Playing Pokemon Sword and Shield!

[Skorp | 383]

Anyone has a chance to play Pokemon Sword and/or Shield yet? Who is your starter? Oh man, I am LOVING the world. 30 minutes in and it really all is just gorgeous and very fresh. I tell you, haters really have nothing on this imo. Will be a great month.

[Galdius | 1,513]

I wasn’t really planning on buying it but there were a lot of copies yesterday here in Brazil so I decided to buy it and today since we have a long weekend. I’m 1 hour in and enjoying it but there isn’t anything special from what I’ve seen.

[Strange | 1,700]

My local game store opens in less than an hour and I plan on getting it then. As a kid who grew up a Pokémon dork, I’m very excited.

[Skorp | 383]

Man this game is so much fun. I just love it all. No hate at all with anything so far. Even the all exp with Pokemon is done right. The Dynamex battles are fun to do. If anyone is playing, let me know. Will post my trainer share code here in a sec.

 

[MuNKeY | 241]

My youngest (11) is really wanting this but I still don't know as he is a special needs and struggles to read still (he is grade 5 but barely reads at a grade 2 level) and I have zero interest in it myself and I really hate the ideal having to read shit to him on that let alone pay $60 for something that I think may frustrate him in the end if he doesn't understand what to do and a shit ton of reading (if it had voice over it would help greatly but I know it doesn't).   Granted he can figure out things "his way" as he sat down about a month ago and started playing Earth Defense Force 5 and just yesterday beat it all on his own with no help at all (I haven't made it past the next to the last boss without rage quitting lol), and before that he was playing Luigi's Mansion 3 and had surpassed me time wise from start up to the plant boss with no help. 

Anywooooo... He really loves Pokémon for the monsters and such for those of you that are playing it do you think this would be something he could handle on his own, Do bear in mind he knows nothing about leveling up things or managing anything in these kinds of games but he does pretty good with open world games and just doing "his thing" for example like dicking around with Skyrim when I allow him to or Trove and Minecraft,  Also he does get very frustrated easy on some games if things do not go his way and doesn't quite get the ideal that some games are meant to challenge (if that makes sense) as I had to literally bar him from several games where he gets so upset at it he is near in a rage/tears 

A few of you guys/gals know what I am talking about with all my plights I rattled on about on discord in the past.

I did get him that Pokémon pokken game as I figured he would like it more so over an actual Pokémon type rpg game with it having 1 vs 1 battles and stuff but it didn't seem to last very long and got bored with it after some time and I am debating on maybe getting him one of the Let's Go games as they are a little cheaper now but he seems excited over this new one and wants it for Christmas. 

[ZBomber | 54]

35 minutes ago, MuNKeY said:

My youngest (11) is really wanting this but I still don't know as he is a special needs and struggles to read still (he is grade 5 but barely reads at a grade 2 level) and I have zero interest in it myself and I really hate the ideal having to read shit to him on that let alone pay $60 for something that I think may frustrate him in the end if he doesn't understand what to do and a shit ton of reading (if it had voice over it would help greatly but I know it doesn't).   Granted he can figure out things "his way" as he sat down about a month ago and started playing Earth Defense Force 5 and just yesterday beat it all on his own with no help at all (I haven't made it past the next to the last boss without rage quitting lol), and before that he was playing Luigi's Mansion 3 and had surpassed me time wise from start up to the plant boss with no help. 

Anywooooo... He really loves Pokémon for the monsters and such for those of you that are playing it do you think this would be something he could handle on his own, Do bear in mind he knows nothing about leveling up things or managing anything in these kinds of games but he does pretty good with open world games and just doing "his thing" for example like dicking around with Skyrim when I allow him to or Trove and Minecraft,  Also he does get very frustrated easy on some games if things do not go his way and doesn't quite get the ideal that some games are meant to challenge (if that makes sense) as I had to literally bar him from several games where he gets so upset at it he is near in a rage/tears 

A few of you guys/gals know what I am talking about with all my plights I rattled on about on discord in the past.

