User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5909 Ratings

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  1. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    En serio nintendo nos querían ve con cara de idiotas con este juego de mala calidad a puertas del 2020? esto no tiene nombre.
  2. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Oh dear. There's some fun to be had, but there's some fun to be had in playing about in Microsoft Excel or with a bit of string. Not a whole lot of interactivity, the entire game has it's own plan to get you from to A to B to C and roll credits. If you buckle in, you can probably beat this game in around 16-17 hours. Which is pretty shocking in the day and age of Red Dead 2, Breath of theOh dear. There's some fun to be had, but there's some fun to be had in playing about in Microsoft Excel or with a bit of string. Not a whole lot of interactivity, the entire game has it's own plan to get you from to A to B to C and roll credits. If you buckle in, you can probably beat this game in around 16-17 hours. Which is pretty shocking in the day and age of Red Dead 2, Breath of the Wild, or basically any other big-budget, big-name game.

    The lack of effort, the lack of polish and shine leads em to believe that this game is just not worth your money. It's an extended tech demo at very best.

    + Some great Pokemon designs.
    + Music is always quite good.
    - Very short main game, very little post-game
    - the actual world feels tiny. Somehow, the gameboy games's caves felt infinitely large, compared to Sword/Shield's empty patches of grass

    Overall - 2/10

    Avoid.
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  3. Nov 15, 2019
    3
    As I expected in my review for the pokemon let's go eevee, this game is bad. Game freak does not have the technical skills to develop games on home console. Even if the GF did not use those ridiculous excuses, and added the dropped pokedex back, this is still not a good game. The highest grossing media franchise in this world should never make a game in this quality. GF has lost their loveAs I expected in my review for the pokemon let's go eevee, this game is bad. Game freak does not have the technical skills to develop games on home console. Even if the GF did not use those ridiculous excuses, and added the dropped pokedex back, this is still not a good game. The highest grossing media franchise in this world should never make a game in this quality. GF has lost their love to the game development, and is focusing only on the money. And unfortunately, a lot of pokemon funs are still buying this game, which gives them confidence to continually do such things, and make this franchise go even worse. Please stop buying this game if you love the pokemon games.

    I'm also wondering why Nintendo, as part of the pokemon company, does not have any control on this game. This is a very important game on switch, they should pay more attention to it instead of letting these GF guys do whatever they want.
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  4. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    una real porqueria en verdad no se esforzaron nada es un juego de 3ds en hd las animaciones mal echas recortes en items, tm-hm, pokemon etc etc y como si fuera poco un pooping horroroso y ellos mismos destacaron que era para pulir la calidad y es mentira
  5. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    no hay nada que destacar es un juego muy inferior a sus entregas anteriores es malisismo y con ese pooping es todavia mas malo el juego parece un juego de ps2
  6. 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
  7. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    una real mierda pero claro los CONFORMISTAS y CASUALS diran lo contrario, 3 años segun ellos desarrollando estos titulos para que? para ver ese asqueroso popping? para ver las animaciones y modelados reciclados? para ver los fallos con los npc? todo mal. gamefreak a caido en la mediocridad.
    quiero un pokemon de calidad y no en estas condiciones, se merece todas las criticas negativas por
    una real mierda pero claro los CONFORMISTAS y CASUALS diran lo contrario, 3 años segun ellos desarrollando estos titulos para que? para ver ese asqueroso popping? para ver las animaciones y modelados reciclados? para ver los fallos con los npc? todo mal. gamefreak a caido en la mediocridad.
    quiero un pokemon de calidad y no en estas condiciones, se merece todas las criticas negativas por lo mal echo que esta el juego.
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  8. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Cut 400 pokemon and gave the excuse of making the graphics and animations better. All the models and animations are reused from the 3ds games.
  9. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    El peor Pokemon de toda la saga, Game freak son muy vagos , mismas animaciones de juegos anteriores y muchos menos pokemons, juego repetitivo hasta la saciedad, ir del punto A al punto B y cazar pokemons, menudo bodrio de juego, está saga ya está muy prostituida y se hace cansina si tienes más de 10 años.
  10. Nov 15, 2019
    6
    A mediocre transition into a more powerful console for the pokemon franchise, giving a taste of potential but never quite going there
  11. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Mediocre. That's the only word that comes to mind. This was not the step forward we'd hoped for, and Pokemon has been completely left behind by it's Switch peers. The Wild feels like a beta feature. It's flat, too small to be considered "open world". Difficulty is non-existent as I had to self-impose challenges on a blind run just to remain engaged enough to keep playing. Your rival andMediocre. That's the only word that comes to mind. This was not the step forward we'd hoped for, and Pokemon has been completely left behind by it's Switch peers. The Wild feels like a beta feature. It's flat, too small to be considered "open world". Difficulty is non-existent as I had to self-impose challenges on a blind run just to remain engaged enough to keep playing. Your rival and the champion are basically cut and pasted from Sun and Moon. There is nothing to explore outside of that very small wild area, as the rest of the game is basically on-rails. There are interesting looking places in the background, but you never get to go there. The best way I've heard it put is, it's like a trip to Disney. You can look at the castle, but it's a set piece, there's nothing more to it. Add to that all the cut corners, graphical glitches, the save problem, and the outright removal of staple features (National Dex, moves, Megas, GTS, etc.) This is the first time I've come away from a mainline pokemon game, outright regretting having played it. Expand
  12. Nov 15, 2019
    4
    These games had great potential but for reasons unknown to me Game Freak has continued taking this series deeper into this downward spiral in quality, aiming to achieve nothing more than mediocrity and failing to even achieve that. The move to the switch making it all the more obvious where these games fall short.

    Keeping this in mind, do I think these games are inherently unenjoyable?
    These games had great potential but for reasons unknown to me Game Freak has continued taking this series deeper into this downward spiral in quality, aiming to achieve nothing more than mediocrity and failing to even achieve that. The move to the switch making it all the more obvious where these games fall short.

    Keeping this in mind, do I think these games are inherently unenjoyable? No, I think someone, especially children could have fun with these titles, the classic Pokémon formula of catching, training and battling is still there, though encumbered by bad game design choices, subpar presentation and without much evolution from previous titles, I'd even argue they're a step backwards with the removal of many of the Pokémon that made this series and it is today and the removal of mechanics such as mega evolution.

    Taking a step back from the gameplay, the design of the Galar region and many other elements of the game show a lot of potential, playing through this game there were times when I honestly found myself getting pretty into and immersed in it, before being taken right back out of it by some jarring lack of quality, be it a pivotal moment in the story entirely lacking any music for no real reason, some embarrassingly bad animations or one of many other glaring issues in these games.

    The Galar region itself has some really nice elements and environmental design, of course, some parts of these environments look a little outdated such as the trees which I'm sure nobody who's been keeping up with Pokémon news online hasn't seen by now, but there were a couple of other instances where I noticed poor quality models and textures in the overworld and it took me out of my immersion a bit, though other than these issues the region has a pretty nice art direction, the main issue for me is the lack of NPCs in the region leading to even a lot of the smaller areas (which is a lot of the areas unfortunately) feeling very empty, not just out and about on routes but even in a lot of the game's towns and cities.

