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. lemony
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Lying Devs
    Reused animations
    Reused Models
    No Global Trading
    No National Dex

    0/10
  2. KingReece
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut Pokemons,they cut moves, they cut frame rates, they cut graphics, they cut everything, I mean they should just cut the game......
  3. jyweee
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    IMPORTANT: Switch system software bug may cause data loss on microSD cards using exFAT file system!

    0 minutes into the game and my switch started to act strangely. First my joycon started to disconnect and then the switch freezed. I tried soft and hard resetting but the problem won't go away. Here are some of the error's code i got: 2144-0001 / 2107-0445 / 2143-0811 I called the    IMPORTANT: Switch system software bug may cause data loss on microSD cards using exFAT file system!

    0 minutes into the game and my switch started to act strangely. First my joycon started to disconnect and then the switch freezed. I tried soft and hard resetting but the problem won't go away. Here are some of the error's code i got: 2144-0001 / 2107-0445 / 2143-0811

    I called the assistence and they told me that i'll have to pay for my repair.

    So they are bad at making a good pokemon game + you get your switch busted by this trashcan game.    … Expand
  4. MrJohns
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Its a short, buggy and way to easy Game. They cutted and removed a lot (Dexit, Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves). Graphics are bad, and there are several Technical Issues. And then they Reused a lot and added boring Gimmicks like Dynamaxing. Don't support this kind of Greedy Garbage!
  5. AlexBlasio
    May 12, 2023
    0
    Terrible, mediocre game, unfinished with unjustified changes, it suffers to play this game!
  6. KinMonteste
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    60 bucks? never 10 bucks? maybe, it have less content than any indie game you can have with that, better idea? download a fakemon game, it will be more "for fans" than this cashgrabbing bull***t
  7. MattTom
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The worst Pokemon ever. I cant have my favorites Pokemon, it is like playing Street Fighters without Ryu and Ken, but with a bunch of new characters. It just doesnt make any sense.
  8. ellub
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Straight and clear, they cut dex, promised amazing animations, said the models were all redone and what did we get? a wild game with textures from Nintendo 64, the Wild Area is horrible, animations and models completely recycled from 3DS, junk post game, Pokémon designs seem to have come out of Cartoon Network, cut over 100 moves being some key to the competitive, tehy cut megaStraight and clear, they cut dex, promised amazing animations, said the models were all redone and what did we get? a wild game with textures from Nintendo 64, the Wild Area is horrible, animations and models completely recycled from 3DS, junk post game, Pokémon designs seem to have come out of Cartoon Network, cut over 100 moves being some key to the competitive, tehy cut mega evolution, they cut z-moves, junk movements, looks like characters are inside a microwave in cutscenes, junk story, and worse, the game costs $ 60, the same price as Zelda Breath of te Wild :)… Expand
  9. pm_goulart
    Jan 2, 2020
    0
    The game was first presented in the begging of 2019 and was very well praised by the fan based community. If good improvements and a new 3D game model, the game raised a lot expectations by public. Also, the developers stated in some interviews that they have learned from previous experiences and they were working hard to give fans the game they wanted. However, things turned out to beThe game was first presented in the begging of 2019 and was very well praised by the fan based community. If good improvements and a new 3D game model, the game raised a lot expectations by public. Also, the developers stated in some interviews that they have learned from previous experiences and they were working hard to give fans the game they wanted. However, things turned out to be completely different from what had being said.
    01 – First, the game lacks graphics improvement. It is the first time that Pokémon hits the tv consoles. For sure it had more power than the previous handheld consoles, but yet, the graphics did not reflect the true power of the Nintendo Switch. We can see that by playing the Legend of Zelda, Mario Odyssey, or Xenoblade Chronicles. The truth is: the graphics improvements were poor and lacks refinement as you can see a lot of pixelate textures throughout the game.
    02 – The cut of National DEX were a very wrong move. The fact that not having all the pokémons in a game is a huge step back in the franchise. They could have worked that part and hired more professionals to do this job. It is not a case of balancing and lack of time. This is a case of misleading in the production and lack of a strong leadership.
    03 – The game does not have any post game adventure. It is the worst ever.
    04 – Along with the Pokémon, the removal of the GTS is another step back as we now have to count on lucky to complete the dex with pokémons we don’t have.
    05 – The game does not stand good frame rates while connect on the internet. There moments of lagging and short freezing if the internet is on.
    06 – Despite all the improvements, the game main story is poorly developed. It grows in the background, which makes the main character be apart of it. This is a shift if you just look back in the other games where the main characters take part of the story and help to build the storyline.
    07 – Mega evolutions, z moves, abilities, deleted items and moves does make a difference. Mega evolutions were a great move. It makes no sense removing it.
    08 – The soundtrack is one greatest things in the game. At least I was not disappointed in this aspect. However, is somehow repetitive as some routes share the same song and some cities have copies of previous ones.
    09 – Differently from Sun and Moon, Pokémon Sword and Shield makes a really [almost absent] referent of other games from the same franchise. They barely mentioned other regions. In consequence, there is not multi plot. The stories do not connect to each other.
    10 – The producers delivered a final product with so much work to be done. And this could be fixed if they either contracted more people or asked for help. They delivered a poorly made game relying on its name to sell millions of copies.    … Expand
  10. greninjaX
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    gamefreak lied. they said they were cutting pokemon because they were making new models with high quality animations, but that is simply not the case. everything was recycled from the 3DS game. there was no reason to cut pokemon. gamefreak needs to learn they can't get away with this. don't support this game
  11. koophakuna
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    We need more pokemon We want better visuals
    We want a real pokemon game in Switch
  12. PannacottaFugo
    Dec 31, 2019
    0
    I will be completely and utterly honest. I don't think these are bad games. They're unarguably better than garbage that were both Pokemon X and Y and Pokemon Sun and Moon. However this game is undeniably lacking in so much pass content such as minigames, moves, Pokemon that follow you, MORE THAN HALF OF THE NATIONAL DEX, and so much more! Not to mention that there are tons of unpolishedI will be completely and utterly honest. I don't think these are bad games. They're unarguably better than garbage that were both Pokemon X and Y and Pokemon Sun and Moon. However this game is undeniably lacking in so much pass content such as minigames, moves, Pokemon that follow you, MORE THAN HALF OF THE NATIONAL DEX, and so much more! Not to mention that there are tons of unpolished areas and bad graphics AND bad animations. The game itself other than the removed content is very run of the mill and is what we're kinda used to and have gotten used to for over two decades. The gameplay is slightly better than usually I guess, the story is also slightly better, and the characters this time around are way better than usual. I found most of them to be very well written and lovable characters. On a side note I really love the Wild Area and hope they bring it back for future entries but we all know they won't

