Pokemon Sword / Shield Dual Pack

 Switch
User Score
4.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 404 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 151 out of 404
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 404
  3. Negative: 229 out of 404
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  1. LuckyAbsol
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Your average pokemon game that'll probably be fun for the casual fan. The story is below par compared to past pokemon games, suffering from clear pacing issues towards the end. The graphics were only slightly better while some of the animations are also lacking. Clear pop ins and low resolutions textures litter the game while severals bugs are also present. For example, the battleYour average pokemon game that'll probably be fun for the casual fan. The story is below par compared to past pokemon games, suffering from clear pacing issues towards the end. The graphics were only slightly better while some of the animations are also lacking. Clear pop ins and low resolutions textures litter the game while severals bugs are also present. For example, the battle backgrounds not always matching up with battle. The quality of life changes were very welcomed but the EXP Share was still too strong and could not be turned off. It's not worth getting both games, get one and trade what you need from someone with Sword. I'm giving it a 4/10 instead of a 5/10 simply because there's no reason to get both as not much changes between them bar a few pokemon.

    I must also add that the soundtrack was very forgettable this time around which is strange for a pokemon game, the postgame is also extremely short with it only being about 1-2 hours long. The battle tower makes a return but it's been stripped down to it's bare bones.    … Expand
  2. Conas
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The good about this game is the same that can be said about other Pokemon games. Exploring is fun, battling is fun, and training is fun. But the wild area was suppose to be a trade off for little routes, but the wild area is fairly small. Pokemon in the over-world don't interact with the over-world save for chasing after the trainer. The weather changes in the wild area are way too sudden. And have the bike become the hm replacer is bad, should've sticked to how SM and LGPE did it. The routes are fairly short and route 7 especially takes less than a minute to cross including trainers. The story is very bland. I don't expect much from Pokemon but after SM I at least wanted to interact with more personal stories characters had. There is no evil team in the game. Team Yell are just Marine fans who like to get in your way. Then turns out they are actually the gym trainers for the 7th gym, Piere's gym. Marine's older brother. It seemed Marine was gonna have a small story arc when we got to the seventh gym, but it was shafted after we beat Piere. The League got rid of the Elite Four and replaced it with a tournament. Not bad , it's execution in this game sucks because it's against Gym Leaders and characters you didn't really bond with. The twist in the game was Chairman Rose wanted to awaken a pokemon with infinite energy for dynamaxing. Dynamax energy runs out in 1000 years btw. He decides to awaken it during the tournament, we literally would've helped after the tournament. But he was too impatient to wait 1 day for a problem that wouldn't happen for 1000 years. The battle against Eternatus sucks, you don't fight whatsoever. The two box legionaries are the only one's that can damage him, and you don't even control them. You're just in the battle was picking whatever move, because it doesn't matter. YOU can't hurt him. After the battles the legionaries jump into the sunset, you don't get to catch one until post game. The game has so much potential, but it just fell flat for me. Also gamefreak, this is scummy releasing the same game so metacritic score is different… Expand
  3. WorriedDenizen
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    From my Sword review:

    Sword and Shield is a shameless, rushed cashgrab. These games are easily one of the biggest disappointments in 2019, and one of the worst JRPGs in recent years, and perhaps one of the worst switch games thus far. The positives of SwSh are few, but they're there. For one, the moveset availability is a lot better since while it sucks to have the good attacks go    From my Sword review:

    Sword and Shield is a shameless, rushed cashgrab.
    These games are easily one of the biggest disappointments in 2019, and one of the worst JRPGs in recent years, and perhaps one of the worst switch games thus far.

    The positives of SwSh are few, but they're there. For one, the moveset availability is a lot better since while it sucks to have the good attacks go back to the 1 use TM system known as TRs, at least moveset potential is still flexible.

    The new pokemon is always a good addition to the ever increasing size of the amount of pokemon that well... would have existed.

    SwSh also brings back the smug @sshole rival archetype that wasn't seen since Silver in gen 2 and it's remakes.

    Yet these are a few compared to the few of many huge downsides below:

    SwSh most common and biggest problem is the cut pokemon. You can't transfer any pokemon from previous games that aren't in the Galarian dex into the games. You have to wait for that potential cashgrab known as Pokemon Home as well. Plus you can't even inject, or even attempt to play as the missing pokemon. Only some of the ones not part of the dex are programmed in, and they're the starters and some legendaries. At least in gen 3, the missing pokemon were programmed in, and you could use gameshark to play with them.

    SwSh also removes mega evolutions, and z-moves and creates yet another gimmick which is inferior, and more broken to the 2 separately. Dynamax and Gigantamaxing are poor gimmicks which only benefit the fast, and powerful mons. What it does is it increases the hp temporarily, and turns all attacks in dyna/giga attacks which are powerful attacks that each one has a secondary effect. All status moves turn into protect. Essentially a temp hp boost with z-moves, and it doesn't take up an item slot.
    This sucks since it just means that in game, the ace mons that are giga/dyna often die in very anti-climatic means, and in competitive play, these mechanics force the other player to utilize it to stand a chance.

    Graphically, the game looks even worse than 3H. Water reflections are off, theres those infamous n64 trees, and the texturing is PS2 tier. Which is an honest to god achievement, how does a game manage to look worse than 3H on the same console. At least 3H has great gameplay, and decent story for the most part, SwSh has none of that.

    The technical aspects, and animations of SwSh is truly atrocious. The games have hideous draw distance, and random FPS drops. the game that does ZA WARUDO whenever the player fishes, or climbs a ladder. Horrible graphics in general, terrible scaling especially for mons like Wailord and Tyranitar. The animations look especially bad on a lot of attacks. The infamous double kick animation, and even the important plot cut scene with the box art legendaries when they just turn around in place.

    The GTS is also looking to be missing which is another huge downside, considering the GTS was pretty much a series staple, and to see it removed adds to the ever growing list of features GF introduces then throws out in the next gen.

    The main story is really short, you could probably finish it in 8-10 hours, and the intrusive dialogue from S/M makes a return in SwSh, meaning the biggest problem with S/M is back again in these set of games. No you cannot skip the dialogue, only the actual cutscenes.

    EXP Share is on permanently and is no longer a key item. This means that training up a low leveled will lead to your other mons being massively overleveled. Oh and for some reason sound settings are locked behind a key item which you have to get from a rather easily miss able NPC.

    The post game is once again barren, perhaps even moreso than XY. You get 2 hours worth of post game, and it's mostly just going to the other gyms and fighting dynamax mons, and then fighting the box art legendaries. That's seriously it. Oh and you can do a gimped battle tower if you really wanted to.

    The biggest crime of them all though. It has most of the flaws which I listed above, and it costs $60 USD. Yeah that's the same price as a triple A game, yet this game is basically a shovelware tier joke.

    Seriously this is supposed Pokemon's mainline series debut on a console? This is what it has to offer? Nothing but pure disappointment, and a total step backwards from a 3DS game? The GC spin offs, and Wii's Battle revolution were a better taste of what a main series pokemon game on a console could have been. But alas here we are, sitting here with quite possibly the worst set of pokemon games ever, and disappointed again after a slew of mediocre 3DS games.

    Stay away from these games, it's not worth your money at all.    … Expand
  4. Metagrass
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    I have also done a review for Pokemon Sword, but as both versions are more or less the same game, I've copied it here.

    This game... is not great. It's not even good. You can't imagine how much that bothers me as a 12 year Pokemon fan to say this, but I have to be honest, I regret buying these games. There is a myriad of issues with this game that give it a feeling of being rushed.    I have also done a review for Pokemon Sword, but as both versions are more or less the same game, I've copied it here.

    This game... is not great. It's not even good. You can't imagine how much that bothers me as a 12 year Pokemon fan to say this, but I have to be honest, I regret buying these games.

    There is a myriad of issues with this game that give it a feeling of being rushed. Firstly the game suffers from many graphical issues. Pokemon, trainers and objects will just pop into and out of the overworld for seemingly no reason, many battle arenas lack backgrounds and trainers will disappear and reappear from them, completely breaking my immersion. Another issue is the game is extremely short. I am already at the 5th gym and I bought it yesterday, I hope that somehow the last 3 gyms take triple the time of the first 5, but from what my friend tells me, this isn't the case. Also my friend tells me that the post game is just the battle tree from sun and moon but with no bosses. The story is extrememly basic too, it is just a carbon copy of the story from one of the other games in the series (of which I'm not going to mention as I don't want to spoil anything). If you thought they were taking a step in the right derection with Sun and Moon's story, then Sword and Shield takes two steps back. As you might expect, the game is really easy, but I don't mean as easy as some of the other games in the series, Sword and Shield is probably the easiest Pokemon game to date. Easy games aren't in themselves a bad thing, but in a strategy game like Sword and Shield, you need at least a basic level of difficulty to make it interesting. Alas, due to the forced (always active) exp share on your whole team, my entire team was so overleveled for each gym. I would just end up dyanamaxing and sweeping the entire trainer's team for each of them with no problem. I really wish you could just turn the exp share off, the game would benefit so much from this. Speaking of the gyms, the challenges for each gym are completely ridiculous. Most of them are boring and had very little effect on the gym battle itself, for example there is one where the gym leader asks you bizzare questions like what you had for breakfast, not impressed with the gyms at all. The game in general is riddled with bizzare decisions like extra volume controls being locked behind an item for some reason and not being able to pet your Pokemon anymore. I would not reccomend picking this game up.

    Now lets address the donphan in the room, the dex cut. Around 60% of the Pokemon were removed from this game along with a handful of moves for the reason of "improving the animations an models". The dex cut wouldn't be much of an issue for your average player, but the animations and models weren't improved at all. The models are just ported from Sun and Moon, scaled up for the Switch and there are less new animations in this game than Sun and Moon due to the lack of Z-Moves. So in short the dex was cut down for absolutely no reason. The smaller dex also limits people's options in online matches and competative, but I haven't played online yet and don't know anything about it so it wouldn't be fair for me to judge it.

