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4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3465 Ratings

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  1. Jun 25, 2020
    2
    Worst gen ever. Compared with other games on Switch, the graphic Sword & Shield is not good tbh. But let's forget that, Pokemon is never good with the graphics. But excluding hundreds of Pokemon from the game? Making such a boring story with absolutely no innovation? Selling a DLC with such poor content (oh, that's nice. at least is not ultra sword & shield) ? Game Freak and The PokemonWorst gen ever. Compared with other games on Switch, the graphic Sword & Shield is not good tbh. But let's forget that, Pokemon is never good with the graphics. But excluding hundreds of Pokemon from the game? Making such a boring story with absolutely no innovation? Selling a DLC with such poor content (oh, that's nice. at least is not ultra sword & shield) ? Game Freak and The Pokemon Company seems very satisfied with what they have right now and have no intention to improve anything in the Gen 8. The only good thing about this gen is getting a Pokemon ready for online battle is much easier than before. Unfortunately I don't like online battle. So screw it, worst Pokemon game ever for me. Expand
  2. Jun 25, 2020
    7
    A good game, certainly not great, that barely scores a 7.
    Game Freak has to understand that they're not on a portable console anymore.
    The absence of half of the existing Pokèmons is a let-down, I get it, but it doesn't ruin the experience. THE REAL ISSUE HERE IS HOW BAD THIS GAME IS FROM A TECHNICAL STANDPOINT. It's a tragedy that "Pokémon Battle Revolution", a 2006 game for the
    A good game, certainly not great, that barely scores a 7.
    Game Freak has to understand that they're not on a portable console anymore.

    The absence of half of the existing Pokèmons is a let-down, I get it, but it doesn't ruin the experience.
    THE REAL ISSUE HERE IS HOW BAD THIS GAME IS FROM A TECHNICAL STANDPOINT.
    It's a tragedy that "Pokémon Battle Revolution", a 2006 game for the Wii, looks incredibly better. Look for yourselves:
    Pokémon Sword and Shield are Nintendo 3DS games, with upscaled resolution and not-enough-upscaled textures. They tried their best to mask themselves as Switch games, but to no avail.

    To add salt on the wound, on top of the poor graphics, the most jarring aspect is that the animations are straight terrible.
    I haven't seen anything this basic since the PS2 era - even Pokémon on Game Cube had better animations (even if extremely over-the-top sometimes).

    The main campaign is pretty enjoyable but you'll reach a point where you start wondering if they ran out of time/resources. There are cities as small as a corridor...
    Not to mention that this game doesn't have the Elite Four:
    You'll re-battle some of the gym leaders instead. It's sad.

    The best aspect of these games is how well-balanced the competitive scene is. Especially double-battles that really are turn-based gems.
    It's truly a pity that COVID-19 put an end to every competition this year...

    All in all this was an overall good experience for a Pokémon game, but since it doesn't cost 40€ anymore... It was not worth the money, sadly.

    Game Freak has to understand that they're not on a portable console anymore.
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  3. Jun 25, 2020
    10
    Honestly, I don’t understand the Pokémon fandom sometimes. Pokémon Sword and Shield only flaw is a short history, that they are completing with two DLC costing half the price of a game, so even without the second half, is already the best Pokémon Game for me.
    The soundtrack is delicious. The Wild Area gives plenty of fun. Since the launching there’s always some Event going on and to top
    Honestly, I don’t understand the Pokémon fandom sometimes. Pokémon Sword and Shield only flaw is a short history, that they are completing with two DLC costing half the price of a game, so even without the second half, is already the best Pokémon Game for me.
    The soundtrack is delicious. The Wild Area gives plenty of fun. Since the launching there’s always some Event going on and to top all that they created one of the most fluids breeding mechanic in the game.
    I would only wish that they would patch the chain method for shinies. Other than that, great way to start the main series in a new console.
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  4. Jun 24, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Es un pokemon fácil de narices, ya pueden ponerse las pilas en gamefreakss Expand
  5. Jun 24, 2020
    10
    the new starters are awesome and best designs ever! gameplay has been enhanced so you have both easy to get into and deepest gameplay from any RPG you can find! must buy
  6. Jun 24, 2020
    6
    Animações porcos e mal feitas e não tem quase nenhum desenvolvimento dos personagens além de não atribuir em nada o universo pokemon mas pelo é divertido as raids principalmente.
  7. Jun 23, 2020
    5
    #DashReviews

