Reviews Pokémon Scarlet & Violet | Review Thread

[mazi]

Metacritic (Scarlet) (72)
Metacritic (Violet) (72)
OpenCritic (72)


Eurogamer (no score):

In the end, I left Paldea feeling conflicted. I like the open-world gameplay, especially the level scaling, and new Pokémon, but they're entangled with a region which, despite its size, always feels slightly empty, and they're presented in graphics we know are beneath the Nintendo Switch's top performance. If more time and polish had been applied to Scarlet and Violet, then they could have lived up to their ambition and been the expansive world many fans, myself included, have dreamed of. Yet the Pokémon series has a schedule to follow and it waits for no Slowpoke.

Polygon (no score):

At its baseline, it’s a compelling enough Pokémon game, with stories among the series’ most memorable. However, as I reflect on Scarlet and Violet, I do find myself thinking back on Pokémon Legends: Arceus more fondly. It had some loose screws of its own, but it tightened so many more, ones that still jostle in Scarlet and Violet. I’m hopeful that Arceus is the foundation for the next outing in the series, even if there are lessons to be learned in the open fields of Paldea, as well.

The Verge (no score):

None of these issues amount to a deal-breaker. I had a lot of fun with Violet and Scarlet, and I’ve already gone back into the world after the credits rolled so that I can fill out my pokédex and dig into the post-game missions. The present of Pokémon is arguably as good as it’s ever been. This new release is huge and varied; it took me 30 hours to wrap up the main storyline, and there’s still lots to do. (I haven’t even been able to try out the online features yet.) At the same time, it feels like we’ve reached the limit of what the Switch is capable of, at least for this style of game.

CNET (no score):

It's Pokemon. It works...Unfortunately, the weaknesses of Pokemon games are very much still present. Interacting with other characters in Pokemon games is always a drag, with reams of dry dialogue reliably halting momentum. Now that exploration is more free and alluring than ever, the plodding interactions with friends and rivals induce correspondingly larger groans. Some of the Gym Leaders are cute, but the vast majority of people you meet have the depth of cardboard cutouts. Lack of voice acting can make cutscenes almost comically ineffective. One interaction with a rapping character falls especially flat. But, like past games, those frustrations abate in the wild. Collecting Pokemon is still addictive, and feeling the wind breeze in your hair as you travel through the open world is a thrill -- even if a stuttering frame rate makes the wind more choppy than you'd like.

Washington Post (no score):

One thing Game Freak does have working for it is that people want to play this game. People want open-world Pokémon. Game Freak may be struggling to get there, but it’s been really cool to be able to see it getting closer with each new generation.

Eurogamer.pt (no score, review in Portuguese):

The game world is excessively empty, not only because of the lack of density of vegetation and other elements, but for the lack of activities. Cities contrast a bit with this, expressing life, with happy NPCs walking back and away, and lots of shops to enter, where you can buy clothes and accessories for your character. Outside the cities, you'll only find huge beams of light on the horizon, symbolizing the crystals where you can participate in Tera Raid Battles (which are virtually identical to the Max Raid Battles of the previous game). Pokémon Scarlet and Violet had a lot to gain if they had been postponed.

Unboxholics (worth your time, review in Greek):

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet bring some innovative ideas to the series and freshen it up slightly, with new features that are certainly worthwhile. It's Nintendo's classic and successful formula, with the ninth generation being extremely interesting, with brand new Pokémon, new missions and ideas that are sure to "ring a bell" for hardcore gamers. Is this the next step that Game Freak has been waiting for? The answer is...sort of.

The Enemy (5/5, review in Portuguese):

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's technical problems and lackluster multiplayer are unable to overshadow its triumphant leap into an open world. Compelling characters, a huge batch of new creatures and an excellent OST help the titles on their mission to renovate the franchise. They celebrate everything that makes Pokémon games endearing: the mysteries, the surprises, the feeling of freedom - and, in doing so, create an experience that's probably the best in the entire main series.

Nintenderos (9.7/10, review in Spanish):

Despite some technical problems, the new formula created by Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for the franchise has delighted us. A wide variety of interesting Pokémon, a more mature story than usual and a very fun gameplay cycle result in the most complete installments of the saga and an outstanding experience for players both veteran and new.

Areajugones (9/10, review in Spanish):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is exactly how you adapt years of tradition to the current design formulae. The game is living proof that each and every change is a perfect chance to take a step forward. In that specific sense, the risks that Nintendo undertook have certainly paid off: the ninth Pokémon generation will certainly be one to be talked about for years. Paldea is not about representing a culture, but those of us who live within it. I can only be proud to belong to a place that is seen with so much beauty from the outside. Long live Pokémon, long live Game Freak and long live all of those that made happen this beauty of a game.

