Thomas Fenton

I own Pokémon Sword and have logged about 20 hours. The review is a mixed bag, but overall a positive one. This generation feels like it is 10 steps forward and 3 steps back. New features like move maintenance, nice battle animations, and the entertaining wild area represent a larger step forward for the franchise than other recent installments. The glaring issue for most fans is the lack of a national dex (though I personally don’t mind that as much). I have not really missed the National dex (yet) because of the good selection of Pokémon. I DO wish they had kept some fan favorites. There is still too much story fluff that no one really cares about (though this story is a little better than some of the others). I do believe the game is too easy, as I have yet to lose a battle. Game freak should be pleased with the game overall, but they need to understand that their fans expect excellence out of them, and missing a National Dex because you “don’t have the manpower” is a poor reflection on them. They have the worlds highest grossing media franchise EVER and they can afford the manpower to make it happen?? Most people giving the game terrible reviews probably didn’t buy it, so don’t listen to them. If you were happy with just playing the DS games, you will be more than content with this game.