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. Achiyugo
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Hilarious. The rating matches the percentage of Pokémon left in the game. RIP
  2. justinpeoples13
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Story is too basic and streamlined. There is nothing by the way of side quests like in all other games. Your rivals are laughable and all the gym challenges pose little challenge if you are familiar with the battle mechanics. There is a lack of interesting things to do besides the main quest like previous games. Gambling, beauty contests ect. The lack of mysteries to explore and the scaledStory is too basic and streamlined. There is nothing by the way of side quests like in all other games. Your rivals are laughable and all the gym challenges pose little challenge if you are familiar with the battle mechanics. There is a lack of interesting things to do besides the main quest like previous games. Gambling, beauty contests ect. The lack of mysteries to explore and the scaled down size of the Caves/Routes is really disheartening. The lack of world interaction with buildings and npcs is sad aswell feels very dry and like you're just pushed into a linear story. Sure you can play around in the wild area but you can explore all of that rather quickly and then it becomes stale and boring. In the end I felt like I was playing a glorified Pokemon Stadium with a story and the wild area to make up for the lack of depth implemented.

    I hope they improve upon what they have going on for the next installment but if they take the same route it will surely be another disappointment to longtime fans of the series. Here's to hoping for a remake of Pearl and Diamond to see what a real classic pokemon experience can feel like on the Switch.    … Expand
  3. AD2
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Easily the best Pokémon game yet. From the user interface, to graphics, to sound, to convenience, it beats nearly every Pokémon game on nearly every metric.
  4. Upsset
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    I got it opening night at midnight I'm 32 hours deep and I have to say I have seen a lot of problems with this game the frame rate is slow half the Pokemon are gone and I could live with that however the game crashes, it has frozen on me twice, this game was advertised to be a hard core Pokemon game for hardcore Pokemon players it was not it was an entry-level game comprable to let's goI got it opening night at midnight I'm 32 hours deep and I have to say I have seen a lot of problems with this game the frame rate is slow half the Pokemon are gone and I could live with that however the game crashes, it has frozen on me twice, this game was advertised to be a hard core Pokemon game for hardcore Pokemon players it was not it was an entry-level game comprable to let's go Pikachu in fact it was about as hard as let's go Pikachu I finish the story in about 15 hours I will say it was enjoyable it was not very deep but Pokemon games often don't have a deep storyline however it was really hand-holding you can't do anything without being told what to do and I do mean anything you fight somebody as soon as you're done somebody comes up and talks to you there's no voice acting which makes the game feel really old AND. Gave me hardcore GameCube Vibes not only that it feels and plays.ike a 3ds game, not only that other than catching one legendary there is no postgame there is absolutely nothing to do there's no farther story there is nothing in fact all there is to do is grind in the battle tower or in the wild area and that's basically just pregame for online which doesn't really actually exist it's a really difficult to connect with anyone to play online and trading is a nightmare, I feel ripped off for the first time in 20 years by pokemon, and its sad,… Expand
  5. Nozum
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    First off all i am new to the pokémon games, i have never touched another game in the series. So i was quite exited to start my journey into this universe.

    Im having a OK time playing this. I like the gameplay, story, and actually be able to go around catching all these different Pokémons. With that being said, there are 2 things i cannot understand and accept, with a game released in    First off all i am new to the pokémon games, i have never touched another game in the series. So i was quite exited to start my journey into this universe.

    Im having a OK time playing this. I like the gameplay, story, and actually be able to go around catching all these different Pokémons. With that being said, there are 2 things i cannot understand and accept, with a game released in 2019 for this price. The graphics and animations. Playing this on a 65" TV is actually pretty embarasing. All i can think of while playing is how ashamed i am to have payed $60 for this. Im pretty sure my PlayStation 2 games looked better than this. For a price tag of around $25 - $30 this would be a whole different story. But $60 for animations and graphics like this, is just insane.    … Expand
  6. Sydius4
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a good handheld game. But it dont look like a Switch game with the best graphic. The story of the game is averageand the animation mostly the same. And still they have cut more than half of the pokemon, because of balancing...
    The truth is they didnt worked with eno
    ugh people to do the project and cut the pokedex. Pokemon become easier since Sun and Moon. They    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a good handheld game. But it dont look like a Switch game with the best graphic. The story of the game is averageand the animation mostly the same. And still they have cut more than half of the pokemon, because of balancing...
    The truth is they didnt worked with eno
    ugh people to do the project and cut the pokedex. Pokemon become easier since Sun and Moon. They want to cash in for the new Pokemon Go Players and dont care anymore for the hardcore loyal fanbase anymore. They can easily can eat all pokemon but they think they didn't have to.    … Expand
  7. Bruhboinohomes
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bruh moment, why no empoleon in the game.

    Eat pant

    Animations are kinda bad

    LiTtLe ToWn HeRo Is BeTtEr.    … Expand
  8. ddark14
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. los intercambios con amigos estan un poco complicados, la transición a consola mas potente me parece excelente, buena historia, buenas mecanicas… Expand
  9. Meris
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    This game has some technical issues and the decision to not port every Pokemon into the game is sad, but aside from these issues, the game is quite fun.
    It has several interesting fights in the last quarter of the game and the new Pokemon designs are quite fun.
    It is miles above ORAS, Sun/Moon and UltraSun/UltraMoon. This Gen are a step in the right direction and I hope a possible third    This game has some technical issues and the decision to not port every Pokemon into the game is sad, but aside from these issues, the game is quite fun.
    It has several interesting fights in the last quarter of the game and the new Pokemon designs are quite fun.
    It is miles above ORAS, Sun/Moon and UltraSun/UltraMoon. This Gen are a step in the right direction and I hope a possible third game remake from B/W fixes the technical issues.    … Expand
  10. LuisFRBplus
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    No tengo ningun incentivo para seguir jugándolo, atrápalos todos? Hace mucho que quedo atras!!
  11. Motaever
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This game is perfect on 3ds
    Not in switch
    Its just playing sun and moon game with a mod for more pokemon and a new region
  12. ChocolateCrane
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Let us address the elephant in the room first. The absence of the National Dex. Yes, it is terrible, lazy, blah blah blah. I am sure you've already heard this in hundreds of other reviews. So instead of me wasting your time by complaining about something you are already well aware of, I will focus on the rest of SwSh's shortcomings. For reference, I have played every mainline Pokemon gameLet us address the elephant in the room first. The absence of the National Dex. Yes, it is terrible, lazy, blah blah blah. I am sure you've already heard this in hundreds of other reviews. So instead of me wasting your time by complaining about something you are already well aware of, I will focus on the rest of SwSh's shortcomings. For reference, I have played every mainline Pokemon game to completion and have currently sunk 40 hours into Shield; I'd imagine my criticisms also apply to Sword. In the interest of brevity, I will be utilizing acronyms: (SwSh = Sword/Shield, S/M = Sun/Moon, etc).

    The most succinct way to put it is SwSh essentially feels like a 3DS game ported to the Switch. This applies to every facet of the game: from its gameplay features to its visual presentation, to its story/characters. I believe whether or not you enjoy SwSh depends entirely upon how you view the 7th Gen games. Contrary to what the devs promised us last year, SwSh is most assuredly NOT meant for the "core" Pokemon fans. As a veteran of the series myself, I can say with certainty the abysmally low level of difficulty in conjunction with the simplification and outright removal of many features is the exact opposite of what I'd want. SwSh is nearly as simplified as LGPE, which wouldn't be an issue if the devs addressed it as such, but somehow they seem to think this is what qualifies as a satisfying mainline game in 2019. Yes, Pokemon has always been a franchise aimed primarily at children. The games have never been truly difficult when compared to many of their JRPG contemporaries. Yet, for some reason Game Freak felt the need to crank that difficulty setting from "Easy" down to "Braindead". S/M may have been easy, but it was LEAGUES more challenging than Shield. Accessibility is one thing, but this is taking it to such an extreme it nearly removes all the fun. A "Hard Mode" option selectable from the outset would have worked wonders. And of course, as is common for the past several entries in the Pokemon series, the post-game content is practically non-existent.

    So, SwSh basically fails when viewed purely as a "game", but what of the other aspects I mentioned? After all, JRPGs with subpar gameplay can still be surprisingly enjoyable if the narrative holds enough merit. I am sad to report that SwSh also completely fails in this regard. The writing is oftentimes so atrocious I've found myself wishing to skip these scenes entirely. This is par for the course as none of the mainline games (barring the "attempts" made in B/W) have really delivered anything substantive in the way of competent storytelling. However, with the majority of other Pokemon games, they at least had good gameplay to compensate for the lackluster story; a factor which is completely absent from SwSh due to its inherent simplified nature and toddler-pandering difficulty.

