Pokemon Shield

 Switch
User Score
3.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 177 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 177
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 177
  3. Negative: 127 out of 177
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  1. mareldmon590
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
    -Shigeru Miyamoto
    Six more months to a year perhaps, or focusing on these games rather than the "Town" Project would have made this game into something worth 60$. Not these games though. Instead, you get this pitifully underwhelming mess of a Pokemon "console" experience. Play Coliseum or XD Gale of Darkness instead.    "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
    -Shigeru Miyamoto
    Six more months to a year perhaps, or focusing on these games rather than the "Town" Project would have made this game into something worth 60$. Not these games though.
    Instead, you get this pitifully underwhelming mess of a Pokemon "console" experience. Play Coliseum or XD Gale of Darkness instead. Sword and Shield are a mistake and it pains me as a fan who started in Gen 4, went back and played every game before and after to see how they disrespected the franchise they spent years cultivating.    … Expand
  2. Glyssade
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Well, nothing much to say. All the things we feared and prayed that were fixed are not. Gamefreak shows no leadership at all, these games are a big dissappointment in all aspects.
    Not only did they remove everything that we liked, but they also implemented new mechanics that are just boring and lifeless, nobody asked for this. Gamefreak has decided to not listen to fans, they will keep    Well, nothing much to say. All the things we feared and prayed that were fixed are not. Gamefreak shows no leadership at all, these games are a big dissappointment in all aspects.
    Not only did they remove everything that we liked, but they also implemented new mechanics that are just boring and lifeless, nobody asked for this. Gamefreak has decided to not listen to fans, they will keep making these games as long as people still buy them, which is kinda sad, because pokemon switch had the greatest of potentials to be one of the best games ever created.    … Expand
  3. DoomDragon9000
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind,Expectations are everything in life. Video games are certainly no exception. Our opinions, reviews or “scores” for a given video game are a direct result of our expectations. A change in expectations - either deliberately or unconsciously; sudden, or as a result of multiple experiences - can result in radically contrasting impressions of the same underlying video game. With that in mind, it begs the question: what are reasonable expectations to have for a game like Pokémon Sword and Shield? What should we use as the baseline for forming these expectations?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Anyways, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield. For the good of your money, your time, and the future of this franchise, do not buy Pokemon Sword or Shield.    … Expand
  4. thvbh
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    After "it all comes together" and "ultra changes", generation 8 adds more lies to GameFreak's pile of shame. They promise a lot, and they again fail to deliver in almost every single aspect. This time, however, the technical shortcomings, lack of polish, and shortage of ambition is covered up by a veil of scam-level dishonesty from the developers themselves and a blanket of praise fromAfter "it all comes together" and "ultra changes", generation 8 adds more lies to GameFreak's pile of shame. They promise a lot, and they again fail to deliver in almost every single aspect. This time, however, the technical shortcomings, lack of polish, and shortage of ambition is covered up by a veil of scam-level dishonesty from the developers themselves and a blanket of praise from "unbiased" game critics, whose reviews sound more like advertisements than genuine reviews.

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

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

    What's left is to hope that a team of talented developers will see the growing disenchantment with the series and decide to step in, fill the void and dethrone the corrupted king of the monster catching genre.    … Expand
  5. Skyblue93
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Let me just get this outta way first, I’m a massive Pokémon fan. I’ve never been more disappointed. Gamefreak not only betrayed fans but outright lied to consumers. The games still have the same problems plaguing the franchise ever since gen 6.

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

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

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

    To all the people who keep supporting Gamefreak...why? Why? WHY?    … Expand
  6. SiberyanZ
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Same as the Sword review, the amount of reused content, technical issues and blatant incompetence that this game shows are by far the objective demonstration that this is the worst game in the series thus far.
    Having been a long time fan of the series i can't help but feel incredibly disapponited with its direction and decisions, from the removal of fan favourite pokémons (more then half    Same as the Sword review, the amount of reused content, technical issues and blatant incompetence that this game shows are by far the objective demonstration that this is the worst game in the series thus far.
    Having been a long time fan of the series i can't help but feel incredibly disapponited with its direction and decisions, from the removal of fan favourite pokémons (more then half of them) or the removal of important moves for the competitive side of the game, like Hidden Power or Return, to the introduction of mechanics that are unoriginal and uninspired like Dynamax and Gigamax, this game feel like a cheap copy and paste of Sun and Moon ported to the Switch with even less content and rushed to meet the holiday season time frame.    … Expand
  7. Politoad
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I love pokemon but the fact this game just deleted 100+ hours of splatoon save data is why this game deserves to burn. Dont buy it if you've played any other switch game. Your breath of the wild save probably also going to be deleted
  8. pre-hrtREEEE
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I loved shilling for which I got a buggeru in my an US
    #ThankYouGameFreak #Pokeyman #Nontindu #Pro-Gamer #Depression #Introvert #Xhe #Xer #41
  9. Dnsi
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game deleted my splatoon save file. Game is a buggy mess that impacts your other games. Dont download from the estore
  10. dasada
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Its the higher note i can give for an incomplete game. Feels like a joke, what happened with the catch em all. The rest isnt enough to balance the negative feeling.But maybe mediocre is the new normal.
  11. Magenta1991
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    5 horas con el juego y ya estoy por encima del nivel de todos los entrenadores del juego. La introducción tarda más de media hora por si sola y no haces más que caminar del punto a al punto b, mínimo tuviera musgo bonito para mirar como en Death Stranding pero no. Los gráficos parecen tomados del proyecto de Unity de algún fan con demasiado tiempo libre y no de una de una compañía5 horas con el juego y ya estoy por encima del nivel de todos los entrenadores del juego. La introducción tarda más de media hora por si sola y no haces más que caminar del punto a al punto b, mínimo tuviera musgo bonito para mirar como en Death Stranding pero no. Los gráficos parecen tomados del proyecto de Unity de algún fan con demasiado tiempo libre y no de una de una compañía multimillonaria con la franquicia de mayor renombre en el mundo de los videojuegos. Una vez que termina la introducción los personajes no dejan de interrumpir tu camino para llevarte de la mano y hablarte de lo genial que es ser un niño y atrapar Pokémon. Hop es Hau 1.0001 y no han tenido pena siquiera de reutilizar sus animaciones de la forma más descarada. Porcierto que los personajes se muevan por casillas y tengan que girarse para caminar a la Resident Evil 1 en pleno 2019 en una consola tan poderosa como la PS3 es para echarse a reír y llorar al mismo tiempo

