Was Pokémon Sword and Shield Really THAT Bad?

[@MoostachedSaiyanPrince]

You actually can enter a lot of random homes in Sword and Shield. It's Scarlet and Violet where that stopped being a thing.

[@AliacadosDuelistas]

Yeah, however, all houses in a town/city are the same inside. That was bonkers but SV just add another level of laziness :v

[@MrRuePine]

​@@AliacadosDuelistas Wasn't that the same for older games' house interiors to be fair? Or do you mean like an exact replica (every furniture in the same spot) for every house? (I haven't played SWSH yet so I don't know)

[@scaleonkhan183]

@@MrRuePine Every city has a different house template in SwSh, from my experience. The only thing different inside is the pokemon and the NPCs you can talk to. But honestly I wasn’t that disappointed about the houses since the cities themselves look SO DANG COOL

[@caramelcwossont]

@@AliacadosDuelistas when there’s so many houses in the game you can enter, there’s not much point making them all unique when most of it is going to be ignored

[@ragnaricstudios5888]

You got a huge open world dude, there had to be a compromise to that

[@ajf8729]

19:43 to be fair, LGPE did following Pokemon right, they matched speed, and you could even ride some. Following Snorlax in LGPE is adorable.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

HGSS made it annoying like not having an option, but even that made the slow Pokémon follow the player at the same speed.

[@TheAwesomeDarkNinja]

There was a dev at Game Freak that programmed all those individual Pokemon's speed and he will not concede to just making it the same across the board.

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

I'd say that's one of the few things LGPE did truly well.

[@tristanalain9239]

Let's Go honestly was just the best looking game. That vibrant artstyle is exactly what I expected HD Pokemon to look like. Nothing has hit the same way

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

@tristanalain9239 Too bad looks was almost all it had.

[@williamburns4028]

I love that the Pokémon anime frames perfectly reflect your emotions.

[@TheRogueRenegade]

I’m glad someone appreciates it 🙏

[@Reefer-Rampage69]

@@TheRogueRenegadeyour editing does not go unappreciated

[@justinn8541akaDrPokemon]

I honestly wish Eternatus was post game content. Like Rose would wait until the tournament is over and now we can help Rose with his plans with Eternatus.

[@diamondmasterandwillythecat]

But no sword and shield needed to have a villain that makes no sense which is yet another reason why I will never like them

[@Taijirai]

I see what you mean, especially since the legendary doggo is ALSO locked behind the post-game. Clearly they were trying to make up for the fact they had nothing to tie you over until the DLC came out and the game would just come to an unsatisfying halt.

[@somerandomgamer9065]

here, I’ll even make dialogue for that silent scene in Rose Tower (note im not the best writer) Rose:…. We cannot wait a single day Leon: With all due respect, chairman, you must understand how important this match is to Galar, I understand the severity of this threat, and I would understand it as a crisis if it was, say, ten years, but one thousand years is a long time. I hope you understand Chairman. Rose: *sigh* Very well, Leon, However, you must agree to assist the moment your battle ends, understand? Leon: Thank you chairman.

[@diamondmasterandwillythecat]

@@somerandomgamer9065 its better than the actual game

[@justinn8541akaDrPokemon]

@@somerandomgamer9065 To add to that: *Notices Player* Rose: Ah player, you must have overheard us. You must know how dire of a situation we are in. We would appreciate if you helped us. Leon: But Rose, Player is a just a kid. This problem should be delt by us adults. Rose: But Player is a trainer who has the skills to rival you. His/Her skill might be useful if there would be a problem we can't handle. How about this, we tell Player where and when to meet us and he/she could decide if they want to help us or not. Leon: Fair enough, Rose. Player, we are going to be at *Place and Time* after the tournoment. We do not expect you to come, but if you want to help us, we'll welcome you with open arms. Rose: What a good sport. I'm knew I saw a true champion when I first endorsed you. Now we should all rest up. We all have a busy day tomorrow.

[@danielferrieri7434]

I poured a lot of Time into Sword and Shield. Especially after playing it 6 times like an idiot.

[@FoodManTheGuy]

Makes sense considering I beat it in under 5 hours

[@Jaquaza]

6?! I could hardly do a 3rd play through.

[@LostRustedknight]

-coughs in 20 times-

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

@@danielferrieri7434 My God. You sir, are a madman.

[@zerevv]

12 playthrough I just love playing pokemon with different teams

[@lasercraft32]

14:00 To this day, the fact that this ACTUALLY made it into the game at all is genuinely baffling to me.

[@Aimi_Kaneko]

They did my Piers boy so dirty. Even Roxie got to sing, AND THAT WAS ON A DS!!!!

[@DragonJ125]

the overall game was underwelming but the music was and still is fire

[@ayleth891]

@@DragonJ125 I sometimes put Pokemon Sword music on while playing other games

[@williamargott398]

@@DragonJ125 I guess it’s a matter of what you were looking for. I’d played every other Pokémon game, so I knew what to expect, and I wasn’t let down at all really. It was my most played Pokémon game until SV, I had a wonderful time with it. Thought to be fair, the game MAY have biased me by giving me a shiny blipbug I’m the first 10 minutes of playing as my 2nd ever encounter.

[@BluGh0st22]

@@DragonJ125 Motostoke was peak

[@Faming59]

meh i personally feel that way to scarlet and violet. compared this game is way better.

[@zacharylandrum4789]

I'm sorry, but I don't really think SwSh's soundtrack is that good. Not bad, just very forgettable. Only the Gym Leader Battle and Marnie Battle themes stick out to me as actually good songs, but the rest of them just feel very safe. Musical taste entirely subjective, but I just straight up don't care for the instruments they chose.

[@Pogtrick]

- Gamefreak releases new game - Fans complain and talk about how great the past game was - Repeat

[@Lithosagymfan173]

The cycle repeats itself every few years.

[@fruitcocktailsamurai]

As someone who liked playing all Pokemon games before Scarlet/Violet, I certainly can't see myself ever commending Gen 9. If it had been a low cost or free demo and the games had been given another year in development, it would have been fine imo

[@Pogtrick]

@@fruitcocktailsamurai Understandable.

[@DRFESTERPUS69]

Sure, but they have been getting notibly worse.

