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. 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
  2. Ignoritus
    Nov 18, 2019
    6
    Minor spoilers; no details.

    Pokemon Sword and Shield feel like the incomplete beta of a really good game. I mean that in both a technical and a design sense. These games are fun to play through, no doubt. But most of what's ultimately fun about these games are the basic mechanics that have made up the Pokemon franchise for 20 years. When you look at everything these games do that    Minor spoilers; no details.

    Pokemon Sword and Shield feel like the incomplete beta of a really good game.

    I mean that in both a technical and a design sense. These games are fun to play through, no doubt. But most of what's ultimately fun about these games are the basic mechanics that have made up the Pokemon franchise for 20 years. When you look at everything these games do that doesn't fall back on "being Pokemon" you're left with a very half-baked array of good ideas that feel like they weren't given the polish or thought they needed to really shine.

    First of all, the elephant in the room: these games suffer on a technical level. Badly. I honestly cannot understand the constant defenses these games have received in terms of "who cares about that" when talking about frequent and incredibly visible graphical bugs that one would expect out of a demo, not a triple A release. In my playthrough I encountered dozens of cases where the games glitched visually or just lacked in aesthetic polish. And that's only to speak of the GRAPHICAL problems. These games actively lag, especially in the Wild Area. Their framerate varies from "perfectly fine" to "genuinely unplayable" based on a lot of circumstances, including what video output I used.

    But the technical shortcomings aren't the only ways in which these games feel incomplete. The Wild Area is an incredibly promising new mechanic that makes it fun to explore and discover new Pokemon. But after the initial magic of it wears of you start to realize that it is actually rather small and that there is very little to really "explore". You can find various items lying about on the ground, and of course different patches of grass feature different Pokemon, but that's about it. The Pokemon just exist, wandering endlessly in circles and leaving you with little real interactivity besides running into them to battle if you want. You can't even experience the joy of seeing something exciting off in the distance and journeying over to discover it because the render distance is absolutely pitiful. The Wild Area is a big step in the right direction, but it would benefit greatly from Pokemon being a bit more natural rather than just all popping into existence and wandering in circles. The Wild Area is a concept that invokes our imaginations of a wide open area full of Pokemon living and waiting to be discovered, but ultimately its execution is effectively a big space with a controllable camera and the overworld Pokemon mechanics from Pokemon Let's Go. The raids featured here are similarly fun at first, but start to become very frustrating when you begin to take on higher level ones. The NPC partners you can team up with border on sabotaging you at times with ridiculous sets and terrible Pokemon choices for the raid, meaning high-tier raids are really only fun with human partners. Waiting for human partners takes a while and requires you to pay for Nintendo Switch Online.

    The Galar region is genuinely gorgeous and I commend the team on the aesthetic design. However, it's just that: a gorgeous setpiece. The game consistently places superficial barriers in your way to make sure you stay in very tight designated "play areas" which often leave you no room whatsoever to explore the environments. They're pretty backdrops but don't feel like real places because you're given no room to explore them. There is one town late in the game in which the Pokemon Center is literally the only building you can enter. Routes are similar in that despite there only being 10 of them only about 3 of the routes in the game actually feature any level of exploration or depth. Most of the routes are simply straight lines from point A to point B with no real exploration available. When you couple this with the constant interruptions for large chunks of NPC dialogue you begin to spend the entire game feeling like you're on rails.

    And the NPC dialogue interruptions really are a problem. The games feature a whole host of characters almost all of which ultimately never end up being relevant. Sonia spends the entire game trying to crack a mystery that is blatantly obvious to anyone who has seen the game's box art. Hop interrupts you in virtually every route and town yet almost never says anything of any importance to you. Bede and Marnie were the bearable rivals because they were more conservative with their interruptions, but both ultimately end up being of minimal importance in the grand scheme of things. Bede's story is entirely self-contained and Marnie's doesn't really culminate in any character growth for anyone involved. Despite the game interrupting you non-stop for exposition throughout its entire playtime, the actual plot climax comes out of the left-field with no buildup and resolves in under an hour. The rushed plotpoints don't make a lot of sense in the bigger picture and left me genuinely scratching my head trying to understand certain characters' motivations.    … Expand
  3. Bojack349
    Jan 9, 2020
    2
    Unacceptable DLC price when the game is still stuttery online/doesn't really change the Pokemon formula.
  4. Xelfyy
    Jan 9, 2020
    2
    Historia pobre, personajes secundarios poco interesantes, te lo puedes llegar a pasar bien si le echas imaginación, el area silvestre está laggueadisima. Le hubiese puesto un 4, pero me entero de que van a sacar DLC'S... ENCIMA! se han cagado en la saga.
  5. UniversalReview
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Pokémon Sword/Shield are fun, fresh, new Pokémon experiences. You can catch nearly one-hundred new creatures, explore never before seen towns and cities, and interact with a colourful cast of new characters. However, the same can be said for every new Pokémon generation in the history of the franchise, and for perhaps the first time ever, the cuts and flaws really start to bring thePokémon Sword/Shield are fun, fresh, new Pokémon experiences. You can catch nearly one-hundred new creatures, explore never before seen towns and cities, and interact with a colourful cast of new characters. However, the same can be said for every new Pokémon generation in the history of the franchise, and for perhaps the first time ever, the cuts and flaws really start to bring the experience down.

    Through two decades of handheld releases with the same formula, the question was always there: “what if?” What could Pokémon look like, what could the series achieve, if finally freed from limited handheld hardware and brought onto modern home consoles?

    As it turns out, the answer is more of the same. And that is exactly the problem.

    Sword/Shield are a graphical upgrade from their 3DS predecessors, yet still look mediocre for their hardware. They offer plenty of new features, at the expense of everything new introduced the previous generation. They promise a new experience, yet have less content than DS and Gameboy Advance games released 10-15+ years ago. All the boxes are ticked, but that doesn’t account for everything that is missing.

    It could be argued that Sword/Shield are a product of Gamefreak’s shifting design philosophy. Since 2013’s X and Y, franchise leaders have made it clear that accessibility is a priority. Case in point, 2014’s ORAS famously removed Pokémon Emerald’s Battle Frontier because “kids would get frustrated with the difficulty”, completely disregarding the millions who grew up with the games regardless.

    This mentality is overwhelmingly present in every aspect of Sword/Shield, to the extent of actively removing player-choice in many situations. Sword/Shield are arguably the most linear games in the franchise: outside the Wild Area, you’ll mostly be moving from A to B, with a noticeable lack of traditional “dungeons”, various inaccessible areas and major plot points happening off screen. Even worse, the EXP-Share is no longer optional. To many, it was a major factor in X/Y & Sun/Moon being far easier than previous instalments, resulting in the player often being comically over-levelled in major battles, and here its removal limits player choice for simply no good reason. By focusing on simplicity and linearity, everything suffers, producing easier and shorter experiences that feel less like RPG adventures and more like a guided tour.

    But now comes the main event: Dexit. Pokémon’s largest ever controversy, and for good reason: you are finally unable to “Catch ‘Em All”. Roughly 500 creatures simply cannot be transferred into Sword/Shield. Disregarding the ethics of forcing players to use a (likely paid) service to store Pokémon that might be in a future game, improved graphics and animations were specifically cited as the main reason for this decision. Sadly, that explanation simply doesn’t hold true. Sword/Shield look mediocre for their hardware, in many cases lacking simple details such as battle backgrounds, decent textures or proper attack animations. Furthermore, many animations and models are outright reused, and while the jury is still out on whether Gamefreak lied about using “new models”, it’s indisputable that a AAA title in 2019 shouldn’t look this poor, especially if visuals are used to justify shortcomings elsewhere.

    However, perhaps Sword/Shield are expansive enough to justify the cut content? Sadly, this isn’t the case either. At a moderate pace, Sword/Shield are roughly 15-20 hour games, average for the franchise, and offer significantly less post-game content compared to many previous instalments. Sword/Shield cost $20 more than previous Pokémon experiences: console prices for console games, but nothing about the story, formula, length or breadth of content reflects that. New features like the Wild Area, Dynamax and Pokémon Camp are fun, but every new Pokémon game in history has brought new features to the table, and nothing about Sword/Shield particularly screams bigger or better.

