To make it very clear, I am a long-time Pokemon fanatic. Ever since I was a child, Pokemon has held a special place in my heart. From playing the games, watching to the Anime series, to collecting toys and Pokemon Cards. I cannot explain the excitement and anxiety I have until a new game releases- each new release sets my expectations HIGH!!! Pokemon Sword and Shield did NOT disappoint me in the slightest. I was really pleased to finally play on an update console with the new style graphics. Big tick on it being aesthetically pleasing. I was immediately impressed. Controls as always are simple, and easy to quickly pick up for anyone, even children and novice gamers. You definitely get that British feel in the Galar region (and this is coming from someone who lives ... MoreTo make it very clear, I am a long-time Pokemon fanatic. Ever since I was a child, Pokemon has held a special place in my heart. From playing the games, watching to the Anime series, to collecting toys and Pokemon Cards. I cannot explain the excitement and anxiety I have until a new game releases- each new release sets my expectations HIGH!!! Pokemon Sword and Shield did NOT disappoint me in the slightest. I was really pleased to finally play on an update console with the new style graphics. Big tick on it being aesthetically pleasing. I was immediately impressed. Controls as always are simple, and easy to quickly pick up for anyone, even children and novice gamers. You definitely get that British feel in the Galar region (and this is coming from someone who lives in the UK). A few things were a little off, but I'll overlook it- such as cringey dialect and phrases. Not sure if that was intentional or not. Was a bit weird. But again, not a hugely irritating factor. Gameplay for battles was no different to other Pokemon games, but I do like that. Nostalgic, and you're able to dip right into it. But the visuals and animations always have some surprises. The Dynamax feature is reallyyyy nice. I wasn't expecting to see some of the visual Dynamax changes to the Pokemon- which was fantastic. There were a lot of different, and new features in Sword and Shield- at first I'm usually skeptical about these as they truly do make or break a game. Maybe not for everyone, but for me, I do like familiarity in Pokemon. Great to see new Pokemon introduced, including Legendary ones. It's a nice addition to existing pokemon fans and new ones. The Wild Area and Dynamax dens are cool updates to the gameplay, easy way to level up and obtain Dynamax Pokemon for yourself! I actually really enjoyed the Camping feature, and extremely thankful to have the ability to play and level up friendship with your Pokemon. One of my favourite features in the franchise over the years have been Pokemon Amie, and contest shows- although the camping play wasn't as fun as these, it definitely is needed. I could honestly go on and on about this game, but I'd rather leave it for yourself- you won't regret this game!!! Just don't go and spend all your money on fancy outfits like me!!!! My guilty pleasure...

A Good Game with Some Glaring Flaws

There has been a lot of heated discussion over Sword and Shield on the internet, and it's not hard to see why this generation has been so divisive, with Dexit being the main reason for many Pokemon fans being disappointed. I've been carrying over Pokemon from generation to generation since Soul Silver at least, and knowing that I won't be able to bring over many of my favorites to this new gen is a bummer. I understand with the sheer number of existing Pokemon that there would eventually be a need to cut some going forward, but it stings a bit when some of my faves, like Mudkip, Slowpoke, Herdier, Klefki, Rockruff, and many others.The Dynamax mechanic is certainly an interesting one, and I do like that Sword and Shield continue the idea of region-specific versions ... MoreThere has been a lot of heated discussion over Sword and Shield on the internet, and it's not hard to see why this generation has been so divisive, with Dexit being the main reason for many Pokemon fans being disappointed. I've been carrying over Pokemon from generation to generation since Soul Silver at least, and knowing that I won't be able to bring over many of my favorites to this new gen is a bummer. I understand with the sheer number of existing Pokemon that there would eventually be a need to cut some going forward, but it stings a bit when some of my faves, like Mudkip, Slowpoke, Herdier, Klefki, Rockruff, and many others.The Dynamax mechanic is certainly an interesting one, and I do like that Sword and Shield continue the idea of region-specific versions of Pokemon, though realizing Galar Meowth has a beard instead of a fat, hairy body was sort of a "wait what-" moment for me. Overall, I like these new variations. There's also many new Pokemon I have fallen in love with; Yamper and Sobble have quickly become new favorites.Being able to see Pokemon in the tall grass is really neat, however, and not needing to seek out one particular NPC about changing nicknames and forgetting or remembering moves is convenient. The Corviknight taxi also makes travelling a lot quicker. There are new NPCs that I have become fond of, and I kinda dig Team Yell, even if they're a bit lacking in comparison to Sun and Moon's Team Skull.Overall, it's an enjoyable experience (though Pokemon is always enjoyable for me), but not being able to bring over my shiny Herdier or Lycanroc and have them on my team sours it a bit. I would really like to see Game Freak innovate further in the future.