    Now that I've finally gotten through the bad things I should list the good. Some of the designs of the new Pokemon are amazing. In typical James Turner (the man who designed many of the Pokemon in this game) style, they're very hit or miss. But the ones that hit, hit hard. The final evolutions of the starters in particular ooze personality, I love them all. The wild area is a great concept, though it's fairly poorly executed it is still fun to explore. The addition of overworld encounters from the Lets Go games is a great idea and makes the world feel way more alive. Sadly though, the good is outweighed by the bad in this game.

    In conclusion, I would not reccomend these games. They are definately the worst in the series and do not justify the Switch price tag. Avoid these at all costs, there are many, far better games on the switch this year, get one of those instead.    … Expand
  5. GFLied
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    From cut Pokemon and moves to cheap graphics, this game does not feel like it was made in 2019. It feels like a budget title as well.
  6. MrJohns
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Its a short, buggy and way to easy Game. They cutted and removed a lot (Dexit, Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves). Graphics are bad, and there are several Technical Issues. And then they Reused a lot and added boring Gimmicks like Dynamaxing. Don't support this kind of Greedy Garbage!
  7. Fanfo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Decepcionante. Si te haces llamar fan de la franquicia no apoyes esta mediocridad.
  8. wetrode
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    For too long the Pokemon company has gotten away with rehashing the same game and selling it like a sequel. Game Freak not only has lied during the release of this game, but they have shown absolute incompetence in the transition from the 3DS to a console more capable than the PS3 or Xbox 360. This is the release we would expect from companies like EA and Activision. If you've played anyFor too long the Pokemon company has gotten away with rehashing the same game and selling it like a sequel. Game Freak not only has lied during the release of this game, but they have shown absolute incompetence in the transition from the 3DS to a console more capable than the PS3 or Xbox 360. This is the release we would expect from companies like EA and Activision. If you've played any Pokemon, you've played sword and shield, except all previous titles just packed more content for a better price. If these games were $29.99 each, it would be passable, but for the most profitable IP in history to deliver an empty husk of it's previous titles for $20 more than it's 3DS releases, is ashame. Don't waste your money.… Expand
  9. Silvally1
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    These games have their faults, a lot of them. The wild area is a mess in almost all categories, new mons look goofy, region is extremely linear, story makes zero since, more hand holdy than the last Gen, level scaling is atrocious.

    But it's not all bad, Camping is cute, max raid battles are a fun way to waste your time, some gym battles can be fun, some interesting characters too. Is    These games have their faults, a lot of them. The wild area is a mess in almost all categories, new mons look goofy, region is extremely linear, story makes zero since, more hand holdy than the last Gen, level scaling is atrocious.

    But it's not all bad, Camping is cute, max raid battles are a fun way to waste your time, some gym battles can be fun, some interesting characters too.

    Is the game an unplayable mess like they claim? No. But is it any good? Eh, for a jump to home console it's pretty lackluster and if you want to go there... unpolished. If you liked the last games you might enjoy it but that's a HUGE might.

    Overall, 3/10 since it's not worth 120 for two.    … Expand
  10. thvbh
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    After "it all comes together" and "ultra changes", generation 8 adds more lies to GameFreak's pile of shame. They promise a lot, and they again fail to deliver in almost every single aspect. This time, however, the technical shortcomings, lack of polish, and shortage of ambition is covered up by a veil of scam-level dishonesty from the developers themselves and a blanket of praise fromAfter "it all comes together" and "ultra changes", generation 8 adds more lies to GameFreak's pile of shame. They promise a lot, and they again fail to deliver in almost every single aspect. This time, however, the technical shortcomings, lack of polish, and shortage of ambition is covered up by a veil of scam-level dishonesty from the developers themselves and a blanket of praise from "unbiased" game critics, whose reviews sound more like advertisements than genuine reviews.

    The decision to cut over half the existing Pokémon from the game under the pretense of filling the game with content and quality animations wouldn't be so bad if the results could be seen in the game. However, the games are just as hollow as their predecessors, if not even more. Complete lack of difficulty, constant hand-holding, horrible plot, insufferable cutscenes and barely anything to do post-game is something that seems we will have to get used to, as it's apparently the new standard from now on, and any future games will probably be evaluated with regards to the bar set this laughably low.

    Pokémon is finally dead. As an avid fan since red and blue, I say it with a heavy heart. What started six years ago, with the release of Pokémon X and Y, finally came to fruition - a game so hollow and dumbed down, that even the awful past two generations look full of content compared to it. What was once a flawed, but ultimately fun franchise with a mediocre, but really passionate team of developers behind it, finally succumbed to the disease of brand-loyalty blinded fanbase that can see no wrong in the games as long as they have the Pokemon logo stamped on. This tremendous fall in quality is entirely their fault and no one else's - this is the best time for GameFreak to implement egregious monetization schemes in their next games, as not only will they evade any criticism from game critics, but will be largely praised for it by a large group of fans, which is truly asinine.

    What's left is to hope that a team of talented developers will see the growing disenchantment with the series and decide to step in, fill the void and dethrone the corrupted king of the monster catching genre.    … Expand
  11. veteranplayer88
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I never think i would give a bad rating to a pokemon game. I'm really dissapointed... that's what happen when you make a lazy game only thinking about money, not listening the players, long time fans. This game is buggy, graphics are mediocre comprared to other switch games, pokemons models are from 3ds, except new ones. But they really lied to us. And the worst, they excluded alot of content. No mega evolutions, no zmoves, lots of excluded moves, more that 400 pokemon excluded. Thats so so bad. I would like to give a good rate, but this is just bad. This game could be good, some new things are cool, but isnt enough. I hope they dont do this again, or i will not buy any more.… Expand
  12. Drezziks
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game feels 50% incomplete. Horrendous draw distance, pixelated shadows, empty Wild Area, and a practically non-existent post game. This is not a game for veteran players, like GameFreak stayed it was.
  13. Ray-Zide
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Overall not worth it excepically for only 400 out of the 890 pokemon and the removal of core features
  14. Noraver
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    What can I say that hasn’t already been said?
    Nintendo/The Pokémon Company need to give the rights to another company. Game Freak has grown lazy, complacent, and puts no effort or passion into these games anymore.
    It definitely is sad when a game 20 years old on N64 (Pokémon Stadium 2), or a game on the Wii (Pokémon Battle Revolution) have more character/personality in their Pokémon    What can I say that hasn’t already been said?
    Nintendo/The Pokémon Company need to give the rights to another company. Game Freak has grown lazy, complacent, and puts no effort or passion into these games anymore.
    It definitely is sad when a game 20 years old on N64 (Pokémon Stadium 2), or a game on the Wii (Pokémon Battle Revolution) have more character/personality in their Pokémon than the mainline games do.
    Not to mention, better animations.
    This is no longer the company/game line I used to know and love.
    The highest grossing franchise in the world, and they can't produce a decent game on the newest console hardware?
    Pathetic, absurd, and genuinely disappointing.

    #GameFreakLied    … Expand
  15. Vartemis
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    To see the franchise sink to lying to players and cutting out half the content is beyond disappointing. The quality drop is apparent and I will not be purchasing future titles.
  16. McCreeSun
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    After 20 hours of playtime my review is a resounding “meh”.

    The game is alright. That’s all. Not the world ending calamity we all thought it would be. I have the same good things to say as everyone else and I have the same bad things to say about everyone else. So I’m not going to bore you with the same old. The problem I have though is “meh” is not good enough for a Pokémon game. Full    After 20 hours of playtime my review is a resounding “meh”.

    The game is alright. That’s all. Not the world ending calamity we all thought it would be. I have the same good things to say as everyone else and I have the same bad things to say about everyone else. So I’m not going to bore you with the same old. The problem I have though is “meh” is not good enough for a Pokémon game. Full stop. We’re talking about a $60 billion franchise here, not some indie studio’s passion project. If this were some no name studio I’d say it was a solid game, probably still not deserving of the high 9s and 4s we’ve seen on review sites, but still an attempt was made.

    But the fact remains that the game is still clearly unfinished. The team wasn’t allowed to iron out the wrinkles to fit holiday release and it shows in the worst way. But I digress. The one complaint I do have that I haven’t seen come trough the network is the convoluted ways some Pokémon evolve. It seems entirely inaccessible to the casual audience they’re clearly pandering to. That’s just a very specific nitpick however.

    tl;dr: SwSh is a good video game, a terrible Pokémon game.    … Expand
  17. DobleC
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    If we were facing a GameCube game, the game would probably have a 7 (due to Dexit and lack of content and animations). But we are faced with a game of the most successful franchise in history (ergo a franchise that generates a lot of money) and sincerely it is shameful the technical work it has. Anyway, if you're not very smart (as with the vast majority of Pokémon fans) you probably won'tIf we were facing a GameCube game, the game would probably have a 7 (due to Dexit and lack of content and animations). But we are faced with a game of the most successful franchise in history (ergo a franchise that generates a lot of money) and sincerely it is shameful the technical work it has. Anyway, if you're not very smart (as with the vast majority of Pokémon fans) you probably won't even notice. As good points, the music is great, the game (when it is not frozen or terrible laggin) looks nice too and you can also finish it in less than 10 hours if you rush, so you can go play any other game of Pokémon that is good (from DS and earlier).

    Lazyness :/    … Expand
  18. thrwycr
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Enormous amounts of cut content, bold-faced lies from developers used as excuses, incredibly poor use of the hardware, overall an obviously unfinished game. Definitively the worse in the history of the franchise.
  19. Shillmons
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I mean, cmon its twice the trash for double the price, at this point its just your fault if you are falling for this
  20. christiansmith
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I don't understand how you can be expected to give a score higher than 0 for a game that not only repeatedly wipes its own save data due to critical bugs, but can also erase save data and game content from *other* games as well.