[@ultimate_pleb]

Yeah because pokemon has been getting worse with almost every game since gen 6

[@yrsapersson8717]

I rather play pokemon sword and shield than pokemon scarlet and violet

[@Raggy54]

@yrsapersson8717 me too I only played that because used to get it ez to get Chinese

[@agentf5798]

Yeah honestly I play Scarlet just to have a better shield doggo, compatibility with newer pokemon such as the ones in hisui, and the new pokemon in scarlet and violet itself like Armarouge Other than that, yeah sword and shield is amazing and imo it's one of the best in the series

[@stungus.]

@@agentf5798 I literally hate sword and shield so much it's trying way too hard to be interesting but that's my opinion ig

[@cobaltprime9467]

Honestly, you covered pretty much every problem I have with SWSH. And more importantly the good things about it. I do want to rant on 2.5 things; voice acting (the .5), Dexit, and the story. Ripping off the bandaid with Dexit (which can apply to SV as well). It would’ve been one thing if they had said, “Due to time constraints not every pokemon will be available in SWSH.” I wouldn’t have a problem. But when they said it was for animations and graphics, that’s where I get mad. Because it was a lie. And I’m not even talking about the Pokemon animations, which were the same as Gen 7 minus the ones for new Pokemon. I am so sick of the fade to black for a character to do something. Would it have killed them to animate moments like Yamper zapping the keypad and Peony standing up? It’s lazy! There’s no excuse for it. And they did it again immediately in PLA (I think SV too but I can’t remember tbh). Just be honest about why the dex needed cut. But also, why did they cut good Pokémon? This applies to SV too (PLA gets a pass since it’s supposed to be just Pokémon from Hisui/Sinoh but it is missing some Pokémon from Gen 4 for some reason). Why are weak, useless Pokémon in these games instead of better ones? Why are Volbeat and Illumise in SV but not Togekiss??? But at least SV did one thing right that SWSH did wrong, keeping every Starter. How did they not prioritize the Starters? Those are the most important Pokemon to have and carry thru other generations. It’s inexcusable. Especially when they could’ve ripped the models from Gen 7! They’re the same models! Alright now the voice acting. It’s ridiculous that we still haven’t gotten voice acting in Pokemon. Their crappy gotcha game has it! I’m not asking for a lot. Just the sfx like what Zelda does (for decades actually) and Mario where it’s a noise that isn’t words but indicates they have a voice. That way it’s not dead silent and awkward. The only places for full voicing should be the main cutscenes. And when there’s literal musicians singing! Pierce and Ryme look stupid without singing/rapping. That’s the most inexcusable part of not having voice acting. Finally, the story. Let’s start with Leon’s role in the story as well as us, the players. We do nothing to contribute to the story. And Leon handles every event that would normally fall to us. Like that Dynamax Perrserker. Why is that even in the story? If it’s to hint that Rose is doing something, it failed miserably. We at least should’ve gotten there to help him. Make it a raid battle. He’s using the leftover Starter, Hop and Marnie join us in the battle too (since it’s after Marnie’s hometown). At least that way it feels like we’re contributing to the story. I also don’t like his Ace is Charizard. I’m generally against champions using any Starters (except rivals) and there was no reason for Charizard to be his Ace other than the overuse of it. I love Charizard, I always will, but it makes no sense for it to be in the Galar Dex. DLC? Yes. Base game, no. It should’ve been a new pokemon or an older one that should’ve gotten a G-Max form. Speaking of G-Max forms, why so few??? Sorry got off track. Now for the actual story problems. It’s just the same as Alola but worse. The “evil team” turns out not to be the main problem (ffs they both even control a town) and the main organization’s leaders end up being the villains. They even have the final boss at the top of a tower! They literally used the same plot twist immediately after they just used it. But the motive of Rose to bring forth the Darkest Day is stupid! He couldn’t wait 1 dang day to talk with Leon. Fat Tony Stark over here is worried about an imminent energy crisis that he even says could be generations after he goes. And there’s no reason to believe that’s gonna happen when Dynamax energy is everywhere AND there’s a legendary Pokémon south of them that is a living battery(Regieleki) which has limitless energy. It’s nonsensical. But the one thing I can’t forgive about the story is the single dumbest part. The part I’m legitimately mad about. The annoying gauntlet of scrub battles with Macro Cosmos to “save Leon.” We go thru so much to get to the top of that dang tower, none of which was a challenge it just prolonged the game, only to find out it was for literally nothing! Leon wasn’t being held captive! His meeting with Fat Stark ran long! He can just walk away! All of that was pointless! So stupid… They should be ashamed about how half baked this plot was. It is by far the worst story in all of Pokémon. By their own admission “it could’ve been better.”

[@Bumblebuck662]

Leon dresses like my 5 year old son after he discovers Batman has a cape.

[@MegaInferGoku19617]

I hate it when people call Pokémon games lazy. They’re not. They are rushed and under a 3 year development time. People don’t seem to understand that big 3D games take a long time to develop let alone polish. When I play SW/SH or S/V I don’t see laziness. I see a lack of time to flesh everything out leading to underwhelming experiences.

[@Otherface]

I feel that sometimes the 3D pokemon games are under-appreciated. Not in the sense that they are all hidden gems, but rather in the fact that people hate them for the wrong reasons. "Pokemom doesn't work in 3D" "Pokemon was better with 2D" 3d this 3d that. Legends Arceus proves that, given enough time, 3D games can still be great. But of course, we have to make Scarlet and Violet, one of the most rushed games in pokemon history, a complete success 😑

[@LeoBeastmode]

It is lazy. It's lazy because if it is so rushed to make an turn-based RPG in 3 years, they should hire more developers. That or stop releasing half-assed games on a skeleton crew studio in the shortest amount of time to line up with the anime. I hate it when players don't give the proper criticism when it's due. Sure, you don't have to call GF lazy, but at least don't defend their mismanagement...or I could be talking out of my *ss and not know what I'm talking about. Regardless, my taste for Pokemon has soured moreso because of the prices they require for their minimal-difference double-release titles and dlc than the quality. Still wondering when they'll finally abandon that farce completely. We're not dealing with handheld priced games anymore.

[@captainnebby5096]

@@LeoBeastmodegood thing they actually hired more devs and even said that they need more time so legends za comes out in 2025. I got my hopes up :D

[@itsjustme6334]

@@LeoBeastmode I think "greedy" suits the situation better than "lazy". The individual contributors are likely working grueling hours to pump out the best games they're able to. It's execs that set the schedules that ultimately hurt the games. Speedier production means a speedier release and profit. It's a real shame. We'd all love it if the creatives were given the time and resources they needed to polish each of their games.

