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. Noxx_
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    La mayoria de las cosas que decian son ciertas se nota el poco esfuerzo y trabajo...teniendo a la switch como consola a trabajar es una decepcion lo que hicieron...el problema es que la gente se conforma muy facilmente hay que ser mas exigentes como consumidores
  2. Deivi
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Tiempo atrás se dijo que era para fans veteranos, que recortarían la pokedex para hacer las cosas desde 0 y tanta chingadera.
    El juego tiene malos gráficos, es sumamente fácil, reutiliza elementos, animaciones de combates paupérrimas y para ser un salto generacional esta terrible 3/10
  3. YoKrawzer
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I'll don't even bother to explain all the fails in this game, the national Pokedex most be in every main game of this franchise but what kills this game is the awful development decisions.
  4. memelasjoey
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Feels like a 3rd party, unpolished and incomplete game, lacks a lot of content and graphically is severely subpar to the console's capabilities.
    The kind of game that could fit in a smartphone free to play app, but packed in a 60$ box
  5. Jeryr
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Not for True Pokemon fans,

    The Dex cut was an insult to most as their favorite Pokemon were excluded, the animation and model has not change since the previous games, Gamefreak made an attempt to lie to us by saying the Pokemon cut was to improve quality but there models and animations are EXACTLY the same as the previous games. It was a amateur attempt on lying and a amateur attempt    Not for True Pokemon fans,

    The Dex cut was an insult to most as their favorite Pokemon were excluded, the animation and model has not change since the previous games, Gamefreak made an attempt to lie to us by saying the Pokemon cut was to improve quality but there models and animations are EXACTLY the same as the previous games.

    It was a amateur attempt on lying and a amateur attempt of making a new game with no innovation, hope they improve the next game even better.

    Refunding/reselling the game after completing it is a good choice as $60 is unjust price for this beta version.    … Expand
  6. Ghostvine
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    The game has poor graphics, and feels shallow not much story or depth. Was excited to explore the wild area, but was really upset with the force badge collection to catch high level pokemon.
  7. MimiPiggyOrc
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    This game is slightly better than sword, but still is not just lazy it actually feels unfinished. Someone needs to tell Game Freak a new entry is supposed to offer something new. This game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual player and I hope this isn't anybody's first Pokémon game, because they will get the wrong impression of the Pokémon series as a whole. This trash heapThis game is slightly better than sword, but still is not just lazy it actually feels unfinished. Someone needs to tell Game Freak a new entry is supposed to offer something new. This game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual player and I hope this isn't anybody's first Pokémon game, because they will get the wrong impression of the Pokémon series as a whole. This trash heap is the result of complacency, and a lack of effort and dedication, it is as if Game Freak doesn't care!… Expand
  8. noleme
    Jan 28, 2020
    7
    I had a lot of fun playing this pokemon game. Being able to see the pokemon in the grass is a great addition as I can choose the encounters instead of random annoying encounters. Because of this, this is the first pokemon game where I actually wanted to catch them all. The exp share takes away the annoying grinding and encourages you to try new low level pokemon you catch in your party. InI had a lot of fun playing this pokemon game. Being able to see the pokemon in the grass is a great addition as I can choose the encounters instead of random annoying encounters. Because of this, this is the first pokemon game where I actually wanted to catch them all. The exp share takes away the annoying grinding and encourages you to try new low level pokemon you catch in your party. In prior games I would just use a couple strong pokemon as I did not want to grind to level up additional pokemon. There was not an hours long tutorial or as much hand holding as ultra sun had. The gyms being arenas like a sports competition made them feel exciting.

    Dynamaxing pokemon is nothing special. The z-moves from ultra sun are better and provide more strategy in battles. The story in the game is dumb and uninteresting. Especially the team baddies which are just obnoxious fans of an opposing gym challenger and provide no real challenge. Previous games baddies like team magma from ruby were actually interesting and had motivation. The game had no good puzzles to get through. The story advances illogically as if they forgot about it. The wild area was not as fun and interesting as I thought it would be. You can't even catch all the pokemon in it until you beat all the gyms. It is so annoying encountering a pokemon and realizing it is too high a level for you to catch.

    As a casual fan who had no idea the national dex even existed until the outrage from a very vocal minority, I enjoyed this game; Although pokemon can and should be much more than this.    … Expand
  9. Jpedrovianna
    Nov 17, 2019
    8
    The game is not perfect, but definitely not a bad game! I was raised playing pokemon games, since gen 2. It was a bit disappointing not having all pokemons in this game, but the game is still great. I love the new monsters, the new mechanics, the new region. I have not completed the game yet, but so far I’m having a great experience.
  10. moonronic
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    (LONG LEGITIMATE REVIEW, NOT A REVIEW BOMB) sword & shield is the final nail in the coffin to this once outstanding franchise's good name; a franchise that was once packed full of depth & content & defying the limits of the GB, GBA, DS & 3DS has slipped into mediocrity to a point where it is v noticeable. this game is mediocre, it is not dreadful, but it is not much better than any of the(LONG LEGITIMATE REVIEW, NOT A REVIEW BOMB) sword & shield is the final nail in the coffin to this once outstanding franchise's good name; a franchise that was once packed full of depth & content & defying the limits of the GB, GBA, DS & 3DS has slipped into mediocrity to a point where it is v noticeable. this game is mediocre, it is not dreadful, but it is not much better than any of the 3DS games, yet it is double the price, on the powerful switch console, & has half of the main core content (the pokemon), gone (which would be fine, but there is little that makes up for the content lost). any parent looking to buy this to entertain a child; this will not do the job for long. if they got this at the holidays, don't be surprised if they are done with it by new year. in the past, i used to slowly play games due to not having the money for new ones, but i can't imagine mini me being able to do so for these; the story is swift (& it has as much depth as a child's paddling pool) & gaining levels is easier than ever.

    for any hardcore, older fans, as a long time fan myself who has played most pokemon games, disregarding the "dex controversy"; they are passable. they are essentially a 3Ds pkmn game on the nintendo switch. if you thought there would be any large improvements since the x/y 3Ds games... there's been v few. the good parts are flashy gimmicks & little more which will likely be gone by next gen, so no point becoming attached to them anyway (dynamax, the wild area, etc). it's not worth 60 dollars, not when it sits on a store shelf next to mario odyssey, luigi's mansion, breath of the wild & more. if you want a similar experience; ultra sun & moon is 30 dollars less with a better story, all the pokemon still there, & just as many features as these games... but, if sifting through a slightly fun, but quickly boring field in a rushed game with awful pop-in & just generally subpar graphics for the switch (comparable to the wii at its worst), then going into an admittedly fun but swiftly dealt with town & gym, onto a boring linear corridor path w awful music to progress a shallow story & beat the game in the grand total of a week at most, again, for double the price of the previous games which are far better, then this game might be up your alley. but it's not all bad, a slightly improved character creator, tiny quality of life improvements, & slightly better graphics than a 3Ds game (which isn't a hard thing to surpass on a console format), are worth an extra 30 dollars right? even if you do have this money to spend, why settle for the bare minimum for it?

    i realise im going on, but this is a franchise that meant something to me, others had disney, had other companies which defined their childhoods, for me it was pokemon. here's a cheesy analogy, but a fitting one: sword & shield is like candy. it is packaged nicely, it's flashy & fun (mainly the stadium gym battles), all glittery & bright colours, when you consume it, it does the job, it makes you feel happy for a moment, then you forget you've consumed it at all. "but this is a children's game, isn't it meant to be fun?" yes, & it is. but, the older pkmn games were fun, had more content & more fleshed out content, appealed to nearly any demographic, & lasted just as long. mario, zelda, every other nintendo franchise out there that also appeal to children (although yes, they do have their own flaws), have games more akin to fine meals on the switch. they're fulfilling, have depth in their craft, are presented beautifully, with intricate little details, & you will probably remember the experience for a long time. & yet, they are the same price as sword & shield, which was so buggy upon release, it corrupted many people's consoles. it's ironic how the most famous franchise on earth is about creatures evolving... & it's unable to evolve & catch up to every other nintendo name out there at the moment. after playing it, i want to return it. it's sad to see it sitting there on my shelf next to much superior & older pokemon & non pokemon games which could entertain anybody of any demographic for much longer.

    TLDR; the games are so mediocre, that it's miserable to imagine what it might of been. potential was there. instead we have this glittery, zombie-like waste of money, able to hide how plain it really is through quickly boring flashy sections, from a company that clearly doesn't have its heart in it anymore. yet, it's double the price & with half as much content as the prior games. if you want a better long term experience packed with depth & content for cheaper, try nearly any other pokemon game.    … Expand
  11. ioxon
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    All in all, this game seems like a rushed release. Easy money trying to cater to fans (mostly new I think) and maybe some old ... but not me. Already looking forward to the next iteration where they give it the attention it deserves and actually make it Switch worthy.

    Sure, it has the charm of any Pokemon game you'd expect but today, we are expecting better graphics than this crap. I'm    All in all, this game seems like a rushed release. Easy money trying to cater to fans (mostly new I think) and maybe some old ... but not me. Already looking forward to the next iteration where they give it the attention it deserves and actually make it Switch worthy.

    Sure, it has the charm of any Pokemon game you'd expect but today, we are expecting better graphics than this crap. I'm sorry. Also, I've heard the new pokemon that replaced the slew of pokemon that were removed - they are re-hashed with same specs or something but new name/look. That's a horrible thing to do to your fans.

    Anyway, I give it a 3 because it's not broken really as a game - it works and plays well and does what you'd expect as far as a pokemon game is concerned, plus some new things that are cool - sure - but do much better next time Game Freak. If you want to sell a $60 game for a system like the Switch, you can't make it a 3DS game and just drop it on the Switch without putting effort into higher textures (better/new engine if you need to).

    If you're going to not put effort into a better graphic presentation and actually give more attention to the new Pokemon (especially if you're removing old classic and oft loved pokemon), don't go open world like this. If you're going open world for future games, make it aesthetically pleasing to system expectations.    … Expand
  12. lemony
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Lying Devs
    Reused animations
    Reused Models
    No Global Trading
    No National Dex

    0/10
  13. Rochter
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Bought, both, and I would had forgiven the Animation errors, and framedrops if they actually worked more on them rather than just using it as an excuse or token of exchange for cut content.