    Las rutas son cortas, los escenarios poco inspirados, las ciudades son pasillos adornados con uno o dos personajes y todas las casas iguales, el área salvaje es una zona safari glorificada y vacía. El curry solo son pokepoffins con otro nombre (de todas las cosas que la gente pedía de vuelta han traído la única que a nadie le importa). Se nota el nulo interés hacia su trabajo y su deseo por querer ganar dinero estafando niños. Me da pena por los Pokémon que debutan en esta región pues no se merecen quedar atrapados en este juego paupérrimo (porque seguramente más de la mitad no vuelve para la próxima entrega). Tengo más diversión jugando Pokémon Go en mi casa girando el disco de la pokeparada que hay encima mío cada 5 minutos que lo que ganó jugando esta kusoge de juego. Planeaba regalarle el juego a mi sobrino está navidad para iniciarlo en el juego pero mejor será que le dé cualquier otra cosa. Nadie merece que este sea su introducción a la saga. La historia por cierto es peor que la de Sun/Moon y X/Y combinados. No entiendo por qué han sacado la GTS    … Expand
  12. AnotherPerson77
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The cutting of Pokemon was a change that I had expected (albeit dreaded) to come sooner or later as the series total Pokemon and alternate forms would continue to grow, I have never had an interest in the competitive landscape or catching every Pokemon so the reveal of the decision was disappointing to me, but somewhat understood. However I still believe this was a poor decision given thatThe cutting of Pokemon was a change that I had expected (albeit dreaded) to come sooner or later as the series total Pokemon and alternate forms would continue to grow, I have never had an interest in the competitive landscape or catching every Pokemon so the reveal of the decision was disappointing to me, but somewhat understood. However I still believe this was a poor decision given that this is the first mainline Pokemon game to be released on a console, this is a big moment for the series and should have been taken far more seriously. I also believe that with a sacrifice this major, something of similar or greater value must be given in return. The cutting of Pokemon could have given Game Freak the opportunity to greatly develop the animations and personalities of the Pokemon kept in the game, perhaps reintroducing following Pokemon or having more dynamic interactions with them. Alternatively, the story and world could be more developed and based around the Pokemon that inhabit the region. Or the graphical prowess of the development team could be shown in the environment, with their time being spent on designing a more interesting world instead of reworking the Pokemon.
    Unfortunately, none of this came to pass. While it is undeniable that the visual design of the game is better than what has come before (with the exception of some poor texture mapping on trees and rocks) I and many others do not believe that it has reached an acceptable level given the superior hardware the games are using. The games feel like an upgrade to Sun and Moon but lack the style that made Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee visually pleasing and still have some incredibly poor textures. Not to mention, the animations for the game have been shown to be reused and to freeze whenever a player climbs a ladder. For a game that had 3 years of development (1 for concept and 2 for production) and is charging £60/$60 at launch (going up against Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey) combined with being a part of the most profitable series in the world, this is completely unacceptable.
    But the biggest and most insulting aspect of these games is Game Freak’s dishonest marketing of the games, only serving to further stoke the flames between the developers and consumers. Not only did Game Freak avoid mentioning the cutting of previous Pokemon until being directly questioned about it by a reporter and later confronted by the angered fan-base, they have also provided blatantly false reasoning for why the cutting was necessary. The studio claimed that the cutting of previous Pokemon was due to them being forced to remodel them for the new hardware, however this was shown to be a malicious lie by data-miners, who discovered that they were re-using the previous models. This also brought their statement that the reason for the cutting of 50% of the previous Pokemon, mega evolution and Z moves was to improve the online and competitive matches into question, with many people believing that these features were cut either out of laziness or as a result of trying to release a new game every year since 2016 (I personally believe the former). While the re-use of previous models is accepted as an industry standard and shouldn’t be criticised, blatantly lying to consumers about your product should never be excused.
    But even with all of the controversy aside, the games still fall short even as Pokemon games. There is very little experimentation, with many of the story elements being reused from Sun and Moon (such as the fake evil team, the main mechanic being the result of a powerful Pokemon radiating a mysterious energy and even many of the character design sharing similar design elements to those seen in previous games). Most of the new elements of the game, such as dynamaxing, feel hollow and meaningless as they were clearly created with the intention of being abandoned next game rather than being included out of a genuine passion to develop and improve on the mechanics of the previous games. No effort was taken to improve on the storytelling of the series (which suffers from an overabundance of cut-scenes) or the difficulty curve (which is pathetically easy), showing a huge disconnect between the studio and their fans.
    The only area of the game that warrants praising is the soundtrack, which is of excellent quality as always and deserves a large amount of praise for the variety of styles and use of soundscapes in some of the tracks.
    Unfortunately, even if you are a hardcore Pokemon fan, their isn’t much this game offers to warrant it’s £60/$60 price. I don’t even believe that £30/$30 wouldn’t be acceptable. I would recommend giving this game a skip, Game Freak should not be rewarded for poorly managing a project and producing a lackluster product (whether by intention or not). By not buying these games, we can hopefully encourage them to produce a better quality game next time.    … Expand
  13. Zammm
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Lots of reports about it deleting your save data for other switch games. Should be considered a virus rather than a game
  14. Coaltergeist
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    While there are many issues with Pokemon sword and shield, I don't think they warrant giving the game a 1 out of 10. The missing pokemon, the cut moves, the lack of postgame content, the general laziness, and the developer's arrogant attitude are all working together to make sure this game fails, which is disappointing. I am a huge fan of previous pokemon games, and I don't want to see theWhile there are many issues with Pokemon sword and shield, I don't think they warrant giving the game a 1 out of 10. The missing pokemon, the cut moves, the lack of postgame content, the general laziness, and the developer's arrogant attitude are all working together to make sure this game fails, which is disappointing. I am a huge fan of previous pokemon games, and I don't want to see the series fail. I cannot overlook the sloppiness present in this game, however. In the end, it isn't the worst game ever made, but it doesn't come close to being good.… Expand
  15. Primpy
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Absolute **** of a game. Brings almost nothing new to the table (on the contrary, it removes plenty of already existing features), the graphics look like they're stolen from Ocarina of Time, it has a tiny rendering distance, the animations are atrocious or lazy, boring story, glitchy as **** Do not buy this game if you have any self respect as a consumer.
  16. Pariah_0
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    As JUST a Pokémon game, the rating would be higher, maybe a 5 or 6. But as a video game compared to others of a similar genre this is a hard 3. On top of the drastic content cuts made from previous (already declining) mainline Pokémon games, this game in particular has severe graphical, hardware, and gameplay issues that are just irredeemable for a triple A franchise. The new mechanic isAs JUST a Pokémon game, the rating would be higher, maybe a 5 or 6. But as a video game compared to others of a similar genre this is a hard 3. On top of the drastic content cuts made from previous (already declining) mainline Pokémon games, this game in particular has severe graphical, hardware, and gameplay issues that are just irredeemable for a triple A franchise. The new mechanic is not creative at all and dumbs down the combat instead of following the tradition of adding an extra element. The new designs are lazy and uninspired. I was sincerely expecting more from this franchise. Can not recommend.… Expand
  17. Otonaburu
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    What should have been a giant leap to significantly stronger hardware feels more like a port from 3DS. New features and improvements come at way too high a price, both literally and figuratively (half of the Pokemon gone, for starters). Gamefreak continues to disappoint and Pokemon as a series stands out as a black sheep among other loved Nintendo franchises on Switch.
  18. Rumin
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    An incomplete game, like her sister. Gamefreak could've taken the time to really optimize their game, include all the moves and pokemons, as well as the features of the older installments, but they couldn't wait long enough for their next paycheck.
    I hope they learn a lesson from this, because I surely did.
    And I sure do hope this game franchise dies with diginity, because otherwise this    An incomplete game, like her sister. Gamefreak could've taken the time to really optimize their game, include all the moves and pokemons, as well as the features of the older installments, but they couldn't wait long enough for their next paycheck.
    I hope they learn a lesson from this, because I surely did.
    And I sure do hope this game franchise dies with diginity, because otherwise this incompetent studio is going to run it to the ground.    … Expand
  19. Deal_Sealer
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    What an absolute dumpster fire.
    It is devoid of effort, as can be seen in the visual department. Textures are painful to look at and the models are horrendously basic as they look like they're mass produced without attention to detail and are constantly clipping with the environment. Speaking of environment, the places you can traverse are just depressing. The wild area advertised as a    What an absolute dumpster fire.
    It is devoid of effort, as can be seen in the visual department. Textures are painful to look at and the models are horrendously basic as they look like they're mass produced without attention to detail and are constantly clipping with the environment. Speaking of environment, the places you can traverse are just depressing. The wild area advertised as a step in a new direction is a complete joke. It's certainly smaller than Oot's Hyrule field, yet just as empty and uninteresting. Cities and Dungeons on the other hand are just poorly designed hallways that lead you to the next area.
    Gameplay is not well thought out. The new gimmick is underwhelming at the very least. They build it up high and it ends with an anticlimactic ohko, since this game still possesses baby-proof difficulty despite the playerbase being mostly adults and the advertising claiming it's for long time fans. Contrary to being an open world, this game is still a linear experience with NPC's still interrupting you with cutscenes.
    The amount of content in this game isn't bare-bones, no rather it is insufficient and has regressed compared to previous entries in the franchise. Surely you've heard by now about cut pokemon, cut moves and other trashed content. What makes this worse is the fact that the game reuses assets from previous games.
    This trash heap is the result of complacency, and a lack of effort and dedication. If it had been developed with care and the consumer's satisfaction in mind, it would have been a polished title with a lot of content complementing the new features. Sadly, this is not the case.    … Expand
  20. munichi_jasuda
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    + QOL improvements
    + Improved character customization
    + Slightly more immersive gameplay compared to previous entries - More than 50% of total Pokémon REMOVED - More than 100 moves REMOVED - Developers lied about creating "high quality" 3D models from scratch and new animations for older Pokémon, which is very unprofessional - Developers had promised these games were specially    + QOL improvements
    + Improved character customization
    + Slightly more immersive gameplay compared to previous entries

    - More than 50% of total Pokémon REMOVED
    - More than 100 moves REMOVED
    - Developers lied about creating "high quality" 3D models from scratch and new animations for older Pokémon, which is very unprofessional
    - Developers had promised these games were specially developed for hardcore players in mind, but several gameplay experiences prove this is yet another lie
    - Wild Area is severely unpolished
    - Post game is lacking
    - Some users have noted that there is a CRITICAL bug which occurs due to the autosave feature. For more information, visit r/pokemon    … Expand
  21. Noblood
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    First I didn’t buy or even play the game. At this point you are probably already walking away. Rating a game anything as a consumer is pointless even if I do in fact played it. The only score Nintendo will pay attention to are sales figure and to some extent critics reviews because they are another ad for the game.

    So we established ratings are pointless then. Well not really, a 0 score    First I didn’t buy or even play the game. At this point you are probably already walking away. Rating a game anything as a consumer is pointless even if I do in fact played it. The only score Nintendo will pay attention to are sales figure and to some extent critics reviews because they are another ad for the game.

