Review cover Pokemon Legends Arceus (Nintendo Switch)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): January 28, 2022
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Game Freak
  • Genres: Action RPG

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
Is this the shake up to the Pokemon experience that fans have been waiting years for?

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If there's been one thing fans have been begging Nintendo to develop, it would be an open-world Pokemon game. The task of freshening up the now 25-year-old formula of Pokemon games tends to fall to the hands of third-party studios, resulting in new and interesting takes on the ever-popular franchise, such as Pokemon Snap, Mystery Dungeon, or Colosseum. This time around, however, mainline Pokemon developer Game Freak has decided to try their hand at crafting a unique experience; hopefully, it's one that fans have been waiting for. 

Pokemon has been grappling with the issue of stale gameplay for quite a while now. Where exactly the tipping point is can depend on when you entered the series, but it's fair to say that later entries have aimed for less content and more linear experiences despite the constantly increasing popularity of the series. That's likely why Pokemon Legends Arceus has such hype and cautious excitement behind it, as burnt-out fans see something that could possibly serve as a breath of fresh air to a stagnating franchise. 

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In Legends Arceus, there's just enough of the familiar core Poke-concepts that you should be well accustomed to, mixed perfectly together with new additions that make for the most engaging Pokemon game in years. Since the setting takes place in ancient Sinnoh, it lets the game try a lot of new things that would otherwise feel out of place in a regular entry. In this world, Pokemon are still new and unknown; Pokeballs have only just been created, and hardly anyone knows how to use them...except for you.

But just because you can throw like a star baseball pitcher doesn't make you a Pokemon Master right out of the gate, because in this world, Pokemon are savage. One of the first things you're told is that if you don't watch out, a wild Pokemon will straight-up attack and kill you. Of course, you'll only black out, but characters will go out of their way to mention that Pokemon and humans don't get along, and unwitting people have been attacked and slaughtered by what you'd normally expect to be a harmless cute creature. It can be a little unnerving, but it also serves as a great way to introduce one of the biggest parts of Legend Arceus's gameplay. 

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Instead of conquering Gym Leaders and the Elite 4, your aspirations as a trainer in Hisui are more academically focused; your goal, bestowed to you by Arceus of all things, is to fill out the very first Pokedex. This isn't the modern-day, though, and your Pokedex, normally a high-tech device, is nothing more than a notebook here. Since creatures aren't automatically registered, you'll need to learn how each and every one of the Pokemon in Hisui looks and behaves. In order to do that, you'll have to catch 'em all, many, many times. Filling out the Pokedex requires you to complete research tasks, which range from using a specific type attack on the Pokemon, to catching a certain amount of them. The objectives are varied, and it makes filling in pages of the Pokedex feel incredibly rewarding. It also subtly gets you to switch up your team constantly, making sure you really get to use and know the Pokemon you're catching. 

As you catch Pokemon and train them, you'll also be helping foster Jubilife City as a bustling place for humans to live alongside and coexist with Pokemon. There's progression and development, which is rather rare for a Pokemon game. Townspeople will ask you to do things for them, too, giving you a wealth of sidequests to complete whenever you want to take a break from the dangers of exploring. 

Which is good, because the main gameplay loop involves a lot of exploring different areas, each with different themes. There are swamps, mountains, fiery volcanos, oceans, tundras--if it's somewhere a Pokemon might live, then you'll likely be venturing there. It's not technically an open-world, as the locations you visit are separated into different zones, but they're large enough to keep you running around for a while. A likely comparison you might make is with Monster Hunter; you pick a specific place, get your items and hunting gear (Pokemon team) equipped to your liking, and go on an expedition with the express intent of bringing home new gear and captures. 

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Since Pokemon are roaming in the overworld now, you'll be able to spot them and choose how you want to approach. You could handle it in a classic manner, by tossing out a Pokemon that has a status effect move and getting your opponent into red HP, or you can now stealthily sneak up behind them and toss a Pokeball at their back, slinking back into cover before anyone knows you were ever there. The new style is seamless, letting you find cool Pokemon and capture them without the repetitive whittling down of their health, which is especially useful for when you need to catch specific genders, sizes, or amounts of a certain Pokemon. 

Of course, you won't always pull off a perfect stealth capture. Sometimes you'll miss, and other times, craftier Pokemon will escape and defend themselves by attacking you. In fact, some Pokemon are just outright jerks, and will see you from afar and target you, making you the prey. It's equal parts jarring and amazing to be chased down by a Pokemon 30 levels higher than you, one that could decimate your team, giving the game some thrill and challenge. With all those elements in play, there's actual cohesion to the world, and plenty of opportunity for dramatic moments, such as finding an Eevee, only for a Floatzel to come running across the beach, ready to ruin your entire life, scaring off the Eevee and knocking you out in one fell swoop. Defending yourself is an option as well, since you now have access to a dedicated dodge roll button and you can always send out your own Pokemon, but with strong Alpha Pokemon on the loose, there's always an element of unease and tension, keeping you on your toes. 

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For all the positives that this game has, it won't be winning any awards for its graphical presentation. The Nintendo Switch continues to underwhelm massively; while comparing Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda might be looking at apples and oranges, Breath of the Wild is nearly five years old, and looks and runs leagues better than Legends Arceus could ever hope to. In a general sense, the game looks simply alright; the sprawling landscapes and vistas are great, if a little low res, and the Pokemon appear to be the same 3D models we're long become used to, but there's some serious stuttering in handheld mode that is beyond aggravating. Let alone the fact that any human characters were distracting enough to make me almost laugh at. 

Honestly, visual detail is usually not my main focus with a game, and while you can question what Game Freak should or shouldn't be doing with their budget, Legends Arceus looks passable enough to get by. The issue for me is the hitches in framerate that happen whenever you get into a battle, and specifically only in handheld mode. Playing docked never brought up any concerns, but once I started playing portably, the game would go into the single digits when fighting or going into my inventory, at completely random intervals. Perhaps a patch might improve things post-launch, but as things are right now, it only serves to remind me that the Switch is old, and in desperate need of some extra horsepower. 

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Taking heavy cues from other games, Pokemon Legends Arceus feels like a step forward in every aspect. For those wary of disruption to their expectations from a Pokemon game, the changes and improvements are woven perfectly into the classic formula that you've come to know and love; the differences are apparent, and make for an entirely fresh and exciting experience, while still balancing the things that have made Pokemon a beloved franchise for so many years.

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Actual challenge in a Pokemon game
  • The new gameplay elements are engaging and fun
  • Completing the Pokedex is actually worthwhile
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Handheld performance
  • I wish there were more Pokemon in the game
9
Gameplay
It can really depend on how much you enjoy bonking Pokemon on the head with surprise attack Pokeballs, but the gameplay loop is addictive, and everything, from farming items, to leveling up your rank, and catching Pokemon all feel seamless and consistently fun.
6
Presentation
Playing the game docked should serve you well enough, but handheld performance is disappointing. This is a game that truly makes the Switch feel like the aged hardware that it is.
9
Lasting Appeal
It was at the 10-hour mark that I'd finally begun to dig into the real content that Legends Arceus has to offer. By 20 hours, I was still enjoying the thrill of defeating Alpha Pokemon and farming items. If you enjoy completing the Pokedex and maxing out your rank, then you'll have quite a lot to keep you busy.
9.3
out of 10

Overall

It's easy to sound trite by saying that Pokemon Legends Arceus is a breath of fresh air that the Pokemon series desperately needed, yet it's also entirely true. For the first time in ages, I'm excited by, and fully invested in a Pokemon game.
I don't get that "actual challenge" part as It wasn't much of a challenge at all .. only died once because I fell of a cliff and I am actually by far not a very good gamer.