[@shalompal8731]

They don’t need to make it 3D. They can leave it at 2d and make it bigger, reward exploration, give it a hard mode, and learn who the target audience is. Its not 5-8 year olds it’s an older crowd playing pokemon, we don’t need our hands held for the first 4 hours of the game

[@kam9477]

The true sin of Sword and Shield not having voice acting: they didn’t establish drunken Scottish Gloria before Masters EX messed it up!

[@Lupinemancer87]

That was never a thing.

[@kam9477]

@ yeah obviously. It was a joke.

[@lightyoshiman]

funny enough the manga took half of that ideal for her character

[@CovenantQuarter]

​@@kam9477a joke that's been run into the ground

[@Fanimati0n]

Not having voice acting for Piers was a crime. They had voice acting for ROXIE! it's just awkward without it. Like, how fkn sick would it have been for there to have been the music in the background, slowly getting louder as you approach the end of the gauntlet & fucking BILLY IDOL OR SMTH IS BELTING OUT A JAM AT THE END

[@Positivebutter]

4:55 The scarlet and violet epilogue does indeed confirm that he is pennys dad! 🔥

[@Chipster321]

Unfortunately it doesn’t technically confirm it. Her dad’s name is not spoken and the reality is his nickname for his daughter can work for Peonia too. The daughter he keeps talking about is Peonia since she’s the one on the trip. Long story short, there is no 100% proof, just headcanon that is most likely canon but not outright confirmed.

[@Positivebutter]

@ the thing that pretty much confirmes it is pennys dad over the phone in the SV epilogue, uses Peony’s catchphrase of Adven-tour, so I feel like that pretty much confirms it

[@MagusAgrippa8]

@@Positivebutter it suggests it, doesn't confirm it. It makes sense, but just one line of dialogue doesn't truly confirm anything. Unless it outright says 'Oi, he's Penny's dad.'

[@timtanoboa9416]

Shield will always be really special to me. Even with as many flaws as there were, this game was my first ever Pokémon game. And beyond that, I was playing it during a really dark time in my life, and Shield was here for me. I had considered doing something really bad, but was stopped by the, albiet maybe stupid, idea that my Pokémon would be sad if I died. So I'll always hold that game very close to my heart. And Sword's fine too I guess

[@matthewhenningervonada9914]

Sun and Moon would have did the same thing.

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

I'm happy that this game was so therapeutic for you. Glad you're still with us. I can unfortunately relate, but Platinum was there for me in those times. Still play it religiously to this day, and I feel a similar way about my Pokemon. None of my family members are really gamers, so I hope to eventually make my own family some day, if only to have someone who will take care of my boxes of Eggs and Shinies when I'm no longer here. These little guys are like family to me. ❤

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

​@@matthewhenningervonada9914Not everyone likes the same game. I should know. Those are by far my least favorites. Even if they weren't, read the freaking room. This person just talked about overcoming a painful time in their life. Don't make it about yourself by forcing your opinion on them while ignoring their feelings.

[@chri6438]

Tf did I even read AHHAHAHA The pokemon would be sad 😢.

[@d4nmark22]

Im so sorry you had to go through a harrowing situation no innocent human should ever experience, I feel that alot with Scarlet, even though I didn't necessarily go through as troubling times as fortunate as I am, it was the first actual game I played with my own money from my first job so it was a huge accomplishment even with the slander that was on the rise (i regret nothing), i salute you for finding enjoyment in an edition of many others could not and pulling through (each version of the generation of games is more or less the same except third ones and dlcs tho so that's valid)

[@WhiteRaven696]

I really, really hope that the backlash they got from Gen. 8 and 9, as well as the praise they got from Legends: Arceus and a lot of scrapped ideas from the Teraleak, wakes GameFreak up and lets them see that we can and will wait and accept delays if it means a stronger goddamn product.

[@AstraLuna-o9i]

I love Pokémon Sword Shield because it was the first video game I played with my daughter, who was 8 at the time. We had so much fun doing the Raid’s together exploring the wild area, and catching and trading Pokemon. While the plot of the game and play were simplistic it was amazing sharing the experience with my kiddo.

[@DomTrues]

I 100% agree with this video, and it is refreshing to see such a nuanced take. No blind hatred, but no bootlicking, either.

[@Pogtrick]

Too bad we can't get that anywhere in this unhinged fanbase. This guy is one of the few.

[@FellRagnarok]

Honestly, Sword and Shield is far from my first Pokémon game and it is definitely not one of the best, but it’s still one of my favorites. One of the main reasons for that is the Pokémon league. It was the first gym challenge that felt like an actual region wide event where all eyes were on you. It’s something I genuinely hope they do again in the future.

[@0127sasuke]

They DID add the pokemon back in a free update. The dlc just let you CATCH them, but the data to transfer them was added by an update. You can still transfer the mons added through home without buying the dlc

[@FuDiggity]

There are still 292 missing

[@HaughtyToast]

So the thing is that the generation that came before Sw/Sh had the tagline "It all comes together" celebrating the fact that, for the first time, you could bring all of your pokémon together from every game within the franchise. To be clear I do mean every game, alongside every generation it was possible to get pokémon from; Colosseum, XD, Dream Radar, Box, Pokewalker, Gamecube Bonus Discs, Ranger, Ranch, and probably a couple others that I'm forgetting. I think the only one you couldn't get mons from was Pokémon Dream World due to it being shut down. To follow that up by revealing that you can no longer keep all of your Pokémon with you, that by necessity some would even have to be kept in Pokémon Home because there was no game compatible with them at the time when there are known cases of the previous bank wiping Pokémon or people just losing access to their accounts is scummy. People kept their pokémon with them through the generations because they could be sure that they were safe and that is no longer the case as of Sword and Shield. At some point Bank and Home will shut down and any pokémon that didn't make the move will be deleted or separated with hoops having to be jumped through to get even some of them together due to needing two $400 switches, which you would have to do if you wanted to play the games again without deleting some of your collection. It goes a lot deeper than just "I can't take my Piplup with me". We understand the logistical reasons for it, that the majority of players don't care, and that the investors 100% don't care but it's something that still stings to this day because we still feel the effects and will likely never stop feeling them. But, y'know, Impadimp is kinda cool I guess.

