Pokemon Sword

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5909 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,997 out of 5909
  2. Mixed: 852 out of 5909
  3. Negative: 3,060 out of 5909
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  1. Danikyo-Inverso
    May 13, 2023
    10
    De lo mejor en toda la franquicia, y aunque no es tan bueno como la gloriosa 7ma generación, este juego supone un gran paso adelante en el aspecto gráfico y competitivo, con mas de 400 pokémon capturables, uno esta servido en cuanto a contenido se refiere, y aunque muchos digan lo contrario, las animaciones son de lo mejor en la saga
    Artísticamente hermoso.
  2. Spaxe
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    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.

    I will not get into story spoilers in this review, but the games are a bit more linear than I was expecting. My main criticism stems from Hop, your happy-go-lucky friend and rival, who always seems to interrupt the flow. There is hardly a moment where you can walk around without being interrupted by dialogue or a cutscene by him or some other character. I audibly groaned whenever Hop appeared on screen. I do like a good story, but I would also like to be able to play through the game without my rival breathing down my neck. Trainer customisation in this game is something I appreciated. Customizing your character is the widest it has ever been in this series, complete with photogenic trainer cards that capture the essence of your character. I find this feature very wholesome and cute, with many expressions and poses to chose from.

    I was looking foward to seeing the wild area being a reimagined safari-zone full of life, but unfortunately: it is large, empty, and barren. Models walk around a bit stiffly, and the textures are a bit dated and lackluster for a console game in 2019. Animations from this game can either be very well done, or extremely lacking. There was one instance where one of the major pokemon in the story mode didn't even have a turn animated for it's walk cycle. The pokemon's entire model was just rotated 180 degrees, which was very noticeable and bizarre. However, speaking of which, I do like the very diverse set of pokemon this generation. There are quite a lot that you are able to catch in the region, old and new; and they are all pretty unique and sometimes goofy in design.

    The newest feature, Pokemon Camp, was very charming. I loved the animations in this mode, they were definitely at their peak here in terms of quality. It was quite entertaining to see my Scorbunny/Raboot play with the Feather Wand Toy I had. Pokemon in camp interact with each other and it feels very lively. Making curry was cute. However, I do have my problems with it. For starters, the AI for the pokemon can seem a bit buggy, where they might get stuck walking in one place. I can't say it's common but it did break the immersion a bit. There was one instance where I had no background in the camp at all, which seemed like a bug. But then I encountered a battle with a background very similar to this, and I can only assume it was intentional? At times, I almost felt there was more time and effort put into this side-activity than the actual battle system.

    At it's core, it is definitely a Pokemon game. The basic formula of Pokemon works in these games. However, I was still disappointed, and I can without a doubt say that this is the least amount of enjoyment I've gotten out of a mainline pokemon game so far. Pokemon Sword and Shield fails to truly innovate despite being the first mainline entry on any type of console, and I cannot say that it is a sixty dollar Pokemon game at all. It feels rushed, poorly optimized, and half-baked. Can I see a child enjoying this game? Yes. Can I see a newcomer to the series enjoying this game? Possibly. Can I see a longtime pokemon fan enjoying this game? Not likely, unfortunately.    … Expand
  3. Ninjasuite
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    This is what happen if a company realize that they can do anything and people keep buying their products. Pokemon Sword and Shield are the worst mainline Pokemon game to date. Gamfreaks cuts more than 50% of Pokemon, removing moves, mega evolutions, and endgame contents without adding any improvement they promised. Most of the Pokemon model is proven identical to 3ds pokemon model whichThis is what happen if a company realize that they can do anything and people keep buying their products. Pokemon Sword and Shield are the worst mainline Pokemon game to date. Gamfreaks cuts more than 50% of Pokemon, removing moves, mega evolutions, and endgame contents without adding any improvement they promised. Most of the Pokemon model is proven identical to 3ds pokemon model which means they lied, because in the interview they said the reason they can't bring all the Pokemon is because they had to make all the models from scratch which is proven is not the case.… Expand
  4. Zerato
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    The game is meh not even counting the Pokemon what is taken out doesn't equal to what was gained if you have nothing better to do and find a used copy in a few weeks that'll be the only time is say to get it.
  5. Alvertin
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    I really wish the games were good. I don't leave this review out of spite, but because I love the series. For the positives, I like some of the new designs. On top of that, most Pokemon get additional moves, giving them more variety in combat. Besides that, it's a Pokemon game with serious added flaws. Though it was a trend set in earlier games, the new games are more linear and lessI really wish the games were good. I don't leave this review out of spite, but because I love the series. For the positives, I like some of the new designs. On top of that, most Pokemon get additional moves, giving them more variety in combat. Besides that, it's a Pokemon game with serious added flaws. Though it was a trend set in earlier games, the new games are more linear and less secret filled than ever. Dungeons are more akin to hallways instead labyrinths with branching paths and abundant secrets. There are very few routes in the game, and the ones that exist are mostly short and lack complexity. The wild area feels half baked and unfinished. After the short main campaign, all that's left for you is a short side story and a Battle Tower. Besides that, you're entirely reliant on playing online for content.

    As a gimmick, Dynamax against other players is frustrating and poorly balanced. One wrong move and you're down two or even three mons. This is especially devastating in 3v3 matches, it feels even more poorly balanced than the previous battle gimmicks, Mega Evolution and Z-moves.

    It's painful to see the series hit this low. I wanted this to be good, but wading through the major flaws to get to the small nuggets of good simply isn't worth it. The games aren't irredeemable, but it's really hard to recommend it when it drops the ball so hard.    … Expand
  6. Mrich747
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The critics calling Sword and Sheild "the best Pokemon game ever" are a bunch of delusional hacks. I want to start this review off by stating that I was excited for this game and desparately wanted the new formula to work well. Unfortunately, it does not work. What we have here is a diluted Pokemon experience that has been crudely adapted to be played by half-wits with the attention spanThe critics calling Sword and Sheild "the best Pokemon game ever" are a bunch of delusional hacks. I want to start this review off by stating that I was excited for this game and desparately wanted the new formula to work well. Unfortunately, it does not work. What we have here is a diluted Pokemon experience that has been crudely adapted to be played by half-wits with the attention span of a Slakoth. The improved explorability and new features are little consolation to how lazily crafted and half finished this game feels. The missing pokemon are irrelevant when the game is such a stark downgrade in terms of quality, replayability, and explorability. The need to strategize has been all but eliminated and the game itself is largely linear. Gamefreak led us to believe that the controversial Pokedex cuts and gameplay revisions were done in the pursuit of making a triple-A quality "Pokemon: Breath of the Wild" type of experience. What we got, instead, is a 3DS game pretending to be a full-fledged console game. Nintendo can do better than this; Gamefreak and the Pokemon Company can do better than this; Pokemon fans can do better than this. There's only trash here, folks.… Expand
  7. InsaneSeishiro
    Nov 23, 2019
    3
    This game is a rushjob.

    That said, not all things are bad, so lets start with the good: The core combat that has always been very enjoyable in pokemon is there. I like the new minimalist UI during battles. Also, that there are more customizationoptions for your trainer and while the models are reused, there is no denying that the new filter(and that is literally all they did to them    This game is a rushjob.

    That said, not all things are bad, so lets start with the good:
    The core combat that has always been very enjoyable in pokemon is there.
    I like the new minimalist UI during battles. Also, that there are more customizationoptions for your trainer and while the models are reused, there is no denying that the new filter(and that is literally all they did to them in terms of visuals and animations) makes the Pokemon look better than before! Lastly, they gave you more work arounds in terms of natures, EVs and IVs, which are appriciated(getting rid of IVs and Natures all together would be better, but let's be real, that ain't gonna happen in this life).

    Now, for the bad, and holy hell, there is a lot of bad.

    Personally, I don't care too much for the whole Dexit IF we got the promised upgraded visuals, but dataminers have already proven that most of the models and animations are simply ripped from the old game. But since those were blatent LIES, we lost half the Dex, Megaevolutions and Z attacks for NOTHING!

    Then the new pokemon: Most of them look alright, not too fond of the starters, the rest are ok but the legendarys are so lazy, they look like they should be part of the minor legendary trio, not the main cover legendarys!
    Also, let's not forget that they removed 144 attack moves, even some signaturemoves of pokemon that did make the cut.

    The graphics got definitly improved for the pokemon and trainers(even though it is just a filter over the pokemon and slightly more details on the trainers), but they look downright trash for the rest of the game. Also, sooo many battles don't have backgrounds, or backgrounds that are not fitting. You started a battle in a hotel lobby? guess what! you are now in a pure white featureless room!

    Then the difficulty... I deffinitly am not one of the guys, saying that everthing should be hard as nails, but you shouldn't be able to oneshot every pokemon in the first 3 gyms, simply by walking through the game.(at this point, let me also mention that this is one of the shortest pokemon games ever, with barely any post game)

    Gamefreak has been on an almost anual release cycle for years now, and the plattform upgrade is where this really starts to show. They need to take more time with the games and prioritize quality over quantity(nobody would have cared even half as much about the missing Mons if the graphics and animations really were upgraded, I promise you that. Just look at Monster Hunter World, where they cut down the number of Monsters to 1/3 for World, but almost everybody agrees that it was worth it). Cause if this is the way pokemon games are from now on, then this will be the end of 20+ years of beeing fans for a lot of people.    … Expand
  8. ChocolateCrane
    Nov 18, 2019
    4
    Let us address the elephant in the room first. The absence of the National Dex. Yes, it is terrible, lazy, blah blah blah. I am sure you've already heard this in hundreds of other reviews. So instead of me wasting your time by complaining about something you are already well aware of, I will focus on the rest of SwSh's shortcomings. For reference, I have played every mainline Pokemon gameLet us address the elephant in the room first. The absence of the National Dex. Yes, it is terrible, lazy, blah blah blah. I am sure you've already heard this in hundreds of other reviews. So instead of me wasting your time by complaining about something you are already well aware of, I will focus on the rest of SwSh's shortcomings. For reference, I have played every mainline Pokemon game to completion and have currently sunk 40 hours into Shield; I'd imagine my criticisms also apply to Sword. In the interest of brevity, I will be utilizing acronyms: (SwSh = Sword/Shield, S/M = Sun/Moon, etc).

    The most succinct way to put it is SwSh essentially feels like a 3DS game ported to the Switch. This applies to every facet of the game: from its gameplay features to its visual presentation, to its story/characters. I believe whether or not you enjoy SwSh depends entirely upon how you view the 7th Gen games. Contrary to what the devs promised us last year, SwSh is most assuredly NOT meant for the "core" Pokemon fans. As a veteran of the series myself, I can say with certainty the abysmally low level of difficulty in conjunction with the simplification and outright removal of many features is the exact opposite of what I'd want. SwSh is nearly as simplified as LGPE, which wouldn't be an issue if the devs addressed it as such, but somehow they seem to think this is what qualifies as a satisfying mainline game in 2019. Yes, Pokemon has always been a franchise aimed primarily at children. The games have never been truly difficult when compared to many of their JRPG contemporaries. Yet, for some reason Game Freak felt the need to crank that difficulty setting from "Easy" down to "Braindead". S/M may have been easy, but it was LEAGUES more challenging than Shield. Accessibility is one thing, but this is taking it to such an extreme it nearly removes all the fun. A "Hard Mode" option selectable from the outset would have worked wonders. And of course, as is common for the past several entries in the Pokemon series, the post-game content is practically non-existent.

    So, SwSh basically fails when viewed purely as a "game", but what of the other aspects I mentioned? After all, JRPGs with subpar gameplay can still be surprisingly enjoyable if the narrative holds enough merit. I am sad to report that SwSh also completely fails in this regard. The writing is oftentimes so atrocious I've found myself wishing to skip these scenes entirely. This is par for the course as none of the mainline games (barring the "attempts" made in B/W) have really delivered anything substantive in the way of competent storytelling. However, with the majority of other Pokemon games, they at least had good gameplay to compensate for the lackluster story; a factor which is completely absent from SwSh due to its inherent simplified nature and toddler-pandering difficulty.