Buy if you want to be let down!

Honestly, the graphics are the only thing going for this game. The game itself is so easy, I ACCIDENTALLY beat it in 3 days. There's no challenge at any given point. It really has nothing to do with Pokemon, anymore. This game is a special example of why Pokemon isn't as popular as it was 20 years ago. Nothing looks cool, nothing has an intended purpose that's hard to find. I don't even care that none of the good old Pokemon are findable in this game, if they had something that looked cool. Even Eternus looks like Nintendo gave a 5 year old design lead. Never have Pokemon been so stupid.Honestly, if you're a Pokemon fan, like me, and bought the switch for this, like me, go ahead and buy this game, like me, and I promise after just a few days, you'll be trying to ... MoreHonestly, the graphics are the only thing going for this game. The game itself is so easy, I ACCIDENTALLY beat it in 3 days. There's no challenge at any given point. It really has nothing to do with Pokemon, anymore. This game is a special example of why Pokemon isn't as popular as it was 20 years ago. Nothing looks cool, nothing has an intended purpose that's hard to find. I don't even care that none of the good old Pokemon are findable in this game, if they had something that looked cool. Even Eternus looks like Nintendo gave a 5 year old design lead. Never have Pokemon been so stupid.Honestly, if you're a Pokemon fan, like me, and bought the switch for this, like me, go ahead and buy this game, like me, and I promise after just a few days, you'll be trying to rip your own kids away from this, in fear they'll become a mental vegetable, with how little effort went into making both this game, and the newest TV series. You'll never have another chance to feel so down about something that used to be awesome, even with crappy graphics. Now with all the graphics power at our hands, were left with trash, for a cartridge, rather than the gold, they once presented the game as, long ago.If only I could return every single thing I got this Christmas. Because it was all just brightly packaged misery.

Great Starting Title for Switch

They put a lot of effort on doing a brand new game and it delivers! Just straight out of the beggining you go to the wild area, a place you will be spending almost all the time of gameplay just looking for all the pokemon in its dynamic climate rotation system. You get a lot of variety to start a good team, not like other games that you had to get far in the game just to get good ones. The pokedex is about 400 pokemon so thats a big one, no national dex. The online part of the game is a most to get the best experience! The "surprise trade" of online play is the way to go for rare pokemon and the system does it automatic, not interrumpting your gameplay. Not a fan of that "dynamax" thing, much preferred the mega evolutions of previous games but guessing it's their ... MoreThey put a lot of effort on doing a brand new game and it delivers! Just straight out of the beggining you go to the wild area, a place you will be spending almost all the time of gameplay just looking for all the pokemon in its dynamic climate rotation system. You get a lot of variety to start a good team, not like other games that you had to get far in the game just to get good ones. The pokedex is about 400 pokemon so thats a big one, no national dex. The online part of the game is a most to get the best experience! The "surprise trade" of online play is the way to go for rare pokemon and the system does it automatic, not interrumpting your gameplay. Not a fan of that "dynamax" thing, much preferred the mega evolutions of previous games but guessing it's their take to add a new element to the game formula. The difficulty is however hindered a lot in this game probably to suit new players to the franchise, way too easy. They implemented pokemon let's go party experience feature that allows the party to receive experience even if not involved in battle. This opens up usage of more than just one team and raising weak pokemon easy! I am yet to test my might battling other players, too busy on other aspects. The combat system stays the same but some animations could have been better. Overall I give it an 8.5 out of 10 but still a must have!

Item does not work reliably. The cartridge repeatedly gave messages that it does not work when put in our switch. Tried it with multiple devices, and

Item does not work reliably. The cartridge repeatedly gave messages that it does not work when put in our switch. Tried it with multiple devices, and it takes numerous tries before it succeeds. Greatly disappointed.