    This game isn't that bad and more just an okay game. An easy 6/10...however like I said before this game has bad animations, bad graphics, more than half the National Dex removed, and it has nothing to show for all of these problems and missing content we love. I really have no choice but to give this game a 0/10. Hopefully the enhanced versions of these games that will come in a year or so will fix the problems of Pokemon Sword and Shield.    … Expand
  13. abaddon169
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Querían disminuir la pokedex para balancear el competitivo y terminan agregando un pokemon con estadísticas totalmente rotas, animaciones de combate que en un juego de wii se miraban bien, que en switch se mueven rígidamente
  14. Tomcat8
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A disaster, pokemon just died!
    Even let's go, which was a medium game, had undeniable qualities (nothing but the catching interaction was excellent, it's something that should have stayed on this game).
    The 800 Pokémon are not available supposedly because to redo the sprites for the switch is too long while we have the proof that they have reused the sprites of pokémon Ultra Sun and    A disaster, pokemon just died!
    Even let's go, which was a medium game, had undeniable qualities (nothing but the catching interaction was excellent, it's something that should have stayed on this game).
    The 800 Pokémon are not available supposedly because to redo the sprites for the switch is too long while we have the proof that they have reused the sprites of pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
    Non-existent combat animations, knowing that stadium versions on N64 had animations
    Gigamax combat which is a useless feature, ugly graphics with violent aliasing and catastrophic FPS drops!
    Knowing that the console manages to turn The Witcher 3 correctly
    Besides, the open world is empty and uninteresting!
    Sell ​​50 balls a **** alike !
    A nice scam for a game that is a half porting 3DS games    … Expand
  15. AlexLogan2001
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The games are very poorly put together and feel rushed despite how long they've been in development. The game is the easiest yet in the series, with you being able to one shot most Pokemon of a higher level as long as you have a basic understanding of typings.
    There are graphical glitches all over the place, ranging from things not spawning in until your right in front of them to time just    The games are very poorly put together and feel rushed despite how long they've been in development. The game is the easiest yet in the series, with you being able to one shot most Pokemon of a higher level as long as you have a basic understanding of typings.
    There are graphical glitches all over the place, ranging from things not spawning in until your right in front of them to time just completely freezing when you are on a ladder. The music is very hit or miss but the main issue with the music is the lack of music, with the worst case being the battle against the title legendary    … Expand
  16. Tseppelin
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The worst Pokemon game ever... Worst Pokemon and worst content, Also so much cutted off
  17. ryuraf1
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game is just unfinished. It's totally uncleaned, the designs are bad, the graphics are trash, the ost is boring, everything here is wrong. The prior games look better than this. This game could easily be made in Nintendo 64. The gameplay is boring, the story is short, there is not even a single good thing in Pokemon Sword and Shield. It's just a way of the company making money. AThe game is just unfinished. It's totally uncleaned, the designs are bad, the graphics are trash, the ost is boring, everything here is wrong. The prior games look better than this. This game could easily be made in Nintendo 64. The gameplay is boring, the story is short, there is not even a single good thing in Pokemon Sword and Shield. It's just a way of the company making money. A offense for the fans.… Expand
  18. MaxRates
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Probably the laziest made pokemon games... Dissapointed ;(
    Make a proper pokemom game! Even Pokemon Let's Go was better...
  19. QueenWolfen
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The whole things is just messy, incomplete, and disappointing. This game was a lazy rush job, and it shows.
  20. Kemmo_ado
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    Litrally all the things that the dexers said about the game is now true 60% of the pokmeons are gone Reusing the same models and animations we’ve seen for the past 6 years

    The world is just a bunch of hallways with nothing much to do in it The story is none existing and has the same cookie cutter formula The graphics look mediocare all the way down to the N64 trees Only 81 new pokmeons    Litrally all the things that the dexers said about the game is now true 60% of the pokmeons are gone Reusing the same models and animations we’ve seen for the past 6 years