    Well, there is only one thing left to discuss since delving into too much detail on the above points causes me to exceed the character limit. The final point of contention is the visual fidelity and graphical offerings SwSh brings to the table. This is after all, a game made for the Switch; a console/handheld hybrid with roughly 10x the computational power of Pokemon's former home, the 3DS. Let's get the pesky numbers out of the way first. SwSh runs at a dynamic resolution on both docked and portable modes. In docked mode, the resolution fluctuates from 1080p to 864p. Likewise, during portable play, the highest res is 720p which descends to 576p on frequent occasions. This is somewhat disappointing considering LGPE was capable of running at 1080p docked/720p portable at all times. The framerate target is 30fps, which exhibits frame pacing problems and severe drops in a variety of areas. The most evident manifestation of these issues can be seen in the Wild Area, wherein both pacing and framerate are pushed to their absolute worst. This is a massive problem considering the majority of your time, especially in post-game, will likely be spent in the Wild Area.

    Aside from the quantifiable metrics highlighted above, there are plenty of other visual shortcomings to boot. Terrible terrain detail, awful textures, constant pop-in, stilted animations, low polygon count for both the human character models as well as the Pokemon, and countless other issues such as these result in a game that resembles something released over a decade ago. Many detractors claim SwSh looks like a PS2/GC game, which is definitely an exaggeration, but what we got is by no means acceptable for a non-indie game released in 2019. And yes, many of the animations and ALL the returning Pokemon models have been copy-and-pasted with negligible improvements for SwSh.

    It's one thing to sacrifice content for a more polished, higher quality game, but that is very clearly not what happened here. I genuinely hope these issues can be sorted out in future releases; I am not ready to give up hope on Pokemon just yet.    … Expand
  9. Skyblue93
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Let me just get this outta way first, I’m a massive Pokémon fan. I’ve never been more disappointed. Gamefreak not only betrayed fans but outright lied to consumers. The games still have the same problems plaguing the franchise ever since gen 6.

    The story is bad, the writing is bad, the characters are bad, the pacing is bad. The main villains and evil team keep progressingly getting more    Let me just get this outta way first, I’m a massive Pokémon fan. I’ve never been more disappointed. Gamefreak not only betrayed fans but outright lied to consumers. The games still have the same problems plaguing the franchise ever since gen 6.

    The story is bad, the writing is bad, the characters are bad, the pacing is bad. The main villains and evil team keep progressingly getting more embarrassing each generations. The game keeps getting easier easier easier literally brain dead play through.

    On top of charging more for these games, they cut content. I don’t even need to write it down. I’m sure anyone who bothered to read the reviews of these games know what I’m talking about.

    To all the people who keep supporting Gamefreak...why?    … Expand
  10. WorriedDenizen
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    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    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
  11. SiberyanZ
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The amount of reused content, technical issues and blatant incompetence that this game shows are by far the objective demonstration that this is the worst game in the series thus far.
    Having been a long time fan of the series i can't help but feel incredibly disapponited with its direction and decisions, from the removal of fan favourite pokémons (more then half of them) or the removal of    The amount of reused content, technical issues and blatant incompetence that this game shows are by far the objective demonstration that this is the worst game in the series thus far.
    Having been a long time fan of the series i can't help but feel incredibly disapponited with its direction and decisions, from the removal of fan favourite pokémons (more then half of them) or the removal of important moves for the competitive side of the game, like Hidden Power or Return, to the introduction of mechanics that are unoriginal and uninspired like Dynamax and Gigamax, this game feel like a cheap copy and paste of Sun and Moon ported to the Switch with even less content and rushed to meet the holiday season time frame.    … Expand
  12. Pikappa93
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    I wish this game was good, I really do. There are some positives: UI is fine and building a competitive Pokémon is now easy and intuitive.
    But there are a lot of bad things. Graphics are terrible, especially in the Wild Area with pop ups everywhere. Animations are horrible too, especially compared with past spin-off games. They said they cut the National Dex for high quality animations but    I wish this game was good, I really do. There are some positives: UI is fine and building a competitive Pokémon is now easy and intuitive.
    But there are a lot of bad things. Graphics are terrible, especially in the Wild Area with pop ups everywhere. Animations are horrible too, especially compared with past spin-off games. They said they cut the National Dex for high quality animations but that is a straight lie. It would have been fine if that was the case but it's not. The game is also very short and easy. The story is very simple. Very disappointing overall.    … Expand
  13. rencecond
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Despite the dexcut and graphical shortcomings I was aware of before playing, I was pretty hyped about this game, but turns out it's less of a package than even the 3DS games were that will cost you an extra 20 USD, compared to previous mainline Pokemon entries. It suffers greatly from a gimped, poorly paced storyline that doesn't give enough time for it's cast to shine and develop, asideDespite the dexcut and graphical shortcomings I was aware of before playing, I was pretty hyped about this game, but turns out it's less of a package than even the 3DS games were that will cost you an extra 20 USD, compared to previous mainline Pokemon entries. It suffers greatly from a gimped, poorly paced storyline that doesn't give enough time for it's cast to shine and develop, aside from Hop, who is a carbon copy, down to several animations, of the last gen's Hau. The story itself is re-using a lot of tropes from the last mainline entry, and overall, while starting strong, feels rushed and shallow towards the end. Just as shallow as it's story is the game's world, the Galar region, featuring only 10 routes, 6 out of 10 of which are basically staright, fairly short lines that have little to no exploration to them or branching paths. The game features no traditional dungeons, and those locations that are intended to be them hardly ever have more than two branching paths. The most advertised feature of the game, the Wild Area, is a disappointing mess that showcases most of the technical issues with this game: the insanely small draw distance (which is an apparent issue even outside of wild area), questionable gameplay design choices and low resolution texutres and unstable framerate, coupled with the barren game world, lacking in detail or meanwhile content to do. But unfortunately, issues don't end there. More than 100 moves were deleted from the game, the abovementioned pokedex cut leaves out more than 50% of past generations pokemon, the postgame is incredibly disappointing and expects player to play competitively, meaning there is little to no single player content for a player to chew on. The new gimmick of this generation, Dynamaxing, has a promising theme - Kaiju-inspired giant monster fights, which, sadly, it doesn't live up to. The new pokemon designs and characters are charming and creative, but do not justify a 60 USD purchase in any way, shape or form.… Expand
  14. TheHonestMan
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Pokemon Sword and Shield boast expansive landscapes and a sense of ambition... at first. The more the game goes on you become aware of how hastily put together and hollow it really is.
    The main selling point, the Wild Area, is smaller than you would expect - and plain ugly to boot. There is not a lot to do there. The same games for the game's traditional routes which are some of the    Pokemon Sword and Shield boast expansive landscapes and a sense of ambition... at first. The more the game goes on you become aware of how hastily put together and hollow it really is.
    The main selling point, the Wild Area, is smaller than you would expect - and plain ugly to boot. There is not a lot to do there. The same games for the game's traditional routes which are some of the smallest and most linear yet. This combined with the game interrupting you every 5 seconds for Leon to brag about his Charizard or whatever make the game a chore to sit through despite their short length.
    That's not to say the game doesn't have it's positives though, Galar can be quite pretty when it comes to towns and colors, and there are some much welcome quality of life improvements like easily accessible move re-learners and nature mints. A lot of the series past tedium is now gone and getting into competitive has never been easier. The new monster designs themselves are also cool and imaginative. The dynamax gym battle are a sight to behold with their giant battles and roaring crowds. I also much prefer the new Y-comm to generation 7's festival plaza.

    Unfortunately, that's about all nice I have to say about the games. The difficulty is nonexistent, the story is dull and predictable, and the overall content and variety pales compared to past entries despite them sacrificing 500 Pokemon and costing $20 more. These negatives as well as the technical issues and signs of a rushed game (an important battle has no music, last gym is a single room etc.) mean I can only give these a 4/10.

    There is potential, but they need to spend more time on their products for something truly good. Better luck next game.    … Expand
  15. AnthonyDFG
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    At the beginning of the game, serious performance issues are already notorious. The game lags in certain parts and there are awkward moments where nothing is happening and you're just waiting for a cutscene to resume. The handholding is unbearable and the Kanto-throwbacks are off the charts. Charizard will get praised half a dozen times before you can pick your first Pokémon. Hop is aAt the beginning of the game, serious performance issues are already notorious. The game lags in certain parts and there are awkward moments where nothing is happening and you're just waiting for a cutscene to resume. The handholding is unbearable and the Kanto-throwbacks are off the charts. Charizard will get praised half a dozen times before you can pick your first Pokémon. Hop is a cheap knockoff of Hau and thus the game breaks the long tradition of making every new rival unique in some way.

    As the game goes on, you begin to notice that GameFreak engaged in false advertising. We were promised that the models had been remade from scratch. However, the meshes are the exact same in most cases. The few exceptions are models that got minor updates around the mouth area, presumably to eat curry. Some textures got updated but there are indications that the process might have been automated. Indeed, there isn't even a distinction between, say, the eyes and the fur of a Pokémon. Instead, they look entirely like inflatable balloons. The animations, it can be shown, have been reused too. In that direction, even the game engine was demonstrably forked from Let's Go. It's too hard to see what is made "from scratch" in this game, as even the music is a remix of sample libraries from 2013.

    The Galar region looks gorgeous in pictures but it has serious issues when you actually play it. The routes are small corridors without any intricacy. Even the wild area can be traversed in a few minutes. The forests and caves are not puzzling in any way. There is no sense of exploration or adventure. Many buildings are completely locked. The ones you can enter might look the exact same inside as they didn't even bother to shuffle furniture around. Trees look like they were imported from the Nintendo 64. The berry trees in particular look completely out of place, as if they were from another game entirely; it's really incredible that there was such a massive oversight and nobody raised an objection. There was no effort to make the water look good and the reflections are buggy. The grass and terrain textures are an eyesore. Walls and caves textures are straight out of the Sega Dreamcast. Weather is illogical and poorly implemented. You can "ride" trains but they didn't even bother animating it as it's just a black screen and you have magically teleported: even Gold and Silver had more effort into it. To top it all, time bizarrely freezes when you use stairs.

    Instead of being allowed to ride your Pokémon, you're stuck with a goofy bike that even works on water. Pokémon don't have turn animations and they pop in and out of nowhere which is very awkward and breaks the immersion, defeating the entire point of overworld encounters. Then again, trees and people do it too. You are also not allowed to even throw a Poké Ball at higher level Pokémon so it's hard to see what is the point of including them so early into the game. You can't pet your Pokémon and the Pokémon Camp is an inferior version of Pokémon Amie and Refresh. The option to play with a ball is so poorly programmed that it's hard to believe it passed the testing stages. In battles, big species like Wailord and Tyranitar are butchered by the downscaling algorithm. There are many bugs that are baffling such as trainers disappearing when certain attacks are used. We were promised this would be the game that long time fans had been waiting for but that seems extremely unlikely.

    The story is dull, rushed and boring. Interesting side characters get little screen time. It's obvious the story was not their focus this time. However, the game is not cohesive in any way so it's hard to see what even was their focus this time. Indeed, there is very little content as there's barely any postgame at all while the main story can be leisurely beaten in 12 hours assuming you aren't the kind of player that loses to NPCs. Some towns have interesting themes but they are massively underdeveloped and the "city" surrounding the Battle Tower is peak laziness: it's just a cardboard background. The region feels lifeless in general and the subpar method chosen to spawn people doesn't help. Major features like the GTS were cut and simple features like volume control are locked under key items. The level scaling is very poor as you're massively overleveled early on without any grinding, then there is a sudden spike in difficulty that can't be accounted for, and finally you go back to being overleveled even if you skip optional battles.