    So we established ratings are pointless then. Well not really, a 0 score plus voting with my wallet is more effective getting the message across then telling other people what should be enjoying by blindly giving it a 10. Alright lets get on reviewing the actual game based on what I saw and heard:

    Graphics are not consistent in quality

    Animation is not consistent in quality with obvious laziness and cutting corners

    Gameplay is forced in handheld mode, not the Switch console am talking about but GameFreak holding your hand and showing you the way instead of trusting you and giving you a challenge or the very least giving you options. If I had to put on a tinfoil hat I’d say the hand holding is done to cater to reviewers so they have an easier time exploring all the game have to offer and in turn give it a higher score for making their jobs easier.

    How does it compare to previous titles? Poorly. Yes, games like Pokemon with previous titles with the same core gameplay mechanics should be reviewed and compared to previous installments and not in a void. The game cuts a lot of good features of the previous games (including the number of Pokemon) without offering any good features in it itself.

    Controversies surrounding the game? Yes this should be mentioned in a review for any game but ultimately should not effect the game score. GameFreak lied plain and simple. You can spin it all you want and say they technically didn’t lie because they didn’t say which models are made from scratch but to counter argument that all I have to say is why GameFreak is silent then? Why don’t they comment about their lie? What we learned or rather confirmed with the whole #GameFreakLied hashtag is lying is an acceptable social behavior...

    Is the game worth $60? No, not with all the expectations of a franchise with est. net worth of 95 Billion Dollars. We don’t expect the game to mass produce living breathing real Pokemon but we expect at least the graphics and animation quality stays consistent...

    If I had to give it an actual score then it is 7/10    … Expand
  22. Ray-Zide
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Honestly not that good of a game
    Just X/Y with less features and lags quite a bit and has less pokemon than a DS game from 10 years ago
  23. tamed-turner
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    New pokemon designs are ATROCIOUS and DISGUSTING!!!
    Whoever is in charge of the art direction needs to be FIRED from their job!
  24. Mv85rasdlkjf
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    AutoSave doesn't work often.
    Your SaveData corrupt often.
    Graphics are 3DSish, so bad. Character animation is awful. Your Pokemon are just fired. Stressful and painfully slow game mechanics. 10 years old girl has big **** and the player feels paedophile yourself. This is truly early 2000's game, not 2019 game. You should play Death Stranding on PS4. I believe Nintendo bought    AutoSave doesn't work often.
    Your SaveData corrupt often.
    Graphics are 3DSish, so bad.
    Character animation is awful.
    Your Pokemon are just fired.
    Stressful and painfully slow game mechanics.
    10 years old girl has big **** and the player feels paedophile yourself.

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

    I believe Nintendo bought some reviewer on IGN.    … Expand
  25. Sephsekla
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Disappointing.

    So many Pokemon (the main point of the games) completely cut for the first time ever. Some interesting concepts that could have been great but clearly weren't given the dev time to flourish. An unfinished game that could have been the best one.
  26. Ok_Then
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This game feels like a port from the 3DS, not a new game built for the system

    While many fans will enjoy these games, for me, it feels like the same game as the last 7 Generations with a Graphical upgrade that is Impressive compared to the past 3DS games but quite bad compared to other Switch games
  27. Griknor
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    this game and its counter part are a mess. reused assets from the 3ds titles, reused animations, over 55% of pokemon are missing regarless of the fact that every game on much less powerful hardware and smaller game size had all the missing pokemon and the missing moves. gigamax is nothing more then a shiny gimmick that loses its charm well before you start playing or using it. the gamesthis game and its counter part are a mess. reused assets from the 3ds titles, reused animations, over 55% of pokemon are missing regarless of the fact that every game on much less powerful hardware and smaller game size had all the missing pokemon and the missing moves. gigamax is nothing more then a shiny gimmick that loses its charm well before you start playing or using it. the games constantly bug out and have framerate, unstable graphics, unstable models and resolution issues, and when its not bugging out its just ugly with poor quality textures. everything in game feels floaty, like you arent grounded and could fly off any second. the new designs are for the most part ugly or too digimon looking to be a pokemon(this has been a major problem since xy, though black and white has its fair share of issue designs), this heavily clashes with older designs and causes quite the confusion for people who know of pokemon but dont keep up with the series. the game is far to easy and lacks any nuance, this is in part due to the direction they keep forcing the games to go, this should be an rpg not a instant gratification simulator. this is a poor quality game on the levels of fallout76, avoid purchasing at all cost.… Expand
  28. PurpleMoth
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    The absolute lowest point in the entire franchise, there is almost no new relevant additions to the game while they removed dozens of features that made the past games fantastic, the graphics are so mediocre you can compare it to a Gamecube game and the gameplay doesn't make up for it, neither the story or postgame, it's embarrasing how Gane Freak managed to make a game so mediocre it getsThe absolute lowest point in the entire franchise, there is almost no new relevant additions to the game while they removed dozens of features that made the past games fantastic, the graphics are so mediocre you can compare it to a Gamecube game and the gameplay doesn't make up for it, neither the story or postgame, it's embarrasing how Gane Freak managed to make a game so mediocre it gets outshined by most of the past entries in the series.… Expand
  29. Shyim97
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Incomplete game, Bad animations, deletes save games and looks more bad as Lets go Pikachu quite Can not recommend.
  30. Skizor
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    I have already cleared everything including postgame. This is going to be a spoiler free review, i will only focus on the positive and negative aspects and what needs to be improved.

    Positives: *Some areas in this game look absolutely gorgeous, like the towns Ballonlea and Circhester. *Most of the new Pokemon look pretty good. *IVs and EVs, and by extension Competitive battling,    I have already cleared everything including postgame. This is going to be a spoiler free review, i will only focus on the positive and negative aspects and what needs to be improved.

    Positives:

    *Some areas in this game look absolutely gorgeous, like the towns Ballonlea and Circhester.
    *Most of the new Pokemon look pretty good.
    *IVs and EVs, and by extension Competitive battling, are more accessible than ever.
    *You can change your Pokemon's Nature with Mints.
    *Pokemon Camp, with new features, such as said Currydex.
    *New "Open-World" Wild Area for encountering higher level Pokemon.
    *Most in-depth trainer customization to date.
    *Move Tutor/Remover/Name Raters are now in every Pokemon Center.
    *You can access PC almost anywhere.

    Negatives:

    *Hundreds of Pokemon were cut from the game, such as previous Starters, Legendary Pokemon, and many others.
    *100+ Moves were cut, the most notable being Return/Frustration, Pursuit, and Hidden Power. Signature moves of certain Pokemon were also cut, even though the Pokemon themselves are in the game, like Vespiquen's Heal Order and Woobat's Heart Stamp.
    *There are multiple examples of the game feeling rushed or unfinished, like how the "Corviknight Taxi" Fast-Travel system doesn't have an animation and is just a screen fade, every NPC walking on rails, time stopping when you climb a ladder, and the entire Wild Area feeling empty, with low-resolution textures, pop-ins, and broken shadows.
    *Any battles that are not major battles, such as Wild Battles and most Trainer Battles, have the same generic backgrounds. When you are outside, the battle always takes place on a dirt road with grass, trees, and mountains in the background, and when inside a building, the battle uses a generic white void for a background.
    *Post-Game Content is confirmed to be very short, less than 2 hours to complete, similar to X&Y. It's basically just "catch Box Legendary, go to Battle Tower."
    *Most Pokemon Moves, and the Pokemon themselves, have had no noticeable improvements made to their models or animations. Everything that isn't brand new is recycled, and even some of the brand new stuff, like Hop, uses recycled animation, from Hau.
    *Riding a Bike forces you to wear an ugly biking outfit instead of your custom clothes.
    *Most of the "Story" takes place off screen, and only really makes an appearance near the end of the game. The "Story" itself is also lackluster, in that it's incredibly short and forgettable.
    *The EXP Share is mandatory, and cannot be turned off. This makes the game very easy.
    *Strange changes that don't make much sense logically, like how the sound control settings are locked behind a Key Item you get from a random NPC in Motostoke City.

