Pokémon Shield - Nintendo Switch

I really don't get why people hate on this game so much. Some tree textures weren't incredibly high-detail? Okay, it's Nintendo. The art style is never realistic and that is a strength, not a weakness. If you've played Scarlet/Violet, this game feels like it actually came out after those-- the quality is so much better and the world feels so much more fleshed out. The Britain-inspired Galar region is charming, the towns are lush with unique architecture, and the world just feels more like a real place where people live. I'm not usually a fan of battle gimmicks like Z-moves and mega evolutions, but the Dynamax system feels like they finally found the sweet spot and pulled the best parts from the other previous gimmicks that didn't fare so well. For more context: I'm a Gen 1 fan who hasn't played any Pokémon games since Gen 3 on the Gameboy Advance. But recently, I decided to marathon through and play one game from each generation to catch up. So after playing way too many repetitive Pokémon games for weeks, I should have been sick of it. This game was a breath of fresh air. For me, it feels like a visual representation of how playing the original GameBoy games felt-- it gives you an epic sense of adventure and a cool, bright world to explore. The gym battles in particular felt like the truest representation of what gym battles should have been from the beginning: without spoiling too much, they play out in huge stadiums with cheering crowds (and great music), and the trials that each gym puts in front of you before battling the leader are pretty fun/engaging. The storylines in this franchise are never fantastic, but as they go, this one was one of the better ones in my opinion. I also had my younger sibling play this game, who's a decade younger, and had never played through a Pokemon game besides Legends Arceus (also highly recommend that one) and they have always been turned away by the grinding, boring, repetitive nature of the mainline games. But they loved it, and even bought their own copy so that we can play online together from across the country. :) Basically, the hate for this game is a lot of nitpicking, and then piling on the hate because that's what everyone else what doing at the time so it seemed cool to do. Try it for yourself and just go into it without anyone else's criticisms coloring your judgment. There's a lot of fun to be had!

There was a lot of controversy going into Sword and Shield, what with the #Dexit issue and the accusations of the developers not living up to their promise of a better looking, technologically improved game from the last generation of games. I went in not sure how I was going to like the game. I've played for a few hours now, and I can solidly give this game a great rating. In many ways, this is the same Pokemon storyline you've always had - you, a young kid, goes off on a quest to complete a Pokedex, battle gym leaders, and become the Champion. I'm not expecting differently from a Pokemon game. But moving the game to a console makes the game feel amazingly more immersive. X and Y really bumped things up graphics-wise, and this game takes things up another notch. Are there some occasional frame rate issues? Yes, particularly during battles. But they are small issues/drops in quality, and honestly, if you're buying this for a younger kid, I doubt they'd notice or care. The immersive nature of the world means Pokemon are much more visible - they're literally just running around the world. And when you walk into tall grass, they're visible. You can run up to them, or run away from them, and sometimes they'll even follow you around! This is especially true of the wild areas, which is where the game truly shines, I think. Wild areas are super open spaces with tons of Pokemon that allow you to battle, explore, and see lots of Pokemon, making the game a bit less linear than previous versions. There are also "super strong" Pokemon you need to avoid fighting until you're capable of beating them, so these areas have long-lasting value. The new Pokemon themselves seem great! I always try to grab as many "newbies" as I can when starting a new version, and I haven't been disappointed so far. Version exclusives for Shield are Galarian Pontya/Rapidash and new versions of Corsola/Cursola, which is now ghost-type (get it? Because climate change is bleaching corals? Nintendo went there!), as well as some other Pokemon from previous versions, like the Larvitar and Lotad lines. The Nat Dex controversy still stands - it personally doesn't bother me, as I hardly ever bothered completing it anyways, and would rather use new Pokemon to test them out, but it has been a dealbreaker for some fans. There is no National Dex after you beat the game. That being said, there's still a lot of Pokemon to choose from! I'm willing to bet any fan could find favorites from past generations in the there somewhere. Bottom line - are there some technical issues? Yes. Is there a National Dex? No. But this is a solid entry in the line-up, and the changes from past generations are fun and exciting. I can't wait to finish the game, continue exploring, and, of course, go buy the other version so I can do it all along.