    Well, there is only one thing left to discuss since delving into too much detail on the above points causes me to exceed the character limit. The final point of contention is the visual fidelity and graphical offerings SwSh brings to the table. This is after all, a game made for the Switch; a console/handheld hybrid with roughly 10x the computational power of Pokemon's former home, the 3DS. Let's get the pesky numbers out of the way first. SwSh runs at a dynamic resolution on both docked and portable modes. In docked mode, the resolution fluctuates from 1080p to 864p. Likewise, during portable play, the highest res is 720p which descends to 576p on frequent occasions. This is somewhat disappointing considering LGPE was capable of running at 1080p docked/720p portable at all times. The framerate target is 30fps, which exhibits frame pacing problems and severe drops in a variety of areas. The most evident manifestation of these issues can be seen in the Wild Area, wherein both pacing and framerate are pushed to their absolute worst. This is a massive problem considering the majority of your time, especially in post-game, will likely be spent in the Wild Area.

    Aside from the quantifiable metrics highlighted above, there are plenty of other visual shortcomings to boot. Terrible terrain detail, awful textures, constant pop-in, stilted animations, low polygon count for both the human character models as well as the Pokemon, and countless other issues such as these result in a game that resembles something released over a decade ago. Many detractors claim SwSh looks like a PS2/GC game, which is definitely an exaggeration, but what we got is by no means acceptable for a non-indie game released in 2019. And yes, many of the animations and ALL the returning Pokemon models have been copy-and-pasted with negligible improvements for SwSh.

    It's one thing to sacrifice content for a more polished, higher quality game, but that is very clearly not what happened here. I genuinely hope these issues can be sorted out in future releases; I am not ready to give up hope on Pokemon just yet.    … Expand
  13. RiceTwice
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Worst game in the series by far. Don't waste your time and money, this game is horrible and incomplete. #GameFreakLied
  14. oPROJECTMAYHEMo
    Nov 18, 2019
    5
    This is a non Biased and fair review from someone who is not overly emotionally attached.

    First off - I am a fan of Pokemon and have played the vast majority of them. (Pokemon Doesn't rule my life). I am 6 hours or so into the game and there is plenty to like and there is also plenty that could have been much better, hence my score being middle of the road. This game is far too    This is a non Biased and fair review from someone who is not overly emotionally attached.

    First off - I am a fan of Pokemon and have played the vast majority of them. (Pokemon Doesn't rule my life).

    I am 6 hours or so into the game and there is plenty to like and there is also plenty that could have been much better, hence my score being middle of the road.

    This game is far too easy. You don't have to grind or power level anything to progress through the game. I have so far only battled the random people along the way and tried to catch one of each pokemon encountered so far and I am over leveled by 8 levels.

    I really don't like being able to see the wild pokemon you encounter before the battle starts, for me half the fun was hunting in each area not knowing who you were going to encounter and the joy of finally finding the ones you wanted.

    Pokemon Shield and Pokemon Lets Go give wild access to strong and later forms of pokemon way too early in the game.

    Battling isnt difficult, at all. I started with Scorbunny and he has been the only pokemon used so far except for 1 battle.

    Forced XP share just adds to the ease of this game. I have used 1 pokemon all game so far and have a team with an average level of around 22. I miss the grind the early games offered.

    The graphics are great. I like that pokemon haven't been given voices and they still use the old retro noises.

    The characters are annoying and not very interesting. Team Yell are poorly designed make it blatantly obvious they are only there to add to the length of the game rather than being a part of the story or a side story. Some poor pokemon designs too- Who wants an ice cream pokemon or one in the shape of a tea pot?

    You have access to a bike and fishing rod without having to work for them - again, adding to the lack of difficulty.

    Gigantamax is pointless and adds absolutely nothing to the game. I am glad it is used only once every now and then in a gym battle.

    I know I have mentioned a lot i feel is wrong with this game but.... it is fun, albeit very easy.

    Would have been perfect if
    All wild encounters are hidden
    Make the game harder - Opponents have to strategy and low leveled
    Remove Gigantamax
    Add the vast majority Pokemon (far too many missing)
    Its feels empty - Whats the point of a big map if your going to leave it with not much to actually do.

    Again, my biggest gripe is this game is FAR TOO EASY and everything is just handed to you on a plate.    … Expand
  15. RGriffin
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    La verdad, esperaba menos y me gusto, necesita cambios pues si y mejoras también, pero eso no quita todo lo que te entrega
  16. Andrito
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    In certain parts, grafically disrespectfull. Dishonoring nintendo switch system.
  17. katttdillehay
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    I don't even know where to start. I've been playing pokemon since Pokemon Gold and Silver came out close to 20 years ago. I have never been more disappointed with a game in my life. Pokemon sun and moon were bad but this is just embarassing. Countless pokemon were cut so longtime fans can't even bring pokemon they've had for over 15 years with them into the new games. Mega evolutions and aI don't even know where to start. I've been playing pokemon since Pokemon Gold and Silver came out close to 20 years ago. I have never been more disappointed with a game in my life. Pokemon sun and moon were bad but this is just embarassing. Countless pokemon were cut so longtime fans can't even bring pokemon they've had for over 15 years with them into the new games. Mega evolutions and a crazy amount of content was cut for a rushed, lazy, disappointing game. Do not waste your money on this game that could barely be considered finished.… Expand
  18. MarioFan91
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    I don't get all the vitriol surrounding Sword and Shield. The whole National Dex thing caused a bit of a stir long before release, and a lot of Pokémon have been wiped out of the slate. But, the reasons are understandable, as these Pokémon games are massive in terms of scope.

    Pokémon Sword and Shield bring you to the Galar region, which is based on the UK. There you get three new    I don't get all the vitriol surrounding Sword and Shield. The whole National Dex thing caused a bit of a stir long before release, and a lot of Pokémon have been wiped out of the slate. But, the reasons are understandable, as these Pokémon games are massive in terms of scope.

    Pokémon Sword and Shield bring you to the Galar region, which is based on the UK. There you get three new starters, Grookey (the grass type chimp), Scorbunny (a fire type rabbit), and Sobble (the water type lizard). I chose Scorbunny in both games, largely because of his usefulness in the first gym battle, which focuses on grass Pokémon.

    Now. before the whiny fanboys go after me and say I'm getting paid to write good reviews of this game, let me just say this. Do they have their flaws - like inconsistent graphics and a lack of voice acting? Yes. Am I disappointed that some of my favorite Pokémon from the first generation like Squirtle and Bulbasaur have been wiped from the slate? Absolutely. But flaws aside, they're still a lot of fun to play. It's still the Pokémon that's been beloved for years, and flaws aside, I still recommend them.    … Expand
  19. maplepecan
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    This game is clearly rushed, unfinished, and unpolished. The brings good new features with the wild area and free cam, but this game looks like a 3ds game that's been up-scaled everywhere else. There is so much pop in that is glaring and embarrassingly bad. The textures in the wild area are simply put, bad. The environment freezes when interacting with things, when you fish the pokemon andThis game is clearly rushed, unfinished, and unpolished. The brings good new features with the wild area and free cam, but this game looks like a 3ds game that's been up-scaled everywhere else. There is so much pop in that is glaring and embarrassingly bad. The textures in the wild area are simply put, bad. The environment freezes when interacting with things, when you fish the pokemon and grass around you stop moving. The story is very stale, characters like Hop and Leon aren't interesting in the slightest, and team yell are just a nuisance and feel like they were just thrown in. This story was bad, even for pokemon standards.

    To address dexit, it is not as bad as everyone says, but it is still a big reason why I gave this game a less than average score. Missing out on some of my favorite pokemon from the series that joined me throughout the rest of the games was terrible. I thought to myself how perfect my team would be with these 2-3 other pokemon, but they aren't available in game or through future trading with pokemon home.

    I wanted to see something new for this series, a leap forward for the first console main series release. Instead it this is a 3ds game made for the Switch that tells a story worse than one of the 3ds titles. Game freak took one small step forward, and two giant steps back    … Expand
  20. 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
  21. kerrydevo
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've been a fan of the Pokemon franchise since the 1990s and have played through almost all the games as a lot of other fans have. I pre-ordered both Sword and Shield with the hope that they would be a breathtaking experiences. Unfortunately it was not to be. I am not saying the games are terrible, but I expected so much more from a Nintendo Switch title, especially since it is Pokemon, a franchise loved by millions.

    To start off I will say that the National Dex cut would not have been a big deal if Game Freak were honest about having to make new models. Its been proven by many poketubers and people who work in 3D modelling that the Pokemon models are indeed the same as in Sun and Moon. The Dex was cut for the purpose of increasing the animation quality, however playing through the game for hours up to the battle with Leon, it was made clear to me that many corners were cut. Characters turn in an inhuman, unrealistic way, where they look like Lego ( most noticeable in the water type gym, as seen in the early demos). The Pokemon themselves also tend to make the same sort of turns in some cutscenes. I personally found the wild area to be bland. The weather would change in an unrealistic manner( one minute it snows and another the sun is shining) and the area itself was not as big as I expected it to be. It can be very repetitive with the same sort of NPCs scattered around the area. I did enjoy the raid battles, however some of them require wishing star pieces to activate which are really expensive, around 3,000 watts to be exact. This left me with very few activities to do apart from this weird balloon cycling game which I tried a few times and they are okay at best. The textures of the wild are are also bland and boring and it didn't feel like I was exploring a beautiful pokemon paradise. I hated how pokemon would pop out of nowhere and after taking what was just a few feet away from them, they would instantly disappear again. The NPCs are also guilty of this, even in the main cities where the games would look there best. The cities do look great and colourful but even then I feel more could be done with them.