    The world is just a bunch of hallways with nothing much to do in it The story is none existing and has the same cookie cutter formula The graphics look mediocare all the way down to the N64 trees Only 81 new pokmeons and only 400 mons in the entire game And the problems keep on piling on and on and on. So much for a 60$ game. “But it said the footage is not final” now all I can do is laugh about that sentence... all in all buying a 60$ game that doesn’t have that much content is a waste of money and time as you can use said 60$ to buy other games. Not only that but buying this game would mean that you’re supporting game freak with their laziness and supporting TPC with yearly releases and getting less content.    … Expand
  21. Pedrosky
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    una real porqueria en verdad no se esforzaron nada es un juego de 3ds en hd las animaciones mal echas recortes en items, tm-hm, pokemon etc etc y como si fuera poco un pooping horroroso
  22. sarapastra
    Nov 23, 2019
    0
    i really wanna know why critics give this awful game 80 points. Game design bad, art is bad, gameplay is bad, mechanics is bad and what really makes me mad they have money what are they doing with that much money.
  23. Capcom_X
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    no hay nada que destacar es un juego muy inferior a sus entregas anteriores es malisismo y con ese pooping es todavia mas malo el juego parece un juego de ps2
  24. Nintendero97
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Como videojuego es divertido, pero como producto es también mediocre, tú no puedes hacer un videojuego tan poco trabajado en una saga que vende millones de unidades, no pido un videojuego con gráficos realistas, pero si un videojuego con unos gráficos a la altura estilo Zelda, y de las animaciones mejor no hablemos, son las mismas animaciones que en 3ds pero cuando digo eso es LAS MISMAS,Como videojuego es divertido, pero como producto es también mediocre, tú no puedes hacer un videojuego tan poco trabajado en una saga que vende millones de unidades, no pido un videojuego con gráficos realistas, pero si un videojuego con unos gráficos a la altura estilo Zelda, y de las animaciones mejor no hablemos, son las mismas animaciones que en 3ds pero cuando digo eso es LAS MISMAS, y en combate tu personaje en ocasiones desaparece y resta total inmersión, señores de Game freak que no estamos en la época de PS2!!, Que la switch puede con mucho más!… Expand
  25. GGSamurai
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Do not recommend to longtime fans. Repetitive gameplay on top of the fact that most people's favorite Pokemon most likely aren't in this
  26. Jeremiahgottwal
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Have loved this series my entire life but just cannot bring myself to keep playing this one. Dex cut was bad enough but everything else is lackluster at best
  27. someactorkid
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is a massive disappoinment. The animations are incredibly lack-luster, the reuse of assets is embarrassing, and overall, Game Freak's heart just doesn't seem to be in these games anymore. I wanted this game to be good and to succeed, and I stayed positive despite all the backlash online, but this game has proven to be more than Game Freak could, or wanted, to handle.
  28. dmolken
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    These games are extremely bare bones and rushed. These games almost look like a direct port of a 3DS game. They cut over 50% of the Pokemon, deleted over 100 old moves, and charge 50% more money ($60 vs $40) than the 3DS Pokemon games. On top of that, Game Freak said that they needed to cut 50% of the Pokemon in order to make high quality models and animations for the Pokemon. I'd be okayThese games are extremely bare bones and rushed. These games almost look like a direct port of a 3DS game. They cut over 50% of the Pokemon, deleted over 100 old moves, and charge 50% more money ($60 vs $40) than the 3DS Pokemon games. On top of that, Game Freak said that they needed to cut 50% of the Pokemon in order to make high quality models and animations for the Pokemon. I'd be okay with that if it wasn't for the fact that they lied, and they actually are using 3DS models and animations. Because they are using the 3DS models, there is no reason why they should be cutting over 50% of the Pokemon. Do not support a developer that lies to you. Boycott this game.… Expand
  29. Nesz
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Diseños reutilizados, muchas promesas vacías y tenían mejores diseños los ataques de pokemon stadium
  30. DoomDragon9000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind,Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind, it begs the question: what are reasonable expectations to have for a game like Pokémon Sword and Shield? What should we use as the baseline for forming these expectations?

    The level of quality, polish, depth and amount of content in previous main entries in the series?
    The relative quality of alternative $60, 1st party Nintendo Switch titles?
    The hardware capabilities of the Nintendo Switch relative to previous handhelds on which Pokémon has appeared?
    The certain level of production value one might anticipate in a watershed moment for the highest grossing media franchise of all time?

    These are all perfectly fair and reasonable baselines from which to form one’s expectations of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Nostalgia, goodwill and sentimentality for this particular series have seemingly always resulted in an expectation discount of sorts, but for many the 50% price increase for this installment, outright lies from GameFreak and the non-stop, in-your-face Kanto exposure in recent years have all but eliminated said discount. The unfortunate reality is, that even with a discount of sorts on expectations, Pokemon Sword and Shield still fall woefully short of expectations by any reasonable baseline.

    Content removal has reached a fever pitch, and what remains lacks effort, ambition, or even a semblance of challenge. Since its transition to 3D, Pokemon has gone from mildly challenging to downright patronizing. In an era where Mario, Zelda, Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. have displayed radical ambition in their main Nintendo Switch entries, pushing their respective series’ to new heights…Pokemon Sword and Shield are aggressively mediocre. With the transition to console – from 4GB cartridges to 32 GB cartridges – from 240p to 1080p – that we even had such confusion and debate regarding the re-use of models, animations and textures is a tragedy. While a novel could be written on the business inner-workings of GameFreak and The Pokemon Company, having standards for their products - especially given their capacity to produce good ones when they try - does in no way make one entitled.

    So it bears repeating: Pokemon Sword and Shield fall woefully short of expectations by any reasonable baseline.

    Much to its detriment, Pokémon Sword and Shield offer substantially fewer features, shallower depth, and reduced challenge relative to earlier, cheaper Pokémon games on weaker hardware. That is the brutal reality of these games. If one is completely new to the Pokémon series and does not possess any level of – and here is that word again – expectation for these games, this might not matter quite as much, but will still worsen the overall experience if they have had even a taste of the Nintendo Switch’s JRPG contemporaries (XenoBlade, Dragon Quest 11S and Atelier, among others). For series veterans, especially those who have experienced the relatively ambitious, content-loaded, reasonably-challenging, generation 3-5 games, it will be hard for Pokemon Sword and Shield to block criticism of its cut content.

    Again, by any reasonable baseline of expectations – which I list at the beginning of this review – Pokemon Sword and Shield fall woefully short. It’s painful to say and type that, along with everything else I have. What is even more painful however, is the reality that these games will likely be an enormous commercial success based on name recognition and have already received critical acclaim from the corporate critics and “content creators”, both of which are subject to an insidious conflict of interest when assessing the quality of these games. Said success will only incentivize low-effort, unambitious annual releases.

    You will see many negative reviews here, none nearly as lengthy as my diatribe. However, recognize that these negative reviews, like mine, come from a place of love and passion for the Pokemon series, and a sense of heartbreak and betrayal over seeing what it has become. To us, we love Pokemon, and in order for it to improve, there needs to be a place for criticism. This is it.

