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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. WeihanZhang
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    My friend I am advise please avoid bad game. Not allow purchase support Game Freak Masuda insect bottom coomer.
  2. IWantOffGFsRide
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I wanted the game to be good. I thought LGPE was just testing the waters for GF. I trusted GF. But nope! Now LGPE is the direction the series is going now.

    Please, Masuda and Ohmori, go have sex with the smartphones you're so obsessed with. Then marry them, have children with them, and get accused of rape by them. Get screwed.
  3. supradeluxx
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Honestly, I let some skepticism get to me about the quality of this game. I wanna tell you that people do have a right to complain. But don’t be so ungrateful that you miss out on this title, because with my score it is WORTH the buy and the time. I only hope gamefreak takes seriously the complaints and I hope you take seriously the melodrama free review of this game. Now the mechanicsHonestly, I let some skepticism get to me about the quality of this game. I wanna tell you that people do have a right to complain. But don’t be so ungrateful that you miss out on this title, because with my score it is WORTH the buy and the time. I only hope gamefreak takes seriously the complaints and I hope you take seriously the melodrama free review of this game. Now the mechanics have some qualities of past titles, and newer qualities such as the encounters. I find myself smiling at the OP free roaming Pokémon that will hunt and squad wipe a underpowered team. Graphically it is more pleasing. Sounds are still 8 bit ish. Abomasnow roar sounds like a electric guitar. There was a lack of trainers on route 1 and 2 which I felt was disappointing. But there are great encounters to balance it out.… Expand
  4. I_Play_Soku
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It's depressing how bad the series has gotten since 10 years back to now. This is considered by some to be the first mainline pokemon game to be on a TV console. And what we get is a pokemon game that uses the same engine as XY. That game was made on a the 3ds 6 years ago. Gamefreak has unironically become Japanese Bethesda except they are graced by developing games for the hugest grossingIt's depressing how bad the series has gotten since 10 years back to now. This is considered by some to be the first mainline pokemon game to be on a TV console. And what we get is a pokemon game that uses the same engine as XY. That game was made on a the 3ds 6 years ago. Gamefreak has unironically become Japanese Bethesda except they are graced by developing games for the hugest grossing franchise to date. The music is off in a lot of places (a few picked are good/alright), One of the shortest games and easiest games to beat, even with cutscenes. The cut of pokemon that everyone complains about. The crappy dynamax mechanic that has no purpose than to advertise the game without being much of a benefit to gameplay. Most routes are literal corridors. The list goes on... Awful game. I hope big changes are made in the near future or else pokemon is dead to me… Expand
  5. SucyQ
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Community was told that half of the Pokedex was removed in order to focus more time on remaking the models for the ones they were keeping and to improve the animations. This did not happen, not only are the in-game models the exact same as previous generations, but many of the animations are also recycled from other games as well. The Pokedex cut wasn't even told to Japanese fans either,Community was told that half of the Pokedex was removed in order to focus more time on remaking the models for the ones they were keeping and to improve the animations. This did not happen, not only are the in-game models the exact same as previous generations, but many of the animations are also recycled from other games as well. The Pokedex cut wasn't even told to Japanese fans either, the majority of them are going to be going in blind thinking all is normal.

    It's a shame, what should've been another mediocre title from Game Freak has been marred by them flat-out lying to the community that's supported them for years. The graphics are mediocre, maybe a little better to what you'd find on 3DS titles, but not indicative of what the Switch can do. The game is buggy beyond belief, reports are going around of lost save data on the game, on OTHER games on the Switch as a result of downloading this game off E-Shop. The gameplay is the same as usual, it's pokemon what do you expect? Dynamaxing is just a gimmick that was put in place of MegaEvos and Z-moves.

    I could go on but you know what Pokemon is, just imagine Sun and Moon but with less content that's Sword and Shield.    … Expand
  6. linkking
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Como juego, pkm SS cumple perfectamente con que un titulo nesecita, no muchos tienen la capacidad de entender desiciones de cocepto como el supuesto poping que en realidad esta puesto de esa manera con intencion para q a cada paso que de manera repentina te aparezca pokemones a los cuales seguir, y asi muchos otros detalles mas, muy divertido y con amplio postgame a explotar,
  7. JosephPatterson
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Game Is alot better than expected amazing end game and better accessibility to competitve
  8. Hotcozmo
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I am new to the world of Pokémon. This seemed to me like a good place to start. From what I can tell so far it is a well crafted and thought out game. The animations are great. The graphics are cute and serve their purpose. And the best bit is it is approachable enough for my and my son to play together :)
  9. BooWaa
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    So I've played at least 10 hours of this and I can't believe this is what was released as the next mainline game of Pokémon.

    There is little good with this game, while many of the towns do look good and there have been graphical improvements, sadly everything else is just bad. Awful animations that don't belong in a game of this calibre. Removed features once again. The insane amount of    So I've played at least 10 hours of this and I can't believe this is what was released as the next mainline game of Pokémon.

    There is little good with this game, while many of the towns do look good and there have been graphical improvements, sadly everything else is just bad. Awful animations that don't belong in a game of this calibre. Removed features once again. The insane amount of hand holding that has been a staple since generation 7.

    The railroad gameplay is mind numbing with characters consistently popping in and laying a load of text upon you with no freedom to play the game as an RPG. The wild area is boring fast. The new gimmick is stupid and makes me wonder why they removed Megas for this. The main good thing about this game is the core gameplay, because it's a Pokémon game so it's still the exact same that's been loved for twenty years without changing. But it needs to change, Pokémon deserves more than this, and a more expensive game should turn people away.    … Expand
  10. darla
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Galar is charming, new pokemon designs are on point. QOL features are abundant and welcome. Dexit, though, omg so bad. It restricts the avenues of play tremendously. For example: I play to hunt shinies so I can play new regions with my shiny favorite mons that I spent days catching/breeding. Some play to catch them all. No longer possible. Some just want to play with even one or two ofGalar is charming, new pokemon designs are on point. QOL features are abundant and welcome. Dexit, though, omg so bad. It restricts the avenues of play tremendously. For example: I play to hunt shinies so I can play new regions with my shiny favorite mons that I spent days catching/breeding. Some play to catch them all. No longer possible. Some just want to play with even one or two of their favorites regardless of whether or not they invested time into raising them. Not possible if your favorite mon didn't make the cut. THEY ALSO GOT RID OF THE MOVE PURSUIT. Where is the logic in that? One of my most competitively relevant moves is now rendered nonexistent. WHY? Literally why. These review channels and critics online say it is very competitively friendly, but how is removing hundreds of mons and a handful of very meta relevant moves comptetive friendly? The QOL changes they added to nature changing are amazing, the restriction removal of vitamins is amazing, but if I can't do it on my shiny Latias, what the heck is the point? I just want to bring my favorite pals into the new region and GameFreak has come out and said that isn't how I'm supposed to play the game anymore. I'm beyond offended that they are trying to tell me that how I play the game is wrong after fostering such an inclusive gameplay experience for decades. How does this "policy change" make sense? Even with all the good in the game, the general laziness of the development and the cutting of so many features paramount to what Pokemon meant to me for my entire life leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. This is not the Pokemon I have played in the past. Might as well change the name to something else with how different it is even from the last few generation which were also fairly developmentally lazy. Also what the heck why are Mega Evolutions cut too? I'm rambling at this point but holy crap that is so much cut content, how can you justify this for the first mainline console Pokemon game, something that has been hyped for years? Answer me that batman.… Expand
  11. zanttila
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    First off, and the most important, there is no end game. You complete the sub par story and you get about 1 hour of running around and the battle tower.

    Second, I would give the graphics a 3/10 at best. The inner cities are nice, but everything outside the city seems bland. Wide open areas with strange textured trees and rocks. I understand Pokemon has never had the greatest graphics,    First off, and the most important, there is no end game. You complete the sub par story and you get about 1 hour of running around and the battle tower.

    Second, I would give the graphics a 3/10 at best. The inner cities are nice, but everything outside the city seems bland. Wide open areas with strange textured trees and rocks. I understand Pokemon has never had the greatest graphics, but when you are pulling trees and rocks from Zelda Ocarina of Time, something isn't right. I sure hope they patch in better animation and graphics and fix the buggy glitches. Pokemon uncontrollably spinning in circles, popping in and out of nowhere, freezing when you talk or go up ladders, etc.

    Some of the new Pokemon are cool, but at the cost of 400+ Pokemon isn't worth it to me. Also finding out that Game Freak lied about starting the models from scratch. They used the same models from x and y with HD textures and shading.

    I would give the game a 0 but some of the Pokemon look cool and it's a Pokemon game.