    In short, this game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual players 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.    … Expand
  16. Orion_
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Oh boy, where do I begin. I used to be a fan of Pokemon. I loved the designs, I loved trying to collect every shiny, just collecting as a whole used to be my favorite part of the series. But, that's no longer an option. There's no way to have a "complete" collection, because they have cut the majority of the dex; and for what gain? Surely not the graphics, which are about as good as thatOh boy, where do I begin. I used to be a fan of Pokemon. I loved the designs, I loved trying to collect every shiny, just collecting as a whole used to be my favorite part of the series. But, that's no longer an option. There's no way to have a "complete" collection, because they have cut the majority of the dex; and for what gain? Surely not the graphics, which are about as good as that of the Wii U or earlier consoles. The entire game is the exact same cookie cutter setup we've gotten before. No originality whatsoever. The Pokemon? Basic beyond belief and really just "modernized" versions of older Pokemon. Then, ghere's the matter of the game heaving a rather serious issue of potentially wiping your ENTIRE SD card data - including every other game you may have. I can no longer support a company that has managed to be so out of sync with their fanbase.… Expand
  17. lylog
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Bugs, no endgame, half pokedex, mediocre graphics, less features than previous games...should i keep talking?
  18. Luzon
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Mediocre at best, we all know that that the switch isn't the most powerful hardware there is in the world but despite that many companies do manage to create a pleasent graphicical experience with a game. Unfortunately with pokemon that is not the case total which is weird because you are paying 15$ extra this time to play the game.. If you compare pokemon with fire emblem,, zelda botw,Mediocre at best, we all know that that the switch isn't the most powerful hardware there is in the world but despite that many companies do manage to create a pleasent graphicical experience with a game. Unfortunately with pokemon that is not the case total which is weird because you are paying 15$ extra this time to play the game.. If you compare pokemon with fire emblem,, zelda botw, Mario or dragon quest (which has over 700 different kinds of monsters you see an immediate big difference. Almost if there's a full console generation between them in terms of hardware. About 60% of the pokemon are removed, expshare is forced and you can't catch some higher level pokemon when you don't have the correct badges.… Expand
  19. AnzuRed
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    A disappointing, on-rails steamroll from start to finish. Even ignoring the Pokedex cut, the story is a mess, the game is linear, and there's nowhere near enough content to justify the price being marked up from the 3DS games.
  20. PewPewMcP
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The theme of Pokémon Sword and Shield is: limit.
    They limit your selection of Pokémon to catch
    They limit the pool of moves Pokémon can learn from, including some moves signature to Pokémon, like Heal Order to Vespiquen They limit where and when you can catch Pokémon in the open area They limit when you can use Dynamax and Gigantamax, the games signature battle mechanic. They limit    The theme of Pokémon Sword and Shield is: limit.
    They limit your selection of Pokémon to catch
    They limit the pool of moves Pokémon can learn from, including some moves signature to Pokémon, like Heal Order to Vespiquen
    They limit where and when you can catch Pokémon in the open area
    They limit when you can use Dynamax and Gigantamax, the games signature battle mechanic.
    They limit your ability to explore a world with the series's now signature heavily railroaded storytelling techniques
    They limit the difficulty setting of the game by forcing Exp Share to always be on
    They limit your ability to change the sound settings by forcing you to first find and interact with the right NPC.
    Pokémon Sword and Shield takes two steps back for every step it takes forward. If you're okay with a subpar experience that irritates at every corner, and don't mind being limited in your ability to play the game, then I'm sure Sword and Shield will be as enjoyable as a summer popcorn flick.    … Expand
  21. Fatyok
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The game is underwhelming for Nintendo Switch. It seems like it has not been through Quality Assurance. The quality of the game various if you have played it. One give away is that in some area you can find gorgeous sceneries, high definition background, but in some area it’s like a student project, character floating, Pokémon running on the spot without moving, Pokémon model disappearedThe game is underwhelming for Nintendo Switch. It seems like it has not been through Quality Assurance. The quality of the game various if you have played it. One give away is that in some area you can find gorgeous sceneries, high definition background, but in some area it’s like a student project, character floating, Pokémon running on the spot without moving, Pokémon model disappeared randomly. The wild area is supposedly the selling point of the game, but it is just boring. Lack of color compared to Pokémon Let’s go series. System lagged enough to annoyed me. Gameplay is like a slide show, I go from point A to B, have a unskipable dialogues, then move to point C. Story is nonexistent. I’ve heard that there’s a crucial bug that crushes your game and deletes your game files. It has not yet happened to me but the game do crush a lot.

    It is impossible to think that this is a main title Pokémon game. Any price would be too much for it if they don’t fix the bugs. I give 1 point only for the curry mini game.    … Expand
  22. Jostermo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Unfinished product for a whole 60$. Don't waste your time and hopes for it. - bad animations (I mean, really bad)
    - models from 3ds
    - awful textures especially in the wild area
    - wild area catching lock
    - short game ( 20 hours)
    - bugs and crushes
    - cutted dex
    - the easiest game of them all
    And etc
    Please, don't support THIS
  23. Meguelin35
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    El peor pokemon de la historia, nos han tratado muy mal a los fans de esta maravillosa saga, son unos vagos y nos han dejado sin el mayor aliciente de este juego, no me esperaba esto de esta desarrolladora.
  24. Ademi
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    HONEST REVIEW:
    I must say: I am disappointed to the max (no pun intended...)
    - severely lacking postgame - the story is rather short - the graphical performance and the animations are horrendous for a console game! People turn like a mummies in 180 degrees, grass patches and other areas look barren and - the music is just okay - Dynamax and Gigantamax are unnecessary mechanics and    HONEST REVIEW:
    I must say: I am disappointed to the max (no pun intended...)
    - severely lacking postgame
    - the story is rather short
    - the graphical performance and the animations are horrendous for a console game!
    People turn like a mummies in 180 degrees, grass patches and other areas look barren and
    - the music is just okay
    - Dynamax and Gigantamax are unnecessary mechanics and shallow gimmicks, it's hard to care for them. Mega-Evolutions and Z-moves were more approachable and, especially Mega-evolutions, added a new flaire to old, forgotten pokémon
    - the characters are not that interesting. The rival Hop and the champion Leon are pretty much THE EXACT SAME characters as the rival and the professor from Sun and Moon, same dynamic, same personalities etc.
    - the download version crashes the SD card and deletes ALL other games you have, dear god
    - they force you to use the Experience Share which was in the last two generation at least an item that could be toggled on and off --> it makes the game damn too easy
    - the Wild Area, the major selling point, is really not that beautiful, it's empty and laggy, and the weather changes after every other 20 feet, it's hyper unrealistic and breaks the immersion...!
    - there are NO dungeons or riddles whatsoever, the routes are predominantly only linear railroads from A to B... many closed up locations (such as a castle, you can't enter it - why???)
    - the cut pokédex didn't really add to my enthusiasm, if I'm being honest
    - some pretty good moves were removed from the game and I can't fathom why (Return e.g.???)
    - overall just really lackluster, you can see that they either
    1) didn't care and wanted to produce a product as fast as possible to make as much money as possible (brand loyalty, shilling)
    2) or that they didn't have enough time to polish it properly

    I'm thoroughy disappointed... these are the first proper pokémon games on a console. This generation doesn't start well. Mind you, many of these issues were NOT present in the handheld games but they cost 20 dollars more now so evaluate thoroughly if this game is really worth your time and money.    … Expand
  25. shade1267
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This game is not worth your time or money.
    I played through the game before launch. It's incredibly unpolished and lacking in content. Not only this, but the game has wiped my friend's downloaded games from their SD card.
    This game only includes roughly 400 out of the 900 Pokemon made up to this point. Yet they've reused the models and animations from the 3DS titles. They also cut out    This game is not worth your time or money.
    I played through the game before launch. It's incredibly unpolished and lacking in content. Not only this, but the game has wiped my friend's downloaded games from their SD card.
    This game only includes roughly 400 out of the 900 Pokemon made up to this point. Yet they've reused the models and animations from the 3DS titles. They also cut out the GTS and over 100 moves. Online play is very shallow as a result. They put nothing in to justify the cut content. You're paying 50% more for half the content found in the 3DS games! I can't even recommend these games to parents with children who are fans of Pokemon. If they have any favourites that aren't in the game they will NEVER be able to use them. They are not programmed into the games. My heart breaks for these kids. If you do buy them for your kids, make sure they don't transfer their old Pokemon to Pokemon Home when it's released. They could be stuck there forever, forcing you to pay every in order to prevent them from being deleted.

    The only improvements are the overworld encounters and they couldn't even get that right. The render distance of Pokemon is completely immersion breaking. Pokemon will appear out of thin air 4 feet in front of you.    … Expand
  26. Rardo
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    To be honest this game is disappointing, don’t get me wrong the game likes nice and all visually but this game just ain’t it. They used the exact same game models from the 3DS and they cut 455 Pokémon from the game for better animation and graphics even though it looks the exactly the same as it did for the past 7 years. I never thought GameFreak could get any lazier and incompetent thanTo be honest this game is disappointing, don’t get me wrong the game likes nice and all visually but this game just ain’t it. They used the exact same game models from the 3DS and they cut 455 Pokémon from the game for better animation and graphics even though it looks the exactly the same as it did for the past 7 years. I never thought GameFreak could get any lazier and incompetent than this. Generations 1-5 had more soul put into them than these games. Now the digital copies of these are being reported to not only corrupt your SD card and delete your Save data but it kills the console too. They should have spent an extra year or two working on these games. “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad”… Expand
  27. beyak
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The bad:
    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time. The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big. The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance. The    The bad:
    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time.
    The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big.
    The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance.
    The game is missing staple moves like pursuit, return and hidden power.
    Some animations in cutscenes and battles are either incredibly lacking, or amazing in some cases.
    Half of the pokemon are not coded into the game, and will be impossible to transfer (unless GameFreak changes their stance and updates).
    Mega evolution and Z-moves were removed and replaced by dynamax.
    Subjective, but some of the new pokemon are really off-putting.
    The game, as of release, has a fatal bug that can wipe your SD card.
    No following pokemon.

    The good:
    It's still pokemon, and still has the same great formula.
    The games look great, especially in cities.
    The trainer customization is the best ever.
    Some of the new pokemon and character designs are amazing.
    Competitive teambuilding is easier than ever before.

    Overall: The game could have used more time before release and had great potential. If all pokemon, moves and megas were coded in and the whole game was polished more (especially the wild area) the game could have been the best pokemon games so far. It's sad to see GameFreak pushing yearly releases for the games instead of giving them the development time needed to become truly great.    … Expand
  28. LoganWolverine
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Cut features such as the Global Trading System, Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, pokemon following you, and over 50% of the roster removed, coupled with copy/pasted animations, hand-holding, and an overall lack of effort make Sword and Shield the worst mainline pokemon experience of all time. It's not all bad, however, a lot of the new pokemon designs look great, but when one mon uses headbuttCut features such as the Global Trading System, Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves, pokemon following you, and over 50% of the roster removed, coupled with copy/pasted animations, hand-holding, and an overall lack of effort make Sword and Shield the worst mainline pokemon experience of all time. It's not all bad, however, a lot of the new pokemon designs look great, but when one mon uses headbutt and the animation is it kicking and that same mon has double-kick with the animation of bouncing twice, you quickly realize the issues are only going to keep piling up.

    Things such as trees, trainers, and pokemon pop in and out randomly because of the extremely short draw distance. You can also see this in the middle of battle, because some moves cause the opposing trainer to disappear. Another issue like this is some wild battles cause you to end up on an entirely different battlefield. You can catch a water pokemon on a dock in the center of a town and wind up in a huge open grassy field.

    Pokemon are restrained to tiny plots of land by an extremely tiny invisible box and have a habit of teleporting and/or de-spawing for no apparent reason. This is most glaring in the "wild area" (an area of the game treated much more like an open world, with a free-moving camera) where it's mostly devoid of life with the exception of grass patches and a few roaming mons that are still limited to a small area.