    Finally the story, without spoiling anything, I found the story to be pretty lackluster and sure, it IS a Pokémon game, they're not renowned for their stories, though there have been some good ones in the series' past. Throughout the game the story didn't seem too interesting, but it's not too in your face either which is an improvement from Sun and Moon, though it felt to me as though it was almost too uninvolved with so much character progression happening off screen it made it kind of hard to feel invested in the story and characters and made me care even less about the story when they tried to turn the cutscenes up to 11 late into the game, finding myself rather bored as I skimmed through a lot of mediocre dialogue from characters I hardly knew or cared about.

    My final thoughts; these games are probably the easiest the series has ever been with the exception of the Let's Go! games. If you're looking for a challenge it's not here. If you're looking to collect a whole bunch of Pokémon most of them are not here either. If you're looking for a simple, easy Pokémon game and don't care too much about substance then you might enjoy this game if you don't get bored of it too quickly, but ultimately with the amount of content cut and reused, with hardly anything added in return I don't think it's worth the money, you can find a lot of better games on the Switch for the same price or less.
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  13. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bad graphics, a lying developer, poor working conditions for devs, massive amounts of cut features, game breaking bugs, SD card corrupting bugs, console bricking bugs, and general poor performance have mad this the worst pokemon game in the franchise. Do yourself a favor and get Sun and Moon
  14. Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think that the fun that comes from this particular game is supposed to come from the player, not the game. What's frustrating is that there's not much fun to derive from this game on its own because of how little content there is. What really hurts this game is that you could easily find more fun out of a ROM of Ruby and Sapphire. Expand
  15. 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.
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  16. 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.
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  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Some of the biggest and longest pokemon fans are critical of the game. Many newbies or barely played pokemon games are giving positive reviews. I LOVE POKEMON and this is the worst absolute worst pokemon paid. They did 1 thing right you can use the pro controller that's it. Everything else is a bust. It would be bad on a 3ds!
  20. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The worst pokemon game (unless they somehow manage to make the next even worse), have not played it and will NOT do unless I'm feeling nostalgic of 2000's graphics and animations (my bad, the animations back then were better).
  21. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Absolutely disappointing from mainline Pokemon. Battle animations look like something a fan made rather than the largest grossing media of all time's studio. 90 billion dollars this is what they put up for sale. Buggy, unfinished, lack of real post-game, the list goes on. Embarrassing that this is for the same system that Breath of the Wild is on. Box legendary cut scene is absolutelyAbsolutely disappointing from mainline Pokemon. Battle animations look like something a fan made rather than the largest grossing media of all time's studio. 90 billion dollars this is what they put up for sale. Buggy, unfinished, lack of real post-game, the list goes on. Embarrassing that this is for the same system that Breath of the Wild is on. Box legendary cut scene is absolutely disgusting when it comes to animations, something that looks like it was on the PS1. Still a Pokemon game (game is a breeze with no challenge), but not worth your time, better rpg's exist. Corners seemed cut throughout the game. Designs seem uninspired. Game will still sell because the world does not care about this stuff, we'll see when Nintendo releases the numbers at the end of January. #GameFreakLied Expand
  22. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak needs to put more effort into these games. I've been losing faith since the introduction of fairy types which was a weird move and the mega evolutions which was just another way to pimp out Gen 1 Pokemon that already get too much play. Then last gen was just a cluster. Super Size me pokemon and forced extreme hold handing is too far. Get better or give up the rights to a companyGamefreak needs to put more effort into these games. I've been losing faith since the introduction of fairy types which was a weird move and the mega evolutions which was just another way to pimp out Gen 1 Pokemon that already get too much play. Then last gen was just a cluster. Super Size me pokemon and forced extreme hold handing is too far. Get better or give up the rights to a company who will put in more love. I would kill for another shadow Pokemon saga like Colosseum or XD Gale of Darkness. Those games had passion and thought put into them. They could really learn from that. Expand
  23. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is a slap in the face to dedicated fans of the franchise. I personally looked past the amateur hour of Let's Go as I understood the reasoning behind testing the new engine on the Switch and garnering feedback. Exp Share from the start, easy EV visibility, and all these "QOL" changes just remove the enjoyment for me personally. They went from having some hidden features that onlyThis game is a slap in the face to dedicated fans of the franchise. I personally looked past the amateur hour of Let's Go as I understood the reasoning behind testing the new engine on the Switch and garnering feedback. Exp Share from the start, easy EV visibility, and all these "QOL" changes just remove the enjoyment for me personally. They went from having some hidden features that only those invested enough would research to being available to a child. The Pokemon being taken out of the game at launch is the least of my reason for the rating, however the refusal to adjust course after a major outcry for change by TPC is absurdly anti-consumer and I cannot stand for. Expand
  24. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Where is my alakazam and my swampert and my garchomp? Where is my magnezone?
  25. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Gamefreak lied. Ugly graphics, reused animations, short af story, not worth 60$, stop buying crap it'll just make GF lazier
  26. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Too much removed the pokemon didn't bug me but the 100+ moves removed definitely did. The reused pokemon models just everything feels janky.
  27. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Dex cut doesn't bother me, but the game is still **** If you are going to cut the dex at least fill the game with lots of new Pokemon, but it does not. This is the first real console Pokemon game yet it is so lackluster. At it's core it's just another Pokemon game with a non existent plot, dumb dynamax mechanic, linear go town a to town b game play, and copy and paste characters. I don'tDex cut doesn't bother me, but the game is still **** If you are going to cut the dex at least fill the game with lots of new Pokemon, but it does not. This is the first real console Pokemon game yet it is so lackluster. At it's core it's just another Pokemon game with a non existent plot, dumb dynamax mechanic, linear go town a to town b game play, and copy and paste characters. I don't mind the graphics, I don't mind the dex cut, but the fact that Pokemon never evolved beyond Pokemon red and blue is a huge problem for me. The difficulty level of the game is beyond easy. You can actually beat gyms with only one Pokemon without grinding and without dynamaxing. Disappointment of the year. Expand
  28. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pesimo, aburrido, carencias de novedades utiles y esoectaculares.... demasido aburrido, carece de todos sus comentarios en la web del blog y no me he hecho de la otra web que no me gusta y no tengo nada de lo de la casa y no tengo que ir en la misma web de mi madre pero no tengo nada de lo de mi novio pero ya me aparece el momento y me lo he dicho antes de la boda y me he hecho un sueñoPesimo, aburrido, carencias de novedades utiles y esoectaculares.... demasido aburrido, carece de todos sus comentarios en la web del blog y no me he hecho de la otra web que no me gusta y no tengo nada de lo de la casa y no tengo que ir en la misma web de mi madre pero no tengo nada de lo de mi novio pero ya me aparece el momento y me lo he dicho antes de la boda y me he hecho un sueño con mi novio pero me parece muy bueno y me siento con una mujer y me lo he pasado en mi vida pero ya me lo siento pero ya no tengo que hacer lo q sea para ir al trabajo de los demás pero con una amiga y con el que no ya no se lo he pasado y que me lo siento pero Expand
  29. Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Gamefreak could’ve held off on this game to make it better. It’s just so subpar and so hand holdy
  30. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    So much has been sacrificed, and not really replaced by anything exciting. Over half the pokemon have been cut, along with over 100 moves. Mega evolutions and Z moves no longer exist, and dynamaxing feels plain cheesy. Gamefreak has really put minimal effort into these games and it shows.
  31. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    After the company said they were reducing the amount of characters in order to improve animations and models, only to reuse the same models from previous titles, it’s obvious Game Freak cafes more about their other project, Small Town Hero. The copy I received has an issue where after ANY command is input in battle, the screen has a few frames of a completely random angle and it is quite jaring.
  32. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Dexit + NO GTS + Scaling Issues + animation issues + no postgame content = terrible game
  33. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    - Less Pokemon species than previous games
    - Less moves than previous games
    - Core mechanics of previous games are removed
    - Worst looking graphics than the average PS2 game
    - Close to every animation is reused from previous games
    - The only thing when this game overcome previous Pokemon games is in the lies of the developers
  34. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Renders are horrible and so are the starters evolutions, the legendary aslo doesn't even look like a legendary
  35. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Sword is a pointless game that they knew they could get away with. Graphics are not up to par. Wild area is okay but could be improved. Not happy with the game. Disappointed that they did mediocre work.
  36. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Hate the new Pokemon design they look like zootopia characters, the worst Pokemon so far.
  37. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Complete joke of a game. Removed a significant amount of content from the series in cut moves, z-moves, mega evolutions and worst of all half the roster of pokemon. Graphics look like they are from last decade at best. Models are re-used from the 3DS era with only a few new model. Little to no post-game content outside of one battle facility. I remember thinking Let's go was the worst gameComplete joke of a game. Removed a significant amount of content from the series in cut moves, z-moves, mega evolutions and worst of all half the roster of pokemon. Graphics look like they are from last decade at best. Models are re-used from the 3DS era with only a few new model. Little to no post-game content outside of one battle facility. I remember thinking Let's go was the worst game in the serie, but it's now looking like the better pokemon switch game. Expand
  38. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    it doesnt even look like a game made for the switch. so much wasted potential. i;d be fine with the dexit if the graphics, animation, mechanics, content made up for it. but no. they just made an awful game and slapped the name pokemon on it. then ka-ching!
  39. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Unfinished game, animations make no sense sometimes, game feels rushed. Game feels limited. Little to no post-game content
  40. Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Phoned in and a backwards step for the series. Gamefreak should be ashamed of this trash. Nintendo needs to do better.
  41. Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Where should I start? I'm pretty sad about the development of the Pokemon series. First of all, I play the games since Yellow came out. I collected each and every Pokemon so far, waiting to be used again.

