Pokémon Sword and Shield: The First 48 Hours.

Hello everyone: seeing as how I’m still occupied with dealings outside this blog; I thought I would give you all my experiences with “Pokémon Sword and Shield” from the first 48 hours of gameplay combined. I will keep things relatively spoiler-free, only remarking that I’m just about to take the challenge for my eighth and final badge.

I am definitely enjoying the Wild Area, and I’m still exploring parts of the map to train and catch good monsters for my roster. I only kind of skimmed the now-infamous “Affleck leak,” and I’m only just now getting more details to corroborate the information it contained. Though sometimes these can be red herrings in this day and age (such as the infamous “Grinch leak” last year for “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”), most of what I’m seeing definitely checks out. Least of all, the leak confirmed details surrounding the story and monsters before many of them were officially revealed. Least of all, monsters such as Sirfetch’d and the villain faction of Team Yell were confirmed well before their official reveals; and I can also verify the information about the exclusive gym leaders and monsters was accurate. I am definitely enjoying the stage 1 and 2 forms of the Galar starters, especially in the case of Cinderace and Inteleon. All three fit the setting in some way, in both design and special moves. Cinderace resembles a soccer player with its special move, Pyro Ball; which makes me want a new Mario Strikers game, or at the very least the previous ones getting rereleased on eShop. As for Inteleon, with its Snipe Shot: “Hey boys, it’s a spy!”

The control is very natural for traversing the in-game world, and despite what some claim, the user interface and type balance are changed so subtly that it’s a natural progression from what the previous titles established. Though not everybody was into the visual style, I think the graphics being stylized is the right way to go. The detractors’ claims were never going to work on someone like me, who still plays games from earlier console generations. Besides, it’s actually pretty fitting for the setting; combining colorful stadiums full of giant monitors with steampunk-infused castles and rustic villages. In-game dialogue is peppered with British slang terms (Hop calls you “mate” as his friend, running shoes are called “trainers” in apparel shops, and so on), and I’ve often joked about the bag my avatar got from his father as being “bigger on the inside.” One of the police officers I battled with was even named (who else?) Bobby.

Though I concede I also had mixed feelings towards the changes from previous installments at first, in a way; approaching the titles with this design philosophy actually makes sense from every angle I can look at it from: if a developer has finite resources of time, money, and manpower; it’s considerably more important to me that they’re invested into making the game work rather than trying to cram in so much stuff that nobody can tell what they’re actually trying to do, leading to the game being a buggy and disappointing mess (looking at you, Anthem).

I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating that throwing money at a problem doesn’t automatically solve it. It’s also not the first time they’ve had to make this call: well before the series became the phenomenon it is now, there were monsters and ideas that didn’t make the cut in the original games before they influenced later ones.

By that same token, there are contingencies for the near future; least of all this mobile app they’re coming out with in 2020: probably going to opt into it when I get a chance. It’s not like the older days, where you had to physically take your Game Boy to special events that only took place in some areas. I’ve already opted into the special Meowth, probably going to figure out the other special monsters after I beat the main quest.

I am quite pleased with the experience so far, and I definitely think it was the right call to focus on the gameplay and world-building this time around. Whatever lies ahead for the series, I look forward to seeing what comes next. Later.

Pokémon Sword and Shield Set New Switch Sales Launch Record!

Hello everyone: I am enjoying “Pokémon Sword and Shield” so far, and I am currently training for my sixth badge at roughly over 32 hours logged combined. One week has passed since launch, and one thing I wondered about was how the games would do despite all the strong reactions some people had online. I was hoping that the titles would beat the odds with this in mind, and I’m glad to say my cautious optimism was justified.

Since their launch worldwide on November 15, the games have sold 6 million copies combined; factoring in standalone versions and the twin pack, as well as both digital and physical copies of the game. For specific regions, the games sold around 2 million copies in the US and 1.36 million copies in Japan. They also launced at #1 in the UK, surpassing other titles that week such as “Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order,” and causing a 30% spike in sales for the Nintendo Switch. They are second only to the launch of “Pokémon Sun and Moon” in 2016 in the region, and have surpassed the previous worldwide record by the launch of “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” last year. There is also a “Spirit Board” event in that game where spirits from the Galar region can be unlocked until November 26 in Pacific Time Zones and November 27 in Eastern Time Zones.