Screen Rant (4.5/5):

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet is a must-play adventure for everyone, even for those who have yet to take the first step on their own Pokémon journey.

Hobby Consolas (90/100, review in Spanish):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet capture all the magic of the past and merge it with the improvements of the future, resulting in two fresh installments with very good ideas. The graphics is still their biggest weakness, but they shine so brightly in everything else and they are SO special games... that they get our A's.

Atomix (90/100, review in Spanish):

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are very worth it. This is a fantastic end to a great year on the Nintendo Switch, and I can't wait to see how Game Freak and The Pokémon Company take what worked here and expand on it in the future.

Glitched Africa (9/10):

Some ideas might not work and there are some obvious visual issues to overcome but there’s never been a grander, more exciting Pokemon adventure.

GAMES.CH (85%, review in German):

With their open world concept of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Game Freak does a great job! Nearly from the start on, the players are free to explore the diverse region of Paldea Tuipulotu and in the way, in which order they want to deal with the main story mission branches. There is some room for having an imbalanced gaming experience in that. But thanks to a clever world design with some natural boundaries the game is as good (or worse) as its predecessors on that point. The biggest weak spot consists of the technical flaws mainly based on the limited hardware power of Switch. Still these imperfections can't ruin an overall great experience Pokémon fans will love.

Geeks & Com (8.5/10, review in French):

Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet bring some interesting new innovations such as a complete open world and a fun new Let’s Go! mechanic that speeds up fighting. The fact that you can now tale multiple paths really helps to diversify gameplay and the narrative behind is the best the series has to offer. Unfortunately, some technical issues such as texture problems and Pokémons that load too slowly in the open world will irritate players.

MGG (85/100, review in French):

If Pokémon Scarlet and Violet offer us an invigorating adventure in the colors of the Iberian Peninsula, we can feel that some sacrifices had to be made, on the graphics and technique in particular, in order to let players explore the immense region of Paldea. Breathless, it's not on Nintendo Switch that the pocket monsters will shine, but this 9th generation will at least have the merit of offering us something new in the license. The open world gameplay is what many fans have been waiting for for ages and Game Freak succeeds in offering interesting scenarios and a worthy end-game with mechanics borrowed from Arceus' success.

GameSpot (8/10):

While undercooked presentation and visual issues hold the games back, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are still the best mainline Pokemon games in years. They build off Pokemon Legends: Arceus's open-ended design in some thoughtful and surprising ways, and retain that same level of depth that the mainline series is known for.

Metro GameCentral (8/10):

A significant advancement on Pokémon Sword and Shield and while it's not hard to see how it could be improved further this is the most ambitious and entertaining Pokémon has been in a long while.

Comicbook.com (4/5):

Compared to other recent open world games, even those released on the Nintendo Switch years ago, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is something of a disappointment especially in the graphics department. But for better or worse, Pokemon games are rarely judged by their immense fanbase against anything that's not a Pokemon game. And as a Pokemon game, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an absolute joy with a deeper storyline than usual, a ton of fantastically designed Pokemon, and continued quality-of-life improvements that makes for a less tedious Pokemon experience without sacrificing any essential bits. Pokemon fans will love Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and even casual players or lapsed Pokemon fans will enjoy the allure of "catching 'em all" provided they don't place a premium on graphics.

GamesHub (4/5):

While Scarlet and Violet aren't a complete reinvention of the formula, and technical performance issues certainly hold them back, they're still an essential leap forward – both in storytelling and gameplay mechanics. New features and clever tweaks along the way make this adventure feel fresh and encouraging, in ways that past games haven't. As a reinvigoration of the Pokemon formula, Scarlet and Violet are some of the best modern games in the long-running franchise.

PCMag (4/5):

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take the beloved series in a long-awaited open-world direction on the Nintendo Switch, one that's filled with enjoyable battles and multiple storylines.

VGC (4/5):

The huge expansion and changes to the single player campaign are great, the size of the world and the joy of exploration are the best in the series, and the new Pokemon and battle mechanics introduced all sing. However, it’s just impossible to shake the thought of how much better the game would feel if it was on more powerful hardware, or simply ran acceptably on Switch.

Vooks (4/5):

There’s no doubt that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the best in the series. The open world is fantastic, the story is incredible, and the game looks amazing, even if the performance is very rocky. There are problems, and quality of life issues, but for every negative there’s a dozen more positives that blew me away every step of the way. It will be divisive, but for me, it’s almost everything I want from a Pokémon game.