    Sword/Shield are undoubtedly fun games. Pokémon’s core formula is one that works. But to many, they are also indicative of a stagnation that has plagued the franchise over the past five or so years. Sword/Shield are on a home console, but downgrade the graphics and they would be indistinguishable from any 3DS Pokémon release. Even with Sword/Shield being the series’ fourth consecutive yearly releases, they can expect to sell 10-15 million copies, so there really is no incentive to give the franchise the “Breath of the Wild” moment it deserves. But in 2019, on the most powerful hardware yet, the bare minimum simply isn’t good enough anymore.

    When your visuals are rivalled by a Wii spinoffs from 2006, you offer less content than DS releases from 2009, and players have less freedom than in your Gameboy debut, that’s a sign things need to improve.    … Expand
  6. LuckyAbsol
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Your average pokemon game that'll probably be fun for the casual fan. The story is below par compared to past pokemon games, suffering from clear pacing issues towards the end. The graphics were only slightly better while some of the animations are also lacking. Clear pop ins and low resolutions textures litter the game while severals bugs are also present. For example, the battleYour average pokemon game that'll probably be fun for the casual fan. The story is below par compared to past pokemon games, suffering from clear pacing issues towards the end. The graphics were only slightly better while some of the animations are also lacking. Clear pop ins and low resolutions textures litter the game while severals bugs are also present. For example, the battle backgrounds not always matching up with battle. The quality of life changes were very welcomed but the EXP Share was still too strong and could not be turned off. On a more personal level, I believe Shield has the better exclusives.

    I must also add that the soundtrack was very forgettable this time around which is strange for a pokemon game, the postgame is also extremely short with it only being about 1-2 hours long. The battle tower makes a return but it's been stripped down to it's bare bones.    … Expand
  7. Palomero3000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Este juego fue apresurado y solo se hizo en mente para sacar dinero de manera facil sabiendo que su fan base pagarian por cualquier cosa sin importar la calidad del producto.
  8. pico901
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is simply not worth 60 not even half the price! GameFreak (Masuda) Lied to us for cutting 60% of the pokedex for ''better animations'' all we seen is some dynamax animations and RE USED battle animations! this is just a quick crashgrab! out of town the graphics are simply laughable unfinished and unpolished! The trees look worse then most ps2 games the rock textures wow! theThis game is simply not worth 60 not even half the price! GameFreak (Masuda) Lied to us for cutting 60% of the pokedex for ''better animations'' all we seen is some dynamax animations and RE USED battle animations! this is just a quick crashgrab! out of town the graphics are simply laughable unfinished and unpolished! The trees look worse then most ps2 games the rock textures wow! the rocktextures! there have been massive framerate issues in dynamax battles i saw a player fishing in a town area then when the battle came the background changed to the wild area! Inhouse battles get backgrounds simply not matching with the enviroment you just battle in a void. The gym missions are so easy to the point you can just walk to the other side without anything stopping you! You get so many potions revives and all that bullcrap u find it everywhere! the game is dumbed down so much with so many missing features. This game is unfinished and unpolished even pokemon lets go pika and evee are better polished and even looking better in alot of aspects. Gamefreak failed and i will never be buying anything pokemon related ever again! ''improved animations'' when my raboot pokemon used the move headbut and it kicked instead of actually headbutting this game is the fallout 76 of pokemon and the casual fanboys will never admit this shame on you! shame on gamefreak and shame on Nintendo for letting this come out! It's all about money these days and you can clearly see it TAKE THIS L gamefreak!… Expand
  9. FoolPhilosopher
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Lets talk beyond the obvious dexit controversy. This pokemon game highlights that Gamefreak does not think that the gaming demographic that wants challenge, variety, and quality is worth pursuing. The graphics are bland, the game refuses to let you be alone to breathe/explore for a moment, the difficulty is nonexistent even for a pokemon game, which are already traditionally pretty easy.Lets talk beyond the obvious dexit controversy. This pokemon game highlights that Gamefreak does not think that the gaming demographic that wants challenge, variety, and quality is worth pursuing. The graphics are bland, the game refuses to let you be alone to breathe/explore for a moment, the difficulty is nonexistent even for a pokemon game, which are already traditionally pretty easy. Make no mistake, this is Gamefreak phoning it in. There are so many game devs out there pouring their heart into their projects, and they are much more worthy of your time than this hacked out half-hearted garbage.… Expand
  10. Revoltado
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6 - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas - Pior liga de todas as    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais
    - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6
    - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções
    - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy
    - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer
    - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas
    - Pior liga de todas as gerações, e como resto do jogo também utiliza reaproveitação
    - Cooking system (gosto pessoal, odeio essa mecânica em todos os jogos)
    - Sem legenda pt-br
    - Preço alto pelo baixo conteúdo
    Estranho as revisões de sites "especializados", pois o jogo parece ser produzido para jogadores novos, minimizando os custos e priorizando os ganhos reaproveitando e cortando conteúdos    … Expand
  11. samuelglynnr
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    When considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look upWhen considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look up Wailord in Pokémon Sword / Shield and feast your eyes on the ineptitude.… Expand
  12. Rolawa
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    As somebody who has played this I can tell you it is not worth the buy. Especially at full price. It honestly is worse than previous installments in the series and fails to make use of the better hardware available in the form of the switch. Honestly if you want a Pokemon game on the switch play Let's Go. It somehow manages to be better than this. Story was uninspired and boring. Way tooAs somebody who has played this I can tell you it is not worth the buy. Especially at full price. It honestly is worse than previous installments in the series and fails to make use of the better hardware available in the form of the switch. Honestly if you want a Pokemon game on the switch play Let's Go. It somehow manages to be better than this. Story was uninspired and boring. Way too much handholding. No challenge and it results in a boring game. Camp was neat but felt like a mediocre version of Amie New Pokemon are kinda cool. Happy with the scorbunny line personally

    Graphics look worse than a Nintendo 64 game. Some lag. More than I would expect. Pop in is terrible. Makes the overworld pointless Characters are rehashed or not at all interesting

    Animations look like a pitch somebody gave to an animator but the animator died before fixing them

    The list of removed features were not improved upon or replaced. Dynamaxing was uninspired and often made the models look worse. Absolutely not worth the cost of the game. Fails to make use of the switch hardware. Game freak continues to fail to listen to what people actually want out of the games. It instead delivers poor rushed games that get worse with every installment    … Expand
  13. BadThingsHappen
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pokemon Sword And Sheild are the worst games in the series, dont let THANKYOUGAMEFREAK and others like IGN lie to you, the models sre re-used, the game is overall very boring, the new pokemon forms (the only things that come close to new models) are boring and ugly, Skip this entry and wait for the next one with the full dex #Gamefreaklied
  14. LarsCramer
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    CONS:
    The dex cut. You can't transfer non-Galar mons outside of a small handful. Pokemon Home is not a solution, I like my mons on a physical cartridge I own and not on a server who knows where. Pokemon Bank won't last forever, eventually it won't be possible to transfer from older games at all.
    Reused models. It would be obvious even if I wasn't actively thinking about it because of you    CONS:
    The dex cut. You can't transfer non-Galar mons outside of a small handful. Pokemon Home is not a solution, I like my mons on a physical cartridge I own and not on a server who knows where. Pokemon Bank won't last forever, eventually it won't be possible to transfer from older games at all.
    Reused models. It would be obvious even if I wasn't actively thinking about it because of you guys. It looks bad.
    The opening drags. Before you can challenge the gyms, you have to talk to like three other people.
    The game crashed. It only happened once, but I still prefer my AAA games to not crash.
    Characters disappear when you're far away. The only reason I didn't realize this was a problem at first was because I'm nearsighted IRL.
    The entire plot with the chairman. You go break into his building because the plot says so, then there's a weird non-animated cutscene, and finally an anticlimactic boss fight where the version mascots do most of the work.
    I'm about to fight the champion, and I don't feel anything.
    Postgame consists of a series of battles against Dynamax pokemon at gyms and a couple of rematches. Battle Tower is as barebones as they come.

    PERSONAL GRIPES:
    Hop is an idiot

    PROS:
    Random encounters were changed to be less annoying, and there are plenty of overworld encounters
    Most of the gym leaders have good designs and fun personalities (grass dude still looks weird tho)
    Bede and Marnie are alright rivals    … Expand
  15. Skizor
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    I have already cleared everything including postgame. This is going to be a spoiler free review, i will only focus on the positive and negative aspects and what needs to be improved.