[@HeyHandsome-e6h]

Sword n Shield looked more like a 3ds game rather than switch

[@MrPenetroso]

To be fair, the story was kinda bad. I understand not wanting a kid or teenager dealing with crisis that can be the end of a region, and let the adults do it, but it did backfire on Gamefreak.

[@Elevatorceptor]

Its what the community wanted, their biggest nitpick about it was that it was always a teenager dealing with everything... and what do they do when its changed to something that makes more sense? Yell at it!

[@Crestfallen_Warrior]

That's not even the problem of the story. The problem is that the story was boring and predictable. There was just not enough happening. There were no choices, nothing.

[@corbels]

I thought the story was ok, except for the Sonia parts felt rushed and boring and I had no idea what I was looking at half the time and I didn’t know why to care

[@feIon]

i mean... thats exactly what happened in PLA and it was fine lol

[@Lithosagymfan173]

It's a Pokémon game, none had a really good story, but Sword and Shield does have the theme of the next generation and letting them take the place of the older one. Leon loses his championship to the Victor/Gloria, Sonia becomes new professor, Bede becomes new Fairy Gym leader, Marnie becomes Dark Gym Leader, the theme exists and is consistent, even towards the DLCs(Mustard showing that the old can still kick ass and Calyrex trying to get his former glory). The story is simple, but effective in its themes(Like Black and White, Sun and Moon, and maybe X and Y).

[@Soul_Raven07]

Not specifically for SWSH, but one of the few things I would complain about the Pokémon games are to at least show a scene of gameplay or 2 when they announce the trailers. Really was disappointed that the Scarlet and Violet DLC, we had nothing to go by for a half a year, other than the cover photo images showing the new characters and/ or Pokémons for that trailer. At the very least, I wish GAMEFREAK shows how the scenes so the community can know what to expect and not wait for a half a year only to to release gameplay trailers a few weeks before the game releases. And just like now, we know nothing about legends ZA other than the name of the game and that it is set to be in the Kalos region despite the fact they announced it on Febuary

[@05stapj]

12:55 hold on there They did add the dlc pokemon in a free update They're only available to catch in the new dlc areas. But you can still trade or transfer from home even if you don't have the dlc

[@kingmagikarp97]

4:18 I really enjoy Avery that's one of the reasons why I chose shield lol

[@zappypow]

25:58 you realized that hollow knight Silksong has been awarded the most anticipated video game in the world, GTA6 did not come close

[@corbels]

as a hk fan, it doenst matter. Gta6 is more well known and is more realistic, i think that silksong will get cancelled so if makes sense he said gta6 instead of silksong

[@Straven93]

One for me is in the base game is the lack of dungeons. Like theres the motostoke mines 1 and 2, the sleepy wald, and the glenwood tangles. But compare that to viridian forest, mt. Moon, rock tunnel, ss anne, rocket hide out, pokemon tower, sliph co, seafoam island, safari zone, pokemon mansion, and victory road. And it just seems so bland. Sure the overworld has some nice locations like the frozen beach, ruins, and the desert esque area. They just put a lot of eggs in the wild area basket

[@CovenantQuarter]

This ain't 2006 anymore dude move on

[@greggoshep]

16:38 On this note, I have to say, a change in the story to have Leon ask you to help him with some Dynamax Pokémon outbreaks could have been a great middle ground of “The champion does nothing after hearing terrible things happening, so instead you, the rising Pokémon character, are sent to save the world,” and “The champion just has plot armor to do everything himself.” With this change, you could even have Hop, Marnie, Bede, and maybe a few of the gym leaders nearby help out. Even could tee up DLC this way with minor league gyms lending a hand.

[@galixypawerpack]

Yeah. I agree with this fully.

[@Straven93]

The fact that they saved everything for the last 2 hours of the game kinda sucked. Really turned the game into gym battle simulator 2019

[@Manueltion15]

It’s the most mediocre Pokemon game ever Mediocre in this context means that it wasn’t too good, but it wasn’t horrible. Some people don’t seem to understand that.

[@marinagaleotti]

When Red and Blue, Gold and Silver, Emerald, Duamond and Pearl and Xy exist I wuoldnt say they are the most mediocre.

[@liamtherobot9656]

Dude, you got to be Trippin

[@DishyLemon]

​@@marinagaleottiwhat... what are you saying exactly about Emerald? 👀

[@marinagaleotti]

@@DishyLemon emerald is ovverated tbh. Before you cancel me hear me out. The story is braindead, its abt two mans that dont umderstand that the blue orb goes with the blue pokemon and viceversa. The characters are flat, wally and the rival are handled like sht and wallace is an horrible champion. The postgame doesnt make up.

[@marinagaleotti]

@@Manueltion15 if your edit refers to me, dont worry that I know what mediocre means and still stand by what I said.

[@IsleofPigsStudios]

The Game’s alright. The worst thing about it in my opinion is Charizard and Dexit, but other than that it’s alright. Man the character customization in this game VS Scarlet and Violet is like night and day. Take me back to the character customization of Sword and Shield.

[@matthewhenningervonada9914]

No.

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

I understand that. I love the Camp and music, but it's the only game I didn't do a second playthrough of. There's still a lot of good in it, though.

[@IsleofPigsStudios]

@ Camp is fun and the music slaps. Though it’s not the only game where I’ve only played it once. That honor goes to BDSP, Sun, and Legends Arceus. Sun because I don’t want to wipe my save file, BDSP because I hate BDSP, and Legends Arceus because I haven’t finished my first playthrough yet because of outside stuff.

[@HazeEmry]

​@@delphoxhoopa7289 people actually do multiple playthroughs post-gen 5?

[@mihile4631]

@@HazeEmry I'm trying to do one right now for Shield, but I'm struggling because after playing it a first time, you can really see how bland and non-compelling the story is the second time. Especially if you already know what's going to happen.

[@Buzz.co2]

Oh yeah, want to complete the game single player? It’s $180 USD assuming that you already have 2 Nintendo switches.