    The Pokémon series has finally come to home consoles after two decades of handheld mainline games. With expectations high for what the series can do with this new powerful hardware, will it be able to live up to these expectations or will fall flat on its face compared to the less powerful 3DS versions of the game? The story in Pokémon Sword and Shield is pretty generic
    #DashReviews

    The Pokémon series has finally come to home consoles after two decades of handheld mainline games. With expectations high for what the series can do with this new powerful hardware, will it be able to live up to these expectations or will fall flat on its face compared to the less powerful 3DS versions of the game?

    The story in Pokémon Sword and Shield is pretty generic when it comes to the standard Pokémon adventure. Nothing really deviates you from going to the gyms, getting the badge, rinse and repeat. The story has a villain and a bit more going on besides the standard of trying to become the ultimate Pokémon trainer but it strangely set up near the end of the game. This makes for a story with super-fast pacing that has almost nothing interesting happening through most of its run time. The pacing is so fast and rushed, that the box art legendary plot is saved for the post-game. The story is easily one of the most boring aspects of this game which is a shame since titles like Pokémon Black and White had more going on and those are $30 DS games.

    Gameplay-wise, this is a Pokémon game through and through. It’s the standard turn-based RPG everyone has been playing for years. There a few new gimmicks like Dynamaxing, a way for your Pokémon to turn into kaiju monsters. There one open area in the game with a free-roaming camera. The game treats this as a big deal but consoles games have had free moving cameras since the N64 days. The best new mode in the game is Co-Op raid battles since you will be working with your friends to catch powerful Pokémon. These few new modes and gimmicks are also at the expense of half of the Pokémon roster being cut. Even with the fun of raid battles, it not enough to make these games stand out as next-gen titles. They are painfully average games in the series that are super easy to boot. If you love Pokémon games, they're passable but I feel like these games need more innovation for being console games in 2019.

    This is the least polished Nintendo I have ever played. Framerates dropping drastically every time you go into the open area, models pop in constantly, and it graphically looks like Pokémon Sun and Moon unscaled to HD. Animations are so stilled to the point that everyone moves like a robot and no one blinks. The soundtrack is my personal favorite of the series but the amazing songs don’t make up for this game's wealth of technical problems.

    Pokémon Sword and Shield are passable games in the franchise that will either please fans that want more of the same or anger others that wanted these games to have a new life on a home console. They don’t do enough to innovate this stale franchise and don’t even bother to give this generic game the polish it should have. I would wait for a discount or skip these games entirely. Hopefully, the next installments in this franchise give fans what they truly deserve.

    Pros:
    +It’s the Same Old Pokémon
    +Great Soundtrack

    Cons:
    -Boring Story
    -No Innovation in the Gameplay
    -Technical Mess
    -Cut Roster for Little Change
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  8. Jun 23, 2020
    0
    I HATE THAT **** ICE LEVEL WHERE YOU FALL THEOUGH TJE SNOW I HATE IT AND WHEN MY DAD LEFT I DIDNT KWNWO WHAT TO DO BUT THEN I PLAY POMXKON SWOFDAND SHIELD AND I FALL THROUGH THE SNOW **** YOU **** YOU SONY I HATE YOU REMOVE THE ICE LEVEL ****
  9. Jun 23, 2020
    5
    No National pokedex , No Party. Besides this game haven't a long story , only 15 hours of campaing, I'm sorry gamefreak but this is a Shame
  10. Jun 23, 2020
    5
    This game costs like a triple A therefore, in my opinion, as such it should be evaluated, therefore, it does not deserve a higher rating than this.

    The game is really disappointing, certainly as a fan of the saga I would have expected a better debut on a console with the capabilities of Nintendo Switch, however, this game not only does not even reach the quality of triple A games like
    This game costs like a triple A therefore, in my opinion, as such it should be evaluated, therefore, it does not deserve a higher rating than this.