    Overall, this game is rushed. They needed the game out on a deadline because of the TCG and anime release. Pokemon games may never reach it's full potential at this rate.    … Expand
  12. JeanyWong
    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
  13. ProudGenwunner
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    This game is really flawed, and it's really, really hard. Not as hard as I feared, because I thought the difficulty would be way too high for the length of the game, and this is only one game. But it is really, really hard. It's a game about a woman fighting a monster who is just trying to destroy everything she loves. It's about a woman trying to kill her own lover in front of him, andThis game is really flawed, and it's really, really hard. Not as hard as I feared, because I thought the difficulty would be way too high for the length of the game, and this is only one game. But it is really, really hard. It's a game about a woman fighting a monster who is just trying to destroy everything she loves. It's about a woman trying to kill her own lover in front of him, and her lover being very much willing to let her. It's about a woman getting pregnant by the monster she's fighting, and the baby being kidnapped by the monster. And it's about this whole crazy, emotional, slow-motion narrative where you're doing all of these things and then this thing that happens later. And there's a lot of really cool, interesting themes and things happening here, and I'm really glad that they got it down to two hours, because that's what makes this game so good.… Expand
  14. Kiohara
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    jogo pokemon desde o game boy, essa minha nota não tem nada ver com natinal dex, é apenas uma critica pela preguiça de uma desenvolvedora gigantesca como a GF de fazer o jogo nas coxas e vender pelo olho da cara, zelda Breath of the wild é um exemplo do que se pode fazer no switch se tiver vontade, pokemon teve muita coisa reaproveitada das versões anteriores como movimento dos personagen,jogo pokemon desde o game boy, essa minha nota não tem nada ver com natinal dex, é apenas uma critica pela preguiça de uma desenvolvedora gigantesca como a GF de fazer o jogo nas coxas e vender pelo olho da cara, zelda Breath of the wild é um exemplo do que se pode fazer no switch se tiver vontade, pokemon teve muita coisa reaproveitada das versões anteriores como movimento dos personagen, pokemons e a câmera fixa da rotas do jogo ( apenas a wild área é mundo aberto), o que não é o problema, e deveria ter dado tempo de sobra pra melhorar outras questões do jogo, como, ataque dos pokemons, e polimento gráfico, um exemplo é o double kick, o sprite do pokemon simplesmente da dois pulinho sem movimentação alguma, parece um papelão a versão digital do jogo é leve, cerca de 9gb e pouco e o switch ja demonstrou que aguenta o tranco, então sem desculpas, pokemon let`s go tem um gráfico MUITO melhor que o sword and shield… Expand
  15. The_Shabo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It killed my 128gb certified nintendo micro sd, this game is not even finished. Have you heard of the fallout 76 initiave? Well, it seems that Game Freak had
  16. MortoeRisorto
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Disappointing. The culling of more than 50% of the Pokédex (and more than 100 moves as well) was supposed to provide us with a phenomenal experience Pokémon experience; improved graphics, gameplay, features etc. I haven't see any of that. Instead, the game had considerably less content than its console precedessor, implying that the developers take for granted that their beloved fanbaseDisappointing. The culling of more than 50% of the Pokédex (and more than 100 moves as well) was supposed to provide us with a phenomenal experience Pokémon experience; improved graphics, gameplay, features etc. I haven't see any of that. Instead, the game had considerably less content than its console precedessor, implying that the developers take for granted that their beloved fanbase will buy anything and that effort isn't needed at all for them to sell millions of copies everytime.… Expand
  17. Calibur-X
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    La generacion pokemon mas mediocre hasta la fecha, un insulto para los fans de pokemon y los usuarios de switch, una estafa perpretada por una compañia que obviamente le queda demasiado grande lo de programar juegos de ultima generacion. El boom de pokemon go ya presagiaba este futuro donde game freak es la nueva square enix/ubisoft
  18. Revoltado
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6 - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas - Pior liga de todas as    - ~400 pokemon
    - movimentos apagados
    - Pokemon com tamanhos desproporcionais
    - Modelos antigos, por preguiça não mudam nem a posição dos pokemon desde a gen 6
    - Soundtrack ruim no geral, com algumas exceções
    - 99% dos pokemon tem o grunhido do game boy
    - Endgame curto sem muito o que fazer
    - Gráfico bom, animações ruins e muitas vezes reaproveitadas
    - Pior liga de todas as gerações, e como resto do jogo também utiliza reaproveitação
    - Cooking system (gosto pessoal, odeio essa mecânica em todos os jogos)
    - Sem legenda pt-br
    - Preço alto pelo baixo conteúdo
    Estranho as revisões de sites "especializados", pois o jogo parece ser produzido para jogadores novos, minimizando os custos e priorizando os ganhos reaproveitando e cortando conteúdos    … Expand
  19. Johan_Holland
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Graphics are mediocre than what is capable of putting out; removed more than half of the Pokemon; removal of 144 moves; removal of mega evolution / z-moves; the story is short and shallow; no "new quality" animations for older Pokemon even though that was promised; recycling of 3D models from the DS-era which would be fine if they didn't lie about it; unskippable cutscenes which makesGraphics are mediocre than what is capable of putting out; removed more than half of the Pokemon; removal of 144 moves; removal of mega evolution / z-moves; the story is short and shallow; no "new quality" animations for older Pokemon even though that was promised; recycling of 3D models from the DS-era which would be fine if they didn't lie about it; unskippable cutscenes which makes second playthroughs tedious; still a lot of handholding which could be removed if the player had an option in difficulty; games were not designed around forced EXP Share which makes the player quickly overpowered; there is no post game content outside of a rehashed Battle Tower and raid battles; dynamaxing is limited to gym battles and plot-related fights; the scaling of Pokemon is bad which makes the Pokemon seem way smaller than he really is in battle; removal of the GTS fuction; badly polished battle backgrounds that sometimes don't make sense where you character is currently fighting; sound track is uninspired; many Pokemon are shiny locked; frame rate issues; Wild Areas are underwhelming; no animations for flying or similar actions even though previous games had them; cities are devoid of any meaningful content; extremely shallow use of Britain as the main inspiration of the region; fishing is restricted to specific areas; pandering to specific region (Kanto); Pokemon in the OW do not interact with their environment in any meaningful way; game was advertised "for long time fans" which it clearly isn't; constant lying from the developers and games cost way too much for what it's giving.

    There is so much potential with this franchise but it just won't be used.    … Expand
  20. Louissmroy
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    Ok... So I really wanted to give that game a 1.. But 5h in and I'm still having fun.. I'm pissed about dexit and graphique, but the game is fun. I hate the rival, camp is boring, wild area is meh.. But its a pokemon game.. And i think i could enjoy one no mater what..
  21. Jota20
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Juego mediocre: graficos de ps3, corto (14h), postgame nulo, diseños de pokemon peores de lo normal, personajes planos, historia mucho peor que la de sol y luna, inestable, bugs; y todo ello recortando el contenido de anteriores entregas: quitando la mitad de los pokemon, todas las megas y z moves, eleminando movimientos... gamefreak espabilad por favor!!! Os estais cargando la saga deJuego mediocre: graficos de ps3, corto (14h), postgame nulo, diseños de pokemon peores de lo normal, personajes planos, historia mucho peor que la de sol y luna, inestable, bugs; y todo ello recortando el contenido de anteriores entregas: quitando la mitad de los pokemon, todas las megas y z moves, eleminando movimientos... gamefreak espabilad por favor!!! Os estais cargando la saga de nuestra vida… Expand
  22. Pretzels
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Oh boy where to begin with this one..

    Pros -Some of the new Pokémon designs look fantastic -Gyms are back and they’re just as great as they were in prior games -Character designs are phenomenal, we’ve come a long way from generic sprites in Pokémon centers, now every generic npc looks unique and is cute too boot Unfortunately is is where the pros end. Cons -The game is too short, the    Oh boy where to begin with this one..