    Positives: *Some areas in this game look absolutely gorgeous, like the towns Ballonlea and Circhester. *Most of the new Pokemon look pretty good. *IVs and EVs, and by extension Competitive battling,    I have already cleared everything including postgame. This is going to be a spoiler free review, i will only focus on the positive and negative aspects and what needs to be improved.

    Positives:

    *Some areas in this game look absolutely gorgeous, like the towns Ballonlea and Circhester.
    *Most of the new Pokemon look pretty good.
    *IVs and EVs, and by extension Competitive battling, are more accessible than ever.
    *You can change your Pokemon's Nature with Mints.
    *Pokemon Camp, with new features, such as said Currydex.
    *New "Open-World" Wild Area for encountering higher level Pokemon.
    *Most in-depth trainer customization to date.
    *Move Tutor/Remover/Name Raters are now in every Pokemon Center.
    *You can access PC almost anywhere.

    Negatives:

    *Hundreds of Pokemon were cut from the game, such as previous Starters, Legendary Pokemon, and many others.
    *100+ Moves were cut, the most notable being Return/Frustration, Pursuit, and Hidden Power. Signature moves of certain Pokemon were also cut, even though the Pokemon themselves are in the game, like Vespiquen's Heal Order and Woobat's Heart Stamp.
    *There are multiple examples of the game feeling rushed or unfinished, like how the "Corviknight Taxi" Fast-Travel system doesn't have an animation and is just a screen fade, every NPC walking on rails, time stopping when you climb a ladder, and the entire Wild Area feeling empty, with low-resolution textures, pop-ins, and broken shadows.
    *Any battles that are not major battles, such as Wild Battles and most Trainer Battles, have the same generic backgrounds. When you are outside, the battle always takes place on a dirt road with grass, trees, and mountains in the background, and when inside a building, the battle uses a generic white void for a background.
    *Post-Game Content is confirmed to be very short, less than 2 hours to complete, similar to X&Y. It's basically just "catch Box Legendary, go to Battle Tower."
    *Most Pokemon Moves, and the Pokemon themselves, have had no noticeable improvements made to their models or animations. Everything that isn't brand new is recycled, and even some of the brand new stuff, like Hop, uses recycled animation, from Hau.
    *Riding a Bike forces you to wear an ugly biking outfit instead of your custom clothes.
    *Most of the "Story" takes place off screen, and only really makes an appearance near the end of the game. The "Story" itself is also lackluster, in that it's incredibly short and forgettable.
    *The EXP Share is mandatory, and cannot be turned off. This makes the game very easy.
    *Strange changes that don't make much sense logically, like how the sound control settings are locked behind a Key Item you get from a random NPC in Motostoke City.

    Summary:

    IMO this is the most disappointing Pokémon game i played, since i had high expectations about this game being on a console like Switch.
    They really need to add all Pokémon back in the game since there is nothing here to justify the cut of so many Pokémon.
    GameFreak need to hire more devs so they can polish and finish this games better.    … Expand
  16. EpicGamer420
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    We live in a society where gamefreak can get away with making a half baked game and changer 60 dollars. With only a fraction of old pokemon and not even 100 completely new pokemon.
  17. allewel2
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Overpriced now ($35x2 used to get you all of the game and now $60x2 only gets you 55%).

    GameFreak just needs to sell Pokémon and let someone else give it the attention it deserves.
  18. Ziop98
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Low quality graphics, Game Freak lied about dexcut connected to new models and better animation, the story is probably the worst for a main line pokemon game, no post game, bad soundtrack, just 3 legendary, new pokemon desgins suck. Probably is worse than LGPE, which was in my opinion the worst pokemon game until this
  19. QuarterLife
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Imagine making ~40% of a game, and then charging ~120% for it. That's Pokemon right now. This game is rushed, buggy, and overall an insult to anyone that has enjoyed the series before. You might consider it if it's your first Pokemon game, but if you have others in your library just keep playing them -- they're better.
  20. mrfrank79
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    a pesar de reciclar todo el contenido de 3ds, utilizar la misma bases de Lets Go, y tener un desarrollo de 3 años el resultado es la mediocridad en estado puro
  21. BlockFort
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The release of Pokemon Sword and Shield sadly confirmed all the fears I've had during the build up to it's launch. I've been a huge Pokemon fan since its inception and always dearly loved this series, however the last couple of entries have been getting progressively worse when it came to aspects such as polish, removing features, difficulty, dungeon complexity, post game and many more. MyThe release of Pokemon Sword and Shield sadly confirmed all the fears I've had during the build up to it's launch. I've been a huge Pokemon fan since its inception and always dearly loved this series, however the last couple of entries have been getting progressively worse when it came to aspects such as polish, removing features, difficulty, dungeon complexity, post game and many more. My enthusiasm when it came to Pokemon slowly faded away. But I remained hopeful. Afterall Gamefreak promised us that Generation 8 would be "for the hardcore fans". And it would be the first mainline game on a home console, a huge step for the series!

    Despite my initial optimism for these new home console entries I couldn't ignore all the glaring and obvious problems that were observable in all the pre-release material. Graphical quality not even on par with last gen console games, complete lack of care and polish in regards to animation, reusing as many outdated assets as possible; and these were just the issues that were quickly noticeable from a first glance. But the more time passed the worse things got. The removal of basic features like the national dex and the subsequent cutting of over half of all Pokemon was the straw that broke the camel's back. The following PR disaster of justifying all of this with blatant lies certainly didn't help. I could go on but you get the point.

    And now here we are and Pokemon SwSh is exactly what is looked like it was going to be; a soulless, unpolished and short mess of a game not worthy of belonging to the most successful multimedia franchise in the world. I think the Eurogamer review said it best when it used the new Dynamax mechanic as an analogy to SwSh themselves: "Pokémon Sword and Shield project a sense of scale and ambition far beyond any previous ones in the series, but to take it back to those gargantuan new Dynamax forms, the size is merely a shadow. A shallow projection, in place of the real thing."    … Expand
  22. koophakuna
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    We need more pokemon We want better visuals
    We want a real pokemon game in Switch
  23. someactorkid
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is a massive disappoinment. The animations are incredibly lack-luster, the reuse of assets is embarrassing, and overall, Game Freak's heart just doesn't seem to be in these games anymore. I wanted this game to be good and to succeed, and I stayed positive despite all the backlash online, but this game has proven to be more than Game Freak could, or wanted, to handle.
  24. nikospant
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    In the beginning I was so excited about the upcoming games and the first couple of trailers seemed entertaining both in designs and the future of the game. As the time passed by, I was feeling less and less excited about the game and I will try to summarize the main points after having already finished the game after only 16 hours of gameplay, as an early copy arrived yesterday.In the beginning I was so excited about the upcoming games and the first couple of trailers seemed entertaining both in designs and the future of the game. As the time passed by, I was feeling less and less excited about the game and I will try to summarize the main points after having already finished the game after only 16 hours of gameplay, as an early copy arrived yesterday.

    Longevity and replay value:
    First of all, compared to previous Pokemon games, only 16 hours of gameplay to beat the whole game seems way underwhelming, especially considering that I caught all the new pokemons that I found, explored the Wild Area and passed through it as many times as deemed possible, as long as there was something interesting to day (Hint: there wasn't much). I feel that except the online component, there isn't much replay value to the games and I don't feel the need to play them again.

    The price tag: $60 compared to a $40 a couple of years back, for less amount of content seems way overpriced in my eyes.

    Characters:
    Most of the in-game characters seem bland, not interesting and especially the rival seems... not like a rival should feel. Even the Champion seems like a naive person the least .

    Plot:
    Easy, predictable, no depth, I really wonder if someone thought through the whole story from the beginning or was creating on the way..

    Difficulty:
    It is a pokemon game, I do not expect to have actual difficulties from a game designed also for children and here is the main point, mario odyssey is also designed for children and everyone can complete the game, but it also have more content, targeted on more mature audience with an actual difficulty to complete 100% of all the game aspects. There is no such option in this pokemon game. Exp.Share gets OP and all my pokemon are overleveled, even after switching all the overleveled ones mid-game.
    On the other hand, handholding and cutscenes in every route does not make me feel and experience the map as it should be and there is always someone telling me where to go, who to speak to and how to handle every aspect of the game without me feeling responsible for the decisions made in game at any level.