    Story: There is almost no story. You simply go through the gyms and meanwhile some things apparantly happen. Even the Champ says he wants to take care of everything by himself so the
    Where should I start? I'm pretty sad about the development of the Pokemon series. First of all, I play the games since Yellow came out. I collected each and every Pokemon so far, waiting to be used again.

    Story: There is almost no story. You simply go through the gyms and meanwhile some things apparantly happen. Even the Champ says he wants to take care of everything by himself so the player can rush through the game. Also, the "story" always is the same. A 10 years-old kid becoming the very best, ruining the plans of the evil group then. Nothing new at all.

    Graphics: Miserable. Of course, compared to the 3DS games it now looks much better, but compared to other games, also indie games, geez. The shadow make it look like you're floating, the areas are top down perspective but even there things don't look good. When you can look into the distance it's the worst: Nothing going on, just when you are close enough, NPCs, Pokemon and trees will pop up and disappear.
    Here and there framedrops, especially when playing online in the wild area.

    Music: The best thing about this game. The music makes the gym battles quite epic.

    Content: Well, this is the worst about the game. It is a series about collecting Pokemon. But they simply cut away more than half of all existing Pokemon. You don't even really get 100 new Pokemon, it's less. Most of the old features are cut, Dynamaxing is useless since you can 1-hit them as well. When Gamefreak already says it's a surprise to have bicycles back, well..
    There is no post-game content. Once you got through the game, that's it. And collecting only 400 Pokemon in total isn't a task that lasts forever.

    It's not a good game at all. The developing of two games simultaneously was too much for Gamefreak to handle. They should have released the game later or at least outsource some stuff to other developers. They made promises, they lied to us. They simply recycled animations and models and even used this as a reason why to cut Pokemon at all.

    But.. it's Pokemon, of course it sells well so why even bother. If I was in charge, I would make it completely open world, make it a mix between Monster Hunter and BotW. Taking professions, making groups to find certain Pokemon. And not the same stuff all over again for like 20 years.
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  42. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    #GameFreakLied
    Total descaso com fans de anos da franquia, Pokedex super capada, jogo ficou muito mais casual, reutilização de modelo 3D, gráfico meh. Não vale nem perto dos R$300 gastos
  43. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Big disappointment! Just cut most important features and made the journey bland
  44. Nov 16, 2019
    6
    Fresh change from the classic playstyle but the exp share makes it a little easy
  45. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Wow where do I start, Gamefreak removed
    -Pokemon
    -Mega forms -day and night cycles -music from certain encounters -the ability to catch Pokémon higher level than your team -post game content -the elite 4 -pokemon Amie -the global trade server The game is choppy even though the graphics look like they’re from 15 yearsa ago. Objects float, vibrate and disappear depending on how you rotate
    Wow where do I start, Gamefreak removed
    -Pokemon
    -Mega forms
    -day and night cycles
    -music from certain encounters
    -the ability to catch Pokémon higher level than your team
    -post game content
    -the elite 4
    -pokemon Amie
    -the global trade server

    The game is choppy even though the graphics look like they’re from 15 yearsa ago. Objects float, vibrate and disappear depending on how you rotate the camera. The game is rushed and it’s incomplete. That’s probably why we didn’t get access to all existing Pokémon, laziness and labor.

    It’s sad living long enough to witness every series and franchise you enjoyed sell a dishonest lackluster product to the new lowest common denominator, iPhone YouTube children with no standards because of loot boxes.