    Some people defend Game Freak by claiming that this is Nintendo's fault for having built a system susceptible to this sort of error; Nintendo is at fault, in    I don't understand how you can be expected to give a score higher than 0 for a game that not only repeatedly wipes its own save data due to critical bugs, but can also erase save data and game content from *other* games as well.

    Some people defend Game Freak by claiming that this is Nintendo's fault for having built a system susceptible to this sort of error; Nintendo is at fault, in fact, for having left such an absurd vulnerability in their hardware, but Game Freak is perhaps far more idiotic to have designed their game in such a way to allow this sort of damage to be done regardless.

    The game itself is pretty terrible, too, of course, but the technical issues I feel are far more relevant.    … Expand
  21. MEPWAYNINTENDO
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Utter garbage and one of the worst games ever made. Nintendo is a worthless, lazy company who doesn't care about what they put out at all and they just take advantage of little children and people with mental disabilities because they don't know any better.
  22. Atmoslink
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    A shadow of it’s former self, Game Freak continues to demonstrate that they have no idea what makes a game fun and run well too. Large features were removed from past generations and in return we see a price increase. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay points and Sword and Shield being a lazy port of a terrible 3DS game.
  23. Nacaruh
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This "game" have a lot of problem, short and irrelevant history, horrible animation, a lot of cut content and with all that we have to pay $60 DOLLAR for a "3DS game"??? Sorry but this game was a mistake
  24. Liamvida
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    In short, this game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual player and it's desirable that this is nobody's first Pokémon game, least they get the wrong impression. It is the worst Pokémon main duo ever released and the only positive aspects are derived from the standard Pokémon formula. Being understaffed isn't even remotely enough to explain the unacceptable low quality ofIn short, this game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual player and it's desirable that this is nobody's first Pokémon game, least they get the wrong impression. It is the worst Pokémon main duo ever released and the only positive aspects are derived from the standard Pokémon formula. Being understaffed isn't even remotely enough to explain the unacceptable low quality of these games; GameFreak has serious leadership issues.

    This trash heap is the result of complacency, and a lack of effort and dedication. If it had been developed with care and the consumer's satisfaction in mind, it would have been a polished title with a lot of content complementing the new features. Sadly, this is not the case.

    Bugs, no endgame, half pokedex, mediocre graphics, less features than previous games...should I keep talking? Save your money and don't buy this dumpster fire of a game.    … Expand
  25. Sneakybreeze
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Absolute scam. Buy two rushed, unfinished games at the same time.

    Do not support such a poor excuse for a game.
  26. Draco901
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Absolutely pitiful. Half of the entire dex is cut, megas and z-moves are gone meaning far less strategical diversity, the main game is only about 14 hours long, exp share was buffed to make the game stupidly easy, there's practically no side content in the least, practically no post game at all, no elite 4, bland and uninspired Pokemon designs, and a new battle "feature" which is not onlyAbsolutely pitiful. Half of the entire dex is cut, megas and z-moves are gone meaning far less strategical diversity, the main game is only about 14 hours long, exp share was buffed to make the game stupidly easy, there's practically no side content in the least, practically no post game at all, no elite 4, bland and uninspired Pokemon designs, and a new battle "feature" which is not only limited to a handful of battles in the entire game, but fundamentally adds no amount of strategical variance in the slightest. This piss poor excuse of a game isn't even worth the dirt on my shoes. Free fan games have done better and will continue to do better.… Expand
  27. KinMonteste
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    i love pokemon, thats why this hurt me so much, i dont care about pokedex, or metagame, or anything, i came for a game, and for an INDIE GAME this still medyocre 5/10 maybe 4/10, but for a BILLIONAIRE COMPANY THAT IS THE MOST MONEY MAKER TOY COMPANY EVER, THAT ALSO HAVE MANGA, MOVIES, ANIME, TOYS AND 8 GENERATIONS BEFORE THIS is 0/10
  28. Noctis_Strife
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    "Here you can buy the same unfished game twice" - Game Freak
    The First Pokemon I wont buy. First, whats negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing    "Here you can buy the same unfished game twice" - Game Freak
    The First Pokemon I wont buy. First, whats negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing when u climb ladders .. etc. - the highly praised new feature the wild area is empty af, much smaller than trailers suggest and a graphical and technical mess - the post game is extremly blunt and not much to do - the "story" of this game is the worst and thinnest in the franchise - the game is easy af, Game Freak really doesn't care about long time fans - Exp share among the whole team should be optional - some of the music tracks are really annoying and not enjoyable - the pokemon franchise is stagnating, you really see no revolution at all, on the other site there is Zelda and Mario who tried sth new and the games were amazing
    Whats postive: some cool pokemon designs, that's all
    Can't recommend this mess of a game, Go and buy the 3DS Pokemon games, when you haven't played theam already, much more content much more everything    … Expand
  29. Shinku002
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Es el misml juego repetido x2 :v y encima no hacen compatible el banco pokemon(ni el nuevo ni el viejo:v) vale,el mismo analisis va: La peor basura de titulo de pokemon en la historia!,sin megaevoluciones!(lets go pilachu y eevee si tenían), sin movimientos z,reciclado de manera vaga,recortadisimo en pokemones ejem no esta squirtle,bulbasor solo chardmander por charizard :v,recortado enEs el misml juego repetido x2 :v y encima no hacen compatible el banco pokemon(ni el nuevo ni el viejo:v) vale,el mismo analisis va: La peor basura de titulo de pokemon en la historia!,sin megaevoluciones!(lets go pilachu y eevee si tenían), sin movimientos z,reciclado de manera vaga,recortadisimo en pokemones ejem no esta squirtle,bulbasor solo chardmander por charizard :v,recortado en movimientos,los pokemons mas feos que eh visto nuevos!,la hitoria mas corta de todos los juegos de pokemon,el lets go de switch dura 25h, este 15 :v,el diamante y perla 41, esta lleno de bugs,los graficos son de lo peor para una switch!,un arbol y las montañas que ellos enseñaron presumiendo parecian de n64 por dios!, etc,ademas los de nintendo(si los de nintendo quien es el que manda en su querida consola?) presumian de la obra y oda de este pokemon!,en fin, por algo la nota… Expand
  30. SaiyanPride89
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game cut over 100 battles moves!?! What the hell. Over 500 got Thanos’d. No post story. Some textures look like N64 graphics(seriously Gamefreak rehire Genius Sonority to help you make 3D models like they did with Colosseum/XD/Battle Revolution. Story is mediocre. And most importantly Gamefreak lied. I hope the Diamond/Pearl remakes don’t suffer this same fate. As a die hard PokémonThe game cut over 100 battles moves!?! What the hell. Over 500 got Thanos’d. No post story. Some textures look like N64 graphics(seriously Gamefreak rehire Genius Sonority to help you make 3D models like they did with Colosseum/XD/Battle Revolution. Story is mediocre. And most importantly Gamefreak lied. I hope the Diamond/Pearl remakes don’t suffer this same fate. As a die hard Pokémon fan that owns every game from Gen 1-7 and loves competitive battles, I will pass on this game. This Fallout 76 style of controversy. Do better Gamefreak.… Expand
  31. PokeMaster22222
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. There's so many problems with it:

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

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

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

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

    DO NOT SUPPORT SUCH LACK OF EFFORT. DO NOY BUY POKÉMON SWORD OR POKÉMON SHIELD.    … Expand
  32. greninjaX
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    gamefreak lied. they said they were cutting pokemon because they were making new models with high quality animations, but that is simply not the case. everything was recycled from the 3DS game. there was no reason to cut pokemon. gamefreak needs to learn they can't get away with this. don't support this game
  33. SomaKurusu
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Este juego sin dudas es un paso atrás en la saga. Fácilmente puede pasar por un juego de 3ds con mejor resolución. Graficos regulares con animaciones pésimas, Pokedex recortada sin justificación alguna para der un juego de 2019. Mismas mecánicas de hace 20 años sin innovar en nada, historia muy cutre y una banda sonora que cumple y ya. Una decepción para una de las compañías que más dineroEste juego sin dudas es un paso atrás en la saga. Fácilmente puede pasar por un juego de 3ds con mejor resolución. Graficos regulares con animaciones pésimas, Pokedex recortada sin justificación alguna para der un juego de 2019. Mismas mecánicas de hace 20 años sin innovar en nada, historia muy cutre y una banda sonora que cumple y ya. Una decepción para una de las compañías que más dinero recauda al año. Pokemon se ha convertido en el nuevo Call of Duty.… Expand
  34. Hisoka4lyfe
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    "Here we made it easy to buy the same, unfinished game twice"

    Scam. Do not buy as it is a poor product and pokemon deserves better than this.
  35. WeihanZhang
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My friend I am advise please avoid bad game. Not allow purchase support Game Freak Masuda insect bottom coomer.
  36. thesagegreatv
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Now THIS generation is DEFINITELY not worth getting both games for. PLEASE save your money!!
  37. Zasfe
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Tiene gráficos muy malos, muchos bugs, sin pokédex completa, fallos con el autoguardado, sin Megas, sin Movimientos Z, mucho curry que no se pidio, una historia muy mala y aburrida, no explican el lore de eternatus.
  38. Xkayz
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Game feels rushed, incomplete, and limited. Animations often make no sense. Little to no post-game content.
  39. hisoka-kun
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are the biggest disappointment I have encountered in video games. For decades we have dreamed of a mainline Pokemon game on a home console. Leading to the release of the "Let's Go" games, we were ensured that Sword and Shield would be games for true longtime fans. Excitement rose as people prepared for a Pokemon game on Switch with updated models and animations.Pokemon Sword and Shield are the biggest disappointment I have encountered in video games. For decades we have dreamed of a mainline Pokemon game on a home console. Leading to the release of the "Let's Go" games, we were ensured that Sword and Shield would be games for true longtime fans. Excitement rose as people prepared for a Pokemon game on Switch with updated models and animations. And most importantly, people eagerly awaited to opportunity to play with all their favorite Pokemon on a new system.