    Pros
    -Some of the new Pokémon designs look fantastic -Gyms are back and they’re just as great as they were in prior games -Character designs are phenomenal, we’ve come a long way from generic sprites in Pokémon centers, now every generic npc looks unique and is cute too boot Unfortunately is is where the pros end. Cons
    -The game is too short, the entire story can be beaten in around 8-10 hours just like UsUm
    -No post game. Long gone are the days of the battle frontier which added an extra 9 or so facilities, now all we get is a generic battle tower from ruby and sapphire which can be beaten in around 3 hours give or take
    -No national dex. The biggest problem with the lack of post game is made more apparent with the lack of a national dex that added the additional content of trying to catch them all. You can be more than 80% done with the galar dex once you’ve cleared the main story. -No elite 4. Yep, no elite 4 or victory road. The final challenge before the champion is to re-battle the gym leaders you’ve already beaten before, and their number of Pokémon don’t increase nor does the challenge. -Lack of challenge. This is the next major point, there is just virtually no challenge in the game. B/W2 offered a hard and normal difficulty, but every game that followed it did away with that feature and unfortunately SwSh does the same. Couple this with the xp share function always on and no option to turn it off you are always going to be overleveled for trainer battles and gym battles. -10 routes. There are only 10 routes in the entire game, some of those routes are as short as 5 second walks such as route 7-8.
    -Wild area feels dead. You’re the only person in the wild area and it feels absolutely dead. BoTW managed to place enemies all over the map and wandering NPCs, but SwSh doesn’t do that. Pokémon pop up randomly, but there is absolutely no one in the wild area apart from you.
    -You can’t catch higher level Pokémon without the requisite gym badge, this means that if you encountered a level 28 shiny you won’t be able to catch it until you get your third gym badge in the wild area. Good luck getting that shiny to spawn again.

    All in all I don’t recommend the game. It costs $60 but has less content than a DS game that came out in 2010. For $50 you can get Dragon Quest XI:S for the switch, it has 100+ hours of the main game and another 30+ hours for the post game.    … Expand
  23. darksoulz31
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game is straight up trash, nothing like paying 60 quid for something that looks the same as the previous 2 generations but has even worse mechanics and an incomplete Pokedex
  24. 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
  25. Nikox96
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Deja mucho que desear. Historia lenta y mala, gráficos muy poco pulidos, animaciones y modelos reciclados de 3DS, se siente poco natural y vacío.
  26. Obo_
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Returned it to the store after 6 or 7 hours of playing. The game looks terrible, I had the autosave bug happen to me and in 5 hours I was struggling to see any sort of innovation apart from the open world.
    Tried giving it a chance despite the lies and the cut Pokédex but the whole experience felt recycled and uninspired. Definitely the last Pokémon game I buy until they prove they can    Returned it to the store after 6 or 7 hours of playing. The game looks terrible, I had the autosave bug happen to me and in 5 hours I was struggling to see any sort of innovation apart from the open world.
    Tried giving it a chance despite the lies and the cut Pokédex but the whole experience felt recycled and uninspired. Definitely the last Pokémon game I buy until they prove they can revive the franchise instead of just releasing the same game with minimal graphical updates each year.    … Expand
  27. McCreeSun
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    After 20 hours of playtime my review is a resounding “meh”.

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

    The game is alright. That’s all. Not the world ending calamity we all thought it would be. I have the same good things to say as everyone else and I have the same bad things to say about everyone else. So I’m not going to bore you with the same old. The problem I have though is “meh” is not good enough for a Pokémon game. Full stop. We’re talking about a $90 billion franchise here, not some indie studio’s passion project. If this were some no name studio I’d say it was a solid game, probably still not deserving of the high 9s and 4s we’ve seen on review sites, but still an attempt was made.

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

    tl;dr: SwSh is a good video game, a terrible Pokémon game.    … Expand
  28. Tripalink
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Its a very fun game regardless of the missing pokemon. You can have fun building an all.new team instead of using the same overpowered pokemon every time
  29. MetroidPrimed
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Overall this game was an absolute disappointment. The only positives I can say about it are the way are gyms work from the inside is nice and the general Pokemon gameplay loop(as in the training/battling not story) is fun. Though the greatest issue with the game's critic score is how they use other Pokemon games to gauge where this game should be placed. Though when compared as a VIDEOOverall this game was an absolute disappointment. The only positives I can say about it are the way are gyms work from the inside is nice and the general Pokemon gameplay loop(as in the training/battling not story) is fun. Though the greatest issue with the game's critic score is how they use other Pokemon games to gauge where this game should be placed. Though when compared as a VIDEO GAME, which Pokemon actually is, this game is terrible. Pokemon needs to drop telling cliche stories about being the best and give people a game. It is very uninteresting to watch bland characters bombard you with text boxes every 20 minutes or less. This is a clear element of padding, because otherwise the game would be too short and REALLY not deserve to be $60. I am not typically turned off by poor graphics, but places like the wild area give the impression that of being in beta up and GameFreak still sold it full price. The difficulty is far too low, people by avoiding almost every trainer fight they can are still extremely overleveled(about 5-10 levels in certain instances). This creates a situation where you can explore and have to mash your super effective attack six times or you cannot explore for an ounce of challenge. GameFreak has no reason to make a cake and eat it too if the oven is broken. I assume they left the EXP share in the game because there are no trainers to battle, which could make the game heavily grindy. However, GameFreak could have easily included an EXP share that provides 25% or lower experience and retained more difficulty. I suppose the lack of trainers does not matter much because most routes and caves are linear or just straight lines. I support cutting the national dex(I believe the series needs it) if it were to improve the game as a whole, but this is sadly not the case. If Pokemon were more than just up-resed copy-paste models and were animated as opposed to bobbing up and down like a string puppet, if the world felt open and content rich(the Wild Area is rather small in this regard), if Charizard did not shoot flames out of his wings, the dex cut would likely have pulled its weight. Every aspect of this game feels rushed. I do not think that many games deserve scores lower than 4s or 5s, but this game is just broken and incomplete. I am returning my game later today and I am ashamed to have bought this game in the first place. Just go play Fire Emblem, what it may lack in graphics, it has in gameplay that offers some resistance even on easier difficulties.… Expand
  30. Kingrock433
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Climbing Ladders freezes the overworld. Dexit, removed moves like Hidden Power and Pursuit ruining the competitive Metagame. This is the most disappointing Pokemon game ever and hopefully will hold this title as I hope this game flops to send a message that the effort put into this game is unacceptable
  31. Criminon
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    As a fan of 20 years, I don't feel like they are even remotely making this game for me anymore. I can't support this game.
  32. ElHombre
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    don't be blinded by nostalgia, Pokémon has been dying since long time ago and this is proof of it, Game Freak is running out of ideas, designs and mechanics, sad.
  33. DulceLinux
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Puede no tener todos los pokemon pero las mejoras que tiene el juego son maravillosas. Sin duda estoy más que contenta con esta versión.
  34. CharlieSilos
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    O Jogo é divertido como todo pokémon é, capturando pokémon , batalhando e etc, porém jogos precisam evoluir , já se passou uma geração , quero jogar um jogo de switch não de 3ds. Não é compatível um console que possui capacidade de de rodar "Zelda breath of the wild" sem travar , rodar um jogo com menos coisas, travando , gráfico inferior e mecânicas inferiores.
  35. lexistrainer
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Hola a todos apenas el dia de ayer pude probar el juego para mi si fue un gran cambio a lo que conocemos pokemon desde sus inicios desde pokemon rojo fuego y verde hoja con nuevas mecánicas desde la función de Gigamax el poke campamento entre otras cosas por otro lado sabemos que pokemon salto a una nueva generación asi que en sus gráficos si dejo mucho que desear pero eso no te impideHola a todos apenas el dia de ayer pude probar el juego para mi si fue un gran cambio a lo que conocemos pokemon desde sus inicios desde pokemon rojo fuego y verde hoja con nuevas mecánicas desde la función de Gigamax el poke campamento entre otras cosas por otro lado sabemos que pokemon salto a una nueva generación asi que en sus gráficos si dejo mucho que desear pero eso no te impide jugar con gran ilusión o otros motivo negativo es por que el juego dura menas horas que los otros juegos de pokemon pero si se ponen analizar el personaje tiene mas velocidad que los anteriores juegos que sus pasos eran mas peque;os y la velocidad realmente recorta tiempo asi que si en mi opinión vale toda la pena jugarlo.… Expand
  36. NegroSnake
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    As every Pokemon game, this entry in the series is still enjoyable. But the overall quality of the product is lackluster considering it's a new generation of the franchise on a new generation console, it gives the feeling that the developers didn't really care. Too many sacrifices, too many cut corners, feels rushed, is the shortest game in the series and most new mechanics are empty andAs every Pokemon game, this entry in the series is still enjoyable. But the overall quality of the product is lackluster considering it's a new generation of the franchise on a new generation console, it gives the feeling that the developers didn't really care. Too many sacrifices, too many cut corners, feels rushed, is the shortest game in the series and most new mechanics are empty and unfun. So my advice is: save your money for something better. There are better RPGs on the system such as Dragon Quest XI or Digimon CyberSleuth.… Expand
  37. 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.
  38. Gdlr777
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    After several recent disappointing installments, Pokémon continues on its downhill trajectory with Sword and Shield. With a small batch of new pokemon, with some being admittingly quite charming most come off as strange or weirdly typed. I am sure alot of people will be disappointed when they realize they cannot transfer most of their old pokemon, especially after paying a fee to keep themAfter several recent disappointing installments, Pokémon continues on its downhill trajectory with Sword and Shield. With a small batch of new pokemon, with some being admittingly quite charming most come off as strange or weirdly typed. I am sure alot of people will be disappointed when they realize they cannot transfer most of their old pokemon, especially after paying a fee to keep them in storage. The game is no where near as entertaining as games that are even half the price and it definitely stands apart from the rest of the switch lineup and not in a good way. No matter how you put it, pokemon sword and shield is not a good game, not even a good pokemon game for that matter. Game freak should be held to the same standards as any AAA game developer, especially when they have the power of the largest franchise in history to back them up.… Expand
  39. lesley_dias
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    Is a good Pokémon game, but could be better, i wish a return of national dex and more beautiful game at next generation
  40. hisoka-kun
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are the biggest disappointment I have encountered in video games. For decades we have dreamed of a mainline Pokemon game on a home console. Leading to the release of the "Let's Go" games, we were ensured that Sword and Shield would be games for true longtime fans. Excitement rose as people prepared for a Pokemon game on Switch with updated models and animations.Pokemon Sword and Shield are the biggest disappointment I have encountered in video games. For decades we have dreamed of a mainline Pokemon game on a home console. Leading to the release of the "Let's Go" games, we were ensured that Sword and Shield would be games for true longtime fans. Excitement rose as people prepared for a Pokemon game on Switch with updated models and animations. And most importantly, people eagerly awaited to opportunity to play with all their favorite Pokemon on a new system.