    That is the case of Pokémon Sword and shield.



    you rotate the camera
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  46. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Lastimavel o quanto a Game Freak foi preguiçosa no desenvolvimento deste jogo! Animações pífias e a redução de pokemons não impediu isso. E decepcionante uma franquia bilionaria e tao amada chegar a este ponto em um console robusto como o switch.
  47. Nov 16, 2019
    1
    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and
    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and Shield. I bought a copy for both of us, because I wanted to spend some time with my friend since we're both working adults now. At his birthday party, which comprised of him, myself, and his dog, I gave him the games. He was so excited, he had kept himself spoiler free all this time. I brought my Nintendo Switch so we could play together.
    When we started the game, both of us encountered crashes. No problem after a few tries. Once the ball got rolling we were transported to the world of Pokémon, while graphically on the low-end, I didn't mind as long as my friend was happy. We were plagued by the rival and champion character of the game. It was charming at first, but quickly turned to annoyance when the rival and the so called champion halted us in our exploration. Speaking of exploration, we were shocked when we encountered strong Pokémon, but were not allowed to capture them. I brushed away these minor hiccups, and my friend was thoroughly focused on the game. That's when the straw broke the camel's back. Vargene and I looked online to see how to transfer some Pokémon, he expressed horror when we came across information that his favorite Pokémon, the one he raised since we were kids, his Venusaur, could not be transferred. He burst into tears, I couldn't believe it, I thought this game was meant for "long-time veterans". The fact that one of the original starter trio was excluded from the game was unforgivable. I calmed him down and we played the Digimon game that came out on the Switch together instead. Vargene was angry and never wants associate with the Pokémon brand ever again.
    I, of course, returned both our copies. Its tragic that this game had to ruin my friend's birthday party. I strongly dislike this game and only give it a 1 out of pity towards hard-working developers who were no doubt shut down and out while making it.
    Please avoid this game, and brand until they create a worthwhile product.

    Sincerely,
    A Disheartened Customer
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  48. Nov 18, 2019
    0
    畫質差,寶可夢無心意,戰鬥背景單調
    沿用舊作模組
    吼吼鯨靠杯小
    只有人設可以看
    那我拿錢買本子就好啦
  49. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Como videojuego es divertido, pero como producto es también mediocre, tú no puedes hacer un videojuego tan poco trabajado en una saga que vende millones de unidades, no pido un videojuego con gráficos realistas, pero si un videojuego con unos gráficos a la altura estilo Zelda, y de las animaciones mejor no hablemos, son las mismas animaciones que en 3ds pero cuando digo eso es LAS MISMAS,Como videojuego es divertido, pero como producto es también mediocre, tú no puedes hacer un videojuego tan poco trabajado en una saga que vende millones de unidades, no pido un videojuego con gráficos realistas, pero si un videojuego con unos gráficos a la altura estilo Zelda, y de las animaciones mejor no hablemos, son las mismas animaciones que en 3ds pero cuando digo eso es LAS MISMAS, y en combate tu personaje en ocasiones desaparece y resta total inmersión, señores de Game freak que no estamos en la época de PS2!!, Que la switch puede con mucho más! Expand
  50. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Game is trash. Seriously... $60 with no National Dex, Mega Evolution, Z moves, and most good features from previous Pokemon games. Now I know all the Development funds went to Game reviews
  51. Nov 16, 2019
    1
    I'll try make it simple, we're in 2019 and this games isn't better than ANY other pokemon version.

    Gamefreak did what every company is doing, using a big franchise to make a game using the lowest budget possible and selling it at AAA price to profit the most, without caring a single bit about gamers. I'm sorry but it's the truth, and if you're a REAL pokemon fan and you've played all or
    I'll try make it simple, we're in 2019 and this games isn't better than ANY other pokemon version.

    Gamefreak did what every company is doing, using a big franchise to make a game using the lowest budget possible and selling it at AAA price to profit the most, without caring a single bit about gamers.

    I'm sorry but it's the truth, and if you're a REAL pokemon fan and you've played all or even some of the other versions you know this one is just a 9 years old parents or Kiku fans unfinished money scrapper...

    Please Gamefreak, do a litle effort and stop selling this kind of BAD BAD copy paste "games"!

    You're a big company with big budget, and since you like COPY PASTE so much, try copying Breath of the wild and mixing it with pokemon with a REAL character creation and customization, make a REAL GOOD GAME! We're in 2019 for fu&$% sake..... Thank you for your time
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  52. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bring back nacional das, de want a full game experience, with ALL pokemons!
  53. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I've never finished a Pokemon game before. But I have played many of em for at least 13h+ each. And Every time I get the same thought, that these Pokemon games are all the same.

    They only change the graphics a bit and even now with this latest Pokemon game the graphics are pure trash. And don't get me started on the stupid designs of all Pokemon's which are only reskin from many years
    I've never finished a Pokemon game before. But I have played many of em for at least 13h+ each. And Every time I get the same thought, that these Pokemon games are all the same.

    They only change the graphics a bit and even now with this latest Pokemon game the graphics are pure trash. And don't get me started on the stupid designs of all Pokemon's which are only reskin from many years ago and nothing has changed. Also the Gameplay still boring and childish.

    Another thought that makes my brain hurt, is how do these Pokemon games get such high score is beyond me.

    There will never be Faith in humanity again ever......
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  54. Nov 15, 2019
    3
    As a long time pokemon fan excited for the franchise's first real console outing this game is a tremendous letdown on nearly all fronts. As per usual with the franchise, there are convenient quality of life improvements that are greatly appreciated like having the ability to change nature easily. The fan favorite ability to have customization over your character's appearance has alsoAs a long time pokemon fan excited for the franchise's first real console outing this game is a tremendous letdown on nearly all fronts. As per usual with the franchise, there are convenient quality of life improvements that are greatly appreciated like having the ability to change nature easily. The fan favorite ability to have customization over your character's appearance has also returned which is greatly appreciated. But looking further it feels as though any gains the developers could have made by moving from handheld to console has been completely squandered. Simply put, this is a 3DS game that has been ported to console, there is no other way to describe how pitiful this games looks. This stings even further when the developers claimed reason for not including the full dex was to better fine tune the visuals and animations of what was actually in the game. On top of this, the proven reveal that the in-game models were simply reused from previous games, which itself isn't bad and is honestly expected, makes things even worse when the developers explicitly stated this to not be the case.

    Making matters worse is the lack of content. The series seems to have taken a sharp nosedive in the amount of available content available to the player since the release of Black and White 2, and this game has the least yet while costing 1.5x more than previous games. It is simply astounding that a developer making its big console debut in one of the most beloved franchises in the world would actively choose to not do their best. GameFreak has done better this, can do better than this, and you as a fan deserve better than this. Your money and more importantly your time is better spent elsewhere.
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  55. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It's terrible, worst pokemon game in the series. They also lied to us about making new 3D models(which turned out to be the exact models from Sun&Moon games) which was the whole reason they couldn't include pokemon from previous generations. #gamefreaklied
  56. Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Here's an honest review of the game from someone who actually played it.
    The game is an inconstant mess of love and effort, take the gym challenges for example. There's a variety of activities from riding a 'raft' down a slide dodging obstacles which was kind of neat to going through a maze of breaking floors. Then you get to the last two challenges - walking down a corridor while a few
    Here's an honest review of the game from someone who actually played it.
    The game is an inconstant mess of love and effort, take the gym challenges for example. There's a variety of activities from riding a 'raft' down a slide dodging obstacles which was kind of neat to going through a maze of breaking floors. Then you get to the last two challenges - walking down a corridor while a few grunts jump you and the final challenge. The gym leader places 3 NPCs in front of you and essentially says "beat them, I'll see you out on the field"

    On the other hand, the game has some really charming moments. The first foggy forest you go into, the atmosphere and music is absolutely beautiful. Pity nothing in the game lives up to that area.