    The level limiter in the wild area attempts to keep the game "balanced" by making it impossible to catch certain higher-level mons without having the corresponding badge, which begins at level 20 and increases by 5 after each gym win, but it totally removes the danger of attempting to catch something that could easily defeat an under-leveled team. The experience share always being on is another issue. While the exp. share itself is a good thing, the fact that it can't be turned off is head-scratching. Previous games had the option to leave it on or turn it off for an adjusted experience. It's a bit odd that they decided against that this time around.

    Sword and Shield had the potential to really shine on the Switch, but it ultimately fails at improving anything of substance and relies on it's, at times, pretty graphics while simultaneously asked a higher entry fee. Overall the game is a mess and I implore GameFreak, Nintendo, or The Pokemon Company to please look at the direction the series is going and make the right decisions going forward.    … Expand
  29. phoenixsaturn
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The core of the Pokemon experience is there (albeit in a highly stripped and watered down version compared to past entries in the series), but the entire game lacks polish. Apart from the Wild Area, there is very little to explore in this game. Routes are linear hallways designed to move you from A to B. The game's animations are very poor and for the most part recycled from previous 3DSThe core of the Pokemon experience is there (albeit in a highly stripped and watered down version compared to past entries in the series), but the entire game lacks polish. Apart from the Wild Area, there is very little to explore in this game. Routes are linear hallways designed to move you from A to B. The game's animations are very poor and for the most part recycled from previous 3DS entries. The rushed nature of the game is also very apparent after gym 5, as the game becomes extremely streamlined and the animations dip in quality substantially after this point. I would not be surprised to hear that this game was rushed out the door for the Christmas season.

    Overall, the entire game can easily be completed in 12 hours, there is little to do after the end credits, and what you can do gets repetitive very quickly. While you play you will be faced with busy, grating music that will make you desperate to go out of your way to find the NPC that will allow you to MUTE it. While the game is not fundamentally broken it is not at all worth the retail price and I would recommend purchasing any of the older Pokemon games rather than buying this one.    … Expand
  30. Ambiguoo
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After 20 year of pokemon on console this pokemon could be the game that all people are waiting for.
    After 20 hours if playing i can say that this game is so boring.
    Main Quest, is so repetitive and linear: in 14 hour i do the same thing again and again: beat the stadium beat the rivals next route and again.
    At the end there is a 20 minute climax no sense.

    Graphics in so bad, nintendo lied us models are old and textures looks like nintendo64game.

    Level design of the map, is not bad but this game should be totally open world on switch.
    Wild Area are so empty and no sense.
    No postgame, 2 hours of a repetitive and no lore quest.
    This game is totally trash.    … Expand
  31. JustrzBustrz
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    It’s an amazing feat how soulless this game feels compared to previous entries in the Pokemon franchise. This game feels like a direct downgrade to any of the recent Pokemon games, feeling like there’s less content overall with not much to add back to give a grand experience with. And there’s much more to the story than just Dexit. Worse graphics and animations, large content cuts, theIt’s an amazing feat how soulless this game feels compared to previous entries in the Pokemon franchise. This game feels like a direct downgrade to any of the recent Pokemon games, feeling like there’s less content overall with not much to add back to give a grand experience with. And there’s much more to the story than just Dexit. Worse graphics and animations, large content cuts, the game holds your hand and is more tedious with its constant cutscenes and bland story, and its limited locations along with very little post-game. If you want to get this game, good for you, but in my opinion, it just feels like one step forward, two steps back. Even the good additions isn’t enough to save it.… Expand
  32. StupidPhaggit
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    A bigger let down than what I was expecting. Took me only about 10 hours to beat the game and only 9 hours for my sister. The battle animations were a lot more restrictive than I thought. The only highlight in animation is during the legendary battle. I was also disappointed to hear that many pokemon were cut for the sake of better animation and more content, only to realize there wasn'tA bigger let down than what I was expecting. Took me only about 10 hours to beat the game and only 9 hours for my sister. The battle animations were a lot more restrictive than I thought. The only highlight in animation is during the legendary battle. I was also disappointed to hear that many pokemon were cut for the sake of better animation and more content, only to realize there wasn't much of either. If the stuff about 3D models and animations being re-used from the last game is true, then that's even more disappointing since that would mean they had even more time to do things right if they were recycling assets. A lot of the pokemon designs this time around also felt really off, especially the water starter, Mr. Rhime and Dracovish, but that's more of a design critique rather than what about the game. The Dynamaxing ability was a pretty big let down as I was able to take out most of these powered up pokemon in one hit, including the Champion's. The difficulty in the game was a bit too simple. Usually I end up defeated at least 4 or so times in a Pokemon game or I at least lose most of my team in a hard fight, but this time around I just took out almost everything in one hit while not losing a single pokemon or needing to use more than a few items this time around. The world itself also feels incredibly linear for a Pokemon game that promised you an open world experience. Like most open world games, its also pretty barren, and most of the pokemon you encounter in the wild don't look or move in a lifelike fashion. In short, it was disappointing. Which is a shame since I was really looking forward to this.… Expand
  33. TutelarSword
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pokemon has always been one of my favorite games, however, the design choices made by Gamefreak are rampant with this entry of the series. There are almost no routes in the game, and those that exist are linear. There is a town that is made up of a single road with the only door usable being to the Pokemon Center. There are no dungeons or caves of the sort, instead, the Wild Area tries toPokemon has always been one of my favorite games, however, the design choices made by Gamefreak are rampant with this entry of the series. There are almost no routes in the game, and those that exist are linear. There is a town that is made up of a single road with the only door usable being to the Pokemon Center. There are no dungeons or caves of the sort, instead, the Wild Area tries to fill this role, but with many issues. It has poor graphics with Pokemon being birthed from the void to populate the area, as well as trees spawning from nothing. The area is empty and feels poorly thought out compared to other Switch games like Breath of the Wild. The removal of 60% of old Pokemon and 20% of old moves, as well as megas and Z-moves is also a disgusting practice which gives an ill boding for the future of the games. Gamefreak needs to seriously reconsider their design choices and patch in the many missing features (Pokemon, moves, GTS, etc.), as well as fix the many bugs such as those breaking SD cards, freezing the game, and causing unbearable amounts of lag.

    Many reviews you see that are positive simply boil down to "The games killed my wife and kids, but at least I can catch a Pikachu again. 9.5/10" which is utterly disgusting and reeks of poor journalism or faux reviews to prop up the game for the less informed.    … Expand
  34. Aleph_0
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The quality of this game REALLY does not justify the cuts that have been made. Graphics are severely dated with some awful resolutions and clipping. The world is so linear it feels like a hallway with a cutscene every few steps. The endgame is nonexistent. The battle animations are taken straight from the old games. And honestly, the new Pokémon designs are some of the worst I’ve everThe quality of this game REALLY does not justify the cuts that have been made. Graphics are severely dated with some awful resolutions and clipping. The world is so linear it feels like a hallway with a cutscene every few steps. The endgame is nonexistent. The battle animations are taken straight from the old games. And honestly, the new Pokémon designs are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. Most of them look like a couple overlapping shapes with a painted on face. GameFreak really phoned it in on this one. Time to give Pokémon to someone else.… Expand
  35. 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.… Expand
  36. DonPelayo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Siendo Gamefreak una empresa multimillonaria es una pena que no se dignen en invertir más dinero y esfuerzo en esta bella franquicia, tal es su desidia que ni siquiera aprovechan las capacidades de la consola, y cosas como que el repartidor exp sea obligatorio no hacen más que empeorar las cosas.
  37. PokemonFan21
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is an example of how don't do a video game. Gamefreak tried to do another Pokemon game rushing it and this is the result. A game unfinished with many problems like bugs, bad graphics, extremely easy game, another bad history and a bad postgame. I hope in the future that could change, but Gamefreak have chosen a path only thinking in the money. I just wish games like Pokemon BW2This game is an example of how don't do a video game. Gamefreak tried to do another Pokemon game rushing it and this is the result. A game unfinished with many problems like bugs, bad graphics, extremely easy game, another bad history and a bad postgame. I hope in the future that could change, but Gamefreak have chosen a path only thinking in the money. I just wish games like Pokemon BW2 HGSS, or Pt, but those times will never come back.… Expand
  38. Igorchagas
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    little innovation, massive game. outdated graphics and bizarre pokemon. à game freak needs to reinvent itself.
  39. Magenta1991
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    5 horas con el juego y ya estoy por encima del nivel de todos los entrenadores del juego. La introducción tarda más de media hora por si sola y no haces más que caminar del punto a al punto b, mínimo tuviera musgo bonito para mirar como en Death Stranding pero no. Los gráficos parecen tomados del proyecto de Unity de algún fan con demasiado tiempo libre y no de una de una compañía5 horas con el juego y ya estoy por encima del nivel de todos los entrenadores del juego. La introducción tarda más de media hora por si sola y no haces más que caminar del punto a al punto b, mínimo tuviera musgo bonito para mirar como en Death Stranding pero no. Los gráficos parecen tomados del proyecto de Unity de algún fan con demasiado tiempo libre y no de una de una compañía multimillonaria con la franquicia de mayor renombre en el mundo de los videojuegos. Una vez que termina la introducción los personajes no dejan de interrumpir tu camino para llevarte de la mano y hablarte de lo genial que es ser un niño y atrapar Pokémon. Hop es Hau 1.0001 y no han tenido pena siquiera de reutilizar sus animaciones de la forma más descarada. Porcierto que los personajes se muevan por casillas y tengan que girarse para caminar a la Resident Evil 1 en pleno 2019 en una consola tan poderosa como la PS3 es para echarse a reír y llorar al mismo tiempo

    Las rutas son cortas, los escenarios poco inspirados, las ciudades son pasillos adornados con uno o dos personajes y todas las casas iguales, el área salvaje es una zona safari glorificada y vacía. El curry solo son pokepoffins con otro nombre (de todas las cosas que la gente pedía de vuelta han traído la única que a nadie le importa). Se nota el nulo interés hacia su trabajo y su deseo por querer ganar dinero estafando niños. Me da pena por los Pokémon que debutan en esta región pues no se merecen quedar atrapados en este juego paupérrimo (porque seguramente más de la mitad no vuelve para la próxima entrega). Tengo más diversión jugando Pokémon Go en mi casa girando el disco de la pokeparada que hay encima mío cada 5 minutos que lo que ganó jugando esta kusoge de juego. Planeaba regalarle el juego a mi sobrino está navidad para iniciarlo en el juego pero mejor será que le dé cualquier otra cosa. Nadie merece que este sea su introducción a la saga. La historia por cierto es peor que la de Sun/Moon y X/Y combinados. No entiendo por qué han sacado la GTS.

    Actualizacion.: Juego terminado. Hora de devolverlo. Haha    … Expand
  40. BlackDEAGLE
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time.
    The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big. The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance. The game is    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time.
    The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big.
    The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance.
    The game is missing staple moves like pursuit, return and hidden power.
    Some animations in cutscenes and battles are either incredibly lacking, or amazing in some cases.
    Half of the pokemon are not coded into the game, and will be impossible to transfer (unless GameFreak changes their stance and updates).
    Mega evolution and Z-moves were removed and replaced by dynamax.
    Subjective, but some of the new pokemon are really off-putting.
    The game, as of release, has a fatal bug that can wipe your SD card.
    No following pokemon.    … Expand
  41. Pariah_0
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    As JUST a Pokémon game, the rating would be higher, maybe a 5 or 6. But as a video game compared to others of a similar genre this is a hard 3. On top of the drastic content cuts made from previous (already declining) mainline Pokémon games, this game in particular has severe graphical, hardware, and gameplay issues that are just irredeemable for a triple A franchise. The new mechanic isAs JUST a Pokémon game, the rating would be higher, maybe a 5 or 6. But as a video game compared to others of a similar genre this is a hard 3. On top of the drastic content cuts made from previous (already declining) mainline Pokémon games, this game in particular has severe graphical, hardware, and gameplay issues that are just irredeemable for a triple A franchise. The new mechanic is not creative at all and dumbs down the combat instead of following the tradition of adding an extra element. The new designs are lazy and uninspired. I was sincerely expecting more from this franchise. Can not recommend.… Expand
  42. Squids
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pokemon Sword (and by extension, Shield) is the newest mainline entry in the Pokémon franchise. The first console mainline pokemon game on a console, expectations are high and rightly so but does the game deliver? Simply: No, it doesn't.

