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. IgnaKun
    Nov 21, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Me parece una de las mejores entregas de la saga, sinceramente: su historia quizá no está a la altura de B&W por ejemplo, o del lore de ciertas generaciones o momentos de pasadas entregas, pero sin duda entra entre las mejores.

    Su dificultad se encuentra entre las más avanzadas de la saga, claro está, en los momentos de la verdad: la liga, algunos bosses como Eternatus, etc.

    Su evolución y desarrollo de personajes me parece quizá los mejores en la saga: las aclaraciones en los conflictos internos de nuestros tres rivales (Bede/Berto, Hop/Paul y Roxy/Marnie) me parecen increíbles, y son mi grupo de rivales favorito hasta la fecha. Lionel/Leon me parece un personajazo de pies a cabeza, que intenta en todo momento hacer que el protagonista no salga de lo que es el recorrido del desafío de los gimnasios y él mismo se ocupe de cosas más peligrosas como derrotar a Eternatus, o siendo más claros, salvar la región. El paso de ayudante a profesora que da Sonia durante la aventura me parece merecidísimo, y hasta ahora es mi profesora favorita: su diseño, personalidad, desarrollo e idales no me dejan otra alternativa.

    Su "equipo villano" como es el Team Yell me parece que cumple su función: no tener objetivos más allá de animar a Roxy/Marnie en todo momento. Su función de ocio y para que el jugador se eche unas risas por ellos me parece muy buena.

    Las mecánicas añadidas como las mentas, facilidad para la crianza y acceso menos complejo para el competitivo es de agradecer.

    Su Área Silvestre, quizá vacía, me parece un gran paso inicial al mindo abierto dentro de la saga, y las raids un acierto muy grande.

    En sí, he vuelto a ser un niño y a disfrutar de Pokémon como cuando era pequeño. Un saludo.    … Expand
  2. EliteLucario
    Nov 21, 2019
    5
    It's not a bad game, but it's not a great game it's just meh... Everyone has been wanting a game that feels like your a kid again playing on the GameCube and being amazed at the lemon in 3D. Unfortunately this isn't that this is borderline a HD 3ds game with the same animations.
  3. Reaper2187
    Nov 21, 2019
    5
    Great pokemon game, could have done a few things differently but all in all I find the game really enjoyable. I have played every pokemon game since red and blue, and this did not disappoint
  4. Knoxxin
    Nov 21, 2019
    8
    It's an incredibly fun game that is very engaging. I enjoyed traveling the wild area (though I do wish it was bigger) and the new Pokemon are incredibly fun. This is the best gym challenge in the series and all the gym leaders are fun and charming, each with a notable personality.
  5. jojobbb
    Nov 21, 2019
    8
    This game has its pros and cons, most likely, this game is rushed I agree. But it's a decent game and I don't mind forms or z moves are removed for dynamax maybe the devs just like the game to be less complicated for the new fans. The other negative reviews rating below 5 has probably not played the game with weak excuses and not properly giving details on why the game was bad. The gameThis game has its pros and cons, most likely, this game is rushed I agree. But it's a decent game and I don't mind forms or z moves are removed for dynamax maybe the devs just like the game to be less complicated for the new fans. The other negative reviews rating below 5 has probably not played the game with weak excuses and not properly giving details on why the game was bad. The game has a terrible resolution, needs work on the animation system because that has issues into the game, the colors are great because it's very bright showing us a brand new region of pokemon and finally, I'd say the post game was a bit eh. The villains don't impress me and repeats their "well, well, well" it gets old fast and not a neat catch phrase. Other than that, the game has a neat storyline with good characters. 7.5.… Expand
  6. FoxxForever
    Nov 21, 2019
    2
    The game design feels very lazy. From the graphics to the animations and all the small little details in between, I have very disappointed. Yes it is a pokemon game and yes they overall gameplay of pokemon is fun but I would rather play something else than what feels like a lazy knock off on a console that can handle much better.

    There were fps drops in grassy areas, the pop in is    The game design feels very lazy. From the graphics to the animations and all the small little details in between, I have very disappointed. Yes it is a pokemon game and yes they overall gameplay of pokemon is fun but I would rather play something else than what feels like a lazy knock off on a console that can handle much better.

    There were fps drops in grassy areas, the pop in is horrendous, even the berry trees pop in, the landscape is dull and feels lifeless. Overall the sense of exploration is stunted from these factors.

    Small details such as not being able to choose your trainers outfit when going into a gym EVEN WHEN you can buy them right outside the gym entrance is insane to me, there are only a hand full of good animations but honestly I have seen better from free to play MMO rpgs.

    This literally feels like it should be free to play, that is the quality I am experiencing.

    You’d think being on the switch they’d add touch screen support, friend lists and other quality of life additions to make at least playing with your friends enjoyable but it is annoying at best and frustrating if not the majority of the time.

