a grind. And you need to grind because you want mints for gigantimaxers, cause only caught ones can do it. Not the Drednaw I've used for my whole playthrough. Cool guess I'll just bin him and swap him out for a new one that can do cooler tricks. This game is also missing several features that'd drastically improve the game: National Dex, Mega Evolution, All mons in the overworld, following pokemon, any sense of exploration, and overworld shinies. How did they go back on features. Why would they remove something people loved from previous games. What felt great: Stadium style gym battles, text speeds, accessible box's, Accessible tm relearners, Bede was a cool character in the main story, less so in the post game. What should just be removed: NPC AI in raids, Hop, Leon, RPG style text options that don't have any impact on the game.
    Overall
    - boring routes
    - no exploration
    - broken online
    - Pokemon scaled wrong
    - Shallow characters
    - stupid AI
    - Limited fashion choices
    - Hollow cities
    - Missing pokemon
    - Missing adventure
    - lackluster postgame
    - Uninteractive shiny hunting    … Expand
  68. FelipeSilv
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Limited game, with an excuse of performance and graphics improvements that never happened. Several bugs in Wild Area. Worst difficulty system ever made in the franchise. The national pokédex cut was just a detail after all.… Expand
  69. Zasfe
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Tiene gráficos muy malos, muchos bugs, sin pokédex completa, fallos con el autoguardado, sin Megas, sin Movimientos Z, mucho curry que no se pidio, una historia muy mala y aburrida, no explican el lore de eternatus.
  70. Tarasios
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else. The only positives are some good new    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else.

    The only positives are some good new Pokemon designs, but the excitement over new Pokemon is dulled thanks to the National Dex cut meaning that I can't even be sure that I can keep them with me.

    Dynamaxing is fine but ultimately hollow. It combines mega evolution and z moves and manages to capture the worst of both. Even those who enjoy it can look forward to it being cut from the next game.

    Curry and Camping are barely even relevant to gameplay, and serve no purpose aside from being something they can add to the games "features list". As though they were added to meet a quota.

    This is a disgrace to the franchise, and it saddens me to see my favourite brand doing so poorly.    … Expand
  71. FirstMx
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Un véritable scandale en 2019 que de proposer un jeu à peine fini comme celui-là. Les graphismes sont dignes de la Nintendo GameCube, le gameplay n’est pas plus amusant que sur game boy color il y a pourtant 20 ans de cela. C’est une grosse arnaque qui profitent de l’aura commercial extrêmement efficace de la licence Pokémon pour nous vendre un « jeux » qui est bâclé et même pas digne desUn véritable scandale en 2019 que de proposer un jeu à peine fini comme celui-là. Les graphismes sont dignes de la Nintendo GameCube, le gameplay n’est pas plus amusant que sur game boy color il y a pourtant 20 ans de cela. C’est une grosse arnaque qui profitent de l’aura commercial extrêmement efficace de la licence Pokémon pour nous vendre un « jeux » qui est bâclé et même pas digne des **** studios indépendant au budget pourtant réduit. Quand on s’appel GameFreak et que l’on a les moyens presque illimité qu’ils ont, c’est un véritable foutage de gueule.
    A fuir !    … Expand
  72. Gamermangamer
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Was promised a game for "long time fans of the series" now my living dex will probably have to be locked in Pokemon jail (home) and half my competitive mons won't be usable until I pay for another game at the same price as smash ultimate or breath of the wild. My disappointment is immeasurable, and less than half my day is ruined, because the game is like 10 hours long, and if I wanted 10Was promised a game for "long time fans of the series" now my living dex will probably have to be locked in Pokemon jail (home) and half my competitive mons won't be usable until I pay for another game at the same price as smash ultimate or breath of the wild. My disappointment is immeasurable, and less than half my day is ruined, because the game is like 10 hours long, and if I wanted 10 hours of entertainment I would've bought the LoTR extended trilogy for half the price… Expand
  73. PurpleMoth
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The absolute lowest point in the entire franchise, there is almost no new relevant additions to the game while they removed dozens of features that made the past games fantastic, the graphics are so mediocre you can compare it to a Gamecube game and the gameplay doesn't make up for it, neither the story or postgame, it's embarrasing how Gane Freak managed to make a game so mediocre it getsThe absolute lowest point in the entire franchise, there is almost no new relevant additions to the game while they removed dozens of features that made the past games fantastic, the graphics are so mediocre you can compare it to a Gamecube game and the gameplay doesn't make up for it, neither the story or postgame, it's embarrasing how Gane Freak managed to make a game so mediocre it gets outshined by most of the past entries in the series.… Expand
  74. Mkikuchi
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.