    One doesn't usually jump into a Pokemon game for the story, but this is a huge step down from anything the series has seen. Like Team Rocket, Aqua/Magma, Galactic etc you'd expect Team Yell to do.. something, but they don't. Even the big reveal of the evil guy at the end comes out of pretty much nowhere, lasts a battle and he's a happy chap again. There was no evil base to explore, no corrupt Boss with a ridiculous goal. It was last a lame, last second end to the story.

    On the positive side again, the customization is brilliant. There is a wide-range of clothes options. I just wish the male could either get a smaller bag or remove his big boxed suitcase. Poor guy's probably glad his adventure was so short - his back probably couldn't take much more of it.

    Overall the game just isn't impressive and is a major step down from pretty much anything the series has seen which is a shame, not counting Let's GO as it was more of a spinoff and the GCN titles for the same reason, this was Pokemon's first big jump to consoles. Many of us had imagined as kids what it would look like. I remember playing Stadium 1/2 on the N64 and imagining what the games would look like one day on the big screen. Pity this is what we got.

    Honestly, wouldn't recommend it unless you're absolutely 100% desperate for your Pokemon fix and can't grab a copy of Emerald, Heart Gold or Black 2
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  57. Nov 15, 2019
    3
    I already beat it before school started, wtf. The game is really easy and really short. It also feels really empty and there's not a lot of plot. Most of the characters hype you up as the champion but the Pokemon League gets interrupted by the stupid League President who summons a demon from hell, WHAT? And it's a long scripted cutscene meant to feel epic, but you hardly do anything. GameI already beat it before school started, wtf. The game is really easy and really short. It also feels really empty and there's not a lot of plot. Most of the characters hype you up as the champion but the Pokemon League gets interrupted by the stupid League President who summons a demon from hell, WHAT? And it's a long scripted cutscene meant to feel epic, but you hardly do anything. Game is pretty lame ngl, I hope there's another one next year that is longer. Expand
  58. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    To see the franchise sink to lying to players and cutting out half the content is beyond disappointing. The quality drop is apparent and I will not be purchasing future titles.
  59. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The game is incomplete with a lot of bugs and graphical issues, the story was decent but the post game is almost non-existent, 455 Pokemon were cut from the game because they had to recreate them from scratch even though it was found to be the same old models from the 3ds era, unfortunately if game freak wouldn't have lied about it and fixed the issues stated above this would be a goodThe game is incomplete with a lot of bugs and graphical issues, the story was decent but the post game is almost non-existent, 455 Pokemon were cut from the game because they had to recreate them from scratch even though it was found to be the same old models from the 3ds era, unfortunately if game freak wouldn't have lied about it and fixed the issues stated above this would be a good game, thats why my score is 2/10. Expand
  60. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game wiped my entire SD card. I paid $60 to lose all my game data. I want a refund.
  61. Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Masuda himself said worryingly that; "People shouldn't get their expectations up too high as these are very complicated games to make". This statement is a clear indicator that GameFreak has had their time with the franchise and it is time for them to let go. I had no expectations for this latest installment and I was still disappointed.
    People are saying that most of these negative
    Masuda himself said worryingly that; "People shouldn't get their expectations up too high as these are very complicated games to make". This statement is a clear indicator that GameFreak has had their time with the franchise and it is time for them to let go. I had no expectations for this latest installment and I was still disappointed.
    People are saying that most of these negative reviews are only due to the lack of a national-dex, but believe me, the Pokédex is the least of Sword & Shields problems.
    Horrible animations, linear maps (with the exception of the horrendous looking wild areas) and they still haven't fixed the 3D model scaling (even though they litterally have the tech at full display in-game).
    The story is lackluster and the graphics are inexcusable for a game of this magnitude. The battle animations are a complete joke and so are the overworld animations. Still no feature to have your trusty partners follow you around even though there is walking/running animations present in the game. The fact that GameFreak lied about the whole 'Quality over Quantity' in order to improve the Pokémon models and animations are beyond embarassing for the company. The series have been stale since the inception of 3D back in 2013 with generation 6. I strongly believe it is time to let another company take over the reins from GameFreak or at least have Nintendo handle most of the heavy lifting, as it is clear that GameFreak are incapable of handling the new Switch system. The new "Dynamax" gimmick is the most forgettable one yet and it is better off staying that way. A truely uninspired entry to the series, but seing how the games have evolved lately, it comes as no surprise. Stay away from this one and go buy Colosseum/Gale of Darkness for the old Nintendo GameCube if you want a solid home console Pokémon experience.
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  62. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Ok so lets look at this objectively where it surpasses, and fails against the other entries in the series.
    The Good:
    The avatar customization is much more in depth then the attempts at previous games The design of the cities themselves are all vibrant and very well done when compared to some of the previous games. More of the new Pokemon actually feel "inspired" by their regional
    Ok so lets look at this objectively where it surpasses, and fails against the other entries in the series.
    The Good:
    The avatar customization is much more in depth then the attempts at previous games
    The design of the cities themselves are all vibrant and very well done when compared to some of the previous games.
    More of the new Pokemon actually feel "inspired" by their regional setting then the other games imo.
    The Bad:
    While the cities have a charming design, the rest of the game worlds graphics are extremely lackluster. Pop-ins are common and draw distance is shockingly low, roughly akin to an early Dreamcast or PlayStation title. Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee has a much better over world in every aspect, as do the handheld titles.
    Less then half of the total number of Pokemon available are in the game, and many of those included feel chosen at random, or out of place compared to others that would fit the new region more thematically.
    The game is short. 14+ hours in and you're at the end, with virtually no post-game content to look forward to beyond online play and a half-baked 'battle tower'. The game is also far more linear then previous titles, exacerbating the quickness of it.
    Dynamaxing is far less in depth or varied a mechanic as Z-moves or mega-evolutions.
    Over 100 moves were cut, including series vital mainstays like Pursuit and Hidden Power.
    There are no longer varied environments for battles.
    Catching Pokemon is now locked behind gym-badge progression, rendering you unable to catch Pokemon of a certain level until you have certain badges, regardless of when you encounter them in the over world.
    The Ugly:
    Volume control is locked behind an optionally obtained in-game item.
    The returning Pokemon models were all imported from X/Y, as GameFreak future proofed their models back then, which means they lied to consumers about remaking the models and animations from scratch.
    The game is rather poorly programmed, characters will disappear mid-battle when certain moves are used, getting on a ladder will cause the rest of the overworld to stop moving till you dismount and the game can chug in certain areas.
    Verdict:
    Sadly, despite owning at least one game from every gen since Blue/Red came out...I cannot recommend this game to either older fans, or newer ones looking to get into the series when so many better options are available. So much is missing from older series without anything meaningful to fill the gap of their removal that it's understandable that returning fans are put off, even without the controversy of how poorly Gamefreak has been caught in lies that they decided to double down on.
    And as for those perhaps looking to get into the series, the previous 3ds games in the series are much more fleshed out and full experience, and the Let's Go games on the Switch themselves are more polished and easier to jump into setting for first timers. Sadly it TRULY feels like GameFreak decided to have this game rushed through development to make as much money as they could with as little effort as they could, and thus have done a disservice to what should have been the fullest most content rich game in the series to date. Hopefully they learn from this and take more care in the future.
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  63. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Probably the most controversial pokemon game yet, 2/3rds of the dex removed along with tons of moves and features. In what was supposed to be the holy grail of pokemon games sadly development was rushed, mistakes were made and the developer went on to lie to the public about it. I wanted to see past all that and still enjoy a pokemon game and found a very short story with reused animationsProbably the most controversial pokemon game yet, 2/3rds of the dex removed along with tons of moves and features. In what was supposed to be the holy grail of pokemon games sadly development was rushed, mistakes were made and the developer went on to lie to the public about it. I wanted to see past all that and still enjoy a pokemon game and found a very short story with reused animations and no music? I was stumped when I came across a pokemon I could not catch because I wasn't high enough level. I couldn't even throw the pokeball! Sadly the game is as easy as ever. While it's as fun as any other pokemon game, its probably the most lackluster of all the main series titles. Expand
  64. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    My average score was 6 as it best but it went all the way down when the SD card corruption and lots of lag in the Wild Area and plus I couldnt find any group to raid a pokemon for some reason. I dont know if its a bug or something since this game is already riddle with bugs.
  65. Nov 15, 2019
    1
    I was hyped for this game when it was first announced, but after the E3 presentation and the fact that not all the Pokémon will be present it was a big turn off for me, in top of that they said that they were doing all the Pokémon models and animations from the ground up but they lied to us! Please do not buy this game and make your opinion on this games the most fair possible...
  66. Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Save your money for something better, these games are the easiest ever In the mainline of RPGs and contain no real post story content. The controversy in the build up is 100% justified here, the graphic are basic, content is shallow and there are massive cuts to core gameplay. Wait for this to turn up in a bargain bin if your still desperate to play it.
  67. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    El peor Pokémon de todos , nada de inovación , pokemones gigantes encerio. Niantic se caga en su fanbase y está se extacia , pésimo.
  68. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    How can a Nintendo Switch game have worse graphics and animations than a previous Pokémon game that came out on the Wii in 2006? Where is the post game? Where is the other half of the dex? Why are there so many bugs? Why did they charge 60 for this mess of a game? Returning my copy tomorrow. Very disappointed in GameFreak
  69. Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The pokemon Games never advance, and this is not the eception, A waste of the switch's potential.
  70. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Do not let the professional reviews fool you, they are bought and paid for. Let's talk issues.