    Pokemon deserves better.    … Expand
  7. USRobotics
    Nov 22, 2019
    2
    In the new console generation for Nintendo, Gamefreak are not able to create a Pokemon experience based on a open world with a next-gen graphic and jrpg quests/storytelling. i'll try to list ten bad/old things and anachronistic elements in pokèmon:
    1. Locked camera, my god in 2019 a game 'fake-openwolrd' is inconceivable;
    2. Graphic has been ported from 3ds with pop-up problems,    In the new console generation for Nintendo, Gamefreak are not able to create a Pokemon experience based on a open world with a next-gen graphic and jrpg quests/storytelling. i'll try to list ten bad/old things and anachronistic elements in pokèmon:
    1. Locked camera, my god in 2019 a game 'fake-openwolrd' is inconceivable;
    2. Graphic has been ported from 3ds with pop-up problems, framerate drop, low texture and models with low polygons. Gamefreak didn't do a new graphic engine;
    3. No quests, no endgame, no jrpg activities or stoytelling.
    4. Unbalanced opponents' pokemon levels. You can get a lot of pokemon with a great gain of experience that will overlevel or your team in short time. In that condition the challange with other opponents doesn't exist.
    5. No difficulty selector. the game has been development to be easy to play for people that are 5 years old or less. If the game is too easy you can end it in a short time
    6. Bad animation for a lot of skills. GF sayd that they would have improve the skills' animations for the new game. I have seen little improves in a small part of theese.
    7. Mute dialogues.
    8. Plot concept locked since first game in 1995.
    9. Hop
    10. The online is full of problems. infinite time to find a trader for your pokemon, expecially if u know that player and u want to connect with him.    … Expand
  8. Cabi0l
    Nov 22, 2019
    1
    Bugs ohne Ende.
    Auch die Dreistigkeit nicht alle pokemon zu übernehmen. Einfach Geld macherei.
  9. macboybr
    Nov 22, 2019
    5
    So, I've been playing the game for 30 hours so far, and with both main and post-game finished, here's my sincere opinion, as a long term Pokémon fan.

    This game has some great ideas, but almost all of then are poorly executed by GameFreak. I know GF has a background history of being most of a creative company, and not the most technical among all of Nintendo's elite studios. Back    So, I've been playing the game for 30 hours so far, and with both main and post-game finished, here's my sincere opinion, as a long term Pokémon fan.

    This game has some great ideas, but almost all of then are poorly executed by GameFreak.

    I know GF has a background history of being most of a creative company, and not the most technical among all of Nintendo's elite studios.

    Back at the 2000's Gold and Silver development, they had to outsource Satoru Iwata simply because they just could not make the games fit the Gameboy Cartridge. The game's code was so amateur and poorly made, that even they couldn't understand.

    Taking note of those historical problems with the development of Pokémon games, we know that things like having the best graphics and the best animations in comparison with some other games like Breath of the Wild should not be a thing to consider.

    But there are so bad things happening technically, that those games are really disappointing.

    Problems like framerate dropping constantly, really poor draw distance, some really bad textures that look like coming directly from a Nintendo 64 game. I've even had problems with input lag. And for an input lag problem to be noticeable on an RPG game, it's because it is really bad.

    With that problem in mind, we need to talk about "Dexit".
    GF told us that the main reason for removing a lot of pokémons from the game, was because they where remodeling everything from scratch, with brand new animations, for a propper HD game.

    While playing the games, we instantly notice that the pokémon models are clearly the same from the previous 3DS games, and a lot of the animations were reused as well, with almost no modification to them. Telling us that GF was lying and just being lazy at best.

    Changing the topic and ignoring the technical problems with the game, let's talk about the history line of the game. Aaaand... there's no story.

    It is by far, the worst plot of a Pokémon game, with almost no events to explain what is happening to this world.

    We are constantly reminded by the NPC's to just focus on the Gym challenges, and everything else is just ignored.

    During a lot of moments, something happens, and instead of our character (supposedly the protagonist of the game) go there and, you know, be the protagonist, some "adult" shows up and tells us to leave it to the grown people.

    We just go to the next gym, without even being explained about what happened back there.

    I remember having 7 badges and thinking about how they where giving me the main legendary of the game, without even involving me with the events that tell something about them (7 badges is usually when that happens on the previous games), and I was surprised that they simply didn't, and I had to basically finish the gym challenges, to even heard about a legendary pokemon in the game. (Which wasn't even the main one of the game)

    The routes are extremely linear, with no alternative paths (beyond the obvious ones), and really few trainers to encounter and battle.

    The cities, even though they look massive, they're just big corridors, with almost no exploration, and the few constructions that we can go in, are always the same model, with the same decoration, changing only the npc's inside

    And during the entire game, I had a feeling of not being really free to explore the world (A feeling that I've had previously while playing Sun and Moon). It feels like we are constantly with our hands being held by some NPC, telling us where to go, and what we should do.

    They even put some icons and texts on the terribly bad map of the game, showing where to go next.

    Exp Share, which was previously used to make training our team easily (but not too easy), evolved to the point that we can't turn off, and we have it from the beginning of the game. During all the campaign, my whole team was almost 10 levels above every npc, and despite the noticeable efforts GF made to make battles more balanced, it was too easy.

