Matt Gibson

I think Sword and Shield are fairly standard pokémon games. They certainly have their flaws, such as the rushed pacing toward the end of the main story, the weak post-game plot, the lack of a national dex, and the less than great scenery in the wild area (talking to you Dusty Bowl trees). However, where the games shine are in the new pokémon designs, the focus on the gym challenge as a sport, the improvements to streamlining the raising of pokémon, and the co-op Max Raid battles. I actually find myself spending most of my game time wandering the Wild Area filling my dex and battling raids with my friends. The matter of if it lives up to being a $60 AAA title is debatable. Story-wise, it seems like standard pokémon fare. If you like that sort of thing, then yea, it's worth picking up because you'll certainly get that with the added bonus of raising pokémon not being a slog. However, if you base it totally on visual appearance and want some deep story, then no. Wait until you can find it used for $45-ish. I don't see the used copies remaining expensive like HeartGold/SoulSilver have.