    Summary:

    IMO this is the most disappointing Pokémon game i played, since i had high expectations about this game being on a console like Switch.
    They really need to add all Pokémon back in the game since there is nothing here to justify the cut of so many Pokémon.
    GameFreak need to hire more devs so they can polish and finish this games better.    … Expand
  31. Gamermangamer
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Was promised a game for "long time fans of the series" now my living dex will probably have to be locked in Pokemon jail (home) and half my competitive mons won't be usable until I pay for another game at the same price as smash ultimate or breath of the wild. My disappointment is immeasurable, and less than half my day is ruined, because the game is like 10 hours long, and if I wanted 10Was promised a game for "long time fans of the series" now my living dex will probably have to be locked in Pokemon jail (home) and half my competitive mons won't be usable until I pay for another game at the same price as smash ultimate or breath of the wild. My disappointment is immeasurable, and less than half my day is ruined, because the game is like 10 hours long, and if I wanted 10 hours of entertainment I would've bought the LoTR extended trilogy for half the price… Expand
  32. PAKBOY
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    10 routes
    Virtually no difficulty
    2 endgame battle tower game modes beatable in 1 hour Roughly 12 hour story No dungeons Below average graphics, world barely interacts with objects/pokemon(especially wild area) Of course the pokedex purge Some new pokemon designs leave alot to be desired, some designs are genuinely good we must not forget, but too many humanoid pokemon(every starter    10 routes
    Virtually no difficulty
    2 endgame battle tower game modes beatable in 1 hour
    Roughly 12 hour story
    No dungeons
    Below average graphics, world barely interacts with objects/pokemon(especially wild area)
    Of course the pokedex purge
    Some new pokemon designs leave alot to be desired, some designs are genuinely good we must not forget, but too many humanoid pokemon(every starter evolves into a humanoid) and too simple designs(Eiscue)
    and most importantly, the No Man's Sky level of damage control from GameFreak instead of listening to it's customer base who have been fans long enough to know what they generally want in Pokemon games, they only need to look at their masterpieces HG/SS to know which direction to follow(good endgame, pokemon following you) and to top it off I just WISH gamefreak would include difficulty options in their games, unlockable after the first clear, why do they not do it? We grew up, the games are no longer a challenge so why not add more difficult new game+?

    Big Disappointment, see you in gen 9 or Sinnoh remakes, because the "complete" SwSh will most likely be the same garbage.    … Expand
  33. BrownKnight
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This game is just a disappointment, I'm genuinely sad this is the direction Pokémon is going. This game had so much potential on a much more powerful consolle but it's all wasted. The cause can be summed up just with one concept: laziness. Most of the things they put in was rushed, half-finished, it looks like they don't even care anymore. This game should cost 30 $ AT BEST, it's surelyThis game is just a disappointment, I'm genuinely sad this is the direction Pokémon is going. This game had so much potential on a much more powerful consolle but it's all wasted. The cause can be summed up just with one concept: laziness. Most of the things they put in was rushed, half-finished, it looks like they don't even care anymore. This game should cost 30 $ AT BEST, it's surely not worth 60. Too bad, if they go on like this the franchise is doomed.… Expand
  34. Drakhis
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Even as a fan, this game has a lot of problems.
    - It's not possible to turn off the multi-exp
    - the game can be beautiful but sometimes it's just ugly - there is a bug that currently wipes out all your switch's data if you're using the digital version - 435 pokemons out of all pokemons - The game ends too fast - Too many moves were removed - No megas - A nearly empty post-game -    Even as a fan, this game has a lot of problems.
    - It's not possible to turn off the multi-exp
    - the game can be beautiful but sometimes it's just ugly
    - there is a bug that currently wipes out all your switch's data if you're using the digital version
    - 435 pokemons out of all pokemons
    - The game ends too fast
    - Too many moves were removed
    - No megas
    - A nearly empty post-game
    - Some cutscenes are hilarious since they're so bad
    - Many models and animations are reused
    So many problems and I'm not even saying everything.
    Just don't buy this game, seriously.
    Wait for the third version if there is one.    … Expand
  35. SquirtleSquad
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game made my daughter cry. Many of her favs are gone. I have noticed that the game is also rather ugly and glitchy. Do not buy.
  36. Noctis_Strife
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    The First Pokemon I wont buy. First, what negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing when u climb ladders .. etc. - the highly praised new feature theThe First Pokemon I wont buy. First, what negative: - Over 400 Pokemon were cut, so much less variation in battles against other players - several technical issues like spawning and despawning NPCs, Trees and Pokemon right in front of your eyes all the time, framerate issues in the wild area, the whole game world is freezing when u climb ladders .. etc. - the highly praised new feature the wild area is empty af, much smaller than trailers suggest and a graphical and technical mess - the post game is extremly blunt and not much to do - the "story" of this game is the worst and thinnest in the franchise - the game is easy af, Game Freak really doesn't care about long time fans - Exp share among the whole team should be optional - some of the music tracks are really annoying and not enjoyable - the pokemon franchise is stagnating, you really see no revolution at all, on the other site there is Zelda and Mario who tried sth new and the games were amazing
    Whats postive: some cool pokemon designs, that's all
    Can't recommend this mess of a game, Go and buy the 3DS Pokemon games, whenn you haven't played theam already, much more content much more everything    … Expand
  37. MrJohns
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Its a short, buggy and way to easy Game. They cutted and removed a lot (Dexit, Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves). Graphics are bad, and there are several Technical Issues. And then they Reused a lot and added boring Gimmicks like Dynamaxing. Don't support this kind of Greedy Garbage!
  38. FGDireito
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    I was going to give this game a solid 5, it's not a bad game but neither it's a great game, this is just fine, but the more I think about it the more disappointed I get.
    This is a 60€ game it as to be compared with its Switch peers of the same price and not like it's a random indie game, this game rightly deserves the tough love that it's getting, just because it's Pokémon doesn't make it    I was going to give this game a solid 5, it's not a bad game but neither it's a great game, this is just fine, but the more I think about it the more disappointed I get.
    This is a 60€ game it as to be compared with its Switch peers of the same price and not like it's a random indie game, this game rightly deserves the tough love that it's getting, just because it's Pokémon doesn't make it automatic free from criticism.
    The technical issues in this game are just unacceptable for 2019, pop-ins everywhere in a very small 10m radius makes the world feel empty and bland. Animations look so stiff and outdated, why does the world freezes around me while I fish or climb ladders? Why are some background battles just white voids when even the Let’sGo games had that right? The textures quality is all over the place too, the worst ones are in par with Nintendo64 and the best ones are 3DS quality, but please don’t forget that this is a Switch game.
    The camping is quite cute actually but shallow, pokéjobs are ok but forgetful just like the whole dynamax thing is just a gimmick, the wild area looks like the main selling point this time but it’s just meh, a nice idea but really poorly executed and with almost no exploration after the first full run, the world is pretty much a straight line, there is no kind of exploration, do you remember places like Mt. Mortar, Seafoam Islands or Whirl Islands? There is nothing like that here, the most dungeon-like exploration you will get is something like Viridian Forest and it never gets more difficult than that.
    The game difficult is non- existent like the post-game, also why is the exp.share mandatory? Give us more options, don’t take them away...
    I don't even care about the lack of National Dex drama, but I do understand why people are upset about it, also the National Dex was cut with the excuse on delivering better animations and a more carefully crafted game but the overall game polish is worse than ever, plus lots of other cut content, the quality of the game is 100% more important than not having all the Pokemon for sure. I would rather have a high quality game with 100 Pokemon than a stinker with 1000 Pokemon. When will we get battle animations like Pokémon Battle Revolution? Aren’t battles the main selling point anyway? We shouldn't be here comparing animations from OG Pokémon Stadium (1998) with Sword/Shield, yet here we are, how is this acceptable!? This is Pokémon they have deep pockets they can make it, hire or outsource more people if you need.
    I am not going to talk about the new pokémon designs since that is a subjective opinion, but I quite like Dragapult.
    For me pokémon peaked with HG/SS and the highest point of its ambition was BW/BW2, Pokémon Sword/Shield feels and looks like a rushed game, it needed that extra year and more ambition to become something special...    … Expand
  39. zuenke
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Everything has been said already. just a huge disappointment to bad people condone this sort of behavior and tell people that what a great game ( which is completely possible) that they are haters...
  40. Jaxks
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    But used, fun 5hour game but some how more lazy than past titles. Not clear That not all of the pokemon are in the game but not even a hint a moves being deleted.

    If they didn't allow you to transfer any pokemon over I would be more than happy but having just a select few seems wrong. After the 'story' there's No post game unlike in the ds games. All in all the character designs are good    But used, fun 5hour game but some how more lazy than past titles. Not clear That not all of the pokemon are in the game but not even a hint a moves being deleted.

    If they didn't allow you to transfer any pokemon over I would be more than happy but having just a select few seems wrong. After the 'story' there's No post game unlike in the ds games. All in all the character designs are good the style looks nice in some areas but it does not make up for the ugly new pokemon that where made to replace old ones and the lack of things to do in the game.    … Expand
  41. Masuda
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    私はあなたのお金を持っています.

    私は彼らが財布を盗み続けることができるように彼らがコンフォーマストであることが好きです. (•u•)
  42. Mkikuchi
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.