In many ways, I can even submit that maybe some parties’ attempts to discourage enthusiasm from the games may have had the opposite effect and made people who otherwise wouldn’t have known about the titles seek them out. This is often known as the “Streisand effect,” so named for singer/actress Barbra Streisand asking a surveyor to stop taking pictures of her house for a map; which resulted in the pictures getting posted online where everyone can see them. Basically, if you tell someone not to look at something; they will want to look at it out of natural curiosity. Another recent example would be the DC Comics adaptation “Joker,” where concerns about the movie’s content ended up getting people who usually don’t read comic books or watch superhero movies to check it out; eventually leading to it becoming the first R-rated film to ever make over $1 billion worldwide.

I’ve mentioned this before outside this writing, but it bears repeating: sometimes what you hear online isn’t always indicative of the bigger picture, and the popular mindset might not always be the right one. Whatever the case may be, I’m going to keep training; and after I finish the main quest, my Switch FC is still the same for anyone who wants to join me online. I will also make sure to renew my online subscription before the year is out. That will be all for now. Later.

Pokémon Sword and Shield (Switch) First Impressions.

Hello everyone: while I have been quite busy as of late, I thought I would give you my first impressions of Pokémon Sword and Shield from the first couple hours of gameplay of each version. For the sake of argument, I will be mainly focusing on the games themselves and not addressing others’ reactions for the most part. So, let’s open them up and get started.

The games take place in the Galar region, a land heavily influenced by England and surrounding areas. While the visuals may not quite be what others were expecting, I personally like the style they went with: I enjoy how the stylized art design compliments the setting, and I was never as bothered by the graphics’ fidelity as others. I still play a lot of games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, and it’s definitely clear we’ve come a long way since the original entries on the Game Boy. The music is also really catchy, I’ve enjoyed listening to it even before the games officially came out. While there might not be any voice acting, I actually don’t mind; nor do I feel it’s necessary. I also submit that both Super Mario Odyssey and Zelda: Breath of the Wild had the right idea to make the side characters speak, but only have Mario exclaim when he does something cool and Link yell when he swings his weapon. In many ways, I actually prefer being given a character I can choose the name, look and identity of. All I need is the imagination of my inner 10-year-old, and the rest is done for me, but I digress.

The gameplay, obviously; sees many shakeups to the long-running formula, which have been viewed as divisive to put it mildly. Though I understand the skepticism to a fault, personally; if they just kept the same mechanics with each installment in any video game, we’d all still be playing Pong. How do I feel about this latest take in the series, both as a longtime fan and someone who tries their best to take each game on its own merit?

Well, I am pleased to say the experience is nowhere near as bad as many people that shall not be mentioned here worried it would be; and is actually the experience I’ve wanted out of a home console version of the game ever since I was 10. The controls are very intuitive, building on last year’s “Pokémon Let’s Go” and all the way back to the original games on Game Boy. I also don’t mind the XP Share being integrated into the level-up mechanics, since it’s actually not uncommon in other RPGs I’ve played. Final Fantasy, for example, has been doing it like that for years. 

As for the Wild Area: if you’re someone like me who’s been a fan for years; or a newcomer who wants something to enjoy, exploring this world is like a dream come true. In many ways, this section reminds me of playing some of the Grand Theft Auto series when it began the transition to 3D. Not for stealing cars or getting into gang fights, certainly; but in the sense of just having the ability to explore the place at your own pace. I actually don’t mind that some monsters aren’t accessible until you reach a certain skill level; though I do admit being chased by an overpowered Machoke reminds me of CJ’s first meeting with Big Smoke in San Andreas. The game is also no cakewalk either: even at this early stage, trying to catch a Ninjask in the Wild Area was much tougher than I thought.

I have also been trying not to worry about all the uproar online, though at this stage it’s unclear whether or not the more hostile detractors’ actions will make much of an impact in the grand scheme of things. Though concrete sales numbers probably won’t be out for a bit, the games have consistently been in the bestseller charts for Amazon, Gamestop, Walmart and Nintendo eShop each time I’ve checked. Also, even amid attempts to claim otherwise; critical reception on both versions has been relatively positive, with an 81 score on Metacritic as of this writing. Even the mixed reviews admit there’s a lot to like here, despite the detractors claims otherwise. I have never been too concerned about what others think, especially since if you peel back the layers; their complaints really aren’t that different from when they tried to dismiss it as a “fad” twenty years ago.

Though I will probably learn more as I keep playing, I will definitely enjoy these games well into 2020 and beyond; no matter what lies ahead. Before I go, don’t forget what happened to the man who got everything he always wanted: He lived happily ever after.