Just yesterday, the initial sales numbers were in, for [GAME=/game/pok-mon-sword.37382]Pokémon Sword[/GAME] and [GAME=/game/pok-mon-shield.115653]Pokémon Shield[/GAME] showing that the pair had sold 1.3 million copies in their first three days of launch in Japan. While those numbers alone already broke a sales record for the best opening week for a game on the Nintendo Switch, Sword and Shield aren't done yet. The Pokemon Company has announced that in the United States, over 2 million copies were sold during the weekend, marking the highest-grossing launch of any Pokemon game. As of today, Sword and Shield have sold 6 million units worldwide, with the massive sales figure taking both physical and digital sales into account. This puts the eighth generation of Pokemon games ahead of 2013's Pokemon X and Y, which sold four million copies in its first week, and just a bit below Sun and Moon's highly successful launch week sales of 7.2 million.

Source (USA)
Source (JP)

Tags: [GAME=/game/pok-mon-sword.37382]Pokémon Sword[/GAME], [GAME=/game/pok-mon-shield.115653]Pokémon Shield[/GAME], [PLATFORM=/platform/switch]Nintendo Switch[/PLATFORM], [COMPANY=/company/nintendo]Nintendo[/COMPANY]

 

[ZachariasBarnham]

Aw, Bully for you, Game Freak. But I'm still not buying Sword/Shield. It just doesn't interest me for some reason.

Also, Thanos is more merciful than Game Freak.

 

[Davidchao23]

YOU don't care about national dex, and seeing the outrage online, you are one of the few and are part of the problem.

Proof positive that stupid people make my life worse with their purchasing decisions.

I was genuinely expecting civil and respectful comments in this thread, but boy was I wrong

 

[Helios5999]

6 million in three days. Looks like the dex boycott really worked.

 

[Delerious]

Ironically, the ones that "boycotted" probably still bought it.

Honestly, it's not the worst game ever. But it really wasn't worth the 60 bucks for me. While most of the environments look nice, the wild area just looks awful, and some textures *cough trees* look like they were ripped from a PS1.5 game. And good GOD the animations (or lack of) make a stone pillar look more animated at times! Gameplay was -- well, it was Pokemon, for better or for worse. I do wish that GameFreak would start having deeper stories. And the fact that the Shield version only used 9.89GB of the 16GB cartridge capacity tells you that they could have (and in fact should have) included a lot more content.

They state of gaming in general these days is just awful compared to what it was just 10 years ago.

 

[NitroTears]

I do wish that GameFreak would start having deeper stories.
And the fact that the Shield version only used 9.89GB of the 16GB cartridge capacity tells you that they could have (and in fact should have) included a lot more content.
The state of gaming in general these days is just awful compared to what it was just 10 years ago.

Could not agree more

I have enjoyed sword and shield so far its as about as good as the others, if you liked XY onwards, you'll probably like this.

 

[raxadian]

Nice, this is pretty good considered all the needless bashing the game is receiving lately.

The fact there is a combo with the Switch Lite does help.

They state of gaming in general these days is just awful compared to what it was just 10 years ago.

If you meant it due to al those videogames companies, I agree.

If you meant it due to stuff like Sword and Shield not having all the Pokemon... remember Ruby and Sapphire?

Also hilariously, before we had Pokemon 3DS games that best selling game for the console was that virtual pet thing with dogs for over a year.

So yeah, people will buy stuff you may not like.

 

[Budsixz]

People saying that this game is half ass and that devs are lazy, are not giving it a try
In my opinion even if there was a national dex there would have to be a weird trade scene or some sort of gimmick so that you would have to trade or get a second game or something like that
That is the sort of thing why I don't bother catching them all and only catch the ones I want cause catching all for me was just a boring and felt like a drag

 

[AkikoKumagara]

I kinda wonder if maybe part of the reason for not having the full pokedex available here is to ease us into a fundamental change for the entire series in the next entries. The most obvious idea here to me would be that maybe the next Pokemon titles are real time fights and not turn-based. If that were the path they chose to go, then there would be a lot of Pokemon to program movement and further fight animations too. And understandably in that case, not all nearly 1000 creatures would be able to make the cut, as that would be unfathomable. And if the next titles are Diamond and Pearl remakes, it would make sense that they'd feel more free to take such a drastic turn for the series. It wouldn't make the choice to not include them all here any less alarming, but it would take away from the blow-back that the next game would have by not having every Pokemon in addition to such a fundamental game change (because you know as it is, that while there are many fans that want to see fights go real-time that many fans would be upset by the change away from turn-based fighting).

The closest thing we have to real-time battling now is Pokémon Masters, which is still turn based in a sense... I dunno, I feel like this kind of thing should stick to spin-offs. Maybe remakes. Definitely not the kind of change I'm at all interested in.

