Reviews VideoGame / Pokemon Sword And Shield

What, is it \"Hate on Sword & Shield week or something?

Why is this flagged? I don\'t agree with all of the complaints (nerfs are healthy), but none of them are based on false premises

Not sure why it\'s flagged, but some of the points are at least misleading. For instance getting overleveled isn\'t much of an issue unless you do a lot of extra catching during the game story, or at least I found it easy to not be overleveled. T Rs being one time use isn\'t near as troublesome as they make it out to be given how easy most of them are to get. Comparing them to games where you had to play them again to get more is not justified.

I think this is flagged because this user has inserted irrelevant complainy notes into the work pages, so the negativity here is actually an issue in other contexts.

The claims about terrains being nerfed to unviability are absolutely false. The \"over 70 moves cut\" bit is misleading; a majority of those moves were early to mid game garbage, and some were just gimmicky. Less than 10 ever saw serious use, and that\'s being generous. The \"unforgiveable\" Aegislash nerf was inconsequential; the mon still performs every role as well as it did in previous Gens, and continues to be extremely threatening.

These complaints, at the very least, make it seem like the guy is regurgitating a \"Everything wrong with Pokemon Sword & Shield\" list (complete with fake outrage), rather than speaking about his actual experience.

And more when some of his other points also lack a feet to stand on.

First, he says that the problem Ruby/Sapphire had back then with not being able to get all the Pokemon is better than it is now thanks to being programmed in the data. However, he fails to notice that it matters not if they are programmed if there\'s no way to access them. And this in itself is why I have felt that said problem back then is repeating itself right now blow by blow. We even have to fork in the extra cash to get all the Pokemon and everything, just like back then.

Second, he is way too pessimist. He\'s saying that the dex cut will repeat in later games without evidence when logic should tell us that after the backlash Game Freak would think ten times prior to doing another cut.

Three, he says this games are the most linear yet all prior games had their level of linearity as well. Yeah, I admit that some of them open themselves more than others in the middle portion, yet every one of them are an straight path both at the beginning and at the end.

Four, he\'s comparing Sw/Sh with Stadium and Battle Revolution, yet he fails to notice that said games are just battle simulators (yes, hurt who it might hurt, they are battle simulators). Of course their models and animations will be the best ones, is the only thing those games really have. They lack any story, dungeons and even a lot of characters, ergo, all the time, resources and money they would have devoted in Sw/Sh for said areas and similar instead can all of them be devoted on the models and animations departments.

Lastly, he also compares them to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Odyssey yet he also fails to notice that, unlike Sw/Sh, said games could have a longer development cycle and could even be their release could be postponed. The main Pokemon games lack said luxury, however, because of their structuring. Any other Pokemon media besides the main games require said games to function either because of the new Pokemon, characters or the region in itself.

Simply put, his points sound, blow by blow, repeats other have already said, so I don\'t think this review was even necessary.

NO LICKITUNG?!?!?!?!?

Actually, you don\'t. AFAIK you don\'t have buy the DLC to get access to any of the returning Pokemon (although you will have to depend on trading to get the new mons).

A) Well, when the announcement for the dex cut was made, they specifically said this will be the model going forward, so it\'s not without evidence. B) Sword and Shield sold 17 million copies by March 2020, while Sun and Moon sold 16 million copies to date. It doesn\'t look like there\'s a reason for them to care about negative backlash.

1.-) Believe it or not, I agree. Heck, your argument is usually the one I tend to give, however, there are always rebuttals.

So I decided to cut the chase and simply give the arguments others have given me.

2.A-) Well, that was prior to the backlash. They could have easily changed opinions thanks to how negatively nearly everybody reacted.

2.B-) I mean, they could always learn from their mistakes, no matter how well or bad their games sell.

Problem is, Game Freak has a history of not learning from mistakes like these. Things like over-prioritizing Charizard, removing mechanics, forced EXP share, etc, those are things people have been complaining about for years now, and they're things Game Freak has only doubled down on.

Can they learn from their mistakes? Sure.

Are they likely to? Not really, especially not when the games sell well.

The problem arises when said \"mistakes\" people are criticizing them for doing are nitpicks at best.

- Over-prioritizing Charizard: Believe it or not, even with all this anti-gen 1 sentiment going on, Charizard is still by far one of the most popular Pokemon that exists and is even used a lot in competitive. Do you really believe that Game Freak, nay, any company wouldn\'t take advantage of this? As if!.

- Removing mechanics: This has been done prior too and there wasn\'t this much scandal compared. Just to give you but one example: They removed contests and nobody cared. What this tells me is that there\'s a bias, they can remove mechanics meanwhile said mechanics aren\'t that popular to begin with.