    Anyways, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield. For the good of your money, your time, and the future of this franchise, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield.    … Expand
  31. Theflash2319
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    No national dex. Unfinished animations. Lack of post game. All for the addition of point less stuff like curry, literally such a stupid concept
  32. Wiki
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bugs y mas bugs... No estan todos los Pokémon, fallos graficos, reutilizan modelos de 3DS... es ridículo y carisimo. NO HAY POSTGAME
  33. xXDank_HillXx
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Pokemon has grown stale, earlier this year is was getting into pokemon alpha sapphire and thought that was great, went to pokemon moon and was pretty dissapointed by the environments, imo these games looked better in the 2d pixely style of before, I get a general lack of motivation when it comes to playing these newer pokemon games because the art is so bland, ever get that feeling whenPokemon has grown stale, earlier this year is was getting into pokemon alpha sapphire and thought that was great, went to pokemon moon and was pretty dissapointed by the environments, imo these games looked better in the 2d pixely style of before, I get a general lack of motivation when it comes to playing these newer pokemon games because the art is so bland, ever get that feeling when your like "man I really don't want to play this anymore" and you feel bad? thats kinda where pokemon is now, walk from point A to B fight and/or catch pokemon, with or without talking to someone first, the dialogue is unmemorable, and I don't really care about the characters in the game, but then again, that was never why I played pokemon anyway. At this age I realize it was always, walk from here to here, catch or fight pokemon, and then sometimes before you catch or fight pokemon you get to read some bland dialogue… Expand
  34. hmlott
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Misses the mark entirely. Pokemon gameplay mechanics are nothing special, the pokemon make the game... "gotta catch em all"... but you can't in this game.
  35. tec
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    1 point for the nintendo bonus. overall a mittlefinger for every pokemon fan.
  36. Rumin
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    An incomplete game, like her sister. Gamefreak could've taken the time to really optimize their game, include all the moves and pokemons, as well as the features of the older installments, but they couldn't wait long enough for their next paycheck.
    I hope they learn a lesson from this, because I surely did.
    And I sure do hope this game franchise dies with diginity, because otherwise this    An incomplete game, like her sister. Gamefreak could've taken the time to really optimize their game, include all the moves and pokemons, as well as the features of the older installments, but they couldn't wait long enough for their next paycheck.
    I hope they learn a lesson from this, because I surely did.
    And I sure do hope this game franchise dies with diginity, because otherwise this incompetent studio is going to run it to the ground.    … Expand
  37. Khan2308
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    una real mierda pero claro los CONFORMISTAS y CASUALS diran lo contrario, 3 años segun ellos desarrollando estos titulos para que? para ver ese asqueroso popping? para ver las animaciones y modelados reciclados? para ver los fallos con los npc? todo mal. gamefreak a caido en la mediocridad.
    quiero un pokemon de calidad y no en estas condiciones, se merece todas las criticas negativas por    una real mierda pero claro los CONFORMISTAS y CASUALS diran lo contrario, 3 años segun ellos desarrollando estos titulos para que? para ver ese asqueroso popping? para ver las animaciones y modelados reciclados? para ver los fallos con los npc? todo mal. gamefreak a caido en la mediocridad.
    quiero un pokemon de calidad y no en estas condiciones, se merece todas las criticas negativas por lo mal echo que esta el juego.    … Expand
  38. Sorites
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Where are all the Pokemon? Gatta catch em all just thrown out the window huh?
  39. nafechinde
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    only thing i would like to say is that this game and ultimately nintendo does not deserves your money, they should be punished economically.
  40. Duelz
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I am disheartened and very disappointed. I can’t believe this is the path Gamefreak chose to go down.
    Pokémon Shield is an unfinished and unpolished pile of crap.
    Save your money don’t buy this game!
    Return the game while you still can!!
  41. carloscoffanni
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Um jogo tenebroso , depois de tanta espera para um jogo de pokemon para um console de mesa esse jogo é incrivelmente decepcionante e tem tantos defeitos que eu posso ficar horas para listar todos
  42. AnotherPerson77
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The cutting of Pokemon was a change that I had expected (albeit dreaded) to come sooner or later as the series total Pokemon and alternate forms would continue to grow, I have never had an interest in the competitive landscape or catching every Pokemon so the reveal of the decision was disappointing to me, but somewhat understood. However I still believe this was a poor decision given thatThe cutting of Pokemon was a change that I had expected (albeit dreaded) to come sooner or later as the series total Pokemon and alternate forms would continue to grow, I have never had an interest in the competitive landscape or catching every Pokemon so the reveal of the decision was disappointing to me, but somewhat understood. However I still believe this was a poor decision given that this is the first mainline Pokemon game to be released on a console, this is a big moment for the series and should have been taken far more seriously. I also believe that with a sacrifice this major, something of similar or greater value must be given in return. The cutting of Pokemon could have given Game Freak the opportunity to greatly develop the animations and personalities of the Pokemon kept in the game, perhaps reintroducing following Pokemon or having more dynamic interactions with them. Alternatively, the story and world could be more developed and based around the Pokemon that inhabit the region. Or the graphical prowess of the development team could be shown in the environment, with their time being spent on designing a more interesting world instead of reworking the Pokemon.
    Unfortunately, none of this came to pass. While it is undeniable that the visual design of the game is better than what has come before (with the exception of some poor texture mapping on trees and rocks) I and many others do not believe that it has reached an acceptable level given the superior hardware the games are using. The games feel like an upgrade to Sun and Moon but lack the style that made Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee visually pleasing and still have some incredibly poor textures. Not to mention, the animations for the game have been shown to be reused and to freeze whenever a player climbs a ladder. For a game that had 3 years of development (1 for concept and 2 for production) and is charging £60/$60 at launch (going up against Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey) combined with being a part of the most profitable series in the world, this is completely unacceptable.
    But the biggest and most insulting aspect of these games is Game Freak’s dishonest marketing of the games, only serving to further stoke the flames between the developers and consumers. Not only did Game Freak avoid mentioning the cutting of previous Pokemon until being directly questioned about it by a reporter and later confronted by the angered fan-base, they have also provided blatantly false reasoning for why the cutting was necessary. The studio claimed that the cutting of previous Pokemon was due to them being forced to remodel them for the new hardware, however this was shown to be a malicious lie by data-miners, who discovered that they were re-using the previous models. This also brought their statement that the reason for the cutting of 50% of the previous Pokemon, mega evolution and Z moves was to improve the online and competitive matches into question, with many people believing that these features were cut either out of laziness or as a result of trying to release a new game every year since 2016 (I personally believe the former). While the re-use of previous models is accepted as an industry standard and shouldn’t be criticised, blatantly lying to consumers about your product should never be excused.
    But even with all of the controversy aside, the games still fall short even as Pokemon games. There is very little experimentation, with many of the story elements being reused from Sun and Moon (such as the fake evil team, the main mechanic being the result of a powerful Pokemon radiating a mysterious energy and even many of the character design sharing similar design elements to those seen in previous games). Most of the new elements of the game, such as dynamaxing, feel hollow and meaningless as they were clearly created with the intention of being abandoned next game rather than being included out of a genuine passion to develop and improve on the mechanics of the previous games. No effort was taken to improve on the storytelling of the series (which suffers from an overabundance of cut-scenes) or the difficulty curve (which is pathetically easy), showing a huge disconnect between the studio and their fans.