[@TJLL_12]

Given I’m currently 12 and this was my first Pokémon game, I may have a little bias given I was 7 or 8 when I played this, but I thoroughly enjoyed it

[@BelovedAngel18]

Funny thing I spend more time in Shield then Violet. I like violet story a lot more and the pokemon animation are more improvement then SW&SH but man *I HATE THE SCHOOL CLOTHES!* The DLC got some clothing options but still not good enough then SW&SH. What's the point of shoe, hat, sock when the color looks bad with Violet or Orange school clothes!? I hope they don't do this mess again! Oh don't get me started how bad the towns in SV. It's barely even a town besides that one town in the mask DLC😩 SW&SH I rate is 6 while SV rate 7.

[@turtlenator6249]

I just want standard gendered outfits again, not this androgynous crap.

[@jimmyhook4852]

Ya know.... since we're on the topic of clothes.... wanna know what type of clothing I love the most from Sword and Shield's DLC? :3

[@BelovedAngel18]

​@@jimmyhook4852 Sure my favorite clothes are the sand color sweater with the colorful mushrooms in front.

[@jimmyhook4852]

@@BelovedAngel18 Alrighty =3 My favorite is of course, via for of the female player character, one can have her dress up as Marnie :3 And not just that... but one can also get her hairstyle as well. X3

[@BelovedAngel18]

@@jimmyhook4852 Oh yeah I remember that that's cool they let you dress as the characters. If only SV does that as well I like Carmine's hairstyle. Also I noticed you subscribed to me. You don't have to do that, I am not a KZbinr making videos or anything in this site besides watching videos, support creators and making comments😄

[@RulggedVocks]

14:04 Bro Piers really said: 🥁🥁🎶🎵🎵🎶🎼🎵🎤🎤🎼🎼🎵🎶🎼🎼🎵🎸🎸🎵🎵🎼

[@princesspikachu3915]

So I got Shield as a gift several months after launch. The graphics weren’t that bad. The pop in, especially in the Wild Area, was bad but didn’t really hurt the gameplay. The story was interesting until you get the 8th badge and it gets stupider after the end credits. The only good thing is about that is Piers. Gawd, I love Piers. 😅 I didn’t get the DLC because I felt it would still be overpriced for what you’re get. I love the characters and remember all of the gym leaders. I can’t say the same about Scarlet where I only remember Larry’s name when it comes to the gym leaders. I loved being able to build an OP team from the get go. The game is fun to restart and try different teams in single player mode. I’ve played both under leveled and over leveled (level 100 Cinderace BEFORE the opening ceremony and Milo’s gym just because I could). Also I was part of the Gen 8 hater squad but, secretly I DID enjoy it. I actually stopped playing Scarlet and am playing through Shield. What’s weird is I technically still hate the story in Shield and prefer Scarlet’s story but outside of Arven it doesn’t have much going for it. Shield has a very weird story that starts out great before becoming whatever that ending was, but the characters are more interesting and memorable. Piers is a great character despite the weird hair thing going on. The scene between Bede and Opal had both my 7 year old daughter and myself bursting into laughter. The poor story was saved by the memorable characters and how they were written. If the story had been just as good as the characters, it would have been the best Pokémon game on the Switch and I could forgive Dexit. For me Shield (base game because I have never played the DLC) is a solid 6.5 out of 10. The story’s ending keeps it from being any higher.

[@zacharylandrum4789]

Sword/Shield are still my most hated games ever, even after five years. I genuinely haven't been so angry at a game before. To me, it marked the point where the devs at Game Freak no longer cared about making a good game, but only wanted money. The fact they straight up lied to everyone's faces is something I'll forever hold against them, they deserved the backlash. And they still haven't learned from their mistakes after everything in Gen 9, even if Scarlet/Violet are guilty pleasures of mine. The Switch was definitely the dark age for this franchise and I can only pray things get better from here with the next console, although I doubt it.

[@CovenantQuarter]

They did. Scarlet and Violet were huge successes and Legends Arceus was positively received. I think you're going on a hate train

[@superdajoka]

The Pokemon games on switch other than legends arceus was definitely my biggest disappointment with the console, because Pokemon making it's jump to the Switch was actually one of the main reasons why I bought the console (The other reasons being to play Mario Odyssey and Smash bros Ultimate), like many other franchises have been doing great like Kirby, Xenoblade, Pikmin, and Metroid, but not Pokemon or the Mario Sports games. It does suck how one of the franchises I wanted to play most on switch ended up being hot garbage this era, with SV being my least favorite game of all time.

[@Lithosagymfan173]

My most hated game was Legends Arceus because look at that thing?! The exploration is kind of fun I guess, but that's about it.

[@Tactix_se]

@@CovenantQuarter it being popular does not mean it was good. SV are a hot mess

[@CovenantQuarter]

@Tactix_se maybe at first. But it's genuinely a great game. The characters are fun as well as the pokemon and the story is heart warming.

[@B1gBradWolf]

16:22 So when Cynthia doesn't fight Cyress for you, people get upset at her incompitence. But when Leon does it, that's a problem too?

[@Orchestrafanboy19]

Where in the world are the people getting mad at Cynthia and calling her incompetent? I’ve certainly never heard that before. The reason people get upset at Leon doing things instead of us is because it’s stupid and boring. Imagine playing Super Mario Bros but we’re not Mario, we’re a random Toad hearing about Mario’s exploits from our cozy Toad house in the Mushroom Kingdom. That’d be the most boring game ever. I don’t care about the logistics of adults not letting children do things they have no right getting involved in. It doesn’t make for a fun video game. Literally no one had a problem with going to Sky Pillar after we reach Sootopolis, no one had a problem with being the holder of the other dragon opposing N, no one had a problem with fighting Cyrus instead of Cynthia being the one to do it. No one cared because it makes for a fun game. That’s the problem with Leon going off to do cool things and not us.

[@B1gBradWolf]

@Orchestrafanboy19 There are people who cared, you can't speak for every Pokemon fan. But for the most part, they didn't care, they only joked about how Cynthia left a child to fight Cyrus. And that's exactly what my comment was, a joke.

[@peachibread1983]

I played it endlessly, hated the story, hated the textures, hated the restrictions, hated the nat dex cut, but I did enjoy the new pokemon, character customization, characters, and i enjoyed the vibes. 5/10

[@mack-n-cheez]

17:03 “oh my gahd you hate him?! 😭😭😭😭😭” I fucking died of laughter💀

[@MegaInferGoku19617]

B2W2 has more voice acting than any other game in the series combined.

