Nintendo Switch Pokemon Scarlet

As a Pokémon game, it’s a huge step forward for the franchise and really shows the potential for the brand going forward; Pokemon has been stuck in the same formula for over 2 DECADES and began to break it with a previously released title, POKÉMON LEGENDS: ARCEUS, which was a semi-open world approach. This entry develops a bit more into that approach well but is littered with frame stutters and drops that aren’t necessarily game breaking but have a huge impact on the experience of the game (varies by user), but the core itself is super fun and exciting. As a long-time fan of the franchise, it’s a no-brainer buy that holds three great storylines that start separate of each other and intersect into an impactful end. The monster designs for this 9th generation give a ... MoreAs a Pokémon game, it’s a huge step forward for the franchise and really shows the potential for the brand going forward; Pokemon has been stuck in the same formula for over 2 DECADES and began to break it with a previously released title, POKÉMON LEGENDS: ARCEUS, which was a semi-open world approach. This entry develops a bit more into that approach well but is littered with frame stutters and drops that aren’t necessarily game breaking but have a huge impact on the experience of the game (varies by user), but the core itself is super fun and exciting. As a long-time fan of the franchise, it’s a no-brainer buy that holds three great storylines that start separate of each other and intersect into an impactful end. The monster designs for this 9th generation give a familiar feel while staying new and interesting; I personally really like the majority of their designs and mechanical approaches to the games competitive scene. A ton of ease of use and quality of life features have been added to the title for those who want to get into the competitive scene as well, such as quicker and more streamlined breeding and shiny hunting (rare Pokémon colored variants). As a summary, it’s an amazing Pokémon game at its core that’s unfortunately littered with performance issues. There’s no promising better performance through updates as the developers have not showed a consistent history with such practices but it’s still very enjoyable. I would recommend this game to any pokéfan and if you don’t care for framerate hiccups, then it’s already a must-buy!! Gotta catch them all!!

It's a shame to be giving Pokemon a lower rating. The steelbook is very well designed and looks great and the game is great fun. Some of the new features, such as open world elements, the music, and new Pokemon are great fun (and some of the best fun I've had with Pokemon in a long time).Unfortunately these good things are balanced out by a few serious issues. Aside from the bugs, graphical and performance issues (which are very bad and have been talked about in plenty of other places), this game is also missing a few features (especially in the postgame) such as the ability to rematch the Elite 4. There is also no Battle Tower or Battle Frontier/Facilities, which is a shame (especially for mostly solo players that enjoy battle challenges). Player customisation ... MoreIt's a shame to be giving Pokemon a lower rating. The steelbook is very well designed and looks great and the game is great fun. Some of the new features, such as open world elements, the music, and new Pokemon are great fun (and some of the best fun I've had with Pokemon in a long time).Unfortunately these good things are balanced out by a few serious issues. Aside from the bugs, graphical and performance issues (which are very bad and have been talked about in plenty of other places), this game is also missing a few features (especially in the postgame) such as the ability to rematch the Elite 4. There is also no Battle Tower or Battle Frontier/Facilities, which is a shame (especially for mostly solo players that enjoy battle challenges). Player customisation options from previous games (including several skin tones and all individual clothing options, beyond socks, shoes and glasses) have also been removed.There also appears to be no national pokedex, which continues to be a shame (especially for fans like me that have beloved old Pokemon transferred to HOME from old Generations that can't be used).Overall this game is great fun and I really want to recommend it. You will probably have fun with it too if you buy it, but it feels bittersweet and hard to recommend when those issues (and removed returning features) that I have mentioned are just a few of several problems. I'm sure a few more months of work on the game, care, attention and some more staff could have solved this problem.

Anyone with a computer or social media account or knows someone with either of those things has probably heard about the bugs/glitches in these games. My experience has been relatively bug/glitch free so far (though I’ve heard it correlates to playtime and because of my busy schedule i can’t play for anymore than an hour or two at a time, so that combined with I haven’t tried co-op might be factors as to why). I won’t discount others experiences with those things, but this review is about my experience. While I am disappointed to see them, especially after how nice Legends ran (to my memory, I didn’t experience a single bug or graphical glitch when playing that one), I felt most were benign or didn’t even know it was a bug until someone told me. Now, onto the real ... MoreAnyone with a computer or social media account or knows someone with either of those things has probably heard about the bugs/glitches in these games. My experience has been relatively bug/glitch free so far (though I’ve heard it correlates to playtime and because of my busy schedule i can’t play for anymore than an hour or two at a time, so that combined with I haven’t tried co-op might be factors as to why). I won’t discount others experiences with those things, but this review is about my experience. While I am disappointed to see them, especially after how nice Legends ran (to my memory, I didn’t experience a single bug or graphical glitch when playing that one), I felt most were benign or didn’t even know it was a bug until someone told me. Now, onto the real place where the game shines: the story. This game has one of my favorite storylines. I won’t spoil anything in this reviw, but the three storylines given for the player to pursue are heartfelt and filled with a delightful cast of characters for you to meet, leading up to a climactic ending and fun postgame. I’m glad GameFreak really capitalized on how much people liked getting to know the Gym Leaders and other NPCs from Sw/Sh and fleshed them out more in Scarlet/Violet. Other things I enjoyed were the return of the Let’s Go mechanic, even if it could be tweaked a little to prevent your pokemon from return so easily when you get out of range; the open world that allowed for exploring, and if you knew where to look, made you able to get your dream team set, but level scaling would have been appreciated especially for story bits; and the return of raids, a mechanic which makes getting pokemon that would be otherwise hard to obtain slightly easier if you know where to look.