    The only area of the game that warrants praising is the soundtrack, which is of excellent quality as always and deserves a large amount of praise for the variety of styles and use of soundscapes in some of the tracks.
    Unfortunately, even if you are a hardcore Pokemon fan, their isn’t much this game offers to warrant it’s £60/$60 price. I don’t even believe that £30/$30 wouldn’t be acceptable. I would recommend giving this game a skip, Game Freak should not be rewarded for poorly managing a project and producing a lackluster product (whether by intention or not). By not buying these games, we can hopefully encourage them to produce a better quality game next time.    … Expand
  43. Palomero3000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Este juego fue apresurado y solo se hizo en mente para sacar dinero de manera facil sabiendo que su fan base pagarian por cualquier cosa sin importar la calidad del producto.
  44. ExPokemonFan
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I've no idea what the "professional" reviews were on when they were playing this game.
    Are they reviewing the same game?
    This game is a half assed attempt at bringing the Pokemon franchise forward to the next generation.
    Don't waste your time with this trash and vote with your wallet.
  45. mechanica
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. so awaful
    story , ost , character , UI , all boring
    nooooooooooooooooooo！    … Expand
  46. Deal_Sealer
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    What an absolute dumpster fire.
    It is devoid of effort, as can be seen in the visual department. Textures are painful to look at and the models are horrendously basic as they look like they're mass produced without attention to detail and are constantly clipping with the environment. Speaking of environment, the places you can traverse are just depressing. The wild area advertised as a    What an absolute dumpster fire.
    It is devoid of effort, as can be seen in the visual department. Textures are painful to look at and the models are horrendously basic as they look like they're mass produced without attention to detail and are constantly clipping with the environment. Speaking of environment, the places you can traverse are just depressing. The wild area advertised as a step in a new direction is a complete joke. It's certainly smaller than Oot's Hyrule field, yet just as empty and uninteresting. Cities and Dungeons on the other hand are just poorly designed hallways that lead you to the next area.
    Gameplay is not well thought out. The new gimmick is underwhelming at the very least. They build it up high and it ends with an anticlimactic ohko, since this game still possesses baby-proof difficulty despite the playerbase being mostly adults and the advertising claiming it's for long time fans. Contrary to being an open world, this game is still a linear experience with NPC's still interrupting you with cutscenes.
    The amount of content in this game isn't bare-bones, no rather it is insufficient and has regressed compared to previous entries in the franchise. Surely you've heard by now about cut pokemon, cut moves and other trashed content. What makes this worse is the fact that the game reuses assets from previous games.
    This trash heap is the result of complacency, and a lack of effort and dedication. If it had been developed with care and the consumer's satisfaction in mind, it would have been a polished title with a lot of content complementing the new features. Sadly, this is not the case.    … Expand
  47. meHG12
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are a lot of restructuring problems, but I've cleared them and I want to say a story
    Very boring and the lowest ever    … Expand
  48. Draz2153
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Deletes your save data for other games like splatoon and let's go. DO NOT DOWNLOAD FROM ESTORE
  49. Fer_O
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad,Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad, I really wanted to love this game as a loyal fan since 20 years ago... GF lost the way and totally drifted away from their true fans, maybe it's time for us to move away from pokémon... Why did they had to rush this game?… Expand
  50. Zammm
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Lots of reports about it deleting your save data for other switch games. Should be considered a virus rather than a game
  51. Politoad
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I love pokemon but the fact this game just deleted 100+ hours of splatoon save data is why this game deserves to burn. Dont buy it if you've played any other switch game. Your breath of the wild save probably also going to be deleted
  52. GarchompGang
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Incomplete game, Bad animations and quite buggy for a mainline switch game. can not recommend.
  53. Ray-Zide
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Honestly not that good of a game
    Just X/Y with less features and lags quite a bit and has less pokemon than a DS game from 10 years ago
  54. Griknor
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    this game and its counter part are a mess. reused assets from the 3ds titles, reused animations, over 55% of pokemon are missing regarless of the fact that every game on much less powerful hardware and smaller game size had all the missing pokemon and the missing moves. gigamax is nothing more then a shiny gimmick that loses its charm well before you start playing or using it. the gamesthis game and its counter part are a mess. reused assets from the 3ds titles, reused animations, over 55% of pokemon are missing regarless of the fact that every game on much less powerful hardware and smaller game size had all the missing pokemon and the missing moves. gigamax is nothing more then a shiny gimmick that loses its charm well before you start playing or using it. the games constantly bug out and have framerate, unstable graphics, unstable models and resolution issues, and when its not bugging out its just ugly with poor quality textures. everything in game feels floaty, like you arent grounded and could fly off any second. the new designs are for the most part ugly or too digimon looking to be a pokemon(this has been a major problem since xy, though black and white has its fair share of issue designs), this heavily clashes with older designs and causes quite the confusion for people who know of pokemon but dont keep up with the series. the game is far to easy and lacks any nuance, this is in part due to the direction they keep forcing the games to go, this should be an rpg not a instant gratification simulator. this is a poor quality game on the levels of fallout76, avoid purchasing at all cost.… Expand
  55. TioBizarro
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It has barely content. Too easy, too short, no nat dex. Shame on you Game Freak.
  56. Pokesh33t
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Don’t buy it, burn Pokémon, they only want our money, it’s a scam, let Pokémon brand finish, it’s all trash, stop Pokémon stop them
  57. Shyim97
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Incomplete game, Bad animations, deletes save games and looks more bad as Lets go Pikachu quite Can not recommend.
  58. SquirtleSquad
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game made my daughter cry. Many of her favs are gone. I have noticed that the game is also rather ugly and glitchy. Do not buy.
  59. Noctis_Strife
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The First Pokemon I wont buy. First, what negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing when u climb ladders .. etc. - the highly praised new feature theThe First Pokemon I wont buy. First, what negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing when u climb ladders .. etc. - the highly praised new feature the wild area is empty af, much smaller than trailers suggest and a graphical and technical mess - the post game is extremly blunt and not much to do - the "story" of this game is the worst and thinnest in the franchise - the game is easy af, Game Freak really doesn't care about long time fans - Exp share among the whole team should be optional - some of the music tracks are really annoying and not enjoyable - the pokemon franchise is stagnating, you really see no revolution at all, on the other site there is Zelda and Mario who tried sth new and the games were amazing
    Whats postive: some cool pokemon designs, that's all
    Can't recommend this mess of a game, Go and buy the 3DS Pokemon games, whenn you haven't played theam already, much more content much more everything    … Expand
  60. Plisken
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    From now on Game Freak do it like Blizzard.
    Its a shame, they lie to us customers and use their power to appease.