    Graphics:
    Graphics don't seem like an upscale compared to previous 3ds games and for being the first mainline game in a console, I would expect something better, for example natural-moving characters or introducing pre-rendered movie scenes in times where the movement seems unnatural (e.g. when the 2 legendaries turn around when they face each other). To get it even a notch further, voice acting in a mainline console gaming doesn't seem far fetched but they didn't even cover the basics so, that is too much to expect from what they have given us.

    Controversy:
    I am not gonna use any buzzwords, I totally understand about large number of designs logistics and that doesn't hinder my ability to play the game, so all the other reasons are why I give such a low score for the game.

    All in all:
    A pokemon game is never gonna be awful, because of the successful formula they have and because of the size of the franchise, but the way the company is going, we are never gonna have a truly great Pokemon game ever again (eg. HG/SS, Platinum, Emerald, B2/W2).

    It is not a 0, but anything above a 2 would be unfair, so my score is gonna be exactly that.    … Expand
  25. TioBizarro
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It has barely content. Too easy, too short, no nat dex. Shame on you Game Freak.
  26. Pablo92
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    worst pokemon game to date. lack of content, bugged,no post game basically and lackluster animations.
  27. Eddieman
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Not worth the 60 dollars! You're paying for a couple of incomplete and glitchy games! Its just a copy and print 3ds version of the Pokemon games, but without the whole National pokedex
  28. JeanRiver
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. GameFreak Lied.Disappointed about this shxt work.I won't buy and Pokemon Game util they apologize and do something really matters… Expand
  29. Sneakybreeze
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Poor excuse for a pokemon game. Unfinished and undeserving of any sort of praise.
  30. Kevin12
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    El juego es más de lo mismo en torno al pokemon de toda la vida, con mejoras gráficas evidentes. Sin embargo se nota que Game Freak no ha explotado la capacidad de la Switch especialmente en las animaciones que lucen genéricas y mediocres. El mundo es vacío y te obliga a continuar la historia lineal, y no explorar el mapa
  31. Knabben
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    #GamefreakLiedToUs
    Charging 60$ for an incomplete rushed game should be a crime.
  32. Kiohara
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    jogo pokemon desde o game boy, essa minha nota não tem nada ver com natinal dex, é apenas uma critica pela preguiça de uma desenvolvedora gigantesca como a GF de fazer o jogo nas coxas e vender pelo olho da cara, zelda Breath of the wild é um exemplo do que se pode fazer no switch se tiver vontade, pokemon teve muita coisa reaproveitada das versões anteriores como movimento dos personagen,jogo pokemon desde o game boy, essa minha nota não tem nada ver com natinal dex, é apenas uma critica pela preguiça de uma desenvolvedora gigantesca como a GF de fazer o jogo nas coxas e vender pelo olho da cara, zelda Breath of the wild é um exemplo do que se pode fazer no switch se tiver vontade, pokemon teve muita coisa reaproveitada das versões anteriores como movimento dos personagen, pokemons e a câmera fixa da rotas do jogo ( apenas a wild área é mundo aberto), o que não é o problema, e deveria ter dado tempo de sobra pra melhorar outras questões do jogo, como, ataque dos pokemons, e polimento gráfico, um exemplo é o double kick, o sprite do pokemon simplesmente da dois pulinho sem movimentação alguma, parece um papelão a versão digital do jogo é leve, cerca de 9gb e pouco e o switch ja demonstrou que aguenta o tranco, então sem desculpas, pokemon let`s go tem um gráfico MUITO melhor que o sword and shield… Expand
  33. darksoulz31
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game is absolute garbage. Anyone who's giving positive reviews have been paid off. Graphics don't improve, many mechanics are terrible.
  34. SomberlySober
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    It's a bland game even by Pokemon standards. They removed a LOT of features (old Pokemon, the Dex, the global trade system, proper trading etc..) just to out them in their $20 a month Pokemon Home app. It's absolutely pathetic and not even close to worth the $60 they are trying to charge you for it.

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

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

    Last bit not least be careful if you have the eShop version     … Expand
  35. josephfry4
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    While I think any longtime fan can find SOME enjoyment in this game, the minimal improvements made to the Pokemon experience are not enough to overshadow the cut content and the general lack of polish. More than half of the total Pokemon are missing and the visuals and animations are underwhelming at best--especially in outdoor sections. The postgame is practically non-existent. The gameWhile I think any longtime fan can find SOME enjoyment in this game, the minimal improvements made to the Pokemon experience are not enough to overshadow the cut content and the general lack of polish. More than half of the total Pokemon are missing and the visuals and animations are underwhelming at best--especially in outdoor sections. The postgame is practically non-existent. The game does make some quality of life improvements, especially so in menus and in battle. Some of these changes seem like no brainers, so I'm glad to see them implimented. However, the EXP share is now forced, only making the game more of a breeze. In the end, it's a more streamlined version of a soulless Pokemon game, obviously rushed and obviously missing a lot of passion. At its base, it's at least as fun as X and Y. But even then, that was a 3DS game that still has more content than this Nintendo Switch game on hardware as powerful as a home console. It just shows how outdated the design philosophy is at Gamefreak. This game is a heartless cashgrab. Do yourself a favor and avoid it.… Expand
  36. Leci
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Horribly rushed, had false advertising, game is a joke when it comes to difficulty, many features were stripped away just to charge extra for them despite being extremely overpriced already.
  37. Demi251700
    Apr 6, 2022
    4
    Lo bueno :
    Buenos pokemon , buena música , la crianza para el competitivo, Dinamax & Gigamax

    Lo malo
    pokedex recortada, personajes planos, animaciones de batalla pobres, malos graficos, muy corta la historia, pobre postgame, mundo semiabierto mediocre
  38. veteranplayer88
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I never think i would give a bad rating to a pokemon game. I'm really dissapointed... that's what happen when you make a lazy game only thinking about money, not listening the players, long time fans. This game is buggy, graphics are mediocre comprared to other switch games, pokemons models are from 3ds, except new ones. But they really lied to us. And the worst, they excluded alot of content. No mega evolutions, no zmoves, lots of excluded moves, more that 400 pokemon excluded. Thats so so bad. I would like to give a good rate, but this is just bad. This game could be good, some new things are cool, but isnt enough. I hope they dont do this again, or i will not buy any more.… Expand
  39. Fer_O
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad,Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad, I really wanted to love this game as a loyal fan since 20 years ago... GF lost the way and totally drifted away from their true fans, maybe it's time for us to move away from pokémon... Why did they had to rush this game?… Expand
  40. FrankBoreas
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Un juego decepcionante. Los gráficos son malos, hay caídas en el framerate, objetos que aparecen a metros de ti. No es un juego optimizado. Se nota que se hizo al vapor. Incluso pasa a veces en las batallas, El modo historia es corto y carece de momentos interesantes como en otras versiones de la franquicia. Para mí ha sido una decepción total y aunque tal vez no es tan malo, le pongo 1 deUn juego decepcionante. Los gráficos son malos, hay caídas en el framerate, objetos que aparecen a metros de ti. No es un juego optimizado. Se nota que se hizo al vapor. Incluso pasa a veces en las batallas, El modo historia es corto y carece de momentos interesantes como en otras versiones de la franquicia. Para mí ha sido una decepción total y aunque tal vez no es tan malo, le pongo 1 de calificación esperando que los compradores no lo consigan para castigar al estudio. Un juego de Pokémon para la consola de nintendo, la que nos ha entregado maravillas como Breath of The Wild o Super Mario Odyssey merece más. Todos merecemos algo más. Es triste que tanta gente apoyé un producto tan inferior.… Expand
  41. Zoomzeta
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    While I don't believe there is anything wrong with the game, I do feel it is rather in several areas given how far RPGs have gone prior to Gamefreak making the jump to consoles. Overall, I have hope this merely the first step for something better.
  42. Parkai
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Game feels horrendously unfinished. The starter designs are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. The story of the game feels rushed and inconclusive, with strange plot holes that should have been noticed during development. The animations (barring a few signature moves) are horrific eyesores, with models spinning aimlessly and few dedicated animations. More than half of the Pokémon roster isGame feels horrendously unfinished. The starter designs are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. The story of the game feels rushed and inconclusive, with strange plot holes that should have been noticed during development. The animations (barring a few signature moves) are horrific eyesores, with models spinning aimlessly and few dedicated animations. More than half of the Pokémon roster is also unavailable to be transferred, which has been a series staple since the early 2000’s. However, the trainer customization and card system are very fun, and the QOL changes are excellent as well. I really wanted to enjoy this game, but it left me with an awful taste in my mouth.… Expand
  43. pokead
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Its ultra sun and moon 2 but with less content same animation and cut pokedex. A shame
  44. Federx
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    the wild area is actually pretty cute, but everything else is a huge downgrade (camp vs pokemon amie, pokejobs vs pokepelago etc), and the latter half of the game feels rushed and unfinished.
  45. MoldyMarshmello
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

