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[Kiya's Guard]

The performance is atrocious indeed (camera movement lol), has a lot of pop-in, the mons are tiny (i play in handheld and god damn), navigating the terrain is horrible, the story is cringy teenager school drama (guess that it's right looking at the targeted age).

BUT, it's the first real 3D mainline entry, and it sparked me the need for discovery. Also the enormous amount of commodities it gives you is welcome (cuts the wasted time a lot). Yes, they took like 15 years to actually step up and evolve, and it needs a lot of polish and development (and this being gamefreak, will take years), but it's a first step in the right direction.

 

[recursive]

Lol.

 

[Spukc]

Lol.

The game is fun

 

[CuteFaceJay]

Not surprised it's been running like ass. Is a real shame. Given how crap the game looked I wasn't expecting it to run like trash.

 

[Fbh]

LOL Sword/Shield have a 4,5 and 4,6 user score respectively, guess since the players ranked it so poorly it must have sold pretty badly, right?

Reviews and user score are irrelevant. As long as the games keep selling 15+ mill The Pokemon Company has zero incentive to change things.
The people complaining online represent a tiny fraction of the target audience, and 95%+ of them will still end up buying the games anyway.

 

[Ronin_7]

Big mess. Gamefreak is a disgrace.

 

[Jack Videogames]

Isn't this like unprecedented for Nintendo?

 

[Saber]

LOL Sword/Shield have a 4,5 and 4,6 user score respectively, guess since the players ranked it so poorly it must have sold pretty badly, right?

Reviews and user score are irrelevant. As long as the games keep selling 15+ mill The Pokemon Company has zero incentive to change things.
The people complaining online represent a tiny fraction of the target audience, and 95%+ of them will still end up buying the games anyway.

This is something people keep pretending in the sake of bad faith.
They selling billions does not equals to the quality, is simply that Pokemon has this huge amount of influence on people. To the point its a habit to just go to the store and buy the game in an unhealthy impulse, like Pokemon its a drug or something. Nothing people say will change this, next 2 years they will be doing the same thing and I don't even need to tell it will be a huge comercial sucess because it will be.

 

[nikos]

Interesting considering Sword was my favorite Pokemon game and I'm enjoying this one so far. Performance can be pretty bad, but A. it's a Pokemon game on Switch, and B. it was obvious that it was going to be pretty bad from the previews. Luckily, I haven't encountered any actual bugs yet. Arceus was way more polished.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Gamefreak realized that they kept getting away half-assed and got loads in payout. So they decided that putting in less effort so they can make even more coin is the strategy. To be fair, it's not like they are wrong. They would probably have to do this 5 more times (with at least two of them having a lower score than this) in order for the franchises sales to really feel the pain.

 

[BabyfaceRe]

I'm not a pokemon player. But if the game is fun and people are enjoying it, who cares?

Because there is a notable trend of Pokemon games getting a free pass on performance and innovation and leveraging that free pass to produce games that are degrading in quality.

Basically, the ppl who love pokemon get a worse game because the bar to get 8/9s-10 have been set extremely low. People who WANT to love pokemon (again) have no reason to get back into the franchise. It truly is an "every loses except Nintendo and Game freak" situation.

If Arceus got the 4-10 it deserved and was called out for the empty design and god awful performance, I dont think people would have been chompin at the bit to get this one. PPl always say "Pokemon fans will just buy it anyway" and as much as there is truth to that, Pokemon fans can fall back on their games being consistent 8/s-10. If the games were scored accurately (i.e. around 5-10 and down) the worm would turn real quick. Its not true that games that review like shit sell well, but it is true that games that sell well are reviewed favourably.

 

[chromhound]

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Well, "pro" reviewers gave also to DEATHLOOP a 88 metacritic note to a deep shit game.

They are just unreliable.

Play it and make your own review.

 

[hyperbertha]

Game is still more fun than rdr2.

 

[Interface23]

Game is buggy as shit but fun as hell. I'm really conflicted

 

[Fbh]

This is something people keep pretending in the sake of bad faith.
They selling billions does not equals to the quality, is simply that Pokemon has this huge amount of influence on people. To the point its a habit to just go to the store and buy the game in an unhealthy impulse, like Pokemon its a drug or something. Nothing people say will change this, next 2 years they will be doing the same thing and I don't even need to tell it will be a huge comercial sucess because it will be.

No, the sales don't represent quality. But they do represent a clear message to The Pokemon Company that whatever they are doing is good enough. They have zero reason to give a fuck about metacritic or the user score as long as the games continue to outsell most of the AAA industry.

I also think people often forget how the profit margin on these games must be insane. This isn't like TLOU2 selling 10 million copies after 2+ years often being on sale for $19.99 ($9.99 right now in fact), or The Witcher 3 selling 40 million copies after spending years in the "under $10" bargain bin during pretty much every sale event (specially on PC), these are 25+ million copies at full or nearly full price, for a game with production values that in many way resemble a ps2 title, by a relatively small core team of under 200 people

 

[Trazyn the Infinite]

No, the sales don't represent quality. But they do represent a clear message to The Pokemon Company that whatever they are doing is good enough. They have zero reason to give a fuck about metacritic or the user score as long as the games continue to outsell most of the AAA industry.

I also think people often forget how the profit margin on these games must be insane. This isn't like TLOU2 selling 10 million copies after 2+ years often being on sale for $19.99 ($9.99 right now in fact), or The Witcher 3 selling 40 million copies after spending years in the "under $10" bargain bin during pretty much every sale event (specially on PC), these are 25+ million copies at full or nearly full price, for a game with production values that in many way resemble a ps2 title, by a relatively small core team of under 200 people

People will play a game with issues as long as it is fun. Bethesda games do this *constantly*. The only difference is that Bethesda games usually only look 1 to 1.5 generations behind. Not 3-4 graphically.