    Not only that, but, i payed 50 bucks to get my save data wiped out... And a lot of games dont support online cloud saves.... Thanks a lot...
  14. TheAmazingBot
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    The game does have its charm in the fun pokémon designs and flavortext. The gameplay has teken a step back since the 3ds days removing Z-moves an mega-evolutions to the simpler "dynamax". There are pokemon fan games out there I enjoy more than this newest entry and withe the power of the switch I was expecting a lot more. This game is great for someone who hasn't played a pokemonfame for aThe game does have its charm in the fun pokémon designs and flavortext. The gameplay has teken a step back since the 3ds days removing Z-moves an mega-evolutions to the simpler "dynamax". There are pokemon fan games out there I enjoy more than this newest entry and withe the power of the switch I was expecting a lot more. This game is great for someone who hasn't played a pokemonfame for a couple of years, but lacking for people who played the latest 3ds entries.… Expand
  15. Gyeasty
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile areThe newest mainline Pokemon game we've all been waiting for is in fact a disaster for the series. While only adding 81 new pokemon to the series, these new games managed to remove 490 (yeah, 490) pokemon from previous games, possibly forever. You won't be able to bring back your favorite pokemon that have been with you for years. Pokemon like Lucario, Dragonite, Greninja, and Sceptile are gone forever, erased from these future games along with all mega evolutions. You would think that after erasing so many pokemon, Game Freak would add quality new pokemon to the series. But alas, and of course, no they did not. Grookey is the only starter that has a final evolution with a reasonably good design and none of the starters gain a dual type. There are only a few pokemon released in these games that are even usable in competitive play. Pokemon like Dragapult and Grimmsnarl are few and far between within the absolute pile of trash these new pokemon offer. Dynamax is a stupid gimmick that should have never been introduced and I feel like Game Freak is only hyping it up because they even realize it was a huge mistake. "Ooh, big pokemon, me like big pokemon." The only reason I'm giving this a 1 and not a 0 is because there were some decent functionality improvements to the game, but that in no way accounts for the absolute lack of content in these mainline games. I've been a lifelong Pokemon fan - from the first games that came out on gamboy, Red and Blue, and it hurts for me to say that this is the first major step backwards I've seen the company make in that time. What these games present for players is a purgatory of dreams deferred, a useful, connected space void of quality content and the hope that anything great will follow.… Expand
  16. Bbug
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Nada, nos quitan cosas, supuestamente para mejorar otras y es todo un copy paste de la generacion pasada, nos quitan objetos, pokemon, megas, movimientos z, y nos meten pokemon gigantes que acaba siendo lo mismo que la mega, no le veo nada de sentido, personajes sin carisma alguna, fácilmente olvida les, no me gusto
  17. Xkayz
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Game feels rushed, incomplete, and limited. Animations often make no sense. Little to no post-game content.
  18. DavoNZ
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Such poor quality despite funds clearly not being an issue...this is Pokemon after all. Haven't seen pop-in this bad or textures this bad since the Wii
  19. Meris
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    This game has some technical issues and the decision to not port every Pokemon into the game is sad, but aside from these issues, the game is quite fun.
    It has several interesting fights in the last quarter of the game and the new Pokemon designs are quite fun.
    It is miles above ORAS, Sun/Moon and UltraSun/UltraMoon. This Gen are a step in the right direction and I hope a possible third    This game has some technical issues and the decision to not port every Pokemon into the game is sad, but aside from these issues, the game is quite fun.
    It has several interesting fights in the last quarter of the game and the new Pokemon designs are quite fun.
    It is miles above ORAS, Sun/Moon and UltraSun/UltraMoon. This Gen are a step in the right direction and I hope a possible third game remake from B/W fixes the technical issues.    … Expand
  20. Link645
    Mar 14, 2020
    8
    this is hard review because this was my first Pokemon game and i thought that it was great when i was younger i loved playing the card game but when i played shield most of my favorites were Pokemon were gone at times i was fairly repetitive but that is Pokemon the games franchise in one word but has good mechanics for younger players but not my type of level.
  21. xXDank_HillXx
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Pokemon has grown stale, earlier this year is was getting into pokemon alpha sapphire and thought that was great, went to pokemon moon and was pretty dissapointed by the environments, imo these games looked better in the 2d pixely style of before, I get a general lack of motivation when it comes to playing these newer pokemon games because the art is so bland, ever get that feeling whenPokemon has grown stale, earlier this year is was getting into pokemon alpha sapphire and thought that was great, went to pokemon moon and was pretty dissapointed by the environments, imo these games looked better in the 2d pixely style of before, I get a general lack of motivation when it comes to playing these newer pokemon games because the art is so bland, ever get that feeling when your like "man I really don't want to play this anymore" and you feel bad? thats kinda where pokemon is now, walk from point A to B fight and/or catch pokemon, with or without talking to someone first, the dialogue is unmemorable, and I don't really care about the characters in the game, but then again, that was never why I played pokemon anyway. At this age I realize it was always, walk from here to here, catch or fight pokemon, and then sometimes before you catch or fight pokemon you get to read some bland dialogue… Expand
  22. theangryscapula
    Nov 20, 2019
    9
    Ultimately a very fun and immersive Pokemon experience that is greater than the sum of its parts. The new Pokemon designs are stellar, the region is beautiful, and the music is absolutely incredible. While there is still a lot of room to expand in this franchise, and this game has a number of flaws, it's easy to overlook them and enjoy what is in my opinion the most ambitious and utterlyUltimately a very fun and immersive Pokemon experience that is greater than the sum of its parts. The new Pokemon designs are stellar, the region is beautiful, and the music is absolutely incredible. While there is still a lot of room to expand in this franchise, and this game has a number of flaws, it's easy to overlook them and enjoy what is in my opinion the most ambitious and utterly charming entry to date.… Expand
  23. OnyxBolt
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    Much better than I anticipated, love the online features. Only an 8 because no NatDex
  24. Artatm
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    So Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not somethingSo Nintendo creates breath of the wild and Mario odyssey - then delays Metroid because it’s not up to snuff - wow pokemon is going to be good - fast forward to release .... yeah not so much - So the textured look legitimately sloppy in places, it’s not just stylistic they are upscale and stretched, charters float over them looking rigid and plastic it’s like a bad mobile game not something you expect from Nintendo on there main console, this ain’t no portable mini title no more game freak this is the big league and you fluffed it with the worlds most profitable franchise - wow - oh and you lied about it too - games out in the wild the reasons you gave for less pokemon have been proven untrue / you cut beloved content and didn’t innovate one bit, dynomax - give me a break - how about you voice the pokemon - even just the np characters in the cut scenes?! It’s 2019! Some of it is charming, a lot of the new designs look nice and cute and interesting - it’s hard not to it’s pokemon but the level of laziness here is just unforgivable - they even publicly announced it wasn’t there main project- holy hell fire?! You got some super secrets other billion dollar franchise up your selves? No?! You just want to betray your fan base and nickel and dime them with a high price game with less content than a indie game jam. Please - Protest by reviewing pokemon - tweeting/Facebook/reddit/YouTube - let Nintendo know they need to take back pokemon. we all want to love this but you got to let them know it’s not on.… Expand
  25. kujaligula
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Este Pokémon deja mucho que desear , su duración va de 15 a 18 horas , es algo ridículo , los gráficos son básicamente del Nintendo 3ds , deberían aprender de Luigui mansión 3 El recorte de Pokémon es ridículos , muy pocos Pokémon
    Que sucede con los glitches y falla de texturas? Deberían haber esperado y pulir este juego , no está a la altura de la saga Pokémon.
  26. GreenMenace
    Nov 26, 2019
    9
    This game is a Pokemon game, through and through, for better or for worse. I have beaten the game and completed the pokedex. I'll soon check out competitive play because the online play looks promising. I've really enjoyed playing the game.

    Pros Quality of life changes Incredible Customization The Galar Region The Wild Area Cons The story is too short The protagonist is far    This game is a Pokemon game, through and through, for better or for worse. I have beaten the game and completed the pokedex. I'll soon check out competitive play because the online play looks promising. I've really enjoyed playing the game.

    Pros
    Quality of life changes
    Incredible Customization
    The Galar Region
    The Wild Area

    Cons
    The story is too short
    The protagonist is far from likable
    Little innovation
    Missing Pokemon

    I believe that Pokemon Sword and Shield are a step in the right direction, but the game needs a lot more innovation. I thought this game was going to make more changes to the Pokemon formula.
    Traditionally, a lot of people stop playing the game because they've caught all the Pokemon and they've beaten the story. Then they're charged more money to do it again in a different region. If the game shook things up a bit more, in just about any area, then I believe that the games would be even more fun than they are. It gets a bit tiresome to see the standard "battler, breeder, scientist" stereotypes with every character.

    I loved the setting of the Galar region. The theme of Pokemon Sword and Shield were done very well. I enjoyed the new Pokemon. I was happy with the wild area. I wanted to be able to move more freely around it, but the introduction of a wild area is a great start.

    You can access Pokemon from just about anywhere and you get a permanent escape rope. The game is easy, but I wouldn't say it's because of the quality of life improvements. If it bothers players, there is nothing stopping them from choosing to not use them. The customization for the trainer is pretty crazy. I'd never imagined a Pokemon game would enable a player to choose so many unique looks. To be honest, I believe they went overboard on that because I'd rather have improvements to the story than character customization. My primary interest in Pokemon games will always be the Pokemon.

    I found myself rooting against my avatar. I didn't like the vague expressions of wonder it made at everything. The other characters had a reason why they wanted to become Pokemon champion. It felt like my trainer became a Pokemon trainer on a whim. If there is one thing about any pokemon story I'd want to do away with, it'd be the beginning. I understand they want to connect with a lot of people, but I do want a protagonist with a personality. A silent Pokemon trainer is not nearly as cool as a silent Link.

    With the elimination of Pokemon from their games, I will hold Gamefreak to a higher standard. If there are less Pokemon, I want better graphics and a better story. The story in Pokemon Sword and Shield wasn't bad, and I enjoyed Team Yell, but there wasn't enough of it. The graphics in this game are better than any Pokemon game I've played.