    It's not a bad game. If it was, I wouldn't have played for 30 hours straight, but it's really a bad pokémon game.

    It's the first time that I'm really disappointed to a Pokémon game to a level that I felt the need for writing a review about it, and I'm really worried about the future, and what will be the next big feature cut poorly justified by the bad innovations promised by them.    … Expand
  10. DarkGio
    Nov 22, 2019
    6
    Look,this game isn't as bad as some people say.
    However,it could be much better.
    The music,the character design and the trainer customization are great,but I just can't look past the cuts and the absurd excuses they used to justify them. The wild area is a step in the fight direction,but on the other hand many of its textures look unpolished and It also lags at times,especially    Look,this game isn't as bad as some people say.
    However,it could be much better.
    The music,the character design and the trainer customization are great,but I just can't look past the cuts and the absurd excuses they used to justify them.
    The wild area is a step in the fight direction,but on the other hand many of its textures look unpolished and It also lags at times,especially online,where frame drops are very noticeable.
    The animations are mostly reused and Pokémon and people pop in and out of existence depending on how far you are from them.
    The story is...lackluster,It had some potential,but ultimately It wasn't enjoyable.
    The game can be challenging at times (provided you don't overlevel your Pokémon with XP candies) but it's still a pretty easy game overall.
    To conclude,it's a fun experience,but once you stop and look at its flaws you can't help but wonder why Game Freak didn't use all the resources they had in order to make this a better game.    … Expand
  11. Lovio
    Nov 24, 2019
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wish to start out by saying that I have 100% the game and clocked 111 hours. I have completed the Pokedex, I have the shiny charm, catch charm, and oval charms. I did the post-game and I have done a bit of online play as well.
    I'm going to split this review into a few parts, these are just my thoughts and might be a bit unorganized.

    Part 1: Story
    The story for the games is very par for the course for Pokemon- its enough to keep you playing. A few arcs are very interesting- like hop feeling subpar to his brother. I often found myself wishing I could interact (optionally) to get more of that from him. I also adored Marnie and Bede's arcs- while they could have used more development as well, they wrapped up nicely. Overall Team Yell opted to take a more "team skull" approach while the actual evil team was Marco Cosmos. This really confused me as the only part of the game I'd even be able to see mentions of them was in Pokejobs. I wish there was a more active role by these people and perhaps even an optional side quest about learning more. Catching Eternatus at the end was a very epic moment- but it was badly placed. I don't see why it messed up the champion match. Instead of building tension, it ruined it for me. I found myself wanting to go and beat Leon the entire time I was fighting Eternatus. The post game was also very light, running around past gyms defeating dynamax Pokemon but not being able to catch them? I get it, but it was a bit boring for me. The rare league cards were a very nice touch though, I loved the system with them where you could learn more about characters from them.

    Part 2: Pokemon/Variety
    Every review has probably touched on this, but there isn't a lot of variety in terms of Pokemon. I can count the amount of fire lines on two hands! But somehow I was able to fill a box and a half of water Pokemon. It was a very frustrating moment for me to realize how little variety there is in terms of Pokemon. Many of the 400 included are just Pokemon lines or ones of similar typing. I was disappointed by it.
    However, the new Pokemon where phenomenal! Their new animations were beautiful and they were super fun to collect! I also loved the weird, niche ways to evolve some of them (like Yamask for instance!) it was very refreshing and super fun! It reminded me of why I love Pokemon so much.

    Part 3: Graphics
    Many, many people love to gripe on the graphics. For the majority of the game (not in the wild area) they're actually completely fine. There is a lot of detail and the new shading system is beautiful! I love just how colorful everything is, the ambient light, etc.
    However the wild area has very low graphic fidelity, the trees have bad textures, the grass has apparent tiling, etc. Though these are easy to ignore due to the wild area being beautiful. Eventually it fades into the background after a while. This is NOT a deal breaker for me.

    Part 4: Mechanics
    Wild Area.
    Its a beautiful area with free roaming Pokemon and fun challenges. The balance of the wild area is perfect- you level as you move forward. Its terrifying and fun and game freak needs to add more of this! However, staying in the wild area too long makes you overpowered, as the rest of the game is not balanced for it.
    Camping.
    Extremely fun! I loved playing with my Pokemon and feeling bonded with them. I loved cooking and unlocking the balls via the curry dex. The cooking system is also very fun when you get the hang of it. I can safely say this is much more fun and interactive than amiee. I do wish I could actively play games with my Pokemon, clean them, and pet them though.
    EXP share
    I usually play with this setting on, but I dislike that the option for it to not be turned on/off was sad. I wish it was maybe hidden with an NPC in Wedgehurst, like how the earbuds are hidden.
    Earbuds
    I ADORE this feature. Turning off the background music and strolling through the wild area makes the game a nature documentary. It is beautiful and relaxing. It was a very refreshing change to the game.