    This game is bricking Switches; there's a bug that deletes all your save data for all your games. The fact that this has happened to multiple people on DAY ONE, says, "stay away from this game". Don't buy it for your kids. If this gets patched, maybe consider it, but until then this is way too
    Do not let the professional reviews fool you, they are bought and paid for. Let's talk issues.

    This game is bricking Switches; there's a bug that deletes all your save data for all your games. The fact that this has happened to multiple people on DAY ONE, says, "stay away from this game". Don't buy it for your kids. If this gets patched, maybe consider it, but until then this is way too risky to buy.

    Now let's talk controversy. GameFreak lied a lot about this game.

    It performs atrociously despite using the same models and animations as the 3DS (GameFreak lied about updating these), so the game looks awful and janky. The wild area looks like it's from a game released over 10 years ago, and this game does not match up to the quality of other Switch titles.

    The pokemon are in the game's code. The decision to cut them from being able to be caught or used is purely to sell you another game next year with some of the extra Pokemon they've locked away added back in. If you want to get into this gen, honestly wait until next year for a more complete game.

    This game is 50% more expensive than the 3DS games. Despite this it lacks content. 400 pokemon (out of the 881 that could be in with just a couple more copy-pasted lines of code amidst the copy-pasted mess that is this game), nothing to do after beating the crummy story, lack of online functionality, no Global Trade System (something the series has had for years before this). This game is not finished. But it will not be patched or fixed. They'll just move on to selling you the sequels next year.

    This game functions as if GameFreak looked at the utter disaster of Fallout 76 and said "hey let's follow suit!"
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  71. Nov 15, 2019
    5
    This game certainly isn't a bad game. At its core, it's a Pokemon game, and that by definition is a hard formula to mess up. The problem here is that it doesn't bring much to the table, and a majority of the positive elements going for it are shared with other Pokemon games. If you're going to play the game one time through and put it down afterwards, it's probably still a solid experienceThis game certainly isn't a bad game. At its core, it's a Pokemon game, and that by definition is a hard formula to mess up. The problem here is that it doesn't bring much to the table, and a majority of the positive elements going for it are shared with other Pokemon games. If you're going to play the game one time through and put it down afterwards, it's probably still a solid experience (albeit not worth the $60 MSRP in my opinion), but it just doesn't bring much value to the table for those who really want to sink their teeth in and play for 100+ hours. Expand
  72. 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. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Any game developer that blatantly lies to their customer base should be shut down. Gamefreak is a lazy and **** tier company that no longer deserves to be making games for the pokemon fanchise.
  74. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    It's still fun, cause the formula of The core pokemon games Will always be good. Althought, the technical issues and laughable graphics cant be ignored. We re talking about The most valuable franchise in the world. It deserves way better than this.
  75. Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Everything that this game does, another game in the series does better. It's not terrible, but there really is no reason to play this game if you've played the others. Deceptive business practices, terrible graphics, and so many cut corners provide a disappointing experience the whole way through.
  76. Nov 16, 2019
    1
    This is worst pokemon game ever the same is a pile of crap. gamefreak is nothing but a company that lies to its customers. removing half the pokemon for so called high quality animations like glitches and freezing pokemon randomly despawning. really bad human animations and pokemon animations like the legendary moonwalking game freezing when on a latter and when the person asks for aThis is worst pokemon game ever the same is a pile of crap. gamefreak is nothing but a company that lies to its customers. removing half the pokemon for so called high quality animations like glitches and freezing pokemon randomly despawning. really bad human animations and pokemon animations like the legendary moonwalking game freezing when on a latter and when the person asks for a handshake its some awful animation no actual handshake also bridge = grassland and no effort in backgrounds even lets go had that effort. gamefreak reusing the same models as x and y and sun and moon and lets go. they cut mega evolutions for dynamax that just makes the pokemon bigger and gigantamax is stupid also the new pokemon all suck as well. dont buy this Expand
  77. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The game is just unfinished. It's totally uncleaned, the designs are bad, the graphics are trash, the ost is boring, everything here is wrong. The prior games look better than this. This game could easily be made in Nintendo 64. The gameplay is boring, the story is short, there is not even a single good thing in Pokemon Sword and Shield. It's just a way of the company making money. AThe game is just unfinished. It's totally uncleaned, the designs are bad, the graphics are trash, the ost is boring, everything here is wrong. The prior games look better than this. This game could easily be made in Nintendo 64. The gameplay is boring, the story is short, there is not even a single good thing in Pokemon Sword and Shield. It's just a way of the company making money. A offense for the fans. Expand
  78. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Richtig schlecht programmiert die sollen sich schämen hätte ich es nicht für 4.99 bekommen bei einem gewissen Shop dann hätte ich es mir nicht geholt. Wie kann man ein so dermaßen unfertiges Spiel herausbringen
  79. Nov 16, 2019
    2
    The game is a disappointment considering how eager I was to play it, and pre-ordered both versions.