Should they really throw a survey when they start to work on a new gen just to know which mechanics can be removed and which ones can\'t be? As if they had enough time. Besides, surveys aren\'t 100% fail-proof, people may not know the survey even exists, other may let their opinions be changed by the majority and so forth. So how can Game Freak know which mechanics not to touch?.

- Forced EXP Share: Maybe forcing it was wrong but it staying but itself sure isn\'t. An EXP Share like this one helps casuals become competitive by making grinding both easier and faster, ergo, why a lot of casuals became competitive in gen 8. Should they really return to how things were prior and basically create a rift between the casuals and the competitive?.

You might consider them nitpicks, but not everyone does. Everyone enjoys the games for different reasons and giving priority to specific subsets of the fandom neglects other members of the fandom.

For example, while it\'s true that Charizard is pretty popular, I know myself and a lot of other fans would have better experiences playing the game if he and other Gen-1 Pokemon weren\'t shoved down our throats like they are. I enjoy all generations and my enjoyment suffers when Gen-1 is put on a pedestal. Maybe it makes monetary sense, but myself and many others still consider it a mistake.

Game Freak specifically said that they remove mechanics to make generations stand on their own. That means that even if fans overwhelmingly like something, they\'d still remove it just because. I mean, the fans are pretty vocal about what they like and don\'t like; all they\'d have to do is look at things like reviews, online discussion, and the like. Also \"Contests\" weren\'t a mechanic, they were a mini game. I\'m talking about things like removing certain moves from the game forever (rendering some Pokemon entirely useless), or removing Mega Evolution when it was a huge boost to some underused Pokemon.

As for the EXP share thing, not every casual player wants to go competitive. Some just want to play the actual game and want to enjoy said game without being OP. Besides, there\'s more to competitive play than level grinding, and by removing things like the Battle Frontier, they still hampered people\'s ability to actually play the game with the Pokemon they\'d been over-leveling throughout their playthrough, and gives less incentive to actually grind during the game. There\'s still a \"rift\" there- it\'s just that some casual players are competitive now. Doesn\'t mean there\'s not still people who just want to be casual and don\'t care about competitive.

Obviously this is all subjective, but what you call \"nitpicks\" I can call \"glaring mistakes they\'ve refused to do anything about\". I still love the games, but the more these things happen the more I feel alienated, because what I like about the games is being taken away. Some other mistakes I didn\'t mention are Friendly Rivals (everyone wants another jerkass rival), too many cutscenes, handholding, the lack of a post-game, Shiny Locks, their enforced trading if you\'re in any country besides Japan, Mythicals not having stories, etc. There\'s a lot of problems that the games just have never fixed despite people complaining for years about them. So I just can\'t take it at face value that the mistakes in this game wouldn\'t be repeated.

\"...and giving priority to specific subsets of the fandom neglects other members of the fandom.\"

But that\'s the issue, there will always be a sub-section of their fanbase that will feel neglected. What can they do?.

\"Maybe it makes monetary sense,...\"

You are actually right. And is a decision any company would make.

\"all they\'d have to do is look at things like reviews, online discussion, and the like.\"

And then they find contrarian opinions and are stuck. Because yes, I have seen people disliking on Megas and Z-Moves. If the fanbase cannot reach an agreement then who should Game Freak hear? And remember that no matter what, one side will be disappointed.

\"Also \"Contests\" weren\'t a mechanic, they were a mini game.\"

It is a mechanic. It changes how you play the game entirely. You need to boost an specific stat of the contest style you are entering, change the Pokemon\'s moveset and be tactical when playing it.

And okay, let\'s say you are right, what about Rotation Battle then? It was also dropped and nobody bathed an eye, so my point still stands.

\"I\'m talking about things like removing certain moves from the game forever (rendering some Pokemon entirely useless),...\"

Seeing how Isle of Armor added some moves I would say that they could simply add them back through patches.

\"...or removing Mega Evolution when it was a huge boost to some underused Pokemon.\"

But it worked mostly as a way to advertise already popular Pokemon. I mean Mewtwo and Charizard got 2 Megas, Garchomp got a Mega, Lucario got a Mega, Gardevoir got a Mega, even freaking Rayquaza got a Mega. It was a good mechanic with terrible execution.

\"...not every casual player wants to go competitive.\"

But that doesn\'t negate my point, all you did is delimit it.