[@RikkuEcRud]

I feel like SwSh is when Gamefreak, or at least their higher-ups, began to embrace the idea that the quality doesn't matter, it'll sell because it's Pokémon. There's definitely still people who care at the company, but the frankly unacceptable states of certain aspects of Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet shows that it's not the people calling the shots and all they can do is try their best to get as much as they can manage in before launch and hope it's enough.

[@mankdemes8887]

it was honestly painfully boring. outside of the technical issues, it's far from the worst the series has to offer. at least it didn't bore me so hard i passed out multiple times at the start resulting in me dropping the game entirely like Sun and Moon. but around the mid-section of the game, the lack of a compelling plot, painfully easy difficulty and none existent sense of direction made me forget about essentially everything that happened until the league lmao. also imo Zacian and Zamazenta have to be some of the lamest legendaries period including non box arts, fitting for how lacking in presence they were within the main story.

[@feIon]

zacian is a fire pokemon design imo

[@mihile4631]

@@feIon I absolutely hated how he was given the Fairy-type. It made no sense to me. Steel, yes, because swords are often portrayed as made of metal or steel. But Fairy? What was the reason aside from wanting to push in another Fairy-type legendary. They could have at least made the type match his appearance a bit more.

[@AliacadosDuelistas]

You said what I think about SwSh and I thank you for that. I feel the same. The story of SwSh is just anti-climax and too short, in a way that when the game starts being interesting, they just rush to the end (and Leon doing everything every single time for you doesn't help at all). I like SwSh but it is on my bottom tier lists, for sure

[@luckyinky7849]

4:15 *OBJECTION!* Because I picked Shield, I was sad to have Avery as my rival instead of Klara but after playing the DLC, it turns he's actually kinda cool and I've warmed up to him to the point that I prefer him over Klara. 17:45 I really like your idea of scenario for Team Yell, since they are inspired by hardcore football fans (or hardcore competition fans in general), it really should make sens for them to be absolutely horrible to deal with because of their terrible behavior. We can still make something with the "getting out of the hood" part, with the original idea of Pierce bringing some Marnie fans all over Galar to encourage her. Everything turns bad like you said, multiple grunts starts ganging on us in Spikemuth (we're either alone or with Hop and/or Marnie) and Pierce ends up having to step up like "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING, THIS IS NOT PART OF THE PLAN!" and as the grunts starts to cause trouble and put the blame on him and attack him, he retaliates to show them who's the Boss of Team Yell. He later makes an announcement to the stadium after our final match with Marnie to make an apology and explains the situation and the damage it did to the gym challengers, the citizens, the reputation of Spikemuth and Marnie herself, who he apologizes to the most, who had nothing to do with all of this.

[@MagicalCycero]

I played Sword first and I like Avery more than Klara. He is so funny and I love how he mentions Psychic-type moves and tries to come off as all mysterious and cool.

[@luckyinky7849]

​@@MagicalCycero I like to think that he made the Psychic terrain by himself and without the help of his Slowbro

[@dragapulse69]

A Pokémon game has to be at least 5 years old until the community admits the game is good. It was really annoying hearing hate for this game cuz I knew this would happen.

[@feIon]

its still pretty bootycheeks actually

[@eagle162]

That's not what happens, what happens is the next game becomes so bad that the one previously looks better or even opposite happens games once held as gold the flaws slowly become to be revealed.

[@Maelstr0mStudios]

Pokémon Sword was the first Pokémon game I ever finished (I made it to about gym four in Ruby before I lost my GameBoy for like three years in a move) and I had no concept of good games or bad games, just what games I liked playing the most. I got Sword and both DLCs while I was bedridden with Covid and the Flu at the same time, and I thought it was a masterpiece. The story was eh, but as a sick kid with nothing better to do I really grew to love it. It’s definitely not my favorite Pokémon game (shoutout to PLA) but it holds a special place in my heart and I’m glad that you looked back again. I remember going straight to the Crown Tundra because I couldn’t beat Bea, and getting my ass handed to me by Peony, it was hilarious! It certainly lacked replayability for me, but that’s just because linear games aren’t really my thing for the most part (everything gets old eventually). But yeah, I really like Sw/Sh and while I certainly play Violet more (Shiny Rayquaza event go crazy) it’s really special to me.

[@raphaelkgh218]

I'm happy that you were able to get enjoyment with Sword And Shield while you were sick, the games look good in my opinion!!! Keep it up!!! ❤❤

[@Giman1034]

I love everything about sword & and shield, and I don't care what anyone says.

[@feIon]

ok! 👍

[@gatorboymike]

Take it from someone who did this: don't play Sword and Shield for the first time after playing Scarlet and Violet. The lack of the quality of life upgrades introduced in gen 9 will make you feel like a caveman.

[@BeckyNosferatu]

I had to actually do this recently, and boy oh boy... i have NOTICED many! My nephew doesn't have Scarlet or Violet yet and so he was finishing his pokedex on Sword... I had to loan him a few pokemon just so he could do some of the major dens.

[@Hollow_Tim]

Lol, QoL upgrades in Gen 9? Like how the battles are probably slower than in any other Gen? Like how TMs are still limited and 100x more annoying to get than in SwSh?

[@piratehunterzoro6]

@@Hollow_Timhow are the battles slower than any other game when Gen 4 is notorious for being slow even comparing it to 3D mainline games I highly doubt they are slower.

[@oyeh8908]

@@Hollow_Tim Don't forget Set Mode being removed.

[@CovenantQuarter]

​@@Hollow_TimTMS are quite easy to get in Sc&Vi and the gameplay isn't slow? Maybe you have a bad switch and bad at gameplay lol

[@CanadaBall-t8v]

5 years! what how

[@eow4317]

Sword and Shield was… fine. Honestly my biggest gripe is the lack of voice acting for the price. I mean we pay $100 for a single game (pay $200 if you want every pokemon) and they don’t even give us voice acting???

[@Wailmur]

60$

[@jootersblaccat]

When was SWSH $100 or $200?

[@Runedrace]

@@jootersblaccat there a version of sw/sd +dlc game that can reach that price or close to it in some areas of the world. i know that canada price is 119.99 for a new version of pkm sw/sd + the dlc.

[@misfitkid3926]

@@jootersblaccatgotta buy DLC for both games too.