    The pokemon camping looks like a treat at first, but then you realise that there isn't much interactivity with the Pokemon apart from playing with a ball or a stick toy with a bell on it. The curry dex has recipes that look the same apart from there effects on Pokemon (Depending on how well you cook the curry). Pokemon don't even interact with each other that much. They race each other and do basic Sim-like interactions and that is it.

    I would have appreciated more activities to do with the Pokemon such as Pokleathon sort of events or contests. Pokemon that follow the trainer could have been implemented but wasn't. There were zero eeveelutions which saddened my soul. They were put aside in favour of pokemon like stunfisk?, garbodor? This made no sense to me. New favourites like wooloo and galarian ponyta were given uninspired evolutions where there could have been so much more potential.

    Overall the game does feel like a cash grab and I will be returning Sword to my local game store today. I will keep Shield in the hopes that I can transfer them to a better game in the future. Game Freak has really let me down on this one. I hope that they will up their standards from here on out and not focus on other games like Town which had mediocre scores from reviewers.    … Expand
  22. Gyroraptor
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Really, really, bad graphic quality
    Really, really, REALLY bad animations
    Also recycled animations
    Framerate drops
    Insultingly easy
    Lazy company
  23. JankieHands
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    I really like the new pokemon designs. but thats the only positive thing i can think out. they cut pokemons. there is a insane quantity of cutscenes that stops the flow and very short game for the series. there is not enough value for the price.
  24. LuigiTheGamer
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    Pokémon sword and shield are phenomenal game with a lot of good qualities, the only bad qualities Ive found is the national Dex problem and the TREES. Besides that it’s a fun game that I’d suggest anyone who has enjoyed a Pokémon game should buy if they can afford it. Also don’t judge a game you haven’t played.
  25. Malooga
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Don’t listen to the “Dexit” reviewers. The game is awesome. There’s over 300 Pokémon and lets be honest - it was too much at 150. Keeping the games unique in offering certain Pokémon is a staple of the franchise. Expecting it to change now is silly. Sound/music is excellent - new designs are awesome. It has a cartoony and pleasing aesthetics and much of the annoying “grind” is gone.Don’t listen to the “Dexit” reviewers. The game is awesome. There’s over 300 Pokémon and lets be honest - it was too much at 150. Keeping the games unique in offering certain Pokémon is a staple of the franchise. Expecting it to change now is silly. Sound/music is excellent - new designs are awesome. It has a cartoony and pleasing aesthetics and much of the annoying “grind” is gone. Replaced by clever mechanics that keep you searching for new partners and customizing the ones you love in cool ways. It feels like a NEW Pokémon game - 40+ hours long (didn’t even see the first gym until hour 10). I even like the odd mix of cockney slang they throw in to dialogue over the “baby-English” in most Pokémon games. If you want a new Pokémon experience, and you don’t mind some subtle gameplay formula changes to enhance experience and keep things lively - then check this out. If you’re an OCD completionist who likes to whine about promises that were never made - you’ll find good company in the droves of spoiled gamers who review bombed this release. Babies. 10/10… Expand
  26. 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.
  27. TioBizarro
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It has barely content. Too easy, too short, no nat dex. Shame on you Game Freak.
  28. BugsyNanusu
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    A bug filled mess with less Pokemon than Diamond/Pearl. Non-existent difficulty. Graphics that look worse than the Pokemon games on the Gamecube. Do not support this cash grab!
  29. aderpaderp
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    This game brings me back. I haven't played a Pokemon game since Red/Blue/Yellow and I can say that this game builds off the same feel good Pokemon experience. This is one of the best turn-based strategy games ever created. You can tell the developers wanted to bring it back to the old school Pokemon days. The poor reviews on here make no sense because this game is very similar to howThis game brings me back. I haven't played a Pokemon game since Red/Blue/Yellow and I can say that this game builds off the same feel good Pokemon experience. This is one of the best turn-based strategy games ever created. You can tell the developers wanted to bring it back to the old school Pokemon days. The poor reviews on here make no sense because this game is very similar to how Red/Blue/Yellow played. The game has wonderful graphics, quick loading times, brand new (and some old) Pokemon, and has Online Battle modes.

    To answer some of the criticism about Gameplay: There are 400 Pokemon (not sure why anyone complains about a lack thereof), YES you can transfer Pokemon between your Pokemon Battle lineup and your storage. YES you can store all of the Pokemon you find in 8 storage boxes and access them at any time. You can FAST travel between locations. The game mechanics are wonderful and load times are a breeze.

    I'm pushing 30 years old and wonder how many of these 0 reviewers were even alive when Red/Blue/Yellow were out. Anyway, if you want some nostalgia and throwback feel good, pick up Sword/Shield. You will not be disappointed. And shame on all these kids posting 0's. Shame!    … Expand
  30. Soul3cho
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    Try not to listen to the butthurt fanboys below that like to scream that the game is bad because the national dex inst in the game and play for yourself first.

    Really great experience, the new animations give a whole new life to the experience, raiding is surprisingly fun an all in all got me back into pokemon!
  31. notadinosaur
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak should be stripped of their rights being the sole developer of pokemon and give way to younger devs such as those who worked on BOTW and Xenoblade.

    Pokemon has TONS of potential but **** devs don't have the skill to make a full realization of pokemon as it should be.
  32. Wool
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    As a game its quite cute.But technical issues is killing me.0/0 I'm dissapointed
  33. Huynguyen123
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Just very disappointed about this game. Through 8th generation, even 5th or 6th I feel so hopefull and love them, but seeing all those humanoid starter pokemon makes me feel bad and the story is too boring.
  34. tec
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    1 point for the nintendo bonus. overall a mittlefinger for every pokemon fan.
  35. SaintLilith
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    With the removal of so much content, one would have expected groundbreaking new concepts. There were none. I could've bought Planet Zoo with less money than what they're charging for this.
  36. koolaidman486
    Nov 18, 2019
    5
    Honestly, Sword and Shield aren't HORRIBLE. They're perfectly fine games.
    However, they aren't real steps forwards for the series.
    The Good: - A lot of the music is quite good - The character models look quite nice - More condensed areas look good, if not a massive improvement over the Sun and Moon games - There's more good than bad with the new Pokemon. Almost all of them either are    Honestly, Sword and Shield aren't HORRIBLE. They're perfectly fine games.
    However, they aren't real steps forwards for the series.
    The Good:
    - A lot of the music is quite good
    - The character models look quite nice
    - More condensed areas look good, if not a massive improvement over the Sun and Moon games
    - There's more good than bad with the new Pokemon. Almost all of them either are nice looking, or good in battle
    The Bad:
    - REALLY bad overworld animations
    - The scaling of the Pokemon is also all sorts of messed up (really big Pokemon are comically small in a lot of cases)
    - The Wild Area looks outright bad and unpolished
    - Bad Route design, they're overly condensed and straightforward
    - No real dungeons
    - About 60% of the old Pokemon are just not in the game, and there's no new models or animations to compensate for that, and GameFreak outright lied several times about the reason for the cut.
    - Really bad frame rate drops, despite the fact that graphics of this mediocrity should be running at 60 FPS
    - Bad overall polish, the game isn't super buggy, but it's clearly not out of beta in various places yet.