I did get him that Pokémon pokken game as I figured he would like it more so over an actual Pokémon type rpg game with it having 1 vs 1 battles and stuff but it didn't seem to last very long and got bored with it after some time and I am debating on maybe getting him one of the Let's Go games as they are a little cheaper now but he seems excited over this new one and wants it for Christmas. 

 

There is a lot of text in the game because they have cutscenes every time you enter a new area basically, but I haven't really encountered anything important in the text so far. It's also aimed at young children so the dialogue is pretty simple. I think he would probably be fine. Most of the "reading" you need to do in the game is the attacks, but once you know what moves do what it's pretty straight forward. Pokemon games, and this one in particular, are pretty easy so that likely wouldn't be a problem. This one is also rather linear with some bigger areas you can explore so it seems unlikely he would get stuck anywhere.

I'm about 3 hours in right now, going to hold off on posting my thoughts until I'm further into the game.

[Skorp | 383]

I am sure he will enjoy it. The text isn't that much as the other Pokemon games and you can just skip through most of it pressing the button like always.

 

If anyone wants to join up for 5 star Dynamax battles, let me know. They are pretty challenging alone since most of the time I don't get any players. That's one thing they need to work on with the Y-comm. It doesn't really update quick enough.

My code:SW-6640-4868-7104

Post your friend codes here if you want to. https://www.videogamesage.com/topic/936-nintendo-switch-friend-codes/

 

[AstralSoul | 502]

I am LOVING Sword/Shield so far. 35 hours in, just finished Gym 5, I love the wild area and the raids. Highlight of the game for me so far. The Pokemon selection is great, despite the fact that half of the total Pokedex was cut in half. I really haven't found anything to complain about honestly. Best Pokemon game since Gen 5 IMO.

[Philosoraptor | 468]

I like it pretty well. I've got some minor gripes with it (exp share always on, camping with your Pokemon could have been a bit more interactive, I miss the easily accessible EV training mini games they had in X/Y and Poke Pelago), but overall, it's better than I expected. 

On 11/16/2019 at 7:24 PM, MuNKeY said:

My youngest (11) is really wanting this but I still don't know as he is a special needs...

Here's my take as someone who has played most Pokemon games out there but doesn't know anyone with special needs.

Sword and Shield are the simplest and most beginner friendly mainline Pokemon games they've made in a very long time, if not ever. The Exp Share always being on should keep his favorites pretty well powered up, and the difficulty is very forgiving. There are all kinds of reminders on screen to keep him on the right track throughout the story, and the map is very straightforward and linear. They do a good job barricading off areas where you're not supposed to be yet so it's harder to get lost, too.

Edit: One caveat with Sword and Shield is the Wild Area. It's an expansive region where you can encounter all different kinds of Pokemon, but you can't catch Pokemon above certain levels until you earn enough badges. As long as he understands that, I think he should be good.

Let's Go has more variety gameplay-wise because catching Pokemon is a mini game where you throw Poke balls at them a-la Pokemon Go and battling Pokemon follows the standard Pokemon battle expectations. It's also very simple and it will have more highly-recognizable Pokemon characters in it, like Brock and Misty. I really enjoyed catching Pokemon in handheld mode and with the Pokeball plus peripheral. However, it is a remake of Red/Blue, so there are times when you can get kind of lost, especially in the caves, and there are times when it's not terribly clear how to proceed in the story.

Let's Go and Sword/Shield are the two games I would recommend to him, but from what I've played (about 40 hours' worth),  I'd recommend Sword and Shield over Let's Go.

Edited November 21, 2019 by Philosoraptor

[MuNKeY | 241]

On 11/16/2019 at 8:07 PM, ZBomber said:

 

There is a lot of text in the game because they have cutscenes every time you enter a new area basically, but I haven't really encountered anything important in the text so far. It's also aimed at young children so the dialogue is pretty simple. I think he would probably be fine. Most of the "reading" you need to do in the game is the attacks, but once you know what moves do what it's pretty straight forward. Pokemon games, and this one in particular, are pretty easy so that likely wouldn't be a problem. This one is also rather linear with some bigger areas you can explore so it seems unlikely he would get stuck anywhere.

I'm about 3 hours in right now, going to hold off on posting my thoughts until I'm further into the game.