Here we are, a mainline Pokemon game officially released on a home console. If it matters, I am in my 30's and have played every single generation of these games since the inception of the series. I bought a Switch when they were released solely based on the fact that the next full Pokemon RPG was announced to be on the Switch (and didn't play it at all until I got Shield). You could say I rather enjoy this franchise. There is a small but very vocal group of "fans" that would have you believe Sword and Shield are half a game or somehow incomplete. I want to assure anyone worried, I have never played a more complete-feeling Pokemon game (outside of Omega Ruby, my previous fav entry besides Black). You've probably heard of "Dexit", the absurd idea of associating Game Freak's decision not to have a full Dex with Britain's decision to leave the EU. These concerns are overblown. 30 hours in and I've barely seen half of the 400 'mons in this game. AND NOT A SINGLE RATTATA OR PIDGEY SO FAR. Thank the sweet Lord. Besides sheer numbers, Sword and Shield feel ALIVE with teeming creatures everywhere. I've caught myself smiling like an idiot in a way that I haven't since Red and Blue while just exploring the environments I was in. To jack KonMarie's schtick, this game sparked joy for me. Isn't that why we all started playing games in the first place? tl;dr You like Pokemon? Buy one (or both) of these games. UPDATE: one week and 30+ additional hours (around 65 hours played): This game is eating my life. I am stuck firmly in that wonderful reward loop that Pokemon does so well. I stand by my previous words, this game is every bit a Pokemon game. A few stray thoughts: - the Wild Area is AWESOME - being chased by Bewears is terrifying and hilarious UPDATE: two weeks, 110+ hours I have not played a game like it was my second job in years. Obviously, not everyone will get this kind of mileage out of the game. I've been spending the majority of that time constructing teams, raiding for candies to level up said team, and breeding 100's of Ponytas for Surprise Trade. Stray Thoughts (100 hour edition): - the actual designs of the monsters is on point this gen (remember, this is nominally a kid's series) - the Wild Area (and specifically Max Raids) are ridiculously addictive - Wooloo is love, Wooloo is life. Update: a month and 185+ hours later (added pic to review for proof of hours played). Wow, a month in and I'm STILL averaging more than 40 hours a week played. I do not expect this pattern to hold but this game keeps pulling me back in. Between the Raids, fighting the Gym Challenge again, and flipping Luxury Balls, I have kept very busy. If you are still reading reviews, trying to decide whether or not to buy... just buy it already. You can enjoy it with your kids but it has the depth of strategy to engage adults (to quote one Tim Rogers: Pokemon is the Gran Turismo of rock, paper, scissors).

Pokemon Sword and Shield are amazing games with a few problems. First of all as far as new Pokemon go I am overall very happy with their designs, Centiskorch, Drednaw and Stonjouner are my personal new favorites. The good thing about a lot of the new Pokemon is the type combitnations are more varied compared to previous generations of pokemon. It also helps that most of them have a stat spread making them usable throughout the entire game. I also really like the camping minigames. It adds that little touch of making the game feel like a grand adventure, much like cooking in breath of the wild. Dynamax also adds fun new layer of strategy to battling and I am greatful that every Pokemon can do it as opposed to a select few. And my final highlight is the music is very good in the game, route 10 might be my favorite Pokemon song. It's right up there with Reds battle music and a few black and white songs. As far as cons go. I think the level restrictions on catching Pokemon is good in concept, however I think it would have been better if they increased after each badge by 10 levels as opposed 5 levels. I do miss some of my favorite older Pokemon but at the same time it did help me try out the new Pokemon more. All and all Sword and Shield are among my favorite Pokemon games right up there with Pokemon Red, Heart Gold, Black, Black 2 and Y versions for myself. I think Sword and Shield captures the spirit of adventure more then most games.

The game is now $40! Well at least that’s the price I got it. The game is worth that price, and I definitely agree that it doesn’t feel like a $60 dollar game. However, ignore the butthurt haters. The game has a fallout for really hardcore players but most people who are just causal players such as myself can still enjoy the game. The game being really short, and the short national dex are my only concerns. For me, the only Pokémon games I’ve played are the older ones, like the original red, soul silver, emerald, and black and white. So I haven’t played the newer ones on the 3DS and such. This game is a huge jump for me from the older games and I’ve had a ton of fun learning all the new Pokémon. I’ve been out of the Pokémon loop for awhile, and this is the perfect game to get back into it. I’m still a teen but I feel like a boomer not knowing all the newer Pokémon. The price is the same now as the old handheld versions which is perfect. Buy it now guys the price is ripe! :D UPDATE: After 40 hours of playtime I finally finished the game and its post game contents. Great game, I think I will keep on playing still, need to do the dlc and I'm super excited! Also I'm simpin for Marnie. Team Yell let's go! Marnie best pokemon waifu of all time!

While this game has received a fair amount of criticism, I personally found the game to be one of the best. It's the most fun I've had with a Pokemon game in a while, and I've been playing since the first Generation. The graphics are bright and gorgeous. I've had some framerate drops in the Wild Area if I'm playing handheld, but it isn't terribly noticeable and doesn't take away from the experience. While, yes, they did remove a large number of older Pokemon and moves, there is a fair number of new Pokemon and variants of old Pokemon. When a new generation comes out, you should be using the new Pokemon anyways! Take this time to make some new favorites. The music is upbeat, catchy, and it always fits the tone of the area you're in. Gym battles feel epic, as they should, especially once your opponent has Dynamaxed their Pokemon and the massive crowd around you starts chanting! I expected Dynamaxing to feel silly and shoehorned in, but it honestly didn't. Playing with your Pokemon in Camp and making curry is fun. Not too notable except that it's a fun way to see your Pokemon interact with each other. They did remove the option to "pet" your Pokemon, even though the Switch has a touch screen, which doesn't make much sense to me. The story of the game feels a bit rushed and sparse at times. It doesn't always feel like you as the player did anything to move the story along. The characters, as individuals, are interesting with great designs and personalities, but as a part of the story don't feel like they add much for the most part. All in all, I really enjoyed this game! At times, you can really feel the time crunch that GameFreak/TPC is put under to pump these games out each year. I feel like the franchise could strongly benefit from a few year break in the stream before the next generation is put out.