[@MetalofMaddness]

Honestly, it was ok… not the greatest but playing it once and a while is actually fun

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

I even enjoy seeing the overworld Ability effects in action. I do wish to see that in the Japanese region Pokémon games.

[@matthewhenningervonada9914]

You need a new lease on fun.

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

​​@@matthewhenningervonada9914You need a new lease on accepting other people's opinions.

[@delphoxhoopa7289]

I feel a similar way. I loved the Camp and Cooking, and the music and clothes are some of the best in the series, but I certainly wouldn't replay it again.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

@@delphoxhoopa7289 The XY custom clothes are great that they deserve to come back. Let's Go is the best example in having both the player characters match how many clothes they have, while having a similar design.

[@primedialga]

Counter argument: don't make an engine once and reuse it, instead have GF ask big N for the Zelda engine. Sure character models would need some adjustments and i guess the parts of the engine they used for character animations in SwSh could be reused, but otherwise big N has a perfectly serviceable engine for a large open world game with smaller dungeons and houses.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

Even King of Fighters XI used the Neo Geo era character sprites, despite that game using a different engine. It can work when having a capable engine with trying to be photorealistic.

[@KellySucksAtGaming]

@@primedialga just because an engine does 1 thing well doesn't mean it would do everything well. It may not be able to handle everything related to the battle system and calculations well and if I had to guess, GF probably prioritises the battling to the world exploration.

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

Scrapping the fun mechanics is always the problem with modern video games.

[@ShadowSkyX]

For a AAA it acts like a AA. Except high profit but nothing else. Also them having no va for whats her name from scarlet/violet (the ghost gym), i laughed because i recognized that not only they must've heard "fans" complaining for not having voice acting - doesn't need it imo - but _they doubled down on it._

[@LolixLP]

Pokemon not having voice acting on the big screen, while Persona had a lot on the damn PSP, for multiple languages too, tells us a lot about modern Pokemon. They are neither looking at their competition, nor trying to improve their product on its own merit.

[@Runedrace]

Well that was one of the problems, pokemon didn't have direct competition during that time. Digimon is a far off second place to pokemon and Yokai watch failed as competition to pokemon. If anything Pal world looks like a great competitor to pokemon since the pokemon co and nintendo is suing them over a patent that would not be taken seriously over here in the United states.

[@andrew8168]

Hau re-using animations from Hop made me wonder what they actually do all day at TPC. Im convinced they sit in trainings that dont actually contribute to games.

[@extremetech7096]

The TREES MY EYES BURN 🔥 Said no 10-year-old ever

[@LuigiTheMetal64]

The tree needs to copy the same detail from the other trees. You can still see that is a Kinomi tree by the shape at least.

[@Realperson16]

Me personally, while i do like the gameplay and quality of life introduced, and i could live with dexit for the most part, but the story absolutely *kills it* for me

[@Realperson16]

(Also yeah, team yell did not need to exist, hell, *team star* was more justifiable than them)

[@yochanancreag6582]

Video Summary: "Sword & Shield Limped so Scarlet & Violet could walk."

[@statboosts279]

I think Hop fans have a hair trigger for people saying mean things about Hop because people are just really fucking mean to him online lmao. I also didnt like him much, hes just a slightly aged up Hau. The difference is that Hau acts his laid back way with a stranger which makes him seem really nice, but Hop is cloyingly attached to the two of you and insisting upon your friendship and rivalry when he's supposed to be your childhood friend you've known since you were babies

[@mihile4631]

Also sorry, but people saying Bede is the only "cocky" rival in the game are so off-point. Hop is immensely cocky and arrogant as well. The only difference is that he's your friend, so you don't feel any hospitality or mean comments from him like Bede looks down on you. Of course Hop would be nice to you, you've known him since childhood. But he legit just disses everyone else when they meet him and always goes off about that annoying "I'm gonna be your next Champion" line. And there are plenty of other scenarios he's cocky in, I just can't pick them off at the top of my head. Overall, I dislike how hypocritical some of the fanbase is.

[@altair4849]

Yes, but scarlet and violet were worse

[@Shadowmercedez]

I actually like these games 🫣🤷‍♂️

[@Tactix_se]

short answer: yes Long answer: yes with a couple extra words

[@greek1237]

SV has very poor custom looks.

[@6HappyBoy4]

9:19 the best example why I never got the game. Riddled with performance issues, unoptimization, and clear corner cutting

[@LeBongFairy]

Sw/Sh was the worst experience I've ever had playing Pokémon. I felt so bored. (Mainline) S/v wasn't much better, since I don't have friends for the multiplayer mode, so it was just the boring base game. The story was kinda neat, but nothing.. works the way it should

[@bugcatcherjacky1334]

"Why do you have ears if you don't f*cking use them?!" he says in a crying, frustrated voice. Me when I talk to my dog 😂

[@SteelLordOmar]

14:00 I genuinely closed my eyes when i recognized a single frame of that cutscene, and man am i exhausted of seeing this as the prime example of Pokémon needing VAs ( yes i perfectly understand why that scene is used sm, it just overwhelms me to see it everywhere ) That aside, loved the video! Tbh Sword & Shield are one of the games i've most enjoyed, even with it's many flaws

[@sillibeastgames4308]

You said 5 years and I started panicking

[@Mackronii]

Sword and Shield was the game that kept me occupied during the pandemic, and I got really attached to the game. I played A LOT of competitive, and still do now in sv. Since i'm so attached, its hard for me to see a lot of the flaws. For me the main ones were the animations and poor performance. The story was sooooo close to being good, and I love the models. Honestly like Sword and Shields art style for the towns, the pokemon, and people SOOO much more than sv.

[@yusifudo46]

4:06 Funny you said that. I thought it was a common consensus that people hated cocky or toxic rivals. There's people always complaining about Blue for example, but you're praising Klara and Bede, who are arguably just as, if not more toxic or cocky than Blue.

[@TheRogueRenegade]

I love to hate them, Blue, Klara and Bede and any other cocky rivals. It makes them twice as satisfying to defeat them and makes it feel more like a competition rather than a friendship if that makes sense

[@misfitkid3926]

You ever considered what makes a good villain before? Obviously you haven’t.

[@yusifudo46]

@@misfitkid3926 I like cocky rivals. I'm talking about Pokemon fans as a whole, not my sensibilities. Where are you to say something this brain dead?