    You are transported into the colourful world of Galar, brimming with new Pokemon and offering a challenge much familiar to any seasoned pokemon trainer to become the most powerful pokemon master of the region. A big part of pokemon charm is its extensive world building which isn't really present in Sword. The large open seeming cities only contain a handful of places you can explore with buildings and areas deceptively giving the appearance of much more. It advertised a wild area, with over world sprites and new Pokemon encounters but for the most part is completely barren with graphical issues and only a limited range of pokemon to catch. Gone is the dream of catching 'em all with over half of the current Pokémon being cut from the series for the first time.

    Stories in pokemon mainline games have never been praised for their brilliant writing but Sword and Shield pales in comparison to even the series' weakest points. The characters archetypes are painfully already overdone with previous games, with the rival being a direct copy in terms of personality and animations to the last. Characters such as Bede and Marnie although seem promising at start, don't really have story development and don't give the time for the player to relate or to grow attached to them. The evil team is also painfully irrelevant with them only appearing at the end briefly and Team Yell being more of an annoying backstop than anything. Alongside a rushed and confusing short post-game, SWSH is the weakest in terms of story so far. With love it or hate it pokemon designs, an array of graphical issues and issues such as digital download copies corrupting save data for other game and softlocking - I cannot in good conscience recommend this game to anyone at this price.    … Expand
  43. ShayminFan95
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The very low score I'm giving these games might seem like a poor attempt at review bombing them, but oh no my friends, this is an actual review from someone who actually played the games and didn't receive any dirty money to say something other than the truth. Pokémon Sword and Shield are possibly the worst Pokémon games to ever be made. For a fully priced 60$ game, they have less thanThe very low score I'm giving these games might seem like a poor attempt at review bombing them, but oh no my friends, this is an actual review from someone who actually played the games and didn't receive any dirty money to say something other than the truth. Pokémon Sword and Shield are possibly the worst Pokémon games to ever be made. For a fully priced 60$ game, they have less than HALF the content of any of the 3DS Pokémon core series games and nearly no redeemable features. In fact, one of their most notable "features" is the lack of more than half of the old Pokémon (a first for a series, hurray innovation!), which means there's over 50% chance that your favorite Pokémon is not even in the code for these games. The cut in content also includes moves, some of which make absolutely no sense why they would have been left out.

    The characters are mostly bland and uninteresting and some are carbon copies of previous characters from Sun and Moon. Those that aren't usually don't have a story or personality deeper than a sheet of paper, and their constant, pointless, overly enthusiastic interruptions make it feel like the game is asking you at all times to "pretty please be excited". The environments pale in comparison to other first-party Nintendo games on the console even if some admittedly had potential. You'll eventually find yourself walking through the empty streets of London, as if the apokélypse happened the day before.

    Let's talk about models, animations, and performance, shall we? All of the Pokémon models are reused straight from the 3DS games, with some exceptions that were so slightly improved that you can't even tell the difference in practice. This wouldn't be a problem as the Pokémon community understands this is necessary to keep these games realistically doable. The problem is that the producers of the game claimed they were cutting the amount of Pokémon so they could focus on remaking the models from scratch for the Switch hardware and also improve the quality and expressiveness of animations. Oh boy, are those animations lacking in quality. The characters move in tank controls (even during cutscenes!) like we're still in 2000. Even in the overworld, expect a lot of 180 degree turns while the walking forward animation plays. This is completely unjustifiable, but not something we would even care if only GameFreak had not called attention to it and used it as an excuse for the massive cuts that will severely damage the entire series. Pokémon models are not properly scaled in battle, and instead they give us an absolutely unnecessary and lame feature of "Dynamax" in which they suddenly discovered the scale slider exists in 3D software and decided to abuse it. The game struggles to maintain a stable framerate even tho it took Breath of the Wild the "Godray & Foliage Overkill Woods" and Smash Bros. "16 Ice Climbers on Fountain of Dreams" for the same to happen. The draw distance is laughable and glaring, you are sure to direct your eyes to the nearest Berry Tree popping in.

    Difficulty-wise, the game is so easy that the biggest challenge will be not falling asleep while playing it, something that is amplified by the previously mentioned constant interruptions by NPCs. The soundtrack has a few good themes, but the rest is a cacophony of instruments desperately trying to grab your attention with inharmonious, generic and chaotic tracks. The only hype I got from this game was during the climax, which I shall not mention for spoiler reasons, where apparently they blew the entire budget and development time, and even that is an average experience when put into context with climaxes from other current games.

    If after this entire review you still think this game is worth playing, be aware of the awful glitch (that somehow passed quality assurance) which can actually delete your other game's save files from your console.
    It's so obvious that this game was rushed out in this poor state to meet unrealistic deadlines and extract as much money as possible from a blind and passive fanbase that I'm baffled by anyone who defends it.

    In conclusion, whether you are a Pokémon fan or wanting to become one, these are games you can easily skip and save some bucks. I dare to say Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are better games than these dumpster fires. If you truly want a good Pokémon experience play the 3DS games or, even better, the DS ones.    … Expand
  44. Mkikuchi
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    "Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.

    Objectively,    "Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.

    Objectively, as long as the gameplay's good, graphical quality is a non-issue. Unfortunately, as with the 3DS era, Sword and Shield are dumbed down for the mobile phone generation. You're never made to go more than a few battles without healing, and if you can stomach that you can look forward to endless handholding and WOW CHARIZARD REMEMBER THIS KANTO POKEMON?

    If you have any semblance of critical thinking skills, don't buy these games."    … Expand
  45. there_he_go
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.

    Objectively, as long as the gameplay's good, graphical quality is a non-issue. Unfortunately, as with the 3DS era, Sword and Shield are dumbed down for the mobile phone generation. You're never made to go more than a few battles without healing, and if you can stomach that you can look forward to endless handholding and WOW CHARIZARD REMEMBER THIS KANTO POKEMON?

    If you have any semblance of critical thinking skills, don't buy these games.    … Expand
  46. ReviewGuy13
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    So much from the previous games have been removed, even more so than normal. The lackluster story, graphics, and Pokemon designs don't make up for what little additions have been given. 55% of Pokemon being removed also ruins the "catch em all" idea. The game does have some nice designs and good human characters. Those aren't enough to make this game anything more than another 8 gym slogSo much from the previous games have been removed, even more so than normal. The lackluster story, graphics, and Pokemon designs don't make up for what little additions have been given. 55% of Pokemon being removed also ruins the "catch em all" idea. The game does have some nice designs and good human characters. Those aren't enough to make this game anything more than another 8 gym slog with worse quality than all the other games.… Expand
  47. TioBizarro
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    18 h aprox main game plus 2h post game. Less than half dex programed. Gig/Dinamax is not properly animated. Barely use the currydex. Barely use the power of N.Switch. A hugh step back in the saga.
  48. rheelly
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    If this would not have the Pokemon label on it, people would destroy it.
    Compared to what other games have accomplished in the last decade, this game is a sad reminder of how GameFreak doesnt even have to try, just because the Pokemon brand is as strong as it is.
    The game does have its moment, but it plays very unfinished, it's very short compared to other Pokemon games, there are bugs    If this would not have the Pokemon label on it, people would destroy it.
    Compared to what other games have accomplished in the last decade, this game is a sad reminder of how GameFreak doesnt even have to try, just because the Pokemon brand is as strong as it is.
    The game does have its moment, but it plays very unfinished, it's very short compared to other Pokemon games, there are bugs and in the end it just feels like a dissapointment.    … Expand
  49. Erlox
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Not all pokémon are in the game
    Ps2 graphics
    Ps1 animation
    Handholding for the intere game
    The game feels rushed for be aveliabe before christmas
  50. Imperio92
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The worst of the franchise by far. Lackluster animations, textures, coding and a lot of issues everywhere. A rushed game no matter where you look it.
  51. lulubot
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    This was a waste of money for me, I put 5 hours into it and got really bored because of the lack of difficulty and constant hand-holding.

    The EXP share made my party so over-levelled to the point where i'd just one shot everything, and I was disappointed to find out that there's no option to turn it off.

    I'd only recommend this game for children under the age of 10.
  52. Fer_O
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad,Finish-able within 15 hours, recycled and lackluster animations... though I normally wouldn't be against it, they justified cutting over 60% of national dex for supposedly "high quality, made from scratch animations". No GTS, crippled move selection, not one single of my favorites made it, except Eevee. Some of the new designs I found likable but that just doesn't make up for it... So sad, I really wanted to love this game as a loyal fan since 20 years ago... GF lost the way and totally drifted away from their true fans, maybe it's time for us to move away from pokémon... Why did they had to rush this game?… Expand
  53. BeforeJam
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    By far the worst entry in the series yet. Pokemon cut, features cut, moves cut and much more with nothing to replace it with. Graphics look like a polished GameCube game at best. Framerate routinely goes through the floor for no discernible reason whatsoever. Massive disappointment and a hideous step back for this series.
  54. Kwafka
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    I really wish this were a game I could recommend to anyone, because I love Pokémon, but this game simply isn't worth your time, especially at a 60 dollar price-tag. There were some good parts I enjoyed, like the Pokémon Camp feature, the wild area, and the wonderful new Pokémon designs, but the game overall falls shorts in a lot of aspects that make a good RPG. For starters, the game isI really wish this were a game I could recommend to anyone, because I love Pokémon, but this game simply isn't worth your time, especially at a 60 dollar price-tag. There were some good parts I enjoyed, like the Pokémon Camp feature, the wild area, and the wonderful new Pokémon designs, but the game overall falls shorts in a lot of aspects that make a good RPG. For starters, the game is essentially completely dungeonless. The routes, caves etc. are all easy to follow paths from A to B with little to do on the side. The difficulty in battles is kind of pathetic, especially now that the EXP Share mechanic is forced with no toggle to turn it off. The balance is also a mess; even if you're early into the game, a few max raids in the wild area will give you more than enough EXP. Candies to let you get grossly overleveled, further reducing the game's difficulty... and everything I've written up until now has failed to mention all the lies, cut content and general anti-consumer practices that went into making this game. If you have any respect for the Pokémon franchise, you shouldn't buy this game. The switch has plenty of better RPGs.… Expand
  55. RockVincent
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I hope that I can play a Great pokemon game, not like this one. I have to tell Game Freak, you have to work hard, and promote your skill(compare to Dragon Quest 11s , you really disappoint me a lot). Don't let the fans down again.
  56. Gamermangamer
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Was promised a game for "long time fans of the series" now my living dex will probably have to be locked in Pokemon jail (home) and half my competitive mons won't be usable until I pay for another game at the same price as smash ultimate or breath of the wild. My disappointment is immeasurable, and less than half my day is ruined, because the game is like 10 hours long, and if I wanted 10Was promised a game for "long time fans of the series" now my living dex will probably have to be locked in Pokemon jail (home) and half my competitive mons won't be usable until I pay for another game at the same price as smash ultimate or breath of the wild. My disappointment is immeasurable, and less than half my day is ruined, because the game is like 10 hours long, and if I wanted 10 hours of entertainment I would've bought the LoTR extended trilogy for half the price… Expand
  57. lneesan
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The game is full of graphical glitches. It is short and lacking in things to do, not only after completing the meek rush for the champion title but afterwards as well. The game design is sloppy and quite obviously rushed. This is not a finished product and it should not be billed as such. There are a few positive things about these games but the bad far, far outweighs the good. A thoroughThe game is full of graphical glitches. It is short and lacking in things to do, not only after completing the meek rush for the champion title but afterwards as well. The game design is sloppy and quite obviously rushed. This is not a finished product and it should not be billed as such. There are a few positive things about these games but the bad far, far outweighs the good. A thorough disappointment for long time fans of the series.… Expand
  58. Primpy
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Absolute **** of a game. Brings almost nothing new to the table (on the contrary, it removes plenty of already existing features), the graphics look like they're stolen from Ocarina of Time, it has a tiny rendering distance, the animations are atrocious or lazy, boring story, glitchy as **** Do not buy this game if you have any self respect as a consumer.
  59. N8VPERSONA
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The game is riddled with lots of flaws, more then just the dexit part. The game has performance issues lots of times. The times where it doesn't are in the smallest areas of the game which does occasionally look nice, but the sense of scale is just not there. The wild area is hideous almost 95% of the time and when you on top of that multiplayer the game really loses its marbles and makesThe game is riddled with lots of flaws, more then just the dexit part. The game has performance issues lots of times. The times where it doesn't are in the smallest areas of the game which does occasionally look nice, but the sense of scale is just not there. The wild area is hideous almost 95% of the time and when you on top of that multiplayer the game really loses its marbles and makes it even worse then it already is. The stuff that the games do get right are not unique to this entry all other entries do it well. But the bad things are by in large unique to this game. The game does not give you that sense of next generation like other games on the switch do. Like breath of the wild, Mario oddysey, fire emblem three houses. Pokemon sword and shield are just upscaled 3ds games at least that was my experience.… Expand
  60. HonestGear
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    This is the first time that my disappointment was so great that I felt like a needed to write a review. Sword and Shield overall is bad. Like its new Dynamax mechanic, its all show and no substance.
    Let's start with the good points first since the bad ones greatly outnumber them.
    -The only good points I can think of is that the game makes it easier to change the EV and IV of your    This is the first time that my disappointment was so great that I felt like a needed to write a review. Sword and Shield overall is bad. Like its new Dynamax mechanic, its all show and no substance.
    Let's start with the good points first since the bad ones greatly outnumber them.
    -The only good points I can think of is that the game makes it easier to change the EV and IV of your pokemon. Previously invisible and tedious to control, there are now items that make it easier to make the perfect pokemon you want.
    -Greatest trainer customization so far, although that's to be expected.