Also Horrible grafic is a very hard minus ...

But I can't say its a bad game, its actally fun, a little bit like snap withouth rails plus some minor fighting.

If the futuer Pokemon games will be a mix of this and the mainline games including some tweaks here and there it could be very cool.
 
I would call it " legend of arceus breath of the pokemons " you can feel its running on a modified botw engine + they pulled off a "disney" they recycled the animations in the intro from botw
 
I don't get that "actual challenge" part as It wasn't much of a challenge at all .. only died once because I fell of a cliff and I am actually by far not a very good gamer.

Also Horrible grafic is a very hard minus ...

But I can't say its a bad game, its actally fun, a little bit like snap withouth rails plus some minor fighting.

If the futuer Pokemon games will be a mix of this and the mainline games including some tweaks here and there it could be very cool.
the biggest challenge i'm still facing are those damn nobles i suck at dodging good thing you can continue at points in the battle or i would've given up
 
It sounds like someone at game freak saw one of the meme runs of dark souls and was like "hey we can do this!"

Considering I still have a lingering grudge with gen 4 and 5, this is an automatic hard pass for me.
 
I love that we have to craft everything and the new gameplay mechanics like battling multiple Pokémon at a time is challenging, and the powered up move types are a nice change going forward. (Though when I'm twice the Pokemons level and they one hit K.O. me, I find that to be bullshit.)

I still hate the concept of catching a Pokemon without battling it first though, I don't know why they threw away one of the founding cornerstones of the series. (Thanks, Pokemon GO...)
 
I live that we have to craft everything and the new gameplay mechanics like battling multiple Pokémon at a time is challenging, and the powered up move types are a nice change going forward. (Though when I'm twice the Pokemons level and they one hit K.O. me, I find that to be bullshit.)

I still hate the concept of catching a Pokemon without battling it first though, I don't know why they threw away one of the founding cornerstones of the series. (Thanks, Pokemon GO...)
Well you can still battle them and capture them :P
 
I don't get your scoring. 9+6+9 =24
Then 24÷3=8

Shouldn't it be 8 not 9.3?

Anyways waiting for amazon for my copy. I used too get my games a day or 2 early from them, now I get them upto a week late and if they come with some kind of pre-order bonus(other then in the game case) they never send it to me.
 
I don't get your scoring. 9+6+9 =24
Then 24÷3=8

Shouldn't it be 8 not 9.3?

Anyways waiting for amazon for my copy
It doesn't say it on the new TempStyle like it used to but the verdict score isn't an average of the other scores. There's more to a game than those three specific things, and those things together can often be more than the sum of their parts.

At the end of the day the score is arbitrary, so read the words and interpret them as you will.
 
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I don't get your scoring. 9+6+9 =24
Then 24÷3=8

Shouldn't it be 8 not 9.3?

Anyways waiting for amazon for my copy
Looks like the new tempstyle got rid of the old note at the end, but our scores aren't averages. It depends on the reviewer but I don't weigh each of the subscores equally. The gameplay is enough to trump any of the bad presentation. It deserves to be called out but imo shouldn't take too much away from the final result.
 
I agree that the game is fun and I enjoyed it but no one is going to talk about the controls? Unnecessarily complicated and confusing, traveling is also pretty bad, why do we need to report to the professor and travel back to the main town in order to go to a different zone? I would’ve liked to report back with 120 tasks done when I get like it. Also I would have liked to have a better and more concise menu system, even towards the end I found myself not being able to quickly navigate to my Pokédex asking myself “is it up or down on the D pad” When you play a game like Horizon Zero Dawn, you have a slight learning curve but at some point it all makes sense and you feel like the controller is an extension of your hands and you’re able to control the character and menus like a pro. This game doesn’t feel the way in my opinion. Definitely a step in the right direction but not perfect.
 
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I agree that the game is fun and I enjoyed it but no one is going to talk about the controls? Unnecessarily complicated and confusing, traveling is also pretty bad, why do we need to report to the professor and travel back to the main town in order to go to a different zone? I would’ve liked to report back with 120 tasks done when I get like it. Also I would have liked to have a better and more concise menu system, even towards the end I found myself not being able to quickly navigate to my Pokédex asking myself “is it up or down on the D pad” When you play a game like Horizon Zero Dawn, you have a slight learning curve but at some point it all makes sense and you feel like the controller is an extension of your hands and you’re able to control the character and menus like a pro. This game doesn’t feel the way in my opinion. Definitely a step in the right direction but not perfect.
Fair, yeah. I kept switching up and start for Wyrdeer and Menu for the longest time. I finally got it down after feeling like an idiot for hours. Glad I'm not the only one. I didn't mind the professor reporting since each trip felt like a specific expedition and I liked coming back to the village after.
 
I agree, but a new game from Nintendo shouldn't look like this, it was just greed or incompetence.
its incompetence for sure, one thing gamefreak was never good at was performance and graphics, they were never a studio with the correct know how on the technical side. maybe one day they hire outside help for this problems but yeah every gamefreak game has ok to poor graphics for the time off release and many do have performance issues.

they are not the best on the technical side that is for sure.
 
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I don't get that "actual challenge" part as It wasn't much of a challenge at all .. only died once because I fell of a cliff and I am actually by far not a very good gamer.

Also Horrible grafic is a very hard minus ...

But I can't say its a bad game, its actally fun, a little bit like snap withouth rails plus some minor fighting.

If the futuer Pokemon games will be a mix of this and the mainline games including some tweaks here and there it could be very cool.
That's already harder than any other Pokemon mainline game, where you can't "fall of a cliff" anywhere, and all combats against AI are won just by pressing A all the time.
 
I agree, but a new game from Nintendo shouldn't look like this, it was just greed or incompetence.
Certainly true, but I guess my point is, I won't dismiss a game from the potential great experience it may be, just because the graphics aren't as pretty as I desire in this day and age. Hell, we're talking about a game on the Switch, clearly graphics doesn't mean everything to the bulk of players that picked up the system to begin with.
 
Good review, I have a nitpick though.
First you say that earlier Switch games look and run better than this,
but then your conclusion is that it's the Switch's hardware fault.
Other than that I agree, imo the score is a bit high since I really didn't enjoy the MMO Tier Sidequests but this game really is a breath of fresh air and deserves the bonus points for that.
 
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I still can't decide if I should get this or not...I keep thinking I'll buy it only to get insanely bored with it very quick...making me waste so much money. *sighs*
 
Proof all the more that graphics aren't everything. Still love Mario 64 and both N64 Zelda titles to this day; aged, blocky, unappealing graphics and all.
The graphics for those titles were the best anyone could put out at the time. This game has worse graphics than phone games from the dawn of the iPhone. There isn’t an excuse

Gameplay wise it’s great but this isn’t gonna age well at all with all the problems present
 
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Just finishing my living dex for daimond, i’ll pick it when done. Thanks for the review! (iPhone with dutch autocorrection: #&€@%#$!)
 