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

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

    Overall, do not buy this game if you want Pokemon to improve as a franchise    … Expand
  46. caronte69
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    de los peores juegos de pokemon que he podido jugar, bugs, menos contenido (pokemons), contenido innecesario (curry) animaciones recicladas. Con la excusa de que este juego es para niños no significa que no podamos exigir algo mejor, soy fan de pokemon desde la 1ra generación jugando con mi game boy color, y no he comprado otro juego de pokemon desde blanco y negro 2, por que sinceramentede los peores juegos de pokemon que he podido jugar, bugs, menos contenido (pokemons), contenido innecesario (curry) animaciones recicladas. Con la excusa de que este juego es para niños no significa que no podamos exigir algo mejor, soy fan de pokemon desde la 1ra generación jugando con mi game boy color, y no he comprado otro juego de pokemon desde blanco y negro 2, por que sinceramente pokemon x y, sol y luna ya no me volvieron a llamar la atención, hasta pokemon go es mas divertido y con mas contenido.… Expand
  47. Prequarantine
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    This game is not the game for long-standing Pokemon fans that was promised last year. Few of the new features are new. This should have been a game similar in scope to other Nintendo franchise on the Switch, but it really isn't. Ultimately, this is just another Pokemon game. Hopefully next year the game will be improved, as this release feels half baked.

    The positives: +A minimum    This game is not the game for long-standing Pokemon fans that was promised last year. Few of the new features are new. This should have been a game similar in scope to other Nintendo franchise on the Switch, but it really isn't. Ultimately, this is just another Pokemon game. Hopefully next year the game will be improved, as this release feels half baked.

    The positives:
    +A minimum of 20 hours of new adventure
    +New Pokemon
    +Raids
    +Overworld Pokemon!
    +Game is Pokemon and includes many Pokemon you have always loved
    +Breeding made even more approachable, allowing more people to dip into the competition
    +Game will likely maintain the majority of its sale price for at least a year
    +Dynamax adds an interesting fusion of megas and z moves

    The negatives:
    -Overworld Pokemon are currently not capable of being shiny
    -Half of all Pokemon removed, including many days favorites like Greninja, Dragonite, and Metagross. Even Arceus is removed.
    -Roughly 150 moves removed. Most of these are irrelevant, but there are some very notable removals that threaten the balance and encourage rain teams more than ever, which were very strong already.
    -the endgame is essentially just the battle tower and raids. Something larger would have been nice.
    -GTS REMOVED
    -Game feels incredibly unpolished, including many bugs
    -no ability to set difficulty of game or turn off experience share, or turn off the forced healing given at ever corner. Game is incredibly easy as a result. You will find yourself bored.
    -Very few routes
    -No real dungeons
    -The removal of megas and z moves. Megas were incredible because they turned awkward Pokemon into powerhouses, fixing many of their flaws and making them finally usable. Gigantamax essentially reset this important progress.

    Overall, this game is fun for the 20 hours it lasts, but for its price and console, it really leaves you wanting a lot more. The game as a whole feels half baked. 6/10.    … Expand
  48. ilikechikin
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    IGN is trippin, pokemon sword & shield are easily the 2nd worst games in the series after sun/moon. As someone who has played every game since red in 1999, the mainline games have become somewhat stale over the past few iterations. Sword/shield are literally just HD 3ds games that Nintendo is selling for $60 and that's kind of disappointing to me. I still give it a 5 because well, it'sIGN is trippin, pokemon sword & shield are easily the 2nd worst games in the series after sun/moon. As someone who has played every game since red in 1999, the mainline games have become somewhat stale over the past few iterations. Sword/shield are literally just HD 3ds games that Nintendo is selling for $60 and that's kind of disappointing to me. I still give it a 5 because well, it's Pokemon and it's still decent for a Pokemon game but it is super underwhelming for being the first mainline game on the switch console. Super short story too btw, completed in 12 hours even with a couple hours of messing around in the wild area. Oh, and #GameFreakLied.… Expand
  49. Shimmeywill
    Mar 10, 2020
    8
    While the plot was lacklustre, the visuals are fun and the character customization is solid. A decent time waster.
  50. Gus42
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    This game is clearly neither a 10 nor a 0 and I'd even say it could be great without all of the clear issues which are the result of a rushed launch. And while I feel that this level of hate is pretty necessary I also believe that it's pretty unacceptable for pokemon (literally the biggest franchise in the world) to cut corners and release a sub par entry to the series with the excuseThis game is clearly neither a 10 nor a 0 and I'd even say it could be great without all of the clear issues which are the result of a rushed launch. And while I feel that this level of hate is pretty necessary I also believe that it's pretty unacceptable for pokemon (literally the biggest franchise in the world) to cut corners and release a sub par entry to the series with the excuse that it's not manageable for them especially as the price has been increased to that of all other big AAA titles.… Expand
  51. ioblle
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Really easy. Very few Pokemon too, and I can't transfer my favorites over.

    The game is also extremely slow and contains jacked animations that make the characters look like robots. Terrible graphics, and dynamax is very easy to battle. Not a good game, go buy something else for your kids.
  52. WeihanZhang
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My friend I am advise please avoid bad game. Not allow purchase support Game Freak Masuda insect bottom coomer.
  53. bertkevin
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My favourite pokemon has been deleted! Tha graphic performance is too bad. The map design is for infants.
  54. ElFiloEro
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Well, I don't have anything to say about this game.. just is terrible only that. Not kill me
  55. Craiglis5
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Just got pokemon shield and boy am I disappointed. I've had every game in the series since gen 1 and while they all have pros and cons,each new version attempts to improve on the old until now. In a vaccum it's not a bad game,the story and characters are done well enough and I never encountered any game breaking bug. But as the sequel to sun and moon it's a joke. No nationalJust got pokemon shield and boy am I disappointed. I've had every game in the series since gen 1 and while they all have pros and cons,each new version attempts to improve on the old until now. In a vaccum it's not a bad game,the story and characters are done well enough and I never encountered any game breaking bug. But as the sequel to sun and moon it's a joke. No national dex,proccessing issues like the world freezing if you climb a ladder, and features that were streamlined taking a step back. Online trading is this clunky hit or miss process now instead of being able to search for a specific pokemon you want like in the past. If this is your first pokemon game you will have fun,but if you are a fan of the series only the most rose tinted of glasses will save you from disappointment and frustration.… Expand
  56. jfranklin
    Jan 21, 2020
    8
    This game really gets overly hated on for silly reasons. People care way too much about what they are missing, like the "National Dex," and a really solid Pokemon game that is just as addicting and fun as other entries in the series. The world feels alive, the characters have more depth than I'm used to in pokemon games... I think the rampant negativity is just caused from unrealisticThis game really gets overly hated on for silly reasons. People care way too much about what they are missing, like the "National Dex," and a really solid Pokemon game that is just as addicting and fun as other entries in the series. The world feels alive, the characters have more depth than I'm used to in pokemon games... I think the rampant negativity is just caused from unrealistic expectations.