    Part 5: Balance
    The game has a few balance issues- mainly late game. There are several people who grind levels and they will always be over powered- but the extent in this game was awful. Trainers on routes had Pokemon that were lower level than the wild Pokemon! There is no reason to grind- and the wild area on top of that makes for a nasty combo. I constantly found myself pushing the level cap until I hit 60.
    However, the start of the game (Milo, Nessa, and Kabu's gyms) were perfectly balanced. Their Pokemon were at the current level cap and it felt like a challenge! But near the endgame I found myself 10-20 levels above everything. It became very boring.
    This should all be scaled to the wild area, with more of that and less traditional routes.

    Part 6: Final thoughts
    I love the game, but there are some things that aren't justifiable. These games deserve so much better than what we got. Its also not fun without online.    … Expand
  12. JoshuaEric
    Oct 13, 2020
    6
    As someone who has only kind of played one other Pokemon game before this (Ruby), I went into this game basically as a new Pokemon player. After 16 hours of game play, I can confidently say that this is a GREAT game. I am having so much fun battling and catching as many Pokemon as I can.

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

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

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

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

    Overall, the game is FUN. I am having a blast. The backlash and enormous negativity surrounding it almost kept me from buying it, but I got it anyway and I have no regrets. If you like Pokemon and can see a game for more than just graphics, this game will be perfect for you! Looking forward to the next entry in the series.    … Expand
  13. GarrMoose
    Nov 25, 2019
    5
    The move onto the Switch brought forth much for this series and while it has delivered a totally new Pokemon experience the many lackluster aspects of the game hold it back from being the truly excellent game it easily could have been. I guess I will go and break down the good and then the bad points of the game. *=Key Points

    Pros: -The game looks better than it ever has graphically. -The    The move onto the Switch brought forth much for this series and while it has delivered a totally new Pokemon experience the many lackluster aspects of the game hold it back from being the truly excellent game it easily could have been. I guess I will go and break down the good and then the bad points of the game. *=Key Points

    Pros:
    -The game looks better than it ever has graphically. -The gym system overhaul brought a breath of fresh air to the series and played well into the main story.*

    -The new Pokemon designs for the most part felt very inspired and I overall enjoyed them.

    -Seeing Pokemon in the overworld really changed up the Pokemon experience and having them also appear in random encounters kept part of the classic feel. The large, open explorable Wild area is the best example of this.

    -Handholding was slightly reduced in the sense of forced tutorials.

    -A great deal of things were made more convenient like the introduction of nature changing mints, easier ev training, egg move transferring and using your pc almost anywhere. This makes things like preparing Pokemon for competitive play far less time consuming.*

    -Dynamax raids offer a fun new way to catch special Pokemon.

    -3D character designs themselves look better than ever.

    Cons:
    -More than 50% of Pokemon models were excluded from this game. You are limited to a regional dex of 400 and around 30 more models are within the code.**

    -Mega evolutions and z moves were cut and replaced with the lackluster dynamax feature, essentially a 3 turn long combo of both concepts but far less enjoyable and meta shifting in a way I and many others find unideal.*

    -While graphically the best of the series the game still lacks polish in many areas. Models still bear a good amount of pixelation which I expected a departure from moving onto the Switch and many even lack detailed textures to a great extent. You would expect after having had to cut back on so much Pokemon content that the studio would have been able to at least deliver the level of smooth clean looking textures one would expect from a 2019 AAA Switch title.*

    -Story playthrough difficulty was immensely lowered, partially due to an exp share system that you are no longer able to turn off and then due to opponents having weak team builds and/or movesets or just a lower number of Pokemon on their team to take on your full team. Veteran players or even those who want some more difficulty out of their playthrough will not find it in this game.*

    -Lacking postgame content compared to most Pokemon titles.

    -Routes were very linear and uninspired, wild area while fairly vast was also somewhat bland and lacking graphical polish most of all.

    -Unideal online interface. Better than Sun and Moons but still lacking in how easy it makes it to connect with others.

    -Lacking game functionality with online. The wild area is supposed to turn into a big open world experience with others when online but with online functions enabled it turns into an absolute mess of different players frozen and appearing all over different parts of the wild area everywhere you go. I also struggle to be able to connect with others for raids/etc oftentimes and have had similar troubles with local play. You often have to try several times to get it to work even in local play.

    -Forced 20 min time limit on 6v6 rule formats. The one thing I love to do most is 6v6 singles battles online and now I will have to have most of my battles cut short due to a short time limit. (most singles battles I have done take around 24 or more minutes) This almost makes the ease of preparing competitive Pokemon all for naught for players like me and 6v6 online battling is what gives many players reason to keep playing months and months after release.**