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I really enjoy it so far
Gameplay is okay(could be better), graphics too but when it comes to hunting Pokémon they really got me this time
 
The graphics for those titles were the best anyone could put out at the time. This game has worse graphics than phone games from the dawn of the iPhone. There isn’t an excuse

Gameplay wise it’s great but this isn’t gonna age well at all with all the problems present
Well, to be fair, some weirdos still replay those N64 games and say they have "aged very well". But no. There are a lot of Gameplay issues in both Zelda OoT and MM on N64 that anyone saying those are the only and best versions of the games are simply wrong.

The 3DS versions are by far superior, not because graphics, but because of improved camera and control input, but people still got that nostalgia thing on them. The same for Super Mario 64. The DS version is the superior one for all it matters.

So, comparing to these N64 games, which PEOPLE ARE STILL PLAYING in 2022, this Pokemon title looks great. Yeah, shitty in some parts, but still better than Angry Birds back on the iPhone in 2009.
 
Well, to be fair, some weirdos still replay those N64 games and say they have "aged very well". But no. There are a lot of Gameplay issues in both Zelda OoT and MM on N64 that anyone saying those are the only and best versions of the games are simply wrong.

The 3DS versions are by far superior, not because graphics, but because of improved camera and control input, but people still got that nostalgia thing on them. The same for Super Mario 64. The DS version is the superior one for all it matters.

So, comparing to these N64 games, which PEOPLE ARE STILL PLAYING in 2022, this Pokemon title looks great. Yeah, shitty in some parts, but still better than Angry Birds back on the iPhone in 2009.
Those issues weren’t issues at the time, though. We only see them as issues now because we are accustomed to modern tech and it was a time when Nintendo actually cared about what was put on their platform. With it being 2022, putting out games with 2009 level of graphics and performance shouldn’t be tolerated
 
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I still can't decide if I should get this or not...I keep thinking I'll buy it only to get insanely bored with it very quick...making me waste so much money. *sighs*
If you got a decent enough PC the game runs well on ryujinx. I've actually pirated the leaked copy since I wasn't sure if I'd like it and ended up preordering it because I wanted to continue playing it on my Switch.
 
Those issues weren’t issues at the time, though. We only see them as issues now because we are accustomed to modern tech and it was a time when Nintendo actually cared about what was put on their platform. With it being 2022, putting out games with 2009 level of graphics and performance shouldn’t be tolerated
I always hated Super Mario 64. Camera is so bad. Yeah, it was an issue for me since I played Zelda OoT first and the camera wasn't anywhere near as wrong as in Super Mario 64.

If Pokemon fans replay Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal in their GBC versions, I'm sure they will enjoy the new game no matter the graphics.

I always wondered if some NPC were shirtless fat guys or mistresses in those games.
 
I still can't decide if I should get this or not...I keep thinking I'll buy it only to get insanely bored with it very quick...making me waste so much money. *sighs*
ULPT

Get it from Amazon and return it if you hate it. Or better yet, finish the game in the first week and send it back.
 
Weird, I had better experience in handheld than Docked. Maybe it was due to overclocking? Though I don't remember overclocking it.
I thought I was crazy, handheld is a lot better for me too
Same here. Just like with Age of Calamity, playing it in handheld mode gives a way better experience for me. I have a gen 1 OFW Switch, the Let's Go Pikachu one, so no overclocks or revised hardware.
Same with my brother. He has an OLED and has a way better experience in handheld than in docked, plus he has a Switch Light as well, which runs the game just great. :unsure:
 
The graphics for those titles were the best anyone could put out at the time. This game has worse graphics than phone games from the dawn of the iPhone. There isn’t an excuse

Gameplay wise it’s great but this isn’t gonna age well at all with all the problems present
Sure, yet the games are still a blast today regardless of how they look. My point is that graphics do not a great game make. And to dismiss a game (in any era) on graphics alone is an incredibly foolish move. I've played fantastic games with terrible graphics and awful games with beautiful graphics. For me, gameplay above all else, is a true measurement of if a game is any good or not. If it is, then you can be Mario 64 and 25 years from now, look like ass, yet still be an undeniable classic through and through. My only genuine complaint for Mario 64 has nothing to do with its graphics, its the lousy camera system.
 
I hope this is a good game. Can't really read the article, since my phone just jumps randomly somewhere in the middle of the forum page and only seems to happen on here... , even when typing. But yes, hoping to see a review on YouTube soon and see if it's worth it.
 
Pokemon games haven't changed since 1990's. You catch pokemon, you battle pokemon. Same formula rinse and repeat.
 
I always laugh at the dumbasses who think the game is so much worse because of the graphics. Spoiler alert, it's a large open world game on the switch exclusively. It'd be 8k 120fps if the console it's designed for could handle it but of-fucking-course it can't.

If you're playing the switch for next Gen ultra realistic graphics, you're a moron. Blame the console not the games.

That said this is the best Pokémon has ever been and I really hope it sells so well they ditch the shitty old style and only make games like this in the future. Even if they're not truly open world and still do routes and stuff. Would be a massive improvement.

Score is spot on. 7/10 too much durability
 
I hope this is a good game. Can't really read the article, since my phone just jumps randomly somewhere in the middle of the forum page and only seems to happen on here... , even when typing. But yes, hoping to see a review on YouTube soon and see if it's worth it.
Fingers crossed, we'll likely have a video review up on the GBAtemp channel later tonight! :)
 
I always laugh at the dumbasses who think the game is so much worse because of the graphics. Spoiler alert, it's a large open world game on the switch exclusively. It'd be 8k 120fps if the console it's designed for could handle it but of-fucking-course it can't.

If you're playing the switch for next Gen ultra realistic graphics, you're a moron. Blame the console not the games.

That said this is the best Pokémon has ever been and I really hope it sells so well they ditch the shitty old style and only make games like this in the future. Even if they're not truly open world and still do routes and stuff. Would be a massive improvement.

Score is spot on. 7/10 too much durability
Look at BOTW, that released on the switch 5 years ago and looks 50x better. Won't comment on the gameplay because I haven't seen it but the graphics are actually so terrible it's hilarious.
 
It's really gonna suck if they decide to go back to the tired old worn-out formula after this. PLA is a much better direction to take the series in.
 
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Look at BOTW, that released on the switch 5 years ago and looks 50x better. Won't comment on the gameplay because I haven't seen it but the graphics are actually so terrible it's hilarious.
The graphics are only bad because of this guy and other people who defend the crap out of literal crap. Game Freak knows the fan boys will always spend $60. Glad I haven’t paid for a switch game in ages because none of them deserve even $40
 
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The graphics are only bad because of this guy and other people who defend the crap out of literal crap. Game Freak knows the fan boys will always spend $60. Glad I haven’t paid for a switch game in ages because none of them deserve even $40
Odyssey and Zelda deserves them. But yes, most Switch games don't.
 
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It's really gonna suck if they decide to go back to the tired old worn-out formula after this. PLA is a much better direction to take the series in.

Yeah i hope they continue developing this formula. I haven't played a pokemon game since pokemon sapphire but this one caught my attention. I thought i grew out of pokemon games but this has been a lot of fun. Some improvements are needed but overall I'm surprisingly enjoying my time with it.
 
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A 9.3? wtf?
Even if it had the pretties Graphics existed, it would still be away from such a score because how repetetive it is and how loveless + empty the world itself is, which is btw its salepoint.
Also this one: "This is a game that truly makes the Switch feel like the aged hardware that it is." is really an insult.
Sure, the Switch isn't a powerhouse, but the utter ugliness of this game is nowhere near because of its technical limitations (best example Zelda Botw a game from 2017).