Jeuxvideo.com (16/20, review in French):

Highly anticipated after a Sword / Shield that was a little too shy and Arceus much more daring, but very different, Pokémon Scarlet / Purple clearly advances a license that has always stagnated too much, and takes many paying risks. If we manage to ignore the really disappointing graphics, it's a safe bet that this 9th generation of Pokémon will be a milestone. Game Freak has clearly understood very well how to design an open world with non-linear progression, ideally thought out for a series that needed this much appreciated little facelift. One day, perhaps, the technical aspect will follow and the holders of the most profitable franchise in the world will offer us a real revolution capable of making an impression. In the meantime, we remain on a very satisfying episode which is good for the license.

IGN Portugal (8/10, review in Portuguese):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet takes two steps forward and one step back, much to blame for its performance on Nintendo Switch. Still, the new formula is solid and could very well serve as the basis for the next games in the franchise, with plenty of room to grow. With a whole new generation of Pokémons to meet and novel mechanics to master, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will please new and old fans, casual or competitive alike.

VG247 (4/5):

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is more than the sum of its parts. Those parts include the woeful performance and optimization problems, which are a real drag – but much of the rest of the title soars so high that it does go a long way to make one ignore them, after a fashion.

Geek Culture (8/10):

Do the latest Pokémon games get everything right? Not always, but when they do, therein lie adventures that is giving players the keys to crafting their own experiences in a wonderful world filled with fantastic creatures. Whether you are chasing down the title of the best in the land or hoping to detail the hundreds of Pokémon out there, there is always something fun waiting for you down the line, and that’s a world we can all agree is one that is exciting to be a part of, much less a key figure in.

TierraGamer (8/10, review in Spanish):

Pokemon Scarlet is that product that many fans requested, with a vast open world to explore, an adventure without ties, and an exploration full of surprises. The game achieves everything I just mentioned, and there is no doubt about that. The main issue is that the game makes a lot of technical sacrifices to achieve everything the fans asked for. The result is a title that performs poorly at times that may not matter but happens many times. The gameplay is entertaining, solid, and deep, but it's all wrapped up in a broken package.

Meristation (8/10, review in Spanish):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the biggest leap the franchise has made since its arrival to 3D, but there is a real need for the series, an urgency even, to tackle the technical performance.

Spaziogames (7.8/10, review in Italian):

Scarlett and Violett, in all their hicupps and issues, try to do something new for the franchise. We can't definitely say that they are good at everything they do (not at all) and they still run pretty bad on Nintendo Switch, but some of their ideas are way more entertaining than what we saw in Sword and Shield. And, maybe, in Sun and Moon, too.

God is a Geek (7.5/10):

If you can excuse the technical problems away due to how many fascinating ideas and mechanics Game Freak has thrown at Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, then make no mistake: this is a fantastic game underneath all of that. It’s just a terrible shame that once again fans again have to swallow the deficiencies in order to get to the good stuff. What you’re left with, then, is a great game that’s rather mired in technical issues. Oh, and team Sprigatito for what it’s worth.

Press Start (7.5/10):

While there's still many stumbling missteps as Game Freak try to find their footing in the future of Pokémon, Scarlet and Violet is an endearing, and enjoyable attempt at a fundamentally different Pokémon experience. New ideas, some quality of life improvements, and some excellent new Pokémon designs make the trip to Paldea worthwhile.

XGN.nl (7.5/10, review in Dutch):

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet takes the next step for the franchise thanks to the lush open world. Even the new Terastallizing mechanic is great fun, although it is kinda a reskin of an earlier mechanic. Amazing music and some smart design choises make it a game you can't miss. At least, that is what we would've said if the performance wasn't as bad as it is.

Everyeye.it (7.5/10, review in Italian):

Summing up the new Pokémon game always means triggering a conflict between heart and head. By heart, among other things, Scarlet and Violet have plenty to sell. Although very diluted and with a very staid pace, the plot entertains and surprises especially at the end, and the many supporting actors of this new epic are among the funniest and most intriguing of the entire franchise. Overall, Game Freak packs a fun and content-rich adventure, despite some of the new features not fully convincing. The open world works but at the same time is limited by a great underlying repetitiveness, while some of the most interesting achievements achieved by the spin-off on Arceus have been revised and adapted - not always positively - for the new formula. Unfortunately, to weigh on the final judgment are the many technical problems on which it is now really impossible to postpone. In the hope that the development team, sooner or later, will be able to align their productions with current generational standards, we can still assert that the new pair of Pokémon games is interesting.

GamePro Germany (75/100, review in German):

The open world sparks a sense of adventure and the typical Poké-collecting fever, but beyond that it hardly has any exciting ideas in terms of gameplay.