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

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

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

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

    Overall, this game is mediocre at best and insulting at worst. Here was a chance to make a refreshing and revolutionary Pokemon game as a tribute to veteran fans, after the release of the "Let's Go" games that were targeted for a more casual audience. Instead, it is a Switch game with fewer Pokemon than Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (released in 2006 on the DS), and inferior graphics/animations than Pokemon Battle Revolution (released in 2007 on the Wii). Do yourself a favor and skip this generation of Pokemon games -- not only to save yourself disappointment, but also to send a message to Game Freak and the Pokemon Company that yearly, low-effort entries with cut content will no longer yield the cash crop to which they are accustomed.    … Expand
  41. sweglisho
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    An absolutly punch in the face for evey Pokémon fan.

    + Nice graphic (for a pokemon game) Some of the simplifications are very convenient. - 60% of all Pokemon removed. 100+ Attacks removed Most features removed Buggy as hell Lots of unnecessary cutscenes Pokémon stronger than you badges arent catchable Way to easy All in all is to say that the game was ruined by business    An absolutly punch in the face for evey Pokémon fan.

    +
    Nice graphic (for a pokemon game)
    Some of the simplifications are very convenient.

    -
    60% of all Pokemon removed.
    100+ Attacks removed
    Most features removed
    Buggy as hell
    Lots of unnecessary cutscenes
    Pokémon stronger than you badges arent catchable
    Way to easy

    All in all is to say that the game was ruined by business decisions, it would have had enormous potential to be the best Pokémon game of the series. Now it's on a par with sun and moon, but with only half the pokemon.    … Expand
  42. Daxx7
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No puedo creer que GF la haya cagado de esta manera, una franquicia que nos acompaña desde pequeños, que es parte de nuestra niñez, diseño de los pokemon muy feos en su mayoría, también quitaron la pokedex, lleno de bugs, gráficos feos, una historia sin lógica y muchas cosas negativas que hacen de este juego el peor de todos los juegos de pokemon y del año.… Expand
  43. hudsonrab
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Best game of the year, lots of news, very good to play, I loved it. Wonderfullllll
  44. Sabor1337
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    1. Over 60% of the Pokemon were removed, that means this game has fewer pokemon than Diamond and Pearl which were released in 2007
    2. 144 moves have been removed for no apparent reason
    3. The textures are low resolution comparable to that of a PS2 game, and this game is supposed to be competing with games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 4. The    1. Over 60% of the Pokemon were removed, that means this game has fewer pokemon than Diamond and Pearl which were released in 2007
    2. 144 moves have been removed for no apparent reason
    3. The textures are low resolution comparable to that of a PS2 game, and this game is supposed to be competing with games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
    4. The draw distance is very short, you can only see pokemon, characters and objects in your vicinity, if you look out over the wild area you will only see empty fields devoid of life
    5. All Mega evolutions have been removed
    6. All Z-Moves have been removed
    7. The post-game is just battling dynamax pokemon and a battle tower, but this battle tower has fewer modes than all its previous iterations
    8. The GTS was removed
    9. The entire world around you freezes in time when interacting with certain items such as a ladder
    10. Pokemon Sword and Shield cost 50% more than its predecessors

    Not recommended    … Expand
  45. Rolawa
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    As somebody who has played this I can tell you it is not worth the buy. Especially at full price. It honestly is worse than previous installments in the series and fails to make use of the better hardware available in the form of the switch. Honestly if you want a Pokemon game on the switch play Let's Go. It somehow manages to be better than this. Story was uninspired and boring. Way tooAs somebody who has played this I can tell you it is not worth the buy. Especially at full price. It honestly is worse than previous installments in the series and fails to make use of the better hardware available in the form of the switch. Honestly if you want a Pokemon game on the switch play Let's Go. It somehow manages to be better than this. Story was uninspired and boring. Way too much handholding. No challenge and it results in a boring game. Camp was neat but felt like a mediocre version of Amie New Pokemon are kinda cool. Happy with the scorbunny line personally

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

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

    The list of removed features were not improved upon or replaced. Dynamaxing was uninspired and often made the models look worse. Absolutely not worth the cost of the game. Fails to make use of the switch hardware. Game freak continues to fail to listen to what people actually want out of the games. It instead delivers poor rushed games that get worse with every installment    … Expand
  46. Chaparobers
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Es estupendo la historia la forma de viajar con tus pokemon es una experiencia muy recomendable
  47. Waxupex
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Voy a hacer un listado con todos los problemas de este juego:
    -Eliminaron a gran cantidad de pokemon
    -Eliminaron 144 movimientos -Eliminaron la gts -Eliminaron anteriores mecánicas (Megaevoluciones y Movimientos z) -La historia es una basura y los personajes no tienen carisma -No pasa un 1 minuto sin que Hop/Paul interrumpa tu aventura para decirte alguna estupidez -Solo tiene 3    Voy a hacer un listado con todos los problemas de este juego:
    -Eliminaron a gran cantidad de pokemon
    -Eliminaron 144 movimientos
    -Eliminaron la gts
    -Eliminaron anteriores mecánicas (Megaevoluciones y Movimientos z)
    -La historia es una basura y los personajes no tienen carisma
    -No pasa un 1 minuto sin que Hop/Paul interrumpa tu aventura para decirte alguna estupidez
    -Solo tiene 3 legendarios
    -Malas animaciones
    -Los pokemon que caminan por el mundo libremente no se pueden diferenciar de uno shiny
    -Hay que tener medallas para atrapar pokemon de mayor nivel
    -Las rutas son un pasillo prácticamente toda la region es una linea recta
    -El juego tiene un popping horrible, puedes ver como los objetos aparecen frente a tu cara
    -El repartir experiencia viene desde el principio y ni se puede desactivar
    -El repartir experiencia funciona con todo tu equipo no solo con uno lo que hace el juego mucho mas facil
    -Cuando subes una escalera todas las demás animaciones se detienen
    -El juego es muy facil y no hay desafio
    -No hay postgame
    -Un error que borra los datos de tu partida
    -Mala calidad en todos los aspectos del juego    … Expand
  48. Tumba
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    1. Cut the National Dex you should cut the price. It’s gotta catch’em all not gotta catch some. 2. This game doesn’t achieve its platform potential from a graphics standpoint, rather it’s “trade off” of less dex for better visuals translates to PR bs and a cash grab. 3. Uninspired post game that doesn’t even count as post game. $59.00 for 20 hrs of uninspired under achieving gameplay? Miss1. Cut the National Dex you should cut the price. It’s gotta catch’em all not gotta catch some. 2. This game doesn’t achieve its platform potential from a graphics standpoint, rather it’s “trade off” of less dex for better visuals translates to PR bs and a cash grab. 3. Uninspired post game that doesn’t even count as post game. $59.00 for 20 hrs of uninspired under achieving gameplay? Miss me on that next time. 4. Critics must not be fans of the series. They played a surface review code version and didn’t import their hard earned legacy work b/c they aren’t Pokémon community. They should have taken into account the people that play the game. Really disappointing.… Expand
  49. Rikyun
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As a Pokémon game it has the core mechanics every other Pokémon game has: battles and catching pokemon. However this is not the only thing a console Pokémon video game should have. This however makes the game trigger the nostalgia, but this feeling fades too soon due to all the lacking aspects, the glitches and the intrusive "story" plot, which is basically your "rival" telling you to goAs a Pokémon game it has the core mechanics every other Pokémon game has: battles and catching pokemon. However this is not the only thing a console Pokémon video game should have. This however makes the game trigger the nostalgia, but this feeling fades too soon due to all the lacking aspects, the glitches and the intrusive "story" plot, which is basically your "rival" telling you to go to another gym.