I have not fully beaten the game but i did make it to the third gym and a route beyond that and i was not expecting it to be this good :) with past games, u just simply go in the gyms and beat some trainers to get to the gym leader. This game still holds true to that but they added a gym challenge to spice things up. Gym challenges are certain objectives u have to do while you're also beating the trainers and its just so much fun and the scenery as u walk in is so breathtaking :) once u complete the challenge, the doors open and tons of people r cheering making u feel like actual pokemon trainer :D When the first gym leader dynamxed his pokemon, it makes things a bit tougher as it did way more damage than what i expected it to even though his pokemon isnt super effective against mine. That forced me to dynamax and set up defensive moves such as light screen and reflect and held up just in time for the 3 turns to be over and his pokemon reversed back to being tiny. I ended up beating the gym with red hp. The second gym was easy to beat since i had an electric type corgi and the 3rd gym gave me a bit of a challenge since i didnt have any pokemon with type advantages but still managed to win my second time around :) This game has more freedom to roam around when ur done interacting with the main characters and theres lots of hidden stuff on the roads that shine as ur passing through. The diversity of old and new pokemon is outstanding as well. Theres lots of pokemon to choose from in every route. Even in the beginning of ur journey, u can start fishing with ur fishing rod so u can mix and match the perfect team from the start :) i would also advise being very careful in the wild area because i got my butt kicked with a level 45 Galvantula while i was just level 12. I was lucky to escape with my last pokemon still unfainted xD i was dumb enough to interact with it since i thought i would be lucky enough to catch it but found out u have to beat a certain amount of gyms in order to catch high level pokemon or else it'll just tell u that it wont let its guard down. Its the same concept as having a certain amount of gym badges to make high level pokemon from trades obey u. I had to find out the hard way lol Now for the designs of the new pokemon and graphics of the games. Everyone has their own opinions on this ever since it was announced that there was gonna be no national dex. Personally, i avoided the leaks so idk what im expecting to get. So far, i love every single pokemon i have come across. Some r weird and funny looking but they do grow on u as u figure out they are really good in battles :) when they evolved, i still love the designs and was so surprised of the typings that were added and became even more useful to keep in ur team. It is true that many battle move animations and models r reused from past games but it really shouldnt matter all that much as alot of old moves have new animations and the pokemon's colors and textures look way better than the previous generations. The graphics in the wild area is the best ive seen except for the trees. The weird part is, the berry trees in the wild area look completely fine and fit well with the good graphics so my guess is that the company didnt really bother making those normal trees look as good since u cant interact with them at all and in my opinion thats completely fine. The graphics in the towns, caves, and routes are completely breathtaking so theres nothing negative i can say there :) Despite lack of national dex i will say this. Overall, this game deserves its 5 stars and worth every penny. The variety of pokemon, the fun battles, and both ur awesome and jerk rivals make it a really fun experience for both oldschool and new trainers to enjoy. As i stated, i avoided every single thing about this game besides the announcement trailers from pokemon and nintendo so i was nervous since so many people were stating that the animations were garbage. Playing this game, i just dont see anything wrong with how it looks and how the pokemon move. The game and its scenery looks absolutely beautiful. I really recommend this game to at least be given a chance. I know it will be worth the gameplay :)

As a long time pokemon fan, I have played all the games in the main series. Shield is by far my personal favorite! Sure, not all the pokemon are there. Most people see this as a bad thing. I, personally, like that there's only 400. It shortens the time to get the shiny charm (which I already have), makes room for new pokemon to shine in competitive play, AND gives you the chance to use pokemon you normally wouldn't use. Some of the new pokemon in this generation are my new favorites! Yamper, Morpeko, and Appletun are my new favorite pokemon right next to Scizor. More features about this game that I like include the battle tower and the wild area. I think the battle tower is a fun way to gain battle points and also makes for some challenging battles. In addition, the wild area is SO addicting! I mostly hopped online to join others' raids which I found to be really enjoyable! I highly recommend you follow a pokemon streamer on Twitch and swap friend codes with others to trade exclusives and get the exclusive gigantimax pokemon. Part of what makes pokemon fun is the "social" aspect. Overall, I give this game a 9/10. Pokemon Shield is an excellent entry into the pokemon series and a great game for someone that wants to get into the pokemon video games as a whole!