    Objectively,    Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.

    Objectively, as long as the gameplay's good, graphical quality is a non-issue. Unfortunately, as with the 3DS era, Sword and Shield are dumbed down for the mobile phone generation. You're never made to go more than a few battles without healing, and if you can stomach that you can look forward to endless handholding and WOW CHARIZARD REMEMBER THIS KANTO POKEMON?

    If you have any semblance of critical thinking skills, don't buy these games.    … Expand
  75. Suckitxd159
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Nada nuevo en este juego lleno de monotonía, tiene una larga campaña innecesaria (casi 50 horas) y el diseño de los nuevos pokemon se ven muy mal.
  76. GIN11341
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    D O N 'T B U Y IT !
    #Gamefreaklied
    There is too much Pokemon to catch them all.
    Please cut more dex and Pokemon.
    And the quality of this game is too high to run on my Nintendo Switch, so it keeps crashing again and again.
  77. FrankBoreas
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Un juego decepcionante. Los gráficos son malos, hay caídas en el framerate, objetos que aparecen a metros de ti. No es un juego optimizado. Se nota que se hizo al vapor. Incluso pasa a veces en las batallas, El modo historia es corto y carece de momentos interesantes como en otras versiones de la franquicia. Para mí ha sido una decepción total y aunque tal vez no es tan malo, le pongo 1 deUn juego decepcionante. Los gráficos son malos, hay caídas en el framerate, objetos que aparecen a metros de ti. No es un juego optimizado. Se nota que se hizo al vapor. Incluso pasa a veces en las batallas, El modo historia es corto y carece de momentos interesantes como en otras versiones de la franquicia. Para mí ha sido una decepción total y aunque tal vez no es tan malo, le pongo 1 de calificación esperando que los compradores no lo consigan para castigar al estudio. Un juego de Pokémon para la consola de nintendo, la que nos ha entregado maravillas como Breath of The Wild o Super Mario Odyssey merece más. Todos merecemos algo más. Es triste que tanta gente apoyé un producto tan inferior.… Expand
  78. FilthyActs88
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Pokémon sword and shield is a game of pure mediocrity when discounting all of the technical issues. It does not do anything exceptional or ground breaking and it is another entry that coasts off the brand name. The main story is just ok, its filled with unskipable cutscenes that often have slowdowns due to poor optimization. The story suffers from the same issues as sun and moon where itPokémon sword and shield is a game of pure mediocrity when discounting all of the technical issues. It does not do anything exceptional or ground breaking and it is another entry that coasts off the brand name. The main story is just ok, its filled with unskipable cutscenes that often have slowdowns due to poor optimization. The story suffers from the same issues as sun and moon where it truly doesn’t feel like your characters story which defeats the point of it being an rpg. The draw distance is genuinely abhorrent and further shows that gamefreak have shown themselves to be incompetent game developers. The game is ridiculously easy and “streamlined” which in this case means dumbed down. The game is short only being around 14-17 hours long which is a ripoff. Most industry standard rpgs range between 60-80 hours long while sword and shield is only a fraction. The graphics are bad there is no other way of putting it, they are low poly and the texture are hilariously low resolution. The colors are washed out and this looks like someone first attempt in unity trying to make a game. You have to compare this game to other games in the industry, gamefreak needs their feat held to the fire and should no longer be allowed to coast off the Pokémon name. I do not recommend purchasing these games, they are cash grabs made by developers who can’t even program a game right and that is just pathetic how a company can’t even do their job right because they are that incompetent. The two version gimmick is tired and should not be done anymore especially for games 20$ more.… Expand
  79. Atmoslink
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    A shadow of it’s former self, Game Freak continues to demonstrate that they have no idea what makes a game fun and run well too. Large features were removed from past generations and in return we see a price increase. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay points and Sword and Shield being a lazy port of a terrible 3DS game.
  80. Allacar
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Very disappointing game. Over half the pokemon were cut. Over 140 pokemon moves removed. Reused 3ds models and mediocre graphics. The first main line pokemon game for switch needed more development time and polish.