\"Friendly Rivals (everyone wants another jerkass rival),...\"

I have never understood the appeal for a Gary-like rival. Heck, I never liked Gary to begin with, he\'s one dimensional and boring.

What\'s the issue with more friendly rivals?.

\"...too many cutscenes...\"

They are trying to tell an story like other RP Gs, what did you expect?. Or would you prefer the excuse of a plot gen 1 had?.

\"...Shiny Locks,...\"

A nitpick...

\"...their enforced trading if you\'re in any country besides Japan,...\"

Understandable, after all, is their home country, of course it will have special privileges. Wouldn\'t you do the same? I know I would.

\"...Mythicals not having stories,...\"

I agree on this one entirely.

\"So I just can\'t take it at face value that the mistakes in this game wouldn\'t be repeated.\"

Agree to disagree.

\"[...]Friendly Rivals (everyone wants another jerkass rival)[...]\"

Haven\'t played the games so sorry if I\'m missing information, but isn\'t Bede supposed to be a jerkass rival?

Does Bede actually count as a Rival? N didn't...

The reason people want another Jerk rival is because the "Friendly Rival" archetype is getting old, plain and simple. We want a character we feel happy to beat, a character who makes us feel like we need to work toward our victory and who push us to care about our interactions, not someone we feel bad defeating, and who doesn't give the player any reason to care about the rivalry. They don't need to be flat, either- they're perfectly capable of making interesting assholes.

If they can't give us another jerk rival, can't they at least do something new and give us a friendly rival who becomes more of a jerk through development, or a rival who is actually allowed to beat us without the game forcing us into a rebattle, or something? Basically, just because you don't get the appeal, mega, doesn't mean the appeal isn't there for a lot of fans. We want something interesting and new, and returning to the old rival model would be refreshing after so many friendly rivals.

As for the other points:

• Yes, Gen 1 nostalgia makes them money, but I'm still allowed to find it obnoxious and unfair to the other generations. At the very least, why is Red the only protagonist allowed to return? Why not Gold, Kris, Lucas, May, etc? What about rivals other than Blue, like Silver, Wally, or Barry? If they won't stop the Gen-1 nostalgia fest, the least they could do is also represent the other generations more than they have been.
• Right, but how many fans were on the anti-Megas side? If it's pretty sizeable than I get it, but if they're just a vocal minority, that's a different story. And Game Freak has pandered to certain sections of the fanbase before, so I don't see why it's impossible for them to listen in this circumstance.
• You have to remember, Rotation Battles were a Gen 5 thing. Of course they dropped it- people were so viciously against Gen 5 for some reason, they went out of their way to pretend it didn't happen when Gen 6 came around. I'm not saying it was a good thing that they dropped it (though Triple Battles were more fun), but it's because of Gen 5 hate, not because they were a mechanic nobody liked.
• But why remove them in the first place? At least, why remove the ones they did- Hidden Power, for example? You say they were helping people get into competitive and stuff, but then why remove one of the moves people rely on in competitive to give certain Pokemon more coverage? It just makes no sense and saying they could come back doesn't explain why they were removed in the first place.
• I agree. Megas should've been used better. Doesn't mean they should've been removed outright though; they were an awesome idea and were handled poorly, but several Pokemon benefited from them.
• I'm not saying I negated your point, I'm just saying that it doesn't really justify the OP EXP share in the later gens. Some people just want to play casual and shouldn't have to have an OP team in the playthrough game if it's not how they want to play.
• I want better plots, but too many cutscenes bogs the game down. At least focus on the important stuff- don't show me Hau eating his food on the plane, who cares about that? Let us play the game and enjoy the story in equal measures. Gen 5 did that really well- Hell, so did Mystery Dungeon and Rangers.
• How are Shiny Locks a nitpick? Some people get their enjoyment out of Shiny Hunting and there's literally no reason to keep certain Pokemon locked, other than to force people to use the events to get their precious shiny legendaries. It's not a nitpick, it's a major problem people have with the games and something they've refused to stop doing.
• No, I wouldn't give my Home Country an advantage because I'm of the opinion that every player of the game should have an equally good and easy experience playing the game. Justifying it with "Well, duh, that's where they live" is just allowing them to shaft every non-Japanese player.
• Yeah, best just agree to disagree.

All in all, I don't think these are necessarily bad games. I'm just not thrilled with where the franchise has been heading lately and I just wish to see the things I pointed out get addressed somehow in the future. In the meantime, I can satisfy myself by playing randomized nuzlockes of the older games.

\"They don\'t need to be flat, either- they\'re perfectly capable of making interesting assholes.\"

Suppose that I agree, but only if they aren\'t flat (as in, another Gary). If I had to decide between a flat jerk rival or a friendly but flat rival I would take the later anytime.