    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a great time, and more or less exactly what you expect when you get a pokemon game, with small updates to make things more connected. It's no Breath of the Wild, but that doesn't mean it's not still a very solid game.    … Expand
  57. Sin-Dre
    Mar 17, 2020
    8
    game play is amazing. i loved playing the game but i think the game would be better if there was voice acting. the story was good. it could been better with voice acting.
  58. Keffey
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A Game Freak devia tomar vergonha na cara de usar toda a grana que ganha com Pokémon pra contratar uma equipe decente e grande. Ela tem que entender que não faz mais jogo pra gameboy.
  59. PokeMaster22222
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. There's so many problems with it:

    1) Pokemon models reused from XY; only change is lack of compression (which was previously needed for 3DS), and shading. 2) Pokemon animations are incredibly static, lifeless and basic - Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation had better animations. 3) Move animations are still incredibly basic and lifeless too; Tail Whip, for    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. There's so many problems with it:

    1) Pokemon models reused from XY; only change is lack of compression (which was previously needed for 3DS), and shading.
    2) Pokemon animations are incredibly static, lifeless and basic - Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation had better animations.
    3) Move animations are still incredibly basic and lifeless too; Tail Whip, for example, just flips the user around and shakes them about - no actual tail movements. Double Kick is still just basic hops instead of actual kicks, a la Battle Revolution.
    4) NPC movement is incredibly stiff, static, and robotic.
    5) Insane amounts of pop-in.
    6) Overworld uses very low-quality assets for trees and the like.
    7) Pokemon in the Wild Area aren't tied to any thematic area, just wander about, and generally look very artificial and lifeless.
    8) Over 470 (~60%) of 809 older Pokemon completely removed.
    9) A slew of moves removed.
    10) Mega Evolution removed.
    11) Dynamax isn't exciting or a worthwhile innovation, since it's a temporary scaling-up of regular models only able to be used to specific areas.
    12) Pokemon model size scaling is way off; Pokemon are way too tiny compared to what they should be. For example, Tyranitar and Wailord should be huge; instead, they appear smaller than the Trainers.
    13) Box Legendary battle has no music.
    14) Game is incredibly linear, I've heard.
    15) There's an insane amount of free heals and auto-heals present, EVEN DURING THE ELITE FOUR CHALLENGE. You know, the challenge where you traditionally had to go through five battles in a row, relying on whatever healing items and general strategies you had?
    16) Permanent Exp. All effect ruins any kind of challenge, and there's no way to turn it off, unlike the 3DS games.

    Game Freak LIED when they said they made brand-new models; they never officially told us how many Pokémon were missing, or how many moves were missing. This game feels incredibly rushed and incomplete, yet Game Freak has no plans on patching the missing content in.

    If you're looking for a good RPG on the Switch, try Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses or Octopath Traveller. If you're looking for a good Pokémon game, get a New 3DS XL and buy Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire and Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon - hell, buy Platinum, HeartGold or SoulSilver, Black or White, and Black 2 or White 2, since these DS games are still by far the best Pokémon games I've played.

    DO NOT SUPPORT SUCH LACK OF EFFORT. DO NOY BUY POKÉMON SWORD OR POKÉMON SHIELD.    … Expand
  60. DoublePesto
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied, Gamefreak Lied
  61. WeissSchnee
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Please don't support Game Freak, we fans deserve better games with better quality.
  62. KinMonteste
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    60 bucks? never 10 bucks? maybe, it have less content than any indie game you can have with that, better idea? download a fakemon game, it will be more "for fans" than this cashgrabbing bull***t
  63. greninjaX
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    gamefreak lied. they said they were cutting pokemon because they were making new models with high quality animations, but that is simply not the case. everything was recycled from the 3DS game. there was no reason to cut pokemon. gamefreak needs to learn they can't get away with this. don't support this game
  64. souma2312
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Yo sinceramente si que soy nintendero pero tampoco es que sea fanboy de la compañia y hay que decir sus verdades aunque la desarrollada es gamefreak y este juego no tiene la mas minima justificacion los puntos malos mas notorios son: Las animaciones por dios que un juego del 2019 salga con unas animaciones tan flojas si que daria bastante vergüenza,otra cosa las texturas en el mapa que seYo sinceramente si que soy nintendero pero tampoco es que sea fanboy de la compañia y hay que decir sus verdades aunque la desarrollada es gamefreak y este juego no tiene la mas minima justificacion los puntos malos mas notorios son: Las animaciones por dios que un juego del 2019 salga con unas animaciones tan flojas si que daria bastante vergüenza,otra cosa las texturas en el mapa que se podria decirce que es mundo abierto se nota que no pusieron nada de optimizacion y por eso las texturas van tan mal y otro punto la pokedex nacional sinceramente me parece tambien algo muy flojo de su parte viniendo de un juego de switch que no quieran metar a todos los pokemon ni si quiera es tan complicado porque tienen los modelos anteriores de 3ds que si algunos es reutilizados aca asi que no hay justificacion para esto,quizas lo unico bueno que tenga serian los diseños de los nuevos pokemon y ahora es mas facil jugar al multijugador competitivo y otra cosa que recalcar es que el juego tiene una duracion sumamente corta siendo el juego mas corto de la saga sinceramente se nota que no le hecharon ganas al juego y es una pena porque sino el juego sin duda hubiera sido un exito pero ni modo solamente la gente que quiere tirar su dinero ala basura lo comprara sin duda.… Expand
  65. Feutti
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This game isn't the worst, I'm going to start out the review by saying that. It has some good Pokémon, some of the cutscenes look nice and the Pokémon are properly scalled in the overworld. This doesn't compare to the Pokémon cut, lackluster new gen graphics, and a game that crashes and deletes your downloaded games
  66. carloscoffanni
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Um jogo tenebroso , depois de tanta espera para um jogo de pokemon para um console de mesa esse jogo é incrivelmente decepcionante e tem tantos defeitos que eu posso ficar horas para listar todos
  67. Hisoka4lyfe
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Terrible unfinished product. Do not buy as it tells Nintendo that this level of quality is acceptable and it is not.

    We deserve better. Pokemon deserves better.
  68. Feraligabriel
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As bad as sword or perhaps even worse, the changes between the games are almost minimal, so there isnt much to enjoy kn buying both copies, i would advise a player to only purchase one of them, but honestly i advise them to not purchase this garbage.
  69. Pikario
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No puede ser verdad, este juego es horrible. No sólo quitaron cosas que a la mayoría de fans le gustaban si no lo sacaron antes de tiempo para poder generar ganancias nada más, ahora resulta que está tan incompleto que hasta borra partidas
    #gamefreaklied    … Expand
  70. DRGXIII
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Full of Bugs and glitches, 3ds style graphics, less features than previous games, half of the pokedex was removed for what turned out to be lies,constant stuttering,and still a bare-bones endgame.
  71. Bdiz
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Made for the hoi polloi with no appreciation for sophisticated strategy and challenge. The selection of carried over pokemon from previous versions is nonsensical (see Mudsdale), Dynamax is LAME, and they spent all that time making the game LOOK good while the pokemon still make garbled 8-bit sounds (except for Pikachu and Eevee). Save your money, play older versions and wait until theMade for the hoi polloi with no appreciation for sophisticated strategy and challenge. The selection of carried over pokemon from previous versions is nonsensical (see Mudsdale), Dynamax is LAME, and they spent all that time making the game LOOK good while the pokemon still make garbled 8-bit sounds (except for Pikachu and Eevee). Save your money, play older versions and wait until the next installment at which point Gamefreak will have hopefully realized their stupidity and reinstate the full pokedex and the deleted move-sets. OH AND WE STILL DIDN'T GET A NEW EEVEELUTION! #gottacatchemall NOT #gottacatchabouthalf… Expand
  72. Cpt_Calico_Jack
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Despite this franchise's long-awaited arrival on a full console, Pokémon does nothing but disappoint with its 3DS-level graphics and PS1-esque animations. This comes especially disappointing to long-time fans of the series who were told that roughly 50+% of the previous existing Pokémon were not programmed into this installment so that the developer could focus on graphics and animations specifically.… Expand
  73. LordCheezey
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I can't say this is even close to the Pokemon game anyone wants. I started this game out with high hopes, but as it turns out, this is just a rehash of the 3ds games. And if you're wondering, the money grubbing second version scheme has no benefit past exclusive Pokemon and two different gym battles, Please, avoid this game at all costs and play Heart Gold or Soul Silver for the DS, thoseI can't say this is even close to the Pokemon game anyone wants. I started this game out with high hopes, but as it turns out, this is just a rehash of the 3ds games. And if you're wondering, the money grubbing second version scheme has no benefit past exclusive Pokemon and two different gym battles, Please, avoid this game at all costs and play Heart Gold or Soul Silver for the DS, those games, while old, give a much better experience.… Expand
  74. Ferrox
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    While a lot of people might give this game either a 10 or 0 in the hope to somehow "balance" the score to what they believe it actually is, that leaves reviews as unreliable. This game isn't a mere 0, but it also definitely isn't a 9 or 10. Let's discuss the good and the bad.