    I am glad I purchased this game and I would recommend it because I feel that there is enough content in the game to entertain anyone that loves Pokemon. It's also a game that is very friendly to players who are new to the franchise.    … Expand
  27. gabrielpina4
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Just played 5 hrs of pokemon shield and i can honestly say this the worst pokemon in the entire series i alittle pissed i spent my money on the double pack :( will be returning the game today. Hopefully bestbuy will take it back and refund me the full price graphically it looks like n64 definitely no generational leap the story is not great there's no voice acting houses inside doesn'tJust played 5 hrs of pokemon shield and i can honestly say this the worst pokemon in the entire series i alittle pissed i spent my money on the double pack :( will be returning the game today. Hopefully bestbuy will take it back and refund me the full price graphically it looks like n64 definitely no generational leap the story is not great there's no voice acting houses inside doesn't match the outside in one house it looks like 4 people living there yet only one bedroom???? Everyone has a mom but no dad?? Where the dad?? There's just so many thing wrong that it would take me forever to list everything but will be making a YouTube video on this soon!!… Expand
  28. AverageT
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Probably the most controversial pokemon game yet, 2/3rds of the dex removed along with tons of moves and features. In what was supposed to be the holy grail of pokemon games sadly development was rushed, mistakes were made and the developer went on to lie to the public about it. I wanted to see past all that and still enjoy a pokemon game and found a very short story with reused animationsProbably the most controversial pokemon game yet, 2/3rds of the dex removed along with tons of moves and features. In what was supposed to be the holy grail of pokemon games sadly development was rushed, mistakes were made and the developer went on to lie to the public about it. I wanted to see past all that and still enjoy a pokemon game and found a very short story with reused animations and no music? I was stumped when I came across a pokemon I could not catch because I wasn't high enough level. I couldn't even throw the pokeball! Sadly the game is as easy as ever. While it's as fun as any other pokemon game, its probably the most lackluster of all the main series titles.… Expand
  29. Coby555
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak lied about doing new models and "qUaLiTy aNiMaTIoNs" when they look horrible! Enough said, done with this series.
  30. Wakarahen
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak, why you lie?
    I mean, it's obvious that players would discover it was all a big lie, then why getting on the bad side of players?
    This brand need to get back to high quality, this is unacceptable for the company of one of the highest selling game brand.
  31. PointingGaming
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think the game is extremely good so far, as someone who has played Pokémon since Gen 1 I am quite happy, there are some features they did remove, some with obvious reasons some without. Such as global trade, in the previous games they were flooded with cheated in shinys and legendaries. It adds more challenge to the game so you can’t just trade a garbage Pokémon for one super high leveled, and they made it so you can’t catch a Pokémon higher level than what your gym badge allows.

    I enjoy the wide open areas and being able to see other players in the wild areas. I think the dynamaxing is cool, and a lot better than the mega evolutions and the special moves and other gimmicks they have had in the previous games in the main storyline.

    In terms of new pokemon it was a hit and a miss, they have some good ones and some terrible ones. It’s about the same as gen 5 where they had some great ideas, and they also had some absolutely retarded ones.

    So far I am happy with this game, and I am about half way through it I have to say it was money well spent. A lot of people may hate on this game but I believe that it deserves more credit than it is givin considering this is the first main story game that has come out for the Pokémon franchise that isn’t completely pixelated.    … Expand
  32. zzzelkova
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I ignored the controversy and gave this game the benefit of the doubt and boy did I pay for that blind ignorance this game bricked our Roku because it is so poorly optimized, I have to put my switch on airplane mode while playing Pokemon specifically so my family can watch TV. Nintendo should pass this game to a different developer in the future,
  33. PixelChicken
    Nov 18, 2019
    9
    I want to start by saying the only reason this got a 9 instead of a 10 is purely because i believe nothing can be perfect. Pokemon shield (and sword but whatever) is a great game and lives up to the rest of the series easily.

    As the first real entry on console it does a good job showing off how expansive the world can be with the wild area. While this doesn't take up the whole game you    I want to start by saying the only reason this got a 9 instead of a 10 is purely because i believe nothing can be perfect. Pokemon shield (and sword but whatever) is a great game and lives up to the rest of the series easily.

    As the first real entry on console it does a good job showing off how expansive the world can be with the wild area. While this doesn't take up the whole game you can spend hours just wandering around finding things you wouldn't expect, i'm looking at you level 60 pokemon and final evolutions. It actually starts to feel like how the pokemon world is in the anime and i love it.

    People complain about the graphics but honestly if you think graphics are the most important part of a game then i don't think your playing games right.

    There is more i want to say but haven't got time so i'll end with this

    Toby. Fox. Made. Music. For. The. Game

    that's all the convincing i needed    … Expand
  34. SoupSparrow
    Dec 31, 2019
    10
    Just so everyone knows, the negative ratings were from an image board called **** on a board called /vp/ for Pokémon. They're the ones who raided this ratings page over things like the Pokédex, despite never playing it ever.
  35. rogene13
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    The game feels rushed. The story is mediocre and short. There are almost no sidequests. The map feels empty. There are no voice acting even on cut scenes. The music is annoying most of the time. Graphics are outdated and it looks worse in the wild area, Almost half of pokemon and dozens of moves are missing from previous games yet they charge $60 for this.
  36. eKorn
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Super short game, extremely easy, filled with bugs, no National Pokedex, No HM/TM, reused textured, poor render distances, reused models, no shines, permanent exp share and lots and lots of features removed from the previous games.
  37. cecedo
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The worst game ver, dont buy this. Nada animations, bad dec, this isnt worth the money, so dont waste it
  38. ZeoN
    Nov 26, 2019
    8
    Puntos positivos:

    - La Banda Sonora es la mejor de la franquicia - Los combates por turnos han alcanzado la excelencia jugable - Las nuevas animaciones están muy bien hechas - La variedad de nuevas criaturas es muy sorprendente - Los estadios son un acierto - La ambientación está muy lograda - El diseño de las ciudades y pueblos es magnífico - El competitivo está muy mejorado al    Puntos positivos:

    - La Banda Sonora es la mejor de la franquicia
    - Los combates por turnos han alcanzado la excelencia jugable
    - Las nuevas animaciones están muy bien hechas
    - La variedad de nuevas criaturas es muy sorprendente
    - Los estadios son un acierto
    - La ambientación está muy lograda
    - El diseño de las ciudades y pueblos es magnífico
    - El competitivo está muy mejorado al igual que la crianza
    - Los personajes tienen historias propias y están muy caracterizados y desarrollados
    - Mucho carisma en los personajes secundarios
    - La Liga Pokémon es la mejor de la franquicia
    - Los líderes de gimnasio tienen el mejor desarrollo argumental de la saga junto a la 5° Gen
    - La mecánica Dynamax y Gigamax está muy lograda
    - El Área Silvestre sienta las bases del prometedor futuro de Pokémon
    - El diseño estructural de la región es bastante decente
    - La variedad de Poke Balls introducidas en el juego se agradece

    Puntos negativos:

    - El Área Silvestre aunque es buena y la idea funciona estupendamente, le falta por mejorar en varios aspectos en futuras en entregas
    - Algunas rutas clásicas son algo lineales
    - ¿Dónde están las cuevas Game Freak?
    - Caídas de FPS puntuales en el Área Silvestre
    - Animaciones mejorables en algunos ataques y personajes
    - La historia principal empieza algo tarde
    - El juego se hace demasiado fácil en algunos puntos debido al exceso de nivel que puedes llevar por estar mucho tiempo en el Área. Eso hay que equilibrarlo de alguna forma.

    Observaciones Personales:

    - Bastante interesante la trama, aunque empiece tarde, está a la altura.
    - El Post Game está bien, pero podrían haberlo estirado un poco más, daba para ello
    - Me alegra el cariño que le han dado al competitivo
    - Paul es el mejor rival de la franquicia

    - Y Lionnel de los mejores campeones. El carisma de ambos es enorme

    Valoración:

    Banda Sonora ➡️ 100/100
    Jugabilidad ➡️ 100/100
    Apartado técnico ➡️ 75/100
    Apartado artístico ➡️ 90/100
    Historia ➡️ 80/100
    Online ➡️ 80/100. Muy trabajado pero la conex va mal a veces

    NOTA ➡️ 88/100

    Es el mejor juego de la franquicia Pokémon desde el salto al 3D. No llega al sobresaliente porque sus fallos se ven, pero lo recomiendo mucho para los amantes de la saga y también al nuevo público. Es una muy buena entrega.    … Expand
  39. maplepecan
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    This game is clearly rushed, unfinished, and unpolished. The brings good new features with the wild area and free cam, but this game looks like a 3ds game that's been up-scaled everywhere else. There is so much pop in that is glaring and embarrassingly bad. The textures in the wild area are simply put, bad. The environment freezes when interacting with things, when you fish the pokemon andThis game is clearly rushed, unfinished, and unpolished. The brings good new features with the wild area and free cam, but this game looks like a 3ds game that's been up-scaled everywhere else. There is so much pop in that is glaring and embarrassingly bad. The textures in the wild area are simply put, bad. The environment freezes when interacting with things, when you fish the pokemon and grass around you stop moving. The story is very stale, characters like Hop and Leon aren't interesting in the slightest, and team yell are just a nuisance and feel like they were just thrown in. This story was bad, even for pokemon standards.

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

    I wanted to see something new for this series, a leap forward for the first console main series release. Instead it this is a 3ds game made for the Switch that tells a story worse than one of the 3ds titles. Game freak took one small step forward, and two giant steps back    … Expand
  40. GenkiYokota
    Jan 27, 2022
    10
    One of the best modern generations of Pokémon, much better than the distant and mythical X and Y.
    Unfairly criticized, the video game press did appreciate the game. Since it has a great story, a very varied and fun world to explore, as well as one of the best multiplayer ever seen.
  41. QueenWolfen
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The whole things is just messy, incomplete, and disappointing. This game was a lazy rush job, and it shows.
  42. Kacek1996
    Nov 28, 2019
    8
    I did take a few days off from finishing the game and writing this review to rethink it as well as I could.

    First thing first, I know that the opinions on this game will be different and kind of random, but mine will be written without thinking about others, just my experience with Pokemon Shield. It is bad that Game Freak lied about some things (looking at the list...), but overall    I did take a few days off from finishing the game and writing this review to rethink it as well as I could.

    First thing first, I know that the opinions on this game will be different and kind of random, but mine will be written without thinking about others, just my experience with Pokemon Shield.

    It is bad that Game Freak lied about some things (looking at the list...), but overall I did enjoy this game a lot.

    Starting with bad things:
    - For me it's truly sad that they added questions like "are you ready to battle me?" before nearly every rival fight and some more. I liked these challenges of unexpected battles, but now if I thought "nah, mate", I backed a little to heal, and then fought the fight,
    - Plot and script was kind of lame, but what should we expect from the child game...,
    - I dislike that baddies/villains apologize for their crimes,
    - The one and only f*****g tree model,
    - Post game/legendary quest was kind of lame, but Hop was reclaimed there in my eyes.

    Now some good things:
    + Gyms (especially Water, Ice, Dark and Dragon type gyms). Water and ice types were just like in the old days, puzzle mixed with battles (MARVELOUS). Also, I liked dark and dragon gyms, since they were pure fights only,
    + I like designs of so many new pokemons from gen 8 (Dragapult, Corviknight, Inteleon, Appletun, Hatterene, Centiskorch were in my team),
    + Wild area is a cool concept,
    + I like this game for giving us overworld and random encounters.