\"...and returning to the old rival model would be refreshing after so many friendly rivals.\"

Yeah, I still don\'t get it. Basically you are saying that it would be refreshing because they have done a lot of friendly rivals but if you wanna fight a jerk rival again then why cannot you simply play the old games or their remakes.

But I suppose I will never get it, after all, I am a man that prefers kindness over jerkassery.

\"Yes, Gen 1 nostalgia makes them money, but I\'m still allowed to find it obnoxious and unfair to the other generations.\"

Problem lies in the fact that you aren\'t thinking like a businessman. Game Freak, like any other company (and am not only talking about video games companies here) will take decisions that increases their profits. Like it or not, our world is a greedy capitalist one, so companies will always care about money first. The only way for this to change, sadly, is if the whole world changes.

\"If it\'s pretty sizeable than I get it, but if they\'re just a vocal minority, that\'s a different story.\"

From what I experienced it was a good amount and it lasted till around the beginning of gen 7.

I experienced a similar thing with Z-Moves. However, I will admit that the hate for said mechanic died quicker.

\"And Game Freak has pandered to certain sections of the fanbase before,...\"

But wasn\'t your prior argument about how pandering is wrong? Why should they pander now? This just gives mixed signals.

\"but it\'s because of Gen 5 hate, not because they were a mechanic nobody liked.\"

But gens 6 and 7 also have a lot of hate going on!. Heck, I have noticed recently that gen 5 re-vindicated in the eyes of fans!.

This is why Game Freak doesn\'t pay too much attention to the fans, because the fanbase in itself cannot agree on anything and sometimes even look bipolar!.

\"why remove the ones they did- Hidden Power, for example?\"

Maybe because they though the moves were either broken or complicated? Maybe they wanted to have a ban-list, similar to the one Yugioh has.

\"...but several Pokemon benefited from them.\"

Not as many as you believe. If am not wrong, at least 70% of those were owned by already powerful and popular Pokemon

\"...it doesn\'t really justify the OP EXP share in the later gens.\"

It does justify it. What it doesn\'t justify is it being obligatory instead of optional (and I would agree here), but it does justify how it works.

But a reason why they don\'t simply make it optional may be because they got criticized for powering up the EXP Share in gen 6 even when it was optional (as in, you could turn it off) there.

\"Let us play the game and enjoy the story in equal measures.\"

I agree completely. Also, being able to skip the cut-scenes may be useful too.

\"How are Shiny Locks a nitpick?\"

Because they affect the game in a minimal manner, as in, they are nothing more than a color change, nothing more. It would be like saying that a major problem Ultimate has is that they dropped an specific costume from a character you like.

Don\'t get me wrong, I also like Shinies, but they are just a color change and that\'s all it is.

\"Justifying it with \"Well, duh, that\'s where they live\" is just allowing them to shaft every non-Japanese player.\"

And that\'s just that, your opinion. There are other that really love their countries and would like to show said love by making exclusives for their countries and they aren\'t wrong for doing so. You will just have to learn to accept it.

Eh, the rival thing is a matter of opinion, I guess. I don\'t hate friendly rivals when done right, but I find them underwhelming and not fun to fight against.

Yeah, I know it makes them money, I guess I just wish it didn\'t. Can\'t change the world, I just wish I could. I don\'t even hate Gen 1, I just wish the other Gens were celebrated just as much, ya know? And not just when remakes come, either. Besides, if Gen 1 was made today it\'d be seen as the most boring and uncreative games in the lot- I just don\'t get where all the hype is even coming from. Maybe it\'s just because I\'m a Sinntoddler though.

Hmm, I never really saw hatred for Megs (Z moves are a different story), so I\'ll have to take your word for it I guess. As for the Pokemon who got them, yeah, I agree, they should\'ve focused on underused ones instead of the popular ones, like my boi Flygon, or Pokemon everyone thinks is cool but can\'t use in competitive, like Luxray. As for the pandering thing...eh...it depends I guess. I know I\'m being a hypocrite here, I\'m willing to admit it, I even felt weird typing that sentence just knowing how it\'d come across. I just think that since they have listened in the past, they could at least make the attempt to do so again, but I understand how many mixed signals they must get. The fans are...volatile, to say the least.