    The game is really disappointing, certainly as a fan of the saga I would have expected a better debut on a console with the capabilities of Nintendo Switch, however, this game not only does not even reach the quality of triple A games like Zelda, Mario Odissey, Dragon Quest 11 etc. but it has some mechanics that just don't work.

    The only reasons I didn't give a minor grade are:
    the design and the values ​​of many new pokemon introduced, really interesting (but after all this is an advantage of the whole brand not of sw / sh), the new dynamax mechanics (which is actually not so original but it works), the new metagame and the new features introduced for some time by competitive players (even if I'm not one of them).

    For the rest, however, the game really has problems everywhere. Among the problems there are:

    - the really low technical and graphic level, not in step with the times and not comparable with what a triple A should offer today (poorly detailed textures, bad animations);

    - a level design that is too linear and flat and which eliminates the exploratory component of the title.

    -a setting and a loore with interesting ideas but often left to chance and treated superficially;

    - a story that is too linear, without feelings and tension and in general told badly. There is an absence of cutscene and dubbing.

    -the total absence of valid secondary and postgame activities and missions, present in every jrpg worthy of the name.

    - an excessively low level of challenge, even lower than the previous chapters of the saga. Leveling up is too easy but not only, even completing the pokedex is now very easy (even the rarest pokemon such as Lucario and Tyranitar can be found walking through the Wild Areas).

    - the bad online system prevents you from enjoying mechanics like raids etc. without problems.

    In general, the lack of attention to detail that the game denotes is evident. It has at its base interesting ideas which, however, are left to themselves and not completed.

    I do not want to express myself about the dlc because they must be evaluated apart in my opinion, however, just because they are products separate from the base games and must be bought separately, it does not make sense to say that they solve the situation of the base games. In other words the dlc will not be able never justify the purchase of sword and shield pokemon.

    From Gamefreack I expect more on Nintendo Switch.
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  11. Jun 23, 2020
    0
    The beginning of the decline of pokemon, since the change to the 3d, gamefreak and the pokemon company have found the goose that lays the golden eggs doing less and less effort in each delivery, game and putting more abusive prices than the previous one with absurd dlcs that Supposedly they fix the content of the game, it is very sad that they give a kick to the fans that we have supportedThe beginning of the decline of pokemon, since the change to the 3d, gamefreak and the pokemon company have found the goose that lays the golden eggs doing less and less effort in each delivery, game and putting more abusive prices than the previous one with absurd dlcs that Supposedly they fix the content of the game, it is very sad that they give a kick to the fans that we have supported these games to only become more and more casual with other players, the exploration factor is totally suppressed in addition to the story, getting to do an annual installment to get the maximum possible benefit, when they could use that money to hire more people and that the final product becomes of quality like other games like super mario odyssey or breath of the wild Expand
  12. Jun 23, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is absolutely NO Storyline. Most of the Game of the Origin of its "Story" remains a Mystery. The Game itself is just empty and looks like a Beta Version. After a certain point, every Pokemon is on Level 60. So it makes no common sense to catch and train them. The DLC is a joke. Everything is still empty. There is still no storyline. Expand
  13. Jun 23, 2020
    6
    A game that takes several steps forward with features that really bring Pokemon onto the home console experience.....but takes several steps back in the process. The overly linear nature, the inconsistent story and a lack of postgame do little to justify the hefty price tag
  14. Jun 22, 2020
    7
    This game is fun, the story is good, even though I didn't like the end. Every character has their own personality. GF always gets better with characters, story and OST in new games. New Pokémon are very cute, they all are very caracteristic. BUT, this game has lots of problems that distract you from the good points. Of course, graphics and animation, those are very bad, and they can'tThis game is fun, the story is good, even though I didn't like the end. Every character has their own personality. GF always gets better with characters, story and OST in new games. New Pokémon are very cute, they all are very caracteristic. BUT, this game has lots of problems that distract you from the good points. Of course, graphics and animation, those are very bad, and they can't justify the choose of Dex Cut... I honestly don't really care about that, but the Cut was done so GF could improve graphics and animations, which has not been done. There are also problems with how they hand backgrounds... for example, there are 2 battles with a character on 2 different bridges, but only 1 of that has the bridge background. So I think this game was done in 1 year, without lots of quality checks. The online wasn't clearly test, because it's terrible. And this is a big problem for a game with a poor post game. Expand
  15. Jun 22, 2020
    2
    This game was so immensely disappointing...