    Pros: Nice looking exteriors. - Nostalgia trigger when spotting old and loved Pokémon spawn and watching them HD. - Dialogues during battles are new and brings a little of life to the action - Dynamaxing is a cool concept - Camp and feeding your Pokémon is funny, more so when you bake a bad food.

    Cons: No story at all - The main events from a story feel distant as you can´t join them - Straight lined game play - Easy leveled - No post game - Unfinished settings - No dungeons nor challenging Puzzles - 10 -15 hours of Gameplay - No post Game - Glitches - No high quality animation - non memorable characters- Intrusive dialogues and cinematics - No real challenge - Not a $60 worth game - No real villain - No real rival - Dynamxing, even tough feels cool at first, gets boring too soon - No visible shynies on the outer world - Void world for in door battles - No animation for flying - One use only technical moves - Wrong animation setting for fishing - No free fishing - No interaction with pokemon in the outside world like swimming, running or riding.    … Expand
  50. Kaizo
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have spent hours trying to write a review for this game and couldn't upload it here because of how many words I wrote because of my sheer disappointment, So I'm going to give my brief thoughts here. Also going to avoid spoilers if possible, but I may have to spoil some things. Big time Pokemon fan but I'm not happy with the quality of the games since Gen 7 and I genuinely believe this is the lowest point the franchise has ever been at.

    Presentation
    mediocre. Go and look up numerous examples on YouTube of animation and graphical errors and oddities to see just how mediocre it is. Definitely not enough effort was put in here to justify the dex cut. Especially when a bunch of animations are reused and what new animations we have are all over the place in terms of quality. Pop-in is also a massive problem as characters will just disappear when you aren't even far away from them. Graphics wise, it's better than USUM but below LGPE.

    Music
    Mediocre. Some tracks are good, some tracks feel like they squished two different tracks and some try to be creative but end up being hysterical. Do think that this will be subjective though, so listen and see if you like them.

    Story
    Non-existent until the last hour. When there is some actual story, it's either completely predictable or doesn't earn the twists and turns it makes. Wouldn't be a problem if there was proper dialogue skip and there wasn't tons of times where you're stopped for dialogue you couldn't care about. If you're going to put emphasis on story, then at least make me care.

    Also, don't tell me how strong something is, SHOW it to me. Eternatus is no threat whatsoever and Chairman Rose is so pathetic as a villain that he TURNS HIMSELF IN. Don't tell me that Eternatus has been awakened, show it to me. Don't tell me Eternatus is a threat, show it to me. Don't tell me Rose turned himself in, show it to me. Show, don't tell.

    Gameplay
    About what you'd expect at this point, except bogged down by the games attempt at being story focused with no proper story at all to justify it until the end. I'd compare it to X and Y in terms of content. Not good enoguh considering they were £30 instead of £45. Incredibly easy due to how X items now work thanks to Gen 7. Dynamaxing and raids are cool. A shame it's brought down by a mediocre main game and an awful post game. Wild Area is meh. Apart from raids, it ain't worth it.

    Pokemon designs are meh. Some good. Some awful. Not much inbetween here.

    And there are more and more things I can talk about here, like victory road being removed for a hallway where you just go forward until a trainer challenges you. Like the fact that you are constantly healed throughout and even during this games equivalent to the Elite 4 after every battle. (Edited out a complaint where I incorrectly stated that a crash could delete save data. Turns out it deletes game installs and screenshots on the SD card if it is a digital copy and only if it is Exfat. It also doesn't matter if autosave is on or not, it seems. Still not acceptable, but I apologize for the error). But the word limit is way too short to address them all here. It does some good things, like optional tutorials, dynamax and raid battles but there is no effort put into the rest of the game that it doesn't even matter.

    Seriously, I could go on and on and on. Lord knows I have with friends (Sorry for that). Even though I haven't even spent money on it, I feel ripped off. (Borrowed the game from a friend who got it a day before release when he couldn't be bothered to finish it, if you were wondering).

    Pokemon Sword and Shield feel like games a company would make if they just wanted to make money but lost all care to actually make a good game and cut corners just to get the game out. The game wants to have everything (E.g. money, good reviews, fan support) but cannot even be bothered to try for it, using it's name and reputation and hoping for the best.

    Go out and buy Platinum, Heart Gold/Soul Silver or ANY other Pokemon game used. This game wouldn't even be worth £30 let alone £45 and whatever you pay for switch online if you don't have it already. If they were to fix thepresentation problems, brought back the national dex and all cut Pokemon back it STILL wouldn't even APPROACH being enough to fix the games because it feels like a lazy, soulless attempt at a Pokemon game to make a quick buck.

    If you like the game and genuinely enjoy it, I hope that you are having fun. I hope you are enjoying all the aspects of the game and I hope that you continue to enjoy the games for many years to come. Me though? I have no interest to buy any Pokemon game again at this point. And that sucks that I would say that about my favorite series of games, but I don't support the direction game freak is going with these games and I refuse to support them if I can no longer find enjoyment in their latest releases.

    IMO, Go play something else. The games aren't worth it.    … Expand
  51. sgillan
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    While there are many issues with Pokemon sword and shield, I don't think they warrant giving the game a 1 out of 10. The missing Pokemon, the cut moves, the lack of post game content, the general laziness, and the developer's arrogant attitude are all working together to make sure this game deserves a 0 out of 10. I am a huge fan of previous Pokemon games, and I don't want to see theWhile there are many issues with Pokemon sword and shield, I don't think they warrant giving the game a 1 out of 10. The missing Pokemon, the cut moves, the lack of post game content, the general laziness, and the developer's arrogant attitude are all working together to make sure this game deserves a 0 out of 10. I am a huge fan of previous Pokemon games, and I don't want to see the series fail. I cannot overlook the sloppiness present in this game, however. In the end, it's the worst game ever made.… Expand
  52. DoughBro
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The game in itself is fine, except for some **** textures and older animations that have been reused since x and y, the issue with both games is the fact they don't feature all of the previous pokemon and the excuse for that was to improve the visual quality, which frankly most rpg fans don't care for that much, if you want to try out the games or play them untly the next gen, then IThe game in itself is fine, except for some **** textures and older animations that have been reused since x and y, the issue with both games is the fact they don't feature all of the previous pokemon and the excuse for that was to improve the visual quality, which frankly most rpg fans don't care for that much, if you want to try out the games or play them untly the next gen, then I recommend you to install custom firmware on your switch and install a backup from your friend or whichever source you can find, or buy the game used after a while, that will save you money and won't support gamefreak's removal of Pokémon.… Expand
  53. Kelvingame
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Basura total los movimientos muy robóticos una Pena, faltan Pokémon me imagino que lo meterán en dlc ambicioso rastrero y la prensa asquerosa engañando, este juego es basura
  54. loldave87
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is a true wake up call how low the bar actually is for Pokemon games. Even if GF released this game is this sorry state and included all Pokemon there would be very little amount of complaints. This only proves the entire series is just being carried by the Pokemon that are available. Aside from 65% of the Pokemon from previous generations being cut and also some very popularThis game is a true wake up call how low the bar actually is for Pokemon games. Even if GF released this game is this sorry state and included all Pokemon there would be very little amount of complaints. This only proves the entire series is just being carried by the Pokemon that are available. Aside from 65% of the Pokemon from previous generations being cut and also some very popular Pokemon being excluded this game falls flat in a lot of aspects. This game didn't meet some of the very basic expectations. This game is very short, almost no content for post game, no GTS. This game proves how incredibly lazy GF has been.

    Content cut: They have removed 65% of the Pokemon in this game including some very popular and liked ones. They have removed 144 Pokemon moves and excluded 99 moves. Reused models, reused animation etc. GF has been caught lying to their fan base they couldn't put all Pokemon in their game because they couldn't reanimate and remodel all Pokemon while they have never remodeled or reanimated any of the Pokemon in this game. All of them were reused work.

    Performance: Constant graphics issues. Game looks extremely mediocre at times. Game is being constantly downscaled making the game look extremely bad at times.