    The good: -Streamlining the proccess of making a competitive pokemon: This also has some downsides for the    While a lot of people might give this game either a 10 or 0 in the hope to somehow "balance" the score to what they believe it actually is, that leaves reviews as unreliable. This game isn't a mere 0, but it also definitely isn't a 9 or 10. Let's discuss the good and the bad.

    The good:
    -Streamlining the proccess of making a competitive pokemon: This also has some downsides for the satisfaction of breeding your own but it makes it a lot easier for those unwilling to put in the time, as well as change your beloved in-game capture during a playthrough into a powerful warrior.
    -The Gym Challenge: In previous games, challenging the Gyms was just something you did to progress the story. They were fun, sometimes forcing you to change up your team, but other than a unique sprite with special song it felt like story-wise it was just what kids were supposed to do. Here it feels like an actual choice was made. It is a carreer path in the Pokémon World, and people love seeing it. You are like your favorite sport star, gaining fame and entertaining the masses as you rise in the rankings. The battles in the Stadiums with an audience feels like a big event.
    -The challenges leading up to the Gym Battle: Combining the best of both traditional Gym Battles and the Island Challenge, there is a trial to prove yourself before facing the Gym Leader. And while some are better than others, it is more satisfying to do it this way than to just beat up a few Gym Trainers in normal fights.
    -The new Pokémon: it wouldn't be a Pokémon game without the titular beasts. And while not all are equally great, there are definitely a few that charm or impress you. Just look at Wooloo.
    -Several inovative ideas: GameFreak has finaly tried to join the current scene by experimenting with some new ideas like a small open-world setting with varying levels, a free camera, online multiplayer, but this unfortunately leans more towards, well...

    Unfortunately we come to

    The bad:

    -The graphics: While Pokémon might have never placed itself as a powerhouse graphicswise, it usually had a style uniquely their own with decent graphics. Unfortunately, decent is rather too generous to call this game's graphics. While it has been said many times before, the trees and vegetation call back to the era of N64. Shadows flicker, the water is horrible,...and then we have to talk about
    -The pop-in: NPC's, trees, pokémon. When you move it simply jumps into existance. This is a problem that games for years have dealt with in different methods: loading only what is visible on the screen, using lower-res models for those in the distance...and with a camera always angled just the way the develloper wants, it should have been easy to recognise just what needs to be loaded when and what could be ignored. Speaking of which
    -The camera: GameFreak was proud to show of the Wild Area, where you could roam free and encounter many pokémon and look all around you. Unfortunately it is still relatively small, with too little to do, and even that is restricted. It's not as beautiful as you'd like, and as for the Pokémon, they hardly move, pop-in jarringly, and even if you're ready to face a challenge
    -Pokemon capture is limited by badges: While it might seem like letting a newbie trainer try their hand at capturing a level 40 pokémon would be unballancing the game, take into account that it is their choice to do so, they have to win that fight and capture them first with their underlevelled pokémon, and even if they trained their Starter up to LV100 through sheer grinding, they'd still be barred by the game. And if it is a Shiny, too bad. Speaking of Shinies
    -Overworld Sprites come in one color only: Even Let's Go showed of wether you had a Regular Pokémon or the ellusive Shiny before you battled. A simple palette swap should have done that here, but it's not, so you have to engage each pokémon and hope to find them shiny during that encounter. But overworld or in battle,
    -The models are unchanged since X & Y: The root cause of the #GameFreakLied trend, Sword&Shield still use those same models AND animations as the 3DS games, with slightly upscale textures. This might not have been so bad if they hadn't promised (and yes they did) that they HAD to remake them from scratch because they couldn't transfer them over and therefore
    -Not all Pokémon are in: Less that half or all existing Pokémon are in the game, and the rest will never be here. Considering the models and animations are all there waiting, this feels like a big disapointment to long-time fans. Because what else will you do when you finish the game? Because
    -The Game is SHORT: Both in story length and routes, there is very little to do. 10 routes, some with only 2 patches of grass and
    -No post-game: Other than a more limited Battle Tower there is no battle facility or option to transfer in non Galar pokémon to fight or try a new game with.

    Conclusion: Good ideas but bad execution.    … Expand
  75. JoaoJorge
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bad game! Game Freak has made his laziest job with this game! Don't buy it! It's **** it's trash, it's short and don't deserve your money and your time!
  76. Kelvynklain
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Muito ruim eles prometeram cortar a dex porém teríamos animação de qualidade E o que temos é uns Pokémon travados. Um rival chato da porra. E um final ruim que desmerecer muito os fans.… Expand
  77. DJTwinz
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game isn’t the worst game. But it’s not good or what you should expect from Pokémon. The largest media franchise ever. They have enough money they could implement every Pokémon, move, feature, and idea if they used a decent sized budget and expanded their team of 200. But this game is a sign of laziness. Most content is copied from sun and moon with a coat of paint and better graphicsThis game isn’t the worst game. But it’s not good or what you should expect from Pokémon. The largest media franchise ever. They have enough money they could implement every Pokémon, move, feature, and idea if they used a decent sized budget and expanded their team of 200. But this game is a sign of laziness. Most content is copied from sun and moon with a coat of paint and better graphics and resolution because it’s on the switch. It’s not worth $60. This game has less content, Pokemon, routes and features than most previous games. Heck if the post game was a polished up Alohla copy and paste where they just change wild Pokémon and NPCs around it would add twice the length of this game. If you want to play Pokémon Sw/Sh please buy preowned as I’m sure many second hand copies will start appearing in GameStop’s everywhere soon enough...… Expand
  78. victorlgarcia
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Such a terrible excuse for a game. Feels like a giant cash grab. The first couple of hours I tried to be positive but I can't pretend I don't see terrible grafics, animations and lack of innovation
  79. RenXYZ
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bugs all over the game. Visuals are some of the worst in the console. Many Pokemons and mives are missing. The game is very short.… Expand
  80. icharlyi
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Do not think the game is a 0. Just want Nintendo to notice, address the discontent and improve next time.
  81. FutureZQ
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut the nation dex,but bring what they call "quality" for us. shame on them
  82. arthuruea
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game looks like a beta version. Extremely poorly finished, with lousy graphics and animations. I don't believe they had the courage to launch.… Expand
  83. ForrestGump
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    GameFreak went too far with this one; the most bare bones Pokémon game I have ever played with an added insult of a $20 price increase. On top of the ridiculous decision of cutting Pokémon in this game, it has a plethora of serious issues that definitely need to be addressed. The lifeless animations, severe lack of post game, incredibly linear gameplay, the excessive cut scenes, howGameFreak went too far with this one; the most bare bones Pokémon game I have ever played with an added insult of a $20 price increase. On top of the ridiculous decision of cutting Pokémon in this game, it has a plethora of serious issues that definitely need to be addressed. The lifeless animations, severe lack of post game, incredibly linear gameplay, the excessive cut scenes, how ANNOYING Hop is, removing of fan favorite features and replacing them with shallow variations are just some of the glaring issues with the game. To me, though, what is the worst offense is how EASY and hand holdy the game is. the always on experience share makes the game too easy and removes any semblance of a challenge and your team is always overpowered. There are essentially infinite heals all throughout the game too that also removes the worry and strategy of handling injured Pokémon and how to work with that. The wild area is cool though, does get a little stale after awhile but a welcome addition. Worst Pokémon game I have played BY FAR and I have played every single generation… Expand
  84. EonRonin
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Not so good I'm not happy with the game Everything is wrong and the graphics are awful
  85. Gigachad
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and Shield. I bought a copy for both of us, because I wanted to spend some time with my friend since we're both working adults now. At his birthday party, which comprised of him, myself, and his dog, I gave him the games. He was so excited, he had kept himself spoiler free all this time. I brought my Nintendo Switch so we could play together.
    When we started the game, both of us encountered crashes. No problem after a few tries. Once the ball got rolling we were transported to the world of Pokémon, while graphically on the low-end, I didn't mind as long as my friend was happy. We were plagued by the rival and champion character of the game. It was charming at first, but quickly turned to annoyance when the rival and the so called champion halted us in our exploration. Speaking of exploration, we were shocked when we encountered strong Pokémon, but were not allowed to capture them. I brushed away these minor hiccups, and my friend was thoroughly focused on the game. That's when the straw broke the camel's back. Vargene and I looked online to see how to transfer some Pokémon, he expressed horror when we came across information that his favorite Pokémon, the one he raised since we were kids, his Venusaur, could not be transferred. He burst into tears, I couldn't believe it, I thought this game was meant for "long-time veterans". The fact that one of the original starter trio was excluded from the game was unforgivable. I calmed him down and we played the Digimon game that came out on the Switch together instead. Vargene was angry and never wants associate with the Pokémon brand ever again.
    I, of course, returned both our copies. Its tragic that this game had to ruin my friend's birthday party. I strongly dislike this game and only give it a 1 out of pity towards hard-working developers who were no doubt shut down and out while making it.
    Please avoid this game, and brand until they create a worthwhile product.