    I've played every Pokemon generation, I've been playing since Yellow on the GBC and have been excited for every title that comes out. This game was a failure on all fronts. From the failure of the marketing department to provide meaningful updates throughout the development process, to their handling of controversies like the Dex cuts, and
    This game was so immensely disappointing...

    I've played every Pokemon generation, I've been playing since Yellow on the GBC and have been excited for every title that comes out. This game was a failure on all fronts.

    From the failure of the marketing department to provide meaningful updates throughout the development process, to their handling of controversies like the Dex cuts, and to the release dealing with full leaks. Then the game itself. The FIRST EVER Pokemon mainline title on a home-console, and it's this. Almost every single aspect of the game feels stale, uninspired, or rushed. I say almost because there are certain small things that you can tell someone put a lot of work into, only for it to be squandered by the game in it's entirety. If this game didn't have the Wild Area to lean on, it would have crashed and burned immediately. Without it there is no innovation and there is no replayability. While some of the areas of the game as I mentioned before look BEAUTIFUL, such as the Fairy city Ballonlea, they are completely shallow and soulless. Hidden behind the scenery is extremely simplistic and rudimentary level design, with most routes being straight lines, with no reason to ever return to them again. Most areas and cities are completely pointless beyond having a gym or leading to a new gym, and you'll only spend 5-10 minutes in them throughout the entire game. Towns feel like cardboard ghost towns, as most parts are either inaccessible or empty. Areas like Stow-On-Side, the Dugtrio Monument, the Ruins on Route 8, the Galar Mines, and both "forests", are ALL one-time visits. The music is great in certain areas, but in the places like the Wild Area where you spend most of your time- it isn't. The "evil" team is laughably bad, and can hardly be called evil. There is no difficulty to the game at any point, most trainer's Pokemon don't even know 4 moves and the AI is not smart enough to use those moves strategically. You WILL beat this entire game without losing a battle, there is no point where there is even a question that you could lose.

    The only thing this game has to offer is TRs, the Wild Area, and new Pokemon. The loss in quality everywhere else is very hard not to notice.

    I was actually okay with the Dex cuts when the game launched as I accepted GameFreak's reasoning and explanations. However, now seeing that GameFreak is just putting most of them back as paid content to pad out the equally uninspired DLC they're releasing I see it's just another scheme for them to profit off of Pokemon. You can say the same about using paid subscriptions for Home to bring forward your favorite Pokemon from old games.