  81. Ridly
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The story is very lackluster. The story is also very short being only 15 hours. The post game is also very lacking because the cities are very narrow and their are less Pokémon to catch and train. The wild area was fun it is about the size of 2 regions in breath of the wild which is nice but it starts to feel small when you explore it for a while. The new dynamaxing feature is very lame itThe story is very lackluster. The story is also very short being only 15 hours. The post game is also very lacking because the cities are very narrow and their are less Pokémon to catch and train. The wild area was fun it is about the size of 2 regions in breath of the wild which is nice but it starts to feel small when you explore it for a while. The new dynamaxing feature is very lame it only makes the Pokémon bigger and even the giganticmaxing is also lame it hardly even changes the Pokémon. It is basically just a Mega Pokémon with every attack as a zmove. It is a Op gimmic it basically makes the Pokémon indestructible for 3 turns and all your moves one shot everything. Luckily though you can’t use this gimmic when every you want unlike megas and z moves because of how broken it is which is good. But not being able to use the gimmic when ever feel restrictive. Around 60 percent of Pokémon were taken out of the game which runs n the competitive more because it restricts the variety of Pokémon you can use and mix up your team it limits you to the Pokémon that is available in the game. Which doesn’t help give a chance for other Pokémon to shine because no one is going to use a Pokémon just because their is less to pick from there are just going to use their favorite. The lack of Pokémon also shortens the post game because there is less Pokémon to catch. They said they did it to improve the graphics but the graphics are nearly the same just more polished up what they should have done was redone the animations like the double kick move they should have at least made the Pokémon move to the Pokémon and actually kick instead of showing to feet on the enemy Pokémon. Removing the Pokémon to balance out the competitive is also dumb because we can just ban the Pokémon from use or only let certain Pokémon be used in tornment like ubers only or RU Pokémon only. Not only that megas and z moves were removed from the game which is a much better, more balanced, and cooler gimmic. The enemy team is just a remake of team skull but worse. Instead of being a bunch of gang kids with Guzma as their leader now it’s just some Fans of Marnie. Another problem is this game is now worth 20 dollars extra for a game that just removed good features from older games or replaced features that some are arguably worse… Expand
  82. Rikyun
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    As a Pokémon game it has the core mechanics every other Pokémon game has: battles and catching pokemon. However this is not the only thing a console Pokémon video game should have. This however makes the game trigger the nostalgia, but this feeling fades too soon due to all the lacking aspects, the glitches and the intrusive "story" plot, which is basically your "rival" telling you to goAs a Pokémon game it has the core mechanics every other Pokémon game has: battles and catching pokemon. However this is not the only thing a console Pokémon video game should have. This however makes the game trigger the nostalgia, but this feeling fades too soon due to all the lacking aspects, the glitches and the intrusive "story" plot, which is basically your "rival" telling you to go to another gym.

    Pros: Nice looking exteriors. - Nostalgia trigger when spotting old and loved Pokémon spawn and watching them HD. - Dialogues during battles are new and brings a little of life to the action - Dynamaxing is a cool concept - Camp and feeding your Pokémon is funny, more so when you bake a bad food.

    Cons: No story at all - The main events from a story feel distant as you can´t join them - Straight lined game play - Easy leveled - No post game - Unfinished settings - No dungeons nor challenging Puzzles - 10 -15 hours of Gameplay - No post Game - Glitches - No high quality animation - non memorable characters- Intrusive dialogues and cinematics - No real challenge - Not a $60 worth game - No real villain - No real rival - Dynamxing, even tough feels cool at first, gets boring too soon - No visible shynies on the outer world - Void world for in door battles - No animation for flying - One use only technical moves - Wrong animation setting for fishing - No free fishing - No interaction with pokemon in the outside world like swimming, running or riding.    … Expand
  83. ioblle
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Really easy. Very few Pokemon too, and I can't transfer my favorites over.