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

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

    If you have any semblance of critical thinking skills, don't buy these games.    … Expand
  43. NintendoGuy64
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    As a lifelong fan of Pokemon games, I was ecstatic when a new mainline Pokemon game was announced for the Switch, a home console! Pokemon Gen 7 was alright, but a little too slow and easy for my tastes. But for Gen 8 all I was expecting was a nice polished HD Pokemon game, I didn't need an open world or anything as it is Gamefreak's first home console Pokemon title, after all. But no, thatAs a lifelong fan of Pokemon games, I was ecstatic when a new mainline Pokemon game was announced for the Switch, a home console! Pokemon Gen 7 was alright, but a little too slow and easy for my tastes. But for Gen 8 all I was expecting was a nice polished HD Pokemon game, I didn't need an open world or anything as it is Gamefreak's first home console Pokemon title, after all. But no, that isn't what we got. We got an unfinished game, with over half of the national Pokedex not in the game, choppy, reused animations, reused models when they said they were brand new, even easier difficulty, a significantly shorter campaign as well as next to no post-game, not to mention many other features removed. All I have to say is, why? Pokemon is the highest most profitable franchise of all time, and Nintendo has been hitting it out of the park lately with great game after great game, like Zelda, Mario etc. So why can't Gamefreak improve Pokemon too? It's only gotten worse with time. I hope Nintendo can step in next time and help/replace Gamefreak, as the way these games are, I have no hope for the future of the franchise… Expand
  44. Thicklips
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Game sucks really hard. I can't do it. Game freaks Ching Chongs I hate them!
  45. Calvin07
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Unfinished product for a whole 60$. Don't waste your time and hopes for it.
  46. Aleph_0
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The quality of this game REALLY does not justify the cuts that have been made. Graphics are severely dated with some awful resolutions and clipping. The world is so linear it feels like a hallway with a cutscene every few steps. The endgame is nonexistent. The battle animations are taken straight from the old games. And honestly, the new Pokémon designs are some of the worst I’ve everThe quality of this game REALLY does not justify the cuts that have been made. Graphics are severely dated with some awful resolutions and clipping. The world is so linear it feels like a hallway with a cutscene every few steps. The endgame is nonexistent. The battle animations are taken straight from the old games. And honestly, the new Pokémon designs are some of the worst I’ve ever seen. Most of them look like a couple overlapping shapes with a painted on face. GameFreak really phoned it in on this one. Time to give Pokémon to someone else.… Expand
  47. Draz2153
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Deletes your save data for other games like splatoon and let's go. DO NOT DOWNLOAD FROM ESTORE
  48. GarchompGang
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Incomplete game, Bad animations and quite buggy for a mainline switch game. can not recommend.
  49. Conas
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The good about this game is the same that can be said about other Pokemon games. Exploring is fun, battling is fun, and training is fun. But the wild area was suppose to be a trade off for little routes, but the wild area is fairly small. Pokemon in the over-world don't interact with the over-world save for chasing after the trainer. The weather changes in the wild area are way too sudden. And have the bike become the hm replacer is bad, should've sticked to how SM and LGPE did it. The routes are fairly short and route 7 especially takes less than a minute to cross including trainers. The story is very bland. I don't expect much from Pokemon but after SM I at least wanted to interact with more personal stories characters had. There is no evil team in the game. Team Yell are just Marine fans who like to get in your way. Then turns out they are actually the gym trainers for the 7th gym, Piere's gym. Marine's older brother. It seemed Marine was gonna have a small story arc when we got to the seventh gym, but it was shafted after we beat Piere. The League got rid of the Elite Four and replaced it with a tournament. Not bad , it's execution in this game sucks because it's against Gym Leaders and characters you didn't really bond with. The twist in the game was Chairman Rose wanted to awaken a pokemon with infinite energy for dynamaxing. Dynamax energy runs out in 1000 years btw. He decides to awaken it during the tournament, we literally would've helped after the tournament. But he was too impatient to wait 1 day for a problem that wouldn't happen for 1000 years. The battle against Eternatus sucks, you don't fight whatsoever. The two box legionaries are the only one's that can damage him, and you don't even control them. You're just in the battle was picking whatever move, because it doesn't matter. YOU can't hurt him. After the battles the legionaries jump into the sunset, you don't get to catch one until post game. The game has so much potential, but it just fell flat for me. Also gamefreak, this is scummy releasing the same game so metacritic score is different… Expand
  50. Leix1712
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    Es un juego incompleto le faltan mas de la mitad de los pokemon existentes, tiene unos graficos muy malos para una Nintendo Switch
    El area Silvestre esta vacia y los pokemons se ven muy mal. Las ciudades estan muy vacias
    . El juego es muy corto(el mas corto de la saga) y los personajes son muy olbidables no hay nada que explorar y el juego no se siente un juego de pokemon.
  51. PewPewMcP
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The theme of Pokémon Sword and Shield is: limit.
    They limit your selection of Pokémon to catch
    They limit the pool of moves Pokémon can learn from, including some moves signature to Pokémon, like Heal Order to Vespiquen They limit where and when you can catch Pokémon in the open area They limit when you can use Dynamax and Gigantamax, the games signature battle mechanic. They limit your    The theme of Pokémon Sword and Shield is: limit.
    They limit your selection of Pokémon to catch
    They limit the pool of moves Pokémon can learn from, including some moves signature to Pokémon, like Heal Order to Vespiquen
    They limit where and when you can catch Pokémon in the open area
    They limit when you can use Dynamax and Gigantamax, the games signature battle mechanic.
    They limit your ability to explore a world with the series's now signature heavily railroaded storytelling techniques They limit the difficulty setting of the game by forcing Exp Share to always be on
    They limit your ability to change the sound settings by forcing you to first find and interact with the right NPC.
    Pokémon Sword and Shield are mediocre entries that take two steps back for every one step they take forward.    … Expand
  52. meHG12
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are a lot of restructuring problems, but I've cleared them and I want to say a story
    Very boring and the lowest ever    … Expand
  53. LuckyAbsol
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Your average pokemon game that'll probably be fun for the casual fan. The story is below par compared to past pokemon games, suffering from clear pacing issues towards the end. The graphics were only slightly better while some of the animations are also lacking. Clear pop ins and low resolutions textures litter the game while severals bugs are also present. For example, the battleYour average pokemon game that'll probably be fun for the casual fan. The story is below par compared to past pokemon games, suffering from clear pacing issues towards the end. The graphics were only slightly better while some of the animations are also lacking. Clear pop ins and low resolutions textures litter the game while severals bugs are also present. For example, the battle backgrounds not always matching up with battle. The quality of life changes were very welcomed but the EXP Share was still too strong and could not be turned off. On a more personal level, I believe Shield has the better exclusives.

    I must also add that the soundtrack was very forgettable this time around which is strange for a pokemon game, the postgame is also extremely short with it only being about 1-2 hours long. The battle tower makes a return but it's been stripped down to it's bare bones.    … Expand
  54. TutelarSword
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Pokemon has always been one of my favorite games, however, the design choices made by Gamefreak are rampant with this entry of the series. There are almost no routes in the game, and those that exist are linear. There is a town that is made up of a single road with the only door usable being to the Pokemon Center. There are no dungeons or caves of the sort, instead, the Wild Area tries toPokemon has always been one of my favorite games, however, the design choices made by Gamefreak are rampant with this entry of the series. There are almost no routes in the game, and those that exist are linear. There is a town that is made up of a single road with the only door usable being to the Pokemon Center. There are no dungeons or caves of the sort, instead, the Wild Area tries to fill this role, but with many issues. It has poor graphics with Pokemon being birthed from the void to populate the area, as well as trees spawning from nothing. The area is empty and feels poorly thought out compared to other Switch games like Breath of the Wild. The removal of 60% of old Pokemon and 20% of old moves, as well as megas and Z-moves is also a disgusting practice which gives an ill boding for the future of the games. Gamefreak needs to seriously reconsider their design choices and patch in the many missing features (Pokemon, moves, GTS, etc.), as well as fix the many bugs such as those breaking SD cards, freezing the game, and causing unbearable amounts of lag.

    Many reviews you see that are positive simply boil down to "The games killed my wife and kids, but at least I can catch a Pikachu again. 9.5/10" which is utterly disgusting and reeks of poor journalism or faux reviews to prop up the game for the less informed.    … Expand
  55. beyak
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    The bad:
    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time. The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big. The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance. The    The bad:
    The main story is short, and the postgame is lacking, around 25 hours if you take your time.
    The music is hit or miss most of the time.
    The wild area (the biggest new feature) feels incomplete and has bad textures and models for the environment. Its also not very big.
    The game has pop-in issues both in the wild area and in cities/routes, and has a horrible draw distance.
    The game is missing staple moves like pursuit, return and hidden power.
    Some animations in cutscenes and battles are either incredibly lacking, or amazing in some cases.
    Half of the pokemon are not coded into the game, and will be impossible to transfer (unless GameFreak changes their stance and updates).
    Mega evolution and Z-moves were removed and replaced by dynamax.
    Subjective, but some of the new pokemon are really off-putting.
    The game, as of release, has a fatal bug that can wipe your SD card.
    No following pokemon.