    There is a reason this is the most profitable franchise in the world, GameFreak and Pokemon aren't stupid. It is however, a shame to see them release such an empty and lifeless game, especially for the first console title. These games really truly did have potential, but you can feel while playing that the priorities were elsewhere with shiny bells and whistles, and not behind making a solid Pokemon game.
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  16. Jun 22, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Game wasn't rate with the real point of view that the Game needed , Pokémon sw will be a Master piece in 5 years Expand
  17. Jun 22, 2020
    1
    This game has some good stuff, i actually like the new pokemon designs, the soundtracks are really good, the story even though it felt short, is enjoyable, has some useful new features like the way wild pokemon appear, how ever, these pokemon games are very disappointing, they removed 60% of the pokemon in order to "improve graphics and animations", how ever, the graphics are relativelyThis game has some good stuff, i actually like the new pokemon designs, the soundtracks are really good, the story even though it felt short, is enjoyable, has some useful new features like the way wild pokemon appear, how ever, these pokemon games are very disappointing, they removed 60% of the pokemon in order to "improve graphics and animations", how ever, the graphics are relatively poor, and animations didn't really improve much if any compared to previous games, the post game is really bad, the battle tower is a horrible downgrade from previous ones, no multi battle option here, online multibattles have a horrible system, i personally enjoy doing multibattles in the battle towers with my friends the most in the post game, or being able to queue with a friend to team up against other people online, how ever, this is not possible in these games, they removed features fans love like mega evolutions and Z-moves, they took away options from the players and sold them out as "new features" like forcing you to exp. share, the cities feel empty, overall the game feels rushed and incomplete, as someone who has play pretty much every single pokemon game from the main series, this game was insanely disappointing, it feels like GameFreak does not care about the fans or their games, just about the money Expand
  18. Jun 21, 2020
    9
    Aventura divertida, competitivo decente, el arte es muy bonito, lo negativo los gráficos son de generación pasada y la poca cantidad de monstruos
  19. Jun 21, 2020
    2
    This game is terrible.
    There isn't a single redeeming quality to this pile of garbage.
  20. Jun 21, 2020
    0
    doesn't have the national pokedex, you have to pay for online, the graphics are the same from pokemon S/M US/UM, honestly looks like a port from nintendo 3ds, the game feels kinda uncomplete, bc is short and the eventes in there are lineal.
  21. Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Easy 1/10. There are great ideas here like the wild area and the game is fun but no more so than older games. What that leaves us left to evaluate is content, and it is here that the game suffers horribly. Less than half of the old roster and environments that amount to long hallways can kill the enjoyment when you realise theres little to do when the games over.
  22. Jun 21, 2020
    7
    el juego es decente pero pudo hacerse mejor las graficas en algunos puntos en estan bien en otros no las animaciones pocas son buenas y reusan demasiado contenido de sol y luna pero en general es disfrutable y tiene el mejor competitivo de la saga en mi humilde opinion
  23. Jun 21, 2020
    8
    Pokemon SW/SH is great in innovation, with the wild area, Pokemon have introduced a excelent and very fun experience when is about catching pokemon, maybe we´re missing the national pokedex, but in fact, is something that you forget when you´re enjoying the adventure. Althought the fact of seeing Pokemon appearing of no-where is something that kills the immersion, is something that shouldPokemon SW/SH is great in innovation, with the wild area, Pokemon have introduced a excelent and very fun experience when is about catching pokemon, maybe we´re missing the national pokedex, but in fact, is something that you forget when you´re enjoying the adventure. Althought the fact of seeing Pokemon appearing of no-where is something that kills the immersion, is something that should be improved in next titles. In my opinion this titles are a good begining for the franchise on home consoles. Probably not the best titles, but are fun and they have a lot of innovation that should be enjoyed. Expand
  24. Jun 21, 2020
    5
    Lack of an interest story, no real postgame even with the dlc, no interest explotation, very lineal, lazy game design. Still I had fun but there is nothing new here.
  25. Jun 21, 2020
    3
    This game was the biggest disappointment for me. They announced many new features, but it's literally the same game we have been playing for 20 years. The wild zone is useless and I have a feeling they just added it to make it 'different' from other parts. Even the story is THE SAME!!! The only pasrt of the game I enjoyed was these 2 hrs after beating the last gym, with these 2 stupidThis game was the biggest disappointment for me. They announced many new features, but it's literally the same game we have been playing for 20 years. The wild zone is useless and I have a feeling they just added it to make it 'different' from other parts. Even the story is THE SAME!!! The only pasrt of the game I enjoyed was these 2 hrs after beating the last gym, with these 2 stupid "royals". aside from that - I was charged 60 bucks for the same old game. Disappointed. Expand
  26. Jun 21, 2020
    4