    The game is also extremely slow and contains jacked animations that make the characters look like robots. Terrible graphics, and dynamax is very easy to battle. Not a good game, go buy something else for your kids.
  84. Nikox96
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Deja mucho que desear. Historia lenta y mala, gráficos muy poco pulidos, animaciones y modelos reciclados de 3DS, se siente poco natural y vacío.
  85. Jota20
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Juego mediocre: graficos de ps3, corto (14h), postgame nulo, diseños de pokemon peores de lo normal, personajes planos, historia mucho peor que la de sol y luna, inestable, bugs; y todo ello recortando el contenido de anteriores entregas: quitando la mitad de los pokemon, todas las megas y z moves, eleminando movimientos... gamefreak espabilad por favor!!! Os estais cargando la saga deJuego mediocre: graficos de ps3, corto (14h), postgame nulo, diseños de pokemon peores de lo normal, personajes planos, historia mucho peor que la de sol y luna, inestable, bugs; y todo ello recortando el contenido de anteriores entregas: quitando la mitad de los pokemon, todas las megas y z moves, eleminando movimientos... gamefreak espabilad por favor!!! Os estais cargando la saga de nuestra vida… Expand
  86. WeihanZhang
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My friend I am advise please avoid bad game. Not allow purchase support Game Freak Masuda insect bottom coomer.
  87. SomberlySober
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    It's a bland game even by Pokemon standards. They removed a LOT of features (old Pokemon, the Dex, the global trade system, proper trading etc..) just to out them in their $20 a month Pokemon Home app. It's absolutely pathetic and not even close to worth the $60 they are trying to charge you for it.

    The games look very poor for a switch game in general, there is lag all over the place,    It's a bland game even by Pokemon standards. They removed a LOT of features (old Pokemon, the Dex, the global trade system, proper trading etc..) just to out them in their $20 a month Pokemon Home app. It's absolutely pathetic and not even close to worth the $60 they are trying to charge you for it.

    The games look very poor for a switch game in general, there is lag all over the place, the frame rate is not stable and my biggest issue is how random objects and Pokemon pop in so close to you. The traditional Pokemon gameplay is fun but completely ruined by everything else. Save yourself some money and wait for their sharp sword sturdy shield release where they will hopefully fix at least 20% of what is wrong with these games.