 

On 11/18/2019 at 9:44 PM, Skorp said:

I am sure he will enjoy it. The text isn't that much as the other Pokemon games and you can just skip through most of it pressing the button like always.

 

 

26 minutes ago, Philosoraptor said:

I like it pretty well. I've got some minor gripes with it (exp share always on, camping with your Pokemon could have been a bit more interactive, I miss the easily accessible EV training mini games they had in X/Y and Poke Pelago), but overall, it's better than I expected. 

Here's my take as someone who has played most Pokemon games out there but doesn't know anyone with special needs.

Sword and Shield are the simplest and most beginner friendly mainline Pokemon games they've made in a very long time, if not ever. The Exp Share always being on should keep his favorites pretty well powered up, and the difficulty is very forgiving. There are all kinds of reminders on screen to keep him on the right track throughout the story, and the map is very straightforward and linear. They do a good job barricading off areas where you're not supposed to be yet so it's harder to get lost, too.

Edit: One caveat with Sword and Shield is the Wild Area. It's an expansive region where you can encounter all different kinds of Pokemon, but you can't catch Pokemon above certain levels until you earn enough badges. As long as he understands that, I think he should be good.

Let's Go has more variety gameplay-wise because catching Pokemon is a mini game where you throw Poke balls at them a-la Pokemon Go and battling Pokemon follows the standard Pokemon battle expectations. It's also very simple and it will have more highly-recognizable Pokemon characters in it, like Brock and Misty. I really enjoyed catching Pokemon in handheld mode and with the Pokeball plus peripheral. However, it is a remake of Red/Blue, so there are times when you can get kind of lost, especially in the caves, and there are times when it's not terribly clear how to proceed in the story.

Let's Go and Sword/Shield are the two games I would recommend to him, but from what I've played (about 40 hours' worth),  I'd recommend Sword and Shield over Let's Go.

 

Thanks guys all this has been quite helpful and gives me some insight I needed, I am going to try and get him at least one of the newer ones (Sword/Shield) as that is what he really seems to be locked into right now, and from what I gather from what you all have said I think I agree he shouldn't have much of a problem with it on his own and I suppose the only really true way to found out is to unleash him on one and see how it goes.  

[Skorp | 383]

58 hours and 184 Pokemon caught so far! Still haven't continued the story after the 8th gym. I only did the gyms so I can catch any level Pokemon otherwise I'd probably just stay at only 5 badges for a while. Like, there are some awesome Pokemon that are at level 60 like Gengar and Haxorus and you must have all 8 badges to catch them. Just loving the wild area and battles so much as well as looking for new Pokemon, secrets, items etc. Seems to find a new area daily there. Loving the dragons in this game and all the new Pokemon as well. Plenty of keepers, so cutting the dex was no issue at all and I never once complained about that.

Was it always like this though that Dragon has no effect on Fairy types? That was new for me and guess it was introduced in Generation VI. Interesting. Never played the Pokemon games for the 3DS as I just couldn't get into the 3DS at the time with its dual screen play. Need to check those Pokemon games out later on and see what I missed out.

[ZBomber | 54]

5 hours ago, Skorp said:

58 hours and 184 Pokemon caught so far! Still haven't continued the story after the 8th gym. I only did the gyms so I can catch any level Pokemon otherwise I'd probably just stay at only 5 badges for a while. Like, there are some awesome Pokemon that are at level 60 like Gengar and Haxorus and you must have all 8 badges to catch them. Just loving the wild area and battles so much as well as looking for new Pokemon, secrets, items etc. Seems to find a new area daily there. Loving the dragons in this game and all the new Pokemon as well. Plenty of keepers, so cutting the dex was no issue at all and I never once complained about that.

Was it always like this though that Dragon has no effect on Fairy types? That was new for me and guess it was introduced in Generation VI. Interesting. Never played the Pokemon games for the 3DS as I just couldn't get into the 3DS at the time with its dual screen play. Need to check those Pokemon games out later on and see what I missed out.

Yup, Fairy was introduced as a hard counter to Dragon basically (not damaged by Dragon attacks and does double damage to Dragon types) in Gen VI. I haven't gotten any fairy Pokemon yet but I wasn't a big fan of any of the ones in the last two gens aside from the Eevee evolution.