[@yusifudo46]

@@misfitkid3926 are you sped or just yapping? I like cocky rivals like Bede and Blue. I just said how lots of people like to say how it's a problem or people don't like them.

[@rjante2236]

Yes. Next question.

[@thecod2345]

I’d say it was that bad, it’s just that what came after (save legends arceus) is so much worse.

[@JamesDoesThings-mu8dd]

Believe it or not, I quite liked sword and shield over scarlet and violet, mostly the raids.

[@HenryTorrans-h7x]

Head cannon: regidrago and regielekie are friends and if they watched a horror movie they would just chat about whatever or how bad it is if is bad

[@rosexknight]

The thing that made me love SWSH was a little touch with an NPC in each gym. In the first gym she says she'll be your fan and root for you. In the second she has a blipbug, and as you go on her blipbug will evolve until it's an orbeetle at the final gyms, and she's telling you to be calm, you got this. As someone who got REALLY attached to the gym NPC's telling you about the gyms and calling you "champ in the making," it was really nice. I also like the touch of her blipbug evolving too! Almost like she was inspired to do so because of you lol.

[@legendzero9000]

Yes Sword and Shield were thay bad. The game is basically X and Y except more brain dead in terms of difficulty, useless and annoying dialogue with no purpose or excitement, 20 million rematches with the same god damn rival for nothing and the story did not make sense, lacked logic and clarification. It's not only one of the worse Pokémon games I ever played, but also one of the worse video games I ever played. Yes it was that bad.

[@theresivy]

am i the only one who thinks a) kalos is where the anime peaked in art style, and where the game’s playstyle (not story) peaked b) sword and shield is where the games’ graphics peaked, like i was so devastated at the downgrade from SWSH to BDSP and especially SCARVIO

[@sonicprime1597]

This game feels like it was originally being made for the 3DS

[@WarmLillie]

Pokémon Sword and Shield gave us Bea and Nessa I’m a Happy Lillie.

[@feIon]

wow... you're not hard to please

[@Joe-yx1gq]

12:11 Now for the animations (it just the Singular Moves Starters and Legendarys have Compare them to Scarlet and Violet and you can tell)

[@Elevatorceptor]

They also dont reuse old animations, so behemoth blade looks HORRIBLE in sv

[@Frysbear]

Yeah, I always thought sword and shield looked better than most people did. And now that SV is out, I'm like... look at those gorgeous anime aesthetics haha. It wasn't perfect, but it was so much better than what we got next. The thing is, the actual character designs in SV are great, imagine having penny, Nemona, Arven and the rest of the cast in a more anime aesthetic. They would have looked so good.

[@warmblanket3394]

I lost so much interest in the game after the snow gym, no story, no interesting gym areas. The dragon gym challenge is literally a single room with battles

[@enchii405]

Bro is really gaslighting us to make us believe swsh was good

[@anon3631]

Yeah, at least it's better than Scarlet and Violet but that's a very low bar. I just feel like the franchise never recovered after XY. Maybe I am just too old, but I never rated the inclusion of 3d in the mainline games. Emerald is my favourite game but I rate BW2 quite high for gameplay improvements.

[@justjoannak]

I absolutely agree with this! Sun & Moon (Gen 7) are the best games post Gen 6 for the following reasons: 1. The story was phenomenal in the OG games (Ik they're long bc cut scenes) 2. Graphics are fine imo 3. No Dexit 4. No ugly Y com (I *HATE* Festival Plaza but that's easier to deal with imo) 5. Actually challenging

[@Nicechibi123]

I used to rage on Sword and Shield, but after playing Scarlet and Violet, I regret complaining about it ...

[@kitkitsune6570]

Sword and Shield will always be my favorite Pokémon game That was the first and so far only one that I felt actually inside of the game. The music and the gyms and the characters made it feel so real! The gyms being stadiums and battles being an event actually fits it cause if Pokémon were real why wouldn’t people treat championship battles like the Super Bowl?

[@AnaosPoffu]

i will never move on from this gen. its my favorite and i loved it (i am in love with champion leon)

[@thundrtkr8910]

I’m glad you’re talking about it, I’ve been on a pokemon binge of all the new games since putti by down pokemon sun as an 18 year old hahaha. And now, as a 30 year old, I’m loving these new games. (Swsh, sun and moon, and scarlet/violet) and I’m loving all of the creative ideas, gimmicks and silly pokemon they came up with. I think it’s cute and creative and the really silly ones make the world more magical hahah. Like I LOVE sinsistea… what a cute idea. And galarian ponyta??? Oh my gosh. How fun.

[@Accountthatexists]

14:00 funneist scene in pokemon history hands fown

[@nintendonerdjoseph]

Yes. Easily one of the worst games I have ever tried to play. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it.

[@feIon]

i managed to get thru SWSH but SV is the first pokemon game i havent beaten. absolutely horrible

[@SleepycruiseSleepy-gd9hh]

Okay.. But the galarian legendary bird trio's battle theme SLAPS

[@SMCwasTaken]

The Encounter from KH2 >

[@themidnightanimator1954]

Seeing this scene 14:02 in game and many others in comparison to twilight wings afterwards was such a bummer, Twilight wings really was an example of how the Pokémon world for the galar region could have been pushed 100x with voice acting and just a little more writing, the Pokémon trainers had some of the best designs, all the locations were beautiful and I wish the map was bigger taking even more inspiration from places in the Uk. If they would have left the game and cooked it up for another 2 years we could have gotten what I think would have been a legendary game but since Nintendo really wants its profit they put a 3 year constrain on the past few games and we can see how those came out (including SV) The one thing I miss a lot as well was the customisation within the game :(

[@kitkitsune6570]

You can enter npc houses in sword and shield. Scarlet and Violet you can’t.

[@SvampeGuttMusic]

We really got back to back regions with concerts in gyms without voice acting

[@gellusmarc5936]

GF would have lost all credibility if they attempted to make it look like everyone hated Marnie. It's just not possible. Marnie is the sweetest cinnamon roll!! There is no way people could hate her! Frankly, I don't understand how you could even suggest it with a straight (sounding) face!

[@rubyknights5885]

Man, we are really fishing through the barrel since Za is not gonna come out for a real while that we all immediately went back to sword and shield to ask ourselves was it good or bad?

[@shwaig1]

Oh god never tell Gamefreak "they didn't have to do that, but they did." cuz next time they really won't do it 😂😅😭