IGN Brasil (7.5/10, review in Portuguese):

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are excellent games, and, if it weren't for the technical problems, they would surpass the feats of Legends: Arceus, which started a necessary evolution in the classic Nintendo franchise. The game features a beautiful open world full of Pokémon, so you never feel like you're exploring something empty. The Pokémon campaigns finally showed an interesting maturity, which seems to want to keep up with the audience that has so much prestige to the series since 1995, without losing the children's audience that still drives purchases. However, most of Scarlet & Violet's potential is wasted simply by avoidable technical issues such as a lack of graphical and performance polish. A game of this relevance within a franchise of this magnitude cannot succumb to repeating these mistakes and not improving, especially in light of the criticism that the latest title has had.

Digital Trends (3.5/5):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a real step forward for a series that’s been locked in a holding pattern for well over a decade. The open-world pivot successfully reinvigorates a stale premise by giving trainers more control over the pace and difficulty of their journey. Like every recent Pokémon game, however, deteriorating tech and half-hearted experimentation still makes it feel like we’re five years away from the franchise’s true return to glory.

GAMINGbible (7/10):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have finally delivered on the promise of an open-world entry, but with all the technical issues and stripped-back features, it’s hard to not feel like the Nintendo Switch held these games back. But if this is what an open-world Pokémon game is now, it's tantalising to consider what is coming in the future.

Inverse (7/10):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet take a step forward that fans have wanted to see for years — but it’s not quite far enough.

Nintendo Life (7/10):

There are still plenty more ways we’d like to see the Pokémon franchise evolve, but Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has us excited about the series' future. We really hope Game Freak can figure out how to smooth out the series’ ongoing performance issues on Switch because they'll certainly rub some players the wrong way — and they’re going to become a serious detriment over time. Scarlet & Violet is most fun and exciting when you're just exploring the world, and while there are many small new details and improvements to the Pokémon formula, it still plays it safe in a few areas. Regardless, things point toward a promising future for Gen 9 and beyond. It’s a smaller step than many may have hoped for, especially considering what Pokémon Legends: Arceus did, but it's definitely one in the right direction.

Shacknews (7/10):

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have some excellent ideas that push the franchise in a fresh direction, but they’re unfortunately bogged down by unacceptable performance problems at every single turn. While my biggest problems with the games could theoretically be addressed in future patches, I’m not sure how feasible that is given the capabilities of the Switch’s hardware. That said, there is still a lot to enjoy, but it’s hard imagining that these games will have wide appeal outside of the dedicated Pokemon fans that are willing to put up with the issues and inconvenience.

TheSixthAxis (7/10):

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feel like the awkward second evolution of one of its starters. It's growing into something resplendent, it's showing signs of an exciting second type, but it's got that weird vibe of a 20-something that hasn't quite figured out who they actually are. Add that weirdly stretched feeling to the constant technical oddities and you've got a game that's undoubtedly good fun, but it's still not even its final form. I can't wait to see what Pokemon becomes, but it’s not quite there yet.

PC Games (7/10, review in German):

Anyone who can overlook the difficulties will still have fun with the new generation. After all, the core remains collecting medals and completing the Pokédex, which is also entertaining in the new editions, coupled with the open structure. Maybe the Pokémon Company will be able to fix the current construction sites for the tenth generation in a few years.

Nintenduo (68/100, review in Spanish):

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have failed as open-world games. Its premise with three routes seems original, but it becomes a repetitive task in which some mini-games in the gyms are really boring. Although the Pokémon are better recreated than ever in their wild environments, the overall performance of the game is terrible, affecting the gameplay and giving the impression that we are playing an incomplete game.

GamesRadar (3/5):

The basic mechanics of Pokemon remain largely untouched – it's still catching, battling, and training as you remember it – and while that may be enough for many devotees, Generation 9 is a tougher sell for those who need more of a reason to engage with the series, impacted as it is by technical issues, mechanical oversights, and a lack of vision. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet should have been a bright and bold entry that sets the series up for future expansion, but an attempt to modernize while staying loyal to the past hasn't really succeeded in doing either one – and the headache doesn't help, to boot.

Guardian (3/5):

Game Freak draws up an exciting new open-world blueprint for the Pokémon franchise, but appears to have lacked the time and knowhow to deliver it to spec. Compare this with June’s gorgeous Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which runs on the same console, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’re beta testing an open-world Pokémon. With more time in the oven, this could have been genuinely exciting. As it stands, this fun-filled adventure asks you to put up with an awful lot more of the rough than the smooth.