True, but Rotation Battles were dropped after Gen 5 suffered from almost immediate backlash, while Gens 6 and 7 seem to be more...controversial. Not saying Gen 5 isn\'t, just that the vocal minority of people hated those games while Gen 6 and 7 are more mixed, at least from what I can see. Gen 5 is vindicated now (which is awesome, they were always my favorite generation), but back when it came out, the backlash was severe enough to cause Gen 6 to turn out as it did. So IDK. I can see what you\'re saying but I think it\'s different. Could be wrong though.

Yeah, but Hidden Power specifically should\'ve stayed because removing it completely shafts Unown. It\'s not like it can do anything else in battle. And while nobody was using it in competitive (see the Smogon page for it if you want a laugh), it\'s still a Pokemon and shouldn\'t be completely stripped of any worth it even had in a playthrough game. Why not focus on legitimately broken moves, instead of things like Barrier and Return? So many of the removed moves just weren\'t broken enough to justify getting rid of, and weren\'t confusing, either. Just doesn\'t make any sense to me.

Ehhh, not a big fan of the EXP share applying to all party members. It just clashes with the way I like to play the game, and kinda defeats the purpose of my favored playthrough style. I just prefer it applying to one Pokemon at a time. I know my personal opinion isn\'t a good reason to say something is objectively bad, I just preferred it the other way, because I like to rotate out my Pokemon so they all stay at the same level as the rest of the party. Having a full team EXP-share would just make some of them stronger than others, and that\'s just not how I like to play, but the EXP share is also necessary when I get new Pokemon on the team...

Yeah, but like I said, not being able to shiny hunt specific Pokemon does ruin the appeal for some people. Even if it\'s just a minor thing, it\'s a minor thing that does affect people\'s enjoyment of the game, done only so Game Freak can force people to play the game the way they intended- instead of embracing the fact that people get different experiences out of the games and like to do different things. It\'s a minor change, but it does have an impact on what people like about the games and how likely they\'d be to pick the game back up in the future.

The trading isn\'t an exclusive, though- it\'s just super unfair because people in other countries can\'t very easily find people to trade with (people who won\'t demand level 1 shiny legendaries, anyway). It\'s not an advantage given to Japan intentionally, it\'s just a major oversight in assuming all players would be able to trade with their friends, and something I personally wouldn\'t do. At the very least, I\'d remove trade-specific evolutions; trading can and should still be a thing, but forcing the player to use the mechanic even if they, say, live in a super rural area, is just unfair to an enormous chunk of the playerbase. I\'m sure a lot of fans would be far happier if they just didn\'t force us to have to trade with people.

\"I just wish the other Gens were celebrated just as much, ya know?\"

And I agree, is just that, logic-wise, their decisions make sense.

\"I just don\'t get where all the hype is even coming from. Maybe it\'s just because I\'m a Sinntoddler though.\"

Oh, I wouldn\'t say that. My first game was Yellow (as in, literally my first game ever), yet I agree with you.

\"...but I understand how many mixed signals they must get.\"

And that\'s the issue. With how many mixed signals they get it is hard for them to know what they did right and what really needs fixing. Just to use my Megas example: The mayor brunt of the hatred for gen 6 I saw was during the first few months of its release, those being exactly the most important months for any company because those are the months they will hear the fanbase the most. With that in mind tell me what did you want Game Freak to think about Megas.

\"while Gen 6 and 7 are more mixed, at least from what I can see.\"

I mean, they are still being hated. Just to give you an example: Rabbid Luigi (a somewhat popular youtuber that makes lists and tops) recently made a video where he ranks every Pokemon gen from S-D with S being the highest and D being the lowest (of course...) and he ranked X/Y in the D rank and nobody cared, they even agreed with him. This also helps my earlier point because he ranked Red/Blue in A and Yellow in S, showing that gen 1 is still popular.

\"Gen 5 is vindicated now (which is awesome, they were always my favorite generation),...\"

And I agree, however, it is too little too late for it to matter to Game Freak anymore...

\"Yeah, but Hidden Power specifically should\'ve stayed because removing it completely shafts Unown.\"

But Hidden Power is one of those moves that I called complicated. You cannot simply give it to a Pokemon, you need to know which type would be better for which Pokemon and which Pokemon may be better without it.

\"It just clashes with the way I like to play the game, and kinda defeats the purpose of my favored playthrough style.\"

However, by helping people like you others get alienated. I mean, there are some that might want to become competitive but all the hours upon hours of grinding scare them from doing so. And yet others might simply lack the time to grind. So with this new EXP Share they are helping them.

No matter what, the EXP Share is a lose-lose scenario for Game Freak because there will always be people that would be alienated. This is even an example of how the fanbase cannot agree.