    I don't like writing this review, because Pokemon has been my favourite series my whole life, but this game is such a let-down. It has performance issues, the graphics aren't nice at all in most areas, the story is practically non-existent, the characters are mostly forgettable, the whole region is just a linear straight path, there's no post-game content, the game is too easy, over halfI don't like writing this review, because Pokemon has been my favourite series my whole life, but this game is such a let-down. It has performance issues, the graphics aren't nice at all in most areas, the story is practically non-existent, the characters are mostly forgettable, the whole region is just a linear straight path, there's no post-game content, the game is too easy, over half of the features were cut from previous games, and the DLC is a rip-off. I really think we'll never get games like the ones we had from Gen 3 - Gen 5 ever again. The only reason it gets 4/10 is because most of the Pokemon designs are great, and I can imagine it might be fun for children or people playing Pokemon for the first time ever. The game was clearly very rushed - I just hope they don't mess up the Sinnoh remakes if they ever happen. Expand
  27. Jun 20, 2020
    0
    El juego esta incompleto, y te lo venden a trozos , las versiones anteriores tienen mas contenido que este.
  28. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pokémon nunca ha sido una franquicia especialmente ambiciosa. Es más, para algunos su atractivo reside, precisamente, en su anclaje a un estilo de combate por turnos que parece haber quedado en el olvido por el resto del mercado (con excepciones, claro está). A mi parecer, su conservadurismo ha llevado a Pokémon a ser lo que es hoy: un producto mediocre, incapaz de reinventarse, que cadaPokémon nunca ha sido una franquicia especialmente ambiciosa. Es más, para algunos su atractivo reside, precisamente, en su anclaje a un estilo de combate por turnos que parece haber quedado en el olvido por el resto del mercado (con excepciones, claro está). A mi parecer, su conservadurismo ha llevado a Pokémon a ser lo que es hoy: un producto mediocre, incapaz de reinventarse, que cada nueva entrega trata al jugador con mayor condescendencia. Jamás había visto creadores tan ajenos a su producto. Si Pokémon alguna vez fue un proyecto apasionado, ya solo quedan los restos insulsos de lo que alguna vez fue. Los fallos de estas nuevas entregas son muchos, por lo que haré una lista de algunos, aún a sabiendas de que será insuficiente:
    -Apartado gráfico sorprendentemente malo, sumado a las animaciones ortopédicas. No soy ni diseñador gráfico ni animador, solo un jugador del montón. Pero esto tiene que ser de coña. Tomándolo con humor, hasta agradezco que sea tan descaradamente desastroso visualmente; soy de quienes lloran de la risa con la cutrez del primer Resident Evil en este aspecto. No hay mucho que explicar, los que jugamos entregas anteriores sabemos que han reciclado hasta las animaciones de los personajes humanos (que ya de por sí dejaban mucho que desar) y que la cuestionable calidad de modelados y texturas se hacen más evidentes que nunca con el salto al HD.
    -Repartir experiencia forzado, que hace del juego prácticamente injugable. Un juego de estrategia en el que la estrategia es innecesaria, a mi parecer, es muestra de una incomprensión absoluta del modo en el que el juego debe interactuar con el jugador. No hay tensión ni placer en el jugar.
    -Eliminación de la GTS. Nada más que añadir.
    -Sustitución de mecánicas ya consolidadas (véase la megaevolución) por otras más pretenciosas que solo agradarán a los jugadores de Pokémon GO.
    -La ausencia de todos los Pokémon hasta la fecha. Esto no es algo que me moleste particularmente, de no ser por el desdén con el que se ha tratado a sus potenciales consumidores. Espero que la desconexión entre compañía y usuario se vea reflejada en las ventas.
    El único punto positivo de los juegos son los diseños de los pokémon, algunos más creativos que otros, pero tan ideales como siempre; más sintiéndolo mucho, unos diseños bonitos no redimen ni por asomo sus carencias.
    En resumen: la saga Pokémon ha muerto definitivamente, (para quienes lo dudasen incluso tras la salida de los Let's Go) y tristemente, los consumidores de comida basura que son sus fans, los responsables de su muerte, no la dejaran descansar en paz. De hecho, los fans estarán encantados con los títulos, para ellos lo tendrán todo: fanservice a más no poder y la inflada de precio a los 60€ que muy gustosos pagarán en su afán consumista, junto a los múltiples servicios de pago. Ah, y no nos confundamos. Esto no es un producto dirigido a los niños, sino a adultos que se niegan a crecer. La franquicia de Super Mario ha crecido junto a sus jugadores aún siendo accesible a nuevas generaciones. Pokémon intentó crecer, pero no pudo, porque sus jugadores nunca lo hicieron.
    P.D. Muy fan de la escena inicial del juego, que no echa en falta doblaje ni mucho menos.
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  29. Jun 20, 2020
    7
    I really enjoy the base game, but there's very little postgame, raiding is okay, but honestly the online system is so crap that 5 star pokemon are almost impossible to catch.

    When some of the mechanics are so broken, it's hard to give it more than a 7. If they fix the online, I'll bump it to 8, but I doubt that'll happen.
  30. Jun 19, 2020
    1
    Franchise ruined by lazy GreedFreak who refuse to put any effort into their games anymore and push out games every year like it's Call of Duty. Pokemon died after Gen 4.
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 89
  2. 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. 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.
  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]