Telegraph (3/5):

I have continually felt like I’m fighting against Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. I am straining to see the positives while the game continually denies me. Perhaps, like Sword and Shield before them, Scarlet and Violet will receive some redemptive DLC, but for now they feel like they’re stumbling over the cusp of brilliance, throwing a dozen things at the wall and finding nothing sticks.

 

[Vernal]

Forgive the kneejerk reaction but I'm really, really disappointed by the performance comments. Previous games had problems or areas where FPS dropped but it wasn't impacting on the overall experience. Here it sounds like a total mess.

Also, I expected the usual low 80s, especially after PLA, which would have surely brought some points down for some reviewers, regardless of valid criticisms or not (surely some things are better saved for a different gameplay loop), but high 70s? I'm guessing performance actually impacted scores.

 

[Party Sklar]

Gamekult, probably the most strict French video game website when it comes to reviews (they gave NieR Automata a 7, for instance) gave S/V a 8, saying this :

This is it. Pokémon is finally embracing its future and offering its canonical series the turn that players have been hoping for: for the first time, with Scarlet and Violet, we finally have the impression of playing a modern Pokémon game, which does not deny its heritage at all, but on the opposite, knows perfectly how to honor it. Of course, the technical problems are still there, and the game could have been more fluid and solid. But these shortcomings are eventually forgotten behind the richness of the content, offering for the first time a vast wild world, well designed, exciting to explore, populated with many surprising creatures. From the very beginning, the game gives us the keys to explore: we can choose the missions we want to focus on, we can choose the areas we want to explore, and we can choose the way we fight. Finally, it's up to us to choose our own pace, for our greatest pleasure. The Scarlet and Violet versions will be a milestone in the history of the license, which could experience a real revival thanks to this redesigned formula.

 

[DecoReturns]

Haven’t seen a Nintendo game have reviews so early in the morning since Breath of the Wild which did the same thing lol.

reviews are decent. Now to see the sales.

This might be a pocket monster

 

[Bonejack]

Haven’t seen a Nintendo game have reviews so early in the morning since Breath of the Wild which did the same thing lol.

reviews are decent. Now to see the sales.

This might be a pocket monster

I've read somewhere (can't remember where though) that it's the most preordered Pokemon game in Japan?

Don't think review scores will matter for this game, just like for games like Elden Ring or GoW.

 

[Mirev]

Pokémon was never a masterpiece. Deal with it.
There are very good Pokémon games, but they lack in almost everything compared to other games.

But Pokémon is still fun today, so let’s have fun

 

[bixente]

Pokémon was never a masterpiece.

Nah, Pokemon Gold and Silver and their remakes are masterpieces.

 

[DecoReturns]

Pokémon Emerald is a masterpiece

 

[xghost777]

I know there’s a multitude of reasons why it is as it is, but I really wish Gamefreak got more time to make these the best they could be at launch. The deadlines they have are just too strict.

Regardless, very excited to dive in on Friday. Just hope co-op works ok enough given the technical issues since I might have a full group of four.

 

[Tamantayoshi]

Gen 5 games were master pieces.

 

[Yavga]

77, insert obligatory "Time for a new Switch" here. Still excited, I hope the performance won't bother me (much)

 

[Bonejack]

I know there’s a multitude of reasons why it is as it is, but I really wish Gamefreak got more time to make these the best they could be at launch. The deadlines they have are just too strict.

Regardless, very excited to dive in on Friday. Just hope co-op works ok enough given the technical issues since I might have a full group of four.

Well they could somewhat improve other sections to better work with the strict deadlines. Like massively increasing their workforce, spreading it less in too many projects and improving tools, like instead of maintaining their own in-house engine swichting to a third party one and put adaptions they need on it.

The irony is that this would all take a lot of time, and they would really have to skip an entire Pokemon game gen.

 

[Vernal]

Pokémon was never a masterpiece. Deal with it.
There are very good Pokémon games, but they lack in almost everything compared to other games.

But Pokémon is still fun today, so let’s have fun

Never understood this type of comment.

"Pokémon is shit, but it's good cause it has Pokémon in it. Yeah, the creatures you love from your childhood! It's fun! "

Maybe Pokémon games actually DO things well and this is why they have a fun gameplay loop. I'm not saying that their are industry defining titles mind you but c'mon, if how one feels is the above maybe they should actually emancipate themself for Pokémon and stop playing lmao

 

[DecoReturns]

I've read somewhere (can't remember where though) that it's the most preordered Pokemon game in Japan?

Don't think review scores will matter for this game, just like for games like Elden Ring or GoW.

I do believe review scores matter in the sense if you score reslly high (90 plus)

Or really low (60 below).

