Pokémon Sword and Shield

Wed 13th Nov 2019

Nintendo Life said:

Pokémon Sword and Shield succeed in bringing some new ideas to the table, but they’re also somewhat guilty of not pushing things far enough. What’s done right is done right, but what’s done wrong feels like it’s come from a decade-old design document. There are moments contained within that are best the series has ever been, but this joy is at times spoiled by contrasting moments that left us disappointed and did not match up to the rest of what the rest of these games can offer. What we've got here is an experience full of highs and lows, from the unadulterated wonder and joy of seeing a brand-new Pokémon in a stadium full of cheering crowds, to the monotonous and dragged-out dialogue we just wanted to skip. The wonders of exploring the Wild Area feels like the true evolution of the series, but even this brave stride forward is balanced out by the inclusion of restrictive and boring Routes from games of old. The niggling issues are impossible to ignore, then, but on the whole, Pokémon Sword and Shield are a solid start to the HD generation of Pokémon games, but there's ample room for improvement with the next outing.

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8/10

Thu 16th Jan 2025

Artemis01 said:

Honestly the game is okay, the music is amazing and the graphics while not very good aren't downright terrible either. My main issue with the game is mostly pacing and it doesn't really feel like it's that difficult, it's a little too easy to level up your Pokemon to his stupid degree early on and completely steamroll most of the gyms. I didn't even have a challenge until the very end of the game. I know it's a bummer not getting the entire Pokedex but at least they did include most of the popular Pokemon in this and the DLC Packs

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7/10