    Some things I want to address:
    a) dynamax in gym battles and league was a 'meh' mechanic for me (I played without it). I'm using it only in wild in raid battles,
    b) About the controversial national dex, I was kind of sad that some of my favs were cut, but damn... I expected them to give us a game with less than half of all pokemons xD
    c) Starters are too humanoid for me, but overall Inteleon won a place in my team.

    I'm planing to finish my pokedex and do some shiny hunting/breeding for the pokemons I do like a lot. Also, Nessa, Allister and Raihan as well as Shield (girl protagonist) have a really cool designs.    … Expand
  43. hacazevedo
    Dec 17, 2019
    10
    Best game in the world. Great RPG, good cutscenes, I loved the new Pokémon. Congratulations to Game Freak for the game. One of the best I've ever played on the switch. Recommended
  44. pmcnichols
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    It **** sucks, devoid of content. What's the point in buying Pokemon anymore?
  45. AvalonBunny
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Half the pokemon for 20 extra USD. Game Freak is simply not up to the task, Nintendo should takeover and hand the franchise to real developers or give the current one enough resources.
  46. Dahcs
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Before finishing the game, I am actually enjoying this game a fair bit. So far, this is definitely the best the Pokemon series has looked to date. Period. The games run at a stable framerate out side of the wild area, and the battles actually feel pretty immersive. Dynamaxing is a cool feature, and it really shows that that's where a lot of the love and effort really went into, along withBefore finishing the game, I am actually enjoying this game a fair bit. So far, this is definitely the best the Pokemon series has looked to date. Period. The games run at a stable framerate out side of the wild area, and the battles actually feel pretty immersive. Dynamaxing is a cool feature, and it really shows that that's where a lot of the love and effort really went into, along with the gyms. Alot of the user reviews are baseless, and it shows that they have obviously not played the game. I went into this game expecting Pokemon and I got exactly what I expected, and even a bit more. So far, I reccommend it, but definitely not for the full price. Will update my review when I finish the game.… Expand
  47. AGGuy
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Want more Pokémon? This is more Pokémon (except with fewer Pokémon). It's the same it's always been - stilted presentation, good music, so-so gameplay comprised of thrilling highs and frustrating lows, a mix of good additions and subtractions and bad additions and subtractions... and the story is not worth mentioning (actually even less so than in past games).

    It's kind of just... more    Want more Pokémon? This is more Pokémon (except with fewer Pokémon). It's the same it's always been - stilted presentation, good music, so-so gameplay comprised of thrilling highs and frustrating lows, a mix of good additions and subtractions and bad additions and subtractions... and the story is not worth mentioning (actually even less so than in past games).

    It's kind of just... more Pokémon.
    Is "kind of just more Pokémon" what you're looking for? Yes? Then this is worth 30 bucks, I'd say.
    Is "kind of just more Pokémon" not what you're looking for? Then don't bother.    … Expand
  48. Batman431
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The Game is Broken, unfinished and the graphics seems to he from 10 years ago.
  49. Pardner
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    Very disappointed. While many issues have already been pointed out, there are a few major ones that few, at least from what ive seen, have pointed out.
    1. The handholding. Everyone hates hand holding, from kids to adults alike. Unfortunately, Hop, the "rival" is literally everywhere and won't let you take a few steps before he needlessly tells you what you already know. There's hand    Very disappointed. While many issues have already been pointed out, there are a few major ones that few, at least from what ive seen, have pointed out.
    1. The handholding. Everyone hates hand holding, from kids to adults alike. Unfortunately, Hop, the "rival" is literally everywhere and won't let you take a few steps before he needlessly tells you what you already know. There's hand holding everywhere. We aren't idiots. The handholding makes us feel like one, however, and it very quickly makes you hate Hop. 2. The lack of challenge. This game is incredibly easy. The EXP share is always turned on, so your Pokemon are usually overleveled. Along with that, there's zero puzzles or dungeons. The old games had plenty, and completing these made you feel accomplished. There's none of that here. Without challenge, are you truly playing am JRPG? Challenge is what makes Pokemon games fun. So no challenges or puzzles really hits hard here.
    3. Shiny locked and gigantamax locked Pokemon. Unfortunately, there are shiny locked Pokemon again. This time, it's not only legendary Pokemon, but gift Pokemon as well. Keeping shiny Pokemon locked behind events doesn't feel like you earned it. There cheap grabs. It's insulting. Not only that, but you can't just give the gigantmax trait to any Pokemon. You have to catch them. This means any Pokemon you have been with for a long time cannot gigantamax. You must replace them if you want a gigiantamax version of your Pokemon, even shiny versions. This feels cheap to me.
    4. Lack of new Pokemon animations. While Gamefreak did have to create new textures and tweaks to the wireframes, it doesn't excuse about how they lied about new animations. While the moves are wonderful to look at, the Pokemon themselves aren't wildly animated like this. It's all the same. It seems the animation budget went towards moves and not Pokemon. Now that all the moves have new animations, hopefully the Pokemon themselves will get more animated in the next games.
    5. Non Scaled Pokemon. I gripe I have is that Pokemon aren't properly sized in battle and in the campsite. Pokemon that should be massive are the size of the player. An example of this is tyranitar. Hes proper size in the overworld, but he's absolutely short in battle and the campsite. Same is true for the third legendary. Absolutely giant in cutscenes and in the overworld, but it's the size of a charizard in battle and the campsite. It makes no sense.
    6. Mediocre wild area textures. The textures in the wild area are awful compared to the rest of the game. Unfortunately, the wild area is a large part of the game, so you can't escape it. The trees look like they came from the 64 era, the grass looks like it was smothered on, the water looks a bit glossy and doesn't even have water ripple around swimming Pokemon, it's just bad.

    All in all, Pokemon Sword (and shield) is a mediocre Pokemon game. It feels like this should have come out on the 3ds. It just isn't as good as it should have been. I mean, it's a decent game, but it's not a great game. Hopefully with the reported longer development time for future titles, we can get the Pokemon game that truly earns the title of #1.    … Expand
  50. SangDuhBeast
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    This game is an unfinished game, GameFreak did not take the Switch to it full advantage.
    Lagging frame rate Nintendo 64 graphic
    “High (LOW) quality animation”
    Image standing still
    no back ground for Pkm battle
    Wrong Pkm battle back ground Non expressive Pokémon
    The game look like it could run on a 3DS
  51. GDarch
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I’m disappointed : no national pokedex, poor animations, gamefreak lied to us.
  52. Duelz96
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Pokémon Shield is absolute trash.
    This game is very much the same as Pokémon sword. I put the game down before the 3rd gym this time. From poor animations to terrible graphics, this completely ruins the atmosphere of the game. Many successful features have been removed. The new content is not the best either.
    This is the worst entry in the Pokémon series by far. Save your money and by a    Pokémon Shield is absolute trash.
    This game is very much the same as Pokémon sword. I put the game down before the 3rd gym this time. From poor animations to terrible graphics, this completely ruins the atmosphere of the game. Many successful features have been removed. The new content is not the best either.
    This is the worst entry in the Pokémon series by far. Save your money and by a game that’s been polished and has actually been made with care.    … Expand
  53. MelonDestiny
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    I tried to like this game. I really did. The laziness just shows through in too many spots though. Not letting you wear bought uniforms into the gym challenge? What's the point of them then? Forget the big issues, there's so many little spots where the game could have been improved but Gamefreak just didn't even try. Easily the most disappointing game in the series.
  54. Achiyugo
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Hilarious. The rating matches the percentage of Pokémon left in the game. RIP
  55. ToughFluffs
    Nov 24, 2019
    8
    Let me be frank here: I made an account specifically to review this game, just because I know the hate this game is getting. I agree and disagree with various criticisms, and I'm gonna try to hit as much as I can here. Let's start with cons, as it never hurts to touch on the bad before getting to the good.

    Cons: -Pokemon creativity You've already heard this one. I don't consider    Let me be frank here: I made an account specifically to review this game, just because I know the hate this game is getting. I agree and disagree with various criticisms, and I'm gonna try to hit as much as I can here. Let's start with cons, as it never hurts to touch on the bad before getting to the good.

    Cons:

    -Pokemon creativity
    You've already heard this one. I don't consider this a big con though. We've been getting less new Pokemon with each new generation. Naturally, when you've made well over 600 pokemon, there become less and less things to model them after. I think in some senses, there should be less focus on trying to continually make new pokemon, and shift more towards a focus on new and innovative gameplay (which they did do! We'll talk about that later though). I think we have enough pokemon. We're good fellas.

    -Story
    I'm not gonna spoil anything here, but the main story IS rather short and doesn't contain a lot of depth. With previous games, you had these huge, dramatic stories that you were pretty deeply involved in throughout most of the game, between gyms and traveling. This definitely didn't feel like it was on the same level as many previous gens, particularly if you look at the stories in gens 4 and 5 (Which I personally think were some of the most fleshed out narratives of almost any pokemon games).

    -Postgame
    Hopefully they add more to this. Given we're in the age of digital download and cloud storage, it's much easier to add new things to games and push it out to the entire audience at once, and I assume this may be the plan with SwSh, however that wasn't really as much the case with Sun/Moon, which also had the same access. Given it is a full-fledged console game though, I feel there may be more incentive to do so, and that could definitely raise this score to a 9 if that were the case.

    Any other cons I had were minor gripes, ones that I don't personally believe need their own section. On that note, time to launch into the pros.

    Pros:

    Gameplay:
    This game felt...GOOD. Movement was smooth, it has all the staples that you expect from pokemon. You know what you expect going into a pokemon game, and you got it. The dynamaxing/gigantamaxing mechanic is fun, although it does feel a little pointless/less useful compared to past mechanics like Mega-evolution. The removal of HMs a few gens ago is still in place and I'm super glad, as it no longer forces you to have one useless HM slave pokemon in your party.
    I'm also a huge fan of the ability to open your pc boxes pretty much anywhere. Small quality of life thing, but it can make a big difference for those of us who are more...forgetful, to put it nicely.

    Environment:
    This game is gorgeous. It manages to pull off the free-roam 3d environment while not taking away from the feeling of playing a pokemon game. A few of the camera angles in the more linear segments can be a little wonky, but you have to ability to move the camera in the larger, central free roam area, and I had no issues with it there. It's also a lovely little touch that you can see the pokemon. There's less running through grass praying you find the one pokemon you want in a wild encounter, which cuts down on some of the grindiness in previous games. It also seems to run pretty much fine. I very rarely ever experienced frame drops (I did get a few in battles, but rarely on the overworld).