    Overall:
    Wait for a deep sale, or just play one of the OG DS games instead    … Expand
  37. Azuris
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Well, the Formula is still ok, but the lack of old Pokemon, with the Reason that the Animations and Graphics are so good and then delivering this, is just something i can not support.
    I could support a Game with Graphics that are not high end, but has a really good Content, but this Game has not.
    Aside from letting many Pokemon out and some Gameplay Mechanics like the Mega Evolutions,    Well, the Formula is still ok, but the lack of old Pokemon, with the Reason that the Animations and Graphics are so good and then delivering this, is just something i can not support.
    I could support a Game with Graphics that are not high end, but has a really good Content, but this Game has not.
    Aside from letting many Pokemon out and some Gameplay Mechanics like the Mega Evolutions, the Game has nearly no Endgame.
    Gamefreak has become lazy or decadent    … Expand
  38. SuperiorSuisen
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonora excelente ya es habitual que una entrega de Pokémon sea muy buena instrumentalmente hablando, por eso lo único que tenía que hacer era asegurarse que el gameplay no se sintiera pesado y la única tarea que tenían la hicieron mal. Más palabrashay para describir este juego, pero pocas quedan que no sean ofensivas, así que en conclusión sale más rentable comprarse un Gameboy y un cartucho al Pokémon Sword, no sólo puede salir al mismo precio si busca bien, hasta se puede optar por algo de mejor calidad.… Expand
  39. arn132
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    This game doesn't deserve a 10... Maybe 8... Or 7. But please, WTF with all 0 or 1 /10. It doesn't make any sense. They're just f***ing trolls who spit on the game for free. Plz, stop it and be more honnest with the quality of this game.
  40. bojackhoeman
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    I enjoy the game quite a lot. The issues that people have about the graphics are nitpicky, but valid. However, it doesn't discount from the fact that it's a good game and the new features like Max Raid Battles and the Wild Area are a step in the right direction.
  41. iMDario
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    +good music
    +dynamax/gigantamax seems ok in competitive
    +new gyms are ok -no national dex
    -GameCube grapichs
    -0 character design
    -poor coded
  42. bettercritic
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    very dissapointed, i thought we were supposed to get an actual pokemon game after 'let's go', which was also a bad game.
  43. ConcernedParent
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    This game is really bad. Like, really bad. Before I returned it on behalf of my child, I played it through myself. Didn't take too long--Pathetic for a $60 game. The pokemons becoming big was also not that great. Do better next time, GameFreak.
  44. Billhous
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Same game (more or less) with some new features and some missing features. Game play is good if you enjoy pokemon. Graphics are pretty bad for modern console release. Can't speak too much for the full scale of content here as im only 5 hours in but it seems thinner than usual though.. #thankyougamefreak… Expand
  45. Crypt96
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Initially, the game is fine. The graphics seem to not have a poor resolution when you start off. For A nintendo switch game, everything should be clean. There are hiccups in FPS when entering battle while playing on the TV, but in handheld, the game runs smoothly, Ive only had a few drops in FPS. The render distance is abysmally bad. I have seen indie developed games with a larger renderInitially, the game is fine. The graphics seem to not have a poor resolution when you start off. For A nintendo switch game, everything should be clean. There are hiccups in FPS when entering battle while playing on the TV, but in handheld, the game runs smoothly, Ive only had a few drops in FPS. The render distance is abysmally bad. I have seen indie developed games with a larger render radius. The animations of the pokemon in the overworld are lifeless, and I feel they could have put more effort into make the pokemon world feel less like Pokemon GO, and more like other swtich titles (Breath of the Wild, for example, the creatures have some life and react more lively when you approach them) the animations in battle are subpar to previous titles, specifically the the attack animations. There are Nintendo 64 titles where the animations are far superior and more believable to this game. I dont mind the reused animations, what I do mind is saying you cut so many pokemon off from the game to say you were making new models and animations, when the only thing "new" are the gigamax models and the new pokemon to the Galar region. on a side note, I had high hopes for the Galar region Ponyta, because he is so cute and the Rapadash is so ugly. The same can be said with Wooloo. His evolution is so ugly. on a side side note, how can they pass the perfect opportunity to make a male and female Wooloo evo with a sheep and ram. (rant over) The companion is nice, but he is an idiot for the first battle. If I were him, I would want to be better than my friends. I would have picked the grass type to counter Sobble, but instead, he is the pathetic type who is programmed to be weak against you. he had two starting pokemon this time, thats new, but insignificant compared to the rest of the game as I progressed.

    The overworld suffers from the same fate of linear corridors, like sun and moon. the visuals are very colorful, but they distract you from the poor resolution you get from certain objects which throw your immersion off. the ground of the overworld reminds back in the PS2 days where the ground has poor resolution textures but the grass, that is thrown here and there, distract you from this. the damn trees get worse as you progress. you will find pretty trees and background props early on, but they get worse as you progress... why? why not fix all the trees, instead of the beginning few?

    I want to get back to the battling models because the pokemon are not scaled to size in the battle scene. we either grow a few sizes larger then our pokemon, or the pokemon get smaller, because every pokemon has about the same size in the battle scene. I am upset I spent money on this game after a while because my first gigamax, dynamax, whatever it is called, is awful. there is a significant performance drop in battle. the only other time I see my Switch have performance issues is in Xenobade Chronicles 2, when I am lvl 82+ in the Gormott province fighting the T rex looking monster with 8 or 9 vloffs hitting me because my AoE attacks aggroed them. In my example, there are 14+ high quality models that are animated very precisely to look as life like as possible, and the giant T-rex i am trying to kill that is larger than my camera zoomed out to max range that is also animated finely and lively. The last thing I want to point out is that only after all this, the Switch is also computing the huge amount of damage each unit is dealing to each other in a frantic race to keep the game from dropping below 26 FPS, its a mess (a fun, chaotic mess). All Pokemon sword and sheild have are 2 big models and the trainers. the models of the Pokemon are not lively or beautifully animated. they are just standing there and the game is not calculating anything, they are only in the idle pose. and the game stutters from this. How can the switch even have FPS problems when only loading 4ish models? After my first encounter with dynamax, I turned off my switch and sold my copy to some poor soul online. If the devs were not going to put their time into this game, then it is not worth my time. This is borderline "the game will sell because it is Pokemon." I feel like an idiot purchasing this game.    … Expand
  46. ScottishDom
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Incredible to think of the steps backwards made between this game and Pokemon B2/W2 (2012!!!). The missing features have been done to death, but I will never understand how cutting features can then be dressed as a good thing for any game. if reviewers were approaching this game in the wider context of standards set by the industry, it would be panned.

    Unfortunately, because these game    Incredible to think of the steps backwards made between this game and Pokemon B2/W2 (2012!!!). The missing features have been done to death, but I will never understand how cutting features can then be dressed as a good thing for any game. if reviewers were approaching this game in the wider context of standards set by the industry, it would be panned.

    Unfortunately, because these game are considered "for kids" nobody cares if the longtime fanbase of teens and adults are ripped off £60 for a game that is demonstrably inferior and less polished than both its predecessor and games the devs made 10 YEARS AGO. Ah well, I won't be buying anything else from these charlatans.    … Expand
  47. Flarec
    Nov 18, 2019
    6
    Pokemon.... Es esto enserio? Este juego, es un buen pokemon y nadie lo va a negar, sigue usando la misma formula de toda la vida..... Esto, es un efecto fifa ya no tengo que decir mas que espero que los proximos pokemon lo hagan com tiempo.... Es un salto grafico de lo mas pobre para venir de 3ds, el juego es lindo y detallista en algunos sectores pero esto.... No lo compensa vamos, podianPokemon.... Es esto enserio? Este juego, es un buen pokemon y nadie lo va a negar, sigue usando la misma formula de toda la vida..... Esto, es un efecto fifa ya no tengo que decir mas que espero que los proximos pokemon lo hagan com tiempo.... Es un salto grafico de lo mas pobre para venir de 3ds, el juego es lindo y detallista en algunos sectores pero esto.... No lo compensa vamos, podian hacerlo mucho mejor... Mas que todo es tan cerrado y no se diga la zonas para silvestres.....
    Para mi, me parece un insulto, que me parece un insulto? Que este juego tenga una historia tan cutre..... Alguien a visto la critica de pokemon mundo misterioso exploradores del cielo????.....
    Este titulo tiene 5.4..... Y puedo decirle que es mas injusto que la alta calificacion que tiene este juego, la historia es paraa adultos disfrazada con un humor infantil.... ES UNA DE LAS MEJORES TRAMAS DE UN VIDEOJUEGO..... Deberian hacer mas cosas asi pero no..... Tienen que atraer el publico casual, si estas leyendo esto ve a ver la critica de ese pokemon MM Si lo has jugado sabrás que tiene una trama tan superior.... Este juego puede hacer llorar si le das la oportunidad de llegar al final de la historia principal.....    … Expand
  48. rileytlakin
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    I don't understand why reviews are so low for this game compared to the other Pokémon games, I've played through every pokémon game in the franchise and this game is by far the best pokemon game I've ever played, I generally feel challenged when battling (although it might vary depending on if you do dynamax raids) while playing through the game and the storyline is amazing. I understandI don't understand why reviews are so low for this game compared to the other Pokémon games, I've played through every pokémon game in the franchise and this game is by far the best pokemon game I've ever played, I generally feel challenged when battling (although it might vary depending on if you do dynamax raids) while playing through the game and the storyline is amazing. I understand why some people might be mad about the pokédex, but even so the game contains around 500 pokemon (half the pokédex roughly). If you're even mildly interested in Pokémon, GET THIS GAME!… Expand
  49. Kurisuda2992
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Compared to other Pokemon games that I have played this isn't one of the greats. The game itself isn't all too breathtaking, the battles only got a few animation improvements but that's about it. The wild area is the best part of this game and it slowly becomes dull, the curry cooking and relaxing with your pokemon is great. The one thing that irritated me was the lack of postgame content.Compared to other Pokemon games that I have played this isn't one of the greats. The game itself isn't all too breathtaking, the battles only got a few animation improvements but that's about it. The wild area is the best part of this game and it slowly becomes dull, the curry cooking and relaxing with your pokemon is great. The one thing that irritated me was the lack of postgame content. Dynamax is cool for a little while (4-5 times for me) then it got boring as well. If the game gets some updates in regards to more content or adding pokemon from previous games then I'll raise up my score.… Expand
  50. Mieszko
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Pokemon Sword and Shield, where to begin... First we need to understand this is a mainline Pokemon title and needs to be reviewed and compared to all those that came before it. You cannot base the review solely on this game in and of itself. With that said let's begin.

    Graphics: 5/10 This is a Nintendo Switch, first party AAA title and it definately does not look like it. The    Pokemon Sword and Shield, where to begin... First we need to understand this is a mainline Pokemon title and needs to be reviewed and compared to all those that came before it. You cannot base the review solely on this game in and of itself. With that said let's begin.

