Pokemon Violet

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's technical problems and lackluster multiplayer are unable to overshadow its triumphant leap into an open world. Compelling characters, a huge batch of new creatures and an excellent OST help the titles on their mission to renovate the franchise. They celebrate everything that makes Pokémon games endearing: the mysteries, the surprises, the feeling of freedom - and, in doing so, create an experience that's probably the best in the entire main series.

Despite some technical problems, the new formula created by Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for the franchise has delighted us. A wide variety of interesting Pokémon, a more mature story than usual and a very fun gameplay cycle result in the most complete installments of the saga and an outstanding experience for players both veteran and new.

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet prove that the series has not rested on its laurels. It's the most groundbreaking game in the main saga since Black and White, and will allow you to play Pokémon in a different way to the formula that was already starting to show wear and tear. Technically it could (and should) be better, but its modeling is so good and so varied, that it doesn't prevent you from enjoying the experience even if you would have liked a step further in the graphics and animations.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are very worth it. This is a fantastic wrap up to a great year on the Nintendo Switch, and I can't wait to see how Game Freak and The Pokémon Company take everything that worked here and expand on it in the future.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet capture all the magic of the past and fuse it with the improvements of the future, resulting in two fresh installments with very good ideas.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is exactly how you adapt years of tradition to the current design formulae. The game is living proof that each and every change is a perfect chance to take a step forward. In that specific sense, the risks that Nintendo undertook have certainly paid off: the ninth Pokémon generation will certainly be one to be talked about for years. Paldea is not about representing a culture, but those of us who live within it. I can only be proud to belong to a place that is seen with so much beauty from the outside. Long live Pokémon, long live Game Freak and long live all of those that made happen this beauty of a game.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet is a must-play adventure for everyone, even for those who have yet to take the first step on their own Pokémon journey.

Design-wise, this is one of the best and most revolutionary Pokémon games, but there are way too many technical issues.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet definitely suffer from underdone development, and I hope the final behind-the-scenes reaction at Nintendo and Game Freak is to give the series' dev team more time to work on future sequels. We don't need new generations so often! But the adventure of these games, the wonderful new set of Pokémon, the winning cast of human characters and a sensational story all work to save the experience and make them worth playing and enjoying, warts and all. [Issue #63 – January/February 2023, p. 75]

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet needed to be playtested a lot more before release. There are some genuinely jarring issues, but they don’t take away from the fact that there’s a really fun game here at its core. The storyline is better and more real than almost any Pokemon storyline I’ve seen in years. It’s hard to miss the flaws in this game, but if you’re a fan of the series, it’s far more interesting than it is disappointing and I’m glad I spent my time playing the game.

Pokemon Scarle and Violett for the series blew a wind of change. It broke the Pokemon series used for more than 20 years of linear design. But it still reflects the low technical ability of the GameFreak. It's far from a good game, but it's still the most fun Pokemon game on Switch today, enough to make me look forward to the next generation.

If Pokémon Scarlet and Violet offer us an invigorating adventure in the colors of the Iberian Peninsula, we can feel that some sacrifices had to be made, on the graphics and technique in particular, in order to let players explore the immense region of Paldea. Breathless, it's not on Nintendo Switch that the pocket monsters will shine, but this 9th generation will at least have the merit of offering us something new in the license. The open world gameplay is what many fans have been waiting for for ages and Game Freak succeeds in offering interesting scenarios and a worthy end-game with mechanics borrowed from Arceus' success.

With their open world concept of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Game Freak does a great job! Nearly from the start on, the players are free to explore the diverse region of Paldea and in the way, in which order they want to deal with the main story mission branches. There is some room for having an imbalanced gaming experience in that. But thanks to a clever world design with some natural boundaries the game is as good (or worse) as its predecessors on that point. The biggest weak spot consists of the technical flaws mainly based on the limited hardware power of Switch. Still these imperfections can't ruin an overall great experience Pokémon fans will love.

Despite technical shortcomings and some filler content, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are chock-full of meaningful additions to one of gaming’s most popular franchises. At worst, these games are steps towards the Pokémon games for which players have clamored, but more often, they serve as effective thesis statements for where the series goes from here. Either way, I can’t wait to see where Game Freak evolves the experience from this point.