    Unfortunately that's the only good thing about the games.Here's a list of its bad points
    -The game is graphically bad. It looks like a 3DS game only with a shiny coat of paint,or in this case filters and bloom, to distract you from that. Characters spin in place to turn, Pokemon float and hover endlessly, the animations are recycled from earlier games, the battle animations are lacking in all departments.
    -Characters and Pokemon suddenly pop into existence in front of you.
    -The infamous Pokemon cut debate. Pokemon were removed from the game with no intention of them being added back. They promised a higher quality models and animations for it but that is clearly not there. Models are reused exactly the same with just higher textures, the models are off-scale, a lot of characters animations are reused and battle animations dont line up properly, e.g kicking to headbutt, the model just moving up and down with no movement to attack, fire and water attacks just coming out from somewhere on the model and not lining up with their mouths or wherever the attack is supposed to come from.
    -The game is piss easy. Not that other pokemon games werent easy but they offered a challenge. It's so easy that there is no gratification from winning. It is also very short.
    -The pokemon designs are bad. Everyone has some designs they dont like but these ones just felt a whole lot of miss rather than hit. A lot of them are so overly humanoid and uninspired that they dont feel like pokemon. You cant just draw a human, replace it's head and feet and call it a pokemon. A lot of them also feel like they were made just for the purpose of a joke and a pun. In the end the majority of the new pokemon feel like they were created as a singular cartoon character for a show specifically made to be likeable instead of being designed as members of a species of animals.
    -The greatest problem is the immersion. Pokemon is a role playing game. Immersion is a great deal in these kind of games. Their goal is to make the player feel like they are part of their world. Sword and Shield problems, even some minor ones I didnt list, all come together to ruin it.
    --The new Open Area feels like a mismatch, Pokemon suddenly appear from underground even if it makes no sense for them to do that, they spin in place and their movement does not sync up with their walking animations, they hover instead of moving. Crazy weather patterns 10 steps next to each other dont make sense.
    --The overworld pauses in time when traversing the Z axis.
    --The jump to 3D wasnt kind to pokemon. The routes are so linear that they railroad you to place. From the 3D vantage point you can see whatever is up ahead removing any dungeon-like challenge. You are railroaded in place by knee-high ledges that act as barriers leaving you only to imagine what the rest of the world is like, out of the tiny path you are forced into.
    --The world is small and empty. In earlier games you could interact with a lot of stuff, books, people, tvs and more. They gave you tidbits on the story, the background or even just gossip. This made the world feel alive. Instead in this game, a lot of it is removed, which along with the small railroaded world make the world feel dead.
    --The battles feel off, as said before the pokemon are off scale and their attack animations dont line up properly. The bad animation are even shown in the new camp feature allowing you to see up close items suddenly appearing in your pokemon's hands and their movement not syncing up with their walking animation.
    --Bad textures.
    --No "dungeons".
    All of these could be insignificant on their own but combined they ruin the feeling of immersion. The world feels fake, hurriedly stitched together and bursting at the seems.

    In the end, Sword and Shield had great some great ideas but even those are not fleshed out properly. Instead of moving the games forward it even took steps back. The first home console release of Pokemon deserved better than this shoddily put together cashgrab.
    Buy something else and if you want your pokemon hit, play the old games because you are not missing anything of worth. Let's hope the developer goes back to the drawing board and stays there for quite a while.    … Expand
  61. Ablestract
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Horrible dissapointment. Gamefreak has been struggling to make a good pokemon game since their transition to 3d, and the latest release follows the same downward trend. Cut corners visually and content-wise are the biggest offenders. The wild area is a nice concept, but amounts to nothing more than a large empty space where you can catch pokemon. These games used to have dungeons andHorrible dissapointment. Gamefreak has been struggling to make a good pokemon game since their transition to 3d, and the latest release follows the same downward trend. Cut corners visually and content-wise are the biggest offenders. The wild area is a nice concept, but amounts to nothing more than a large empty space where you can catch pokemon. These games used to have dungeons and mysterious places to explore, but that's all been removed in favor of boring corridors and unthreatening, short routes between towns. Any credit I can give to this game is for some of the designs of the new pokemon, otherwise I can't stand it. I think about the developers that would kill to have a chance to make a great pokemon game, whereas gamefreak seems content to waste that opportunity in favor of stagnating and easy money… Expand
  62. EpicGamer420
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    We live in a society where gamefreak can get away with making a half baked game and changer 60 dollars. With only a fraction of old pokemon and not even 100 completely new pokemon.
  63. FilthyActs88
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Pokémon sword and shield is a game of pure mediocrity when discounting all of the technical issues. It does not do anything exceptional or ground breaking and it is another entry that coasts off the brand name. The main story is just ok, its filled with unskipable cutscenes that often have slowdowns due to poor optimization. The story suffers from the same issues as sun and moon where itPokémon sword and shield is a game of pure mediocrity when discounting all of the technical issues. It does not do anything exceptional or ground breaking and it is another entry that coasts off the brand name. The main story is just ok, its filled with unskipable cutscenes that often have slowdowns due to poor optimization. The story suffers from the same issues as sun and moon where it truly doesn’t feel like your characters story which defeats the point of it being an rpg. The draw distance is genuinely abhorrent and further shows that gamefreak have shown themselves to be incompetent game developers. The game is ridiculously easy and “streamlined” which in this case means dumbed down. The game is short only being around 14-17 hours long which is a ripoff. Most industry standard rpgs range between 60-80 hours long while sword and shield is only a fraction. The graphics are bad there is no other way of putting it, they are low poly and the texture are hilariously low resolution. The colors are washed out and this looks like someone first attempt in unity trying to make a game. You have to compare this game to other games in the industry, gamefreak needs their feat held to the fire and should no longer be allowed to coast off the Pokémon name. I do not recommend purchasing these games, they are cash grabs made by developers who can’t even program a game right and that is just pathetic how a company can’t even do their job right because they are that incompetent.… Expand
  64. hewwothwewe
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    From beginning to end feels very rushed.
    it would have been that bad of a game if it had the usual handheld price. but for 60 it's honestly not worth buying,
  65. Deal_Sealer
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    What an absolute dumpster fire.
    It is devoid of effort, as can be seen in the visual department. Textures are painful to look at and the models are horrendously basic as they look like they're mass produced without attention to detail and are constantly clipping with the environment. Speaking of environment, the places you can traverse are just depressing. The wild area advertised as a    What an absolute dumpster fire.
    It is devoid of effort, as can be seen in the visual department. Textures are painful to look at and the models are horrendously basic as they look like they're mass produced without attention to detail and are constantly clipping with the environment. Speaking of environment, the places you can traverse are just depressing. The wild area advertised as a step in a new direction is a complete joke. It's certainly smaller than Oot's Hyrule field, yet just as empty and uninteresting. Cities and Dungeons on the other hand are just poorly designed hallways that lead you to the next area.
    Gameplay is not well thought out. The new gimmick is underwhelming at the very least. They build it up high and it ends with an anticlimactic ohko, since this game still possesses baby-proof difficulty despite the playerbase being mostly adults and the advertising claiming it's for long time fans. Contrary to being an open world, this game is still a linear experience with NPC's still interrupting you with cutscenes.
    The amount of content in this game isn't bare-bones, no rather it is insufficient and has regressed compared to previous entries in the franchise. Surely you've heard by now about cut pokemon, cut moves and other trashed content. What makes this worse is the fact that the game reuses assets from previous games.
    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.    … Expand
  66. Redemption37000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bring back national dex ! More than half of the deleted pokédex, all the old starters missing just like the old legendary pokémon.… Expand
  67. Lykos_51
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Gamefreak lied, I understand that the process of adding all pokemon might be difficult I'm not even that bothered by it, but when you give an excuse that you are cutting half more than half of them to make brand new models and animations and just end up porting the ones from the DS games, that's just disrespectful. They gave us an open area that is basically empty and somehow has horribleGamefreak lied, I understand that the process of adding all pokemon might be difficult I'm not even that bothered by it, but when you give an excuse that you are cutting half more than half of them to make brand new models and animations and just end up porting the ones from the DS games, that's just disrespectful. They gave us an open area that is basically empty and somehow has horrible graphics and pokemon appearing out of thin air. How can they have the budget of the biggest entertainment franchise ever, and still deliver this half assed lazy work. Nintendo should be ashamed at the quality of this game compared to things like odyssea and breath of the wild,… Expand
  68. theoftime12
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Un juego gráficamente muy inferior la les go Pikachu, pero que Pokémon ultra sol y luna, un diseño de pokemon muy infantil, una historia aburrida.
  69. gilgameow
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    A novel take on Pokemon's mainline formula, whose initially intriguing ideas have since been squandered by a shockingly vapid and spiritless execution that fails to sweep a long list of shortcomings and questionable cuts under the rug. Pokemon Sword offers a bare-bone, railroaded experience that may satisfy less demanding players, but personally could not deliver an enjoyable ride whereA novel take on Pokemon's mainline formula, whose initially intriguing ideas have since been squandered by a shockingly vapid and spiritless execution that fails to sweep a long list of shortcomings and questionable cuts under the rug. Pokemon Sword offers a bare-bone, railroaded experience that may satisfy less demanding players, but personally could not deliver an enjoyable ride where all of its predecessors could.… Expand
  70. Golem25
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Most definitely not worth the price of admission; cut corners everywhere, more than 50% of Pokemon slashed from the game, technical issues, lifeless world, dreadful art direction, and less content (no post-game beyond a small episode and a battle tower clone) for a higher price point. I could not possibly recommend this game at any price above maybe 20 Dollars.
  71. Sephsekla
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Disappointing.