    Last bit not least be careful if you have the eShop version     … Expand
  88. AvalonBunny
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Half the pokemon for 20 extra USD. Game Freak is simply not up to the task, Nintendo should takeover and hand the franchise to real developers or give the current one enough resources.
  89. LaCroixBoy
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Too little content to justify its existence. Nintendo and Gamefreak should have learned their lesson when they didn't make Ruby and Sapphire backwards comparable with the previous gen games. Only having access to a little under half the total number of pokemon is really lame and counter to the whole concept of the games in the first place. I think that it's pretty inexcusable.… Expand
  90. thrwycr
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Enormous amounts of cut content, bold-faced lies from developers used as excuses, incredibly poor use of the hardware, overall an obviously unfinished game. Definitively the worse in the history of the franchise.
  91. zshbr0
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game is so rubbish but so rubbish, for so many reasons that comes from the laziness of writing, just do not waste your time and money and do not buy, who warns friend is.
  92. Quimbarreiros
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Honestly not that good of a game.
    Incomplete game, bad animations add more.
  93. Artatm
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    So Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not somethingSo Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not something you expect from Nintendo on there main console, this ain’t no portable mini title no more game freak this is the big league and you fluffed it with the worlds most profitable franchise - wow - oh and you lied about it too - games out in the wild the reasons you gave for less pokemon have been proven untrue / you cut beloved content and didn’t innovate one bit, dynomax - give me a break - how about you voice the pokemon - even just the np characters in the cut scenes?! It’s 2019! Some of it is charming, a lot of the new designs look nice and cute and interesting - it’s hard not to it’s pokemon but the level of laziness here is just unforgivable - they even publicly announced it wasn’t there main project- holy hell fire?! You got some super secrets other billion dollar franchise up your selves? No?! You just want to betray your fan base and nickel and dime them with a high price game with less content than a indie game jam. Please - Protest by reviewing pokemon - tweeting/Facebook/reddit/YouTube - let Nintendo know they need to take back pokemon. we all want to love this but you got to let them know it’s not on.… Expand
  94. Gyeasty
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile areThe newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile are gone forever, erased from these future games along with all mega evolutions. You would think that after erasing so many pokemon, Game Freak would add quality new pokemon to the series. But alas, and of course, no they did not. Grookey is the only starter that has a final evolution with a reasonably good design and none of the starters gain a dual type. There are only a few pokemon released in these games that are even usable in competitive play. Pokemon like Dragapult and Grimmsnarl are few and far between within the absolute pile of trash these new pokemon offer. Dynamax is a stupid gimmick that should have never been introduced and I feel like Game Freak is only hyping it up because they even realize it was a huge mistake. "Ooh, big pokemon, me like big pokemon." The only reason I'm giving this a 1 and not a 0 is because there were some decent functionality improvements to the game, but that in no way accounts for the absolute lack of content in these mainline games. I've been a lifelong Pokemon fan - from the first games that came out on gamboy, Red and Blue, and it hurts for me to say that this is the first major step backwards I've seen the company make in that time. What these games present for players is a purgatory of dreams deferred, a useful, connected space void of quality content and the hope that anything great will follow.… Expand
  95. KaptainKlench
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Perhaps the worst entry in the series. Constant graphical glitches, the inability to import my favorite Pokemon from previous games, and the lack of a national Dex, have all served to make me hate this game. Waste of money. Do yourself a favor, skip this one.
  96. bertkevin
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My favourite pokemon has been deleted! Tha graphic performance is too bad. The map design is for infants.
  97. Bbug
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Nada, nos quitan cosas, supuestamente para mejorar otras y es todo un copy paste de la generacion pasada, nos quitan objetos, pokemon, megas, movimientos z, y nos meten pokemon gigantes que acaba siendo lo mismo que la mega, no le veo nada de sentido, personajes sin carisma alguna, fácilmente olvida les, no me gusto
  98. DJTwinz
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game isn’t the worst game. But it’s not good or what you should expect from Pokémon. The largest media franchise ever. They have enough money they could implement every Pokémon, move, feature, and idea if they used a decent sized budget and expanded their team of 200. But this game is a sign of laziness. Most content is copied from sun and moon with a coat of paint and better graphicsThis game isn’t the worst game. But it’s not good or what you should expect from Pokémon. The largest media franchise ever. They have enough money they could implement every Pokémon, move, feature, and idea if they used a decent sized budget and expanded their team of 200. But this game is a sign of laziness. Most content is copied from sun and moon with a coat of paint and better graphics and resolution because it’s on the switch. It’s not worth $60. This game has less content, Pokemon, routes and features than most previous games. Heck if the post game was a polished up Alohla copy and paste where they just change wild Pokémon and NPCs around it would add twice the length of this game. If you want to play Pokémon Sw/Sh please buy preowned as I’m sure many second hand copies will start appearing in GameStop’s everywhere soon enough...… Expand
  99. Error-404
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Un épisode vide et sans intérêt. Après le médiocre Let's Go, Game Freak devait sortir le premier grand jeu Pokémon sur console de salon, mais le résultat est un jeu avec environ 60% de contenu en moins que les versions 3Ds ou DS, (nombres de créatures, type de combat, end game...). Un fiasco totale.
  100. victorlgarcia
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Such a terrible excuse for a game. Feels like a giant cash grab. The first couple of hours I tried to be positive but I can't pretend I don't see terrible grafics, animations and lack of innovation
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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]
See all critic reviews »