    There are probably other more minor issues and pros I have with the game but these basically sum up why I give it the rating I do. This game had everything set up for it to be a 9-10 and possibly even the best in a long running series of good games jumping off of the very limited and antiquated 3DS system but yet squandered so much of its potential with the controversial and even bizarre decisions made by its studio, Gamefreak and overall lack of polish.Despite introducing some truly great aspects to the series this game continues the trend of Pokemon’s last two generations of taking one step forward for the series and one larger step back, this time in possibly the most detrimental ways the series has ever seen.    … Expand
  14. Truconium
    Dec 2, 2019
    5
    Firstly, let me talk about what this game does right. The rivals in this game are pretty good. Bede is a jerk like a rival should be, so it feels good when you beat him. Hop becomes a little depressed in the middle of the game and isn't just a "happy go lucky" rival throughout the entire game like other rivals have been in recent games. The evolution methods are also extremely unique!Firstly, let me talk about what this game does right. The rivals in this game are pretty good. Bede is a jerk like a rival should be, so it feels good when you beat him. Hop becomes a little depressed in the middle of the game and isn't just a "happy go lucky" rival throughout the entire game like other rivals have been in recent games. The evolution methods are also extremely unique! Gigantamaxing is a nice combination of mega evolutions, Z-moves, and dynamaxing; however, I still prefer both mega evolutions and Z-moves over G-Maxing. I like the return of character customization, I like the rotom bike because it lets you travel very quickly, the fact that evolutions were given to Galarian-form Pokémon, Pokécamp because it is cute and fun, and the fact that I can move around while in a queue for a surprise trade. And as always, the music is amazing. However, just because I like these features does not mean I had fun while playing the game. The only time I had fun was when I encountered the new Pokémon, but since I know them all now, the game is boring. One time my brother walked into my room and pointed out how bored I looked while playing the game, and that is when I realized how bad this game actually was.

    Now to start with the bad. There is no plot in the game until the very end of the game. The entire plot is "go collect your gym badges" and then it suddenly switches right before you fight Leon to "defeat Eternatus and Rose." The villain in this game is also non-existent. Team Yell isn’t evil, Piers, the leader of Team Yell, isn't evil, and Rose abruptly becomes evil at the very end of the game. Sordward and Shielbert are the most villainous people in the game, but they are both found in the post-game.

    Speaking of the post-game, it is almost non-existent. The only thing you can do after the game is to complete the Pokédex, go to the battle tower, and complete the legendary Pokémon story. There are no master trainers, no Looker missions (even though they were mediocre, but they would have been something to do), or really anything from previous games.

    The game frame drops way too frequently. It is most noticeable in the Wild Area but can also be seen outside the Wild Area. NPCs and Pokémon pop in way too close to the player to the point where it ruins the emersion and experience. The sudden climate changes in the Wild Area also ruins the emersion and experience. A nice gradual change from snowy, to rainy, to cloudy, to sunny, would have been nice instead of an abrupt change from snowy, to sunny, to a sandstorm.

    There are way too few routes in these games. There have been about 20-30 routes each entry, but this game only has 10 short and linear routes. Also, why was the GTS removed? It was essential to completing the Pokédex if you didn’t have Pokébank. Now I have to hope that I randomly gett a Sawk from a surprise trade.

    The exp share is horrendous in this game. It gives every Pokémon way too much exp to the point where you can choose to not grind at all, only use one Pokémon, and still have everyone in your party 3 levels above every trainer in the game and OHKO every Pokémon they have. Game Freak should also make the exp share optional, and have the exp share be received upon completing the first gym.

    There is too little Pokémon in the game, yet most animations and models are identical to the S/M animations and models which proves that Game Freak lied about their excuses to not include half of the Pokémon in the game. One of the more known animations is where Zacian or Zamazenta have their model turn 180° for a turning around animation. Another example is where a kid asks for a handshake from an adult and the adult pulls a handshake out of their pocket. Hello what?? That doesn't even make sense. Even if every Pokémon isn’t in the game, more of the well-designed and popular Pokémon should've been included such as the Gible line and not Pokémon that are just animals from the real world like the Purrlion and Pidove lines. In addition, the models could have been used from the Let's Go games so there could have been more Pokémon in the game.

    This is a 2019, basically 2020 game, so there also should have been voice acting in the game. Not for every line like in Fire Emblem Three Houses, but for important characters like Hop, Rose, Leon, and the gym leaders. It would've really brought the characters to life. The voice actors could've even had British accents to emphasize the fact that Sw/Sh take place in Great Britain.

    For the gym leaders, I like that there are version exclusive gym leaders and the fact that we have our first dark-type gym leader. However, the dark-type gym leader is Piers, the leader of Team Yell, which is great, but Team Yell aren't even villains like how Giovanna and Team Rocket were. Furthermore, you can't even Dynamax against Piers. I love that Raihan is a doubles fo    … Expand
  15. Irondruid8991
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    It has Pokémon in it. That's about the only good thing. Lack luster and boring game with some quality of life upgrades.
  16. Tam3000
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    Pokemon were cut without any official post I had to learn this information the hard way. It's not even worth the cut, the online service is lagging, everything freezes by a simple transaction(going up and down the ladder). The gimmick is uninteresting and doesn't change much of the battle
  17. Joblinski69420
    Nov 27, 2019
    6
    Pokemon Shield is by far, not the the greatest title released by Nintendo and Game Freak, there are other better, older titles out there, and I would honestly wait until the price drops or a big sale goes on. Pokemon Shield I've noticed, can be broken sometimes, and despite cutting the national dex. The game had its moments, with a few of the gym leaders and the champion. Nintendo andPokemon Shield is by far, not the the greatest title released by Nintendo and Game Freak, there are other better, older titles out there, and I would honestly wait until the price drops or a big sale goes on. Pokemon Shield I've noticed, can be broken sometimes, and despite cutting the national dex. The game had its moments, with a few of the gym leaders and the champion. Nintendo and G.F. did something new and different with the gyms and league, which I was impressed with, and I think they did an amazing job with Hop with how they fleshed him out as a character, and having him be your rival. Now the animation quality takes a very noticeable dip in certain part of the story, and the walking cycles of always ended awkwardly, both with people, and Pokemon in the camps. They reuse the same character models for Team Yell, passerby, and npcs, which in other games it wasn't so bad as it is in Shield. Plus i wasn't sold on the whole dynamax thing to begin with. Had they removed that feature all together, this game would've been like 5 times better in my opinion.