EDIT:
Just out of curiosity I looked up the Gbatemp Botw review and even though it is not from the same person, I couldn't hold in a chuckle:
- It was a 7/10
- one of the negative points was "Poorly constructed, empty, repetitive open world."
 
This is the first game in this (new) series and it sure feels like it, if it's ever going to get a sequel i'm sure it will bring many improvements to the mechanics/gameplay/ overworld, more Pokémon.. etc, just like how Gen 2 improved upon Gen 1, Gen 3 upon 2 etc. I hope they don't revert back to the old style/ formula and ditch this if the game doesn't sell/ or receive well.. Hell, If they decide to keep the main-line games as is with the same old formula and keep PLA as a side-series, it wouldn't be so bad, opposed to abandoning it all together.
 
Idea of leveling every pokemon when win fight or make tasks for Pokedex is stupid. Also Tasks for pokedex are like mobile game tasks. Game looks terrible and view distance is absurd. BOTW from 2017 looks way better. Also performance with drops to 20 fps in Nintendo exclusive. Max that i can give this game is 5/10.
 
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A 9.3? wtf?
Even if it had the pretties Graphics existed, it would still be away from such a score because how repetetive it is and how loveless + empty the world itself is, which is btw its salepoint.
Also this one: "This is a game that truly makes the Switch feel like the aged hardware that it is." is really an insult.
Sure, the Switch isn't a powerhouse, but the utter ugliness of this game is nowhere near because of its technical limitations (best example Zelda Botw a game from 2017).

EDIT:
Just out of curiosity I looked up the Gbatemp Botw review and even though it is not from the same person, I couldn't hold in a chuckle:
- It was a 7/10
- one of the negative points was "Poorly constructed, empty, repetitive open world."
Spoken like someone who has definitely not played the game. Tasks/quests are no more repetitive than BotW's Shrine Quests were, in fact I'd say they feel less so. The world is also less empty than BotW, as there's a Pokemon every two freaking feet. The graphics are a fair bit worse than BotW, I'll grant you that, but it might come as a shock to learn that graphics aren't everything. PLA is streets ahead of SwSh, and that's what people wanted. If people want BotW, they'll play that instead. I'd give PLA roughly an 8.9 myself, and BotW roughly a 8.6.
 
Maybe I missed it, but you have a con that you wish there would have been more pokemon in the game. How many are there? :) Since this is an origin story of the pokemon, it kind of make sense in a lore way that there are fewer monsters I suppose... but I guess they haven't restricted it to a subset of the first 151 pokemon :P
By the way, lorewise it is kinda dodgy that mew is 151, but mewtoo (the (failed) clone of mew) is 150.... lol :P
 
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Maybe I missed it, but you have a con that you wish there would have been more pokemon in the game. How many are there? :) Since this is an origin story of the pokemon, it kind of make sense in a lore way that there are fewer monsters I suppose... but I guess they haven't restricted it to a subset of the first 151 pokemon :P
By the way, lorewise it is kinda dodgy that mew is 151, but mewtoo (the (failed) clone of mew) is 150.... lol :P
According to a reddit post, there's less than 300. I was hoping there was at least 493, the same amount as the Dex in DP.
 
Spoken like someone who has definitely not played the game. Tasks/quests are no more repetitive than BotW's Shrine Quests were, in fact I'd say they feel less so. The world is also less empty than BotW, as there's a Pokemon every two freaking feet. The graphics are a fair bit worse than BotW, I'll grant you that, but it might come as a shock to learn that graphics aren't everything. PLA is streets ahead of SwSh, and that's what people wanted. If people want BotW, they'll play that instead. I'd give PLA roughly an 8.9 myself, and BotW roughly a 8.6.
I played it for about 5h, so I stand by that.

I can see why you would say that about BotW in regards to the shrine quests, but they had much more depth in them.
The Side quests etc also had much more character, or even just taking a stroll and look around to find out something new which isn't told directly to you.

In terms of exploration etc. the world is imo empty and the Pokemon are just randomly spawned in their respective circles and walking around 5 steps only to be interrupted to do a tiny animation and then continue to do it in circles. The sheer quantity of them doesn't add up to a good and full (semi)open world. There are points of interest needed, design, secrets, stuff that makes you want to experience the world. I could also just fill Botw with moblins, but I doubt that that would be a nicely filled world.

Sure graphics aren't everything, but in such a game it sure is relevant since you want the world to appeal to the player, also I am not expecting something impossible, just not something that has an equivalent of a guy sprinting and jump to bury his knee in my face.
(btw, graphics don't need to be hyperrealistic, but there should be an appealing art style, I would point out Slay the Spire, Hades or Wind waker)

The part "If people want to play Botw just play Botw", that is their own fault, they clearly aimed for that comparison. (You are still right ofc)

Not saying it is a game that shouldn't exist or anything, but it is really average and I would give it a 5, or for the 1st hour even a 6/10.

PLA being ahead of Sw/Sh isn't something difficult to achieve with the bar set low, and sure it is what people want, who would want a game that is worse? But would you still be happy if the next entry in a franchise you really like is just that? A tiny bit better even though it could be a whole bunch better? I don't think so.
 
But would you still be happy if the next entry in a franchise you really like is just that? A tiny bit better even though it could be a whole bunch better? I don't think so.
Prior to PLA, there had been no improvement whatsoever in mainline Pokemon games for like a decade plus. So even small improvements feel big, but there are also more meaningful improvements to be found here too. As far as I'm concerned, you add gyms, more trainer battles, and online battles to this formula in the next game, and that's pretty much as good as it gets for Pokemon. One could argue that this is a game that should've been released in the early or mid 2000s, but BotW was a necessary step for Nintendo before that could happen.
 
Prior to PLA, there had been no improvement whatsoever in mainline Pokemon games for like a decade plus. So even small improvements feel big, but there are also more meaningful improvements to be found here too. As far as I'm concerned, you add gyms, more trainer battles, and online battles to this formula in the next game, and that's pretty much as good as it gets for Pokemon. One could argue that this is a game that should've been released in the early or mid 2000s, but BotW was a necessary step for Nintendo before that could happen.
I absolutely agree.
I just wish they could give Pokemon to someone with a vision, who want it to be the best game it can be. Not someone going for the lowest common denominator.
 
Finally I wish I had a Switch, which I don't, not yet. They finally made something amazing, my love for Pokemon is rekindled.
 
It's really gonna suck if they decide to go back to the tired old worn-out formula after this. PLA is a much better direction to take the series in.
Eh, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you: Feel this is more of a spin-off than anything else?
Think at best there will prolly be one sequel top, but GF ain't gonna get away from the main formula anytime soon imo.
I'd consider Arceus much like those gimmicks they put in their games sometimes, like them mega evos, z moves and gigantamax, they're in one game and then prolly dropped for the next.
 
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I agree with the score. I've been having a blast since the leak. My wife never liked Pokemon games and she's been playing this for 3 days.
 
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Eh, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you: Feel this is more of a spin-off than anything else?
Think at best there will prolly be one sequel top, but GF ain't gonna get away from the main formula anytime soon imo.
I'd consider Arceus much like those gimmicks they put in their games sometimes, like them mega evos, z moves and gigantamax, they're in one game and then prolly dropped for the next.
Yeah, if Game Freak goes back to being stale that just saves me money I suppose. Pros and cons to everything. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then again, it would be a real shame to throw out this framework with how snappy everything is. PLA wastes none of the player's in-game time, and very little time has to be spent in menus. Even loading times are insanely fast for a Switch game.
 