 

[MikaDubbz]

The closest thing we have to real-time battling now is Pokémon Masters, which is still turn based in a sense... I dunno, I feel like this kind of thing should stick to spin-offs. Maybe remakes. Definitely not the kind of change I'm at all interested in.

Well I did suggest that the first game that they might potentially try such a change would be in the next entries which I theorized are likely to be Diamond and Pearl remakes. Seems like a smart place to try such a change, if it's well received they could carry it to the next core entries, and if fans overwhelmingly don't like it, then they could drop it after one title. But like I said, there would definitely be fans not onboard with it, which is why I think it might be a small conspiracy as to why they dropped a bunch of Pokemon from the Pokedex now, so that all the outrage in the next game aren't erupting over 2 things. But this is definitely just a conspiracy theory, no real basis for such a thought beyond some loose threads I've tied together.

 

[dude1]

People saying that this game is half ass and that devs are lazy, are not giving it a try

I disagree ive sunk 30+ hours in so far, i will complete whats here but it is lazy, fewer pokemon than ever including new ones, reused assets they lied about repeatedly.


when it comes to engine optimizations the handheld frame rate issues, draw distances and examples of bad textures further demonstrate that.

On top of that there aren’t any really new mechanics, giganticmax is basically Z moves with a three turn limit.

Animations are in many cases worse than previous 3D iterations of Pokémon in some cases despite using the same models.

That is the sort of thing why I don't bother catching them all and only catch the ones I want cause catching all for me was just a boring and felt like a drag

That’s just the way you play, most people aren’t like that, I’m not saying the majority catch them all but I am saying a large portion of nothing else get their favourite(s)



It’s outside the technical problems in the face of it because there aren’t a lot of new mechanics you really just have to look at what’s there and unfortunately it doesn’t have a lot of quality of life features that you expect from RPG’s nowadays audio cut scenes etc. branching paths and choices, heck Gen1 you can at least do some of the gyms out of order.


One of the biggest gameplay gimmicks was the fact that the main areas this gigantic wild area, and then you will learn that they gated capturing to specific badges making the majority of that exploration pointless.


I had a blast getting my level 15ish squad to take on a level 50 without killing in hopes to give me a leg up in my game.

it also forced me to strategically use the move sets I had, only to then learn that I couldn’t catch it if I wanted too thus it was a wasted battle, which discourages exploration.



Super disappointing, Further disappointment was I had a 45 minute wait the other night at a restaurant so I just power levelled my main and

I was able to steamroll the first four gyms without any grinding in-between

There are things I like about the limited dex, but overall I have to admit the story is lacklustre, there are fewer new mechanics, there are fewer Pokémon, some of the mechanics that are there self-dfeating as mentioned, its also the easiest Pokémon game ever.


Realistically This game is a solid 5/10 if people scored without nostalgia,
That said nostalgia and love for the franchise probably gives it a few extra points to maybe a 7 but that’s coming from a hard-core Pokémon fan.


Do better Nintendo, I’m disappointed in you even forgetting that you lied to people

 

[Hern4ndeZzz]

I'm actually finding this game pretty good. So far the game is way better than Sun and Moon, not to mention that Dynamax is actually pretty fun once you give it a try. I honestly couldn't care any less about National Pokedex, people need to grow up, it's just a game.

I've pretty much bought every (main) Pokémon game there is, but I play them casually. To me, it's just one more -- admittedly quite fun -- franchise in a monumental backlog of titles.
Maybe that's why I also don't care about the cut pokémon. In fact, I kinda welcome it, because it's probably easier to balance fewer characters. In that sense, 400 still seem like too many.

Regarding visuals, I guess I'm just easy to please, because I already thought Pokémon Y looked incredible. And this looks even better.

 

[Reshiban]

And EUR? ;-;

 

[SatoXR]

Ironically, the ones that "boycotted" probably still bought it.

Honestly, it's not the worst game ever. But it really wasn't worth the 60 bucks for me. While most of the environments look nice, the wild area just looks awful, and some textures *cough trees* look like they were ripped from a PS1.5 game. And good GOD the animations (or lack of) make a stone pillar look more animated at times! Gameplay was -- well, it was Pokemon, for better or for worse. I do wish that GameFreak would start having deeper stories. And the fact that the Shield version only used 9.89GB of the 16GB cartridge capacity tells you that they could have (and in fact should have) included a lot more content.

They state of gaming in general these days is just awful compared to what it was just 10 years ago.

Agree. They should be more consistent in terms of features. They add good ones on a generation and we never see them again.

 

[YukidaruPunch]

Ironically, the ones that "boycotted" probably still bought it.

