Pokémon Games > Games General

What Did You Think of Pokemon Sword/Shield?

(1/3) > >>

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:

--- Quote from: Turner on June 11, 2020, 00:18 ---The Wild Area is super fun

--- End quote ---

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.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page