I don’t think Elden ring would’ve blown up massively if it didn’t get that high of a score. Stil would’ve done great of course. But that 97 really helped.

 

[YoboD]

Whoa, reviews actually coming out when I’m still awake in Australia. Genuinely can’t remember the last time that happened.

 

[Yavga]

Pokémon Emerald is a masterpiece

Gen 3 was peak performance. I wish Gamefreak would do a new 2D pixel Pokémon game again, same with games like Zelda. Let's dive back a few years.

 

[Ahmed]

Nah, Pokemon Gold and Silver and their remakes are masterpieces.

Pokémon Emerald is a masterpiece

Gen 5 games were master pieces.

Yes, yes, yes.

 

[ragolliangatan]

my copy is in the post- but I am highly disappointed that again Game Freak have not sorted out technical shortcomings with their work- we know the Switch can do open world games in a performant manner.

Pokemon is a huge brand - and we shouldn't be consistently seeing this in GF's games.

 

[mazi]

this is pretty disappointing.

 

[maniacmaison]

I agree with the reviews. Im loving the game and it has some really cool ideas and it’s fun to play, buy 1 more year of dev would have done wonders. Maybe next time! Supposedly they are increasing their team, right? Maybe with more capable tech they’ll be able to brute force their way into something acceptable, like those unoptimised PS4 games that are good enough.

 

[DunningSmith]

77 is lower than I expected. Worse score than SWSH.
And sorry, I won't give GF the benefit of the doubt regarding performance/graphics.

 

[Kartina]

We need a new switch, we can't blame game freak for having problem releasing games on a 2006 hardware, it's all Nintendo's weak hardware faults. /s

 

[BassForever]

Nah, Pokemon Gold and Silver and their remakes are masterpieces.

Gen 1 and 2 in particular are games held together by duct tape and sticks. They are extremely unbalanced gamed with so many glitches and half baked ideas that only got away with it due to the era in which they were made. What's your favorite gen 2 feature? The fact most of Kurt's special pokeballs don't work? That a good chunk of the new Johto Pokémon are in the Kanto half of the game only? The fact that the game still has barely any dragon or ghost pokemon despite having multiple trainers that specialize in the type? Or the fact that a ton of the new Johto pokemon are really bad and wouldn't be salvaged until gen 4 when they got evolutions like Murkrow, Misdreavus, Aipom, Togetic, Yanma, Gligar, or Sneasel? Rip to all the gen 2 Pokemon that still completely suck like Dunsparce, Delibird, Sunflora, Ledian, Ariados, or Macargo.

I know there’s a multitude of reasons why it is as it is, but I really wish Gamefreak got more time to make these the best they could be at launch. The deadlines they have are just too strict.

Regardless, very excited to dive in on Friday. Just hope co-op works ok enough given the technical issues since I might have a full group of four.

GameFreak basically spent the entire gen playing catch up because they infamously didn't believe the Switch would be successful and had to leap from doing 3DS development to full on HD console development when it was clear the Switch was a hit.

 

[BassForever]

Edit dp

 

[DecoReturns]

Pokémon Gold and Silver are not games I would call a masterpiece.

Jhoto as a region is very poorly designed. The game is very very easy. Especially the final elite 4. The addition of Kanto is cool but it’s so barebones and you can literally see the walls blocking you off from seeing a lot of it. Had a lot of content compared to red. But a lot of jt was just subpar in the end.

The remakes did a much better job. But Jhoto itself is still lacking that It keeps me from sharing the high praise everyone has for the remakes.

 

[Notsowise]

Yup… not feeling it anymore. I’ll wait for next gen.

Back to Bayo3 and Splat3.

 

[DunningSmith]

Man, beam me back to the DS days.
Platinum -> HGSS -> BW -> BW2 was a goated series of releases. One banger after another.

 

[Bonejack]

Yup… not feeling it anymore. I’ll wait for next gen.

Back to Bayo3 and Splat3.

Next gen as in a more powerful system would very likely improve almost nothing. The problems lie outside of the hardware the games are on.

 

[Yavga]

Glad I bought Scarlet, it's 0.1 point better.

 

[Bonejack]

Glad I bought Scarlet, it's 0.1 point better.

Prehistoric professor > Elon-Musk-y Techbro professor, it is known.

 

[BassForever]

Pokémon Gold and Silver are not games I would call a masterpiece.

Jhoto as a region is very poorly designed. The game is very very easy. Especially the final elite 4. The addition of Kanto is cool but it’s so barebones and you can literally see the walls blocking you off from seeing a lot of it. Had a lot of content compared to red. But a lot of jt was just subpar in the end.