    These games provide the smallest and most overdue improvements while removing many of the features that make Pokemon games special.

    The ability to use all the Pokemon you've captured and trained over the years? Removed. In fact, over half the Pokemon are unplayable in these games. This is the infamous "Dexit" issue, where GameFreak decided to remove the National Pokedex. The issue is not the lack of National Dex, but the fact that data for over half the Pokemon have been removed from these games. So not only do hundred of classic Pokemon not have Pokedex entries; they cannot even be transferred to these games. It has now been confirmed that models of Pokemon in Sword/Shield are virtually identical to the future-proofed models first created for X/Y two generations ago. There was literally no reason for Game Freak to remove ANY Pokemon, except to ensure that fans will pay for Pokemon Home in a few months.

    GameFreak's excuse for such a blatant omission was that they used the time and resources to focus on animations instead. Anyone with eyes can see that this game has graphics and animations on par with games released for N64 (see the trees in the new wild area) to Wii. The game does not look on par with other current-gen games that were released at the beginning of the Switch life cycle. While series like Zelda and Mario released the best-looking entries on the Switch, Sword/Shield look like slightly upgraded 3DS games.

    The saving grace of Sword and Shield is that they have the name Pokemon in the title. The game plays like any other Pokemon game. You catch and train Pokemon as you progress to beat eight gymleaders and become the Pokemon champion. Some of the new Pokemon designs are pretty cool; but they in no way justify the elimination of over half the previously introduced creatures. This core Pokemon gameplay, which has been unchanged for decades, is the only reason that professional game critics reviewed the game so favorably. It seems a Pokemon game can score a solid "8" just because it plays like any other game in the series. Negative gameplay aspects include a permanent experience share, causing you team to be constantly overleveled with minimal effort, and rendering the game too easy for veteran players. Additionally, a cutscene-heavy and rather short story remains as linear as Sun/Moon with constant handholding which eliminates any sense of freedom or excitement. The new "dynamax" and "gigantamax" mechanics seem cool for about five seconds, until you realize they are just an inferior replacement of mega evolutions Z moves.

    Overall, this game is mediocre at best and insulting at worst. Here was a chance to make a refreshing and revolutionary Pokemon game as a tribute to veteran fans, after the release of the "Let's Go" games that were targeted for a more casual audience. Instead, it is a Switch game with fewer Pokemon than Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (released in 2006 on the DS), and inferior graphics/animations than Pokemon Battle Revolution (released in 2007 on the Wii). Do yourself a favor and skip this generation of Pokemon games -- not only to save yourself disappointment, but also to send a message to Game Freak and the Pokemon Company that yearly, low-effort entries with cut content will no longer yield the cash crop to which they are accustomed.

    For the love of all that is good, do not buy one $30 game twice for $60 each.    … Expand
  40. Guerreroo
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Hate the new Pokemon design they look like zootopia characters, the worst Pokemon so far.
  41. awdwaffges
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Cut corners mixed with a predictable story, laziness and stupid features noone asked for. Don't spend any amount of money on this. Even if you get it for free, don't play it because your time is more **** valuable than anything this piece of garbage could provide you.
  42. fairyfairyfairy
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Terrible lazy boring uninspired.... Zero effort was put into this game. Aesthetics are garbage, visual appeal is NOWHERR to be found. buggy, trashyz
  43. Kurisuda2992
    Nov 21, 2019
    1
    Compared to other Pokemon games that I have played this isn't one of the greats. The game itself isn't all too breathtaking, the battles only got a few animation improvements but that's about it. The wild area is the best part of this game and it slowly becomes dull, the curry cooking and relaxing with your pokemon is great. The one thing that irritated me was the lack of postgame content.Compared to other Pokemon games that I have played this isn't one of the greats. The game itself isn't all too breathtaking, the battles only got a few animation improvements but that's about it. The wild area is the best part of this game and it slowly becomes dull, the curry cooking and relaxing with your pokemon is great. The one thing that irritated me was the lack of postgame content. Dynamax is cool for a little while (4-5 times for me) then it got boring as well. If the game gets some updates in regards to more content or adding pokemon from previous games then I'll raise up my score.… Expand
  44. Aetheryn
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    People will actually play 120 bucks for this flimsy, buggy, corner-cutting travesty? I know I shouldn't be surprised but I still pity those drones.
  45. 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.
    This was a nice packaged deal though    … Expand
  46. 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
  47. nikospant
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    In the beginning I was so excited about the upcoming games and the first couple of trailers seemed entertaining both in designs and the future of the game. As the time passed by, I was feeling less and less excited about the game and I will try to summarize the main points after having already finished the game after only 16 hours of gameplay, as an early copy arrived yesterday.In the beginning I was so excited about the upcoming games and the first couple of trailers seemed entertaining both in designs and the future of the game. As the time passed by, I was feeling less and less excited about the game and I will try to summarize the main points after having already finished the game after only 16 hours of gameplay, as an early copy arrived yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    It is not a 0, but anything above a 2 would be unfair, so my score is gonna be exactly that.    … Expand
  48. AvalonBunny
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    The writing is abysmal, you literary get to watch NPCs deal with the whole story. This is literary the biggest franchise in all of entertainment, bigger than Marvel, Star Wars, or any other competitor, and this is the best they can come up with?
  49. OmegaChase1002
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Just buy Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition, EvoCreo, Temtem, or Yokai Watch instead.
    WHAT the H-E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICK was Gamefreak THINKING!?
    No National Dex, bugs everywhere, cut moves, horrible animations (despite Masuda claiming they would be the best in the series), hand-holding EASY difficulty since we're unable to turn the EXP share off anymore, free full heals literally    Just buy Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition, EvoCreo, Temtem, or Yokai Watch instead.
    WHAT the H-E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICK was Gamefreak THINKING!?
    No National Dex, bugs everywhere, cut moves, horrible animations (despite Masuda claiming they would be the best in the series), hand-holding EASY difficulty since we're unable to turn the EXP share off anymore, free full heals literally everywhere even when not in a Pokémon Center, abysmally short campaign, almost no postgame, a rival who is literally just Hau 2 (right down to his animations), a Champion with an unlikeable egotistical personality, obvious gen 1 pandering, a bug that can actually erase the save data of all your other games saved on your Switch, and a whole host of other problems.
    Stick to the older games from gens 1 to 7. This game is the death of Pokémon.    … Expand
  50. annslow41
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As a fan who's bought (sometimes both version) and played every single mainline Pokemon game and was even in the hardcore training & battling scene for years, I will NOT be buying this game. I will NOT support lazy developers. Both game freak a Nintendo know they COULD have made a great game - the game we've all wanted - the Breath of the Wild of Pokemon.

    But let's face it, they knew    As a fan who's bought (sometimes both version) and played every single mainline Pokemon game and was even in the hardcore training & battling scene for years, I will NOT be buying this game. I will NOT support lazy developers. Both game freak a Nintendo know they COULD have made a great game - the game we've all wanted - the Breath of the Wild of Pokemon.

    But let's face it, they knew people were going to buy the games like hot cakes regardless of how much effort they put in. The promise of an "open world" Pokemon game will be too much to resist, full-well knowing their fanbase will be expecting so much more and that they'll underdeliver. But the bottom line is it's going to sell, so they'll deliver the bare minimum on that and on everything else. It's going to sell and they're going to make their money. Why put the extra effort in? It's a business decision, and as far as their profits are concerned, a pretty good one.

    It's still bullsh*t: a huge disservice to their fans. They know it. We know it. But it's not going to stop them from making their money. Still, I won't be contributing to that because that's not the kind of developer I want to support.    … Expand
  51. Zeriel000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Wow it's so funny that the media doesn't DARE give this game a bad review. This reminds me of Bethesda when nobody dared touch them, but we have to be honest here. This game is a 3DS port with HALF the content and DOUBLE the price.

    I want to know why EVERYONE keeps buying the same game Over and Over and Over again and it's like I'm the only one that notices??? So I'm feeling like I'm    Wow it's so funny that the media doesn't DARE give this game a bad review. This reminds me of Bethesda when nobody dared touch them, but we have to be honest here. This game is a 3DS port with HALF the content and DOUBLE the price.

    I want to know why EVERYONE keeps buying the same game Over and Over and Over again and it's like I'm the only one that notices??? So I'm feeling like I'm going insane!
    This is the most valuable franchise in history, this is a BILLION dollar company and this has been going since 1995! so stop making excuses!

    This game has No graphics, No Story, Half the Pokedex GONE, Mega Evolutions thrown in the garbage, WORST STARTERS SINCE GEN 2! I don't care what anyone says! I'm so DONE!

    Don't waste money on this, if you have a 3DS you're not missing ANYTHING! buy Luigi's Mansion instead!    … Expand
  52. devilxs
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This was a very rushed game and took a big step back on some of the cool features of lets go, such as riding pokemon, or having them follow you.

    Gameplay is very linear and holds your hand the whole way through. Exploration outside of the 2 flat wild zones is non-existent. Your bike rides on water, and with no exploration, moves like surf/dig/cut/etc, have been removed from use.    This was a very rushed game and took a big step back on some of the cool features of lets go, such as riding pokemon, or having them follow you.

    Gameplay is very linear and holds your hand the whole way through.
    Exploration outside of the 2 flat wild zones is non-existent.
    Your bike rides on water, and with no exploration, moves like surf/dig/cut/etc, have been removed from use.
    Certain gym cities are unacceptably short and have 3 buildings.
    Pokedex was harshly reduced. Apparently in exchange for other improvements? (there are none)
    Graphics-wise, it's still behind it's time for a switch game. I think lets go looks better.
    Content is severely limited and being forced down 1 path while my "rival" checks in on me every 5 minutes left me very annoyed.
    Npc models were reused excessively. I've never felt like I was constantly seeing the same character over and over in previous games. Are there even more than 5 unique characters other than the main cast in this game?