    I don't believe it is worth its price because of its poor quality and poor content. I finished the game in ~18 hours including the almost non-existent PostGame. Basically, fewer Pokémon, fewer Moves, no Z-Moves, no MegaEvolutions, GTS is gone, Exp. Share always on, you have to get
    The game is a disappointment considering how eager I was to play it, and pre-ordered both versions.

    I don't believe it is worth its price because of its poor quality and poor content. I finished the game in ~18 hours including the almost non-existent PostGame.
    Basically, fewer Pokémon, fewer Moves, no Z-Moves, no MegaEvolutions, GTS is gone, Exp. Share always on, you have to get Earbuds from NPC to be able to change volume settings, Trees have N26 textures, Pokémon animations are really bad and they look lifeless in the wild like zombies..

    Also, important to mention that the game also crashed and deleted every single downloaded content I had on my SD Card. I'm not sure about the save data since mine are uploaded to the cloud. So be careful!

    Honestly I can't find anything good to say about the game. So it's 2 for effort!
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  80. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This is the first Pokemon game I hate with all my heart, and this hurts me so much. This game is by far the worst game, I deeply hate it. Returning it tomorrow and getting some Pokemon merchandise maybe
  81. Nov 16, 2019
    3
    O jogo possui graves falhas de animação, texturização e background. Apesar das indicações como a Wild área e o box à distância, o jogo fica muito aquém de seus antecessores.
    Ele parece um pokémon let's go.
  82. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Disappointing. The few positives that came Game Freak put into this game are MASSIVELY outweighed by the negatives. The National Dex controversy aside, the graphics are terrible for a Nintendo published game. The animations are rigid (flying Pokemon, battle moves, etc) or just lazy (taking animations from older games). There is no soul whatsoever in this game. I think it's time for PokemonDisappointing. The few positives that came Game Freak put into this game are MASSIVELY outweighed by the negatives. The National Dex controversy aside, the graphics are terrible for a Nintendo published game. The animations are rigid (flying Pokemon, battle moves, etc) or just lazy (taking animations from older games). There is no soul whatsoever in this game. I think it's time for Pokemon to be handled by a different company. Expand
  83. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    **** man, they dropped a 3ds game on the switch. Color me surprised. They really cut everything, the graphics are **** and the creators lied. Parents, pick up the legend of Zelda breath of the wild, Luigi’s mansion 3, or astral chain for your kid this Christmas. You’ll be doing them a favor
  84. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    One of the lazyest games ever made from game freak. Not even half the Dex is in the game.
  85. Nov 16, 2019
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Penoso, animaciones de 3ds y poco más , falta de interés en el desarrollo, endgame inexistente. Expand
  86. Nov 15, 2019
    4
    No national dex. Poor quality animations and models. Low resolution textures. Extremely easy, to the point of boredom. Terrible pop-in and slowdown. No voice acting. Constant hand holding. Barely any post game and what's there is not challenging. Permanent experience share. The core gameplay of raising and catching Pokémon is still fun, but there are many other, better made, PokémonNo national dex. Poor quality animations and models. Low resolution textures. Extremely easy, to the point of boredom. Terrible pop-in and slowdown. No voice acting. Constant hand holding. Barely any post game and what's there is not challenging. Permanent experience share. The core gameplay of raising and catching Pokémon is still fun, but there are many other, better made, Pokémon games to play instead of this rushed mess. Is this what the Switch can deliver? Absolutely disappointing. Expand
  87. Nov 15, 2019
    5
    During the marketing period for these games, I was sorely tempted to drop a fat uno when it came time to submit user reviews. This, primarily, was due to the dex cut, but (most) of the consequences of that, are, quite frankly, overblown. And there do exist silver linings to Dexit as well, strangely. It’s not a terrible game. Perfectly playable, but i still have to say that it’s an anemicDuring the marketing period for these games, I was sorely tempted to drop a fat uno when it came time to submit user reviews. This, primarily, was due to the dex cut, but (most) of the consequences of that, are, quite frankly, overblown. And there do exist silver linings to Dexit as well, strangely. It’s not a terrible game. Perfectly playable, but i still have to say that it’s an anemic shadow of what Pokémon once was.
    With this in mind, I’ll go through the positive and negatives.