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but handheld performance is disappointing
Well, duh; handheld mode sucks. I've never seen the appeal of handheld mode, when it inevitably and invariably lowers visual and audio quality - and all but forces the usage of crappy controllers (Joy-Cons).

This is a game that truly makes the Switch feel like the aged hardware that it is.
That second Hyrule Warriors thing is another example, I've heard - severe framedrops - so Legends ain't alone, unfortunately.

Oh, and that first screenshot? I did not realise modern t-shirts and short shorts existed back in feudal Japan - what the hell? Why add modern crap to a medieval game? Totally screws up immersion.
 
but handheld performance is disappointing
Well, duh; handheld mode sucks. I've never seen the appeal of handheld mode, when it inevitably and invariably lowers visual and audio quality - and all but forces the usage of crappy controllers (Joy-Cons).

This is a game that truly makes the Switch feel like the aged hardware that it is.
That second Hyrule Warriors thing is another example, I've heard - severe framedrops - so Legends ain't alone, unfortunately.



Oh, and that first screenshot? I did not realise modern t-shirts and short shorts existed back in feudal Japan - what the hell? Why add modern crap to a medieval game? Totally screws up immersion.

Since Pokemon are roaming in the overworld now,
That's been a thing since 2018's LGPE. It was actually decent back then, since Repels caused all Pokémon to disappear instantly and not spawn until the spray ran out; Sword/Shield screwed it up by NOT doing this, making Repels largely worthless (and making the roaming-Pokémon thing an extreme annoyance at times, since it's easy to bump into one by mistake, and there are quite a few narrow passageways in the game that make it impossible to avoid bumping into one).

Yes, something LGPE did somewhat well; I will give those turds that accomplishment. Fuck you, Sword/Shield, for not making Pokémon instantly despawn upon Repel usage. Does Legends have Repels, or are Pokémon spawns sparse enough to not have the same issues?

Breath of the Wild is nearly five years old, and looks and runs leagues better than Legends Arceus could ever hope to
BotW still doesn't look nearly as good as Xenoblade Chronicles 2, though; reeeally don't like the faux-cell-shaded thing they attempted with BotW. Always has looked like arse, to me. Haven't yet played Legends, and thus haven't yet personally experienced this game's art style, but from the trailers and screenshots...yeah, the arse remains.
 
I still can't decide if I should get this or not...I keep thinking I'll buy it only to get insanely bored with it very quick...making me waste so much money. *sighs*
I can vouch for this game, as I played the leaked copy... and it's amazing. Even has these cool "boss battles" in each area too, with Alpha pokemon being like mini-bosses.
 
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The graphics for those titles were the best anyone could put out at the time. This game has worse graphics than phone games from the dawn of the iPhone. There isn’t an excuse

Gameplay wise it’s great but this isn’t gonna age well at all with all the problems present
Yeah, the graphics feel worse than Breath of the Wild, which is a Wii U port. It feels very lazy to have bad graphics on Switch now, but did y'all notice that Gamefreak listened to us this time? They finally took notice, and stopped putting that stupid drawn outline around the characters! :D
 
Got to the third island or zone whatever you want to call it. Getting bored of it sadly not my type of game anymore (Pokemon). It was brilliant back in my youth but adulthood has taken over and ive out grown it sadly. Not noticed any frame drops while playing in handheld mode mind
 
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Nice review of the game, chary :)
when this game was first annocced back in 21? i was super excited for this,
now im not so sure on it, im more of 50/50 for it.

i've been playing pokemon since 98, and stopped playing a mainline seires game since X/Y games.
skipped sun/moon/ultra sun/moon/sword/shield/let's go, and the new BDSP (they aren't that great), the DP on DS were 100 times better,
sure a bit slow paced by today's standrds, but still great.

but this game is diffrent from the ones above, it's an orgin story to DP games like how Hyrule warroirs Age of calimity is for Zelda BOTW 1,
and since it has the name "Legends" in the title name like zelda BOTW does, lol it's kinda like zelda, but with pokemon instead.

for handhled only gaming, is this a good game/wroth trying out? i have a switch lite and im not sure if it'll play okay and not have any issues reguarding this game?

it feels like zelda botw with pokemon collesuim (kinda), collesuim was a gen 3 game for ruby/sappire etc so this is like that for DP.

also, to beat the game you have to catch all the pokemon? not sure how much there are in the game? like 150-300?
 
Nice review of the game, chary :)
when this game was first annocced back in 21? i was super excited for this,
now im not so sure on it, im more of 50/50 for it.

i've been playing pokemon since 98, and stopped playing a mainline seires game since X/Y games.
skipped sun/moon/ultra sun/moon/sword/shield/let's go, and the new BDSP (they aren't that great), the DP on DS were 100 times better,
sure a bit slow paced by today's standrds, but still great.

but this game is diffrent from the ones above, it's an orgin story to DP games like how Hyrule warroirs Age of calimity is for Zelda BOTW 1,
and since it has the name "Legends" in the title name like zelda BOTW does, lol it's kinda like zelda, but with pokemon instead.

for handhled only gaming, is this a good game/wroth trying out? i have a switch lite and im not sure if it'll play okay and not have any issues reguarding this game?

it feels like zelda botw with pokemon collesuim (kinda), collesuim was a gen 3 game for ruby/sappire etc so this is like that for DP.

also, to beat the game you have to catch all the pokemon? not sure how much there are in the game? like 150-300?
242 (give or take two, seeing as Darkrai and Shaymin aren't required). Main story and its post-credits sequence don't have any requirements, but to fight and/or catch Arceus itself you'll need to have owned each Pokemon at least once.
 
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242 (give or take two, seeing as Darkrai and Shaymin aren't required). Main story and its post-credits sequence don't have any requirements, but to fight and/or catch Arceus itself you'll need to have owned each Pokemon at least once.
i see, um so i must catch at least one pokemon of each, well darkcari and shamin are a no go for me as i don't own the games needed to have the saves for them in acrues. not that, but i don't even have arceus eyt ethier.

also, how do pokemon evlove in this game? by reaching the said lvl to evlove like other games or they need an item to evlove?
 
i see, um so i must catch at least one pokemon of each, well darkcari and shamin are a no go for me as i don't own the games needed to have the saves for them in acrues. not that, but i don't even have arceus eyt ethier.

also, how do pokemon evlove in this game? by reaching the said lvl to evlove like other games or they need an item to evlove?
Well, for the most part it's the same methods as normal Pokemon games. Leveling up, stones, etc. The main difference here is some Pokemon that require trading to evolve (Graveler to Golem, Haunter to Gengar, etc.) can either be found in the wild fully evolved, or you can obtain items to use on those Pokemon similar to stones so you don't have to trade. Every Pokemon in this game is obtainable single-player.
 
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Well, for the most part it's the same methods as normal Pokemon games. Leveling up, stones, etc. The main difference here is some Pokemon that require trading to evolve (Graveler to Golem, Haunter to Gengar, etc.) can either be found in the wild fully evolved, or you can obtain items to use on those Pokemon similar to stones so you don't have to trade. Every Pokemon in this game is obtainable single-player.
nice, that is good to know, some pokemon ROM hacks had this where you could get these traded pokemon evolotuions without the need to trade, but their by finding them in the wild or using some item on them to evolove
 
Game is amazing. Never experienced Pokemon like this. I hope there are better iterations in the coming months with this style of game play.
 