Ultimately, these games were the result of Game Freak and Nintendo taking a risk and giving the fans something they've been begging for over a long while. It tries to mix Legends: Arceus with the main series, and it half-succeeds. Some things brought innovative and fun changes, while we learned others were better off they way they were before. If Pokémon fans can look past the obvious flaws and limitations, there's so much to appreciate here.

As the first mainline entry to depict a school-life story, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has appealing characters, mysterious twists and a well prepared ending, making it one of the best stories the series has ever had. While it struggles as an open world, the game approaches multiplayer in a new way and is full of elements that can be enjoyed for a long time.

Despite any gripes about the performance, I really think that this generation gets a lot of things right and I feel confident in future games if they continue in this direction. The battles are as good now as they were in Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue all those years ago, and somehow capturing Pokémon has become even more addicting. The ability to tackle what you want to do first and in which order to do them is a great addition to the formula. Pokémon was always destined to become a fully open-world game at some point, and Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet demonstrate a very good effort to achieve just that.

I plan to spend many more hours in the game completing my Pokedex, challenging Tera Raid battles with my friends online, and hunting for shinies. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet just have some kind of glimmer that still makes it worthwhile enough to overlook the shortcomings.

I really wish this game didn’t come in as hot as it did. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet represent an excellent new vision of what a Pokemon adventure can be, and it says a lot for how many good new ideas are in here that I still found the game incredibly enjoyable despite the severe technical problems. I understand schedules must be kept. Well, the schedule was kept. It’s too bad what it ended up costing, because something this absorbing shouldn’t come with so many provisos.

I understand the hate that Pokémon Violet is getting. Frame rate issues, glitches, and design choices that make little sense are everywhere. Making characters less customizable is unforgivable. Developers saying their game is open-world when there are level caps is redundant. But I’m still having more fun than I’ve ever had in a Pokémon title. Violet takes the Pokémon formula and twists it into what I hope becomes the new normal in many ways. Three stories to play through and a UI that feels easier to use than ever before deliver elements Pokémon fans have long been looking for. Violet gave me the same emotional high that I got from the original game, which isn’t easy to do. I love being able to take on gym leaders, knock out giant oversized Pokémon, or break into someone’s hideout all in the same game. The heart of Pokémon is still here, still beating, even if the outside is full of fatty nonsense at times.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is a great game, that shakes up the standard Pokemon formula to incredible success. Despite all the good, there are some glaring issues that were definitely avoidable.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet largely deliver the open-world RPG experience fans barely dared dream of for decades, with a huge, lively map and a surprisingly-engaging trio of stories nicely complementing the franchise’s rock-solid core mechanics. Yes, the game has more than its share of technical issues, but its shortcomings are largely cosmetic and the folks most excited to play probably aren’t going to be that bothered about its pixel count or performance. This Pokémon may be humble-looking, but it brings the fight where it counts.

While Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may not be a perfect experience, it’s still an absolute delight in almost every way. Memorable characters and storylines are the highlight that pulls together the open exploration, which is truly impactful. It’s hard to stop playing with every corner having a Pokémon hiding and potentially something new to find along the way. A trainer can go through every area and still miss one or two hidden surprises that are so much fun to uncover when coming back. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the best titles in the franchise in over a decade, with the only thing holding them back being performance hiccups we hope manage to get fixed down the line.

They may be limited to what the Switch can put out, but Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take things to the next level and highlight a new generation of what Pokemon games should feel like. At the root of it all are two games that excel in the thrill of discovery and invite you into a world you just want to keep exploring.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are a stunning glimpse into the future of the Pokemon video game series. Ambitious gameplay and thoughtful narratives create an experience that stands above prior titles. With performance patches to improve the games’ stability, this could be one of the most important generations yet. For now, though, it’s simply a very good one.

What we have in our hands is potentially the best Pokemon game in history. If the optimization issues had not undermined the enjoyment of the game, we might be talking about very different things. However, I have great hope that the game will improve in the future. If I had just one wish from Jirachi, it would be for Scarlet & Violet to run smoothly. Don't be in a hurry to purchase, but if performance issues are solved, as a PokeManiac, I would say don't miss this experience.

