Pokémon Shield Edition - Nintendo Switch

It is so fun! There are so many new pokemon, new gym leaders, new areas to explore. Some of my of my favorite things to do in the game are cooking and raiding. In past games, we have done catching and battling, but these are completely new features. Overall, there is nothing much to say besides that this is awesome and you should by it right now!

There are nice little extra editions you will come to love and never get tired of. I've gotten every game since the first generation as a 7yr old and while I'm heavily critical of any Pokemon game from Gen 4 onwards, this game took a step in the right direction away from where it was headed (away from Sun and Moon) by bringing back the good ol' Gym Leaders and challenges, although with a nice twist. It's like a good mix of the Alola trials with traditional Pokemon gyms. The Wild Area has an open-world-esque presentation, and seeing Pokemon roaming in the overworld is a dream come true which we have always wanted. Being able to pan the camera around in (only) the Wild Area is surprisingly liberating. I seriously love being able to see Pokemon in the overworld. This is the case in every route, including water bodies. It makes it much easier to pursue particular Pokemon, The only things I don't like is the crazy amount of Pokemon not included in the game, and the lack of the GTS (Global Trading System). Seriously, I have no clue how I'm going to complete the National Pokedex without the GTS. Even with Pokemon X and Y, the most recent games in which I completed the dex, it took darn near forever by using the GTS. Without it though... I haven't a clue how to do it without finding people on Reddit or something, which is a much more laborous process. That aside, I still give it five stars, because I enjoyed this game far more than X/Y and Sun/Moon, because I thought that the games were heading in a cringey direction. Oh, and I can't stand the starters. They are all humanoid, and cheap in design. But it's no issue once I get my good ol' Gen 1 - 3 team back together. Beautiful game all the while, and this will probably be my next report card destroyer.

Disclaimer: I haven't finished the game yet; even though I've put in somewhere around 15 hours or more of playtime I only just beat gym #4. And so far, I really love it. It's the most immersive Pokemon has been for ages. Seeing all the Pokemon in much better graphics wandering the overworld and responding to your character in various ways as you walk by them really makes the experience. (honestly it feels like each one has such personality that it's hard to be angry that some 400 or something aren't in the game) Making curry is more fun than expected because you can discover new ingredients and see how many varieties you can make (not to mention it's a handy way to heal up your whole party without having to go into town for a Pokemon Center). As far as difficulty level, it actually surprised me a little (so far). It's not quite the cakewalk that previous games had led me to expect. Is it up to par with the difficulty of the first couple gens though? Certainly not. I'm glad though that there is some challenge going on again (my entire team nearly got annhilated by one of the gym leaders). You rival is pretty lame though; spoiler alert. Speaking of the gyms, puzzles are back! And they're pretty fun. The game does have some flaws here and there though, which make you think that they were pressed for time and rushing the game out maybe a little quicker than they should have. Things like: the world freezing whenever you climb a ladder, or having the "sunny" weather effect when it's the middle of the night (looks pretty weird when the sky is dark and it's like "The sun is strong!"). Just odd little things I'm sure they would have patched up if they had more time. All in all though, I really do love this game. I haven't been this into a Pokemon game for a long time, and I hope it continues to feel this magical as I keep playing through the main story. We shall see. :)

If you're looking for a more tradional pokemon experience on the switch compared to the lets go game's, This is it but it does have some downsides. It's the standard collect 8 gym badges and travel through the region catching pokemon. Same as other games in the series if you played any others. But it does have a new gimmick exclusive to the region but i wont spoil that. However you only have 400 pokemon total in this game so if you were expecting to be able to use all older pokemon or transfer them to the game, it's unfortunately not possible at the time being. The end game content is unfortunately lacking not a whole lot to do. Though for those expecting top not graphics at least in regards to switch capabilities, that unfortunately isn't here. it's still the best looking pokemon game, but dont expect to be blown away by it if you were by zelda breath of the wild, mario oddysey, or luigi mansion 3 as examples of highlights. One other thing that could matter to folks is there's no way to stop the entire party from getting exp in battle's unless they're ko'd. basically its a permanent exp share.

This game is by far my favorite since Pokémon Red and Blue were released in 1996 and kickstarted the Pokémon revolution. Graphically and animation wise I would put this game up amongst the best looking on the Switch so far. Gameplay is easy enough for any beginner while the combat and styles offer a challenge that any turned based RPG fan can appreciate. The new and Pokémon and variations on some previous gen Pokémon make this game a real treat for anyone looking for anyone who have ever played any Pokémon game. The thing I like the most about it is how I can play on into a room dock my Switch and be back to playing without losing any quality graphically or from a gameplay aspect I would and do highly recommend this game to anyone looking for an adventure where exploring, collecting, and battling monsters or any mix of them.

With a lot of criticism lately on the frame rate, dexit, and mechanics, the latest addition to the pokemon family improves- or at least has altered some long standing issues. Gone are the lengthy tutorials, need to travel to specific spots to access a computer for additional pokemon, and even fight scene animations. This is the streamline game we've all been waiting for. The wild area is brilliant. The early plot identical to every pokemon game so far. The Galar pokemon are....teacups? Overall it's a nice mix of familiar and bright, shiny new creatures. This game feels like one step forward towards an open world all the while holding onto what makes these games distinctly pokemon.

I'm a longtime competitive player, so this game is fantastic for that. This influences my rating by a star because it is a huge part of the game and this one does it as well as any ever has. If you're just in it for a campaign, this might not be your favorite game. Many things are improved. The gyms are the best they've ever been, by far. Battling is good. Many things are streamlined about gameplay that really help. The Pokémon league is great and like the anime league for the first time ever. Max raids are very fun and once the campaign is done get very challenging and a fun additional way to stay busy. However, the story is weak, possibly the weakest ever. The writing is bad. The towns are large but empty. The routes are corridors that offer little to no exploration or secrets to uncover. Characters have little to no depth. Overall, if you enjoy competitive, get the game. It makes it more accessible than anything. But if you are looking for a campaign to challenge or intrigue you or for a world to draw you in with interaction, there are better games for $60.

This is the first, all-new Pokemon game on the Switch (not counting Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee due to them being remakes). There are a number of time saving improvements brought to this game, though it still very much feels like a great new iteration. I'm not terribly far into the game (completed 2/8 gyms so far) though I have been enjoying it for around 10 hours, just kind of taking in the sights. I also highly recommend buying the physical copy over the digital. This is in large part knowing that the value of the game won't go down for some time so, should you complete it and be totally done in a year or two, the resale value will almost certainly stay above $30.