Honestly, it's not the worst game ever. But it really wasn't worth the 60 bucks for me. While most of the environments look nice, the wild area just looks awful, and some textures *cough trees* look like they were ripped from a PS1.5 game. And good GOD the animations (or lack of) make a stone pillar look more animated at times! Gameplay was -- well, it was Pokemon, for better or for worse. I do wish that GameFreak would start having deeper stories. And the fact that the Shield version only used 9.89GB of the 16GB cartridge capacity tells you that they could have (and in fact should have) included a lot more content.

They state of gaming in general these days is just awful compared to what it was just 10 years ago.

Pocket Card Jockey, alongside the Pokédex entries, are full proof that both Game Freak and Nintendo Treehouse can write some fantastic stuff if they're willing. The thing is, that really do keep in exceedingly kid-friendly for the main story. Gen 1 and 2 had a bit more of an edge because that's what kid-friendly stories could get away with back in the 90's. However, as the series because ultra-mega million sellers, I can understand Nintendo wanting to keep as kid-friendly as they could on the main story, whilst reserving some edgier stuff for the Pokédex entries. The games are rated E for Everyone (not even E+10) and the language selection screen on Sun and Moon literally writes "Japanese" in hiragana while also having a warning that "if you don't know what to do [when choosing a language], ask someone for help". These are games primarily made with insanely young people in mind.

People really went full-on ok Game Freak while forgetting the developer doesn't even own the IP. Nintendo, Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company - they all share owning of the up as well, as they backed up both financially and technically during the early years and that's kinda how copyright owning just works. It is naive to believe Game Freak alone is to blame for Sword and Shield's overly saccharine, cookie-cutter writing; there were many, many more people involved in making the game as it is than just the devs. I have reason enough to believe the games' writing is just as innocent as whoever was sending the money wanted it to be.

These are not amateurs on a game. They mostly know what they're dealing with - even if it may look baffling for us on the outside. You do not make the biggest money-making franchise in the world making such silly mistakes.

EDIT: I do think these design philosophies pour into the game as well. There's a very simple reason as to why the game is technically simple rather than complex: it's meant to be played by children. It would make no sense to make a game that's graphically demanding that would drain your Switch's battery in no time. They must strive for a balance. Pokémon's time to prove their worth has ended like twenty years ago; now it's just about striking a balance while keeping it steady. It's business, first and foremost - as well as designing games for children. That's Game Freak's job.

 

[James_]

Also, Thanos is more merciful than Game Freak.

"Did you do it?"
"Yes. "
"What did it cost?"
"Everything."

 

[BORTZ]

This is very interesting since I feel like these games have gotten the most flack from the fans. However... I guess there might be an untapped majority of players who never played a pokemon game since they have always locked on handhelds and certain people just wont go there.

 

[snobbysteven]

I am a die hard Pokemon fan and I love this one. I have no issues with the Pokedex crap people had a melt down about.

 

[Deleted member 373223]

This thread is great to know exactly who deserves the ignore button! (Hint: It's #bringbackthenationaldex peeps)

 

[codezer0]

This thread is great to know exactly who deserves the ignore button! (Hint: It's #bringbackthenationaldex peeps)

The entire franchise was based around the catchphrase gotta catch 'em all!

Even those that don't, we were motivated to from the beginning to stick with our favorites to create teams. Guess what? it's not unreasonable to get emotionally invested in our favorites. Nothing against creating an environment to foster new ones, true. But the hap-hazard nature of the cuts invariably proves that game freak never cared to release a quality product, and is basically banking on the brand recognition alone.

Also, $60 USD per version, when a typical mainline pokemon game up to this point was around thirty to forty dollars instead, and it's not unnatural to also expect the quality to have picked up in order to justify the added cost. As it stands? Even with all the positives added in, this game is going to feel incomplete to anyone who isn't four years old and is playing this as their first entry to the franchise. And you can't expect those long-time fans to not have an emotional attachment, and response therein.

Such ideologies are basically why the Ok, boomer became a thing. And it doesn't engender to what we should be doing, and I would argue that what we should be doing, is notifying game freak if this is why we won't be buying the game, but also, holding game freak accountable for those that do have the game, to update and make it a better product. Being on the Switch, in theory, means it's fixable. We're a far cry away from the original run of Game Boy cartridges, after all. Some of those modern trappings (such as patch updates) could help the game turn around, and redeem it for those who would have otherwise written it off. I'm not confident, only because Game Freak has a track history of taking the laziest way out possible. But the avenue is open for them to do better.

 

[emigre]

Just finished the story and imo it's very average. The general lack of content feels disappointing and I'd agree that it's not worth the cost of entre. Not a bad game but very underwhelming. It really feels like, it could have done with more time in the oven.