Never played a pokemon game, but now i have a reason to play one. This game looked so interesting!
 
Yeah, my overall thoughts were Game Freak as usual failed to deliver on the visual side of things, but the gameplay is different enough to keep it mostly fresh and interesting. A few QOL changes would be nice, but overall this is a direction I hope the series pushes further in the future.
 
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Nintendo try what others have already done and make a cock up of it, and I dont get if it was anyone else, it would be said for what it is.

Not praised for been shit but hey ho, praise for trying and claim its exciting.

It drags on, its stale, its boring, pretty sure it even recycles audio off breath of the turd.

I get its concept but how can they have got it soon wrong.... ohh we only want an open world rpg with pokemon formula thrown in.

We ended up with another failed attempt at something that should have been easy.
 
After 5h I stopped playing. It was just boring. I was hoping that it would be like Xenoblade, but unfortunately it's not.
what bored you about it, do you like the other mainline pokemon games?

im still considering picking this one up but I wanna complete Brilliant Diamond first. 5/8 badges in on a roll
 
This is what the series needed for a long time, something different...sadly Gamefreak is known not to keep moving forward. Next game is going to have mechanics we liked removed
 
I only care about generation one Pokémon. Any chance we will eventually see a hack of this game that allows for only gen one Pokémon to appear?
 
Not going to complain about the graphics even though I feel like the game looks like something from 15 years ago. But I do think the gameplay is very repetitive and boring. So far the game's easier than just about every Pokémon game because there's probably not even a trainer battle every half hour. Lord Pokémon fights are way more repetitive than Pokémon Gyms ever were and there are too few Pokémon to catch. Honestly the worst (main series) Pokémon game I've played, and I've played them all.
 
Graphics do matter, actually. A game can still be fun and have shitty graphics, it doesn't make it not an issue. Games can still look good and be fun (no fucking way)
 
Not going to complain about the graphics even though I feel like the game looks like something from 15 years ago. But I do think the gameplay is very repetitive and boring. So far the game's easier than just about every Pokémon game because there's probably not even a trainer battle every half hour. Lord Pokémon fights are way more repetitive than Pokémon Gyms ever were and there are too few Pokémon to catch. Honestly the worst (main series) Pokémon game I've played, and I've played them all.
i wouldnt call this main series since the entire porpose of the pokemon ip is to make your team and battle with other people which you cant do here, since there is no online battling at all or even local, you simply cant battle real people.
 
Played this game for hours since I recieved my hardcopy, overall its fun. The pokemon models and animation are great but the grass animations is sloppy and horrible, it look of paper texture moving , if that's the best gamefreaks can offer, I would rather they don't or remove the grass animation.
 
I reckon it would've been more interesting had Arceus abducted the Sinnoh Champion, y'know? Someone who already had gone throughout Sinnoh, seen and defeated Team Galactic, and had deep knowledge of Sinnoh's fauna - only to have to readjust to their older counterparts here.
 
The main issue I still have is the total lack of voice acting. That would simply elevate the experience so damn much.
 
i wouldnt call this main series since the entire porpose of the pokemon ip is to make your team and battle with other people which you cant do here, since there is no online battling at all or even local, you simply cant battle real people.

Well, the Pokémon Company considers it main series.

Also, we shouldn't forget that there should be DLC and/or updates that could add some of the "missing" things.
 
i wouldnt call this main series since the entire porpose of the pokemon ip is to make your team and battle with other people which you cant do here, since there is no online battling at all or even local, you simply cant battle real people.

Well, the Pokémon Company considers it main series.

Also, we shouldn't forget that there should be DLC and/or updates that could add some of the "missing" things.
 
Well, the Pokémon Company considers it main series.

Also, we shouldn't forget that there should be DLC and/or updates that could add some of the "missing" things.
the entire battling system wasnt really meant for player on player battles that is why they didnt put it in there and there is also a measly 180 attacks on the game compared to sword and shield 826 different ones most pokemons have like under 20 moves to pick from, so battleing and such would be extremely poor, the entire engine they made was not for the train and bttle people online in legends arceus, i highly doubt this game is gonna get any battling whatsoeveer, they just added trading just becuase since every pokemon is catchable on the game so trading has no porpose even on this game unless you dont want the trouble of catching them lol.
 
Trust me on this...

This will sell more than any Pokémon game on the switch as this was the most highest anticipated game. Even when I went to Walmart there was only 2 copies of the game left...

Is this game perfect no ... But it is a step in the right direction... I would give it an 7.5/10 because there are rooms for improvement.

Me personally I'm not going to play it right away (I did buy it on release) but I have to beat Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl first and also complete my Pokemon Sword DLC... Then there is Pokmon Y to complete and Alpha Saphire (Skipping Sun and Moon) I will play BW2 when I get the chance..
 
I liked that they tried something different... but the game itself is really repetitive and boring. You just walk around then aim to throw the pokeball at the pokemon and then do that a million more times and only occasionally fight... I'd much rather be playing a traditional pokemon game :P
 
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I'm the type that likes pokemon, but gets easily bored. This one on the other hand, has been awesome. It has an actual plot, game is genuinely fun, and catching pokemon feels really awesome. When I managed to catch my first Abra, I was proud.
 
Yeah, the graphics feel worse than Breath of the Wild, which is a Wii U port. It feels very lazy to have bad graphics on Switch now, but did y'all notice that Gamefreak listened to us this time? They finally took notice, and stopped putting that stupid drawn outline around the characters! :D
It also like... Runs properly. Breath of the wild is a launch title that ran like 15-20 fps in violent spikes at launch and even with patches still honestly runs like shit docked and barely playable handheld

Arceus runs at a pretty solid fps. I assume it's 30 but it's pretty solid. It only dorks up when a tons of moves are going off or something and even that's just a minor hitch. I'll take that any day. Most switch games run like pure shit
 
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The research system feels like a chore. Collecting research data doesn't feel a good enough motivation. If science class is boring in the real life then pokemon science is boring too.
 
I don't get that "actual challenge" part as It wasn't much of a challenge at all .. only died once because I fell of a cliff and I am actually by far not a very good gamer.

Also Horrible grafic is a very hard minus ...

But I can't say its a bad game, its actally fun, a little bit like snap withouth rails plus some minor fighting.

If the futuer Pokemon games will be a mix of this and the mainline games including some tweaks here and there it could be very cool.
did you get to the endgame/postgame yet?
 
I just beat brilliant diamond and now used tons of glitches for master ball and rare candy cloning

gosh the post game with cheats is amazing! I got totally sucked in

I have Pokemon Snap still in wrap to cool off from, but still tempted to pick up Arceus
 
Proof all the more that graphics aren't everything. Still love Mario 64 and both N64 Zelda titles to this day; aged, blocky, unappealing graphics and all.
what the....hey you should use ALSD and win98 to vist this website, if you wouldn't, Pls don't just say like that. Make graphics look become real that's goals our pursuit.
 
what the....hey you should use ALSD and win98 to vist this website, if you woudn't, Pls don't just say like that. Make graphics look become real that's goals our pursuit.