    Sincerely,
    A Disheartened Customer    … Expand
  86. OmeQuicksilver
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Ok so lets look at this objectively where it surpasses, and fails against the other entries in the series.
    The Good:
    The avatar customization is much more in depth then the attempts at previous games The design of the cities themselves are all vibrant and very well done when compared to some of the previous games. More of the new Pokemon actually feel "inspired" by their regional    Ok so lets look at this objectively where it surpasses, and fails against the other entries in the series.
    The Good:
    The avatar customization is much more in depth then the attempts at previous games
    The design of the cities themselves are all vibrant and very well done when compared to some of the previous games.
    More of the new Pokemon actually feel "inspired" by their regional setting then the other games imo.
    The Bad:
    While the cities have a charming design, the rest of the game worlds graphics are extremely lackluster. Pop-ins are common and draw distance is shockingly low, roughly akin to an early Dreamcast or PlayStation title. Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee has a much better over world in every aspect, as do the handheld titles.
    Less then half of the total number of Pokemon available are in the game, and many of those included feel chosen at random, or out of place compared to others that would fit the new region more thematically.
    The game is short. 14+ hours in and you're at the end, with virtually no post-game content to look forward to beyond online play and a half-baked 'battle tower'. The game is also far more linear then previous titles, exacerbating the quickness of it.
    Dynamaxing is far less in depth or varied a mechanic as Z-moves or mega-evolutions.
    Over 100 moves were cut, including series vital mainstays like Pursuit and Hidden Power.
    There are no longer varied environments for battles.
    Catching Pokemon is now locked behind gym-badge progression, rendering you unable to catch Pokemon of a certain level until you have certain badges, regardless of when you encounter them in the over world.
    The Ugly:
    Volume control is locked behind an optionally obtained in-game item.
    The returning Pokemon models were all imported from X/Y, as GameFreak future proofed their models back then, which means they lied to consumers about remaking the models and animations from scratch.
    The game is rather poorly programmed, characters will disappear mid-battle when certain moves are used, getting on a ladder will cause the rest of the overworld to stop moving till you dismount and the game can chug in certain areas.
    Verdict:
    Sadly, despite owning at least one game from every gen since Blue/Red came out...I cannot recommend this game to either older fans, or newer ones looking to get into the series when so many better options are available. So much is missing from older series without anything meaningful to fill the gap of their removal that it's understandable that returning fans are put off, even without the controversy of how poorly Gamefreak has been caught in lies that they decided to double down on.
    And as for those perhaps looking to get into the series, the previous 3ds games in the series are much more fleshed out and full experience, and the Let's Go games on the Switch themselves are more polished and easier to jump into setting for first timers. Sadly it TRULY feels like GameFreak decided to have this game rushed through development to make as much money as they could with as little effort as they could, and thus have done a disservice to what should have been the fullest most content rich game in the series to date. Hopefully they learn from this and take more care in the future.    … Expand
  87. GeekFrank
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    After removing all the Pokemon I love, there isn't much you get to replace them. Less content, and just a cheap way to change the meta. I was hoping so much more from this "real" Pokemon game after Pokemon Lets Go, and I'm really disappointed.

    Bare bones game that got pushed out just because Nintendo needed something for Christmas.
  88. GongHawkeye
    Nov 19, 2019
    3
    I'm one of those who bought the game even knowing all the issues that were surrounding the game. The thing is that I cannot recomend this unless you're a hardcore Pokémon fan.

    The game itself it's enjoyable, but you cannot just get over all those little and big details: Poor graphics, lack of post game, Dexit....you can find way more things on the internet but basically this is the main    I'm one of those who bought the game even knowing all the issues that were surrounding the game. The thing is that I cannot recomend this unless you're a hardcore Pokémon fan.

    The game itself it's enjoyable, but you cannot just get over all those little and big details: Poor graphics, lack of post game, Dexit....you can find way more things on the internet but basically this is the main problem: Pokémon sword and shield are not bad games, they just cannot be accepted as a good standard for the franchise. This is not an step forward but another step back on the record of the main game saga.    … Expand
  89. jacksondawg25
    Jan 31, 2020
    1
    Yes, the following is the same as my sword review. They are the same goddamn game.

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

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

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

    In conclusion, don't get this game. Don't get the DLC, and don't buying anything to do with Game Freak until they get their **** together.    … Expand
  90. 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
  91. paulshoreline
    Jan 9, 2020
    3
    Pokemon might be the most regressive game series in existence, and I might be done with the franchise after SwSh. Gone are the winding caves or intricate forests. Gone are the hidden areas or secret events. Gone are the puzzles, the ominous enemy bases, and any semblance of a challenge. Sword and Shield are a joke; empty, boring, and utterly devoid of any challenge. Always on EXP sharePokemon might be the most regressive game series in existence, and I might be done with the franchise after SwSh. Gone are the winding caves or intricate forests. Gone are the hidden areas or secret events. Gone are the puzzles, the ominous enemy bases, and any semblance of a challenge. Sword and Shield are a joke; empty, boring, and utterly devoid of any challenge. Always on EXP share turns the difficulty to zero and destroys what little replay value there might be. The story is borderline nonexistant - even by Pokemon's shoddy standards for storytelling. The Wild Area is little more than a grind with no real exploriation - just mindlessly raids over and over. There is no endgame - just a simple battle tower that always ends with Leon. Somehow these games feel even more hollow than Let's Go, and have significantly less content than all of the previous mainline entries. The much-hyped graphics do not look improved over Sun and Moon, and the Pokemon models are very obviously identical. Throw in Dexit, and it is really a wonder that Game Freak pushed these games in this abysmal state.… Expand
  92. SugarHBear
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Spent $60 for Shield and my 9yo has played it once and says he doesn't really like it. Disappointing because I assume this is the target audience.

    Personally I was amazed by the complete lack of voice acting in a 2019 AAA title.
  93. KingReece
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut Pokemons,they cut moves, they cut frame rates, they cut graphics, they cut everything, I mean they should just cut the game......
  94. 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
  95. abaddon169
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Querían disminuir la pokedex para balancear el competitivo y terminan agregando un pokemon con estadísticas totalmente rotas, animaciones de combate que en un juego de wii se miraban bien, que en switch se mueven rígidamente
  96. sarapastra
    Nov 23, 2019
    0
    i really wanna know why critics give this awful game 80 points. Game design bad, art is bad, gameplay is bad, mechanics is bad and what really makes me mad they have money what are they doing with that much money.
  97. Chuz2589
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    Mejor juego de Pokémon jamás creado.
    Los mejores gráficos y buena historia.
  98. 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
  99. Theflash2319
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    No national dex. Unfinished animations. Lack of post game. All for the addition of point less stuff like curry, literally such a stupid concept
  100. Supermariogames
    Sep 30, 2020
    10
    Great game so far. Enjoying the Galar region, enjoying all the new Pokemon, and looking forward to battling, nuzlocking and raiding.
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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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