    Overall, there's just been too many excuses, too many lies, and just downright disrespect by game-freak to release something like this at practically double the price of previous (content rich) handheld games. It's a slap in the face to fans everywhere and really gives Pokemon games a questionable future.    … Expand
  53. 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.
  54. RealDeal81
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is poorly done. I’d rather watch an rgt85 video thank play this game. Do not buy!!!
  55. AnotherPerson77
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The cutting of Pokemon was a change that I had expected (albeit dreaded) to come sooner or later as the series total Pokemon and alternate forms would continue to grow, I have never had an interest in the competitive landscape or catching every Pokemon so the reveal of the decision was disappointing to me, but somewhat understood. However I still believe this was a poor decision given thatThe cutting of Pokemon was a change that I had expected (albeit dreaded) to come sooner or later as the series total Pokemon and alternate forms would continue to grow, I have never had an interest in the competitive landscape or catching every Pokemon so the reveal of the decision was disappointing to me, but somewhat understood. However I still believe this was a poor decision given that this is the first mainline Pokemon game to be released on a console, this is a big moment for the series and should have been taken far more seriously. I also believe that with a sacrifice this major, something of similar or greater value must be given in return. The cutting of Pokemon could have given Game Freak the opportunity to greatly develop the animations and personalties of the Pokemon kept in the game, perhaps reintroducing following Pokemon or having more dynamic interactions with them. Alternatively, the story and world could be more developed and based around the Pokemon that inhabit the region. Or the graphical prowess of the development team could be shown in the environment, with their time being spent on designing a more interesting world instead of reworking the Pokemon.
    Unfortunately, none of this came to pass. While it is undeniable that the visual design of the game is better than what has come before (with the exception of some poor texture mapping on trees and rocks) I and many others do not believe that it has reached an acceptable level given the superior hardware the games are using. The games feel like an upgrade to Sun and Moon but lack the style that made Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee visually pleasing and still have some incredibly poor textures. Not to mention, the animations for the game have been shown to be reused and to freeze whenever a player climbs a ladder. For a game that had 3 years of development (1 for concept and 2 for production) and is charging £60/$60 at launch (going up against Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey) combined with being a part of the most profitable series in the world, this is completely unacceptable.
    But the biggest and most insulting aspect of these games is Game Freak’s dishonest marketing of the games, only serving to further stoke the flames between the developers and consumers. Not only did Game Freak avoid mentioning the cutting of previous Pokemon until being directly questioned about it by a reporter and later confronted by the angered fan-base, they have also provided blatantly false reasoning for why the cutting was necessary. The studio claimed that the cutting of previous Pokemon was due to them being forced to remodel them for the new hardware, however this was shown to be a malicious lie by data-miners, who discovered that they were re-using the previous models. This also brought their statement that the reason for the cutting of 50% of the previous Pokemon, mega evolution and Z moves was to improve the online and competitive matches into question, with many people believing that these features were cut either out of laziness or as a result of trying to release a new game every year since 2016 (I personally believe the former). While the re-use of previous models is accepted as an industry standard and shouldn’t be criticised, blatantly lying to consumers about your product should never be excused.
    But even with all of the controversy aside, the games still fall short even as Pokemon games. There is very little experimentation, with many of the story elements being reused from Sun and Moon (such as the fake evil team, the main mechanic being the result of a powerful Pokemon radiating a mysterious energy and even many of the character design sharing similar design elements to those seen in previous games). Most of the new elements of the game, such as dynamaxing, feel hollow and meaningless as they were clearly created with the intention of being abandoned next game rather than being included out of a genuine passion to develop and improve on the mechanics of the previous games. No effort was taken to improve on the storytelling of the series (which suffers from an overabundance of cut-scenes) or the difficulty curve (which is pathetically easy), showing a huge disconnect between the studio and their fans.
    The only area of the game that warrants praising is the soundtrack, which is of excellent quality as always and deserves a large amount of praise for the variety of styles and use of soundscapes in some of the tracks.
    Unfortunately, even if you are a hardcore Pokemon fan, their isn’t much this game offers to warrant it’s £60/$60 price. I don’t even believe that £30/$30 wouldn’t be acceptable. I would recommend giving this game a skip, Game Freak should not be rewarded for poorly managing a project and producing a lackluster product (whether by intention or not). By not buying these games, we can hopefully encourage them to produce a better quality game next time.    … Expand
  56. Ferrox
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Each game of itself is only a 3 at best. But at this point in time, cutting content from each game and holding it hostage in another version so you either have to pay for Online Play and reach out to others on the internet to trade you, as well as miss out on a few of the Gym Leader differences, or pay double the already overpriced fees for both versions (and then still you need a secondEach game of itself is only a 3 at best. But at this point in time, cutting content from each game and holding it hostage in another version so you either have to pay for Online Play and reach out to others on the internet to trade you, as well as miss out on a few of the Gym Leader differences, or pay double the already overpriced fees for both versions (and then still you need a second system to trade) means this game is not worth even that.

    A shame, because there are hints of a great idea in this game. Just not executed well at all. Missing over half the pokémon, bad graphics and short gameplay just compound the issues.    … Expand
  57. Kamarr
    Nov 24, 2019
    0
    Hot trash! Cause it's a Pokemon game it's gonna sell regardless of it being bad or great. There are many things wrong with this. 1 being Gamefreak being lazy and it shows. Copy paste trees lack luster Pokedex more than half of the Dex has been cut to bring in hot garbage Pokemon feels like a lot of the older games meant nothing. This is the best franchise in the WORLD and it doesn't showHot trash! Cause it's a Pokemon game it's gonna sell regardless of it being bad or great. There are many things wrong with this. 1 being Gamefreak being lazy and it shows. Copy paste trees lack luster Pokedex more than half of the Dex has been cut to bring in hot garbage Pokemon feels like a lot of the older games meant nothing. This is the best franchise in the WORLD and it doesn't show period. No real end game beyond online battling and Battle Tower and a tournament mode which is very dull. I'd give this a 0 but I feel they deserve a 4 cause at least the wild area and such was pretty legit beyond the copy paste tree's and water that looks like tar. Another thing to add is the fact that the Online capabilities of this game is trash and no GTS? like give me a break.… Expand
  58. 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.
  59. Tmato
    Nov 18, 2019
    1
    Not worth buying 2 copy of same game. Only have 3 or 4 different pokemons and two dif gym leader
  60. Underrated
    Nov 26, 2019
    2
    "The lowest improving pokemon generation", thank you Gamefreak for trying to break the old thing but it turns into worst with your lazy nature. The first worst of this generation is cutting the pokemon without reasonable but with many excuse to make sure you could go comfort zone. The second worst, you committed that you will never update other patches to add cut pokemons, this so attacks"The lowest improving pokemon generation", thank you Gamefreak for trying to break the old thing but it turns into worst with your lazy nature. The first worst of this generation is cutting the pokemon without reasonable but with many excuse to make sure you could go comfort zone. The second worst, you committed that you will never update other patches to add cut pokemons, this so attacks fan hearts who believe the core of the pokemon in the concept "Catch 'em all". The worst of this generation, you complained about animation of 3DS how it poor but your ruined your mouth with lazy by using all recycled animations and while you couldn't make the scene of battle to be good. Plus the open world is the worst but I expected it to be good with patch if you read this little comment. 2 points for you made open world but it so poor. bye see you next gen.… Expand
  61. 360barrier
    Nov 24, 2019
    0
    Awful graphics, awful controls, awful camera and bad theme. This is a pretty mediocre release in every way. Graphics are like welcome to five years ago. Were they blindfolded when making the camera? Main character is boring. Hopefully this is the last game in the series.
  62. Eleiyas
    Nov 26, 2019
    1
    I'm giving this "dual pack" a 1/10.
    Each game on its own merits a 5/10.
    So, why am I giving the dual-pack a 1/10 when that doesn't seem right? It's simple. Back in the past, in the "early days" of Pokémon, there were massive differences in the different games. The best example is Sapphire/Ruby. You had different Pokémon, a different evil team, different story elements, different    I'm giving this "dual pack" a 1/10.
    Each game on its own merits a 5/10.

    So, why am I giving the dual-pack a 1/10 when that doesn't seem right? It's simple. Back in the past, in the "early days" of Pokémon, there were massive differences in the different games.
    The best example is Sapphire/Ruby. You had different Pokémon, a different evil team, different story elements, different legendary, etc.

    In these particular games, you are basically buying the same game twice. It's a scam to be honest. The only differences between Sword and Shield are 2 or 3 different Pokémon, a different Gym leader and a different box-art legendary. So, 4 different Pokémon total and a different Gym leader. Everything else is the same. There are no story differences, no evil team differences, no area differences, nothing.