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

    Overall: The game could have used more time before release and had great potential. If all pokemon, moves and megas were coded in and the whole game was polished more (especially the wild area) the game could have been the best pokemon games so far. It's sad to see GameFreak pushing yearly releases for the games instead of giving them the development time needed to become truly great.    … Expand
  56. ShayminFan95
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Reposting my Pokémon Sword review because this is literally the same game but with a Ponyta instead of a Farfetch'd (exaggeration, but you get the point). And I was almost tempted to reduce it to a 1 because said Ponyta should have been Fairy-type and the fact it isn't bothers me more than it should.

    The very low score I'm giving these games might seem like a poor attempt at review    Reposting my Pokémon Sword review because this is literally the same game but with a Ponyta instead of a Farfetch'd (exaggeration, but you get the point). And I was almost tempted to reduce it to a 1 because said Ponyta should have been Fairy-type and the fact it isn't bothers me more than it should.

    The very low score I'm giving these games might seem like a poor attempt at review bombing them, but oh no my friends, this is an actual review from someone who actually played the games and didn't receive any dirty money to say something other than the truth. Pokémon Sword and Shield are possibly the worst Pokémon games to ever be made. For a fully priced 60$ game, they have less than HALF the content of any of the 3DS Pokémon core series games and nearly no redeemable features. In fact, one of their most notable "features" is the lack of more than half of the old Pokémon (a first for a series, hurray innovation!), which means there's over 50% chance that your favorite Pokémon is not even in the code for these games. The cut in content also includes moves, some of which make absolutely no sense why they would have been left out.

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

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

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

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

    In conclusion, whether you are a Pokémon fan or wanting to become one, these are games you can easily skip and save some bucks. I dare to say Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are better games than these dumpster fires. If you truly want a good Pokémon experience play the 3DS games or, even better, the DS ones.    … Expand
  57. NormalReview
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    Pretty much the same as my Sword review... except Eiscue's in it.

    Please, don't let this franchise continue like this. The flaws that were there are still here after 2 generations and instead of listening Game Freak decides to lie to their fans instead. If you can have fun with these games good for you.
  58. there_he_go
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.Yet another rushed, disappointing mess for longtime fans of the series. Considering the emphasis that was placed on the graphics and animation quality before the S/S' release, you'd expect them to at least run at a consistent framerate or not blatantly copy/paste animations from prior games; but neither of these came to fruition. Not worth losing half of the games' cast for.

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

    If you have any semblance of critical thinking skills, don't buy these games. (I copy/pasted my review of Sword for this game as well, because if gamefreak can sell the same game twice and not get **** for it then this is nothing)    … Expand
  59. ExPokemonFan
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    I've no idea what the "professional" reviews were on when they were playing this game.
    Are they reviewing the same game?
    This game is a half assed attempt at bringing the Pokemon franchise forward to the next generation.
    Don't waste your time with this trash and vote with your wallet.
  60. UniversalReview
    Nov 15, 2019
    5
    Pokémon Sword/Shield are fun, fresh, new Pokémon experiences. You can catch nearly one-hundred new creatures, explore never before seen towns and cities, and interact with a colourful cast of new characters. However, the same can be said for every new Pokémon generation in the history of the franchise, and for perhaps the first time ever, the cuts and flaws really start to bring thePokémon Sword/Shield are fun, fresh, new Pokémon experiences. You can catch nearly one-hundred new creatures, explore never before seen towns and cities, and interact with a colourful cast of new characters. However, the same can be said for every new Pokémon generation in the history of the franchise, and for perhaps the first time ever, the cuts and flaws really start to bring the experience down.

    Through two decades of handheld releases with the same formula, the question was always there: “what if?” What could Pokémon look like, what could the series achieve, if finally freed from limited handheld hardware and brought onto modern home consoles?

    As it turns out, the answer is more of the same. And that is exactly the problem.

    Sword/Shield are a graphical upgrade from their 3DS predecessors, yet still look mediocre for their hardware. They offer plenty of new features, at the expense of everything new introduced the previous generation. They promise a new experience, yet have less content than DS and Gameboy Advance games released 10-15+ years ago. All the boxes are ticked, but that doesn’t account for everything that is missing.

    It could be argued that Sword/Shield are a product of Gamefreak’s shifting design philosophy. Since 2013’s X and Y, franchise leaders have made it clear that accessibility is a priority. Case in point, 2014’s ORAS famously removed Pokémon Emerald’s Battle Frontier because “kids would get frustrated with the difficulty”, completely disregarding the millions who grew up with the games regardless.

    This mentality is overwhelmingly present in every aspect of Sword/Shield, to the extent of actively removing player-choice in many situations. Sword/Shield are arguably the most linear games in the franchise: outside the Wild Area, you’ll mostly be moving from A to B, with a noticeable lack of traditional “dungeons”, various inaccessible areas and major plot points happening off screen. Even worse, the EXP-Share is no longer optional. To many, it was a major factor in X/Y & Sun/Moon being far easier than previous instalments, resulting in the player often being comically over-levelled in major battles, and here its removal limits player choice for simply no good reason. By focusing on simplicity and linearity, everything suffers, producing easier and shorter experiences that feel less like RPG adventures and more like a guided tour.

    But now comes the main event: Dexit. Pokémon’s largest ever controversy, and for good reason: you are finally unable to “Catch ‘Em All”. Roughly 500 creatures simply cannot be transferred into Sword/Shield. Disregarding the ethics of forcing players to use a (likely paid) service to store Pokémon that might be in a future game, improved graphics and animations were specifically cited as the main reason for this decision. Sadly, that explanation simply doesn’t hold true. Sword/Shield look mediocre for their hardware, in many cases lacking simple details such as battle backgrounds, decent textures or proper attack animations. Furthermore, many animations and models are outright reused, and while the jury is still out on whether Gamefreak lied about using “new models”, it’s indisputable that a AAA title in 2019 shouldn’t look this poor, especially if visuals are used to justify shortcomings elsewhere.

    However, perhaps Sword/Shield are expansive enough to justify the cut content? Sadly, this isn’t the case either. At a moderate pace, Sword/Shield are roughly 15-20 hour games, average for the franchise, and offer significantly less post-game content compared to many previous instalments. Sword/Shield cost $20 more than previous Pokémon experiences: console prices for console games, but nothing about the story, formula, length or breadth of content reflects that. New features like the Wild Area, Dynamax and Pokémon Camp are fun, but every new Pokémon game in history has brought new features to the table, and nothing about Sword/Shield particularly screams bigger or better.

    Sword/Shield are undoubtedly fun games. Pokémon’s core formula is one that works. But to many, they are also indicative of a stagnation that has plagued the franchise over the past five or so years. Sword/Shield are on a home console, but downgrade the graphics and they would be indistinguishable from any 3DS Pokémon release. Even with Sword/Shield being the series’ fourth consecutive yearly releases, they can expect to sell 10-15 million copies, so there really is no incentive to give the franchise the “Breath of the Wild” moment it deserves. But in 2019, on the most powerful hardware yet, the bare minimum simply isn’t good enough anymore.

    When your visuals are rivalled by a Wii spinoffs from 2006, you offer less content than DS releases from 2009, and players have less freedom than in your Gameboy debut, that’s a sign things need to improve.    … Expand
  61. phoenixsaturn
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The core of the Pokemon experience is there (albeit in a highly stripped and watered down version compared to past entries in the series), but the entire game lacks polish. Apart from the Wild Area, there is very little to explore in this game. Routes are linear hallways designed to move you from A to B. The game's animations are very poor and for the most part recycled from previous 3DSThe core of the Pokemon experience is there (albeit in a highly stripped and watered down version compared to past entries in the series), but the entire game lacks polish. Apart from the Wild Area, there is very little to explore in this game. Routes are linear hallways designed to move you from A to B. The game's animations are very poor and for the most part recycled from previous 3DS entries. The rushed nature of the game is also very apparent after gym 5, as the game becomes extremely streamlined and the animations dip in quality substantially after this point. I would not be surprised to hear that this game was rushed out the door for the Christmas season.