    In conclusion, it's not a bad game over all, I really had fun playing it, but it's certainly far from being a good, re playable game, and I wouldn't recommend you go and buy it. Wait until it becomes cheaper.    … Expand
  18. Keeb79
    Nov 27, 2019
    7
    OK, this game is really difficult to talk about, as it gets a lot of things right, but also a lot of things wrong. Let's start positively, though.

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

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

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

    You don't have to agree with me, but I think it's ok. 7/10/B-    … Expand
  19. Amytitt
    Nov 27, 2019
    7
    I can see why a lot of people dislike this game (lack of national dex, bad animations and graphics) but overall the game is fine. It’s not the greatest Pokémon game like some people say, nor is it the worst thing to ever exist like others say too. I had fun with this game which is the only thing that I want in a video game, to have fun. But I can see why some people won’t have fun in thisI can see why a lot of people dislike this game (lack of national dex, bad animations and graphics) but overall the game is fine. It’s not the greatest Pokémon game like some people say, nor is it the worst thing to ever exist like others say too. I had fun with this game which is the only thing that I want in a video game, to have fun. But I can see why some people won’t have fun in this game, like if their favorite Pokémon isn’t in the game or something like that. A lot of people say that the game was short, but to me it was ok length. It took me 28 hours in main game which isn’t much but it’s not as measly as what others say. Many others say how one of the rivals, Hop is a rip off of Hau if you spam A while their talking. Unlike Hau, Hop actually has character development and changes as a person. Hop is a bit annoying in the beginning but he gets better throughout the game. Most of the characters are good and perfectly fine. For Pokémon and their designs are fully opinionated. But to me their most good and fine with a few slip ups. Overall, the game is great for casual fans, but if you’re a hardcore fan, don’t get your hopes up.… Expand
  20. ZephyrSunDragon
    Nov 27, 2019
    3
    What a disappointment.

    The good: 1. There's new pokemon. 2. The graphics look really good in some areas. 3. The gym presentation feels more immersive and exciting, treating it like a real sports competition with other competitors that fits really well into the setting. 4. The wild area in theory. The bad: Literally everything else. Everything else about this game is literally a    What a disappointment.

    The good:
    1. There's new pokemon.
    2. The graphics look really good in some areas.
    3. The gym presentation feels more immersive and exciting, treating it like a real sports competition with other competitors that fits really well into the setting.
    4. The wild area in theory.

    The bad:
    Literally everything else. Everything else about this game is literally a HUGE step backwards for what is supposed to be a "new era" of pokemon on a mainline console.

    1. This might be the smallest region yet... the SMALLEST. I guess the wild area compensates but a large open field with a movable camera is hardly innovative. But the camera is fixed everywhere else. And there's these awful hallway like routes and caverns that leave no room for exploration at all. Sun and Moon was bad enough as it was, but this is just so much worse.

    2. Way too easy. This as been a problem for the last few generations but it just makes the game boring and forgettable. Pokemon has so much potential to be engaging with the amount of strategies available. It seems like such a waste. Also the force exp. share is absolutely horrid.

    3. Story is the worst it's ever been. Everything happens on the side and you don't get to see any of it. Now would've been the perfect time for high quality cut scenes but we don't get to see any of it. There's not even a cut scenes for flying to town to town like every other game. The only cutscenes we get this time is boring NPC dialogue. When the DS and 3DS had more exciting cutscenes, you know you messed up.

    4. Arguably less side activities than any other previous game. Definitely less than X&Y, Sun and Moon, and Diamond and Pearl. They removed so many beloved features. The one that hurt the most for me was not included following overworld pokemon like in Let's Go.

    5. Gamefreak lied to us about dexit. They said they were cutting pokemon because of expressiveness and "high quality animations" when the pokemon's animations are literally IDENTICAL to the 3ds games. The only new animations I've seen are the ones for the new pokemon.
    The pokemon are like dead lifeless puppets with no emotions. The battle animations on the Wii and gamecube looked better!

    6. The graphics look bad in other areas. Obviously an improvement compared to previous pokemon titles but total garbage compared to other switch games.

    The fact that they played this up to be the "next evolution of pokemon" and the "ultimate pokemon game" is complete **** While I will give some credit to the art director for the atmosphere of the region and new creature designs, this is clearly the least ambitious and most bare bones pokemon game I've ever played. I'm sure there were devs who were passionate about this project but the higher ups clearly didn't care or just didn't have the time.