    Content: Game is extremely short. First streamer beat the champion around the 14 hour mark, while he did skip a fair amount of trainer battles. Other streamers are clocking around 16-20 hours. Post game is almost non-existent. Almost no extra content. This game from a gameplay/post-game stand point is inferior in almost every way to the previous Pokemon games. There's also no GTS. 20 dollar increase for less constant than their 3DS or DS games with subpar graphics and removal of features.    … Expand
  55. Hisoka4lyfe
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game does not even deserve a 1 as it feels wholly unfinished. Do not buy this product as it tells Nintendo that this quality of a product is ok to release and it is not. We deserve better. Pokemon deserves better.
  56. MarsFan
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    越來越隨便,刪除半數寶可夢宣稱是為了品質? 品質呢?
    感覺真的有點把玩家當傻子,是不是想說反正只要GF出品大家就會買單?
    強烈希望大家可以抵制,必須讓GF發覺這個嚴重性才來談品質吧
  57. MattheXavier
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It breaks my heart to see my favorite childhood franchise take such a fall, I was really hyped for this game when it was first revealed then during E3 when they announced that they would be not adding some Pokemon to the game that deeply worried me, but I thought to myself that if it wasn't a lot removed I'd be fine. But then about a week ago me was leaked out and datamined and it was revealed over half of the Pokemon in the franchise was removed and and that made me lose even more hope. Of course the cut dex isn't thr only bad thing, a lot of the routes might as well be straight lines, there's no victory road for some reason, the Wild Area is a vast empty boring location, the game is super easy maybe the easiest in the franchise it's almost impossible to avoid being about seven levels higher than the enemy trainers it gets very boring rather quickly. The music is another low point, I loved the Sun and Moon soundtrack so much it had such diversity in the music and every song fit the scenario it played in perfectly, the music for Sword and Shield is a massive step back, for one all of the battle themes sound similar, no diverseness in the instruments or tone, and with some songs like the gym battle theme it can sound like just a mess of instruments with no cohesion. Story doesn't really matter in Pokemon so I'll be brief the main conflict how Dynamax is a thing everyone loves but the thing making it happen will run out in 1000 years so instead of making a solution overtime with planning the antagonist decides to just immediately solve the problem by using Eternatus and it backfires, now this section is good to mention because it shows how little the developers cared when making dungeons, infiltrating the enemy's base has always been a big thing in Pokemon ever since Red and Blue, this game however when you enter the enemy base you get on an elevator and fight a gauntlet of trainers and that's it, there's no dungeon (not dungeon in the literal sense) to explore, nothing. Another example of there being no care for dungeons is how I mentioned there being no victory road, there is one area that leads to the Pokemon league that you could call the equivalent of victory road, however it's just a straight line, essentially a hallway leading to the league. A lot of the areas in this game could just be called a hallway and it wouldn't be too far from the truth, to close off. I know I can't force anyone to not buy the game and if you are buying I hope you have fun with it but if you don't wish for the games to keep this level of quality I suggest you do not buy these games and over time hopefully the issues will be fixed in later games… Expand
  58. Zequi
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Against all critics and after many hours played, i must say It's the best Pokemon Game ive ever played.
  59. Prequarantine
    Nov 15, 2019
    6
    This game is not the game for long-standing Pokemon fans that was promised last year. Few of the new features are new. This should have been a game similar in scope to other Nintendo franchise on the Switch, but it really isn't. Ultimately, this is just another Pokemon game. Hopefully next year the game will be improved, as this release feels half baked.

    The positives: +A minimum of 20    This game is not the game for long-standing Pokemon fans that was promised last year. Few of the new features are new. This should have been a game similar in scope to other Nintendo franchise on the Switch, but it really isn't. Ultimately, this is just another Pokemon game. Hopefully next year the game will be improved, as this release feels half baked.

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

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

    Overall, this game is fun for the 20 hours it lasts, but for its price and console, it really leaves you wanting a lot more. The game as a whole feels half baked. 6/10    … Expand
  60. Elaami
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    **** gamefreak Low Effort **** animation A lot of bugs Incomplete pokedex Reused models And the cut a lot of mechanics
  61. kurisubrooks
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    An enjoyable game for those who actually take the time to play it.
  62. Sausy-Mcsauce
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Great game. It has it’s flaws but yeah every game has them. Let’s be honest here, these games don’t deserve all those bad reviews.
  63. 5kyLegend
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Less than half the Pokémon than the previous title.
    Glitches and graphical bugs everywhere, with absurd pop-in for models. The Wild Area is incredibly small in size despite having been advertised as a huge step forward, and its graphical quality is easily on par with Wii games.
    Non-existant difficulty, with the forced Exp Share making you always overleveled, even if you skip trainers and    Less than half the Pokémon than the previous title.
    Glitches and graphical bugs everywhere, with absurd pop-in for models. The Wild Area is incredibly small in size despite having been advertised as a huge step forward, and its graphical quality is easily on par with Wii games.
    Non-existant difficulty, with the forced Exp Share making you always overleveled, even if you skip trainers and wild Pokémon.
    And the list could go on. These are unfinished, soulless games that EA, Ubisoft or Bethesda would be condemned for releasing. Game Freak doesn't deserve a free pass, as they even lied to customers about their reasons for the lower quality.
    These games are not recommended. If you played a Pokémon game during the last 10 years, you've played these already.    … Expand
  64. fishforbrains
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Seems like a huge money grab. Reused pokemon models, fixed camera (in 2019?!?!) Terrible terrible graphics, like n64/ps1 bad. WAY too easy and no way to change hardness. If this is what the pokemon series is now I'm over it. Plenty of amazing games out there that deserve a purchase over this garbage. Huge fail gamefreak.
  65. TTarps
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    What has Pokemon become?

    Its now longer an adventure but a hand holding unfinished bug ridden carcass of what was once a beloved franchise.
  66. ArthurTunes
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Sem dúvidas é o melhor jogo de pokémon de todos os tempos, se tivesse a NationalDex, eu diria que é o jogo definitivo.
    Não achei nenhum bug durante a jogatina e já zerei.
    Estou apaixonado por esse jogo.
  67. CanadianNetFlix
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The first 3 hours of the game are great, especially since you can skip the tutorial. I picked Sobble and had an amazing 3 hours but then I kept going. There isn't a plot, which is really weird. Now here's where it gets way worse...
    I saved before facing off against the BIG BAD but
    My save file is gone. I've tweeted at nintendo and gone through customer support but nothing. My save file    The first 3 hours of the game are great, especially since you can skip the tutorial. I picked Sobble and had an amazing 3 hours but then I kept going. There isn't a plot, which is really weird. Now here's where it gets way worse...
    I saved before facing off against the BIG BAD but
    My save file is gone. I've tweeted at nintendo and gone through customer support but nothing. My save file is gone? What? This is a freak joke or something. I downloaded the game, I paid for it and now my file is deleted? I'm not even mad, I just wanna cry. It's not the same. Wobbles is gone (my sobble) and so are GumpPhry, Aurtor and the rest.
    I don't get this. I do not understand. Did none of the reviewers have this issue? Why did no one tell me? I played and kept myself off the internet to avoid spoilers but I did look at the review numbers. I did NOT preload or anything, but I did get it from the E-shop on release night. This isn't fair.
    Total Playtime: 9ish hours before my save was gone. (My entire switch game library needs redownloading and my save files are missing but idc, I just want my pokemon file back. I want my excitement back.)    … Expand
  68. Buriedborne
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Decepcionante es lo único que puedo decir de este juego,EL PRIMER Pokémon de sobremesa y se ve como uno de 3ds con Pokemons reducidos en casi un 50% ¿es una broma? Entiendo que una transición de una consola portátil a una de sobremesa no es fácil pero una adaptación tan mediocre no merece ni el precio de 60$ déjense de hacer juegos mediocres en una franquicia tan aprovechable como Pokémon
  69. Omega2915
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Juego aburrido y mediocre para la expectativa generada dentro de la comunidad. Graficos mediocres para la consola y en pleno 2019, parece un juego de wii! El juego demasiado sencillo no ofrece ningun desafío y la verdad la historia pasa a ser algo secundario. Una gran decepción.… Expand
  70. Sneakybreeze
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Unfinished product. Seems like too much development went into certain pet of the games while leaving other parts feeling empty, low res and unfinished. Sound track is all over the place, some good and mostly bad. How were so many Pokémon removed for the 3ds quality port of a game?