\"not being able to shiny hunt specific Pokemon does ruin the appeal for some people.\"

Dude, am sorry, but you are making it sound really petty. I mean, it would be like if those same fans decided no to play Ultimate simply because they removed one specific costume.

\"...it\'s just a major oversight in assuming all players would be able to trade with their friends,...\"

We are still talking about Event-specific Pokemon that were only available in Japan, right? Because those aren\'t major advantages at all, they are even banned in competitive. You can only use them in casual-play.

\"I\'d remove trade-specific evolutions;...\" (This is what confuses me.)

However, all of those Pokemon have a lore-specific-reason to evolve like they do. Changing it would meant retcons.

I do agree is unfair, but those Pokemon were made like that. At best what I would do is offer said Pokemon via an in-game repeatable trade.

Sure, Gens 6 and 7 are being hated, but not to the same extent as Gen 5, which means that things added in those gens aren\'t being immediately undone the same way they did to Gen 5. They\'re base breakers, not scrappies, to put it that way.

Sure, Hidden Power might be slightly complicated, but why not just ban it from competitive then? Why ban it from the game completely? If people want to use the move in a playthrough, why should it matter to Game Freak? Like I said- Unown was completely trashed by this idea. It\'s not like they took away a random signature move, they took away the only move one Pokemon can learn. It\'d be like banning Sketch- what\'s Smeargle meant to do?

See, I get your point about the EXP share, I just don\'t personally think it was a good idea. IK I\'m biased, but I have heard a lot of people say the EXP share makes the game way too easy- the balance the other games gave it was better. If grinding for competitive is the issue, a way to purchase extra EXP shares in the post game would make more sense than making the EXP a full-party thing, at least IMO. Then people have the choice to play however they choose.

Petty, maybe, but I\'m not wrong here. They\'ve been weird about shinies; jacking up the odds for random encounters, while also making it impossible to get the shinies people actually care about. It doesn\'t ruin the game by any means, but people are less likely to return to games like that if their intent is to Shiny Hunt, which lowers replayability.

Mate, I was never talking about event-only Pokemon. I was always talking about the actual trading mechanic, which is super difficult to take advantage of if you don\'t live in a country like Japan, where there\'s people everywhere and a lot of them play Pokemon. If you live in, say, Rural USA, you\'re shit out of luck if you want to evolve your Haunter- and that\'s what I\'m complaining about. I don\'t care about events, I never used them anyway and those I actually do understand the bias thing for. I\'m just talking about an actual in-game mechanic that backfires for people who aren\'t in Japan.

Do they? Maybe the lore is there, but they\'ve changed evolution methods before with no big fuss- look at Milotic. They could always introduce a new alternative method that also works for evolution and nobody would bat an eye if it\'s explained decently.

Er, most of the moves that got removed were because the mon that used it wasn\'t in the game. Unown cannot be acquired in SWSH. And I imagine part of the reason for ditching hidden power is that it has an outsized impact on competitive, while being mostly useless in campaign, and a pain in the ass for anyone not genning their mons

\"They\'re base breakers, not scrappies, to put it that way.\"

Problem is that the hate for gens 6/7 continues, meanwhile, gen 5 is recovering. I wouldn\'t even call them \"base breakers\" when 8/10 times I see anybody talk about gens 6/7 it is in a negative light.

\"It\'s not like they took away a random signature move, they took away the only move one Pokemon can learn.\"

A Pokemon that isn\'t even in the game. Am sure that if Unown returns so will his signature move.

\"...a way to purchase extra EXP shares in the post game would make more sense than making the EXP a full-party thing,...\"

And then this makes grinding more annoying for those that simply wanna join the competitive not caring at all about the main campaign. This is why I said that the EXP Share is a lose-lose situation.

\"...but people are less likely to return to games like that if their intent is to Shiny Hunt, which lowers replayability.\"

Am sorry but this is really petty. Basically what you are admitting is that anybody that abandoned Smash because their favorite costume got dropped in Ultimate is right for doing so.

Just to be on the same page: You are a shiny hunter, right?.

\"...which is super difficult to take advantage of if you don\'t live in a country like Japan,...\"

(I cannot believe am using this for my advantage) Dude, if somebody like me, a man that lives in Venezuela (a hell-hole of a country) can take advantage of Wi Fi to get any Pokemon I want, then why cannot anyone else do the same?.

Regarding your last point; some people might not have Wi-fi, or at the best not wifi with good connection. I live in the country, kinda, and it took until like 2015/16 until my family was able to get a great, fast internet provider.

