What Did You Think of Pokemon Sword/Shield?

[Turner]

So with the dust settled and Sword and Shield have come and gone and we're approaching DLC season I figured now would be a good time to hear thoughts on S/S. Did you like it? Hate it? Where did it stack up in your overall ranking.

For me personally it's not been great honestly. The game felt very rushed, story wasn't up to much and Galar as a region felt pretty gimmicky. New Pokemon were okay, but I'm not too into the 'obvious' Galar regionals. Regional variations were cool when they made sense with the environment (Exeggutor grows larger in Alola where there's more sunlight, makes perfect sense), but when we're putting a top hat and moustache on Weezing to make it ~british~ it starts to feel shoddy and uninspired.

Dynamax didn't leave much of an impression, we've come to expect a generational 'battle gimmick' and it's hard to invest interest knowing that it'll only stick around for as long as said generation. It was quite a visual spectacle though and some of the Gigantimax forms are quite cool. Overall I think most of my criticisms with the game is that template is wearing thin. Of course Pokemon has always been formulaic to a degree but it's starting to feel like the formula is taking over from the atmosphere of the Pokemon world at large.

It's not all bad news though, there were definitely some good parts. The Wild Area is super fun and while it's rough around the edges I think it's a great prototype for making Pokemon more open-world, which I think the franchise could really do with, it's a very good fit IMO. Camping with Pokemon and playing with them is very nice too, it's really cute seeing all the Pokemon interact. I feel like the concept of Pokemon Amie has gone from strength to strength since X/Y and making curry is surprisingly fun too. Customization has also been a plus, lots of clothes to choose from (even if a large chunk of them kinda suck), league cards were a really nice touch too. I wasn't keen on how sport-heavy Galar is but treating the league more like an actual competition with celebrities, sponsors and collectables makes a lot of sense and should carry across to the next games.

Thoughts from everyone else?

[Dere]

Most disappointing Pokémon game since R/S/E.

[Petzbreeder]

The Wild Area is super fun

So much so that I never leave it!

[DaveTheTrainer]

I didn't buy it. Honestly I foresaw them rushing out an unpolished game and locking chunks of the National Dex behind DLC for no real reason. That essentially turns it into a cash grab.

If the DLCs were going to be something like adding Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, etc in a similar manner to GSC's postgame, I'd be all for it. However, you can expect that you'll get minimal actual substance. I fear that if people make this a viable monetisation scheme than there'll never be another true "Catch 'em all" game again.

Realistically, I've been increasingly pushed away from the franchise since B/W. I couldn't even finish Sun and Moon because it just felt so needlessly railroaded. Why even give you control of the character if you're only allowed to walk 10 steps to the next cutscene? The regional forms are a nice touch, but the battle gimmicks, overcomplicated storytelling and linear design just doesn't make the newer editions stand out at all.

[Pam-the-Lamb]

 So, I sat down and played the game again to jog my memory and the game's honestly okay. The Pokemon have grown on me and although the game didn't live up to my expectations, I've come to appreciate what it is.

It just feels like the game could have been better for a Nintendo Switch game.

[pika.ana]

It's not all bad news though, there were definitely some good parts.
Thoughts from everyone else?

I totally agree. I wasn´t too sure about the game when I got it (because of feedback from friends) but I have to say that it´s not totally bad.
Sure, the Pokemon were ok but I didn´t like the story. But then I really liked the Wild Arena like you already said.

So I guess for me the game just didn´t give me what I had hoped for. But I wouldn´t say it was terrible..

[ZePenguin]

The addition of Dynamax wasn't as good as I thought. I think that the Wild Area was also really good, but it's not big enough if you don't buy the DLC. However, I liked the concept of the Wild Area because you could catch Pokemon that normally need to be traded to evolve in the wild (Gengar, Conkeldurr, etc).

Overall, it's much easier to catch, breed and level up competitive Pokemon than other games (which was what I wanted to do). The mints are fantastic because you can change the nature of a shiny Pokemon you painstakingly caught without worrying about finding another one.

[Richard and Blaziken]

SwSh are the first games I didn't buy in the series I've loved since I was 9, when I first got Yellow version. I watched and helped my niece through her copy, and came to realize that I made the right call. Beyond the NationalDex stuff, which was a huge bummer in and of itself, these games are so blatantly rushed and unpolished. It's clear that Game Freak has been burnt out from years of forcing these games out annually or bi-annually. Knowing that these games sold incredibly regardless of quality doesn't bode well for the series going forward. Gen 7 was already pretty bad, but at least I have the Pokemon I like there, so I guess I'm stuck in Alola forever.

[Lord Raven]

Wild Area and UI improvements (like visible wild pokemon) single handedly save the game

Otherwise would be incredibly bare bones

[Turner]

Definitely, I know people have been asking for it for a while but I'm on board with the idea now that Pokemon needs to have its BOTW moment. IMO Pokemon has always been an 'open world' game to some degree, certainly it felt like that in the Gameboy days. I think the Wild Area is the future of the game and the DLC is hopefully GameFreak starting to realize that.

It was very barebones though, some of the bugs(???) made the game feel really lazy. Fishing in spots in Motostoke city shows a battle scene in the countryside..small things like that definitely grated on me, especially when you consider this is the highest grossing media franchise ever.

["Alvin"]

Wasn't that great, I think the series needs an overhaul. I get that the franchise is keeping its focus on kids but so many Pokemon fans are older and want more from these games. Adding a hard mode would make the games work for everyone. Ideally, a hard mode wouldn't let you use items in battle (including the X boost moves), opponents wouldn't have 2 pokemon all the time, leveling wouldn 't be so easy, and AI movesets would be more competitive (Battle Tower sets are somewhat competitive, so clearly they know how to do this).

Also the addition of ranked battles is cool, and I understand that 6v6's take a long time, but man 3v3 matches suck. It becomes more about choosing the right Pokemon to counter the 3 Pokemon you think your opponent will choose based on the team preview rather than prediction and game sense. You can do 6v6 battles outside of ranked but it's just teams full of Zacians and Mewtwos.

[DrampardonMe]

I skipped Sword and Shield, in equal part due to series burnout at the time (though I was struggling with it since the tail-end of Gen 5) and most of the new Pokemon not appealing to me.* Oh, and Dynamax was silly. Would have gotten Shield if I was a bit more optimistic.

In retrospect, Scarlet and Violet improved some things established in Sw/Sh (though please correct me if I'm wrong) so I have to assume I'm not missing much by skipping? Still, every new game in the series feels like wishing on a Monkey's Paw anymore. Not trying to be pessimistic here, just trying to temper myself for whenever Gen 10 comes out.

*Don't get me wrong, I usually find a handful of Pokemon I like every generation, even if they aren't my faves. Sword/Shield was the first game where I was honestly less impressed than usual. Cramorant was an insta-fave, and when I got Scarlet, I had fun with Appletun. Actually kind of sad Galarian Mr. Mime didn't make the cut, but I couldn't care less about Mr. Rime...

[Wooly]

I bought the dual pack of both games used on ebay and they're ok. They're not great by any definition of the word but ya, they're better than Scarlet and Violet. Still not better than any of the handheld variations though.