 

[Kamina]

Lol.

Summary: big shit

 

[Celcius]

 

[Sgt.Asher]

Eh I'm having fun with it, lots of the new pokemon are really fun, and dunsparce evolves now.

 

[Cao Cao]

I finished the game now. I found the open world to be VERY boring.
Just open fields pretty much.

 

[Spaceman292]

Gamefreak realized that they kept getting away half-assed and got loads in payout. So they decided that putting in less effort so they can make even more coin is the strategy. To be fair, it's not like they are wrong. They would probably have to do this 5 more times (with at least two of them having a lower score than this) in order for the franchises sales to really feel the pain.

But this one has lots of effort out into it. They created an entire open world. If anything this is the least lazy pokemon game ever.

 

[supernova8]

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the second biggest Pokémon launch of all time | UK Boxed Charts

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the second biggest UK Pokémon launch ever

www.gamesindustry.biz

In fact, in terms of units, it is the second biggest Pokémon launch of all time, behind Pokémon Sun and Moon on the 3DS. Sun and Moon arrived during a period of huge interest in the series following the release of the smartphone game Pokémon Go (way back in 2016)

According to GfK, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet actually generated more money during its launch week compared with Sun and Moon. The average selling price was £35 for Sun and Moon compared with £48 for Scarlet and Violet.

Scarlet and Violet's first week sales are 25% bigger than the previous 'new generation' Pokémon release, Sword and Shield, which launched on Switch in November 2019. It's also 70% bigger than last year's Diamond and Pearl remakes and 56% bigger than January's Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Low effort big rewards

 

[struggler_guts]

But this one has lots of effort out into it. They created an entire open world. If anything this is the least lazy pokemon game ever.

I finished the game now. I found the open world to be VERY boring.
Just open fields pretty much.

Neogaf.gif

 

[playsaves3]

I didn't think this was possible!



While a game's visuals and how they are perceived is a more subjective interpretation, many have made unfavourable comparisons for Game Freak's titles. While the Switch is aging hardware, many have pointed out how titles like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which is also an open world game, is able to look far more graphically impressive. Other comparisons have been made to Breath of the Wild and Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise.

There’s no way these games are worse than sword and shield and I haven’t even played them uet

 

[Spaceman292]

Neogaf.gif

People say the same thing about literally every open world game that comes out. They all say they're empty, even if it's not true.

 

[tkscz]

I'll admit I am enjoying the game, especially for the quality of life fixes, but the performance, glitches and fact they keep using the same engine they used on the 3DS causes some of that enjoyment to wane. I couldn't find one of the towns because it wouldn't load in part of it to let me know I can go to the area.

 

[Party McHardy]

It really does deserve low scores. While the loop is fun, nearly every other aspect of this game is abysmal.

 

[Tams]

I'm glad I decided to not buy it.

I'm not being a part of the problem anymore. I didn't buy Arceus but I did buy Sword. That was not bad but still not what Pokemon should be.

Nintendo/Pokemon Company will be happy with sales I'm sure but they really ought to sort Game Freak out....well that's just my opinion what do I know

Same, but I bought Arceus instead as it was something new for the franchise and in however small a way, buying it sent the message that I supported going in that direction.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

But this one has lots of effort out into it. They created an entire open world. If anything this is the least lazy pokemon game ever.

Open world is easy these days with the templates out there compared to before.

 

[Rambone]

Just thinking out of my ass here but the switch hardware really needs to be sunsetted and make way for Switch 2 so there is more power to work with. It feels like some devs just don't have the chops to optimize their games as well while maintaining a balance between scope, vision and performance. I doubt game freak is lazy but it clearly looks like they might be over their heads trying to get everything to work while still having playable frames, I think newer hardware would have really helped here.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Just thinking out of my ass here but the switch hardware really needs to be sunsetted and make way for Switch 2 so there is more power to work with. It feels like some devs just don't have the chops to optimize their games as well while maintaining a balance between scope, vision and performance. I doubt game freak is lazy but it clearly looks like they might be over their heads trying to get everything to work while still having playable frames, I think newer hardware would have really helped here.

More power could help, sure, but we still have games that look and perform far better than Pokemon on the same hardware. Zelda BOTW, Shin Megami Tensei V, Monster Hunter: Rise...

I wouldn't call the devs "lazy". I'd bet it's a matter of budget, deadlines and bad management at Game Freak.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

There’s no way these games are worse than sword and shield and I haven’t even played them uet

that’s what truly awful performance does to a score. As it should. I’d be pissed if reviewers didn’t factor that into their scores.

 

[64bitmodels]

I'm not a pokemon player. But if the game is fun and people are enjoying it, who cares?

i dunno about you, but for me it's NOT fun. it's a barebones, generic dumbed down JRPG. Anyone who's played even something as mainstream as Final Fantasy going into pokemon would know how fucking boring the gameplay is, especially the actual battles which have little to no depth in them at all. And this is talking about the older games, i don't even know how much they may have fucked up the newer ones.

i'm gonna keep plugging Shin Megami Tensei and Persona in with every one of these pokemon slander posts because they're pokemon, but done better

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

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.

This game is a Meme.

 

[Spaceman292]

Open world is easy these days with the templates out there compared to before.

Look at how long it took to make the two Breath of the Wild games.

 

[sandbood]

But this one has lots of effort out into it. They created an entire open world. If anything this is the least lazy pokemon game ever.

Should've asked Monolith Soft for help then.

First Monolith Soft open world - 2015

First Gamefreak open world - 2022

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Look at how long it took to make the two Breath of the Wild games.

Are you comparing this to BOTW? what?