    Graphics: 5/10 This is a Nintendo Switch, first party AAA title and it definately does not look like it. The framerate runs at 30FPS and due to this you would think that the game would look at least on par with something like The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. It doesn't. The shadows are low resolution and update slowly and infrequently. The textures are basic and lackluster. The animations are dry, boring, predictable and repetitive. Considering GameFreak promised graphical fidelity and Nintendo backs them and this franchise with everything they have, this is a massive dissapointment. The framerate cannot even hold 30FPS at times and because of the aforementioned graphics there is no excuse for choppy framerates.

    Gameplay: 6/10
    What can I say? This is a Pokemon game and it delivers on that, but it is the same Pokemon game it always has been. Choose your starter Pokemon, beat eight gyms, catch some Pokemon along the way, grind them up in level, beat the champion of the region. Game complete. The only reason it gets a 6 and it a 5 is because of the Wild Area. The Wild Area allows you to roam around and actually see Pokemon live around you. This was every childs dream in 1995 and kw its here. But it's one area of the map and nearly separate from the story. So it's underwhelming.

    Story: 2.5/10 I wont spend much time here because I dont want to spoil anything. But - Spoiler Alert- there is nothing to spoil. It's the same game we have come to expect as stated in the gameplay section. Meet your rivals, battle your rivals, beat some gyms, find the villainous team. Capture some legendary pokemon and defeat the team to save the world. Defeat the region Champion. Yay, incredible...no. The story is not doing this game any favors.

    Multiplayer: 1.5/10 Multiplayer? What multiplayer. Of course you can battle other players online but aside from that established standard from over a decade ago what else can you do. Encounter some random players in the Wild Area, that's pretty much it. You cannot rome the Wild Area with your friends, you cant battle wild Pokemon with your friends, you pretty much cannot do anything with your friends except for battle them of course. But that is a feature we expect and they dont get any points here for giving a Pokemon game Pokemon battles because without them it isnt a Pokemon is it?

    Replayability: 5/10 This is where Pokemon usually shines. But in Sword and Shield it really stabs you where it hurts. The game features 50% of the Pokemon in the franchise. This means that you lose out on using some of what may be your favourite Pokemon in battles both online and in singleplayer. You cant catch them all, you cant breed them all, you cant battle them all. This doesnt sound like Pokemon anymore, this sounds like a sideshot. The multiplayer game suffers greatly because of this for obvious reasons and breeding pokemon for fun or competitively takes on a terrible new face. If you have a favorite Pokemon make sure its in the game before you buy it. The story offers no replay value and the post game has taken a real beating in this title. You can still battle to your hearts content but this is a very very mediocre Pokemon game in this department.

    Corporate Transparency: -1 Review Point Normally I would end a review here and give a final rating but this game deserves one last paragraph dedicated to it. GameFreak promised us graphical fidelity. They promised new 3D models for everything in the game. They promised us this at the expense of cutting 50% of the creatures we grew to love since the 1990's. They lied. The models are reused, the animations are terribly lifeless, the story is empty, the game is choppy and feels very incomplete. This only matters because they took a franchise and milked it for the name. So for corporate transparency this game loses one point off the final review.

    Graphics: 5
    Gameplay: 6
    Story: 2.5
    Multiplayer: 1.5
    Replayability: 5
    Total: 20/50

    Which equals: 4/10 minus 1 point due to corporate transparency. Giving this game a solid,

    3/10    … Expand
  51. Rallsop13
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Simply not what the fans wanted. This is a rushed, rough-around-the-edges, 3DS game, with an HD coat of paint. This is not what anyone wanted or expected from the first mainline console release from the highest grossing media franchise of all time. There’s hardly a story besides the League, the battles are still just Pokémon sitting face to face, and the world textures look “last-gen”. ANYSimply not what the fans wanted. This is a rushed, rough-around-the-edges, 3DS game, with an HD coat of paint. This is not what anyone wanted or expected from the first mainline console release from the highest grossing media franchise of all time. There’s hardly a story besides the League, the battles are still just Pokémon sitting face to face, and the world textures look “last-gen”. ANY limitations that the Devs say that have are BS. They SHOULD have the funding and the time to give us the game we want. The series is moving in the right direction but it needs to cut the yearly release and give more time to craft a whole game for our current technology. I will not purchase another Pokémon game until this is achieved. Do better, GameFreak and Nintendo.

    (Note: I don’t actually think it is a 0/10, honestly it’s probably like 5/10, but I give a 0 as to keep the average score as low as possible in attempt to counteract the people that blindly throw 10/10s it’s way.)    … Expand
  52. eduardocb31
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    Small Innovation from previous games. Cut 55% of all pokemon and the game is TOO easy
  53. Honesthuman777
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    Frequent frame rate drops. The game sometimes does not scale properly to fit my screen. The end game content is short relative to the previous games. The supplement for not  placing all pokemon species in the game was said to be high quality animations but the majority of the  battle animations are either reused from previous games  or seemingly minimal in that the animation basicallyFrequent frame rate drops. The game sometimes does not scale properly to fit my screen. The end game content is short relative to the previous games. The supplement for not  placing all pokemon species in the game was said to be high quality animations but the majority of the  battle animations are either reused from previous games  or seemingly minimal in that the animation basically consists of the static model being moved up and down and the opposing pokemon would  have a stamped visual that is placed on that model. The lore of the United kingdom is disrespected in this game not because it has been misrepresented but because it was hardly touched. There are countless amounts of stories that relate describe creatures that resemble gen 8 mons and somehow the pokemon are just described as an independent entity and the lore and story is never mentioned in the dex entry. The worst quality of this game is the difficulty, without a hard mode of the ability to turn off the exp share, this game feels like a let's go game and at the bottom of every move during battle the game tells you the effectiveness. In terms of difficulty this game this game is a joke relative to the previous games, not one gym leader has more than 4 pokemon.This game has two redeeming qualities, the online has become an efficient machine because all actions are placed in an efficient and accessible menu where it takes little time to find and do the thing that you want to do as quickly as possible and the wild area feels like a genuine step forward because it allows you to adjust the pace of your playthrough since you could explore and interact with aspects of the game that would normally be allowed much later in previous pokemon games. The reason this score is so low is because there are console spin offs that either have better animations, more pokemon species, more pokemon movies, a more interesting plot, or a more robust endgame.… Expand
  54. StrikerHills
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Great game. Gets hated on by pokemon babies who weren’t hugged by their mums enough and therefore can’t handle change this was a great step into pokemon and can’t wait for the next ones.
  55. WillfulFirefly
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    After having finished "Pokemon: Shield" in around 25 hours, I felt immediately compelled to type a review because this is the most disappointing entry into the Pokemon video game line-up that I had ever experienced. This is tragic for me - to say the least - because I went in with decent expectations and with hopes that this would succeed prior Pokemon video games well. Sadly, it feelsAfter having finished "Pokemon: Shield" in around 25 hours, I felt immediately compelled to type a review because this is the most disappointing entry into the Pokemon video game line-up that I had ever experienced. This is tragic for me - to say the least - because I went in with decent expectations and with hopes that this would succeed prior Pokemon video games well. Sadly, it feels more like a huge step back with some promising features that I hope future entries consider keeping and improving.

    Positives:
    (+) The new Galarian Pokemons and the Galarian Variants of past-generation Pokemons
    (+) Pokemon Camp and Curry-making: Both more charming than I thought!
    (+) In-depth Trainer Customisation
    (+) A lot of quality of life improvements in comparison to past Pokemon video games: This is going to make it more accessible for a lot of players while making it more focused for long-time players. Things like mints to change Pokemon nature type to exp share being always on making the entire game less grindy and monotonous. All very much appreciated!

    Negatives:
    (-) Inconsistent Graphic Quality: Some good textures, some REALLY out-dated textures. Some battle backgrounds look pretty cool; others, not so much and repeatedly used. Towns like Circhester look breathtaking, but then there are the open world sections that look flat and ugly. Textures may pop in-and-out at times. Stiff models.
    (-) Inconsistent Animation Quality (and Missing Animations?): Some elaborate and well-done, but - for the most part - low effort. Also, Pokemons don't have a turning animation, and NPCs seem to be are missing a couple as well? NPCs look soulless at times with barely any expressions. Pokemons headbutting with their legs look weird. Some Pokemons even use the same bad animations to attack (when using different moves).
    (-) Empty-feeling Open World sections: For today's standard of video games, even some open world indie games look more livelier than this game's open world sections. The AI for roaming Pokemons is pretty dumb and non-interactive as well and is easy to maneuver and play around. Moreover, the open world sections are relatively small in comparison to a lot of other games: even those of low-budget.
    (-) Incompetent Story: Most of the important things in the story are described by NPCs rather than shown (or - you know - involving you like a game). Also, most of it is the typical Pokemon video game story (i.e. be the very best, have a rival, meet someone with an emotional complexity, etc.). Also, Hop is more annoying than easy-to-hate.
    (-) Unpolished and Unoptimised Game: This game has glitches and oddities and even some weird exploitables. Pokemon AI in camp can be a little buggy, and the game got stuck at one point when I was playing with my Pokemons. Sometimes, my frame rate would drop below in certain areas much more in comparison to other Switch games.
    (-) My Switch crashed twice: This is the first (and second) time that my Switch had ever crashed, so - to me - this is a huge deal.
    (-) No Post-game: Other than completing your Pokemon collection and , there's nothing else. Honestly, this comes as such a shock as I never not had a post-game in a Pokemon video game.
    (-) Too much hand-holding: Every NPC treats you like an idiot even past the tutorial and reminds you constantly that you can do this and that. They make it a big deal for doing minor things like walking from point A to B. It is very annoying to be blasted by so many text boxes when you just want to play the game.