I was just talking about when Gen 5 came out, which is when the Rotation Battles existed and then were dropped. I'm not talking about current day, which you're right about, but it has no impact on the actual point I'm trying to make- Gen 5 was so viscerally hated at the time that it caused the mechanic to get dropped. That's it. Whether or not Gens 6 and 7 are as hated as Gen 5 is, and whether or not Gen 5 is recovering, doesn't change how Gen 5 was initially received and what impact that had on the franchise since.

Don't get me started on Dexit, please. If I'm this upset over moves being dropped, how d'ya think I felt over certain Pokemon being dropped? Besides, they kind of screwed the pooch on this one- if they were ever planning on bringing Unown back, they completely ruined that possibility now. It'd be really weird for them to reintroduce Hidden Power just for the sake of Unown coming back, right? Why bother removing it if there's any intention to put it back later? That hints to me that Unown and Hidden Power are never coming back- which sucks.

And Hidden Power isn't the only move that was pointlessly cut. Like I said, cut them from competitive- why should it matter if people want to use them in the actual Game? What impact does using Hidden Power or Return in a playthrough game have on competitive balance? This entire thing just makes literally no sense, and there's nothing you can do to convince me it did. Be it "too complicated" or just about making competitive more accessible to casuals, that has nothing to do with playthrough games.

Why would being able to get extra EXP shares make grinding more annoying? The main campaign is almost never hard unless you make it hard. It's very difficult to not be over-leveled. People who just want to get through the story, for instance, could easily wipe the game by just maining their starter and catching whatever Pokemon they might need for type advantages later- no grinding required. Then they can just buy more EXP shares and start building their competitive team. How is it a lose-lose, if the sort of people who don't care about the story would probably be the same people to not care about making a strong and balanced playthrough team?

I'm not a shiny hunter, I just watch their content a lot and live vicariously through their hunts. I'm saying what I've heard actual shiny hunters say- many of them outright refuse to hunt in games past Gen 5 because it's too easy, and also rant about Shiny Locks because they actually want to devote their time to hunting for that Shiny Yveltal, damn it, and they're upset that Game Freak took away the option for them to play the game the way they enjoy it. That's the issue here- it's not about the shinies themselves but about Game Freak forcing people to play the game they think it should be played, regardless of what people actually enjoy doing.

And again, I said "replayability"- it lowers the chances of people returning to that game. Again, not because they don't get to use a Red Lunala the whole time, but because they don't even get the option of getting one in the first place. It'd be more like if the special costumes were something you had to grind for- a lot of people wouldn't care much if one dropped, but if someone is the sort of person who likes to devote their time to grinding for that costume, of course they'd be upset that the option to grind for the rarest one was taken away while the challenge was minimized elsewhere.

But yeah, not a shiny hunter, I just know a decent amount about the shiny hunting community. I'm more of a Nuzlocke kinda gal.

Several things are wrong with that last statement:

• Like Crossover-Enthusiast noted, some people don't have Wi-Fi or a good connection.
• People want to be able to use their own Pokemon, not traded ones. It's not about having "A Gengar", it's about evolving your Haunter into a Gengar. There's a reason people cared so much that they couldn't trade some pokemon into SWOSHI- a lot of the anger was because they grew so attached to their mons they couldn't bare to not have them in the newest games. Believe it or not, people get extremely attached to their Pokemon and a lot of people don't want to just have any old Pokemon- they want the Pokemon they personally caught and raised and evolved.
• The GTS is broken. You'd have to filter through tons of garbage and troll trade requests before you might find something you're interested in, and even then, the mon you get might have a shitty nickname, or be hacked, or- in the Haunter case- be holding an everstone.

But... -sigh-

TL;DR: The games would be better if they were designed in such a way that people with different playstyles or interests could all enjoy them. Be it raising and evolving Pokemon, shiny hunting, challenge runs, competitive battling, etc, I think we'd all be much happier if the games were designed to accommodate all players, rather than bending to the will of whatever Game Freak thinks we should want. They created a game with such a wide array of activities to partake in, and my biggest problem with it all is that their decisions lately seem to pander to specific niches while neglecting others- when for a lot of people, all they wanted to do was play the game they've always been playing, rather than ask for anything to change.

Crossover Enthusiast: I know and that is why I used our country as an example, because if somebody with lots of limitations like us can do it, then it should be easier for somebody else that lives in a country that is even better (especially if they live in America).

Ah, shit, no! I meant I live in an especially rural part of the US. I should have been clearer about that, sorry.