    -New features
    Pokemon camps are GREAT. Seems like an improved version of pokemon ami from gen 6. It's lovely to be able to play around with your party, and the food making system is very reminiscent of the poffin machines from gen 4. It's a fun little minigame and a good way to kill time or play with people online. I think this category is lacking slightly, but I'll talk a little bit more about this when I wrap things up.

    -Music
    The ambient music in this is already fantastic, and while I wouldn't say this is by any means as good as the soundtrack we got in gens 3 or 4, it's got some hot tunes in it. Particularly the Gym leader theme, where you can hear the crowd chanting, adds an extra level of immersion that truly helps bring things together.

    Wrap up time!
    Yeah, the game isn't perfect. It's lacking in multiple areas, but the way I see it, this was a test-run from Nintendo. A way of saying "We know this is what you want, but it's also new territory for us." For what it is, it's wonderful. It's still pokemon, and you're still gonna get a fun pokemon experience out of it.
    I think the one big issue with it, that keeps it at an 8 for me, is definitely the lack of postgame content currently, and in general for the past few generations. I've played every generation so far, but 4 will always stick out because of the ability to keep playing for hundreds of hours after the main story ended with contests, the underground, secret bases, and etc. keeping the game interesting.
    With all that said, still a good game, and I had a lot of fun with it.    … Expand
  56. dfq
    Nov 21, 2021
    4
    First of all I wouldn't recommend any parent to buy this game for their child or anyone for themselves. I regret having to write this review as I definitely wanted this game to be the best it could, just like the "professional" game critics wrote in their reviews, but Pokémon Sword and Shield just don't deserve to be praised like that. Not only did the developers of this game lie aboutFirst of all I wouldn't recommend any parent to buy this game for their child or anyone for themselves. I regret having to write this review as I definitely wanted this game to be the best it could, just like the "professional" game critics wrote in their reviews, but Pokémon Sword and Shield just don't deserve to be praised like that. Not only did the developers of this game lie about making new models and animations for every Pokémon from scratch (which they didn't do, because they just reused the EXACT models and animations of the 3ds, which are really bad to nonexistent btw), but they also filled the game with filler cut-scenes, slow-animations and barely any story. There is no real story in these games. At least nothing with any love put into while creating it. After beating the game I felt disappointed and couldn't believe I'm done already. There is almost nothing fun to do except the obvious catching of pokémon and beating gyms. Catching pokémon was still a fun grind in the beginning, but the really bad animations and the obnoxious slow speed of the battles sort of overwrote most of the fun after a while, especially with the boring background battle music, which is the same in every battle, for a couple of exceptions later in the game. In contrast to almost all previous games before and including Pokémon Black & White which I've loved, this game was bland and felt generic. Except for the fact that you can now play Pokémon on a big screen which is exciting and all, there is just barely anything good to say about Pokémon Shield (and Sword). The things I did like were the new Pokémon (even if some of them aren't very creative or exceptionally well designed, but they honestly don't have to be in my opinion, they were still cool and looked like Pokémon) and the fact that they have ported the game to a not exclusively portable game console. The central characters introduced in these games like Hop, Leon, Bede and Marnie felt strangely awkward, fake and most importantly shallow and didn't convince me at all. During the little bit of story there is I didn't sympathize with any of these characters and felt indifferent towards them which is unlike the Pokémon games before Satoru iwata's unfortunate demise.
    If I could exchange the current developer stuff of Game Freak, I definitely would, because playing these honestly bad successors to my favorite game genre breaks my heart and I just kept playing because I hoped it would get better which it didnt. This is sad for Game Freak and I hope that they realize this themselves and improve in the future.    … Expand
  57. Shatohin
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Lazy re-skin and upscale of the 3ds version. These companies just love your money and don’t give a **** what they making for the fans.
  58. blackwolf07
    Nov 26, 2019
    4
    This is a below average game. it's fun and has nice art, but everything else is lackluster. The pop in is hilarious, most of the towns are tiny. There is a lack of meaningful exploration, and it has one of the worst stories in the history of the franchise. Online is almost unplayable, especially when trying to max raid with others. I do enjoy most of the new pokemon designs and think itThis is a below average game. it's fun and has nice art, but everything else is lackluster. The pop in is hilarious, most of the towns are tiny. There is a lack of meaningful exploration, and it has one of the worst stories in the history of the franchise. Online is almost unplayable, especially when trying to max raid with others. I do enjoy most of the new pokemon designs and think it might be the strongest group of new pokemon since gen 5 or maybe even 3. This isn't even getting into dexit and the things the game is lacking, because I need only talk about what's there to note why the game is so behind the times. It's immature in a way that I haven't seen in years from such a major studio, especially when put next to their Nintendo peers. Game Freak needs to do better than capitalize on "fun," because this series' ceiling can reach so much higher.

    By the way, 5 is an average game on my scale. Most people will find it playable and entertaining, but very few will think it innovates or is a must play game experience. Pokemon is fun and entertaining for sure, but its technical faults are as laughable as flat-earthers in 2019, and the storytelling and overall presentation shouldn't even be permissable on a handheld system. The game is certainly below average technically, has a below average story, and below average turn based gameplay, when compared to its peers. 4 out of 10 might be generous.    … Expand
  59. Lady_Scribe
    Nov 25, 2019
    4
    Despite all the drama, I pre-ordered Shield and have sunk about 50 hours into it (I dawdled in the game, explored everything and caught almost all Pokémon). I'm a life-long Pokémon fan, with my first game being Pokémon Yellow, a game I played with my mum when I was 6 years old. I've played all the main series games and Pokémon has been quite an important part of my life. I am disappointedDespite all the drama, I pre-ordered Shield and have sunk about 50 hours into it (I dawdled in the game, explored everything and caught almost all Pokémon). I'm a life-long Pokémon fan, with my first game being Pokémon Yellow, a game I played with my mum when I was 6 years old. I've played all the main series games and Pokémon has been quite an important part of my life. I am disappointed with this latest game, even more so than Sun and Moon. Quite a few aspects of the game are slow and boring (such as forced dialogue, walk a bit, more dialogue, walk some more, etc.). The story was simply lacking depth and I was not particularly interested in it. Essentially, the main story is that the playable character collects gym badges while the true hero of the game, the Champion, did all the exciting stuff 'behind the scenes'. My character didn’t feel like the hero, she was ‘just there’.
    The whole Pokédex thing didn’t bother me, it’s not a major part of my reasoning for playing Pokémon. The designs of the new Pokémon are the best I’ve ever seen since gen III. I just wish that something like Pokémon amie, being able to pet my Pokémon had been included, rather than the slightly clumsy camping, with Pokémon sometimes struggling to interact with their toys. Camping quickly became something of a time-consuming chore rather than something to be enjoyed. Not a massive fan of the designs of the three starter Pokémon’s evolutions (with exception to Intelleon). They seemed a little lacklustre compared to previous generations. The animations of the Pokémon were about the same as the previous generations from the 3DS, just fewer Pokémon to play with.
    The designs of the settings are lovely, and as a Brit myself I could see how lovingly British culture was incorporated into the dialogue, the Pokémon and the towns and countryside. However, this is spoiled by low-res textures and lumpy rocks and hills which could have had a bit more added to them. Some of the animations of the Pokémon aren’t great (and certain scenes were nothing short of shockingly poor for a game released in 2019). The towns and cities were all small and although aesthetically beautiful, there wasn’t much to explore. The Wild Area was exciting for the first ten hours of gameplay, but after that the charm wore off. My favourite thing about the wild area is that Hop, the rather annoying character (much like Hau from Sun and Moon) wasn’t around to hound me every step of my Pokémon journey. Pokémon battles were few and far between, and there was an over-reliance on the Wild Area to compensate for that.
    I think if this game had spent a little longer in development, it would have been a truly amazing game. But this wasn’t the case, and I feel sad for those who clearly made an effort to lovingly design a game in a very small amount of time, perhaps being aware that they couldn’t put everything into it. And it really, really shows. Designs are fantastic, but the finished product feels rushed and haphazard, there’s virtually no end-game content, and the asking price of £50 is highly excessive considering that there are other games out there for the same price with much better content.
    Nintendo, GameFreak, by bringing Pokémon to the big consoles, you’re swimming with the big fish. You need to up your game if you want to get better reviews in the future. A disappointing blip on the Pokémon franchise. I hope it improves; Pokémon has gotten me through some challenges in life and it’s sad to see the franchise take a tumble. I’ve humbly learned my lesson and will not pre-order another Pokémon game again.    … Expand
  60. victornp
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    O jogo não explora o potencial do Switch, sendo reutilizado engines de jogos anteriores
  61. Arcayon
    Jan 10, 2020
    5
    This game is a pokemon game. So most people are going to enjoy it. I regrettably bought it because it was a pokemon game, but I've still had fun with it. That being said, this is likely the worst pokemon game ever released by Game Freak. They lied multiple times to consumers about their decisions in order to take advantage of their loyal fanbase. The business tactics are alone areThis game is a pokemon game. So most people are going to enjoy it. I regrettably bought it because it was a pokemon game, but I've still had fun with it. That being said, this is likely the worst pokemon game ever released by Game Freak. They lied multiple times to consumers about their decisions in order to take advantage of their loyal fanbase. The business tactics are alone are shameful. The game itself is not polished or finished. You'll need to pay an additional 30$ to get a finished game via DLC around a year from now.

    Pokemon are missing. The designs of new starters is really bad. Gyms are great, but there is a huge lack of story missing and I feel like I'm not doing much other than going from town to town beating gyms. The lack of the GTS is a killer if you are a collector. Wonder trade is still there but requires a nintendo online subscription of 5$ per month. In order to transfer your pokemon from previous generations, you need to have a pokemon box which costs money. Pokemon must then be transferred from their legacy storage pokemon box to pokemon home which is an additional fee.

    This game is all about additional fees and reminds me of an EA games business model. Tons of microtransactions to enjoy the base game. The base game is not a finished product. But hey no matter what, Pokemon is always gonna be fun.    … Expand
  62. Joseph28
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    Easy 1/10. There are great ideas here like the wild area and the game is fun but no more so than older games. What that leaves us left to evaluate is content, and it is here that the game suffers horribly. Less than half of the old roster and environments that amount to long hallways can kill the enjoyment when you realise theres little to do when the games over.
  63. SuperWooper
    Oct 22, 2020
    4
    A step in the wrong direction for the franchise. A game with huge potential and freedom of an open world map turned out to be completely empty and uninspiring. The flaws revealed during the introduction of the games in its early stages were forgivable at first, but now show how completely incompetent and lazy the development of this game is when absolutely none of those issues andA step in the wrong direction for the franchise. A game with huge potential and freedom of an open world map turned out to be completely empty and uninspiring. The flaws revealed during the introduction of the games in its early stages were forgivable at first, but now show how completely incompetent and lazy the development of this game is when absolutely none of those issues and graphical errors were fixed by release day.

