Sword and Shield, should you get it?
6 years ago
General
Short answer, No.
Long answer, No fucking way.
Lets start with the biggest issue with the game. Over half of the nearly 900 pokemon are not in the game. I don't mean they're not in the game that you can't catch them, I mean, you can't transfer all those pokemon you've got sitting in your Pokebank. Sun and Moon didn't have the complete National Dex, not sure why they even called it a national dex when it was clearly not, but at least you could transfer all your pokemon over and still use them. That was on a 3DS, now on console, nearly half of what was available on a handheld. Just pathetic.
Now the second biggest issue. GTS, remember that? Global Trade System where if you were looking for a pokemon, say a Sobble, you could breed some Scorbunnys and put one up asking for a Sobble in return, you'd leave it, come back later and find that its been traded. Such a useful system. Well fuck that right off cuz instead, we have random trades. Yes you can trade directly to a friend, so long as you have some way of communicating with them such as discord or bringing your switches together. But say you want to trade one of your bred starters for one of the others, you have to open for a random trade, randomly be paired with someone, then put up a pokemon for trade before you can see what they are offering. Can you tell them what you're looking for? No, why would that ever be an issue. The trade system is basically a dumber surprise trade system that no one will ever use unless directly with friends.
So how do you get version exclusives if you don't have any friends who have the other version? By buying it yourself. I've gotten through every game so far with the need for only one version. Any version exclusives, I'd just catch myself my version exclusives and put it up on GTS for the opposing exclusive. But there's no GTS so can't do that anymore. Meanwhile, rarer exclusives, such as the version exclusive legendaries, I usually managed to get the opposing exclusive by offering some spare legendaries or mythics when I transfer from my pokebank. Even though it'll be a few months, that's usually my method. But hang on, I can't do that because not only are just about all my spare legendaries and mythics nontransferable due to the game having half the national dex, but even if I could, who am I going to trade with? My friends want to keep their exclusive legendaries meaning I can't trade for them at all without getting my own second copy... And thats just a sad attempt at money grabbing.
There is nothing special about this game. Sure the graphics are updated but its only because it's now on your TV rather than your tiny 3DS screens. The story is as basic as any other, Dynamaxing is as interesting as Z-moves, as in not at all and shiny hunting. Thought seeing shinies in the overworld in Let's go Pikachu/Eevee was a good idea? Well they scrapped that so if you're shiny hunting, you better walk into every pokemon if you want to actually find out if it's shiny or not.
This game is nothing more than a huge step back after multiple teeny steps forward and would heavily recommend against getting it.
Unfortunately for me, I've had a complete national dex since X and Y so for my own sanity, I need to keep up to date with new gens to add to the collection in my pokebank and that infuriates me because I can't stop now after all these years.
If you've never played a pokemon main series game or you're not a collector who is unable to stop, definitely don't buy this, it is a waste of money.
Long answer, No fucking way.
Lets start with the biggest issue with the game. Over half of the nearly 900 pokemon are not in the game. I don't mean they're not in the game that you can't catch them, I mean, you can't transfer all those pokemon you've got sitting in your Pokebank. Sun and Moon didn't have the complete National Dex, not sure why they even called it a national dex when it was clearly not, but at least you could transfer all your pokemon over and still use them. That was on a 3DS, now on console, nearly half of what was available on a handheld. Just pathetic.
Now the second biggest issue. GTS, remember that? Global Trade System where if you were looking for a pokemon, say a Sobble, you could breed some Scorbunnys and put one up asking for a Sobble in return, you'd leave it, come back later and find that its been traded. Such a useful system. Well fuck that right off cuz instead, we have random trades. Yes you can trade directly to a friend, so long as you have some way of communicating with them such as discord or bringing your switches together. But say you want to trade one of your bred starters for one of the others, you have to open for a random trade, randomly be paired with someone, then put up a pokemon for trade before you can see what they are offering. Can you tell them what you're looking for? No, why would that ever be an issue. The trade system is basically a dumber surprise trade system that no one will ever use unless directly with friends.
So how do you get version exclusives if you don't have any friends who have the other version? By buying it yourself. I've gotten through every game so far with the need for only one version. Any version exclusives, I'd just catch myself my version exclusives and put it up on GTS for the opposing exclusive. But there's no GTS so can't do that anymore. Meanwhile, rarer exclusives, such as the version exclusive legendaries, I usually managed to get the opposing exclusive by offering some spare legendaries or mythics when I transfer from my pokebank. Even though it'll be a few months, that's usually my method. But hang on, I can't do that because not only are just about all my spare legendaries and mythics nontransferable due to the game having half the national dex, but even if I could, who am I going to trade with? My friends want to keep their exclusive legendaries meaning I can't trade for them at all without getting my own second copy... And thats just a sad attempt at money grabbing.
There is nothing special about this game. Sure the graphics are updated but its only because it's now on your TV rather than your tiny 3DS screens. The story is as basic as any other, Dynamaxing is as interesting as Z-moves, as in not at all and shiny hunting. Thought seeing shinies in the overworld in Let's go Pikachu/Eevee was a good idea? Well they scrapped that so if you're shiny hunting, you better walk into every pokemon if you want to actually find out if it's shiny or not.
This game is nothing more than a huge step back after multiple teeny steps forward and would heavily recommend against getting it.
Unfortunately for me, I've had a complete national dex since X and Y so for my own sanity, I need to keep up to date with new gens to add to the collection in my pokebank and that infuriates me because I can't stop now after all these years.
If you've never played a pokemon main series game or you're not a collector who is unable to stop, definitely don't buy this, it is a waste of money.
mcprokymarkthree
~mcprokymarkthree
I still find the older games to be the best
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