[Sword & Shield] Are you impressed so far?

[Sheep]

Are you impressed with what we've seen of the games so far (Pokémon, characters, visuals, etc)? If for some reason you had to make a decision right now on purchasing the game based on all known information as of this post, would you?

 

[colours]

If I had to make a decision right now? It'd be a slightly tepid yes.

I'm warming up to what I'm seeing so far and there's definitely things that I like, but I really would like to see more before I'm 100% committed. Moreso concerned about post-game and new Pokemon than anything else.

 

[pkmin3033]

Not even slightly. These games scream "rushed" in much the same way XY did, and if it were any other franchise you could practically guarantee the games would be delayed by at least six months to bring them up to scratch. But of course it's Pokemon, and the games have to tie in with the anime and the merchandise - which are much more important to TPC, because that's where the money comes from - so yeah. Nintendo's high standards for games don't apply to Pokemon, I guess...and I expect the shareholders would start a revolt if Pokemon SnS were delayed after Metroid Prime 4 and Animal Crossing have both been delayed. Remember, fans don't matter - the games will make millions no matter what, but those shareholders have got to be pleased. Money is all that matters to these corporations, and my god does it show with these games. I don't think I've ever been more disgusted by Pokemon games...and that is saying something.

I suppose they HAVE to play it safe with Pokemon games, but that doesn't excuse a lot of their poor and unnecessary decision making. More of the same is not necessarily a bad thing and I wasn't expecting anything different (like, at all, I expect this will have exactly the same plot every game since Gen 3 has had, and they can dress up the Gyms however they want, but they're still the same Gen 1 Gyms with a new coat of paint) but I was expecting better, and these games definitely do not deliver that, and the advertisement that Game Freak have put into these games to try and make them look and feel different just makes them that much more unappealing, because they're not fooling anyone. I really don't envy the people who have to promote these games.

These are a filthy stain on the franchise and the next games are only going to show them up even further for what they are I expect, much the same way Sun and Moon showed how little effort went into XY. The Switch is capable of more, Game Freak are capable of more, and we deserve better than this.

 

[WizardOfOdd]

I'm still on the fence but i'm leaning to no, really Galarian forms is cool and if Farfetch'd evo is announced wow i'll be so hyped. But.. first Nat Dex issue is still looming, and as a person that love all pokemon although in different levels it hurts that i couldn't have or at least see them in the game. That and this is probably a nitpick that everyone else didn't have but the gym leaders having a standarized outfit to some degree kinda hurt their individual appeal in my eyes, uniqueness of every gym leader for me is also shows from their outfit so *Sigh*. That and the fact that the evil team is actually an overprotective fan club is kinda... Not very appealing. but eh you guys know how Team Skull was, so i'll be glad if i'm wrong and it wasn't another Team Flare that lacks personality (It would be worse even as this evil team doesn't have stylish outfits like Team Flare (except their scientist, shame since swag scientist is my jam). So yeah, there's my answer

Edit : Oh Yeah, I'm not too huge on Dynamaxing and probably would avoid it as much as possible in-game except if it gave a rare pokemon. Why do you have to delete Megas Gamefreak, oh yeah that and the deletion of Battle Frontier that enrage me at the time

 

[CF1994]

I do admire seeing new Pokémon and people in each region, and I'm eager for more cross-Gen evolutions and Galarian Forms for Pokémon in other generations than Gen I, but Game Freak's lies and excuses for omitting roughly half the PokéDex on a $60 game on a $300 console has me far more skeptical and cautious than hyped.

It doesn't help that Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves are being omitted as well, alongside even more Kanto pandering.

2021 is likely an official special milestone for the franchise and all, but we're almost done living through an entire generation banking heavily on Kanto nostalgia. Gen VIII should try to focus on establishing it's own identity, like making sure Gen I's roster doesn't outnumber the amount of new Pokémon in Galar.

 

[Nah]

I'm not impressed, but that's largely because I'm not easily impressed in general. Especially when there's not been anything so far to indicate that this is going to be anything other than the same old thing with a different coat of paint again.

Am I going to buy the game?

Yes.

Why?

I've said this before, but I'm a bit of a nutter. And the prospect of playing Pokémon on a bigger screen. But it's mostly the former.

It's the games that come after Sword and Shield that we'll see if I get or not

 

[Blue the Smeargle]

yes anybody who thinks everything in this game is bad is braindead

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Yes, it looks great.

Come on people, lighten up. It doesn't look like one of the worst games of all time.

 

[bobandbill]

yes anybody who thinks everything in this game is bad is braindead

Interesting font...

yes anybody who thinks everything in this game is bad is braindead

Please refrain from calling people braindead just because they're not sold on the games right now. The rule we have about being overly/unnecessarily negative goes the other way too - people are allowed to give constructive criticism, and there is nothing wrong with that. Granted, 'everything in this game is bad' is a rather narrow and one-sided argument, but nobody is doing that here as far as I see.
-----------------
As fo the topic... well, I am a sucker for Pokemon, but I do agree there is some things lacking. The town looks great - but the people's animations and poses looks stiff. I'm a fan of the Pokemon designs! But the battle animations still pale compared to the likes of Colosseum (in some cases, Stadium. Max Raids look fun! But Gigantamaxing, at the cost of Mega Evolution designs being outright removed, is not something I like to see. There's a mix of good and bad things, and the former is yet to easier outweigh the latter.