The remakes did a much better job. But Jhoto itself is still lacking that It keeps me from sharing the high praise everyone has for the remakes.

I've always said Gen 5 was the first time Gamefreak really nailed everything about Pokemon as a game. It ran well, the Pokémon were balanced and had good type variety, the story was compelling, the qol features made the game accessible, hm's were deemphasized and largely used for exploring optional areas, the game had the right level of difficulty (and b2w2 even had difficulty options gf how could you only do that once?!), and there was plenty of post game content to see after you finished the story.

 

[maniacmaison]

I would say that the games are better than Sword/Shield, but the technical performance is bad enough to really lower the mark.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Completely off with my 80-84 score prediction, I expected it to at least do better than SwSh but I can see why the issues outlined in some of the reviews would drag it down despite all of the positives.

GameFreak basically spent the entire gen playing catch up because they infamously didn't believe the Switch would be successful and had to leap from doing 3DS development to full on HD console development when it was clear the Switch was a hit.

Yeah, this has become increasingly apparent with every game they've released on the system.

 

[Aether]

Gen 1 and 2 in particular are games held together by duct tape and sticks. They are extremely unbalanced gamed with so many glitches and half baked ideas that only got away with it due to the era in which they were made. What's your favorite gen 2 feature? The fact most of Kurt's special pokeballs don't work? That a good chunk of the new Johto Pokémon are in the Kanto half of the game only? The fact that the game still has barely any dragon or ghost pokemon despite having multiple trainers that specialize in the type? Or the fact that a ton of the new Johto pokemon are really bad and wouldn't be salvaged until gen 4 when they got evolutions like Murkrow, Misdreavus, Aipom, Togetic, Yanma, Gligar, or Sneasel? Rip to all the gen 2 Pokemon that still completely suck like Dunsparce, Delibird, Sunflora, Ledian, Ariados, or Macargo.


GameFreak basically spent the entire gen playing catch up because they infamously didn't believe the Switch would be successful and had to leap from doing 3DS development to full on HD console development when it was clear the Switch was a hit.

Eh... if we talk masterpiece in "had no problem at all"... then shure. I would argue that it pushed so far what a monster collecting game can be, how much content you can have at a gameboy game, the while reuse the old world idea, there where so many aspects where i would argue it is a masterpiece simply because of inovation and pushing the envelope. There where many other buggy games that count as masterpieces. And if its about stuff that could have been done better... then BotW is no masterpiece, because i had a hundred ideas when i played it.
The first 2 generations where without competition.
During the GBA we did start to get more tries to copy the formula.

Remakes of Gen 2 and Gen 5 are top tier, polished, without to many bugs, what speaks against those being masterpieces? the biggest criticism BW got was... that it had 150 completly new mon at the start.
That does not really count as game criticism, but more as nostalgia clouding peoples view of the game.

Next gen as in a more powerful system would very likely improve almost nothing. The problems lie outside of the hardware the games are on.

He probably meant next pokemon gen (which, as someone that doesnt really gel with the vibe of this region sadly i can get)
But a new witch gen would a) hopefully have enough headroom that framerate problems o this gen go go down and b) if GF keep their ambition for the next region at about this size i could it see being improved a lot shere by brute force.

See it this way: there are indie games out there that look like SNES games but have slowdowns and are gigabytes big because the developers dont have the knowledge/resources/skill to optimize... but at the same time, if the hardwar to brutforce it would not be there, the alternative would be them never releasing those games altogether.

 

[Vernal]

Performance talk at 16.52. I'm assuming this isn't cherrypicked and is what players will encounter day 1. The video speaks for itself.

GameFreak basically spent the entire gen playing catch up because they infamously didn't believe the Switch would be successful and had to leap from doing 3DS development to full on HD console development when it was clear the Switch was a hit.

They definitely are.

 

[pelusilla6]

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's technical problems and lackluster multiplayer... - - - > 10/10

Aham. Thats sad not gonna lie, hope with the next switch things can change.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

We need a new switch, we can't blame game freak for having problem releasing games on a 2006 hardware, it's all Nintendo's weak hardware faults. /s

Please point out to me the 2006 hardware you refer to that could run e.g. Nier automata, the witcher 3, games like splatoon 3, so on.

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

Performance talk at 16.52. I'm assuming this isn't cherrypicked and is what players will encounter day 1. The video speaks for itself.

Jeez. Glad I managed to cancel my preorders.

 

[karmitt]

whelp I’ve got enough to play. i was kind of looking foreword to this one, but I am just not in a bad performance tolerant mood these days.