    Why international companies like Volkswagen think its ok to treat her customers like this?

    Did they realy think in 2 months everything will be all right again? Our trust in them is sustained damaged for a long time.

    THAT'S THE REAL PROBLEM!
  61. NintendoGuy64
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As a lifelong fan of Pokemon games, I was ecstatic when a new mainline Pokemon game was announced for the Switch, a home console! Pokemon Gen 7 was alright, but a little too slow and easy for my tastes. But for Gen 8 all I was expecting was a nice polished HD Pokemon game, I didn't need an open world or anything as it is Gamefreak's first home console Pokemon title, after all. But no, thatAs a lifelong fan of Pokemon games, I was ecstatic when a new mainline Pokemon game was announced for the Switch, a home console! Pokemon Gen 7 was alright, but a little too slow and easy for my tastes. But for Gen 8 all I was expecting was a nice polished HD Pokemon game, I didn't need an open world or anything as it is Gamefreak's first home console Pokemon title, after all. But no, that isn't what we got. We got an unfinished game, with over half of the national Pokedex not in the game, choppy, reused animations, reused models when they said they were brand new, even easier difficulty, a significantly shorter campaign as well as next to no post-game, not to mention many other features removed. All I have to say is, why? Pokemon is the highest most profitable franchise of all time, and Nintendo has been hitting it out of the park lately with great game after great game, like Zelda, Mario etc. So why can't Gamefreak improve Pokemon too? It's only gotten worse with time. I hope Nintendo can step in next time and help/replace Gamefreak, as the way these games are, I have no hope for the future of the franchise… Expand
  62. Pablo92
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    worst pokemon game to date. lack of content, bugged,no post game basically and lackluster animations.
  63. Eddieman
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Not worth the 60 dollars! You're paying for a couple of incomplete and glitchy games! Its just a copy and print 3ds version of the Pokemon games, but without the whole National pokedex
  64. NationalDex
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Same as Sword, Reused Animations, lying about new models, bad textures, cut Pokemon, Masuda should've been laid off awhile ago and there is a game breaking bug that deletes everything on your micro sd. Wasn't tested, absolutely avoid
  65. pkmn1_5genfreak
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Corporate greed should not be rewarded. You need to recall this game and let the developers make what they wanted to make, Game Freak. You stand to lose a very sizable core of your fanbase, many of us have started as children from 1-4 gen. We hate to see the series we cherish so much be treated as some showpony. Fix it.
  66. pokead
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Its ultra sun and moon 2 but with less content same animation and cut pokedex. A shame
  67. BenzSLR722
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Game is rushed. No GTS, wonder trade, and no effort was placed here. All Game Freak cares about is money. Don't believe the critic game reviews because it seems like all those development funds were used to pay the critics
  68. GFLied
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Even ignoring the terrible graphics, the cut content is unacceptable, especially considering the new gimmicks are pointless and forgettable. The game is way too easy. And the cutscenes are annoying.
  69. JeanRiver
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. GameFreak Lied.Disappointed about this shxt work.I won't buy and Pokemon Game util they apologize and do something really matters… Expand
  70. allewel2
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Overpriced now ($35x2 used to get you all of the game and now $60x2 only gets you 55%).

    GameFreak just needs to sell Pokémon and let someone else give it the attention it deserves.
  71. jack1077
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Utter trash. This game is so god awful and poorly developed that it is deleting ALL save files from some players switches. The developers have lied to the consumers regarding the models and animations as an excuse to get away with culling the full dex (so it can be charged later). The only silver lining is that this game is so terrible the Pokemon company might finally get rid of GamefreakUtter trash. This game is so god awful and poorly developed that it is deleting ALL save files from some players switches. The developers have lied to the consumers regarding the models and animations as an excuse to get away with culling the full dex (so it can be charged later). The only silver lining is that this game is so terrible the Pokemon company might finally get rid of Gamefreak from this series. #gamefreaklied… Expand
  72. Rilian218
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partiallyI wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partially scrapped to hastily make it a “Switch” title. All the heart of the game was left on the cutting room floor. There are hints at what could have been an amazing game and there’s beauty to be found here and there. But I can’t help but regret supporting GameFreak and the Pokémon Company with my money. After playing for a little while, I realized that for all of the people saying “You can’t judge it until you played it” and praising the game...they probably haven’t played it either. I can’t imagine they could play this and not feel as empty inside as the wild area is. If you haven’t already bought the game, or if you were planning to buy this for a loved one, I can’t recommend it. If you do and you have fun that’s great! But this really feels like the end of an era of Pokémon games that created fantastic memories and journeys with friends, both Pokémon and those we make in real life.… Expand
  73. Joaomax
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Muito ruim
    O jogo cheio de bugs, graficos horríveis, parece que nem saiu do 3ds, preguiça foi essa GF?
    OLHA A NOTA QUE NÓS FÃS ESTAMOS COLOCANDO AQUI, 3.7, PFV NÉ
  74. DobleC
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    If we were facing a GameCube game, the game would probably have a 7 (due to Dexit and lack of content and animations). But we are faced with a game of the most successful franchise in history (ergo a franchise that generates a lot of money) and sincerely it is shameful the technical work it has. Anyway, if you're not very smart (as with the vast majority of Pokémon fans) you probably won'tIf we were facing a GameCube game, the game would probably have a 7 (due to Dexit and lack of content and animations). But we are faced with a game of the most successful franchise in history (ergo a franchise that generates a lot of money) and sincerely it is shameful the technical work it has. Anyway, if you're not very smart (as with the vast majority of Pokémon fans) you probably won't even notice. As good points, the music is great, the game (when it is not frozen or terrible laggin) looks nice too and you can also finish it in less than 10 hours if you rush, so you can go play any other game of Pokémon that is good (from DS and earlier).