    Mediocres:
    (?) Relatively Short Game: In comparison to the other Pokemon video games, this is the shortest and I really took my time exploring everywhere. I was honestly shocked that I finished this game so fast.
    (?) Easiest Pokemon video game: With all the quality of life features, I barely needed to think while playing or battling. Personally, it's a negative for me, but - for others - this might be a saving grace.
    (?) Dynamax is a gym/raid gimmick.
    (?) Raids: I was expecting much more but it's just a longer Pokemon battle - not much strategy needed. This may vary from player to player though.

    Conclusion: My recommendation is to wait for a sale - around $40; it's not worth the full price of $60 if you're a long-time Pokemon gamer. By Pokemon video game standards, "Pokemon: Shield" is the weakest entry to the franchise. However, that's not to say that it's a bad game: it's passable and this is the problem because past Pokemon video games are not "passable". I think that - for a casual gamer - this is good to waste time in and have some fun. It was fun for me sometimes and even charming. For this case, I would give "Pokemon: Shield" a 5/10, but my current rating is to reflect actual Pokemon gamers (the ones who love battling and forming teams and staying engaged and whatnot) and - personally - this was a below average experience for me. Overall, I think that this game needed more time in the oven.    … Expand
  56. Orangefizz
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    Theres honestly a lot of things the game did right. It feels like a small progression. But honestly, it just feels that they failed to innovate and it's a missed opportunity. I feel gamefreak and nintendo fail to understand that the pokemon average fan's age is growing. They cannot continue to playcate to adolescents and expect that generating a new game every year with mild updates isTheres honestly a lot of things the game did right. It feels like a small progression. But honestly, it just feels that they failed to innovate and it's a missed opportunity. I feel gamefreak and nintendo fail to understand that the pokemon average fan's age is growing. They cannot continue to playcate to adolescents and expect that generating a new game every year with mild updates is going to be acceptable on a next generation console.… Expand
  57. Itsmeok
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    It is fun and especially the Naturezone is a really good and fun thing! It dont really sucks that the nationaldex isn't there. I dont need 1000ths of pokemon
  58. Cephey
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Good game, with much fun, with much new intresting mechanic, but with to much hate from sony marketing, people just blind and dont even try to play game before write self anger!
  59. TalionSwift
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Have played a good 10 hrs so far 2 gyms down, i love this game so far! The music is legit my favorite Pokemon soundtrack so far i love it and several choice songs are on my playlist. The new Pokemon are pretty great and SIr Fetche'd is awesome looking. In anycase i look forward to finishing this game, i cant believe all the hate this is getting over mostly Nitpicks IMO.
  60. Hyo
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I love this series, I first played Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow both, borrowed from a friend, but for me, it all started with Crystal since it was the first I actually owned. As the series keep evolving it kept adding new wonderful ideas... From the secodn generation we already got a lot of new wonderful things: they added a Female Character, Two Regions, the Pokégear, they dividedI love this series, I first played Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow both, borrowed from a friend, but for me, it all started with Crystal since it was the first I actually owned. As the series keep evolving it kept adding new wonderful ideas... From the secodn generation we already got a lot of new wonderful things: they added a Female Character, Two Regions, the Pokégear, they divided Special into Special Attack and Special Defense. We got Apricorns and Special Pokéballs, Move Tutor, the Battle Tower, Breeding and Shiny Pokémon. We then lost Apriconrs the Pokégear and the Battle Tower, but got Abilities, Secret Bases, Weather, Natures, Double Battles, Pokémon Contests and the -Battle Frontier. We then lost Weather and Battle Frontier. But got Global Trade System, Pokémon Super Contest, The Underground. We lost the last one and got C-Gear, Pokémon Dream World, Entralink, Pokémon Musical, Seasons, Sprite animations, Triple Battles, Rotation Battles, Battle Subway.

    We finally jumped to 3D and lost a lot of stuff for Custom Clothing and Characters, Mega Evolutions, -Horde Encounters, Super Training, Sky Batlles and Pokémon-Amie. then we got -Alola Forms, Battle Royal, Z-Moves, Island challenges, Poké Rides, Hyper Training, Festival Plaza and Poké Pelago.

    We then jumped form handheld to a main console, and lost: Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves and 400 Pokémon for a big empty Wild Area, Dynamax and Gigantamax, Max Raid Battles. Y-Comm and -Pokémon Camp, Permanend Exp share...

    This was the first main Pokémon game on a not only handheld device. We were expecting the best game in the series, but instead we got half baked game, rushed to meet merchandise and anime deadlines. I don't care about the Pokédex, but, losing all those features, Mega Evolution, the justification that they had to do it, to make better animations... It was too much, I feel betrayed, they told us Let's Go was to appeal the Pokémon Go player-base, and that they'd have something for fans of the main series later. Well, this game certainly doesn't feel made for fans, who is it for? OLM, Inc.? Pokémon Center? **** this game, **** Gamefreak, **** the Pokémon Company and **** Nintendo.    … Expand
  61. BreadFlavor
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    The absence of all Pokemon is disappointing to fans. But this game is fun. Even without all the Pokemon, I think it's enough to enjoy the game.
  62. DeepDarkRex
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The worst pokemon game ever. Don't buy it, it's a beta. It hasn't the national pokedex, z moves, mega evolutions, bad graphics and recyclated animations. Horrible
  63. Turk725
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Extremely fun gameplay, the music is the bomb and the characters are much more compelling this time around. There's really nothing wrong with the game.
  64. Chuz2589
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Mejor juego de Pokémon jamás creado.
    Los mejores gráficos y buena historia.
  65. pia-chu
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Odio que no tenga la pokedex nacional y que no pueda transferir los pokemones de mis juegos anteriores, muy enojada por eso. Además, gráficas no dignas de la consola, el juego es caro y se acaba en 30 horas. No lo vale, ya no seguiré comprando más juegos en preventa
  66. 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.
  67. Knight412
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    While there aren't as many pokemon as there were in previous titles, the game is still fun, the music is great, the art style is beautiful, most of the characters are great, and the ability to do max raids with friends is a fun idea, while you may not agree with this, you can at least give it a shot.
  68. cumirebus2000
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Horrible game, don't undersatnd what are all the hypes about! shame on the developer for creating such lousy games. Wake up this is 2019!
  69. VinAlch
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    The generic stupid fan of Nintendo is raging as always when the company does something considered by them wrong. If you liked any other Pokemon game, do yourself a favour and play Pokemon Sword/Shield.
    El estúpido fan de Nintendo está enloquecido como siempre cuando la compañía hace algo que ellos consideran erróneo.
    Sí te ha gustado cualquier otro juego de Pokemon, hazte el favor y juega    The generic stupid fan of Nintendo is raging as always when the company does something considered by them wrong. If you liked any other Pokemon game, do yourself a favour and play Pokemon Sword/Shield.
    El estúpido fan de Nintendo está enloquecido como siempre cuando la compañía hace algo que ellos consideran erróneo.
    Sí te ha gustado cualquier otro juego de Pokemon, hazte el favor y juega este    … Expand
  70. JoyousOblivion
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Please ignore the trolls who are low-rating this game. This is by far my favourite pokemon experience in 20+ years. The game plays amazing, the battle look amazing, the interface is slick and works well. Not having all 1.6 million Pokémon in the game is really laughable to me as I have no need to catch/transfer them all to each game I play. This game is really just a lot of fun and a treatPlease ignore the trolls who are low-rating this game. This is by far my favourite pokemon experience in 20+ years. The game plays amazing, the battle look amazing, the interface is slick and works well. Not having all 1.6 million Pokémon in the game is really laughable to me as I have no need to catch/transfer them all to each game I play. This game is really just a lot of fun and a treat to play Pokémon in a true 3D experience on my TV instead of my Game Boy/DS/3DS.… Expand
  71. VTII
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Sad to see so many false reviews on here hopefully they get removed because they clearly haven't played the game. There are no graphics issues or bugs. It's the best pokemon game in years. The missing pokemon ended up being small issue then first stated, they weren't missed. Were you really going to breed across a zubat to play the game with there are plenty good new and returning pokemonSad to see so many false reviews on here hopefully they get removed because they clearly haven't played the game. There are no graphics issues or bugs. It's the best pokemon game in years. The missing pokemon ended up being small issue then first stated, they weren't missed. Were you really going to breed across a zubat to play the game with there are plenty good new and returning pokemon to keep the game fun.… Expand
  72. STARBOOST39
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Incredible experience with the new pokemon ,the mechanics and all you have to explore !!!
  73. Jesusmbp
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Don't really think it deserves a 10, maybe a 7, it's nothing especial, but seeming as people are giving it really low scores without even having played the game, I guess I gotta do my part too.
  74. robodonnell93
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    Haven't had this much fun with a Pokémon game in years.
    Despite its minor flaws, this game is up there with the best of the series.
  75. Atomicfish
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I’m by far not a die hard Pokémon fanatic, I’ve only truly played two of there games thoroughly. I’ve always had a hard time maintaining my excitement through there games and also feeling immersed in the very unique and exciting world the Pokémon has created. Pokémon shield has honestly resolved all those issues, by far their best game yet. It’s obvious that gamefreak put a lot of effortI’m by far not a die hard Pokémon fanatic, I’ve only truly played two of there games thoroughly. I’ve always had a hard time maintaining my excitement through there games and also feeling immersed in the very unique and exciting world the Pokémon has created. Pokémon shield has honestly resolved all those issues, by far their best game yet. It’s obvious that gamefreak put a lot of effort in fixing the parts of their games that were boring or burdening. All of these new additions to the games is only making more excited to see what’s next for the franchise and how they can continue to make their games truly immersive.… Expand
  76. majr
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I have played the story completely and gathered over 24 hours of in game time. Overall the game is very solid. The only thing stopping me form giving it a perfect score is the missing pokemon...I am fine with pokemon being cut, but even as i say that I do wish they would of been more then what they did add (not a whole lot more....like 50 or so and i feel that would of been great)