Good lord, English isn't your first language I take it, but I think I get the jist of what you're saying. I love when a great game looks pretty, don't get me wrong, but I also can still have great fun to this day playing a game like Super Mario 64, looking just as it did in '96. I'd have to be pretty shallow to dismiss a game immediately without giving it a try just because the graphics aren't what I desire in this day and age. And you know what? 4 days with this game now, and I'm absolutely right, this game is a blast and the graphics do very little to nothing to distract me from the fun I'm having while playing the game.
 
what bored you about it, do you like the other mainline pokemon games?

im still considering picking this one up but I wanna complete Brilliant Diamond first. 5/8 badges in on a roll
Uh it's Pokémon go can't get any better then that all the high scores and people loving it because it's something new because I assume none of them maybe played Pokémon go if this was when switch first came out I could see the hype but come on catching Pokémon in the wild is something everyone wanted I wanted since red and blue days, they could have added trainers and gyms and random team rocket types to pop out every now and then, but I guess this is what they where going for which is fine but not my cup of tea, hell they could have even done this in a switch type semi mmo with you and a few friends battling hard core Pokémon to try and catch them the rare ones I mean. I give it a 4 out 10 luck at that and that's for even trying.
 
Good lord, English isn't your first language I take it, but I think I get the jist of what you're saying. I love when a great game looks pretty, don't get me wrong, but I also can still have great fun to this day playing a game like Super Mario 64, looking just as it did in '96. I'd have to be pretty shallow to dismiss a game immediately without giving it a try just because the graphics aren't what I desire in this day and age. And you know what? 4 days with this game now, and I'm absolutely right, this game is a blast and the graphics do very little to nothing to distract me from the fun I'm having while playing the game.
Oh, well then, I think I did misunderstand your first post meant.
 
I wouldn't have expected that from you...
Especially you @Chary
Spoiling the Typhlosion Hissuian form
I managed to get away from spoilers so far and you...
Grrr... you WILL pay...
I wIlL haCk iNto TEmP aND GeT yoU DowN...!
 
I bought the game and only an hour in so far, been busy, but Professor Laventon theme music is downright delightful



What an absolute banger of an intro song
 
I caught an alpha by stealthing it with an Ultraball from behind a tree. Felt rewarding af not having to fight it first!
 
9.3/10 is very optimistic. This review was clearly very biased, which is fine. But I agree with everyone saying the game feels more like a 6. Pokemon is literally the highest grossing media franchise in the world; they're absolutely capable of putting out better games, yet they don't because people will buy their games either way.
 
I always hated Super Mario 64. Camera is so bad. Yeah, it was an issue for me since I played Zelda OoT first and the camera wasn't anywhere near as wrong as in Super Mario 64.

If Pokemon fans replay Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal in their GBC versions, I'm sure they will enjoy the new game no matter the graphics.

I always wondered if some NPC were shirtless fat guys or mistresses in those games.
Pokemon GSC graphics are actually my favourite. I believe the graphics in the pokemon series peaked with the GBA though. Those crisp sprites looked perfect. Unless you want to consider the spinoffs, in which case Pokemon Ranger, especially Shadows of Almia, looked the best imo.

Then we got the DS games which went 3D and were blurry as hell, but still appealing. And then the 3DS games which used 3D models but were so unoptimized you couldn't even use the 3D slider outside of battles, and it got so bad that by the last few releases, instead of optimizing the games so you could always have the 3D on with no impact to performance, the 3D slider was COMPLETELY DISABLED. Then we have the shitfest that is the Switch games. Let's Go looked fine, as did BSDP, I'll give them that, but Sword and especially Legends Arceus are just hideous letdowns.

Seriously, how do you make a game that looks worse than a PS2 game?
 
The only thing I don't like so far are the menus and controls, I feel it suffers from "we have all these buttons, let's give every button a separate function, and menus feel cluttered and hard to navigate. Aside from that I'm rather enjoying it but i'm taking it slow to keep from getting burned out on it. I'm not going to nitpick the graphics as i play on a switch lite and they look ok. Just ok,
 
I dunno what everyone’s on about with the graphics

Could they be better? Of course but it’s an art style that’s in the spirit of Pokémon and the skies look cool as hell. I think the first part of the game actually looks the worst

But I play handheld OLED I’ve heard docked is actually inferior and I could see a washed out screen effect with the art style not faring well on the regular and lite LCDs

They’re crisp jaggies which I prefer to more detail but obfuscated by too much blur if I had to have my pick. Plenty of worse looking switch titles IMO



I agree the menu is weird change for the sake of change separation but once you get it down it’s not bad. I really don’t like the way it lays out your tasks per Pokémon basis it’s confusing.

I really like that you can swap your starter Pokémon without going in a menu just X and left-right instead of having to go into the menu

Going to a campsite or that lady in the village to swap your set with the box full of them is a bit eh I had to YouTube that



It is so damn sloppy you can throw a pokeball at a Pokémon in the wild with their back turned for an improved technique, and in battle you can move around but if you throw a pokeball when they’re weakened from behind it cuts to an animation of the ball being thrown from the front and makes no tactical difference. WTF is that how was that not re Evaluated

Also agree a game of this scope and budget should have voice acting
 
Could they be better? Of course but it’s an art style that’s in the spirit of Pokémon and the skies look cool as hell. I think the first part of the game actually looks the worst
It most definitely is not an "art style". It's laziness combined with incompetence. It looks worse than a dreamcast game. Open your eyes.
Rt83ig8.png
 
It most definitely is not an "art style". It's laziness combined with incompetence. It looks worse than a dreamcast game. Open your eyes.
Rt83ig8.png

The water looks like crap who can argue with that

But if you have to keep using the same two screenshots I think the plot is a bit lost the game generally looks nothing like that photo

It does come down to art style too to an extent they weren’t striving for pseudo realism even remotely. It’s Pokémon.
 
I bought the game and only an hour in so far, been busy, but Professor Laventon theme music is downright delightful



What an absolute banger of an intro song

I haven't seen much praise for it yet, but the music in this game is fantastic. BOTW2 could take a note or two (pun absolutely intended) from that aspect of this game, sure, while the gentle piano movements while you played BOTW fit very well, there always was this feeling (at least from myself), that more than anywhere, the music in BOTW could be punched up. I do genuinely get what they were going for, with it being atmospheric and lighter on actual musical pieces, it DOES work in BOTW, but I dunno, after spending a week with this game, I feel like I understand what a more open world Zelda game can accomplish with more dedicated music setting in based on your circumstances over the more simple and gentle piano movements they have in that game instead.
 
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Well, finished the game in 80 hours (more "catching everything, God included", I still have a few insignificant side-quests to achieve) and it was nice. I just hope it will become the license's new game design standard and that they will improve that base with time.

Otherwise, yes, the game has its downsides (water, like many said, but other graphical details that makes the game feel so old despite being released this year), but has been the heart of 80 hours of enjoyment I wasn't having with Pokémon for so many years before it arrived.

So, for me, it's a must-have on the Switch.

GameFreak has a solid concept for this series of Legends (Zygarde next?), but I hope the next ones will be on the Switch's successor, this hardware is old and GF has never been good with optimization, and they proved it again.
 
The water looks like crap who can argue with that

But if you have to keep using the same two screenshots I think the plot is a bit lost the game generally looks nothing like that photo

It does come down to art style too to an extent they weren’t striving for pseudo realism even remotely. It’s Pokémon.
Yeah it's still not an "art style". I don't know why you keep bringing it up as if you have a point. Just take a look at Jubilife Village. It's literally the same house copy pasted 30 times and some of them are in a different colour. The one town in the entire game and it's bland, uninspired, and lazy.