I think this is a really good step forward for the series and I love how much the series has been growing, how they’ve been incorporating more modern features and becoming more accessible for players. I still had a ton of fun playing. Really, the biggest knocks against it would be the repetitiveness of some challenges and the graphical issues.

Pokemon Scarlet is that product that many fans requested, with a vast open world to explore, an adventure without ties, and an exploration full of surprises. The game achieves everything I just mentioned, and there is no doubt about that. The main issue is that the game makes a lot of technical sacrifices to achieve everything the fans asked for. The result is a title that performs poorly at times that may not matter but happens many times. The gameplay is entertaining, solid, and deep, but it's all wrapped up in a broken package.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the biggest leap the franchise has made since its arrival to 3D, but there is a real need for the series, an urgency even, to tackle the technical performance.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet takes two steps forward and one step back, much to blame for its performance on Nintendo Switch. Still, the new formula is solid and could very well serve as the basis for the next games in the franchise, with plenty of room to grow. With a whole new generation of Pokémons to meet and novel mechanics to master, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will please new and old fans, casual or competitive alike.

Highly anticipated after a Sword / Shield that was a little too shy and Arceus much more daring, but very different, Pokémon Scarlet / Purple clearly advances a license that has always stagnated too much, and takes many paying risks. If we manage to ignore the really disappointing graphics, it's a safe bet that this 9th generation of Pokémon will be a milestone. Game Freak has clearly understood very well how to design an open world with non-linear progression, ideally thought out for a series that needed this much appreciated little facelift. One day, perhaps, the technical aspect will follow and the holders of the most profitable franchise in the world will offer us a real revolution capable of making an impression. In the meantime, we remain on a very satisfying episode which is good for the license.

A significant advancement on Pokémon Sword and Shield and while it’s not hard to see how it could be improved further this is the most ambitious and entertaining Pokémon has been in a long while.

Perhaps the best thing I can say is that this game feels more like the anime than ever. Part of that is down to the art, which continues to advance closer to the TV show. Part of that is down to the sense of openness, which imparts a real feeling that this is your adventure, and not just a rollercoaster where you experience somebody else’s. On balance, Legends: Areus probably just pips it based on the novelty factor of its entirely different approach, but Scarlet & Violet is a delightful vibe – and that vibe is difficult to diminish. What a year to be a Pokemon fan!

While undercooked presentation and visual issues hold the games back, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are still the best mainline Pokemon games in years. They build off Pokemon Legends: Arceus's open-ended design in some thoughtful and surprising ways, and retain that same level of depth that the mainline series is known for.

The huge expansion and changes to the single player campaign are great, the size of the world and the joy of exploration are the best in the series, and the new Pokemon and battle mechanics introduced all sing. However, it’s just impossible to shake the thought of how much better the game would feel if it was on more powerful hardware, or simply ran acceptably on Switch.

There’s no doubt that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the best in the series. The open world is fantastic, the story is incredible, and the game looks amazing, even if the performance is very rocky. There are problems, and quality of life issues, but for every negative there’s a dozen more positives that blew me away every step of the way. It will be divisive, but for me, it’s almost everything I want from a Pokémon game.

Compared to other recent open world games, even those released on the Nintendo Switch years ago, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is something of a disappointment especially in the graphics department. But for better or worse, Pokemon games are rarely judged by their immense fanbase against anything that's not a Pokemon game. And as a Pokemon game, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an absolute joy with a deeper storyline than usual, a ton of fantastically designed Pokemon, and continued quality-of-life improvements that makes for a less tedious Pokemon experience without sacrificing any essential bits. Pokemon fans will love Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and even casual players or lapsed Pokemon fans will enjoy the allure of "catching 'em all" provided they don't place a premium on graphics.

While Scarlet and Violet aren't a complete reinvention of the formula, and technical performance issues certainly hold them back, they're still an essential leap forward – both in storytelling and gameplay mechanics. New features and clever tweaks along the way make this adventure feel fresh and encouraging, in ways that past games haven't. As a reinvigoration of the Pokemon formula, Scarlet and Violet are some of the best modern games in the long-running franchise.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take the beloved series in a long-awaited open-world direction on the Nintendo Switch, one that's filled with enjoyable battles and multiple storylines.