    Overall, the entire game can easily be completed in 12 hours, there is little to do after the end credits, and what you can do gets repetitive very quickly. While you play you will be faced with busy, grating music that will make you desperate to go out of your way to find the NPC that will allow you to MUTE it. While the game is not fundamentally broken it is not at all worth the retail price and I would recommend purchasing any of the older Pokemon games rather than buying this one.    … Expand
  62. miaumelon
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
    -Shigeru Miyamoto

    I would love nintendo to bring back the days of glory...
  63. cresword
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Pokemon sword & shield is really not so bad, actually some new feature of the game is not bad. But the attitude of Game-Freak make us so angry, they should do it better and better, not a bit.
  64. Wiki
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Bugs y mas bugs... No estan todos los Pokémon, fallos graficos, reutilizan modelos de 3DS... es ridículo y carisimo. NO HAY POSTGAME
  65. mechanica
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. so awaful
    story , ost , character , UI , all boring
    nooooooooooooooooooo！    … Expand
  66. togademi
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    The visuals are amazing, as usual: UI, art style, NPC design, town design... In terms of gameplay, there's nearly nothing. The cutscenes that used to be only at the beginning of a Pokémon game, now they're all the time. The whole game feels like a tutorial. There's no challenge anymore because every situation that would be risky (like fighting some trainers in a row), has the risk removedThe visuals are amazing, as usual: UI, art style, NPC design, town design... In terms of gameplay, there's nearly nothing. The cutscenes that used to be only at the beginning of a Pokémon game, now they're all the time. The whole game feels like a tutorial. There's no challenge anymore because every situation that would be risky (like fighting some trainers in a row), has the risk removed by getting your team healed between each trainer, by telling you hints on how to win, etc. It's extremely handholding, which is the main issue. It lacks the freedom and sense of adventure that Pokémon has always had until gen 6. In a few words, it's "Press A to win".
    There also some improvements, like new items that are useful for the competitive scene, to facilitate having a pokémon with the perfect stats for battling. It's a shame that for every improvement, there are 10 downgrades.
    The game as a whole is deceiving, shameful considering where it comes from.    … Expand
  67. Rardo
    Nov 15, 2019
    4
    To be honest this game is disappointing, don’t get me wrong the game likes nice and all visually but this game just ain’t it. They used the exact same game models from the 3DS and they cut 455 Pokémon from the game for better animation and graphics even though it looks the exactly the same as it did for the past 7 years. I never thought GameFreak could get any lazier and incompetent thanTo be honest this game is disappointing, don’t get me wrong the game likes nice and all visually but this game just ain’t it. They used the exact same game models from the 3DS and they cut 455 Pokémon from the game for better animation and graphics even though it looks the exactly the same as it did for the past 7 years. I never thought GameFreak could get any lazier and incompetent than this. Generations 1-5 had more soul put into them than these games. Now the digital copies of these are being reported to not only corrupt your SD card and delete your Save data but it kills the console too. They should have spent an extra year or two working on these games. “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad”… Expand
  68. Tarasios
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else. The only positives are some good new    This game is like an uncooked unseasoned potato: Bland and simple.

    It lacks the depth of any other game, being a straight line through. No hidden paths or secrets. And once you finish the main story that's it, you are done. You unlock the "battle tower" which has even less features than any prior simple "battle tower" and absolutely nothing else.

    The only positives are some good new Pokemon designs, but the excitement over new Pokemon is dulled thanks to the National Dex cut meaning that I can't even be sure that I can keep them with me.

    Dynamaxing is fine but ultimately hollow. It combines mega evolution and z moves and manages to capture the worst of both. Even those who enjoy it can look forward to it being cut from the next game.

    Curry and Camping are barely even relevant to gameplay, and serve no purpose aside from being something they can add to the games "features list". As though they were added to meet a quota.

    This is a disgrace to the franchise, and it saddens me to see my favourite brand doing so poorly.    … Expand
  69. WorriedDenizen
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    From my Sword review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Stay away from these games, it's not worth your money at all.    … Expand
  70. AnthonyDFG
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    At the beginning of the game, serious performance issues are already notorious. The game lags in certain parts and there are awkward moments where nothing is happening and you're just waiting for a cutscene to resume. The handholding is unbearable and the Kanto-throwbacks are off the charts. Charizard will get praised half a dozen times before you can pick your first Pokémon. Hop is aAt the beginning of the game, serious performance issues are already notorious. The game lags in certain parts and there are awkward moments where nothing is happening and you're just waiting for a cutscene to resume. The handholding is unbearable and the Kanto-throwbacks are off the charts. Charizard will get praised half a dozen times before you can pick your first Pokémon. Hop is a cheap knockoff of Hau and thus the game breaks the long tradition of making every new rival unique in some way.

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

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

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

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

    In short, this game is awful for advanced players, mediocre for casual player and it's desirable that this is nobody's first Pokémon game, least they get the wrong impression. It is the worst Pokémon main duo ever released and the only positive aspects are derived from the standard Pokémon formula. Being understaffed isn't even remotely enough to explain the unacceptable low quality of these games; GameFreak has severe leadership issues.    … Expand
  71. Kratonos
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Es una nueva generación y un nuevo comienzo para la saga que tanto adoro, y debo decir que no me ha decepcionado en lo más mínimo.
    Pokemon Espada/Escudo ha sido un juego que he disfrutado de principio a fin, la región de Galar es hermosa y la representación de Reino Unida es correcta y bien lograda, la historia si bien no es mejor que la de Sol y Luna, no me ha dejado con mal sabor de    Es una nueva generación y un nuevo comienzo para la saga que tanto adoro, y debo decir que no me ha decepcionado en lo más mínimo.
    Pokemon Espada/Escudo ha sido un juego que he disfrutado de principio a fin, la región de Galar es hermosa y la representación de Reino Unida es correcta y bien lograda, la historia si bien no es mejor que la de Sol y Luna, no me ha dejado con mal sabor de boca, el sistema de combate y crianza competitiva nunca habia sido tan dinamico y explotable, es todo un paso adelante en la franquicia, el estilo artistico es precioso como Game Freak siempre esta acostumbrado a hacer, la exploracion es la justa para un juego de la saga principal y el nuevo power-up Dynamax y Gigamax hacen que las batallas sean un espectaculo visual y una delicia para los ojos. Me encantola narrativa en este juego y los dialogos de npc's y personajes protagonicos me encantaron.
    Debo destacar la Area Salvaje como un aditamento que hace a esta region diferente de las anteriores, al igual que el mejorado y restructurado sistema online y de clasificaciones.

    Por supuesto, hay cosas malas, no es un juego perfecto, ninguno lo es, aunque no tenga la mitad restante de la pokedex nacional, la cantidad de Pokemon que tiene este juego es mas que suficiente para ser una experiencia disfrutable, los graficos son preciosos para un juego de Pokemon aunque se vean algo desprolijos en algunas ocasiones, pequeños detalles que no hacen de este el mejor Pokemon, siendo que mi favorito es el Platino, pero que no arruinan el juego ni lo hacen malo.

    Por favor, ignoren todo el alboroto que los disconformes van a crear en esta caja de reviews con sus 0's y criticas vacias, son gente muy enojada y cegada que no pueden aceptar cuando un juego no les gusta pero a los demas si.
    Esta es una generacion mas que digna y una iteracion decente viniendo de la preciosa region de Alola.
    Paz y Amor para todos los haters que vendran a metabombear el juego, ustedes no tienen la razon ni nunca la tuvieron.

    Traslation:
    This is a new generation and a new beginning for the saga that I love so much, and I must say that it hasn't disappointed me in the least.
    Pokemon Sword has been a game that I have enjoyed from the beginning to end, the Galar region is beautiful and the representation of the United Kingdom is correct and well achieved, the story although it's not better than that of Sun and Moon, but has not left me with a bad taste, the combat and competitive breeding system has never been so dynamic and exploitable, it's a big step forward in the franchise, the artstyle is beautiful as Game Freak is always used to do, the exploration is decent for A game of the main saga and the new power-up Dynamax and Gigamax make the battles a visual spectacle and a delight for the eyes, i love the cinematic narrative in this game and the npc's and character dialogues touch me.

    I must highlight the Wild Area as an attachment that makes this region different from the previous ones in the good way, as well as the improved and restructured online and ranking system.

    Of course, there are bad things, it's not a perfect game, none is, although it doesn't have the remaining half of the national pokedex, the amount of Pokemon that this game has is more than enough to be an enjoyable experience, the graphics are beautiful for a Pokemon game even if they look a little bit sloppy on some occasions, small details that don't make this the best Pokemon, being that my favorite is Platinum, but that doesn't ruin the game or make it bad.

    Please, ignore all the fuss that the ungrateful and hateful self-proclaimed fans are going to create in this review box with their 0's and empty criticisms, they are very angry and blinded people who cannot accept when a game doesn't like them but others do.
    This is a generation more than worthy and a decent iteration coming from the beautiful region of Alola.
    Peace and Love for all the haters who will come to metabombing the game, you are not right and never had it.
    Let's not discredit the work that this great company has given us for more than 20 years, respect for those who deserve it.
    We must give the right score that this game deserves.

    ThanksYouGamefreak.    … Expand
  72. Andmyaxe90
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    I don't understand the hate this game gets. Yes, it's a bit rough around the edges, but the points made by the negative people don't stand. The dex cut was needed. Balancing 890 Pokémon is an impossible task. The animations are fine. But most importantly: the game is fun.
  73. nintendofanboy2
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This game is amazing 11 out of 10
    best Pokemon to date thank you game freak
  74. Vanbeef
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    After several Hours of Gameplay I really can say: It's the best Pokemon Game ive ever played.
    Started my Journey with Pokemon Red & Blue and came all my Way to Shield now.