    Lazyness :/    … Expand
  75. LotzOPixelz
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The one good thing I can see coming from these games is a wake up call to gamefreak. Pokemon as a franchise has been declining ever since x/y but I still didnt expect the absolute nozedive in ratings for this game. The lies we have been fed so that the pokemon company could make a quick buck are absurd. I hope in the future gamefreak realises that they can no longer **** out garbage onto aThe one good thing I can see coming from these games is a wake up call to gamefreak. Pokemon as a franchise has been declining ever since x/y but I still didnt expect the absolute nozedive in ratings for this game. The lies we have been fed so that the pokemon company could make a quick buck are absurd. I hope in the future gamefreak realises that they can no longer **** out garbage onto a cartridge and call it a "game for long time fans"… Expand
  76. Sneakybreeze
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Poor excuse for a pokemon game. Unfinished and undeserving of any sort of praise.
  77. Shinku002
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    pokemon escudo la peor basura de titulo de pokemon en la historia!,sin megaevoluciones!(lets go pilachu y eevee si tenían), sin movimientos z,reciclado de manera vaga,recortadisimo en pokemones ejem no esta squirtle,bulbasor solo chardmander por charizard :v,recortado en movimientos,los pokemons mas feos que eh visto nuevos!,la hitoria mas corta de todos los juegos de pokemon,el lets go depokemon escudo la peor basura de titulo de pokemon en la historia!,sin megaevoluciones!(lets go pilachu y eevee si tenían), sin movimientos z,reciclado de manera vaga,recortadisimo en pokemones ejem no esta squirtle,bulbasor solo chardmander por charizard :v,recortado en movimientos,los pokemons mas feos que eh visto nuevos!,la hitoria mas corta de todos los juegos de pokemon,el lets go de switch dura 25h, este 15 :v,el diamante y perla 41, esta lleno de bugs,los graficos son de lo peor para una switch!,un arbol y las montañas que ellos enseñaron presumiendo parecian de n64 por dios!, etc,ademas los de nintendo(si los de nintendo quien es el que manda en su querida consola?) presumian de la obra y oda de este pokemon!,en fin, por algo la nota… Expand
  78. Noraver
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    What can I say that hasn’t already been said?
    Nintendo/The Pokémon Company need to give the rights to another company. Game Freak has grown lazy, complacent, and puts no effort or passion into these games anymore.
    It definitely is sad when a game 20 years old on N64 (Pokémon Stadium 2), or a game on the Wii (Pokémon Battle Revolution) have more character/personality in their Pokémon    What can I say that hasn’t already been said?
    Nintendo/The Pokémon Company need to give the rights to another company. Game Freak has grown lazy, complacent, and puts no effort or passion into these games anymore.
    It definitely is sad when a game 20 years old on N64 (Pokémon Stadium 2), or a game on the Wii (Pokémon Battle Revolution) have more character/personality in their Pokémon than the mainline games do.
    Not to mention, better animations.
    This is no longer the company/game line I used to know and love.
    The highest grossing franchise in the world, and they can't produce a decent game on the newest console hardware?
    Pathetic, absurd, and genuinely disappointing.

    #GameFreakLied    … Expand
  79. MEPWAYNINTENDO
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Utter garbage and one of the worst games ever made. Nintendo is a worthless, lazy company who doesn't care about what they put out at all and they just take advantage of little children and people with mental disabilities because they don't know any better.
  80. Videogamer7800
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pure **** Fire masuda and let nintendo deal with pokemon. These games are as fun as a dead dog. And all the gamefreak apologists suck too
  81. Harveyr
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A Pokémon game without Pokémon, what's even the point? It's clear gamefreak needed at least another year on this to get the game in a play ready state. Unfortunately for us fans it's been released anyway with this game feeling more like a quick cash grab more than anything else
  82. Buttfart
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Lack of content and communication while the core games remains the franchise has become a former shell of what was accomplished during the DS Era.
  83. NotAChansey
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    An insult to life long pokemon fans. Stripped of all personality and mostly a re-packaged collection of old animations/ideas. Nothing new to gain, plenty of good old stuff removed for literally no reason other than to get the game out faster
  84. CrunchyShadow
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Do not buy this game. GameFreak misled and took advantage of the fanbase. This game, along with its counterpart Pokémon Sword, are little more than upscaled 3DS games. Models for many Pokémon are confirmed to be identical to those in Sun/Moon. The animations are garbage. The environments are barren. The fans deserve better.
  85. pico901
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is simply not worth 60 not even half the price! GameFreak (Masuda) Lied to us for cutting 60% of the pokedex for ''better animations'' all we seen is some dynamax animations and RE USED battle animations! this is just a quick crashgrab! out of town the graphics are simply laughable unfinished and unpolished! The trees look worse then most ps2 games the rock textures wow! theThis game is simply not worth 60 not even half the price! GameFreak (Masuda) Lied to us for cutting 60% of the pokedex for ''better animations'' all we seen is some dynamax animations and RE USED battle animations! this is just a quick crashgrab! out of town the graphics are simply laughable unfinished and unpolished! The trees look worse then most ps2 games the rock textures wow! the rocktextures! there have been massive framerate issues in dynamax battles i saw a player fishing in a town area then when the battle came the background changed to the wild area! Inhouse battles get backgrounds simply not matching with the enviroment you just battle in a void. The gym missions are so easy to the point you can just walk to the other side without anything stopping you! You get so many potions revives and all that bullcrap u find it everywhere! the game is dumbed down so much with so many missing features. This game is unfinished and unpolished even pokemon lets go pika and evee are better polished and even looking better in alot of aspects. Gamefreak failed and i will never be buying anything pokemon related ever again! ''improved animations'' when my raboot pokemon used the move headbut and it kicked instead of actually headbutting this game is the fallout 76 of pokemon and the casual fanboys will never admit this shame on you! shame on gamefreak and shame on Nintendo for letting this come out! It's all about money these days and you can clearly see it TAKE THIS L gamefreak!… Expand
  86. CriticalCanadi
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Removed all the features. Removed most of the pokemon. **** graphics.