    The only time it is warranted to buy both versions is if you have 2 kids and you buy one version for one kid and the other version for the other kid (or in a couple). Otherwise, don't buy into this scam GameFreak have been running since the 3DS days, you only need 1 copy of either game. You can trade with other people for the 4 different Pokémon.    … Expand
  63. Stoys
    Jan 20, 2020
    1
    game is too short. story is lacking! endgame is terrible! you feel like you have to rush too complete the game and dex too have any endgame. and when you are there. you get bored FAST!
    there are simply not enough pokemon here, and where is the new mythical pokemon? the game in total is terrible! and this is not good enough total! online play is also insane bad! also shiny hunting is the    game is too short. story is lacking! endgame is terrible! you feel like you have to rush too complete the game and dex too have any endgame. and when you are there. you get bored FAST!
    there are simply not enough pokemon here, and where is the new mythical pokemon? the game in total is terrible! and this is not good enough total! online play is also insane bad! also shiny hunting is the worst ever. cause its not any fun. its basicly only mesuda cause the rest is just not fun. for eks. shiny hunting for a feebas that has a 2% spawn rate. i fished for 1 hour without encountering 1. soo you do the math. hatching eggs are basicly the only way. and its boring! so there is simply no fun endgame!    … Expand
  64. kankanbow
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    -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
  65. nafechinde
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    i think this is time that we start making nintendo as a publisher of **** games also accountable, they are all involved in making **** games and making fools of consumers
  66. ririechan
    Nov 20, 2019
    1
    the games gives nothing more than the previous games.
    Features, like mega evolution and half of the national pokedex, had been removed in exchange of a broken mechanic.
    Quality is extremely poor for a switch game, it's more comparable to an enhanced 3ds graphic main plot bad and short even for a pokemon game and the wild areas, strong point of this game, are just empty space where    the games gives nothing more than the previous games.
    Features, like mega evolution and half of the national pokedex, had been removed in exchange of a broken mechanic.
    Quality is extremely poor for a switch game, it's more comparable to an enhanced 3ds graphic
    main plot bad and short even for a pokemon game and the wild areas, strong point of this game, are just empty space where pokemon suddenly pop out
    it's better to play a 3ds game, which gives you more content and a decent post-game, since this game offers nothing in that regard as well    … Expand
  67. AnRPGFan
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In my opinion, Sword/Shield is weaker than all previous Pokemon games in practically every aspect. There's so many different ways you can look at this game and no matter what it always falls short compared to previous entries.

    Length-wise the game is short, you could potentially beat the main story in one sitting. It still feels like you're playing a handheld game made to be played in short bursts rather than a huge home console game. While this is mostly due to the story's actual length, I'd say the blame also falls partially on the difficulty. I understand that mainline Pokemon games have never really been hard, but this game takes it to another level. In my experience, it felt as though you would have to be constantly going out of your way to gimp yourself to bring any sense of challenge at all. Playing through the game "normally" felt absolutely brainless this time. The post-game content is also what has now become the standard barren experience we've seen in the past couple of generations. There's the usual short story expansion and Battle Tower. It seems to mostly exist just to nudge players toward online interactions with PvP battles or exploring the Wild Area.

    The story is nothing special and, in my opinion, weaker than previous entries in the series. It feels like the developers weren't sure what to do and ended up creating a sort of caricature of past Pokemon stories. Just your standard Pokemon story but with completely ridiculous villains, even for what would be considered the "norm" for Pokemon. I thought the post-game story's plot and villains actually had potential, but they're obviously only around for a short while and thing wrap up way too soon.

    Presentation might be where this game hurts the most. As far as Graphics go the game will bounce from looking amazing to looking like a middling budget Gamecube title. Major story moments look mostly great but then something like wild area is just the polar opposite. Music in this entry is incredibly weak compared to previous entries in my opinion. So many songs are just grating to me and very few stick out. The average Pokemon game doesn't wow me with its music, but it's never been outright bad like in Sword/Shield at times. One sort of small aspect of the presentation that really bothers me is the how battles look. Pokemon are still poorly scaled like they were in battles in other 3D entries. In extreme scenarios like with Waillord this looks completely ridiculous. The majority of Pokemon are still animated to look totally lifeless which is jarring when compared to many of the new, pretty animations given to the moves themselves. Battle issues don't just stop at the Pokemon, I would describe the trainers as robotic in battles outside of scripted scenes. They just stand around and won't react to their Pokemon getting hurt or anything. All of these roll together to make battles feel as far from immersive as possible; they feel closer to simulations of Pokemon battles than actual Pokemon battles.

    The design of the world as a whole I would just say is okay. Towns look pretty and are well-made but are generally lacking in depth which leads to exploring them not feeling very fun. Routes and dungeons, however, are much worse. They're incredibly simplistic and railroaded this time, which leads to very little exploration. If a player wants to explore, the only option is really the Wild Area. Running around in the Wild Area can be fun, but it feels pretty empty and a bit too large for its own good. The world itself is just okay at best, but I was mostly satisfied with the characters in it. Most of the NPCs in the region look nice but don't feel particularly active in the overworld. The new Pokemon of this region are mostly great, but that's obviously to be expected. My favourites are probably the new fossil Pokemon.

    I'd say the new major additions this game brings to the table are a mixed bag. The Wild Area is a great concept, but it ends up feeling empty and what I'd describe as tech demo-like. Pokemon Camp is a big letdown in my opinion. It's this entry's version of Pokemon Amie and Refresh but it doesn't do much new. Just the usual interacting with Pokemon except now you have multiple (awkwardly) walking around at once and can play with a ball. The QoL changes are pretty great, however. With nature mints and the ability to breed egg moves onto existing Pokemon you can now take any Pokemon and make it competitively viable. This means you can eventually take Pokemon you had with you through a single player adventure into online competitive battles with almost no downside. The issue, of course, is that these additions come with the trade off of other major features being removed. In particular, the game's lack of the GTS is just insulting.

    Overall, I see Sword/Shield as easily the weakest mainline Pokemon game. If you skipped out on past Pokemon games I'd recommend you look there for a Pokemon fix before even thinking about this game.    … Expand
  68. LarsCramer
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    CONS:
    The dex cut. You can't transfer non-Galar mons outside of a small handful. Pokemon Home is not a solution, I like my mons on a physical cartridge I own and not on a server who knows where. Pokemon Bank won't last forever, eventually it won't be possible to transfer from older games at all.
    Reused models. It would be obvious even if I wasn't actively thinking about it because of you    CONS:
    The dex cut. You can't transfer non-Galar mons outside of a small handful. Pokemon Home is not a solution, I like my mons on a physical cartridge I own and not on a server who knows where. Pokemon Bank won't last forever, eventually it won't be possible to transfer from older games at all.
    Reused models. It would be obvious even if I wasn't actively thinking about it because of you guys. It looks bad.
    The opening drags. Before you can challenge the gyms, you have to talk to like three other people.
    The game crashed. It only happened once, but I still prefer my AAA games to not crash.
    Characters disappear when you're far away. The only reason I didn't realize this was a problem at first was because I'm nearsighted IRL.
    The entire plot with the chairman. You go break into his building because the plot says so, then there's a weird non-animated cutscene, and finally an anticlimactic boss fight where the version mascots do most of the work.
    I'm about to fight the champion, and I don't feel anything.
    Postgame consists of a series of battles against Dynamax pokemon at gyms and a couple of rematches. Battle Tower is as barebones as they come.

    PERSONAL GRIPES:
    Hop is an idiot

    PROS:
    Random encounters were changed to be less annoying, and there are plenty of overworld encounters
    Most of the gym leaders have good designs and fun personalities (grass dude still looks weird tho)
    Bede and Marnie are alright rivals

    Rating this lower simply because it's not worth buying both of them for $120.    … Expand
  69. Nomorehashtags
    Nov 17, 2019
    4
    It has a lot of little improvements over previous games and makes some interesting premises with some of the ideas it implements but massively cuts back on features in past games which were actually good, plus the overall game comes off as incredibly short plot wise and underwhelming in terms of girth of traditional content (route and dungeon variety). It also doesn't help that the gameIt has a lot of little improvements over previous games and makes some interesting premises with some of the ideas it implements but massively cuts back on features in past games which were actually good, plus the overall game comes off as incredibly short plot wise and underwhelming in terms of girth of traditional content (route and dungeon variety). It also doesn't help that the game more or less encourages you to just play solely with your starter since your other 'mon will get exp from battles anyhow so there's no point in swapping out since everyone will be kept at similar levels unless you pick up an exceptionally low leveled late game Pokemon which even then you can now boost with exp. candies which is a nice feature addition although makes more sense as a post-game item and should be a crutch on which the game can lean on due to a poor level curve. £120 is a joke for both, just trade.… Expand
  70. Silvallymadeit
    Nov 17, 2019
    2
    My copy of Sword and Shield came in the mail a bit early yesterday, and while Sword and Shield are pretty cute games, I have to admit there are some glaring problems that make this game feels like it was needed to bake in the oven a tad bit longer. For starters, I just want to say I never cared for the controversy surrounding these games about not being able to transfer all of yourMy copy of Sword and Shield came in the mail a bit early yesterday, and while Sword and Shield are pretty cute games, I have to admit there are some glaring problems that make this game feels like it was needed to bake in the oven a tad bit longer. For starters, I just want to say I never cared for the controversy surrounding these games about not being able to transfer all of your pokemon, so this review is in no way biased towards that. There are, however, other issues that did drag down the experience for me. I often ran into performance issues. Frame drops, trees or objects randomly popping up in view; and while at times the game does seem beautiful and comfy, at other points the game almost seemed sloppily put together.
    The games are far too easy to the point of boredom, even for a Pokemon game. I felt myself being overleveled very quickly. I was often taking down opponents only in one singular attack, despite not going out of my way to fight many monsters. The new EXP share, which spreads experience across your whole party, seems to amplify this problem. It seems as if the game was not balanced with this feature in mind, as my entire team were several levels ahead of our opponents for most of- if not, the entire game. The adventure lasted roughly about 12 hours for me to complete, which is awfully short for an RPG, and there isn't much you can do after the journey is over. Might I add this game only has 10 routes, previous entries having about 30ish.    … Expand
  71. pia-chu
    Nov 17, 2019
    0
    Odio que no tenga la pokedex nacional y que no pueda transferir los pokemones de mis juegos anteriores, muy enojada por eso. Además, gráficas no dignas de la consola, el juego es caro y se acaba en 30 horas. No lo vale, ya no seguiré comprando más juegos en preventa
  72. Parzivalz
    Nov 17, 2019
    3
    Can't **** understand why people like this game. The beginning is cool then it gets down to being uncool. you just left out
  73. BugsyNanusu
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    A bug filled mess with less Pokemon than Diamond/Pearl. Non-existent difficulty. Graphics that look worse than the Pokemon games on the Gamecube. Do not support this cash grab!
  74. noxer94
    Nov 18, 2019
    0
    Game left a lot to be desired. As a long time pokemon fan I was expecting so much more.
    Wild area which was supposed to be the selling point of the game looks bland with not much else to do other than catch some pokemons - there really is not much to explore, if anything at all.
    The story left a lot to be desired; it was okeish up until the 3rd gym, then it felt rushed and not very well    Game left a lot to be desired. As a long time pokemon fan I was expecting so much more.
    Wild area which was supposed to be the selling point of the game looks bland with not much else to do other than catch some pokemons - there really is not much to explore, if anything at all.
    The story left a lot to be desired; it was okeish up until the 3rd gym, then it felt rushed and not very well worked on. I know it is supposed to be a story for kids, but even then, the story felt very much unispired, boring and lackluster when compared to other pokemon titles. We are introduced to game elements out of nowhere and the explanation for those - giantmaxing - is as bland as it could be.
    Speaking of game elements - a lot of game definiting elements are missing. No national dex (more than 60% of the pokemon were cut! last time we had such few pokemons it was 2006 and pokemon pearl was being released!), no mega evolutions, no z moves, more than 150 moves were cut...you get the point.
    Game looks bad for a switch release. Let's be honest here, pokemon was never about graphics, but this is the freaking switch and there were to be expected MUCH better graphics than the ones we got. Pokemon Battle Revolution from 2006 looks BETTER than this! Models are LITERALLY the same as the 3DS ones for XY released in 2013, animations are poor, and textures are horrible albeit masked by some good lighting effects.
    The sound is also not the best. There are some crucial parts where we dont even got music going on due to pure laziness. Music used to be great, but honestly it's quite bad in sword and shield.