    I hope this outrage is a wake up cake because changes NEED to be made. For being the first mainline game on the home console, this is just unacceptable. I'm glad people are angry. I'm glad the japanese fans are angry. I seriously hope we can get a new development team for future pokemon games because pokemon deserves better than this.    … Expand
  21. TimFunk
    Nov 27, 2019
    8
    Best pokemon game in years, fixed my Marrige which has been failing since X and Y came out
  22. Larsofmars
    Nov 28, 2019
    8
    My first Pokemon game in a while. The game not having all of the pokemon doesn't really bother me. The game is fun, but it does have problems.
  23. FriedMelon
    Nov 28, 2019
    7
    In my personal opinion these games are mediocre. They’re not Omega Ruby levels of awfulness but Story Wise they don’t hold a candle to Gen 5 or even mid to late game Ultra Sun and Moon. It doesn’t have Mega Evolution or Z-Moves. It does have the speed though, fastest to date. It makes do with what it has. One thing before I end this I ain’t looking for perfection, I’m looking for jawIn my personal opinion these games are mediocre. They’re not Omega Ruby levels of awfulness but Story Wise they don’t hold a candle to Gen 5 or even mid to late game Ultra Sun and Moon. It doesn’t have Mega Evolution or Z-Moves. It does have the speed though, fastest to date. It makes do with what it has. One thing before I end this I ain’t looking for perfection, I’m looking for jaw dropping experiences and that’s what the Switch has been doing back to back to back to back. Unfortunately Sword and Shield, don’t do it. Was it fun, yes, does the music slap, yes. But even if it’s fun it doesn’t mean this franchise is stuck in ’96. This game even with the wild area feels the same and as I’ve said before that’s a damn shame. 6.7/10.… Expand
  24. fiTy
    Nov 29, 2019
    2
    An RPG game with competitive online system with more exploits than its 20+ years ago predecessors.
  25. Rift
    Nov 29, 2019
    9
    A visually enhanced, more enjoyable entry when compared to Sun/Moon. Most of the people complaining are either just trying to jump on the hate bandwagon and haven't even played the game (hence the reviews posted as soon as the game released), or are just pissy because their favorite Pokemon didn't make it into the game.

    The game is good, and having 400+ Pokemon instead of ~900 doesn't    A visually enhanced, more enjoyable entry when compared to Sun/Moon. Most of the people complaining are either just trying to jump on the hate bandwagon and haven't even played the game (hence the reviews posted as soon as the game released), or are just pissy because their favorite Pokemon didn't make it into the game.

    The game is good, and having 400+ Pokemon instead of ~900 doesn't take away from the fun. Get off your high horse and get over it.    … Expand
  26. teroblepuns
    Dec 1, 2019
    4
    Pros:
    - good Pokémon designs
    - some beautiful shots (starter town, snow town, legendary shrine) - new Pokémon nature-changing gimmick - great simplistic user interface design - customizable league (or "trainer") card - rival Hop shortly has a character arc from an annoying optimist to a depressed loser back to an annoying optimist (similar to Hau's character from Pokémon Sun and    Pros:
    - good Pokémon designs
    - some beautiful shots (starter town, snow town, legendary shrine)
    - new Pokémon nature-changing gimmick
    - great simplistic user interface design
    - customizable league (or "trainer") card
    - rival Hop shortly has a character arc from an annoying optimist to a depressed loser back to an annoying optimist (similar to Hau's character from Pokémon Sun and Moon)
    - smug rival Bede has a kickass battle theme
    - the soundtrack is overall good
    - league theme is inspired by the UK's love for football/soccer and gym leaders dress accordingly
    - Marnie rival is somewhat interesting as a character
    - breeding has improved, you can now pass egg moves from one Pokémon to the other partner without breeding a completely new one
    - Pokémon boxes are now accessible from your inventory
    - waifu material
    - wild area touches the idea of an open-world game with a moveable camera
    - defeating a raid boss will give you EXP candies which level much better than rare candies, reducing grinding for lvl 100