This is one of the best Pokémon games ever made, if not THE best. This is due to its excellent gameplay, well-crafted audio, sense of freedom and engaging adventure. What gets in the way of the experience considerably, however, is the game's lousy performance. In particular, the frame rate is a drama at times, which can be a bit annoying.

Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet had everything to be the best generation in the history of the franchise, and maybe these games still are, but the expansive and fun story is hurt by the enormous amount of visual bugs and performance issues, as well as the fact that the movement freedom is limited by the fixed levels of challenges. Despite that, it's a game worth playing.

In spite of all its strengths, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet keep stopping the player and has them always peeking back over their shoulder, even when they should be looking forward.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a step in the right direction. Game Freak successfully reimagines the formula in an open-world format and improves on its previous experiments with this design. The ability to tackle any gym is refreshing and the three distinct story paths give more reason to explore. Unfortunately, the number of performance issues cannot be overlooked and these hinder what could have been a highlight of the series.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet manages to deliver a sense of freedom and has gone from being a traditional JRPG to a genuine open world game. It's nice to choose a path on this adventure, but the game maintains his linear approach through the experience. Unfortunately, it has several technical problems in that do not let it stand out. However, its is the first step of the renewal that the franchise sorely lacks.

Scarlett and Violett, in all their hicupps and issues, try to do something new for the franchise. We can't definitely say that they are good at everything they do (not at all) and they still run pretty bad on Nintendo Switch, but some of their ideas are way more entertaining than what we saw in Sword and Shield. And, maybe, in Sun and Moon, too.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are a wonderful foundation for future Pokémon adventures, but what’s been put atop this foundation for now is rather shaky in a number of ways. Poor performance this far into the Switch’s lifecycle doesn’t bode well for GameFreak or the pressure they are put under to meet holiday deadlines, nor does the phenomenal sales success mean they have much incentive to refine what’s here, when such time and resources could be better spent on whatever pair of titles succeeds Scarlet and Violet.

Pokémon Violet is the game that makes the leap to the open world genre, along with the expected change that this brings. We have more freedom, the game is much more accessible than other installments, and it is still a lot of fun to hunt down a Pokémon. It has some technical problems, although they do not influence the gameplay, it causes dissatisfaction.

It pains me to give that score to games I think are groundbreaking in terms of their respective franchises, but mediocre graphics and problematic performance issues hurt what is - on the gameplay side of things - Game Freak's best work to date. A work that even rivals Legends Arceus.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are excellent games, and, if it weren't for the technical problems, they would surpass the feats of Legends: Arceus, which started a necessary evolution in the classic Nintendo franchise. The game features a beautiful open world full of Pokémon, so you never feel like you're exploring something empty. The Pokémon campaigns finally showed an interesting maturity, which seems to want to keep up with the audience that has so much prestige to the series since 1995, without losing the children's audience that still drives purchases. However, most of Scarlet & Violet's potential is wasted simply by avoidable technical issues such as a lack of graphical and performance polish. A game of this relevance within a franchise of this magnitude cannot succumb to repeating these mistakes and not improving, especially in light of the criticism that the latest title has had.

The open world sparks a sense of adventure and the typical Poké-collecting fever, but beyond that it hardly has any exciting ideas in terms of gameplay.

Summing up the new Pokémon game always means triggering a conflict between heart and head. By heart, among other things, Scarlet and Violet have plenty to sell. Although very diluted and with a very staid pace, the plot entertains and surprises especially at the end, and the many supporting actors of this new epic are among the funniest and most intriguing of the entire franchise. Overall, Game Freak packs a fun and content-rich adventure, despite some of the new features not fully convincing. The open world works but at the same time is limited by a great underlying repetitiveness, while some of the most interesting achievements achieved by the spin-off on Arceus have been revised and adapted - not always positively - for the new formula. Unfortunately, to weigh on the final judgment are the many technical problems on which it is now really impossible to postpone. In the hope that the development team, sooner or later, will be able to align their productions with current generational standards, we can still assert that the new pair of Pokémon games is interesting.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet takes the next step for the franchise thanks to the lush open world. Even the new Terastallizing mechanic is great fun, although it is kinda a reskin of an earlier mechanic. Amazing music and some smart design choices make it a game you can't miss. At least, that is what we would've said if the performance wasn't as bad as it is.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are great games mired by a host of technical issues.