Review of Pokémon Sword

I'm not going to play this game. Shortly before this was set to come through my door, I read online that a large section of the Pokemon (and moves/abilities) would be missing from this game... What is worse than that is, apparently there are no plans to add these in the future... This is completely unacceptable and almost defeats the purpose of the Pokemon games as a whole ("gotta catch em all" - and yes I am cringing as I write that lol). It has been a staple in every Pokemon game to have all Pokemon available. I can't imagine what it must feel like to get excited about a new Pokemon game, only to be told that your favourite Pokemon won't be included... Especially as it is only this way because they wanted to release it before the Christmas season to increase the ... MoreI'm not going to play this game. Shortly before this was set to come through my door, I read online that a large section of the Pokemon (and moves/abilities) would be missing from this game... What is worse than that is, apparently there are no plans to add these in the future... This is completely unacceptable and almost defeats the purpose of the Pokemon games as a whole ("gotta catch em all" - and yes I am cringing as I write that lol). It has been a staple in every Pokemon game to have all Pokemon available. I can't imagine what it must feel like to get excited about a new Pokemon game, only to be told that your favourite Pokemon won't be included... Especially as it is only this way because they wanted to release it before the Christmas season to increase the sales. I would much rather wait, and have a FINISHED GAME.I have been playing Pokemon for over a decade (starting at gen 3), and this is by far the worst news I have ever had about a Pokemon game. Every other main series Pokemon game has been well worth the purchase, and so I pre-ordered Pokemon Sword. I will not be making this mistake again.As I will not be playing the game I feel like giving bad scores to things like "sound" and "gameplay" would be rather unfair as I have not experienced these, so I have left these at 5 (in the middle).If there is anyone reading this who has any say in the design process of the Pokemon games, please do not make this mistake again... I really LOVE Pokemon, and this has been really heartbreaking to see.Thanks,From a huge fan...

Review of Pokémon Sword - Digital Download

I'd never played a Pokemon game before and had no interest in this one. Then Nintendo revealed Wooloo - the most adorable creature ever created - back in June, and life hasn't been the same since.To be clear, I bought this game purely for everyone's favourite loveable round sheepy ball, and as a Wooloo simulator, it does pretty well. Wooloos are quite heavily featured in the early part of the game, and it's possible to set up a camp of up to six once you've caught them. You can play fetch, watch them race each other, and see how they get inexplicably angry if you wave a feather on a stick near them.It would be nice to have a few more options, maybe like brushing their fleece and feeding them juice from a carton like in that fanart, and not being able to have one ... MoreI'd never played a Pokemon game before and had no interest in this one. Then Nintendo revealed Wooloo - the most adorable creature ever created - back in June, and life hasn't been the same since.To be clear, I bought this game purely for everyone's favourite loveable round sheepy ball, and as a Wooloo simulator, it does pretty well. Wooloos are quite heavily featured in the early part of the game, and it's possible to set up a camp of up to six once you've caught them. You can play fetch, watch them race each other, and see how they get inexplicably angry if you wave a feather on a stick near them.It would be nice to have a few more options, maybe like brushing their fleece and feeding them juice from a carton like in that fanart, and not being able to have one roll alongside you as you explore is an almost criminal offence, but in the end, you can play with Wooloos, and that's all I wanted.If you experienced a similar life-changing event upon witnessing the unveiling of the fluffy greatness that is Wooloo, you should buy this game. As for how it compares to other Pokemon games, I couldn't tell you. I'm just here for the Wooloos, mate.

Started out strong but fell flat. Regretting it slightly.