    Would highly recommend you don’t buy.
  71. Joes
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Este juego es muy bueno vale cada peso. 10 de 10
  72. ZespDaigo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Just passing by nevermind me this game is pretty bad and you poketards are buying it for 60 bucks. Enjoy future games made with 0 passion and exagerated prices
  73. Gevlyn
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    This is no longer Pokemon at it's core. The brain dead easiness of these games combined with bugs and graphical disasters left and right are insulting. From a 20+ year fan and current competitive player, this has been the biggest disappointment in my gaming career. We deserve better.
  74. Melgill
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    #bringbacknationaldex
    #gamefreaklied
    Every pokémon is someone's favourite, this is just unacceptable!
  75. samuelglynnr
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    When considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look upWhen considering that this is a Pokémon game for a Nintendo home console, it’s an embarrassment. Pokémon Coliseum and Pokémon Gale of Darkness for GameCube, two games which came out 15 years ago, are on par graphically and have better animations and scaling AND a better story (with a similar amount of Pokémon!). Literally look up an image of Wailord in Pokemon Coliseum and then look up Wailord in Pokémon Sword / Shield and feast your eyes on the ineptitude.… Expand
  76. TomeDesolus
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    I believe they are going to release ultra sword and shield like past games with more pokemon however this feels rushed compared to other turn based entries on the switch, Fire emblem has more content, animations, cutscenes with higher polish and this game is not a pokemon entry that should be praised until it is complete. It plays as a 3ds game still rather than feeling like a switch game.I believe they are going to release ultra sword and shield like past games with more pokemon however this feels rushed compared to other turn based entries on the switch, Fire emblem has more content, animations, cutscenes with higher polish and this game is not a pokemon entry that should be praised until it is complete. It plays as a 3ds game still rather than feeling like a switch game. coliseum made by not game freak felt more like a console game than this… Expand
  77. Alberto_Barbosa
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Was it really hard for gamefreak to copy/paste models from 3ds games?
    But lackluster pokedex it's just a tip of the iceberg. This game is lacking half of the features from previous games. Instead, gamefreak added some **** ones like dynamax, that can only be used in some(!) raids and gym battles.
    This is just sad and pathetic, and there's no excuse for this kind of laziness. Gamefreak    Was it really hard for gamefreak to copy/paste models from 3ds games?
    But lackluster pokedex it's just a tip of the iceberg. This game is lacking half of the features from previous games. Instead, gamefreak added some **** ones like dynamax, that can only be used in some(!) raids and gym battles.

    This is just sad and pathetic, and there's no excuse for this kind of laziness. Gamefreak released unfinished product, and even if i wanted to, i can't defend pokemon SnS. So far, worst game in the series.    … Expand
  78. 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
  79. SomaKurusu
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Este juego sin dudas es un paso atrás en la saga. Fácilmente puede pasar por un juego de 3ds con mejor resolución. Graficos regulares con animaciones pésimas, Pokedex recortada sin justificación alguna para der un juego de 2019. Mismas mecánicas de hace 20 años sin innovar en nada, historia muy cutre y una banda sonora que cumple y ya. Una decepción para una de las compañías que más dineroEste juego sin dudas es un paso atrás en la saga. Fácilmente puede pasar por un juego de 3ds con mejor resolución. Graficos regulares con animaciones pésimas, Pokedex recortada sin justificación alguna para der un juego de 2019. Mismas mecánicas de hace 20 años sin innovar en nada, historia muy cutre y una banda sonora que cumple y ya. Una decepción para una de las compañías que más dinero recauda al año. Pokemon se ha convertido en el nuevo Call of Duty.… Expand
  80. Viserot
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. El corte de la dex es injustificado, rehusaron los modelos y eso no es problema el problema es que usaron de pretexto que hicieron los modelos desde cero para no incluirlos a todos, las animaciones muy pocas son buenas las demás se quedaron más mismas de 3ds lo cual es otro gran problema ya que dijeron que tendríamos animaciones de calidad y no fue cierto, el juego en general correo bien pero no explota la potencia del switch el área salvaje está muy desaprovechada y tiene caídas de frames… Expand
  81. SpeedEBird
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This is a **** kids game with no redeemable qualities. No mega, z move or even **** ditto for God's sake. How could gamefreak **** up this bad? Go play Black 2 or Heart Gold if you want a good Pokemon game
  82. GIN11341
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    DON'T BUY IT !
    #Gamefreaklied
    There is too much Pokemon to catch them all.
    Please cut more dex and Pokemon.
    And the quality of this game is too high to run on my Nintendo Switch, so it keeps crashing again and again.
  83. kakungun
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    If you don't want to read my nonsense, this can resume it : Pokemon Sword and Shield are an 8/10 pokemon game, and a 6/10 videogame

    the begining is boring, like every pokemon game. I've been playing pokemon since gen 2 , and i hate how every single game starts, it's boring, i know this game is aimed to kids, but kids watch the anime , they are not that stupid, at least allow us to skip    If you don't want to read my nonsense, this can resume it : Pokemon Sword and Shield are an 8/10 pokemon game, and a 6/10 videogame

    the begining is boring, like every pokemon game. I've been playing pokemon since gen 2 , and i hate how every single game starts, it's boring, i know this game is aimed to kids, but kids watch the anime , they are not that stupid, at least allow us to skip after the part they teach us how to catch pokemon

    The graphics are better than other pokemon games If you compare it to other pokemon games, the graphics have improved quite a lot , just do yourself a favor and don't compare it to other games

    the best part of pokemon ... are the pokemon. Really fun designs and the galar forms are my favorite, i like them better than the alola ones, not much to say about this

    Gigantamax is not that bad just think about them as mega-evolutions... but inflated. The pokemon change to more interesting designs and there is good variety. I still don't know the impact on competitive though

    I would like to say that the difficulty is easy but that would imply there is difficulty to begin with. Thanks to forced Exp share is really hard to handicap yourself, you probabbly can beat the game with only the starter. Type advantage? who needs that when your pokemon is higher level than the enemy without even trying. Seriously, if feels like the NPCs are underleveled.

    Best feature, pokemon appear on the grass. PLS keep this, it's just great, i can avoid and fight the pokemon i want, it makes filling the pokedex more fun, like a safari.

    Max Raid Battles work really well. didn't though about having a cooperative mode in pokemon like this, but it works, is fun and gives you the oportunity to meet people, but becouse dynamax is the "thing" of this generation, i have doubts about gamefreak keeping it

    High levels pokemon on the wild early... why? New players can't fight them (so they will avoid them) , Old players won't fight them becouse you can't catch them (so they will avoid them) But adventurous players who want a challenge can fight them ... except they will over level their pokemon (so they will avoid them)

    Conclusion, the best part about the game is that you can catch a basculin early, but the worst part would be that he only has 2% chance of appearing, i know this can be a deal breaker for a lot of us , but it will only take some hours to get it    … Expand
  84. okamimiyazaki
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    For once the review bombing is justified.

    They removed so many Pokemon because they claim they didn't have the resources to dedicate to integrating the full Pokedex. Okay, I was disappointed but not too upset. However, they justified this by saying it would give them more time and energy to devote to making the game much better in other aspects, such as revolutionary gameplay. Uh, none    For once the review bombing is justified.

    They removed so many Pokemon because they claim they didn't have the resources to dedicate to integrating the full Pokedex. Okay, I was disappointed but not too upset. However, they justified this by saying it would give them more time and energy to devote to making the game much better in other aspects, such as revolutionary gameplay. Uh, none of that is here. This game is worse than X/Y, ORAS, S/M, AND without over half the Pokemon!

    Where is the "revolutionary" part? It's not like we're getting an open world Pokemon game. This whole thing is a huge disappointment. Mediocre game with at least the full Pokedex would've been fine. Instead we got a mediocre game without a large number of the best Pokemon and moves... X/Y was much more 'revolutionary' than this with new things features that were actually very nice, like Wonder Trade.

    Also "gigantamax" is just plain silly, and even worse than Z-Moves. Gamefreak needs more ambitious management, it would seem... I would've been fine waiting another full year for a better game.    … Expand
  85. AGamer316
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I have never had so much fun playing a Pokémon game so far, is the game perfect? No its not but its still a great Pokémon game. If you have enjoyed a previous entry then chances are you will love this game :)
  86. MoldyMarshmello
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too many problems, too many regressions from the previous entries in the franchise. Not worth 60$ or even a cent.

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

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

    Overall, do not buy this game if you want Pokemon to improve as a franchise    … Expand
  87. DavidBrowne
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I really love the game, I know that you had to cut the pokedex but I hope you keep up the good work gamefreak
  88. Vatar
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game Freak lied to the fanbase, claiming that Dexit, removing half the existing pokemons and preventing them from being used in the future was for the better good. But everything is a downgrade, the graphics are downright shameful, seemingly on the tier of a 2000 gamecube's game; content were massively cut out, featuring no post-game content aside from a random trainer battle tower. TheGame Freak lied to the fanbase, claiming that Dexit, removing half the existing pokemons and preventing them from being used in the future was for the better good. But everything is a downgrade, the graphics are downright shameful, seemingly on the tier of a 2000 gamecube's game; content were massively cut out, featuring no post-game content aside from a random trainer battle tower. The engine is a buggy mess, constant pop-ins and rendering issues.