 

I'm about 6 hours in, taking my time and catching a lot which is the part of the games I like the most so I haven't even done the first gym yet. Most of my pre-game feelings are the same.

Negatives:

-My biggest gripe is easily the always on exp share, simply because it makes NO sense why it couldn't be a toggle. I'm already overleveled every time I get to a new area so it kind of ruins the battles going forward. I suppose I could just dump my entire team when catching Pokemon but it's such a pain to have to do that. This one might not even bug a lot of people but grinding Pokemon was something I always enjoyed and now it's basically permanent hand-hold mode.

-I always do my first play through of the games blind using exclusively new Pokemon so the dexit thing won't be an issue for me until I beat the game, but knowing it's there is definitely something that hurts the longevity of the game.

-Haven't encountered any of the gym badge level restrictions yet but I definitely don't like the sound of that.

-Battles are way too easy (not exclusive to this game, been a problem the last 3 gens... but why do so many trainers only have one or two Pokemon?)

 

Positives:

-Dynamax battles are more fun than I was expecting and I like that they are apparently reserved to just a couple areas/gyms?

-Being able to change your Pokemon at any time without having to go to a PC is a big plus. They also go to the box with their health/status conditions in tact so you can't just keep refreshing them by withdrawing/depositing.

-I saw the music listed as a con before the game came out but I don't think it's bad at all.

-I like a lot of the new Pokemon I've encountered so far, tho the second evolution of the fire starter is pretty bad and I heard the rest of the starter evolutions aren't great (though I've avoided looking at them).

 

All in all I'm enjoying the game but like I said before I'm a bit worried about the longevity of this game, with so many Pokemon cut out and the absence of a decent postgame. Seems like I'll probably beat it and then go back to playing the 3DS versions to build up more teams there to eventually port over which is unfortunate. If they patched in exp share toggle and national dex over a period of time (even if it was paid DLC) it would be a game I could see myself playing for a long time, but the lack of those things directly affects exactly what I play Pokemon for once I beat the story.

[Skorp | 383]

Yeah, so basically each badge lets you catch a more higher level Pokemon each time. One badge was 45 and then 50 and the last one is any level, or at least something like that. Like Gengar is level 60, if you don't have the 8th badge, which allows you to catch any level Pokemon. If you throw a ball at it, it will say you can't catch it.

[Rooster | 124]

I was really excited about it, but I won't lie, the haters kind of got to me.  A lot of the general complaints were enough to keep me from buying the game for now.  I am still sort of considering it, but really I'm not sure.  local game shop is selling them for about 5300 yen, though.

[SNESNESCUBE64 | 537]

I started playing it the other day, and I have been really enjoying it. I particularly enjoy the dynamax battles, just something about the pokemon you beat exploding that makes it so satisfying! Some of the complaints about the game are valid, but I feel like a good chunk of them are over-exaggerated.

Edited November 22, 2019 by SNESNESCUBE64

[Skorp | 383]

If anyone has extra Lotad, Larvitar, or Lunatone for trade, let me know. Will trade with Sword exclusives like Jangmo-o got plenty of those. Posted on the Switch Facebook group too.

[Skorp | 383]

So hows everyone going along with their Pokedex? Right now I am at 370 caught and 382 seen. Doing a Jangmo-o shiny run now, so imagine the amount of eggs I have received and hatched so far for surprise trade. Still need a Lotad though!

[Boosted52405 | 178]

I'm super pumped to get into this, I snagged the double pack with preorder banner bonus from Gamestop...but I haven't touched it yet!

I'm a huge Pokemon Go'er and am muddling through Let's Go currently to gain access to the weekly Meltan Boxes that can be transferred over.

Also wrapping up my final college classes before Xmas, and then am going to dive into both games.  I can't wait to do raids and it would be super cool if we could friend/group up through here.

@MuNKeY I totally agree with the others, although I haven't played Sword/Shield yet, I've watched some Youtube videos and I think your son will love it.  Most of the textual stuff is repetitive so he'd quit reading it anyways and once he's off and running with it, he'll probably be talking with kids at school about it etc.  As a 11yo, having the latest Pokemon to jam at night and talk at school I imagine will be pretty dope (it's how Blue/Red was for me back in the day!).