    The cuts to certain aspects of the game, such as the pokedex, movesets, etc, were foreseeable at some point with the amount being added every generation, but are completely inexcusable when its predecessors from the 3DS era seem to have much more content in it with much less room to work with. Mega evolutions and Z-moves from earlier games were also cut to make room for the lazier concept of Dynamax and Raid battles, which is just a recycled ideas from Pokemon GO.

    While the new Pokemon designs from Generation 8 are, for the most part, some of the best we've seen in awhile, it doesn't save the fact that this game is the biggest disappointment seen from the franchise to date.    … Expand
  64. DeepDarkRex
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The worst pokemon game ever. Don't buy it, it's a beta. It hasn't the national pokedex, z moves, mega evolutions, bad graphics and recyclated animations. Horrible
  65. Kchewz
    Jan 6, 2021
    4
    $80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc.$80 price tag, $20/year pokemon home subscription, two $30 DLCs. Yet the quality and functionality from the 3DS pokemon games are equal, and these games costed $40... Both Sword and Shield have its pros such as cool new pokemon, incredible music and DLCs were more memorable and enjoyable than the base game. But poor graphics, boring dynamax mechanics and dynamax raids, the mobile camp etc. were all lacklustre. For the largest franchise in the world, expectations were much higher. For someone who grew up playing Pokemon Battle Revolution in 2006, I was expecting this type of quality at the very least.… Expand
  66. Dragonfire14
    Nov 24, 2019
    3
    Right off the bat I will say that strictly judging Pokemon Shield as a video game it is a much higher score, I would score it about a 6.5/10. Pokemon as a concept for a video game works very well, and any studio would be hard pressed to make a game in the series that is both a let down and not fun. The problem is when you judge it compared to the other games in it's series. Pokemon ShieldRight off the bat I will say that strictly judging Pokemon Shield as a video game it is a much higher score, I would score it about a 6.5/10. Pokemon as a concept for a video game works very well, and any studio would be hard pressed to make a game in the series that is both a let down and not fun. The problem is when you judge it compared to the other games in it's series. Pokemon Shield is a terrible Pokemon game.

    Starting off I won't go into the whole dexxit situation, but I will say that it did not help the game at all removing the national dex. Gamefreak (GF) did not give the players something in return for the cut Pokemon, and it just leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

    The visuals in this game are really nothing special. The animations are simple with moves applying slight movement to each Pokemon's model, such as turning the Pokemon 180 degrees then shaking them. Each Pokemon does have about 1 signature move that they are fully animated for, but there isn't nearly enough. The environments are bland for the most part, with the Wild Area being barren and just plain ugly. Random weather effects will appear in the Wild Area, but the environment will see no change visually besides a lens filter. The Pokemon look fine, but again are nothing special. Trainers by far have the best animations they have had in the series and look great, but they really are not the focus of the game.

    The story is almost non-existent besides your journey to becoming champion. Characters exist only to point you in the direction of the next gym, and the vast amount of gym leaders offer nothing to the overall story. Your rivals are all uninteresting, Hop being an unbearably outlet for the tutorial, Marnie barely having a personality even though she has a massive fan club, and Bede being an ass for the sake of being an ass. The game will constantly force you out of anything interesting telling you to focus on gyms, but then will force you into a situation that your character really knows nothing about in the last hour. The post game isn't much better as it just introduces 2 **** that have an evil plan to do nothing with. Also with the lack of voice acting the cutscenes feel very awkward. There is even a scene with someone singing, but the audio is silent and is one of the most off putting things I've encountered in a game.

    The gameplay is typical Pokemon with nothing really new added. Dynamaxing is a very boring gimmick that just gives your Pokemon more HP and let's them use Z-Moves. What is worse about it is that Gigantamaxing the straight up better version of Dynamaxing is lock to certain Pokemon. I don't mean that only certain species can use Gigantamax, but rather only specific Pokemon can use it. So for example that Corviknight you raised from lvl 3 and recently got to lvl 100, will never be able to Gigantamax since you didn't catch it from the raid. Gigantamax just makes catching Pokemon worthless unless you get them in the raid. On top of that finishing all the content in the game doesn't take long. You can beat the story, post game, and finish the Pokedex easily within a week, so unless you are a avid shiny hunter or PvP player the game isn't going to last you long. The difficulty of the game is a big factor in why it is so short. You can go through the entire game without grinding and for the most part you will be over leveled. I entered the champion battle with a lvl 75 Corviknight and a lvl 80 Tyranitar and just destroyed Leon. After that I went through the post game only using those 2 while raising other Pokemon to evolve for the Pokedex with no issue. The only battle that I had trouble with was the last battle with Hop in the post game, and that was because I only had 2 Pokemon and they had type disadvantage. I still managed to win using the massive amount of Max Revives the game gives you. The game also treats you like you need your hand held for the entirety of the game. Need to go next door to the hotel, why not follow me there so you know where it is. Need to go back to this town that you were already, I can take you there now. It is also a big factor into the fact that this game features no puzzles at all. It treats you like you are unable to think for yourself, and that it needs to do all the heavy lifting for you. Camping is nothing special and to be honest I used it once for this review.

    What is unfortunate is that this game could of been amazing. GF could of put a lot more effort and passion into it and it would have been an entirely different experience. There are some quality of life improvements in the game, and the music is amazing! The feel of the gyms also is something I didn't expect to love. They really hype you up for those battles, and I loved it. If GF didn't cut any corners Pokemon Shield would of been the best in the series I have no doubts, but with all the negatives and flaws it has it comes out as one of the worst.    … Expand
  67. Irarius
    Feb 14, 2020
    1
    ok so it took me a month to actually rly rly get through this game because it was just so boring.
    i originally gave it a 4.5
    but i have to go down. this game is miserable. the story sucks ass, like you cant even understand how bad, **** just happens for no reason... the graphics are ps2, like jesus christ you will notice it. the wild area feels good for like an hour AT MAX 2-3    ok so it took me a month to actually rly rly get through this game because it was just so boring.
    i originally gave it a 4.5
    but i have to go down. this game is miserable.
    the story sucks ass, like you cant even understand how bad, **** just happens for no reason...
    the graphics are ps2, like jesus christ you will notice it.
    the wild area feels good for like an hour AT MAX 2-3 bland, empty, nothing to do.
    npcs in raids are actually retarded. you get magicarps and wobblefet into ur team. and that is rly rly bad. the pool of mons is rly small too...
    the wil area pop in kills the idea of it. you dont see mons exept u are in front of them 2 meters away,    … Expand
  68. Sydius4
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a good handheld game. But it dont look like a Switch game with the best graphic. The story of the game is averageand the animation mostly the same. And still they have cut more than half of the pokemon, because of balancing...
    The truth is they didnt worked with eno
    ugh people to do the project and cut the pokedex. Pokemon become easier since Sun and Moon. They    Pokemon Sword and Shield is a good handheld game. But it dont look like a Switch game with the best graphic. The story of the game is averageand the animation mostly the same. And still they have cut more than half of the pokemon, because of balancing...
    The truth is they didnt worked with eno
    ugh people to do the project and cut the pokedex. Pokemon become easier since Sun and Moon. They want to cash in for the new Pokemon Go Players and dont care anymore for the hardcore loyal fanbase anymore. They can easily can eat all pokemon but they think they didn't have to.    … Expand
  69. DoctorZack
    Nov 22, 2019
    3
    Absolute disaster.

    It maintains a basic level of competency with a new idea or two, but that's literally the only thing going for it. Everything else isn't just "bad" its genuinely a painful experience.
  70. lorvha
    Feb 6, 2020
    0
    The price increase of "Pokemon Sword and Shield" and their passage on a more powerful Console must necessarily lead to an overall technical and graphic improvement.
    Pokemon Sword and Shield have a technical / graphic shortage. Now this is no longer admissible
  71. smw66466
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    Horrendously ugly games. Pokemon XD and Colosseum are more graphically impressive and they're both over a decade old. What's even more amazing is that these games are coming from one of the most profitable IPs in the world. Nintendo and Gamefreak are truly taking advantage of the loyalty of their fans.
  72. Lone_Wolf_Sones
    Feb 2, 2020
    5
    Where to start with Sword and Shield. Are they bad games? No. Are they great games? No. So what are they then? Well they strangely find themselves sitting in the middle. Considering these were to be the first console mainline installments in the series? Expectations were understandably high.

    That is not to say that there aren't any redeemable aspects about these titles. However for    Where to start with Sword and Shield. Are they bad games? No. Are they great games? No. So what are they then? Well they strangely find themselves sitting in the middle. Considering these were to be the first console mainline installments in the series? Expectations were understandably high.

    That is not to say that there aren't any redeemable aspects about these titles. However for every step forward? It feels like one step was taken back. First we have to talk about the cuts to the national dex as well as the move pool. Game Freak said this was in an effort to deliver high quality animations. Unfortunately, we do not really have "high quality animations" here.

    The Wild area is easily the biggest new addition and it is a positive step forward. However this is tempered by the fact that you will find high level pokemon early on. You can't catch them. This would have been somewhat tolerable if you could catch them but couldn't use them in battle due to the level restrictions that have been in place since the series' inception. Also a bummer is that while online the frame rate tanks and trainers you come across can't be interacted with.

    The games also have a shocking lack of visual polish across the board. There are some glaringly low resolution and muddy textures. The cities and towns feel like window dressing and facades. Many doors can't be entered. Interior's of buildings have been copied and pasted with the same layout in each.

    Dynamax and Gigantamax battles feel like gimmicks. They add very little to the meta and feel like nothing more than damage sponges even if you exploit elemental advantage. I would rather the time spent on these have been spent on creating more new pokemon or getting more of the roster in there.

    The new pokemon we did get are generally cool. Regional variants though again I could do without in favor of more new ones or more of the proper national dex.

    Now we come to the really scummy part. They revealed DLC where many of the cut pokemon will be added back in for $30. They said there would be a "Free" update. But many people fail to consider this isn't really free. We also have been given the news of Pokemon Home and that it will cost $16 for a year. Also placed behind Pokemon Home is the GTS system that has been carved out from the previous games.

    IF you want to transfer from pokemon Bank which itself already costs $5 a year? You need Pokemon Home which is another $16 for a year. This is on top of paying for Switch online at $20 for a year. That means you will have spent $41 on subscriptions alone just to transfer/trade and battle online. And if you want the DLC which most fans are probably going to want as there are yet new legendaries in there, that's another $30. That's $71 total on top of the $60 for the base game where you already were paying $20 more up front being a switch title vs. a 3DS title.