    I beat the game in 15h, its shorter than the other titles and the postgame is pretty much non existent.    … Expand
  75. himbaba78406
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    劍跟盾一樣爛
    而這個版本只是雙倍的爛而已
    建模的問題大家都知道
    這款遊戲絕對不會讓我喊〝真香〞來去買
    抵制GF讓牠製作好下一代寶可夢
  76. Jomo2306
    Nov 19, 2019
    0
    From the gameplay to the tress, to the background battle scenes, joke of a “wild area” poor animations essentially no post game. After playing this “game” it feels rather unfinished, unpolished and sloppy. Second worse game behind Pokémon let’s go. I would not recommend buying this game. The dex takes a back seat compared to how the game actually plays.
  77. Insejnar
    Nov 19, 2019
    2
    Where do i begin... I was really hopeful for these games thinking how cool it would be to play a mainline pokémon game on a console and how it will look way better, It didn’t look better. Framerate dropping during cutscenes and battles felt reasonable on the 3ds sun and moon era but now it baffles me how the games can look so cheap with such terrible animations when walking or when usingWhere do i begin... I was really hopeful for these games thinking how cool it would be to play a mainline pokémon game on a console and how it will look way better, It didn’t look better. Framerate dropping during cutscenes and battles felt reasonable on the 3ds sun and moon era but now it baffles me how the games can look so cheap with such terrible animations when walking or when using some attacks. This could’ve been amazing but gamefreak messed it up. Still no character customisation apart from choosing skin colour and clothes/hair. I was really hyped to get a mantle like leon but that seems impossible.

    And then we get to the pokemon and the ones they chose to bring over. When they announced the end of national dex i said fine, they will be able to pick the right pokemon from each generation. But now that I’ve played through both games it feels like a huge troll. I saw maractus, throh and sawk, diggersby, pelliper, vanillite line, delibird, baltoy, seismitoad, BASCULIN!?, barbaracle, elgyem and beheeyem, shiinotic and just dumb **** Sure there’s some good choices like machamp, lucario, gyarados and excadrill but overall it’s a huge disappointment. Also charizard gets sucked off again and i hear people are not happy about that. It has some good ideas like the wild area and dynamaxing but it feels tedious that the Gigantamax form raids are Impossible to find if you aren’t the luckiest person alive. The online raidsystem does not work it’s impossible to get into a good raid and if you are connected online while in the wild area the game starts lagging and people and pokemon can appear out of the blue because the game’s rushed.

    It feels bad to say that the franchise I’ve always loved and respected has let me down so much.
    2/10    … Expand
  78. Mack_thge_Sack
    Nov 21, 2019
    0
    I'm going to state my points and not my emotions, (although, i'm quite unhappy with gamefreak)

    1. People say not having every Pokemon in the game is "reasonable", why? i ask that because previous games on the DS, a solely handheld/portable system. (that I'm willing to bet has far less processing power than the switch) X and Y, OR/AS and Sun and Moon, Contained every pokemon and they are    I'm going to state my points and not my emotions, (although, i'm quite unhappy with gamefreak)

    1. People say not having every Pokemon in the game is "reasonable", why? i ask that because previous games on the DS, a solely handheld/portable system. (that I'm willing to bet has far less processing power than the switch) X and Y, OR/AS and Sun and Moon, Contained every pokemon and they are 3DS games, you're telling me that it was possible to put them all in those games but it was too much work to put them all into a CONSOLE game. i'm gonna call **** especially when there are those of us spending 120$ on both versions.

    2. Gigantamax and Dynamax is stupid(just an opinion(but the right one)), a) mega evolution had Twice as many forms making it much more versatile and meaning more people could have their favorite pokemon become even more powerful. 48 mega evolution, 20 some odd gigantamax.
    b) Sure every pokemon can gigantamax, but, you cant gigantamax whenever wherever like with mega evolution, also having your pokemon simply become giant and lose all of its unique moves (in my opinion) is far less appealing than keeping the moveset that i designed to work a specific way, if i wanted z-moves id play more sun and moon i don't care for your knockoff "dynamax" moves
    c) the ONLY way to get gigantamax is thru luck, in max raid battles, or through possible future events, so if i want to make sure my pokemon has the proper IVs, ability, Nature and characteristic i should probably just forget gigantamax unless i wanna spend every waking moment scouring the wild area, it makes the new staple for battling extremely inaccessible and undesirable

    3) finally the lack of content is absurd, i was waiting for maybe a second wild area(maybe in that snowy region) or something maybe a new post game area like previous games but its nothing its a tiny region(maybe the smallest so far) with short poorly thought out routes, uninteresting caves, Absolutely no Victory Road. and back to the lack of mons in the game, if they didn't put time into the out world, they obviously didn't put any more time and effort into animations than they did with X/Y-US/UM, no work on the plot of the game, then where did the resources go? gamefreak has either a lot of work in updates to do or pokemon is gonna be a thing of the past and ill just keep playing my DS versions where i can keep my longtime companions.    … Expand
  79. BrokenPond
    Nov 21, 2019
    3
    The game looks great and the new pokemon are designed awesome, but the biggest concern is the online system. There are no menus for interacting with your friends so they introduce link codes which has never been a good system. To trade both players have to put up a post with the same link code connecting them both. The odds of more then 2 players using the same code turn out to be prettyThe game looks great and the new pokemon are designed awesome, but the biggest concern is the online system. There are no menus for interacting with your friends so they introduce link codes which has never been a good system. To trade both players have to put up a post with the same link code connecting them both. The odds of more then 2 players using the same code turn out to be pretty high. picking random codes like 8267 or 1906 and so on almost always connect to randoms at some point, causing trades to take longer. Not to mention that friends trade request, even with link codes, have a horrible time connecting together. At one point i spent 45 minutes trying to connect to a friend to trade, never connecting. On top of that, the retraction of many basic online features such as no gts make the late game and replayability so much less compared to all its predecessors. After all the outrage over the, "dexit," i have had a very positive mind going in trying to find the good, but either the switches online capabilities fail it, or the game itself is flawed.… Expand
  80. Samk-sunh-sam
    Nov 24, 2019
    0
    Positive :
    + Pretty awesome new pokemon designs, with the return of the regional forms.
    + Pretty solid OST, with tracks like the wild area, or the gym battle theme. + Amazing art style, with this football (or "soccer") theme which gives the game a pretty original feeling that was never seen before on the main game, and of course the brittish inspiration for the region. + Pokemons who    Positive :
    + Pretty awesome new pokemon designs, with the return of the regional forms.
    + Pretty solid OST, with tracks like the wild area, or the gym battle theme. + Amazing art style, with this football (or "soccer") theme which gives the game a pretty original feeling that was never seen before on the main game, and of course the brittish inspiration for the region. + Pokemons who appears out of the grass, which gives the world a little bit more life.
    + Return of a more evil rival.
    + Some animations are pretty good.
    + Less annoying tutorials who are much more shorter. + A little bit of quality of life improvement here and there.
    Negative :
    - Game way to easy, with people who heal your pokemons evey five meters. Game freak lied to us saying that it was a game for the veterans.
    - No multiple save sloths, which is pretty scandalous for a game from 2019.
    - No difficulty setting, which should now be normally a standard, resolving the problem with the fact that the game is way to easy. - Around 60% of the Pokemons from the series where cut whith the disappearing of long time fan favorites, reducing the diversity in the multiplayer mode.
    - Disappearance of fan favorite features like mega evolution and Z-moves.
    - Pretty uninspired and boring new battle gimmick whith the dynamax and gigantamax, who don't change much the gameplay. - Horrendous UI.
    - To much cinematics wich ruins the pacing and the rythme. - Pretty ugly, empty, lifeless, and tiny wild area, whith not much to do in it except to catch some random wild pokemons and compete in m dynamax raid. The wild area is'nt the pokemon open world experience promised by the marketing, in reality, it looks more like the Hyrule Plains from Zelda Ocarina of Times in N64, in terms of graphics and size, except that in the Hyrule Fields are less empty and that the Wild Area, who suffer from terrible frame rate problem and pop in, appears in a game from 2019 in a pretty powerful console who can run Zelda Breath of the Wild, and not from a game that released in 1998! In the end, the wild area where one of the worst part.
    - Models wich didn't change from X and Y to Sword and Shield, which is pretty embarrassing when one of the excuses for the cutting of 60% of the pokemons where that they wanted to remake all the old models, which would'nt be possible without cutting some creatures.
    - Pokemons out of the grass are very lifeless and don't interact whith the environment surrounding them.
    - Worst starter trio of all time in the history of the franchise.
    - Alot of bad animations that are often reused from former games, which is insulting  when one of the excuses for the cutting of 60% of the pokemons where that they wanted to improve the animations, which would'nt be possible without cutting some creatures. - Horrible second rival wich is just an naïve little dumb child without depth.
    - Pretty terrible story which is very predictable and badly showcased. - A ridiculous short mainline quest that keeps going during 15-20 hours.
    - Terrible pop-in. - A pretty low number of new pokemons. - A game which is way to much linear. - A price way to high
    If this game showed something to the world, is how the Pokemon franchise has little to no evolve in the past, and how Game Freak doesn't care much more his fans. If this was a little indie gale for 3DS, I would have been quite impress. The problem is that pokemon is the most valuable multy platform franchise in the world, making billions of dollars, and they're saying that they can't afford us a AAA experience? In all what Pokemon sword and shield can offer, you can feel how rushed and flawed the game actually is. The annual pokemon releases are killing the franchise. If you do'nt believe me, imagine what this game could have been if Game Freak had mobilize more staff and lef one or two more years of development. Nothing is impressing and new for the franchise, except for the new pokemons and the controlable camera in the wild area. It's pretty sad to see this franchise being handled like this when you see Mario and Zelda, which are franchises which make much less money then pokemon, getting games like Zelda Breath of the Wild or Mario Odyssey. I am so sick of the peoples who still buy it even if it's bad, because it encourages the laziness of Game Freak, knowing that the game will sale well anyway. This is why I'm giving a bad review that is so sharp, for an awakening to the brain dead fanboys and for the laziness and the lies from Game Freak.
    I would personally only recommend the game to hard core pokemon fans with low standards and to very young child and maybe for the strategy pokemon players. For the others, do'nt buy it if you are awaiting for a quality product, stay away from it at all cost to this cheap money grabbing game.    … Expand
  81. fiTy
    Nov 29, 2019
    2
    An RPG game with competitive online system with more exploits than its 20+ years ago predecessors.
  82. KANATA
    Dec 15, 2019
    0
    I think GameFreakneed to see these ratings and review why. If it wasn't called pokemon, the game wouldn't have sold well
  83. AKALucio
    Dec 24, 2019
    2
    It is now extremely clear that GameFreak puts much more effort and focus on creating characters suitable for merchandise than on delivering a quality product. Low-res textures, cheap animations and the boring and too easy-to-master fighting system are just the tip of the iceberg. The settings are uninspired and lazily structured, built to serve neither gameplay, aesthetics or storytelling.It is now extremely clear that GameFreak puts much more effort and focus on creating characters suitable for merchandise than on delivering a quality product. Low-res textures, cheap animations and the boring and too easy-to-master fighting system are just the tip of the iceberg. The settings are uninspired and lazily structured, built to serve neither gameplay, aesthetics or storytelling. The soundtrack is ok, not spectacular or memorable, but the old-school sound effects feel much more gamey and artificial than vintage and iconic. The absence of voice-acting in a fully animated game is very deceptive and contributed to the cheapness of the experience. The gameplay, that often managed to be easy to learn but hard to master, leading lots of young and less-young players to enjoy the experience, has now become plain easy and lacks the features that define an interesting fighting system.