War Jay 77: \"I was just talking about when Gen 5 came out, which is when the Rotation Battles existed and then were dropped.\"

But then it is even worse because, like it or not, Gens 6/7 weren\'t very well received, at all. Heck, I don\'t even know how you didn\'t see the hate, which kind of forums, You Tube channels or site have you been in? Because by me simply being in You Tube I could easily feel all the hatred for said games.

\"Why bother removing it if there\'s any intention to put it back later? That hints to me that Unown and Hidden Power are never coming back...\"

So, your major argument for why they wont return is pessimism? Okay. Gal, you should stop being this pessimist, and it is weird that I have to say this, after all, I am known as a major pessimist, yet I am being the optimist of the two of us.

I mean, if all the Pokemon they cut weren\'t gonna be back then why did they return in a free patch released recently?.

\"What impact does using Hidden Power or Return in a playthrough game have on competitive balance?...\"

Because moves like Hidden Power or Return were too gimmicky and complicated for casuals and quickly gets replaced by better moves when the first opportunity arrives. Meanwhile they barely see competitive play. So Game Freak though they could free some space by erasing them.

\"...and there\'s nothing you can do to convince me it did.\"

Ugh. Why did you have to say this. This is the catchphrase of hardheaded people around the world. Are you telling me that am basically wasting my time here?.

\"The main campaign is almost never hard unless you make it hard.\"

And when did I say the main campaign is hard? Something being annoying and something being hard are not the same thing.

\"Why would being able to get extra EXP shares make grinding more annoying?\" \"How is it a lose-lose,...\"

Because, instead of them playing till they complete the team they want to use in competitive (say, the third badge), they would have to play till the post-game (and probably a little bit further than that) to be able to get to the grinding portion prior to fighting competitively, ergo, why I said that it is a lose-lose situation.

\"...many of them outright refuse to hunt in games past Gen 5 because it\'s too easy,...\"

Ugh, what a terrible argument. This basically sounds like they want others to lose their opportunity to catch Shinies easier simply because they love to waste hours upon hours trying to get one. Basically is their way or the highway for them.

And here I though you advocated for everybody being able to play the way they want to play.

Oh, and yes, I do think they are exaggerating a bit too much.

\"...but about Game Freak forcing people to play the game they think it should be played, regardless of what people actually enjoy doing.\"

Yet they are doing the same by forcing others to waste too much time to catch a Shiny, no matter if they don\'t like to waste too much time/lack the time to do so. I could even call them hypocrites.

\"...of course they\'d be upset that the option to grind for the rarest one was taken away while the challenge was minimized elsewhere.\"

Then I would say that they need to stop playing games and relax for a bit, because they are taking something that was meant for entertainment purposes way too seriously. Or maybe it is just me because I have never being able to be this serious.

\"Like Crossover-Enthusiast noted, some people don\'t have Wi-Fi or a good connection.\"

Check my answer to him. Also, companies like Nintendo or Game Freak pay more attention to countries like America than to third world countries like mine.

\"The GTS is broken.\"

Then your issue is with the GTS itself, not the trade evolutions. All they need to do is improve on the GTS.

\"...and my biggest problem with it all is that their decisions lately seem to pander to specific niches while neglecting others...\"

Problem is that no matter what decisions they make there will always be somebody neglected. You just proved so with your arguments above.

"Why bother removing it if there's any intention to put it back later? That hints to me that Unown and Hidden Power are never coming back- which sucks."

Given what a lot of the moves that were removed look like, they're probably specifically ditching Unown and HP from SWSH specifically, not all games forever. (though I wouldn't expect HP to be teachable again)

"And Hidden Power isn't the only move that was pointlessly cut. Like I said, cut them from competitive- why should it matter if people want to use them in the actual Game? What impact does using Hidden Power or Return in a playthrough game have on competitive balance? This entire thing just makes literally no sense, and there's nothing you can do to convince me it did. Be it "too complicated" or just about making competitive more accessible to casuals, that has nothing to do with playthrough games."

What? A lot of changes made were done in the name of making competitive more accessible. Banning a bunch of moves from competitive and competitive alone is the opposite of that. And return and HP are both generally too much work to bother with for the story. They were ditched to lower the number of hoops you need to jump through to have a viable team

\"Check my answer to him.\"

I\'m a girl.

Crossover-Enthusiast: Oh, sorry.

Y'know, this guy's review might be a bit rude, but I legitimately agree with every point he's making and think he's making a lot of legitimate criticisms (despite the occasional nitpicks). It's awful that the big Switch game cuts back on a ton of features even the 3DS games had, and it hurts because I know Pokemon can be way better than what it is now. I want GF to do better; Pokemon deserves a big, epic installment as good as Odyssey or BOTW.