    This kind of excessive monetization of Pokemon is my greatest fear come true.
    (copied from my review of Pokemon Sword)    … Expand
  73. ZaydelJmz
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Low effort on this year Pokemon Game. We can get the most awesome RPG game of this gen and we get a 3DS game on a bigger screen, Game Freak lied...
  74. Xxdaniels751xX
    Feb 11, 2020
    3
    Perhaps in another circumstance I could have supported a downloadable content like the one proposed by Game Freak, but never given the current circumstances. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield has turned out to be a launch that, despite successful sales, raised a lot of controversy. I don't think there was a worse time than this to announce an expansion pass with these characteristics. ThePerhaps in another circumstance I could have supported a downloadable content like the one proposed by Game Freak, but never given the current circumstances. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield has turned out to be a launch that, despite successful sales, raised a lot of controversy. I don't think there was a worse time than this to announce an expansion pass with these characteristics. The Pokémon brand has deteriorated during the past 2019 due not only to a video game that does not include all the Pokémon, but to an improved communication by The Pokémon Company.… Expand
  75. Bullish
    Dec 11, 2019
    4
    This is my first pokemon game since the original red/blue, and when I first started it, it really did get its claws in me. But over time, the luster faded as I started to sense how rushed and lazy the game felt.

    If you don't know what I mean by rushed and lazy, please take a long look at Team Yell. Other Beef: - Identical characters everywhere - Bad translations all over the    This is my first pokemon game since the original red/blue, and when I first started it, it really did get its claws in me. But over time, the luster faded as I started to sense how rushed and lazy the game felt.

    If you don't know what I mean by rushed and lazy, please take a long look at Team Yell.

    Other Beef:

    - Identical characters everywhere
    - Bad translations all over the place. This is the first pokemon game on a major console. This thing should have been polished to a gleam.
    - Dynamax system just seemed dragged fights out, and the moves were just replicas? I never understood that
    - Sometimes there was absolutely nothing in between gyms
    - Music was completely unspecial
    - I don't know about you, but the actual pokemon have seemed to drop in originality/creativity over the years. There's an apple, a teapot, a cart filled with coal. Who thought these things up?    … Expand
  76. PC_Master_Race
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Reused models, poor graphics and textures, this Pokemon release every year has to end to have quality games like Mario oddysey
  77. Lttrev
    Nov 24, 2019
    1
    Played and finished game with around 200 pokemon caught out of the 400. By far worst Pokemon game in the main series. Seemed rushed and expected more from a handheld to console leap.
  78. Digi
    Nov 24, 2019
    7
    This game is a well made, beautiful looking pokemon game. However huge flaws include the lack of a hard mode, that veterans have been awaiting for decades. Finally the story was quite lacking compared to previous games.
  79. Grave2363
    Jan 19, 2020
    3
    The game just feels incomplete, the pop in of npc's can be at times jarring, the wild area feels lazy and empty, not to mention has the worst performance when online, the main feature. alpha sapphire, and ultra moon felt more complete. platinum, black & white, and black 2 & white 2, were just better games. The online just feels tacked on. The game is laughably easy compared to previous games.
  80. loserkid182
    Mar 5, 2020
    4
    Una lastima que no consigan hacer un juego decente que niños y adultos puedan disfrutar, no necesitan genios guionistas de cine, un equipo de personas competentes serian capaces de con 10 consejos hacer una buena historia, pero por desgracia tenemos otra entrega mas de la franquicia que caerá en el olvido.

    Los personajes son la cosa mas vacía que he visto en mucho tiempo, desde luego la    Una lastima que no consigan hacer un juego decente que niños y adultos puedan disfrutar, no necesitan genios guionistas de cine, un equipo de personas competentes serian capaces de con 10 consejos hacer una buena historia, pero por desgracia tenemos otra entrega mas de la franquicia que caerá en el olvido.

    Los personajes son la cosa mas vacía que he visto en mucho tiempo, desde luego la peor de la saga, o empate con otras 3 al menos. El rival es cosa intensita, y los personajes que interacciones con nosotros en la aventura dan ganas de darles una patada en la boca a todos.

    Lo de la zona central tipo mundo abierto y que los Pokemon de nivel superior aparezcan por ahí es buena idea, pero esta FATAL implementado. Los caminos entre ciudades son cortos y SUPER lineales.

    La dificultad del juego es sin duda lo peor que tiene, he subido 4 equipos de Pokemon a mas del nivel 70 solo en una primera pasada del juego y sin farmear ni nada.

    En fin, una lastima que al final la gente dejara de comprar estos juegos por la baja calidad que tienen y ya vendrán las lagrimas de la compañía.    … Expand
  81. AlexLogan2001
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    The games are very poorly put together and feel rushed despite how long they've been in development. The game is the easiest yet in the series, with you being able to one shot most Pokemon of a higher level as long as you have a basic understanding of typings.
    There are graphical glitches all over the place, ranging from things not spawning in until your right in front of them to time just    The games are very poorly put together and feel rushed despite how long they've been in development. The game is the easiest yet in the series, with you being able to one shot most Pokemon of a higher level as long as you have a basic understanding of typings.
    There are graphical glitches all over the place, ranging from things not spawning in until your right in front of them to time just completely freezing when you are on a ladder. The music is very hit or miss but the main issue with the music is the lack of music, with the worst case being the battle against the title legendary    … Expand
  82. Lobo_Nocturno
    Jan 12, 2020
    1
    A pesar de todas las críticas decidí comprar el pokemon para tener una opinión certera de este juego. Y quedé completamente decepcionado.

    - Los gráficos en algunos puntos como montañas o árboles son de nintendo 64 por decirlo mejor. La potencia de la consola no es excusa ya que The Witcher 3 hizo un juego de mundo abierto con gráficos que nunca había visto en Switch, súper detallados,    A pesar de todas las críticas decidí comprar el pokemon para tener una opinión certera de este juego. Y quedé completamente decepcionado.

    - Los gráficos en algunos puntos como montañas o árboles son de nintendo 64 por decirlo mejor. La potencia de la consola no es excusa ya que The Witcher 3 hizo un juego de mundo abierto con gráficos que nunca había visto en Switch, súper detallados, por lo que jugar con estas gráficas se siente mal para un juego AAA.

    - No se encuentran todos los pokémon. Aunque Game Freak había dicho que era por que requería mucho esfuerzo y mucho espacio para tenerlos a todos programados, cosa que les creímos, resulta que anunciaron una expansion donde van a colocar 200 pokemon más, otra vez, mintieron al poner de pretexto la capacidad del juego para que al final se una estrategia de venta.

    - Es el juego de pokemon más corto y es increíblemente fácil, no representa ningún reto ni te motivan para la crianza. Además de que la historia es inexistente, de verdad no hay historia en este juego, es simplemente recorrer los gimnasios y ya. En los DLC recientemente anunciados van a colocar regiones nuevas con su respectivo pago, a solo dos meses de su lanzamiento... ¿por qué no colocar este contenido de un inicio? Por dinero claro, la codicia es exagerada en este juego ya.

    En general, es un juego mediocre, gráficas de playstation 2, le falta contenido (el cual te venden en un DLC), le faltan pókemon (los cuales te venden en un DLC), le falta historia y le falta mucha jugabilidad. Además Game Freak ha mentido desde el inicio y ha dejado ver su verdadero rostro: codicia extrema al prostituir una saga con paywalls asquerosos.    … Expand
  83. achillescubel
    Nov 19, 2019
    1
    Made to be a handheld game you can play on your TV not a console game you can take with you. Charging 60 dollars. Horrible animations for 2019. No voice acting, with the excuse being they were released in too many languages. Bad graphics for 2019. Missing half the total pokemon. This could have genuinely done something amazing, but gamefreak chose to do the minimum knowing it would sell anyways.
  84. MaxRates
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Probably the laziest made pokemon games... Dissapointed ;(
    Make a proper pokemom game! Even Pokemon Let's Go was better...
  85. dmolken
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    These games are extremely bare bones and rushed. These games almost look like a direct port of a 3DS game. They cut over 50% of the Pokemon, deleted over 100 old moves, and charge 50% more money ($60 vs $40) than the 3DS Pokemon games. On top of that, Game Freak said that they needed to cut 50% of the Pokemon in order to make high quality models and animations for the Pokemon. I'd be okayThese games are extremely bare bones and rushed. These games almost look like a direct port of a 3DS game. They cut over 50% of the Pokemon, deleted over 100 old moves, and charge 50% more money ($60 vs $40) than the 3DS Pokemon games. On top of that, Game Freak said that they needed to cut 50% of the Pokemon in order to make high quality models and animations for the Pokemon. I'd be okay with that if it wasn't for the fact that they lied, and they actually are using 3DS models and animations. Because they are using the 3DS models, there is no reason why they should be cutting over 50% of the Pokemon. Do not support a developer that lies to you. Boycott this game.… Expand
  86. Nesz
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Diseños reutilizados, muchas promesas vacías y tenían mejores diseños los ataques de pokemon stadium
  87. hmlott
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Misses the mark entirely. Pokemon gameplay mechanics are nothing special, the pokemon make the game... "gotta catch em all"... but you can't in this game.
  88. kankanbow
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    -GF cut 500 pokemons, you can only use pokemon from the regional dex. you can't use any pokemon in PvP anymore (specifically the ones you've taken hours to breed and train for online) and you can't create autistically curated teams for other story runs and such.

    -They cut moves (which is frankly worse then the dex cut), they did cut some old gen 1/2 moves that have been powercrept to    -GF cut 500 pokemons, you can only use pokemon from the regional dex. you can't use any pokemon in PvP anymore (specifically the ones you've taken hours to breed and train for online) and you can't create autistically curated teams for other story runs and such.

    -They cut moves (which is frankly worse then the dex cut), they did cut some old gen 1/2 moves that have been powercrept to pointlessness but they also cut actually good moves seemingly at random.

    -They cut features such a riding pokemon, having pokemon follow you, petting pokemon

    -The game looks like **** and worse then pokemon lets go E/P despite being on the same console this being a mainline game and the former being a quick and dirty rehash/cash in to suck money out of lets go casuals.

    -charge $20 more then a 3ds game when it's objectivly a lesser product.

    -Bugs that cause freeze and other issues    … Expand
  89. InsaneSeishiro
    Nov 23, 2019
    3
    While they are certainly not the worst games in the series at the current point in time, they are the worst Pokemon games, relative to their launch by a landslide.

    Constant framerateissues, outdated graphics, lackluster animations and Gamefreaks blatent lies about redoing all those things(I still don't understand why they lied about it, if they just said that they were using the same    While they are certainly not the worst games in the series at the current point in time, they are the worst Pokemon games, relative to their launch by a landslide.