    The Game looks amazing
    Smooth Gameplay
    Cute Pokemon Style
    Over 350 different Pokemon... thats just amazing!!
  75. UnionJack0714
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    This game is very bitter sweet. The game itself, is as good as 'pokemon' games get, at the expense of missing favourites... but honestly the designs of the new Pokemon are so good, it's forgivable... to an extent. Obviously I want my old favourites back, but at the same time I'm finding some new favourites. The wild area is great, even if it's not the best looking area in the game and isThis game is very bitter sweet. The game itself, is as good as 'pokemon' games get, at the expense of missing favourites... but honestly the designs of the new Pokemon are so good, it's forgivable... to an extent. Obviously I want my old favourites back, but at the same time I'm finding some new favourites. The wild area is great, even if it's not the best looking area in the game and is very bare bones in terms of decoration, offering a unique take on Pokemon encounters, and playing with other players is brilliant too. The story and characters definitely aren't bad, but are predictable if you've played Sun and Moon... very obvious inspiration there. The music ranges from the best in the series to this doesn't fit at all, thankfully more good than bad songs. Dynamax and Gigamax forms aren't the silly gimmicks I thought they would be, they offer up some great battles, especially towards the end of the game. And most importantly, unlike Sun and Moon, the game doesn't have a long unnecessary tutorial. Overall, if you want a good Pokemon game, this is for you. If you wanted a massive leap forward in the series, maybe wait for Gen 9 instead and safe yourself the anger and hate towards this game.… Expand
  76. Aman144
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Wow just wow this game exceeded my expectations with all the hate in the community and people nitpicking every little problem, I was surprised to see how much I loved playing through this new Pokémon adventure, definitely my new favorite Pokémon game. Be warned however most negative reviews you find on this game are from people who have not played it and will continually bash the game forWow just wow this game exceeded my expectations with all the hate in the community and people nitpicking every little problem, I was surprised to see how much I loved playing through this new Pokémon adventure, definitely my new favorite Pokémon game. Be warned however most negative reviews you find on this game are from people who have not played it and will continually bash the game for not being the Pokémon experience they envisioned. I recommend playing the game before calling it bad, it may just surprise you like it did for me… Expand
  77. Nick_bs
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    It's alright for what it is. It follows the same formula as other Pokemon games and if you liked them you'll like this and if not then you won't. The gameplay is always fun in Pokemon games and that still stands here. However this isn't any big jump for the series as many expected. Overall I enjoyed it because it's still a Pokemon game and at it's core it's still a fun experience.
  78. ThankUGamefreak
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This is the most important review you will ever read on metacritic. These are the best games ever made. The criticisms are unfounded and dumbfounded. Why are you complaining about only having 400 pokemon to play as? Other RPGs like final fantasy and xenoblade and persona typically only have 7ish characters to play as. Yet people are upset about 400? Bad argument. Bad graphics? That's notThis is the most important review you will ever read on metacritic. These are the best games ever made. The criticisms are unfounded and dumbfounded. Why are you complaining about only having 400 pokemon to play as? Other RPGs like final fantasy and xenoblade and persona typically only have 7ish characters to play as. Yet people are upset about 400? Bad argument. Bad graphics? That's not true. These games are cartoony beautiful appealing graphics. They'retimeless. I think the Thanos snap of pokemon is the best thing to happen to the series. It exposes the fake fans and shows who really cares about pokemon. If you dislike these games then you need to purchase them again and try again. And if you don'tbuy them then dont talk. .… Expand
  79. mjgway
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Life long Pokefan here. I am absolutely loving the game so far. The occasional graphical clunkiness is there, but it doesn't deter from the gorgeous, inviting aesthetic and overall warmth of the game. In fact, I would say that this is by leaps and bounds the most visually captivating entry in the entire series. Care was quite obviously put into just about every nook and cranny, from theLife long Pokefan here. I am absolutely loving the game so far. The occasional graphical clunkiness is there, but it doesn't deter from the gorgeous, inviting aesthetic and overall warmth of the game. In fact, I would say that this is by leaps and bounds the most visually captivating entry in the entire series. Care was quite obviously put into just about every nook and cranny, from the exquisite music to the extensive outfit options. Also of note is the fact that I have experienced absolutely no bugs or frame drops anywhere in the game. I haven't been this excited and glued to my controller in I don't even know how long. If the hate campaigns spoiled your interest in the game as they nearly did mine, rest assured that the game is an absolute joy.… Expand
  80. Tyrtiuz
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Nuevamente una fantastica entrega del esta mítica saga con importantes novedades y nuevos pokemon, con una jugabilidad que hace las delicias de todos y un apartado grafico en la linea hasta ahora, una vez mas no defrauda.
  81. SothisFeet
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Now, I liked the game a lot, the Galar region is more open than ever, the Dynamax system is a good mechanic and the raids are quite enjoyable and impel you to explore the beautiful region, the soundtrack is beautiful and the story is very good. One of my favorite generations and i have a lot of fun with this game.
  82. BloBlo
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Because people give negative notes without having the game and it has become a free hate contest just like Death Stranding.

    It would be time to have a mandatory check that will allow votes only if one owns the games and fulfilling conditions like playing time.
  83. JDRH
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Nice and beautiful game, I just love it, nice music, pretty soothing graphics
  84. Heliolisk
    Nov 15, 2019
    10

    Pokemon Sword / Shield are fun games and a worthy generation that competes with its predecessors, the story is decent and the gameplay better than ever, love the Dynamax battles and the artistic section so beautiful and so Pokemon style, it is a game that deserves all its price of 60 dollars, and an iteration worthy of being with the other sagas of Nintendo in this new generation.
  85. Enrikegeek
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    The best Pokémon Game ever, i am fan of this saga since 1998 , i am 31 years old now and i love Pokémon shield is amazing with amazing graphics, sound and gameplay...
  86. Nizaqil
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    All negative perspectives just faded away once you start playing and enjoying wonderful gaming experience and the bound this game makes. I never caught even above 60+ Pokemon in any game so why should I care. It's beautiful and entertaining. "A very new but fascinating experience".
  87. Gwain
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    The Game looks amazing
    Smooth Gameplay
    Cute Pokemon Style
    Over 350 different Pokemon

    I love it so. Best Pokémon game in my opinion.
  88. MP_Design
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    I seriously like this game!

    Even if it is not the best Pokemon game, it is still enjoyable.
  89. MikoloPulo
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    This game is rushed and unfinished. No matter how many times they try and say otherwise, this game was rush out of the door, since Pokemon game releases are tied to merchandise and such (I mean, Pokemon is the highest grossing franchise for a reason). But because of this, we get a subpar entry, which lots of cut content, awful graphics, and a lot of decisions that will make you go: "What the ****
  90. Basednredpilled
    Nov 15, 2019
    2
    Bad graphics. Bad animations. Even bad music. Extremely short. No postgame content. No national dex. Bad story. Bad characters. Permanent exp share. Do i have to continue? I gave it a 2 instead of 0 just because some of the new pokemon have good designs. Nobody should buy this game.
  91. Suckitxd159
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    Nada nuevo en este juego lleno de monotonía, tiene una larga campaña innecesaria (casi 50 horas) y el diseño de los nuevos pokemon se ven muy mal.
  92. Zyrraki
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    This game does not deserve a 0. All the complains are from people who haven't even played. Pokemon sword and shield is an excellent Pokemon game. If you're a fan you'll enjoy and love it just as much as the older ones.
  93. brian811117
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Giving points to this game is meanless since it doesn't include all pokemons. It is not complete!
  94. NationalDex
    Nov 15, 2019
    0
    Same as Sword, Reused Animations, lying about new models, bad textures, cut Pokemon, Masuda should've been laid off awhile ago and there is a game breaking bug that deletes everything on your micro sd. Wasn't tested, absolutely avoid

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best Switch Game of 2019
10
#10 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. IGN Spain
    Nov 13, 2019
    85
    As a generational premiere, Pokémon Sword and Shield are at a high level. Its attempt to combine different audiences and demands is well-received, although we expect much more from future games that should be more revolutionary and that would take advantage of the potential of a console like Nintendo Switch.
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  2. 3DJuegos
    Nov 13, 2019
    80
    Pokémon Sword and Shield bring some new ideas and improvements, but we miss more innovation and more and better endgame contents. You'll enjoy exploring the new Galar Region and catching the new and amazing Pokémon, but the Pokémon RPG for Nintendo Switch feels like a missed opportunity to do something big.
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  3. Gamer.nl
    Nov 13, 2019
    85
    Fortunately, the technical imperfections and the lack of genuine innovation hardly disturb. After all, Pokémon is ultimately about collecting cool, sweet, tough or kiddy little monsters that know how to steal our hearts - and Pokémon Sword and Shield are fascinating.
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