    So many Pokemon (the main point of the games) completely cut for the first time ever. Some interesting concepts that could have been great but clearly weren't given the dev time to flourish. An unfinished game that could have been the best one.
  72. Mandfell
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Same game they've been making for 20 years. The others at least took a few small steps forward while taking a couple of steps back with cut content. This time though they've taken to cutting core content without nearly enough additions to justify it. Using 7 year old assets in a game that looks last gen at best and yet cutting over 60% of the Pokemon in Pokemon is just too much to swallow.
  73. DrZiegler
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is horrendous. Not only did they have the 600 Pokemon CUT, they also removed a **** ton of moves. How anyone could enjoy this garbage is beyond me
  74. Shillmons
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gamefreak lied, the game is a mess, models, graphics, barely any story, save your money… Expand
  75. Rjs462
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No compren este juego incompleto con un precio exagerado,el ultra sol vale mas la pena y tambien lets go,que vuelva la pokedex nacional… Expand
  76. theodoros_patt
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    i want my money back this game is so bad , first of all gamefreak lied , reused models , hop is a hau clone its just an unfinished game Nintendo is time to get the franchise back this morons don't deserve the biggest franchise in the world because the simply don't respect us , i was going to recommend this game to children but it's overpriced
  77. Aranashi
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Adoro pokemon pero no puedo aprobar este juego, me es imposible aprobar a Game Freak, no vengo a criticar los gráficos del juego, ya que, en mi opinión, se ve muy bien, tanto en modo TV como en portátil, pero lo que si que no se puede pasar por alto son las animaciones de los pokemon y de los personajes, giros de 360 grados sobre su eje y animaciones de combate propias de juegos de hace 10Adoro pokemon pero no puedo aprobar este juego, me es imposible aprobar a Game Freak, no vengo a criticar los gráficos del juego, ya que, en mi opinión, se ve muy bien, tanto en modo TV como en portátil, pero lo que si que no se puede pasar por alto son las animaciones de los pokemon y de los personajes, giros de 360 grados sobre su eje y animaciones de combate propias de juegos de hace 10 años.
    No vengo a criticar la eliminación de pokemon ya que, para mi, no es importante, de hecho los pokemon de esta generación me encantan.
    La inclusión del área salvaje me parece un gran acierto y las incursiones también me parecen de lo mejor que podían añadir a la saga.
    No entiendo como game freak sigue estancada y sigue dándonos personajes lamentables y rivales que no están a la altura. Han quitado el ciclo día y noche excepto en el área salvaje.
    Game Freak sigue sin estar a la altura y olvidando a los jugadores veteranos que ya somos adultos deberían aprender de estudios como Genius Sonority para hacer juegos. No entiendo tanto recorte de opciones como el repartir experiencia.
    En definitiva no se lo recomiendo a nadie para iniciarse en la saga. La experiencia total no es mala pero sus puntos negativos y la dejadez de Game Freak pesan más. Puede que este sea mi último pokemon, por lo menos el último de este estudio, aunque como fan de la saga desde su inicio nunca perderé la esperanza en que mejoraran en la siguiente entrega, una mejora que nunca parece llegar.    … Expand
  78. Bhanscom
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Gamefreak lied... they said that they were cutting Pokémon from the game to spend more time on the graphics but they are some of the worst I’ve seen a console that has been released in the last 5 years. The animations in the outer world are stale and jagged, they look like the animations someone made in their basement while learning on their own how to use Maya or Blender. And that’s theGamefreak lied... they said that they were cutting Pokémon from the game to spend more time on the graphics but they are some of the worst I’ve seen a console that has been released in the last 5 years. The animations in the outer world are stale and jagged, they look like the animations someone made in their basement while learning on their own how to use Maya or Blender. And that’s the for the outer world animations, when it comes to faces it’s even worse. The textures themselves also appear to be from a game that is way past its expiration date.

    Graphics aside, the game is abysmally easy with the developers holding your hand from beginning to end. The only way the story experience is enjoyable is if you prefer to be on the rails guided from location to locations without having to much of any thought into what you’re doing. Additionally, the post-game is nothing compared to the post-game of previous generations.

    Overall, do yourself a favor and if you’re a fan of pokemon wait until the price substantially drops or buy it used so that your aren’t paying $60 for a $20 game.    … Expand
  79. NintendoGuy64
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As a lifelong fan of Pokemon games, I was ecstatic when a new mainline Pokemon game was announced for the Switch, a home console! Pokemon Gen 7 was alright, but a little too slow and easy for my tastes. But for Gen 8 all I was expecting was a nice polished HD Pokemon game, I didn't need an open world or anything as it is Gamefreak's first home console Pokemon title, after all. But no, thatAs a lifelong fan of Pokemon games, I was ecstatic when a new mainline Pokemon game was announced for the Switch, a home console! Pokemon Gen 7 was alright, but a little too slow and easy for my tastes. But for Gen 8 all I was expecting was a nice polished HD Pokemon game, I didn't need an open world or anything as it is Gamefreak's first home console Pokemon title, after all. But no, that isn't what we got. We got an unfinished game, with over half of the national Pokedex not in the game, choppy, reused animations, reused models when they said they were brand new, even easier difficulty, a significantly shorter campaign as well as next to no post-game, not to mention many other features removed. All I have to say is, why? Pokemon is the highest most profitable franchise of all time, and Nintendo has been hitting it out of the park lately with great game after great game, like Zelda, Mario etc. So why had Pokemon not improved too? It's only gotten worse with time. I hope Nintendo can step in next time and help/replace Gamefreak, as the way these games are, I have no hope for the future of the franchise… Expand
  80. Octo
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The game’s a buggy mess with a terrible plot, multitude of insane design choices like locking volume controls behind a random npc or evolution methods more complex than arcane summoning rituals, the game also has issues with pop in and lag.
    Even worse is the fact there’s a bug that will nuke your SD card and possibly brick your switch.
  81. Mv85rasdlkjf
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    AutoSave doesn't work often.
    Your SaveData corrupt often.
    Graphics are 3DSish, so bad. Character animation is awful. Your Pokemon are just fired. Stressful and painfully slow game mechanics. 10 years old girl has big **** and the player feels paedophile yourself. This is truly early 2000's game, not 2019 game. You should play Death Stranding on PS4. I believe Nintendo bought    AutoSave doesn't work often.
    Your SaveData corrupt often.
    Graphics are 3DSish, so bad.
    Character animation is awful.
    Your Pokemon are just fired.
    Stressful and painfully slow game mechanics.
    10 years old girl has big **** and the player feels paedophile yourself.

    This is truly early 2000's game, not 2019 game.
    You should play Death Stranding on PS4.

    I believe Nintendo bought some reviewer on IGN.    … Expand
  82. pigzig
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is not just lazy it actually feels unfinished. Someone needs to tell Game Freak a new entry is supposed to offer something new. This game feels like it came out BEFORE Sun and Moon instead of after. A few new Pokemon and a raid battle gimmick is the entire selling point of this stripped down cashgrab.
  83. WBL
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    If a pokemon game have not all pokemon, why it'called pokemon?
    #Thank you gamefreak#
  84. KingReece
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    They cut Pokemons, they cut moves, they cut frame rate, they cut graphics, they should of just cut the whole game, lol why bother, really disappointed
  85. Cuddly1337
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pokemon Sword (and its Brother) is an incredibly unpolished game. It feels like GameFreak never tested these games for bugs. These bugs are not just small unnoticeable things like in GameBoy games. Music is missing from certain battles, NPCs (without Abra) can teleport (both in the overworld and when battling some NPCs), and you can suddenly stop time by being on a ladder. There even isPokemon Sword (and its Brother) is an incredibly unpolished game. It feels like GameFreak never tested these games for bugs. These bugs are not just small unnoticeable things like in GameBoy games. Music is missing from certain battles, NPCs (without Abra) can teleport (both in the overworld and when battling some NPCs), and you can suddenly stop time by being on a ladder. There even is yet another save corruption glitch in these games, and it isn’t like talking to 1 NPC and surfing on specific tiles either.
    Even looking past the glitches, the main story is insultingly easy, even for children. The only places children can explore are in the wild areas and they are filled with nothing of interest (besides more examples of a lack-o-polish). Your kids might also be scared of the Camp feature since their Pokemon can do weird and unintended things. I personally also didn’t like being limited on what I could catch based on Gym Badges as I (and your kids) could easily lose out on a Pokemon they wanted to catch, and you are overleveled anyways.
    I’ll give the game some points though. While many designs are pretty sub-par, most of the new Pokemon are very well designed. And is series tradition, the music is still very good, even if it is the weakest soundtrack so far.

    Unironically, just get Let’s Go Pikachu or Let’s Go Eevee if you want to get a Pokemon game for your kid. They have more polish and are much more appealing to children.

    btw I reviewed Shield first and Sword has the same problems.    … Expand
  86. Archen
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    How else can I rate a game that can delete your sd card if you download it. This is not even counting the issues such as the entire game freezing when on a ladder, or that a certain special fight has no music. This game only has 435 pokemon and of those 35 may not even be in there, and only exist in the data. I was already going to hate this game because of it having no national dex, butHow else can I rate a game that can delete your sd card if you download it. This is not even counting the issues such as the entire game freezing when on a ladder, or that a certain special fight has no music. This game only has 435 pokemon and of those 35 may not even be in there, and only exist in the data. I was already going to hate this game because of it having no national dex, but every, single, day, there is more and more awful awful things "discovered" about the game. The entire reason that dexit happened was that Game Freak said they were redoing the models, but from the data mine it turns out that that's a complete and utter lie and that there is no real reason to not bring back all the pokemon.

    UPDATE: The game is bricking people's consoles. The game is made so **** that it can, and will brick peoples consoles from being played at all.    … Expand
  87. Drackey
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The transition to the Switch was not without losses. For having played it: more than 400 Pokémon have been deleted without offering any real counterpart, no postgame, excessive linearity, very average animations for a home console, disconcerting ease, fortunately the city graphics and the OST catch up. We would have thought that Game Freak would have learned from their mistakes by fixingThe transition to the Switch was not without losses. For having played it: more than 400 Pokémon have been deleted without offering any real counterpart, no postgame, excessive linearity, very average animations for a home console, disconcerting ease, fortunately the city graphics and the OST catch up. We would have thought that Game Freak would have learned from their mistakes by fixing the many flaws of Sun and Moon, but unfortunately the game follows the overall line of the 7G without correcting its flaws, even worse the absence of the national pokédex and mega-evolutions make it a less complete game.… Expand
  88. Kantomax
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    -Boring uninspired region
    -Interesting routes, dungeons, caves, forests, etc all replaced by lifeless wild area
    -Game treats you as if you're a toddler, constantly holding your hand and removing any ability to explore. Marketing this game as an "adventure" is outright disingenuous. You are constantly railroaded to where the game wants you to be. -ZERO post-game content -Worst Pokemon    -Boring uninspired region
    -Interesting routes, dungeons, caves, forests, etc all replaced by lifeless wild area
    -Game treats you as if you're a toddler, constantly holding your hand and removing any ability to explore. Marketing this game as an "adventure" is outright disingenuous. You are constantly railroaded to where the game wants you to be.
    -ZERO post-game content
    -Worst Pokemon designs yet. Starters are beyond awful.
    -Character designs are a mess
    -One step forwards and two steps back in regards to raising competitive Pokemon. Getting Gigantamax Pokemon requires dealing with RNG grindfest raids
    -Bare minimum amount of effort put into the graphics and despite this the game has framerate issues all over the place
    -And of course, the big one. They cut half of the Pokemon to lock them in the eternal prison known as Home

    I'm giving this a 2 because as a game it is worthless. There is no reason to play this game when previous Pokemon titles exist, it offers nothing of value.    … Expand
  89. Tortugamite
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Pros:
    -First Major Pokemon Switch Release!
    -Wild Area is a conceptually great idea -Online functionality with Raids and camps are cool -Good Pokemon designs Cons: -Short, can take anywhere from 10-18 hours for an average pace -Graphically inferior to many other titles on Switch -Animations are stiff and wooden for the most part -Missing Pokemon isn’t disappointing to series veterans and    Pros:
    -First Major Pokemon Switch Release!
    -Wild Area is a conceptually great idea
    -Online functionality with Raids and camps are cool
    -Good Pokemon designs

    Cons:
    -Short, can take anywhere from 10-18 hours for an average pace
    -Graphically inferior to many other titles on Switch
    -Animations are stiff and wooden for the most part
    -Missing Pokemon isn’t disappointing to series veterans and long time fans
    -Buggy

    Neither:
    -Gameplay generally remains the same, dynamaxing being essentially the love child of mega evolutions and z moves
    -Music is hit or miss(specifically the legendary track)
    -Cast can be interesting, but some characters seem familiar in terms of personality when thinking about previous titles    … Expand
  90. ME123
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Half the dex, no challenge, ugly Pokémon designs (that hack James Turner).