Decent postgame content will help with that, personally.

 

[Benermerut]

Am I impressed?
I'm not. But I can see a world where I would have been impressed with this exact same product.
If Mario and Zelda hadn't made such impressive games for the Switch, or if their games had come out after SwSh, then Gen 8 wouldn't look so lackluster by comparison. Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon are the big three! Yeah, SwSh has taken some strides forward for the Pokemon franchise, but Odyssey and BotW soared!
And then there's Dexit. And to be clear, I actually don't care at all about the limited Dex. Not one bit. But the controversy got everyone looking at the series with a more critical lens, and suddenly flaws and weaknesses I would have glossed over because, yes, I'm a fanboy with huge nostalgia for Pokemon games, I just couldn't ignore.

Would I buy it right now?
The one thing I have solidly decided about SwSh is that I won't be getting it at launch. So I guess that's a no.
That said, after launch there will be more real information about the game and less rampant speculation, so if what I see then catches my fancy I'll definitely pick it up. Maybe used, maybe new.
But my current mood has me suspecting that I'll probably end up just watching a playthrough on youtube and not actually getting the game.
We'll see though!

 

[Rivvon]

I'm not really impressed, no. I got the chance to play the demo and it's really nothing particularly different from past games. Under other circumstances, I may actually have been impressed with certain elements such as the new Pokémon and locations. But so far, nothing looks like it justifies the cut of so many Pokémon, and that in and of itself makes the game look like it's leaning towards being another "first games of the gen" set, which doesn't bode too well.

 

[Noblejanobii]

Yes very! I think my favorite aspect of the games so far are the ability to see stuff wayyyy off in the distance. Sure other Nintendo games have had this before, but for me this time it just feels different. I know a lot of people harp on the graphics but I like the glow up they've gotten. It looks a lot better than Gen 7 did but still has that Pokémon stylistic feel to it. James Turner has done a wonderful job as art director in my opinion since all the new designs I'm seeing both for characters and for pokémon I've just instantly loved. And from what I've heard from my friends who have played the demo, they really enjoyed it.

The game just looks like a lot of fun and I'm so excited for it.

 

[Sydian]

i won't be impressed until i see a screenshot of alolan dugtrio

 

[Sirfetch’d]

Overall, yes. The region looks beautiful, the Galarian forms are very exciting, and I love all of the new Pokemon introduced so far. There are some things that could be better, battle animations, Team Yell seemingly only having two styles of grunts(as usual), and I can't say I am a fan of the champion having an older Pokemon as his ace, but those things are minor in the grand scheme of things. In short I am very excited for these games and am sold so far!

 

[Sheep]

^Yeah, I agree with your points on what could be better, but overall I'm also pretty excited. I love the environment/town designs, the new Pokémon introduced so far are great, and side things like jobs seem like something I'd love to tinker with. I'm easily impressed though probably, but if I see myself enjoying it that's all that matters. 👍 Been playing Pokémon for far too long to ever want to stop anyway, and I would've bought a Switch just for these games regardless if I didn't already have one.

 

[Palamon]

I'm very impressed with the direction of the Pokemon are taking this time around, and really impressed with the visuals of the region, as well. I do feel like the Pokemon quality has gone up this generation, as well as the visuals, but the characters? Nah. They're not all that impressive. Yet. I'm really happy we're getting Galarian forms, too, but the characters still have yet to completely grab me. Though, that doesn't mean I'm not excited for the games, I am, and will be buying them.

 

[PageEmp]

Other than stuff like no national dex, I am 100% pumped for these games. I am impressed by everything so far but the reginal forms. Not that the regional forms are bad, I'll probably grow on it once the games come out, but I just want something new!

I mean seriously, another Normal/Dark variant of a route 1 mammal? Why again? We already had that in gen7! And another gen1 poison mon gets a retype? Not that it's bad, but it's a bit tiresome to see the same thing again.

 

[Illyasviel]

I don't plan to pick up the games, but I still am surprised about the fact that the whole "future-proofed" models thing they announced during Sun/Moon is being thrown out the window. That's a lot of work for Creatures to do in advance for the next system just to have them cut.
I do wish they were more transparent to us (i.e. not lying and saying the models are being remade), but I don't think a Pokémon game needs all the Pokémon to be a good game. Unfortunately, the graphics, coding, and efficiency of the games have left much to be desired for me ever since the 3DS era of Pokémon, and now that the titles are on the Switch, they don't have hardware limitations to blame for it. The developers are now putting their efforts towards shorter content and mobile games, since that's where the money is, and it doesn't quite line up with my interests.
I've played the series since Red/Green but I think I've made up my mind about stopping here and focusing on the upcoming Digimon titles for the Switch. It would be interesting to see how the Pokemon developers react to the competition.

 

[PainterZane]

8 27 was on the character's shirt... tomorrow is the day, guys. I am hoping to be impressed.

 

[Gigadweeb]

If the dex cut wasn't there and the game was more dynamically animated and less plastic-looking, sure.
But as it is, GF can't deliver one of the most basic features of the series for the past 15 years and tries to claim it's for benefits that just aren't there.