    Currently as of 15/11/2019, one common bug is a crash while saving causing the wipe of ALL game saves on your switch, not only pokemon but all games.

    Please consider where your money will go to if you buy the game, to a greedy and lazy corporate, abusing their very loyal fanbase to the bones.    … Expand
  89. Lairo
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    No solo es un juego incompleto y aburrido con gráficos mal hechos y animaciones ultra genericas si no que, además, esta lleno de bugs que incluso pueden borrar todos tus datos de guardado de otros juegos. Muy mal juego estoy muy decepcionado de gamefreak
  90. Ayaan
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Unfinished 3DS game on the switch that offers less value that previous 40$ installments
  91. idw3i
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    If only they spent more time on creating the game and less on cutting corners. Reused assets, a lack of coherent animations and a whole lot of disappointment.
  92. ronronron69
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Terrible. So much removed. I wish they'd have just kept all the pokemon in and at least tried to make the graphics look like they bling on switch instead of PS2 era.
  93. AbsoluteZ3R0
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pros:
    - A lot of qol update that makes breeding competitive Pokemon much more easier.
    - New pokmeon designs are really good Cons: - More than half of the pokemon was cut - Mechanics such as - mega evolution and z-moves removed - No GTS - The game is easier than before. Can't turn off exp share - The routes are super linear (excluding wild area). Its pretty much just follow a    Pros:
    - A lot of qol update that makes breeding competitive Pokemon much more easier.
    - New pokmeon designs are really good

    Cons:
    - More than half of the pokemon was cut
    - Mechanics such as - mega evolution and z-moves removed
    - No GTS
    - The game is easier than before. Can't turn off exp share
    - The routes are super linear (excluding wild area). Its pretty much just follow a straight route until you get to wild area
    - Wild Area is disappointing. The game looks graphically really bad in the wild area.
    - No victory road or elite 4. You have tournament at the end where you just rematch gym leader
    - No post-game content. Only get a battle tower with battle factory built in. No tower bosses either.

    This game costs 20 dollar (30 CAD) more than the 3ds titles and it has so much cut content. This probably the worst mainline pokemon game to this date. I cannot recommend anyone to purchase this product.    … Expand
  94. ebarboas10
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    Como jugador de toda la vida de Pokémon, he de decir que la expectativa para el primer juego en consola casera era muy alta. No he dejado variar mi valoración por la reducción de la Pokédex, ya que esto resulta ser ampliamente justificado, a mi parecer. Sin embargo, es menester comentar que el hilo argumental del juego es demasiado básico, quedando por detrás de entregas pasadas. A ello seComo jugador de toda la vida de Pokémon, he de decir que la expectativa para el primer juego en consola casera era muy alta. No he dejado variar mi valoración por la reducción de la Pokédex, ya que esto resulta ser ampliamente justificado, a mi parecer. Sin embargo, es menester comentar que el hilo argumental del juego es demasiado básico, quedando por detrás de entregas pasadas. A ello se suma un nivel de dificultad que sigue sin reconocer la existencia de jugadores experimentados. El area salvaje, si bien demuestra tener un gran potencial para el futuro de la saga, y aún cuando es de lo más llamativo del juego, deja con la sensación de que pudo dar más.

    Las gráficas, sobre todo a nivel portátil, no distan demasiado de las observadas en consolas de antaño, como la 3ds. Es recomendable jugar en la version de sobremesa para notar una variación tacita. Las animaciones no justifican la consola en la que corre el juego. Al final, si bien el juego cumple en cuanto al diseño de los Pokémon, ofreciendo dinámicas de combate nuevas y entretenidas, favoreciendo el competitivo, y con un apartado musical excepcional, es claro que no alcanza las expectativas, y tristemente se convierte en un titulo sin mayor valor diferencial.    … Expand
  95. Critex13
    Nov 15, 2019
    7
    I really love the music, my favort tracks so far and the new pokemon designs are excellent, but Everthing else feels really lifeless. So many thinks felt as if the devs sinply didnt care. I expected to see reused pokemon animations and iam fine with that but reused cut scene animations from previous games!?
  96. HenryDavids
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Many people are giving this game an underserved 10/10 -- it's not. What can I say that hasn't been said before?

    -The animations both in the overworld and in battle range from abysmal to nonexistent -- save for the signature moves, which are actually done really well. It would be fantastic if the rest of the animations had as much care put into them. -Numerous expansive, empty areas make    Many people are giving this game an underserved 10/10 -- it's not. What can I say that hasn't been said before?

    -The animations both in the overworld and in battle range from abysmal to nonexistent -- save for the signature moves, which are actually done really well. It would be fantastic if the rest of the animations had as much care put into them. -Numerous expansive, empty areas make the game feel hollow.
    -Areas with many NPCs/things to do are very small in size, and/or extremely linear. -Removed moves for seemingly no reason.
    -Storyline is the usual; more friendly, and/or pushover rivals.
    -More Kanto pandering -- a little would be fine, but it's done so frequently now and in the last few gens that you may as well just pick up Red/Blue/Yellow and play those instead.
    -Pokémon and trainers pop in and out of existence in the Wild Area, akin to an N64 game.
    -Again, the overworld animations are, without exaggeration, THE worst I have ever seen on a modern console. NPCs and Pokémon spin 180 degrees on their axis to turn; for example, Wingulls hover in mid air without flapping their wings (yet do so just fine in battle). -The entire overworld (Pokémon and NPCs) immediately freeze when doing actions like climbing a ladder.

    If you really love Pokémon, it plays OK, and the basics are all there. If your favorite Pokémon are in, the culling won't really affect you, but the downsized movepool surely will. And keep in mine that if your favorite made it into these games, they very likely won't be in the next one. I hope you really like Pikachu, because that's the only one that'll always be guaranteed to return.

    Personally, I don't mind a rotating Pokédex if it means the general game quality improves exponentially -- depressingly, the opposite happened and the Pokémon series continues it's inexorable decline into abject failure.    … Expand
  97. Jeremiahgottwal
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Have loved this series my entire life but just cannot bring myself to keep playing this one. Dex cut was bad enough but everything else is lackluster at best
  98. Maroite
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    In my first 7 hours it delivers the experience I have come to know and love from the game series. Its story, as expected, is what pokemon stories have come to be known for. Your protanganist character is from a small town, has a rival, and some connection to someone high up in the pokemon champion world.

    You select a starter, and begin your story... exploring the world. In my 7 hours    In my first 7 hours it delivers the experience I have come to know and love from the game series. Its story, as expected, is what pokemon stories have come to be known for. Your protanganist character is from a small town, has a rival, and some connection to someone high up in the pokemon champion world.

    You select a starter, and begin your story... exploring the world.

    In my 7 hours of play, I've only just reached the first gym. This is due to the wild lands being introduced shortly after you and your rival depart from your home town. These areas are huge! And the available pokemon with in change based on the weather. All aspects of this new area have been amazing. Its also the first place you can see other trainers and start on the raids. I've yet to turn my switch off and have yet to experience any crashes or graphical glitches. I have experienced lag but its network latency and only inside of the wild lands area. Thia is due to the sheer number of people playing the game and in that general area at this time. Its definitely not game breaking.

    Parting thoughts - is the game revolutionary? In some ways, as a pokemon game, it is. It implements a lot of new ways to play the game while eliminating a lot of tedium that only the most masochistic of players would complain about. (Hello box link! Where have you been all of my life!) It provides a nice, enjoying Pokemon experience for the being the second installment on a console, taking a more traditional approach toward the series. Is the game revolutionary for its graphics or action game play? No. But it was never intended to be Pokemon: A Skyrim Adventure. If you're on the fence, I highly recommend giving the game a go. Dont let the people who cant see past Dexit detract from why you enjoyed the first game, and the subsequent ones that followed. If you look deep, dexit was probably a minor factor in why you enjoyed the games. I know it is for me. I enjoyed the games because I love catching and raising and perfecting pokemon.    … Expand
  99. ReyGar97
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    A lot of errors and awful animations, really reaaaaaaally short, and when you finish the main story there is almost nothing else to do
  100. TheLordofChaos
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It's simply the worst Pokemon game ever. Too many features removed, a cut of about 60% of the Pokedex, a graphic with not much effort, some awful animation, a bad story and a short postgame. Furthermore the game is in general too easy (and boring).
    I didn't expect that from GameFreak and Nintendo. Just a disappointment.
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
See all critic reviews »