    I'm very sorry to witness how critics can't be brave (or experienced) enough to manifest their view on this atrocity of a game. The art that was put here is completely wasted in order to feed the selling machine that the Pokémon franchise has become. Shout-out to the artists and designers that really put their effort and managed to stand out despite the abysmal product that this company has led to create.    … Expand
  84. Tpleasure
    May 15, 2020
    0
    Bad game play. Doesn't have all Pokémon. Really boring. Bad FPS. I really think this game is trash. I would never reccomend this game to anyone. Please don't buy it
  85. shimstar
    May 15, 2020
    2
    I’m gonna keep the review short. Biggest problem of the game is that there isn’t much of an endgame. Nothing to really do if you finish the storyline and what not. I shiny hunt but that alone doesn’t hold up really. Also the first halfish of the game feels like a hand hold not letting you to really play the game. Some of the new Pokémon looks good but as well many look pretty ugly. I’mI’m gonna keep the review short. Biggest problem of the game is that there isn’t much of an endgame. Nothing to really do if you finish the storyline and what not. I shiny hunt but that alone doesn’t hold up really. Also the first halfish of the game feels like a hand hold not letting you to really play the game. Some of the new Pokémon looks good but as well many look pretty ugly. I’m also not a fan of how they removed half of the moves from previous games. Also the giga cr*p feels very uninspired imo. my BIGGEST complaint is about how bad some of the animations are and that they can’t even scale some Pokémon right ruining the image of how we thought of that Pokémon

    I like some music and characters. And some areas. Also like the raiding aspect of the game.    … Expand
  86. WillfulFirefly
    Jun 19, 2020
    4
    After having finished "Pokemon: Shield" in around 25 hours, I felt immediately compelled to type a review because this is the most disappointing entry into the Pokemon video game line-up that I had ever experienced. This is tragic for me - to say the least - because I went in with decent expectations and with hopes that this would succeed prior Pokemon video games well. Sadly, it feelsAfter having finished "Pokemon: Shield" in around 25 hours, I felt immediately compelled to type a review because this is the most disappointing entry into the Pokemon video game line-up that I had ever experienced. This is tragic for me - to say the least - because I went in with decent expectations and with hopes that this would succeed prior Pokemon video games well. Sadly, it feels more like a huge step back with some promising features that I hope future entries consider keeping and improving.

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

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

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

    Conclusion: My recommendation is to wait for a sale - around $40; it's not worth the full price of $60 if you're a long-time Pokemon gamer. By Pokemon video game standards, "Pokemon: Shield" is the weakest entry to the franchise. However, that's not to say that it's a bad game: it's passable and this is the problem because past Pokemon video games are not "passable". I think that - for a casual gamer - this is good to waste time in and have some fun. It was fun for me sometimes and even charming. For this case, I would give "Pokemon: Shield" a 5/10, but my current rating is to reflect actual Pokemon gamers (the ones who love battling and forming teams and staying engaged and whatnot) and - personally - this was a below average experience for me. Overall, I think that this game needed more time in the oven.    … Expand
  87. JSwizzle86
    Nov 29, 2021
    1
    These games marked the downfall of Pokémon, don't buy them. It isn't worth your time.
  88. Lindagamer
    Jun 24, 2020
    0
    ES una basura, tienes que pagar el doble por los DLC, saca dinero este juego asqueroso recortado, este pack es una basura
  89. cozkimiyu
    Jul 8, 2020
    1
    A game that ignores old fans. The developers have no intention of developing a new work.
    Worst Pokemon Games
  90. SwShDie
    Dec 28, 2020
    0
    When will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if GameWhen will this game be succeeded?? GameFreak cut corners in order to make the 2019 release date as it seems they release a mainline Pokemon game every year. But lo and behold, this steaming, half ***-ed pile of a game is still the current main game as 2020 is ending. We want a new main Pokemon game in order to leave this one to rot away (and to get the bad taste out of our mouths if Game Freak doesn't mess up that one too). Even a month with Sword/Shield is far too long.… Expand
  91. Hope_133
    Jun 11, 2021
    0
    Tutorial de como NÃO fazer um jogo. Um desrespeito aos fãs verdadeiros da franquia, opinião de quem falou bem ou foi comparada ou é criador de conteudo q é quase que obrigado a falar bem. Quem realmente curtiu esse jogo, não liga pra isso. Jogo feito na preguiça, dando tapa na cara do consumidor com muita promessa e nada de cumprir. Só fanboy gostou dessa porcaria q só sabe nadar em gadosTutorial de como NÃO fazer um jogo. Um desrespeito aos fãs verdadeiros da franquia, opinião de quem falou bem ou foi comparada ou é criador de conteudo q é quase que obrigado a falar bem. Quem realmente curtiu esse jogo, não liga pra isso. Jogo feito na preguiça, dando tapa na cara do consumidor com muita promessa e nada de cumprir. Só fanboy gostou dessa porcaria q só sabe nadar em gados de uma fanbase gigante. Triste pois sou fã desde criança.… Expand
  92. Marioipod13
    Jul 31, 2023
    1
    So, I like (most of) the new Pokemon and features but the rest of the game is very subpar. The story is too linear but is impossible to speedrun because of all the cutscenes, and it doesn't have a full dex. The boss trainers are too easy but on the counterside, competitive games are flat out unbalanced. They removed Mega Evolution but introduced Zacian, Calyrex, Regieleki, and Urshifu,So, I like (most of) the new Pokemon and features but the rest of the game is very subpar. The story is too linear but is impossible to speedrun because of all the cutscenes, and it doesn't have a full dex. The boss trainers are too easy but on the counterside, competitive games are flat out unbalanced. They removed Mega Evolution but introduced Zacian, Calyrex, Regieleki, and Urshifu, which are crazy-broken. Besides, three out of four of those are completely locked behind an overpriced DLC so you will be at a disadvantage unless you buy the DLC.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Best Switch Game of 2019
15
#15 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 86
  3. Negative: 0 out of 86
  1. Nintendo Insider
    Mar 1, 2021
    80
    Pokémon Shield is a warm and familiar experience with some interesting twists and ideas thrown into the mix. The presentation left me disappointed – the game still showing its handheld roots – but, the hook of capturing and training Pokémon is as addictive as it has ever been, while the Wild Area teases an exciting new direction for the series.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 28, 2020
    100
    Another great game in the Pokémon series. It holds back when it comes to technical design and it doesn´t offer the opportunity to catch the old familiar faces, but fortunately most of the new additions are more than satisfactory for many hours of gameplay. [Issue#300]
  3. 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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