    Not worth anyone’s time. It’s the worst main line Pokémon game I’ve ever played.
  91. slrrp
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pros
    -Better UI
    -New Pokemon

    Cons
    -$60 for a $30 effort
    -Poor graphics for a switch title
    -Poor animations for a modern game
    -Limited Pokémon included
    -Uninspired environments
    -Short playthrough
    -Lack of post-game options
    -Excessive handholding
  92. IndomitableFark
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Aside from the dex cut, heavily-memed animations, mostly empty areas, lack of a story, nonexistent post game, and subpar music, what bothered me most was the difficulty. The exp. share is now REQUIRED to be on at all times. What this means is that all of your Pokemon level up even when you don't want them to. It creates an annoyingly precarious imbalance of exploration with difficulty. IfAside from the dex cut, heavily-memed animations, mostly empty areas, lack of a story, nonexistent post game, and subpar music, what bothered me most was the difficulty. The exp. share is now REQUIRED to be on at all times. What this means is that all of your Pokemon level up even when you don't want them to. It creates an annoyingly precarious imbalance of exploration with difficulty. If you explore too much (by the way, there's practically LESS to explore than Sun and Moon), you wind up grossly overleveled for whatever sense of a challenge the game tries to throw at you. If you don't explore to try and stay within the right level range, you just rush through the game even quicker because, surprise, surprise, you'd still probably be overleveled anyway. The only way around this is to force yourself to be constantly catching and switching out Pokemon, which is never how I like to play the games. In addition, with the aforementioned dex cut, your options for team creations for repeat playthroughs are severely limited. There ARE many good things that were added, but for a game that was promised to be for experienced players over a year before its release, this game is anything but. Simply put, Pokemon Sword and Shield are the worst games in the series -- and I've played them all.… Expand
  93. Z3D_
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Here we are in front of the worst Pokémon game ever. The one that god bad graphics, the one that got no gameplay improvements, the one that got only cuts over cuts on Nintendo's most ever powerful console instead of adding stuff.

    Sword and Shield is a huge disappointment, the game that shows the transition from an era of creativity, innovation and progress to total laziness by its    Here we are in front of the worst Pokémon game ever. The one that god bad graphics, the one that got no gameplay improvements, the one that got only cuts over cuts on Nintendo's most ever powerful console instead of adding stuff.

    Sword and Shield is a huge disappointment, the game that shows the transition from an era of creativity, innovation and progress to total laziness by its developers and creators.

    5000 lines wouldn't even be enought to express the total disappointment that this thing has been, especially counting that it was also a total fraudo, counnting that developees have spread lies ovee lies for rhe past 5 months.

    And for now for me (atleast) Pokémon ends here, because it is a shameful thing to release a game kn these conditions.

    BYE GAME FREAK, BYE NINTENDO, BYE POKÈMON!    … Expand
  94. coh11
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Sin duda alguna el peor pokemon de la historia, gráficos decepcionantes, recorte brutal de pokemons, de mundo abierto nada, todo muy pasillero, area silvestre vacía, el juego mas corto de todos, animaciones medicores...
    La decepción del año
  95. allewel2
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Overpriced now ($35x2 used to get you all of the game and now $60x2 only gets you 55%).

    GameFreak just needs to sell Pokémon and let someone else give it the attention it deserves.
  96. DoomDragon9000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind,Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind, it begs the question: what are reasonable expectations to have for a game like Pokémon Sword and Shield? What should we use as the baseline for forming these expectations?

    The level of quality, polish, depth and amount of content in previous main entries in the series?
    The relative quality of alternative $60, 1st party Nintendo Switch titles?
    The hardware capabilities of the Nintendo Switch relative to previous handhelds on which Pokémon has appeared?
    The certain level of production value one might anticipate in a watershed moment for the highest grossing media franchise of all time?

    These are all perfectly fair and reasonable baselines from which to form one’s expectations of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Nostalgia, goodwill and sentimentality for this particular series have seemingly always resulted in an expectation discount of sorts, but for many the 50% price increase for this installment, outright lies from GameFreak and the non-stop, in-your-face Kanto exposure in recent years have all but eliminated said discount. The unfortunate reality is, that even with a discount of sorts on expectations, Pokemon Sword and Shield still fall woefully short of expectations by any reasonable baseline.

    Content removal has reached a fever pitch, and what remains lacks effort, ambition, or even a semblance of challenge. Since its transition to 3D, Pokemon has gone from mildly challenging to downright patronizing. In an era where Mario, Zelda, Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. have displayed radical ambition in their main Nintendo Switch entries, pushing their respective series’ to new heights…Pokemon Sword and Shield are aggressively mediocre. With the transition to console – from 4GB cartridges to 32 GB cartridges – from 240p to 1080p – that we even had such confusion and debate regarding the re-use of models, animations and textures is a tragedy. While a novel could be written on the business inner-workings of GameFreak and The Pokemon Company, having standards for their products - especially given their capacity to produce good ones when they try - does in no way make one entitled.

    So it bears repeating: Pokemon Sword and Shield fall woefully short of expectations by any reasonable baseline.

    Much to its detriment, Pokémon Sword and Shield offer substantially fewer features, shallower depth, and reduced challenge relative to earlier, cheaper Pokémon games on weaker hardware. That is the brutal reality of these games. If one is completely new to the Pokémon series and does not possess any level of – and here is that word again – expectation for these games, this might not matter quite as much, but will still worsen the overall experience if they have had even a taste of the Nintendo Switch’s JRPG contemporaries (XenoBlade, Dragon Quest 11S and Atelier, among others). For series veterans, especially those who have experienced the relatively ambitious, content-loaded, reasonably-challenging, generation 3-5 games, it will be hard for Pokemon Sword and Shield to block criticism of its cut content.

    Again, by any reasonable baseline of expectations – which I list at the beginning of this review – Pokemon Sword and Shield fall woefully short. It’s painful to say and type that, along with everything else I have. What is even more painful however, is the reality that these games will likely be an enormous commercial success based on name recognition and have already received critical acclaim from the corporate critics and “content creators”, both of which are subject to an insidious conflict of interest when assessing the quality of these games. Said success will only incentivize low-effort, unambitious annual releases.

    You will see many negative reviews here, none nearly as lengthy as my diatribe. However, recognize that these negative reviews, like mine, come from a place of love and passion for the Pokemon series, and a sense of heartbreak and betrayal over seeing what it has become. To us, we love Pokemon, and in order for it to improve, there needs to be a place for criticism. This is it.

    Anyways, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield. For the good of your money, your time, and the future of this franchise, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield.    … Expand
  97. miaumelon
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    -Reused models from past games
    -Reused animations from past games
    -10fps
    -nintendo 64 texture
    -limited content
    -the game looks awful
    -the animations are so bad

    Do NOT trust reviews, they made me waste $60, you all should be ashamed.I thought this game were good just because everyone likes pokemon, this is a scam do NOT buy this game.
    Alot of paid reviews here, huh? Let's bring balance.
  98. SilphExec
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This looks like a 3DS game in 2019. For example, Gamefreak STILL has no idea how to program diagonal movement, and it would be funny were it not so pitiful. Everything feels rushed and unfinished. The wild area is barren. So many buildings are empty and inaccessible. Key cutscenes are eerily silent, as they clearly ran out of time to compose music for them. There are fewer trainers andThis looks like a 3DS game in 2019. For example, Gamefreak STILL has no idea how to program diagonal movement, and it would be funny were it not so pitiful. Everything feels rushed and unfinished. The wild area is barren. So many buildings are empty and inaccessible. Key cutscenes are eerily silent, as they clearly ran out of time to compose music for them. There are fewer trainers and secrets on each route than ever before.

    On a more personal note, my favorite legendary (Ho-Oh), starter line (Feraligatr), and Pokémon in general (Politoed) were all cut from the game, with no roadmap or promise of their eventual return (#ThankYouGamefreak, you monsters). Moves have been removed that literally make certain Pokémon unviable (what will Unknown do without access to Hidden Power? And the stated rationale for the cull is laughably false: animations are just as wooden as ever, and clearly inferior to anything achieved in Genius Sonority's Pokémon games 15+ years ago.

    Everything about these games smacks of a rushed development schedule. For part of its development, Gamefreak's already tiny development force of 150 people was dividing its attentions between Little Town Hero, LGPE and this. We're talking about a multibillion dollar corporation, and they can't even hire more people to make sure their first "fully-fledged" Pokémon game on an HD console is a) good, b) polished, and c) actually has all the Pokémon in it. The sanctimonious and tone deaf response from Ohmori and Masuda is reminiscent of Blizzard at its most obtuse, "you think you want all the Pokémon in your Pokémon game, but you don't." "We've heard your complaints, but we're not going to do anything about it." But worse than all the self-inflicted controversy, these are just bad games. I have no idea what the pro reviewers are thinking (probably desperate to keep their early access privileges or benefit from ad sales of the game *cough*IGN*cough*, but these are in no way ambitious titles as is often claimed. Look at any other first party title on the Nintendo Switch if you want to understand what I mean. Zelda Breath of the Wild? Ambitious, clearly a work of passion. Super Mario Odyssey? Ditto. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? The gang's all here, need I say more? Pokémon Sword and Shield? A cheap, glitchy, heartless, featureless cash-grab. And now reports are coming out that the game is corrupting people's save files for all their other games, which is just the cherry on top of this joke of a game.

    Gamefreak has a long way to go to redeem themselves in the eyes of their fans. The sad thing is, I'm not sure they even have it in them. Even with all their vast resources, this is the Pokémon game they made. The time constraints were largely of their own making, as they failed to take on more staff, while taking on additional projects dangerously close to this game's release. They're just an incompetent studio, and the rot starts at the very top with Masuda and Ohmori. Nintendo should have wrested control of this franchise out of their incompetent hands decades ago. The fans have weathered so much of gamefreak's incompetence and mediocrity over the years. We all deserve better from this franchise we love.    … Expand
  99. fridgerator
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The essence of being a trainer is ruined, everything is dumbed down, being ready to battle is no longer a factor, let alone the pillar of the franchise. The graphics belong on 3DS and it runs worse than PUBG. Shallow story, short game, lazy animation. The only positive so far is more Pikachu forms to utterly defeat.… Expand
  100. Josh098
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Genuinely inferior to the handheld games, as a game which was promoted as the first mainline Pokemon release made specifically for the Switch, it completely fails to deliver and continues GameFreaks obsession of completely removing features/improvement and adding half baked ones to replace them instead of building upon improvements from game to game. The textures and overall look of theGenuinely inferior to the handheld games, as a game which was promoted as the first mainline Pokemon release made specifically for the Switch, it completely fails to deliver and continues GameFreaks obsession of completely removing features/improvement and adding half baked ones to replace them instead of building upon improvements from game to game. The textures and overall look of the game outside of a couple of flashy models and animated moves are laughable compared to other games on offer and even Pokemon games in the past. The issue of cutting the National Dex is also a major red flag as one of the best things about Pokemon was being able to have the same ones with you from game to game but obliviously a lot of people will no longer be able to do this but the important thing to stress is that even with this feature cut, the game still feels bad and shallow compared to other entries in the series so the excuses they offered that the rest of the game would benefit from the culling of the National Dex has failed to materialise in my view… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Best Switch Game of 2019
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 87
  3. Negative: 0 out of 87
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    80
    Sword & Shield stumble in a few areas and history may not be kind to them, but they're setting up a future that I'm excited to see. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 73]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
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  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
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