    Constant framerateissues, outdated graphics, lackluster animations and Gamefreaks blatent lies about redoing all those things(I still don't understand why they lied about it, if they just said that they were using the same models, which they did, and threw in all the pokemon as always, nobody would have cared. Mane of the missing pokemon are even on the disc! with models!!!).

    Music is great and I like many of the new design, but the overarching story is rather bland, way weaker than in ORAS and SM. Really sad too see storytelling take such a step back in the game.

    This is also the easiest pokemon game, which is not bad in of itself, but it is so easy that it ends up beeing boring several times. One of the biggest story encounters is literally unusable, even with skipping the entire wildlands and several trainerencounters, I ended up beeing overleveld for most gyms, since the gymleaders have pokemon on lower levels than the wild pokemon in their surrounding area and the game fullheals your entire team between several encounters anyway(During "the thing" that replaced the elite 4, I got healed between every 2 fights. Even if I wasn't, most of their pokemon went down in 1-2 hits, without ever getting a single attack off.

    If you really crave a pokemongame, this will still do the trick, it still gives you that positive feedback loop of discovering new pokemon, catching them and evolving them, but overall, I would recommend playing USUM instead.    … Expand
  90. Rilian218
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partiallyI wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partially scrapped to hastily make it a “Switch” title. All the heart of the game was left on the cutting room floor. There are hints at what could have been an amazing game and there’s beauty to be found here and there. But I can’t help but regret supporting GameFreak and the Pokémon Company with my money. After playing for a little while, I realized that for all of the people saying “You can’t judge it until you played it” and praising the game...they probably haven’t played it either. I can’t imagine they could play this and not feel as empty inside as the wild area is. If you haven’t already bought the game, or if you were planning to buy this for a loved one, I can’t recommend it. If you do and you have fun that’s great! But this really feels like the end of an era of Pokémon games that created fantastic memories and journeys with friends, both Pokémon and those we make in real life.… Expand
  91. Pizzazz
    Jan 25, 2020
    0
    I have no idea how they got everything so wrong, all they had to do was make the same thing they've been making and it would have been fine, but they somehow made it terrible.
  92. Reviewk
    Nov 25, 2019
    3
    Pokemon as a series deserves far better than this. Content from previous games has either been cut entirely or rebranded as something new when it isn't. "Innovations" like the wild area and its free camera have been in games since the late 1990s and Pokemon is just now catching up despite even games like Fire Emblem Echoes having a free camera in its dungeons on the 3DS. Combine that withPokemon as a series deserves far better than this. Content from previous games has either been cut entirely or rebranded as something new when it isn't. "Innovations" like the wild area and its free camera have been in games since the late 1990s and Pokemon is just now catching up despite even games like Fire Emblem Echoes having a free camera in its dungeons on the 3DS. Combine that with a very low level of content, including 2 legendaries to hunt as opposed to 13 times as many in the 3DS release from half a decade ago, a battle tower with 2 modes as opposed to the 7 from a 2010 DS game, fewer pokemon than a 2006 DS game, and a measly 15 hour playtime when you don't pad it out and focus primatily on story progression, and you get a game with little to offer and will be forgotten by this time next year when the next new game is out.… Expand
  93. Shaydows
    Mar 2, 2020
    0
    Even though this was a rushed mess, I would have given this at most a 2/10. However, Gamefreak lied to the entire fanbase about why it's so bad and not a complete game. That combined with my original score makes this a easy 0/10, I wish it could be lower.
  94. Zara_Masters
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    This game is so unbelievably bad, Not just compared to previous Pokemon games, not just compared to previous RPGs, just in general.

    There is barely anything I can possibly compliment, uhh there are a few cute Pokemon? Like every previous game, except they removed 50% of all Pokemon including the cute ones. This game has also been the cause of multiple Switch based glitches. So if you    This game is so unbelievably bad, Not just compared to previous Pokemon games, not just compared to previous RPGs, just in general.

    There is barely anything I can possibly compliment, uhh there are a few cute Pokemon? Like every previous game, except they removed 50% of all Pokemon including the cute ones.

    This game has also been the cause of multiple Switch based glitches. So if you are looking for a Christmas gift, consider a classic Pokemon game? Or just any other RPG.    … Expand
  95. Meteorsmash
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    The Short Version: Hire Genius Sonority again for 3D games. Gamefreak is incompetent.

    The Long Version: GameFreak wanted to spare efforts cutting down content as much as possible for maximum profits, their reason for doing so is: "It's Pokemon! Even if it's garbage it will sell! The consumers are kids and adults who disregard quality after all, right?" WRONG! And I think the overall    The Short Version: Hire Genius Sonority again for 3D games. Gamefreak is incompetent.

    The Long Version: GameFreak wanted to spare efforts cutting down content as much as possible for maximum profits, their reason for doing so is: "It's Pokemon! Even if it's garbage it will sell! The consumers are kids and adults who disregard quality after all, right?" WRONG! And I think the overall Metacritic score speaks volumes. Let me list the issues of the game once again...
    -The game is full of low quality environments and textures.
    -Pop-in is Awful.
    -Cutscenes that look like they were meant to have voice acting makes the game feel awkward...this is inexcusable in 2019
    -ALL FAN-FAVORITE POKEMON CUT FROM THE GAME!! There's NO starters from previous regions, NO fossil pokemon, No legendaries from previous games either, hell, they went out of their way to piss a lot of people off. What was the point of Pokemon Home then??! Greedy and lazy summarizes GameFreak's "efforts" this generation.
    -Story is the most dull and boring I've seen in any pokemon game...
    -Recycled models and animations from the 3DS, AND NO, THEY ARE NOT "NEW" MODELS, THEY ARE THEY VERY SAME! There's a pretty absurd rumor online that the models were made from the ground up, that's an obvious lie, unless you are blind.

    Overall: Gamefreak need to wake up, it's 2019, this piece of garbage is inexcusable, Switch games so far have set the bar pretty high, if you compare this game to Zelda, Mario, Xenoblade, Smash, etc. GameFreak should feel ashamed of themselves for releasing this game in its current state, shame on you...    … Expand
  96. drowzeem
    Nov 28, 2019
    0
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are strong proof that at some point Gamefreak just stopped caring. The level of mediocrity showed in this game is insulting to their fanbase, the game is inconsistent to the core (rushed times and unfulfilled deadlines show clearly). Part of the mediocrity comes from management, a bunch of people rushing the game for the holidays and for 2019. That mixed withPokemon Sword and Shield are strong proof that at some point Gamefreak just stopped caring. The level of mediocrity showed in this game is insulting to their fanbase, the game is inconsistent to the core (rushed times and unfulfilled deadlines show clearly). Part of the mediocrity comes from management, a bunch of people rushing the game for the holidays and for 2019. That mixed with Gamefreaks usual level of mediocrity and laziness is a recipe for disaster. Pokemom became too big for Gamefreak to handle. Is inexcusable that a multi billionaire franchise like this has such poor development team, just sad and disheartening to see such a beloved thing as Pokemon being treated so lightly and rushing it to the point of making it the worst game in the main series. Pokemon stands as the black sheep of beloved Nintendo games. The Legend of Zelda continues to show great games not year after year, they show the game when it’s ready, even if it takes 2 more years, they show respect, they show integrity to provide quality and a magical experience. Gamefreak just wants to finish it and move on to the next one so management and marketing stops bothering them. The recipe for disaster: Bad Management, Marketing that doesn’t care, Unqualified Development Team, Bad Writers, Bad Animators. It just gets worst from here on.… Expand
  97. Sna8solid
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Worst game of the series, in all aspects, the worst of all is dialogue system is primitive and the story boring, i understand, the game is take to a competitive level, but for non pokaddicts, thus game must be avoied.
  98. zanzou
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Shortest mainline pokemon game ever made, no end game, fewest pokemon since generation 3, automatic EXP share means you are always too high-level, models were imported from a low-fi handheld game, terrible graphics and animation, dynamax is a terrible gimmick to replace mega-evolutions.
  99. Skbible748
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    I actually pre-ordered Pokemon Shield even if there is a national dex controversy.
    After I played this game, I have found several faults in this game.
    Above all, I wanna be neutral, objective in this personal review so that anyone who reads this post could be helped. Cons 1. Even if this game is based on Nintendo Switch platform, the graphics are not good enough. It is basically    I actually pre-ordered Pokemon Shield even if there is a national dex controversy.
    After I played this game, I have found several faults in this game.
    Above all, I wanna be neutral, objective in this personal review so that anyone who reads this post could be helped.

    Cons
    1. Even if this game is based on Nintendo Switch platform, the graphics are not good enough.
    It is basically funny to see that there are some drops in its frame rate. You can compare SwSh with other 1st party games such as Splatoon 2, Super Mario Oddysey, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, etc. Those games are set to be 60 fps and it is, only with some minor frame drops.

    However, SwSh? its graphics are worse than those 1st party games. Y'all know that Game Freak and Pokemon IP are so powerful, enormous, influential. So, they must be able to afford to make it look much sophisticated.
    Of course, I acknowledge that for the Pokemon game's standard, it is just good. But, still need more work.

    2. The lack of additional content.
    The removal of the sheer number of Pokemon mush have been compensated by the additional. auxiliary feature, sideline content such as Pokethlon, Poke-contest, etc so the underused, unpopular Pokemon like Delibird, Shuckle can be used to tackle in these league. But, there are no chance.

    Pros
    it became more convenient in some ways, symbol encounter + random encounter makes it look much vivid. That's all.

    Conclusion
    You'd better to buy the second-handed chip rather than buying it from eshop.    … Expand
  100. Eleonor1
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    I’m loving it so far! It looks beautiful to me, it feels like a really good Pokemon adventure, solid like sun & moon. Some tweaks I really like are the option to turn off nicknames, more chances to change moves, no bean farm so far... everything feels more updated with the times. I think it might be hard to return to previous instalments after this one as it’s quite a bit smoother overall.I’m loving it so far! It looks beautiful to me, it feels like a really good Pokemon adventure, solid like sun & moon. Some tweaks I really like are the option to turn off nicknames, more chances to change moves, no bean farm so far... everything feels more updated with the times. I think it might be hard to return to previous instalments after this one as it’s quite a bit smoother overall. I’m really excited and savouring every moment. I don’t think the low user score is an accurate representation of how fun this game is, but more like a protest for dexit. If you’ve never played Pokemon before, you’ll love it! I’ve played all previous generations and I love this one so far, but I never cared particularly for the trade aspect, I always found it cumbersome. I understand if you were truly expecting all previous Pokemon to be in this game, that that aspect disappointed you, but the game is still awesome either way. Don’t miss out on this excellent Switch game!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

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