Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

I would LOVE an anime or game that had the slightly darker, more complex feel of something like Pokemon Generations.

@Ralizah I don't know. Bugsy and Morty were quite challenging as well, Claire too. Norman in gen 3, and the electric and fire gyms as well. It kinds depends on your starter I guess. Most of gen 1 was fairly challenging too.

I mean, definitely. The QOL features have made the campaigns certainly easier. Unlimited TMs for example, but also the Pokemon being able to learn more and better moves. Just look up the moveset of anything from gen 3 or below, and you're hard-pressed to find enough moves to make a decent in-game moveset. Whereas these days I'm having difficulty choosing which moves to keep.

Maybe it's just that all of it isn't countered by an increase in overall difficulty. But like I said, just bring back the difficulty options from BW, and make them available from the start. Normal, Hard and Brutal. Problem solved!

@Octane The lack of difficulty options has always seemed a bit weird to me. It should be relatively simple to code, and it'd account for players of different skill levels.

Then again, it'd also be simple to not bake in EXP share, but they did anyway.

GF seems to view Pokemon as a sort of curated experience that's ideally played one way. They figure if people want to play differently, they'll just work within the game's design framework and create self-imposed challenges. And, to be fair, they have. People play Pokemon games with one arm tied behind their backs all the time, and the games don't drop in popularity at all.

@Ralizah I've said it before, but I think it's also part of the reason why Pokemon fan-made ROMs/hacks or whatever are that popular. People finding ways to make their own game.

Though, with the Exp Share, Nuzlocke runs are going to be way less fun.

@KratosMD @Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
As my order from Ninty for the double pack (for my daughter for Crimbo) apparently shipped today - I thought I'd have a look.

I paid no attention to the leaks and whatnot.

Read EG's review just now. Not the best - but I still think that a fan will enjoy it.

I know this isn't an original comment but it does look like it's been scored higher than it should have been by alot of outlets, based on the actual wording of the reviews. I understand that, and I also understand that even a 5-6/10 game can be good so I really wouldn't get upset if it had been scored lower.

Just a trite observation really, but I think if we're being fair it's pretty valid.

@kyleforrester87 It's a fair thing to point out, especially because a lot of people only look at the scores of reviews. IGN and Gamespot are the biggest offenders from the reviews I've read. Any issues brought up in their reviews were quickly brushed aside instead of being further elaborated on, and they came off as excessively positive because of it.

I don't think the games will be terrible, but they do have a lot of issues that should be brought up in a review. I've followed the leaks pretty closely, and there will still some things I didn't know about mentioned in Eurogamer's review that are extremely concerning like the lack of dungeons/exploration in general.

@Storytime7 yes, i never have an issue with a score being too high or too low - it’s just an opinion after all - but sometimes scores just don’t seem to marry up with the wording, and I have a bit of a problem with that. But it could just be down to my own interpretation of what’s been written.

Still, it’s just a score and the only way of really knowing is to take a punt yourself!

I would get it on Friday, the only reason I’m not going to is I am still to finish the awesome Luigis Mansion 3 and I’m also enjoying Death Stranding, so I’ll let the dust settle and get it for Christmas, unless time reveals it to be a stinker, I reckon.

@kyleforrester87 I'm sadly going to have to pass on SwSh just like with Let's Go. I was actually excited for both games when they were first revealed, but they really just don't seem to offer what I want from a Pokemon game. I felt the 3DS games were hollow despite enjoying them on my initial playthrough, and the Switch games haven't done much to address my issues with the series.

I really want to play Luigi's Mansion 3, but I'm holding off until I finish Dragon Quest XI. I guess the bright side of being disappointed with recent Pokemon games is that it'll just make it easier to play games in my backlog.

@KratosMD I've discovered that calling out some of the angrier Pokemon fans for their abusive and often hysterical comments about the games and the people buying them gets you called a "shill" or worse quite frequently, lol.

@kyleforrester87 I think what score something receives also depends on how much of an impact listed problems might have on the reviewer's experience with the game. For example, I could probably create a list of "problems" about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that's longer than the one going around about the new Pokemon game, but, at the end of the day, I felt like the overall experience transcended those problems, and I'd never give it less than an 8/10.

Actually, come to think of it, lots of big games have scored well and been well-received despite having a litany of graphical and performance issues at launch. Should those factor more dramatically into reviews at launch? Maybe. I don't really see it as needless score inflation, though.

Anyway, this is why I always make sure to actually read a review. Review scores are highly subjective in terms of what individual reviewers think is important. My 9/10 could be someone else's 6/10, depending on how we weigh various factors.

@Ralizah yeah that’s a fair enough point - on paper XB2 has so many issues but it’s one of the best games I’ve played in years and years (playing through it again right now as it happens!)

My only real concern could be the length of the game. That’s not to say I want it to be long for the sake of being long but is the supposed 15-20 hours enough for a Pokemon game? I would assume that doesn’t include catching them all?

@kyleforrester87 In general, playtimes for Pokemon games vary wildly between people. They usually last between 20 - 40 hours just for the main campaigns, depending on how much screwing around you do. Afterward, hundreds of hours can be pumped into 'catching em all,' create competition ready Pokemon, etc.

I don't know if I am on the minority but I can't understand how in a main series Pokemon game you can't "catch them all". Seriously in my Moon 3ds game I have all the characters, even the event ones that took years to complete literally. Some were transported as far back as Ruby/Fire Red on GBA (GBA->DS via Slot 2->3DS via Bank). Maybe I can understand not having this on a side game like lets'go but come on its bizzare having a pokemon game that you can't catch them all.