    Absolutely unplayable.
  87. Xd36
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't find something good in it, so this la the rating it deserves, you better go play Digimon instead of this ****… Expand
  88. PokeFan1988
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    >Characters are generic
    >Story is really bad, even worse than XY
    >Cutscenes and handholding everywhere >Open world is bland and soulless >Graphics and animations are still garbage despite that being used as an excuse for dexit >Overworld Pokemon literally phase into existence when you walk near them >Pokemon scaling is horrible, Wailord still looks tiny >Moves like Return and Pursuit have    >Characters are generic
    >Story is really bad, even worse than XY
    >Cutscenes and handholding everywhere
    >Open world is bland and soulless

    >Graphics and animations are still garbage despite that being used as an excuse for dexit
    >Overworld Pokemon literally phase into existence when you walk near them
    >Pokemon scaling is horrible, Wailord still looks tiny
    >Moves like Return and Pursuit have been deleted for no reason, even signature moves of Pokemon that are in the game like Heal Order Vespiquen.
    >Assets have been proven as reused despite Game Freak saying they had to remake everything
    >Megas and Z-Moves have been deleted
    >Permanent EXP share
    >Charizard shilling


    Utter garbage, and I'm a huge Pokemon fan    … Expand
  89. Shinob1
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Absolutely dissapointed, the game it's horrible, a lot of bugs, no national dex, less pokemons, horrible gameplay, horrible graphics. It's not worth pay 60 bucks for this, please, don't waste your money.
  90. HectorHbo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Wea malaaaaaaaaaaaa game freak chupala hasta que la dejes brillosa, wea malaaaa
  91. Ziop98
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Low quality graphics, Game Freak lied about dexcut connected to new models and better animation, the story is probably the worst for a main line pokemon game, no post game, bad soundtrack, just 3 legendary, new pokemon desgins suck. Probably is worse than LGPE, which was in my opinion the worst pokemon game until this
  92. 300549248
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Disappointing, save your money please. Dexit for terrible animations, Gamefreak **** up on this one
  93. Pizzazz
    Jan 25, 2020
    0
    I have no idea how they got everything so wrong, all they had to do was make the same thing they've been making and it would have been fine, but they somehow made it terrible.
  94. ReyGar97
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A lot of technical problems and awful animations, ir crashed on my switch and I lose my progress and the one from Luigis Mansion too
  95. MoldyMarshmello
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

    -Poor animations and frame drops, animations will freeze up in the overworld when climbing a ladder -Over 150 cut moves -Only 400 Pokemon in the national dex -Incredibly short 8 hour main game with absolutely no postgame or replay value -Have to pay 20$ for Pokemon Home    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

    -Poor animations and frame drops, animations will freeze up in the overworld when climbing a ladder
    -Over 150 cut moves
    -Only 400 Pokemon in the national dex
    -Incredibly short 8 hour main game with absolutely no postgame or replay value
    -Have to pay 20$ for Pokemon Home and another 20 for the GTS

    Overall, do not buy this game if you want Pokemon to improve as a franchise    … Expand
  96. samuelglynnr
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    When considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look upWhen considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look up Wailord in Pokémon Sword / Shield and feast your eyes on the ineptitude.… Expand
  97. Melgill
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. #bringbacknationaldex
    #gamefreaklied
    Every pokémon is someone's favourite, this is just unacceptable!    … Expand
  98. BadThingsHappen
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pokemon Sword And Sheild are the worst games in the series, dont let THANKYOUGAMEFREAK and others like IGN lie to you, the models sre re-used, the game is overall very boring, the new pokemon forms (the only things that come close to new models) are boring and ugly, Skip this entry and wait for the next one with the full dex #Gamefreaklied
  99. loldave87
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is a true wake up call how low the bar actually is for Pokemon games. Even if GF released this game is this sorry state and included all Pokemon there would be very little amount of complaints. This only proves the entire series is just being carried by the Pokemon that are available. Aside from 65% of the Pokemon from previous generations being cut and also some very popularThis game is a true wake up call how low the bar actually is for Pokemon games. Even if GF released this game is this sorry state and included all Pokemon there would be very little amount of complaints. This only proves the entire series is just being carried by the Pokemon that are available. Aside from 65% of the Pokemon from previous generations being cut and also some very popular Pokemon being excluded this game falls flat in a lot of aspects. This game didn't meet some of the very basic expectations. This game is very short, almost no content for post game, no GTS. This game proves how incredibly lazy GF has been.

    Content cut: They have removed 65% of the Pokemon in this game including some very popular and liked ones. They have removed 144 Pokemon moves and excluded 99 moves. Reused models, reused animation etc. GF has been caught lying to their fan base they couldn't put all Pokemon in their game because they couldn't reanimate and remodel all Pokemon while they have never remodeled or reanimated any of the Pokemon in this game. All of them were reused work.

    Performance: Constant graphics issues. Game looks extremely mediocre at times. Game is being constantly downscaled making the game look extremely bad at times.

    Content: Game is extremely short. First streamer beat the champion around the 14 hour mark, while he did skip a fair amount of trainer battles. Other streamers are clocking around 16-20 hours. Post game is almost non-existent. Almost no extra content. This game from a gameplay/post-game stand point is inferior in almost every way to the previous Pokemon games. There's also no GTS. 20 dollar increase for less constant than their 3DS or DS games with subpar graphics and removal of features.    … Expand
  100. Hisoka4lyfe
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Terrible unfinished product. Do not buy as it tells Nintendo that this level of quality is acceptable and it is not.

    We deserve better. Pokemon deserves better.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

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