Pokemon Sword and Shield are out now, meaning that Pokemon fans can finally play the game they said they were going to boycott. Much has been made of the Pokemon removed from the new Switch RPG, but after all this hubbub, was the controversy warranted?
In today’s Tell GR, we want to know YOUR take on the Pokemon Sword and Shield controversy. Were fans right to be upset? Or was it a big uproar over nothing? Let us know in the comments section below and we’ll feature our favorite response in tomorrow’s Tell GR!
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: “Pokemon is a series that, for better and for worse, is defined by its unshakeable commitment to what it is. You select one of three starter Pokemon, you challenge several gym leaders in turn-based battle, and you try to Catch ‘Em All along the way. As Pokemon Sword and Shield don’t step away from these fundamentals, Game Freak bringing in fewer Pokemon was always going to be a major point of contention. Though the “cut” Pokemon don’t really bother me, it speaks to a wider problem with the series in general. With there being no significant step forward in each iteration, fans are only left to squabble over the small core changes and what’s missing. That’s not to say that I don’t think “Dexit” was blown out of proportion, but that this is a series that remains adverse to change. As such, any change that does happen is always going to be met with intense scrutiny.”
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: “Now that I’ve played through the game (review coming soon), I honestly don’t care about the cut Pokémon. I was never going to “catch ‘em all” anyway. What that said, I can understand why some players are angry. I think for this next-generation Pokémon game, the developer played it a little safe. I’m still having fun, though!”
Michael Leri, features editor: “There’s merit to being frustrated as this game was set up to be a Breath of the Wild-esque reinvention of the Pokemon series being the first new console mainline entry. It would have been awesome to catch all of these creatures in a world that didn’t feel like an HD remaster of a 3DS game. But, like always, it was blown way out of proportion and made into this awful title that it frankly isn’t. Disappointment is one thing and completely understandable, but taken for what it is, it’s a Pokemon-ass Pokemon game and not worth mobbing Game Freak over.”