I have not seen the forums but it is way obvious that SwSh use upscaled 3ds assets that have serious framerate and animation issues. Seriously they looked like a pixelated mess.

Moreover I don't know SwSh have the stupid hold handing and unskippable cutscenes with annoying characters like Sun/Moon. Seriously I just wanted to complete the main story to focus on my Pokedex completion.

Tose days I am playing Atelier Ryza. I really like the game. It suffers from some framerate issues but it is way better that the Vita ports of previous Atelier games.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy With the QoL improvements that apparently make it where any Pokemon can be "competition ready," I'm thinking of actually going more hardcore with this entry in terms of battling online and team composition. It was too much of a hassle before to breed competition-viable Pokemon, so I've always been happy being a casual scrub who mainly focuses on the campaign.

@belmont I can definitely see why someone who has meticulously built a complete living Pokedex over the years would be annoyed by the lack of a national dex, but, in fairness, aside from the first gen, we've never been able to "catch em all."

"Mass import em all from previous games, some of which were downloaded," maybe.

I want a game where I can actually catch all the mons in-game.

To be honest, though, I am sort of secretly happy that GF essentially rebooted the Pokedex. It'll be way to easier to complete now.

Metacritic is about what I expected. Still in hospital so looking forward to playing Shield when I (eventually) get discharged.

I actually quite liked the old-fashioned way of raising EVs, such as defeating wild Graveler to raise defence and so on. Never really been into the nitty gritty, particularly with IVs and breeding, but happy to have a party with good coverage that also looks cool.

@Ralizah There were ways to get all the characters in the 3DS games without using DS or GBA though. And you could get event pokemon via the internet mystery gift thing. And you could also use GTS. Since they reuse 3ds assets they could easily have all characters and drop the Pokedex descriptions for old pokemon only. I never bothered to read them anyway. They may gave you permition to use National dex mon after you beat the story.

I have read some reviews and they dropped the GTS? Oh come on why?? I have to linger in forums to find people for pokemon trading instead of just uploading for example a Sword exclusive and ask for a Shield one like we did for years.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Thanks I somehow missed this info.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Holding out for the 'third version' of the game? It'll be interesting to see what happens. X/Y has been the only set of games so far without an alternate version or sequel of some sort.

@belmont https://nintendoeverything.com/gts-is-gone-in-pokemon-sword-a...

"– Can access Y-Comm almost immediately
– Bring up any time by pressing the Y button
– The Y-Comm serves as your hub for all kinds of online communications
– Submit a request for a Link Trade, put out a call to battle with another trainer, and swap your personal trading cards with anyone who wants to get to know you
– Said requests run in the background while you continue to quest through the Galar Region
– “Surprise Trade”: throw a Pokemon into the digital ether; the game then “handles the rest”
– Surprise Trade is assumedly a replacement for Wonder Trade, but not yet confirmed"

Early details on the new trading system. I'd be surprised if you couldn't request specific Pokemon like before, but we'll see.

I'm eager to see what the multiplayer aspects of the game are like. Apparently you'll be able to run into other players in the Wild Area and engage in raid battles together.

@Ralizah Thanks for the link. It seems that they changed GTS with ... GTS? It seems to be the same thing...
One video review mentioned that you can't request specific Pokemon. They may be mistaken though.

On another video they mentioned that you cannot try to catch wild Pokemon that are higher level from what your badges allow you? Oh man imagine encoutering a Shiny Pokemon that you can't even try to catch. This is "throw the console out of the window" kind of bad. Who thought that this was a good idea?

I guess I won't buy the game at launch, let the dust to settle and see what the Home app will be.

In the 3DS they kind of lessened the third version thing. X/Y did not have one, Emerald was never ported, Sun/Moon got lazy updated versions with only the final hour or so changed but with not enough changes.

I've been reading various reviews for Pokemon SwSh. The less positive reviews (such as Eurogamer's) resonate with me more than the very positive ones. The negatives factors, such as not being able to transfer all your pokemon or the lack of dungeons and not enough exploration, are likely going to have a bigger impact for me then the things that are being praised about the games.

Plus I'm hearing mixed things about whether there's a GTS. I really hope there's an equivalent of it in the game that allows you to deposit pokemon in exchange for specific other pokemon, along with searching for specific pokemon. Guess we'll know for sure on Friday when the online services should be up.

I consider myself a pokemon fan and would probably still get enjoyment out of them, but still being a bit disappointed at the same time. It's not something I'd want to get right away, but could be tempted further down the line especially when they're cheaper either in a sale or second hand.

It's a Pokemon game. I do like Pokemon games, but a few big things along with lots of smaller things (some of which are very subjective) are deterring me from wanting them.

If I had my usual hype for Pokemon games, then I'd probably have a Switch right now and be eagerly awaiting my preorder for the game to arrive. Still might get a Switch before too long, getting a bit more tempted, but Pokemon isn't what will convince me to get one.

Anyway, despite my negativity, I don't want to detract from those looking forward to them. If you're eagerly awaiting these games, then have a great time with them.

So I finally got my Zacian & Zamazenta Switch Lite, and it's fantastic! I've experienced some issues with diagonal inputs on other Lites I've tried, but this hasn't been an issue at all with mine. In fact, the D-Pad is good enough that I went back to Celeste and collected the rest of the crystal hearts using the D-Pad exclusively (and, lemme tell you, that is NOT a game you play if you're having issues with diagonal inputs; I just used the analog stick before, which was fine but imperfect).

I'm sure I'll probably play something on the Switch Phat again at some point, but nothing comes to mind right now. The appeal of the Switch for me is its ability to play games away from the TV, and this thing is just a lot more comfortable and portable as a handheld device.