My Pokémon Sword and Shield Review

Introduction

Pokémon, this franchise has been and still is part of many children's childhoods. The wonderful world of Pokémon was brought to our world in the year of 1996. The first generation of games, "Pocket Monsters Red" and "Pocket Monsters Green" were released in Japan to a very positive reception. Soon, an enchanced version, "Pocket Monsters Blue" was released. Pokémon Red and Blue were then brought over internationally to a equally positive reception.
 
 The success of the games spawned an anime based on the games with the protagonists being Ash Ketchum and his partner Pokémon Pikachu (who so happens to be the franchises' mascot) . Another enchanced version of "Pokémon Red" and "Pokémon Blue" was released as "Pokémon Yellow" which is more similar to the anime with the player chossing a Pikachu as their starting Pokémon. The anime series was loved globally and in fact is still running today with Pokémon Journeys: The Series. 

 

                       A picture of starter Pokémon from generation one to eight
More Pokémon games were released over the years such as second generation games "Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal", third generation of games "Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald", "Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green" (remakes of the first generation games), fourth generation of games "Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum", "Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver" (remakes of the second generation games), fifth generation games "Pokémon Black and White", sixth generation games "Pokémon X and Y", "Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire" (remakes of the third generation games), seventh generation games "Pokémon Sun and Moon" , "Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon" and "Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee" (remakes of Pokémon Yellow). And the current generation of games "Pokémon Sword and Shield"

 The main series also spawned multiple spin-off titles such as "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon", "Pokémon Ranger" and most popular of all, "Pokémon GO". I believe the franchise will continue to live on and make may happy childhoods.

                                                                                                Review

 So, we now arrive on the main discussion, the newest generation of games "Pokémon Sword and Shield". Oh dear, where do I begin? This set of games has certainly stirred up quite a controversy between fans of this beloved franchise. You see, the controversy at hand here is the problem of The Pokémon Company's decision to exclude many of the 800 Pokémon introduced. This caused a lot of outrage among the community as many people's favourite Pokémon have been cut from the Pokédex (which records the data of Pokémon). Though the game received hate for the cut of Pokémon quantity, that did not stop Pokémon Sword and Shield from selling well over the world.In this review, I will not be mentioning much of the Pokédex cut. Now let us begin.

 I have been a big fan of Pokémon since I was introduced to it when I was five, which was in 2004. My parents got me "Pokémon Red" for my birthday and soon after, I would go on to play every other generation of Pokémon games. So when I first went to the game store, I was hesitant about getting the game but soon realized after first playing it, that it was really fun. Now, personally I do not think that in order to be a good fan of this franchise you have to indulge yourself into it completely, instead I think in order to be a true fan of the franchise, you need to enjoy it. I am not a good competitive player but I still enjoy this franchise completely.
 
Why do I enjoy the game? 
   I enjoy it not because I am in love with the game, the game still has quite a few flaws, but because it is still Pokémon. Pokémon Sword and Shield has almost all the elements that makes Pokémon well, Pokémon! Some of these elements includes but is not limited to, battling, catching and trading. Sure, not all my desired Pokémon are in the game but the game has taught me how to use Pokémon I have never used before and that helps me connect with the franchise better.

The Characters.
  In my opinion, one area that "Pokémon Sword and Shield" really exceeded expectations in is the entertaining and interesting characters. First of we have the playable characters Victor and Gloria who have very adorable designs (and I love the memes made about Gloria being a foul-mouthed Scottish Pokémon Trainer.
 Then there's the rivals Hop, Bede, Marnie, Klara and Avery. This set of rivals are, to me, the most memorable rivals in a long time. Pokémon actually succeeded in making a large group of rivals memorable and charming. Hop in particular shone out to me as I really felt bad beating him in battle compared to other rivals in the past, which shows how well written I think the rivals are.
 Then there are the other characters Leon, Sonia, the lovable gym leaders and much more. Pokémon really made me love all these characters which has not happened since generation five.


                                                                 The gym leaders as seen in Pokémon Shield.
The new Pokémon
 Oh. My. Goodness. These new Pokémon in my opinion are some of the best designs in a long time. Pokémon such as Centiskorch, Duradulon and Dragapult are among my favourites. Then again, there are Pokémon like Greedent. Oh no. Overall these new creatures are the among the best designs in all of this creative creatures.
The new gimmick
  Ah, this next thing I am going to talk about is also very controversial among the Pokémon community. The Pokémon Company has been introducing gimmicks for the past 2 generations such as the well-received "Mega Evolution" in generation six which increases the power of the Pokémon and changes their appearance too. In generation seven, powerful moves known as "Z-Moves". 
 This generation introduced a new gimmick known as Dynamax and Gigantamax. Dynamax raises the power of the Pokémon and turns them into gigantic kaiju-like versions of themselves. Gigantamax does pretty much what Dynamax does to your Pokémon except their appearances change just like Mega Evolution. This feature has been very controversial to the Pokémon community as it is too similar to Mega Evolution.
 However, I feel that this feature is pretty fun in competitive and in-game. Seeing your Pokémon turn gigantic is very captivating and I think that it is not that bad of a feature.
Interaction and Music
  This generation's interaction both with other players and the main game itself is impressive. Online interaction such as trading and battling has been much easier than previous games. And in game? The way crowds in the gyms cheer in battle themes such as that absolutely amazing gym leader theme song. The way the crowds cheer for you and your opponent. Breathtaking. The wild area is also one of the most enjoyable experiences in Pokémon because of the wide variety of Pokémon you can choose. 

The music in this generation is incredible. Like I mentioned, the gym leader theme is wondrous. Not only that, the trainer battle theme, all your rival themes are catchy and fun.
                    
                                                                                                        Conclusion

I absolutely think Pokémon Sword and Shield are good games and worthy successors to Pokémon games. My main problem is the Pokédex cut, although I do not have as of a big problem as compared to other fans. And, the next DLC is coming and I cannot wait for it enough. Overall this game is a 8/10 and I recommend playing it.