 

[Bonejack]

He probably meant next pokemon gen (which, as someone that doesnt really gel with the vibe of this region sadly i can get)
But a new witch gen would a) hopefully have enough headroom that framerate problems o this gen go go down and b) if GF keep their ambition for the next region at about this size i could it see being improved a lot shere by brute force.

See it this way: there are indie games out there that look like SNES games but have slowdowns and are gigabytes big because the developers dont have the knowledge/resources/skill to optimize... but at the same time, if the hardwar to brutforce it would not be there, the alternative would be them never releasing those games altogether.

There's a big difference in brute forcing a SNES "teched" indie game over an full 3D open-world game. And no matter how powerful Drake will be in the end, it won't be enough to fix anything here by brute performance force. Maybe it might be able to keep the 30fps more often if the game is fps unlocked, but that's it.

And GF can keep their ambition, even grow even more ambitious, unless they're going to change their dev pipeline, it won't fix anything.

 

[LukasManak22]

I can't wait to see people talk on how we need a next gen Switch. This has nothing to do with it, if there would be Switch Pro already it would be improved by bare minimum.

 

[meatbag]

Please point out to me the 2006 hardware you refer to that could run e.g. Nier automata, the witcher 3, games like splatoon 3, so on.

You missed the /s

 

[lexony]

I would say that this will probably be the overall better game than Sword and Shield. But if you do the same Pokemon Formula again and again and the performance can‘t hold up, then no wonder your games don‘t get higher scores. Arceus at least tried something new and runs likely slightly better (Though it looks uglier IMO).

I really wish they gave this game one year more while having Arceus released around now - I‘m sure the games would be way better.

The Switch could definitely handle both games if done right.

 

[BassForever]

Honestly I wonder if the issues GX are seeing in that video are due to a similar memory leak issue that Xenoblade 3 had. I wonder if the reviewer is fully closing the game or constantly putting it into sleep mode.

 

[MisterSpo]

Yeah, I'd been thinking for a while that I'd be skipping this. Legends didn't really do all that much for me either, even if I appreciated the changes to the traditional formula. I really like the idea of open-world Pokemon and a Spain-inspired region, but with Legends leaving me a little flat (not that I disliked it, just didn't really make any impact on me), and with Sword/Shield especially disappointing me, I don't think there's much point in me spending time and money on this (not least when I've stockpiled stuff on my Switch and am planning to use my Series S more in the near future).

I'm sure it'll be an enormous hit, and I'm sure plenty of people will find a lot to enjoy. I'm still rooting for Game Freak to really pull things out the bag and deliver an excellent game that doesn't have this now familiar mix of technical short-comings and under-realised potential.

 

[Zellia]

Kinda interested to see the DF analysis of the game. I'm sensitive to low performance (I find Age of Calamity to be unplayable, for instance), but I'm hoping that not being an action game will mean I can ignore it more easily.

That said, at the end of the day Game Freak are, technically, middling at best. I'm used to their games not performing well since they went to 3D: Gen 6 was awful if you enabled 3D, Gen 7 double battles ran like molasses on an o3DS, SwSh wild area was a stuttering mess if you went online.

It shouldn't be acceptable and criticism is deserved but it doesn't seem like GF have the ability or will to optimise properly and I'm not sure how you get them to do it. Maybe Switch 2 can brute force it.

 

[mazi]

this game doesn't look like anything that shouldn't run 100% flawlessly on switch. the fault here is with gamefreak, not the switch hardware.

 

[Twinsen]

Anything mentioned about the difficulty/challenge of the game?

 

[Mirev]

Never understood this type of comment.

"Pokémon is shit, but it's good cause it has Pokémon in it. Yeah, the creatures you love from your childhood! It's fun! "

Maybe Pokémon games actually DO things well and this is why they have a fun gameplay loop. I'm not saying that their are industry defining titles mind you but c'mon, if how one feels is the above maybe they should actually emancipate themself for Pokémon and stop playing lmao

Ok now tell me where I said Pokémon is shit, thank you

And, where I said that I play / everyone play Pokémon just for the creatures. Thanks again!

 

[Party Sklar]

GameFreak basically spent the entire gen playing catch up because they infamously didn't believe the Switch would be successful and had to leap from doing 3DS development to full on HD console development when it was clear the Switch was a hit.

At least, given the recent job listings, they seem to already be preparing for the "Switch 2", so that's a mistake they won't make for next gen. I also don't think they're using the in-house engine Nintendo uses for most of their games, maybe that'd be a good idea to switch to that ? I suppose Nintendo would be more than happy to send them some technical support rather than have a game be released in a poor state like that.