SWSH would've been fine if we were in the 3DS era. It was surprisingly good at the beginning if you overlook the reused models and wack textures. The region tugged at my heartstrings. Baiting cutscenes and new Pokmon wherever I went, even the longwinded stroll past 4 routes until the first stadium hype fest (gym revamp) felt brilliant. I was fairly entertained for a good bit until the most hysterical thing happened - I started playing Pokmon wrong. I was stuck in the wild area for +10 hours, borderline addicted until eventually I accepted that one had to move forward. This is where the fun halted. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online Sub you'll enjoy Max Raid Battles decently, otherwise good luck beating any lategame ones without flinging yourself into the den out ... MoreSWSH would've been fine if we were in the 3DS era. It was surprisingly good at the beginning if you overlook the reused models and wack textures. The region tugged at my heartstrings. Baiting cutscenes and new Pokmon wherever I went, even the longwinded stroll past 4 routes until the first stadium hype fest (gym revamp) felt brilliant. I was fairly entertained for a good bit until the most hysterical thing happened - I started playing Pokmon wrong. I was stuck in the wild area for +10 hours, borderline addicted until eventually I accepted that one had to move forward. This is where the fun halted. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online Sub you'll enjoy Max Raid Battles decently, otherwise good luck beating any lategame ones without flinging yourself into the den out of despair because you only get to Dynamax in specific places and stadium/event aside, your only options offline are the wild area power spots. Trading and /all/ online content is walled by the sub but if you don't mind the barely 2 monthly, it shouldn't make a difference. I personally find it reasonable for tournaments, extra perks and multiplayer mode but to restrict trading and the biggest gimmick of the series behind a sub seems bizarre to me despite having it already. Besides that, the plot is quite short andlackluster. While you do get several compelling characters and there is a lot of potential for further storyline to develop, it falls short on what it could deliver as a main series. By the time I realised there was no challenging bad guy team whatsoever or even a proper villain to speak of, the game had ended. You get slapped with a straightforward inconvenience mid championship for 3~5 battles then sent to battle a completely unheard of legendary throughout the plot and that's it. Post-content hinged on obnoxious and again took all but 20 minutes to finish. Zacian/Zamacenta interactions were intriguing at best. Dexit didn't bother me nearly as much as it could've, although replayability won't be as engaging or encouraging for SWSH taking everything into account. I purchased both titles, and I'm not joking when I say that the most riveting aspect was discovering curry recipes. If you didn't want a Hau reskin, too bad, that's your rival. If you hoped for a new arch behind bad guy motive, it's a right pity that they just morphed Lysandre and Lusamine into a pot-belly CEO and his haughty assistant. Well, suppose characters do get their Galar variants now, too. Those were formidable at least in terms of Pokmon. "It wasn't that bad" is the wrap-up review to this game without the disguised DLC of disappointment. Will update as my online experience improves. It's okay though, Alcreamie has +70 Gigantamax forms. Never mind royalty, she alone will save Galar from the Darkest Day. Should any of you reading go out of their way to purchase SWSH? Do it for the meme.

The next evolution in Pokemon

Unlike other uninformed previewers, I am aware that these games were not pushed out yearly. Sword and Shield were actually in development since before Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were even released on 3DS, just after the original Sun and Moon came out. This means that by the release date they will have been in development for THREE YEARS. As well, in regards to the "rehash" of 3DS era models and textures, not only has Gamefreak confirmed this to be false, but other game developers who have developed games on both the 3DS and the Switch have stated it is IMPOSSIBLE for the models to be reused in this way. One of those developers has even gone on record saying he is amazed that it has taken this long for Gamefreak to start limiting the Pokedex, as the sheer workload they ... MoreUnlike other uninformed previewers, I am aware that these games were not pushed out yearly. Sword and Shield were actually in development since before Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were even released on 3DS, just after the original Sun and Moon came out. This means that by the release date they will have been in development for THREE YEARS. As well, in regards to the "rehash" of 3DS era models and textures, not only has Gamefreak confirmed this to be false, but other game developers who have developed games on both the 3DS and the Switch have stated it is IMPOSSIBLE for the models to be reused in this way. One of those developers has even gone on record saying he is amazed that it has taken this long for Gamefreak to start limiting the Pokedex, as the sheer workload they face with each new console generation is staggering. With gen 8 Pokémon, form changes, Megas, etc, there will be over 1000 different models required. That amount was always going to eventually become unsustainable. People need to enjoy the game as it is and stop bagging it because their understanding of video game development is too poor to comprehend the sheer scale of what Gamefreak is up against. At the very least, they need to do their research and not bag a product that a massive team has put thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears into. As for me I will be purchasing both games and playing the hell out of them. And this is from someob3 who has in fact, played Pokémon from it's very beginning, back when Red and Blue first launched, and every game since.