UehkmLzWfiTDQDTQzWm7if.jpg


The game doesn't have an art style. Unless you consider how terribly lazy it looks to be its art style. In which case you'd be right!

Keep in mind, Breath of the Wild was a launch title for the switch, and it has one of the best art styles in any game. A launch title!
 
There is definitely an art style to the game lol, how can one seriously argue otherwise? Maybe the style doesn't do much for ya, but it exists all the same.
 
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So the village homes are copy pasta so what

They dialed it in with some lazy design choices but even that screenshot looks night and day better than the lake one. Self evident that it doesn’t look as bad as purported

And agreed how can one argue there is no art style to the game. If that were true it would be a blank canvas
 
Please name the art style chosen for this game.
Lol, you realize that literally every video game has an artstyle right? Most of which go without a specific name for it, and many are nothing special. Again, the style here may not do anything for yourself, but it exists all the same.
 
Lol, you realize that literally every video game has an artstyle right? Most of which go without a specific name for it, and many are nothing special. Again, the style here may not do anything for yourself, but it exists all the same.
Just as I thought. Thank you for your time, have a good day.
 
Just as I thought. Thank you for your time, have a good day.
Ah beauty to my eyes, the resignation of someone who knows they are wrong, but are always right (in their mind anyway), so instead of admit defeat, they run away with their tail between their legs. Adorable, I used to be a bit like that myself when I was in my early teens.
 
Ah beauty to my eyes, the resignation of someone who knows they are wrong, but are always right (in their mind anyway), so instead of admit defeat, they run away with their tail between their legs. Adorable, I used to be a bit like that myself when I was in my early teens.
You've failed to name the art style used in PLA. But please, do go on about how wrong I am and how right you are, really drive the point home by drawing attention to yourself like that. It helps convince people.
 
You've failed to name the art style used in PLA. But please, do go on about how wrong I am and how right you are, really drive the point home by drawing attention to yourself like that. It helps convince people.
The fact that you think that every artstyle has a name, shows how little about art you actually know. Perhaps you don't actually know that you are wrong, and you're just incredibly naïve. Either way you slice it though, you're completely wrong on the matter.

The simple fact is, every video game has an art style, even Atari 2600 games had an artstyle, primitive as they may have been, they're essentially the cave paintings of the video game portion of the art world.

I'm thinking you've falsely conflated artstyle in games as meaning the game automatically looks beautiful. Not the case, there are plenty of straight up terrible artstyles. Hell, people make paintings out of actual shit and cum, and as disgusting as that may be, it's an artstyle all the same.
 
The fact that you think that every artstyle has a name, shows how little about art you actually know. Perhaps you don't actually know that you are wrong, and you're just incredibly naïve. Either way you slice it though, you're completely wrong on the matter.

The simple fact is, every video game has an art style, even Atari 2600 games had an artstyle, primitive as they may have been, they're essentially the cave paintings of the video game portion of the art world.

I'm thinking you've falsely conflated artstyle in games as meaning the game automatically looks beautiful. Not the case, there are plenty of straight up terrible artstyles. Hell, people make paintings out of actual shit and cum, and as disgusting as that may be, it's an artstyle all the same.
The art style in PLA is not good nor is it deliberate. It's a result of a rushed game that was under staffed.

Look at botw, a launch title, then look at this. Heck, look at wind waker. Those games look beautiful. This game looks worse than a ps2 game.

This game was never made with an art style in mind. Stop defending it and stop taking this way out of context.
 
The art style in PLA is not good nor is it deliberate. It's a result of a rushed game that was under staffed.

Look at botw, a launch title, then look at this. Heck, look at wind waker. Those games look beautiful. This game looks worse than a ps2 game.

This game was never made with an art style in mind. Stop defending it and stop taking this way out of context.
I'm not arguing it's a good artstyle, my only argument is that it, like literally every video game, has an art style and that is all my point is. I don't know how you can even try and argue otherwise when this is a fundamental truth to gaming as far as I've ever been concerned.

Hate the game all you like, I genuinely don't care, but don't let a reason you hate it be for it not having an artstyle when it does, just hate the artstyle that it does have. Legit, nothing wrong with that, and completely understandable.
 
I'm not arguing it's a good artstyle, my only argument is that it, like literally every video game, has an art style and that is all my point is. I don't know how you can even try and argue otherwise when this is a fundamental truth to gaming as far as I've ever been concerned.

Hate the game all you like, I genuinely don't care, but don't let a reason you hate it be for it not having an artstyle when it does, just hate the artstyle that it does have. Legit, nothing wrong with that, and completely understandable.
Oh my God lol I see what you're saying now. How pedantic LMAO. Thank you, yes, the game does indeed have visual representation in the form of graphics and thus has an art style by default. Thank you.
 
Oh my God lol I see what you're saying now. How pedantic LMAO. Thank you, yes, the game does indeed have visual representation in the form of graphics and thus has an art style by default. Thank you.
At this point, I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve by further conversing on the topic with me. You do seem to have conceded that the game (just like any game) does indeed have an artstyle (which again is all my point ever was here). It's an artstyle that you feel is lazy and nothing to talk about, and that is a completely valid opinion, I won't argue with your right to feel that way. But if you think I'm here to debate with you that it has a good artstyle, then I don't think you're fully appreciating my point of view here, I've never argued as much and wasn't about to.
 
im about 5 hours in and really enjoying it but without getting to spoilers does it veer off from just collecting + beating pokemon and reporting to laventon?

Just beat the first 'boss' that starts with K.
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): January 28, 2022
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Game Freak
  • Genres: Action RPG
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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Help Users
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    From what people say pvp isn't even worth it
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I just been playing offline, and they give you a few bots here n there on your team to help battle. I don't think it's as funny as the other games tho, more battle oriented than humor, which kinda sucks, but I'm still early in it
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @BigOnYa, doesnt the game have a campaign mode?
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Yea, and co-op, but you can also start a pvp session and battle just with friends. You get special skill cards (powers) the more you play. And higher value cards, but you can only enable so many cards at a time.
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    If you can find enough for it
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Toilet paper is considered the money, you collect and buy stuff with TP, kinda funny. Graphics are def better than the other games tho, I think they used Unity 5 engine.
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Look if I zoom in enough I can see the herpes!!!
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    In fact I'm gonna go make a drink, roll a fatty n play some, good night to all!
    +2
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    I bet most people at the time still watched it in black and white
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    @Xdqwerty, Many of them did before colour television was common.
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    Likely because black and white TV was in-expensive.
    +1
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    It certainly wasn't inexpensive it cost the same as a new car back then
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    How much did a 1965 color TV cost?

    For example, a 21-inch (diagonal) GE color television in 1965 had an advertised price of $499, which is equal to $4,724 in today's dollars, according to the federal government's inflation calculator.
    +1
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @K3Nv2, take into consideration how economy was back then
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Yeah that's why they listed inflation rates
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    Sorry didnt read that part
  • BakerMan @ BakerMan:
    @LeoTCK don't worry i knew he was joking
    +1
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    My first color TV was like 1984 or something lol
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    19 inches it was glorious lol
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    @Psionic Roshambo, If it doesn't fit, you should've gotten one smaller lol
    +1
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    If a racoon can fit up to 8-inches then so be it
    SylverReZ @ SylverReZ: If a racoon can fit up to 8-inches then so be it