    CONS:
    -The dex removal screams of a calculated $$$ ploy. It wasn’t long before the infamous announcement of the Dexit that Home was touted as a more comprehensive replacement for Bank. Yes, it probably won’t be much more expensive and more accessible, but forcing thousands more people to pay for services like Bank than before just to have a hope of bringing their “bros” in is a bit sleazy, no?
    -Lack of post-credits content. The fact that facilities have been cut down to the battle tower clones and those only is bad enough. Even worse, there are fewer “modes” than previously. No Triples or Rotations. No Sky Battles. There’s no way to switch up how the traditional 1v1 or 2v2 turn based battle format is played. Even young kids could easily get bored with it. -Graphics and animations look kinda unpolished. There’s tons of stuff that implies last minute reusing of assets and codebase from LGPE. I’m not blaming this on the dev team, despite their convoluted coding methods since the days of GSC. No. Nearly everything unfinished with this title can be laid squarely and exclusively at the feet of the corporate suits in charge of scheduling product release schedules. Delaying the game by 9 months to a year would have resulted in a massive improvement in all aspects.
    -Removal of vital moves from the game. Pursuit, Signal Beam, Toxic, and others are the lynchpin of entire strategies when players duke it out. We’re looking at a serious winnowing of viable play styles on Pokémon that might not have many other options.
    -The story is a paraplegic Frankenstein birthed from the loins of XY and SM. It all got shoved into the last hour before the credits roll and even some characters in the game call out how stupid it is. I won’t spoil it tho. It’s mercifully sparse otherwise.
    -Game gives you way too many good free items. Having lots of free heals dropped into your lap is staple since 2010. But they do it way too often in SWSH. Also, the presence of competitive teambuilding items has a downside in that grabbing more than one or two of each optimizes your team to where no in game foes can hope to mount a serious challenge.
    -Wild Area didn’t really get filled out enough. It’s pretty small and way too packed with Max Raid beacons. Locking encounters behind badges was also inane.
    -God, the sound control mechanics are infuriating. See for yourself.
    -Who authorized the mechanics of D-Max Airstrike? And giving Gyarados Power Whip? PROS:
    -LANDORUS IS GONE! DEFENSIVE ICE TYPES GOT REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH OFFENSIVE ONES! NO MORE TAPUS! Dexit actually has a chance to produce a more balanced metagame so long as they ban Max Airstrike and Gyarados both.
    -James Turner did a good job directing most of the new monster designs. The only truly heinous one IMO is Eiscue.
    -Of all the non-Japan-inspired regions, Galar does the best job at paying homage to its basis, that being the UK. -Competitive teambuilding is easier than ever, and it appears early on that stall is going to be far less workable than before. Entry hazards are now less centralizing.
    -The Gym challenge now feels like an actual sporting event. This is a good thing.
    -Really good character designs. Even the most critical fans online have at least one new face they applaud GF for creating.
    Expand
  88. 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
  89. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I think it's not fair to have a poor quality game like this for a home console ... Boring. No surprise, same scenario, same graphics than sun and moon... I think im gonna play to digimon to forgzt this game...
  90. Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partiallyI wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partially scrapped to hastily make it a “Switch” title. All the heart of the game was left on the cutting room floor. There are hints at what could have been an amazing game and there’s beauty to be found here and there. But I can’t help but regret supporting GameFreak and the Pokémon Company with my money. After playing for a little while, I realized that for all of the people saying “You can’t judge it until you played it” and praising the game...they probably haven’t played it either. I can’t imagine they could play this and not feel as empty inside as the wild area is. If you haven’t already bought the game, or if you were planning to buy this for a loved one, I can’t recommend it. If you do and you have fun that’s great! But this really feels like the end of an era of Pokémon games that created fantastic memories and journeys with friends, both Pokémon and those we make in real life. Expand
  91. 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.
  92. Nov 15, 2019
    5
    The game is totally boring and repetitive as hell, if not for the grass would have a 0
  93. 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
  94. Nov 15, 2019
    3
    I’ve been big fan of Pokémon ever since I was a kid. It was always one of my favorite franchises for its use of creativity, fun and heart to both the games and the anime. Sword and Shield try to recreate those same feelings with a false veil that even the brain dead audience will clap to and enjoy but I’m not one of them, I actually have standards. Before the negatives (which are many) II’ve been big fan of Pokémon ever since I was a kid. It was always one of my favorite franchises for its use of creativity, fun and heart to both the games and the anime. Sword and Shield try to recreate those same feelings with a false veil that even the brain dead audience will clap to and enjoy but I’m not one of them, I actually have standards. Before the negatives (which are many) I will talk a little about the positives.
    To start off, the best part of the game is actually in the name, the Pokémon. Most of the designs I find creative and fun with a variety of ideas and colors. I feel like it’s a small step over the Pokémon of Sun and Moon as most Pokémon have some sort of evolution while in Sun and Moon, there were a ton of Pokémon who should have had some sort of 2 stage / 3 stage evolution. Another positive is most of the new animations being well animated and some of the textures of attacks look the best they ever had. The “Maxing” gimmick seems like fun but doesn’t live up to its name as I will explain shortly. The new camp feature could be great and has a lot of potential that Game Freak doesn’t capitalize on. The idea of camp with your little buddies would be wonderful if gamefreak actually took the time develop the concept better. Which this leads me to all the negatives and the best way to describe them is “lost potential and laziness”.
    When playing the game, you’ll notice the lifelessness of the Pokémon, as they move on the map and in battle like they’re on a grid. Unless you’re in a pre-rendered cutscene, everything moves like a robot. Walk in place to face you or the focus. Idle animations that still remain lifeless as the x/y and sun and moon idle animations as they are EXACTLY the same and the attack animations are still very poor as well (look up the double kick attack and Maxed Grookey doing bullet seed to see what I mean). I remember Pokémon Stadium having characters animated with tons of life, moving, jiving, swaying, and spinning. What else is exactly the same is the models funny enough. Recent looks through the games files and code show that all the returning Pokémon that show up still retain those same “future proofed” models that were over developed back in x/y.

    Graphically the colors are vibrant and shiny but texture wise for most things, it looks like that of n64 and ps1 era textures. The ground, rock, trees, etc all look terrible and doesn’t help thats what you’ll be looking at throughout most of the game. The towns look nice but there’s a feeling of voidness as there’s nothing to do and there’s even a portion where they copy paste the same exact room several times, when they could have moved furniture, different paintings, different interior size but nope, copy and paste. Now back to the gimmicks of this generation, dynamaxing and gigantamaxing. It’s a neat idea that is executed horribly. In the case of dynamaxing, the only change to stats is the health rising, everything else remains the same and I don’t remember if the Gigmax version does that as well though I don’t remember any drastic change in stats except health. For a replacement to mega stones (which would change stats that isn’t just health AND possibly the type and ability) and z-moves (which are special powerful moves), the Maxing feels like a waste of a good concept and a excuse for the developers to not actually balance those forms / attack’s. This brings me to my next point, balance. There’s not much to say as the game has NOT been rebalanced at all. It is still the same, no actual work was done to balance out the Pokémon THEMSELVES. There’s still worthless Pokémon, Pokémon with the potential of being good but for some odd reason having bad stats and so on a so forth. These issues were in previous games and they still are here now. Nothing was actually fixed in a major way. The wild area is a great concept that, like the Maxing and camp, is not executed well. After the novelty of playing in it for 30 minutes, you’ll realize how lifeless it is. Sure Pokémon and trainers may pop up or you’ll find the max raid spots, but there’s nothing really there besides that. No dungeons, puzzles, mini games, nothing. It doesn’t help when you ride around that trees and trainers will randomly pop in front of you like some ghost as the render distance in this game is absolute terrible and a game such as BOTW dealt with this issue much better. Not to mention going up ladders freeze time. After all is said and done, Game freak produced a game that cuts out Pokémon / attacks / forms, offers us the same Ps1 turning animations and textures in their previous titles, unbalanced mechanics, a lifeless overworld, reused models, and promised of great things that turn out to be lies. This game isn’t worth $60, it isn’t even worth the original $40 as it has less content than DS Poke game. Save your money and standards.
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  95. 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.
  96. 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
  97. 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
  98. 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.
  99. 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
  100. Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I bought it and I thought it was a good game but it was the opposite. There is no innovation and it is more of the same.
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 87
  2. 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. 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.
  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]