    The    I have played the story completely and gathered over 24 hours of in game time. Overall the game is very solid. The only thing stopping me form giving it a perfect score is the missing pokemon...I am fine with pokemon being cut, but even as i say that I do wish they would of been more then what they did add (not a whole lot more....like 50 or so and i feel that would of been great)

    The story was very pleasing, and game play is solid...the music was fantastic and art choices were pleasing to the eyes.

    I would recommend to any of my friends and play again easily.    … Expand
  77. HVeigaT
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Esse jogo destoa completamente do que é a franquia de jogos Pokémon, uma péssima região com pokemons interessantes, porém com mecânicas horríveis. Porque pokémons gigantes? Porque não temos a National Dex. Comprei o Nintendo Switch só para este jogo, e me arrependo profundamente.
  78. NILord
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    No national desk, bad optimization, random glitches, where are all the movements? Bad animations. Maybe worth pokemon so far.
  79. Shid
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    They lied and used 3DS game models and animations and they didn't even include all models in the game.
    Not to mention the innumerous bugs, horrible graphics and lousy finish.
    Do yourself a favor and don't buy it!
  80. Skyekitty
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I want to preface this with the fact I really enjoyed this game, but this review is going to be heavily leaning towards criticisms

    First and foremost I want to point out that this is a "New Wave" Pokemon game; quite literally the closest you can get for retconning a video game series. Nintendo has changed the gameplay to suite more players and it's pretty obvious. The storyline feels like it's difficulty level has been turned all the way down, forcing you to choose between exploring and facing easier pokemon or burning through the story, which resides on the shorter side of things for pokemon. This makes sense because of the fact it appeals to larger audiences, however it ended up making the game feel a little unrewarding, which I believe other experienced players might feel. Since I've always been more of a casual player, and decide to choose pokemon based off of appearances rather than actual stats, this didn't bother me enough to actually ruin a storyline, but it does feel off for a pokemon game.

    Overall I feel like the game is short for a AAA game, and falls under the expectations set by previous generations that went above and beyond, but this game is definitely worth a play for returning players and inexperienced players. If Nintendo did one thing right, its appealing to the large majority. While a lot of people are upset about the dex (myself included) I do hope in the future they make up for it.


    Pros:
    -Older unenjoyable mechanics removed
    -Colorful graphics
    -Interesting new mechanics
    -Runs smoothly outside of wild area
    -Yamper
    -curry, curry, and more curry

    Cons:
    -Awkward story / gym flow, making the storyline feel clunky at times.
    -Online is in a very rough state*
    -Shorter mainline game play hours (compared to previous 3DS titles, similar to early DS games) -Recycled animations
    -Recycled story clichès -Feeling of dread after finding your favorite pokemon got caught after preordering.
    -Dex/move cut. -Yamper... on route 4
    -Falls in the shadows of Sun and Moon**


    *The wild area is currently very, very buggy: would love to see dynamax raids automatically queue up people going after the same 'mon, but currently you have to click on people from the "online newsfeed" consisting of stickers.

    ** There are a lot of criticisms here, and the reason why I still rated it so high, is because: in isolation, with no experience of previous pokemon, this game is amazing, very solid. All of these criticisms are simply what I hope is addressed in the next games, and solely based off of expectations from an established series    … Expand
  81. andersonwide
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Never in my entire live, i imagine this, me giving rate 0 to a pokemon game ...

    Don't buy this crap
  82. Chombo
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    Un juego que no luce toda la potencia de la consola, pero que si significa un gran salto gráfico para la franquicia
    El diseño del mundo se encuentra a la altura de los juegos de la línea principal pero de forma más lineal de lo que se esperaba pero no más que en entregas anteriores, pero destacando los pueblos y ciudades que se muestran magestuosas, sin hablar de los nuevos pokémon que se    Un juego que no luce toda la potencia de la consola, pero que si significa un gran salto gráfico para la franquicia
    El diseño del mundo se encuentra a la altura de los juegos de la línea principal pero de forma más lineal de lo que se esperaba pero no más que en entregas anteriores, pero destacando los pueblos y ciudades que se muestran magestuosas, sin hablar de los nuevos pokémon que se incorporan en el mundo creado por game freak, pero una de las nuevas adiciones y grandes apuestas era el área silvestre, que no destaca en casi nada de lo que propone, pero al menos deja establecida una nueva mecánica que podría ser pulida para próximos juegos y que daría de que hablar, es un espacio que se siente vacío y sin vida, aún así fue un gran acierto el traer nuevamente a los pokémon al mundo en una mecánica de aparición mixta, entre visual y aleatoria. Pero hablando de uno de los puntos más importantes sería la exclusión de gran parte de la pokedex, lo que no empaña mucho la visión y calidad del juego, pero sí se podría considerar agregar algunos más posterior a la salida del juego mediante actualizaciones    … Expand
  83. poppinfresh
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    This game was a bit overrated in my opinion. 60 dollars for a Pokemon game is also too much.
  84. Felipex1
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    KD o slogan da franquia " catch them ALL". Devemos ficar satisfeitos com isso? É só ngm mais gastar dinheiro com essas coisas mal feitas para fãs, porque quando começar a causar prejuízo aí eles irão se preocupar
  85. Ambimunch
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I'm a big Pokemon fan (bought every game since Ruby/Sapphire) and I noticed the slow deterioration of the Pokemon games' quality over the last 7-years. Each time these shortcomings would be tolerated by us, the fans, because having a new entry in our beloved franchise was reason enough to buy the games, start a new journey and go on an adventure. However, with the disaster that is Sw/Sh, iI'm a big Pokemon fan (bought every game since Ruby/Sapphire) and I noticed the slow deterioration of the Pokemon games' quality over the last 7-years. Each time these shortcomings would be tolerated by us, the fans, because having a new entry in our beloved franchise was reason enough to buy the games, start a new journey and go on an adventure. However, with the disaster that is Sw/Sh, i feel I cannot look past all the issues this time...