    Inbetween:
    - Surf has been replaced by a water bike and Fly by a flying taxi, it makes it much easier to travel but removes the interactivity of your Pokémon with the environment
    - camping is just like Pokémon-Amie and all the spin-offs and encourages you to interact with your monsters which can be cute for those who like that kind of stuff but strengthening your bond with a Pokémon will result in extra animations during battles and make your team OP - as if the forced EXP share didn't overpower you enough, camping also gives your mons EXP
    Cons:
    - awful graphics for a 2019 Switch game, textures look ridiculously low res
    - only half of the national Dex "for better animations"
    - animations are bad and reused over and over again (characters turn on the spot, Double Kick is a simple up and down of the entire model, same character encounter poses)
    - rival encounters are inevitable and happen every 5 minutes
    - cutscenes are lackluster and rare
    - wild area is a mess: bad graphics, tiny LOD (level of detail = "viewing distance" -> subjects pop in and out very often, also on routes and cities), hefty frame drops, very limited interactivity with other players, it takes ages to find other players for raid battles which then take just as long to wait for one turn to be over - oftentimes the raid boss triggers its ability once for each of your ally's Pokémon and then resets it after some turns to repeat the madness, level cap for capturable Pokémon which depends on your badge number, entire area feels more like a big field with a lot of grass than an open world
    - flat characters with no arc
    - minor improvements and changes from previous titles, the formula of the game hasn't changed a bit
    - time occasionally freezes when climbing ladders
    - a LOT of handholding, there is not a single moment you don't run into a forced cutscene or steamroll through a gym with one pokemon
    - EXP share is mandatory
    - team yell is forgettable and has no charm
    - the story does not involve you, most of the time you are a bystander, giving opinions and then catch the legendary ultra beast-like creature with 100% succession rate for any Pokéball
    - some TMs have been reduced to one-time use TRs
    - link trade is no longer that simple to perform
    - no voice acting, dialogues only consist of speech bubbles, text and repeating simple animations
    - curry dex (is this to mock the removal of the national Dex?)

    Verdict:
    Not worth $60. Even $15 indie games provide better quality than this. I hear praise from some fans and outrage from others. I feel terrible for those at Game Freak who poured their hearts into this franchise, only to realize that someone with high power decided to rush it and drag the company through the mud. The entire drama is unnecessary. But, this game is a joke and there is no denying. Get the game to experience it yourself but be prepared to laugh at how bad it can get. Also, even though they rushed this title to hell, this game had the highest box-office of all Pokémon games and received high scores from game journalists (#notsponsored). Embrace the absurdity of our world.

    "The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy    … Expand
  27. Solarhands
    Dec 2, 2019
    4
    This game had so much potential and expectations were high, unfortunately it failed to meet any of them. On much more powerful hardware I expected to see some brand new assets and graphics for the series but was dismayed to see a huge amount of assets reused or half finished. The cinematics excluding the introduction to the starters were lazy and unfinished, with stiff rotating modelsThis game had so much potential and expectations were high, unfortunately it failed to meet any of them. On much more powerful hardware I expected to see some brand new assets and graphics for the series but was dismayed to see a huge amount of assets reused or half finished. The cinematics excluding the introduction to the starters were lazy and unfinished, with stiff rotating models looking like a grade-schooler tried to animate them. The story was mediocre at best but the constant hand-holding from the minute you begin your adventure to the final battle was irritating, the lack of freedom in an rpg with an open-world aspect was disappointing. The cities looked fantastic however the routes between them felt tiny and lackluster, the only saving grace being the glimwood tangle.

    On a positive note, all the brand new pokemon look fantastic, they have excellent designs, interesting type combos and a lot of them have cool and unique evolution methods. The starter evolutions unfortunately failed to impress and were sent to the box as I'd rather have a rattata. The music was fantastic and the ability to customise your character with a wide variety of clothing was refreshing.

    Overall I don't think the game is worth its retail price and as a mainline pokemon series it was extremely disappointing. Lacking a true post game and having seemingly unfinished graphics and animations has left a sour taste in my mouth. I would only buy this game again if it was on sale for 1/2 price.    … Expand
  28. WillyViking
    Dec 3, 2019
    3
    De principio es un juego que logra atraparte debido a la exploración de una nueva región y los nuevos pokemon (en mi caso evite ver las filtraciones) que aparecen, pero simplemente la baja dificutad termino por cansarme, pokemon que aguantaban ataques de gigamax quedando en 1 ps porque no quería ''darte pena'', repartir experiencia obligatorio que hizo que mínimo superara a los rivales yDe principio es un juego que logra atraparte debido a la exploración de una nueva región y los nuevos pokemon (en mi caso evite ver las filtraciones) que aparecen, pero simplemente la baja dificutad termino por cansarme, pokemon que aguantaban ataques de gigamax quedando en 1 ps porque no quería ''darte pena'', repartir experiencia obligatorio que hizo que mínimo superara a los rivales y lideres de gym en 10 niveles usando 6 pokemon en la ''aventura'', amigo/rival hincha pelotas que no estuvo ni cerca de derrotarme 1 miserable pokemon, mapa super lineal que no representa ningún desafío durante el trayecto, el team yell es un chiste... y en lo técnico popping demasiado notorio y molesto de ver, animaciones muy poco pulidas en diferencia a los de 3DS... En fin, una decepción total, ya que de tan solo imaginar como sería un pokemon (antes de que anunciaran escudo y espada) en nintendo switch me hacia explotar la cabeza, más cuando estaba jugando BOTW por primera vez.… Expand
  29. AlfonseK
    Dec 4, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok so first off it's a ds version on a switch second the whole game was lazy
    The starters are boring types and after having all the creative dragon types.Wasnt worth an extra cost    … Expand
  30. Aprexdator
    Dec 5, 2019
    1
    Pinshe juego qlero, la camara va como el culo y snorlax gigamax, a diferencia de su ilustracion no se se mueve -1 por publicidad engañosa.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

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