[RH | 4,903]

Are either of these worth getting for someone who hasn't played Pokemon? I started playing Pokemon Blue a couple years ago but since it was the first time I'd ever played a Pokemon game, I couldn't get into it.  I'm not sure if it's because, you know, it was a GB game or if I'm just not into it.  Is this a good one to start with for someone wanting a slightly more modernized touch?

I'm on the fence about picking up a new franchise to become a fan of but I feel like Pokemon deserves a second chance.  I'd like to give it it's best shot by trying one of it's best games in the mainline series.

[Boosted52405 | 178]

2 minutes ago, RH said:

Are either of these worth getting for someone who hasn't played Pokemon? I started playing Pokemon Blue a couple years ago but since it was the first time I'd ever played a Pokemon game, I couldn't get into it.  I'm not sure if it's because, you know, it was a GB game or if I'm just not into it.  Is this a good one to start with for someone wanting a slightly more modernized touch?

I'm on the fence about picking up a new franchise to become a fan of but I feel like Pokemon deserves a second chance.  I'd like to give it it's best shot by trying one of it's best games in the mainline series.

From the rave reviews I've heard so far, these new ones Sword/Shield appear to be arguably the best ever (only complaints seem to be the narrowed down list of all available historical pokemon).

This is a modern 3D version that is more true to the nature of Pokemon compared to the countless spinoffs etc.

I'd also recommend Pokemon Go as a fun free mobile game - it's deeper than it seems at initial glance, I join up with local groups regularly for legendary boss battles etc (through Discord).

Pokemon Lets Go for the Switch is a Red/Blue remake and modernized with a spin of Pokemon Go intermixed - a pretty good game too.  However I'm thinking Sword or Shield would be a great way to give the franchise a 2nd chance.

Keep in mind the overall nature is the same as you played in Red/Blue - you start off with nothing, collect/battle Pokemon to grow and fight Gym leaders to earn Gym badges to advance.  Story mode can be completed through while the collecting of missing Pokemon can go on after the fact.  This one offers some new features such as Raid battles with other players, which I'm excited for.  Another more modern feature that is kind of exciting is "Shiny" pokemon - they are extremely rare (1 in 450 in PoGo for example) and are desirable color variations.

[8-bit_boice | 46]

If anyone is needing Shield exclusive Pokemon, I have almost all the exclusives I can trade for Sword Pokemon, I don't have anybody the Sword exclusives yet. I also have a few Pokemon I just need to trade to evolve and get back if anyone is interested.  

[Skorp | 383]

7 hours ago, 8-bit_boice said:

If anyone is needing Shield exclusive Pokemon, I have almost all the exclusives I can trade for Sword Pokemon, I don't have anybody the Sword exclusives yet. I also have a few Pokemon I just need to trade to evolve and get back if anyone is interested.  

Added you earlier today!

[Skorp | 383]

Woohoo finally near completing the dex. Just one more, which will be to evolve Null tomorrow or whenever I get the chance. Thank you @8-bit_boice for helping me get the final 13 including 9 unknowns I was missing! Hope I helped you out too. Also need to get Mew once I buy a Let's Go Pokeball and some Gigantamax exclusives like Gengar. Otherwise, just need to finish the Battle Tower and game will be completed. Just can do shiny hunting and max raids whenever for fun. Also, gonna plan to put all the Pokemon in order to make sure I have them in storage instead of just Pokedex.

[asmikace | 68]

I got mine with a discount and 10$ preorder bonus but it was before the pokedex cut news. I always like to get a Jigglypuff when I play and they cut my favorite pokemon so I am going to wait in hoping they include it in the future.

[Skorp | 383]

I'm curious if they will stick with their mindset on keeping it 400 Pokemon and no future DLC for additional Pokemon. Like I thought Mewtwo was going to be in the game, but it isn't. Like Mew doesn't even count toward the Pokedex, so it was just some extra/bonus Pokemon.

Edited December 21, 2019 by Skorp