    The graphics are mediocre, some of the worst on the Switch compared to other 1st party games. Textures at times rival GameCube games, from 15 years ago. The animations and models are identical to the 3DS games, stiff and not expressive. There is a complete lack of voice acting for the games. The game is full of limitations, like non stop road blocks preventing you to progress without getting a mandatory tutorial forced on you, the inability to turn off exp share (making the game balance wack, you'll always be over-levelled making the game very easy), the post game is non existent, and the Pokemon themselves, the main reason to play the game - have been cut down by over 50% compared to the 3DS games. We can no longer import our collection from our older games, making all those years of collecting event pokemon/legendaries/perfectly trained pokemon/and shiny hunting pointless. What a disaster to have the 1st games on the Switch (nintendo's most powerful console to date) be worse than old DS games from 10+ years ago. Shame on you Game Freak. Never have i had less fun with Pokemon than with these games. If other "bad" entries in this series were "okay" or roughly 6/10, then Sw/Sh are half the games those are, and I cannot give them more than a 3/10. They're bad.    … Expand
  86. Danirbu
    Nov 17, 2019
    9
    I don't care what other people said. I completed this game and I enjoyed the whole experience. Every new pokemon I encountered was a big surprise, and this is the first time I enjoyed this much a mainline Pokemon game. The graphics are great (except for that shadows) and the characters are fresh and, for once, you can see their reactions on each scene very clearly. The music is fantastic,I don't care what other people said. I completed this game and I enjoyed the whole experience. Every new pokemon I encountered was a big surprise, and this is the first time I enjoyed this much a mainline Pokemon game. The graphics are great (except for that shadows) and the characters are fresh and, for once, you can see their reactions on each scene very clearly. The music is fantastic, the stadium tone with that crowd cheering fits perfectly and it makes every single stadium battle so unique. The rival this time is more human and doesnt accept at all being a loser the whole time, and so the main billain is more realistic. I loved the graphics in the region; some of them are breathtaking. For my, this game is really iconic, and it is a great step ahead for the future of the mainline pokemon games, that were becoming a little bit too generic and repetitive. Definitely gonna recommend this one.… Expand
  87. Serendrin
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    This is not a game worth the lavish praise provided by so many outlets thus far. In the end, this game is far too boring, far too easy, and far too underwhelming. I have finished the main story and the brief semblance of a post-game. My play time is registered at 14 hours and 54 minutes. That is blatantly short for a $60 JRPG. If you remove the luster that the name "Pokemon" brings, thisThis is not a game worth the lavish praise provided by so many outlets thus far. In the end, this game is far too boring, far too easy, and far too underwhelming. I have finished the main story and the brief semblance of a post-game. My play time is registered at 14 hours and 54 minutes. That is blatantly short for a $60 JRPG. If you remove the luster that the name "Pokemon" brings, this game is empty and shallow. Compared to other AAA titles on the Nintendo Switch, the graphics, at times, look bland and washed out. At times the scenery is beautiful, but at others it is vapid and uninspiring. There was not a single trainer in this entire game that provided a challenge for me, save the fight with the Champion. During the course of the game, not a single one of my Pokemon even fainted until the Champion fight. The Wild Area, which seems to be garnering the most praise, feels simultaneously large and exciting for a Pokemon game, yet also completely empty. The raid battles are range from very easy, where a single supereffective hit one-shots the enemy, to annoyingly difficult due to the fact that the non-Dynamaxed Pokemon just get one-shot by the opponent while your own Dynamaxed Pokemon can't seem to do any meaningful damage. Other than those two extremes, there's not much in between. I was impressed by some of the emotions shown by the many characters found throughout the region, yet all of the characters felt underdeveloped. Thinking back on my experience playing the game, none of the characters really stand out. In my opinion, the greatest fault of this game is the ridiculous level of hand-holding. During the opening section of this game, you cannot walk around for more than 5 or so minutes without someone interrupting you with pointless tutorial. JRPGs are about discovery and growth. This doesn't just apply to the in-game characters. As the game goes on, players should be able to experiment and get better. When so many tutorials are thrust into a player's face like this, an already-easy game becomes boring and laughable. The games are not all bad. There are some animations here and there that really pop and make the game feel alive. A lot of the new Pokemon are nice. There were some moments during the game that I genuinely enjoyed. But the fact of the matter is that this game is extremely disappointing and certainly not worth the $60 price tag. A 50% increase in price from previous entries in the series should result in great, measurable improvement. Unfortunately, this game fails to even meet the previous mark set by earlier entries. I am very disappointed in this title. I do not recommend.… Expand
  88. Drakko03
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Realmente un buen juego y nada de 0 ni 4. Con todo respeto a sus opiniones pero es un juego de 10 o 9 y yo en mi caso le doy 10
  89. ErkMcleod
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    The best pokémon experience ever, surpases all other pokémon gameplays, no random battles, the pokémon game I"ve been waiting for all this time.
  90. EeveeDragon
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think that the game is a streamlined Pokémon game that brings new social features to the front. Allowing you to play with friends, catch new Pokémon and have a unique experience when you play. The raiding mechanic and wild area gives a player unique Pokémon everyday. Every time you play this game it will be different and unique, making it stand out from previous Pokémon titles.… Expand
  91. yukidalemania
    Nov 17, 2019
    5
    Un verdadero y emocionante juego. Esos que lo critican con un 0 ni siquiera lo han jugado. Seamos honestos.
  92. Mainkin
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    I’ve been a fan of Pokémon and have been playing since the red and blue versions. I think this is an excellent addition to the series and it’s pretty upsetting to hear all the negative feedback. I believe gamefreak did the best they could to deliver a brand new, quality Pokémon experience despite the negativity surrounding it. Consumers have become more and more demanding of video gameI’ve been a fan of Pokémon and have been playing since the red and blue versions. I think this is an excellent addition to the series and it’s pretty upsetting to hear all the negative feedback. I believe gamefreak did the best they could to deliver a brand new, quality Pokémon experience despite the negativity surrounding it. Consumers have become more and more demanding of video game producers without thinking about the amount of work that it takes to create games of this caliber. Be appreciative for what they have done, not angry for what you expected them to do.

    So thank you gamefreak, for creating a Pokémon game I’ve been the most excited for since the game boy Versions    … Expand
  93. Dementedcat785
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The game is very short compared to some older games in the series. 60% of the pokemon were cut so building multiple teams for battle (my favorite thing) cant be done really. The animations are poor and are mostly rotations on an axis. There are some quality animations but its mostly mediocre. The render distance and models just popping in is very bad. The game is very easy (exp share isThe game is very short compared to some older games in the series. 60% of the pokemon were cut so building multiple teams for battle (my favorite thing) cant be done really. The animations are poor and are mostly rotations on an axis. There are some quality animations but its mostly mediocre. The render distance and models just popping in is very bad. The game is very easy (exp share is MANDATORY, and you get exp from catching pokemon. Losing is a challenge). The story in pokemon games recently has become annoying as your "rival" holds your hand and pesters you wherever you go. Gamefreak lied to fans about a lot of things (improving animations, not reusing models). Buying this game for 60 dollars isnt worth the game, and it definitely isnt worth supporting a lying company.… Expand
  94. ji-0
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Too low quality compared to 60% Pokemon, the most terrible story, terrible graphics and motion, and motion rehash. Terrible Design of New Pokemon
  95. BigbellyKaos
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    No innovation outside of the wild area, which is the only redeeming quality. Sad the main line games have been neglected to this level. It’s become so formulaic and no heart in any of the game. The towns are empty, the story is empty, the characters have degraded so far from the previous generations. This was an opportunity to bring a new breath of fresh air into this long main series ofNo innovation outside of the wild area, which is the only redeeming quality. Sad the main line games have been neglected to this level. It’s become so formulaic and no heart in any of the game. The towns are empty, the story is empty, the characters have degraded so far from the previous generations. This was an opportunity to bring a new breath of fresh air into this long main series of games. Which is at the heart of the biggest franchise on the planet.… Expand
  96. alaval
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Un gran juego, intenta dar una nueva experiencia a través de nuevos personajes, gráficas geniales
  97. BurningShrine
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    I couldn't be more upset with this game, and more happy that I bought it from a second hand shop so the money didn't go to Gamefreak/Pokemon Company, because this game is a lazy, lazy excuse of a game.

    I've been playing this series as a kid, and I have to say that the offering here is poor. I'm not even talking about the lack of a national dex, I'm talking about all of the features that    I couldn't be more upset with this game, and more happy that I bought it from a second hand shop so the money didn't go to Gamefreak/Pokemon Company, because this game is a lazy, lazy excuse of a game.

    I've been playing this series as a kid, and I have to say that the offering here is poor. I'm not even talking about the lack of a national dex, I'm talking about all of the features that this game completely lacks, such as any kind of endgame.

    The game took me 8 hours in total to complete, and no part of it left me surprised, Team Yell, Marnie and ESPECIALLY Hop left me not only annoyed but physically bored out of my mind.

    This game- despite all of the casual fans giving it praise, deserves none of it. I'm in the lucky kind of category because ALL of my favourites were in this game, and still, the only enjoyment I ever had was seeing them in the camp, and that's it. It truly makes me sad to see how bad this game has gone down because I genuinely wanted the experience to be good, but it's just lazy. Plain and simple.

    Also, I have to say the ending with the two legendaries actually made me laugh because of how janky and awkward the wolves moved around.    … Expand
  98. Vordx
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    An awesome improvement over previous titles. The changes to the random encounters as well as online functionality made the world feel much more alive. I've never caught so many Pokémon during the main storyline
  99. LordCaius
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Perfect example of how to betray Pokémon community and how to destroy what you have created in decades.
  100. Exare
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    I’ve been there from the beginning. I’ve caught them all throughout every generation, I have battled competitively, and I’ve never missed a main-series Pokemon.

    Sword and Shield are to-date the best Pokemon games. My last favorite was Pokemon Black/White because of the pacing, story, and variety of Pokémon available during the campaign. Sword and Shield is the first true generational leap    I’ve been there from the beginning. I’ve caught them all throughout every generation, I have battled competitively, and I’ve never missed a main-series Pokemon.

    Sword and Shield are to-date the best Pokemon games. My last favorite was Pokemon Black/White because of the pacing, story, and variety of Pokémon available during the campaign. Sword and Shield is the first true generational leap in quality of life, graphics, and game mechanics since those DS games.

    Yes, I t’s disappointing that we cannot catch every Pokémon. But the sheer variety available will make you quickly forget any limitation in choice because of it.

    I’m excited to watch this game evolve. If Game Freak utilize the Wild Area and internet connectivity in creative ways we could be looking at a Pokémon game that will be truly enormous. Who knows? We may even see them add Pokémon through it! If not, we always have the next game and the next and the next.

    If main-series games continue to be as fun and well-crafted as Sword and Shield, I for one will be one happy Pokémon fan.    … Expand
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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]
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