CONFIRMED: Pokémon Sword/Shield Dropped GTS; Contains Multiplayer Code From Let's Go

[MayorSquirtle]

No I'm just saying that the leaks people are focusing on tend to be negative because they're pushing the narrative that has been building for a while

Click to shrink...

Right, which goes to my original comment that I legitimately can't think of leaked info about new, positive features. I'm not trying to insist the game doesn't have any (I'd say that camping is one but we've known about that for a while so it's not driving discussion any longer) but I've been following the leaks pretty closely and a lot of the positive stuff tends to be subjective (pokemon designs, music, presentation during gym/rival battles and such) rather than objective improvements to features or systems. Even when we do get some positive info, like nature mints that make competitive battling more accessible, its goal is kind of undercut by its high BP cost and the fact that a lot of staple competitive moves are now TRs and require raid grinding to teach repeatedly.

 

[Deleted member 2809]

Officially the worst mainline game

 

[Deleted member 8593]

Why wouldn't they?

Click to shrink...

You'd think that they wouldn't cut out a feature that has been an integral part of the games for a while now just in order to sell it to you separately.

 

[VerySerious]

The GTS was so good for getting Pokémon from the other version, too. I think I might skip this gen now... 😢

 

[The Adder]

That quite literally is moving the goalpost, Saying that its ok to tell someone to vote with wallet, i say yep sure is but telling someone that wants a game to not get it is wrong, so he says no ones slapping games out of hands

Click to shrink...

You don't move other people's goal posts. You move your own.

If I say "it's okay to eat cookies" and you reply "yep but telling someone that doesn't want cookies that they should try them" me saying "no one is forcing cookies down anyone's throat" isn't moving the goal posts, it's criticizing your metric.

If I say "you're not qualified to comment on this game until you beat boss X" then you beat boss X and I say "well you didn't do it with one hand", that's moving the goal posts.

 

[Eumi]

And here I thought that being charged for online might actually mean it's improved.

But nah, they're probs gonna implement it through home, adding another subscription fee.

Man this game just feels greedy as shit. If Home costs money to use, you can directly link so many of its problems to trying to make a profit.

 

[Serebii]

Lmao. Yes, it's definitely just those people who are the problem. There surely aren't dozens and dozens of others who enter every single thread related to [insert cut feature/content], and try to dismiss or downplay any criticism whatsoever. And it's only those pesky complainers who resort to personal attacks!

Yep, this is definitely a situation where the problem people are all on the one side.

Click to shrink...

People aren't downplaying any and all criticism. Just because they're still excited and want to play it doesn't mean they are blind to the criticism. Your viewpoint is not the only valid viewpoint

 

[Lynd]

The problem with a Home sub I suppose would be if you did amass all the Pokémon, or a lot, and something happens to your sub, or you don't renew for awhile you'll probably just lose everything.

 

[Clefargle]

No I'm just saying that the leaks people are focusing on tend to be negative because they're pushing the narrative that has been building for a while.

Click to shrink...

The "narrative has been building for a while" because news about cut Pokémon, removed features, and bad performance has been coming out for the better part of a year.

 

[DrDeckard]

I don't even know how to take any of this stuff.

i have mild disappointment about missing features in a game that will probably have an updated version with all the missing features and Pokemon in 2 to3 years. I also haven't really kept my ear to the ground to be really invested, as there are so many good games.

then on the other hand I think of the hundreds of employees that released a game last year, are releasing a game this year ...and I think about how we all claim that crunch needs to stop... i then see all these awful posts and think to myself, fuck all these "fans"

i hope that If you are disapointed and spread this kind of hatred that you don't buy the game. It's the only way to send the message that they should have probably spent another year on the game, to include all the features the fans want.

Also, the fact that #thankyougamefreak has been twisted into some negative shit is whack. You should be ashamed if you've used it that way.

 

[noyram23]

I'll just wait for the eventual Ultra version with all the problems and criticism fixed, well at least nearly all problem.

 

[ArchedThunder]

People aren't downplaying any and all criticism. Just because they're still excited and want to play it doesn't mean they are blind to the criticism. Your viewpoint is not the only valid viewpoint

Click to shrink...

Joe, my dude, there are a lot of people who will jump down anybody's throat just for voicing disappointment.

 

[SpaceCrystal]

Because you are going to give them 60 dollars for it. Why release a full game for 50 dollars when you can release half of one for 60?
And you aren't even one of the koolaid drinking fanatics. You know it has issues and acknowledge them. And you are still going to pay an inflated price for it.

Click to shrink...

And this is why Game Freak will continue to get away with what they've been doing since 2013.

 

[The Adder]

the fact that #thankyougamefreak has been twisted into some negative shit is whack. You should be ashamed if you've used it that way.

Click to shrink...

I really hope you were adamantly defending Hello Games, or Bioware, Bethesda, or any of the literal dozens of other developers that face harsh criticism for releasing a substandard product.

 

[Jack Frost]

I'll just wait for the eventual Ultra version with all the problems and criticism fixed, well at least nearly all problem.

Click to shrink...

 

[noyram23]

Think about this Gamefreak is still getting away with selling you 2 versions of a game with minimal difference and locking pokemons (content) exclusively to them. If any of the big bad publishers does this it will be shitted on to hell and back, they can easily get away with this lol #thankyougamefreak

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

Gamefreak is flat out releasing an unfinished game people.

The benefit of the doubt phase should be over. They should be criticized as harshly as Bethesda or EA for this.

Click to shrink...

This is more surprising for me than the lost feature!
I know GF is not that used to HD but they could've used help from Monolithsoft, Tecmo Koei or Bandai Namco.
At least for this entry until they are more familiar.
It's not that they are short on cash.

 

[ArchedThunder]

No I'm just saying that the leaks people are focusing on tend to be negative because they're pushing the narrative that has been building for a while.

Take people focusing on the Link Code element of this. We know that you can connect easily through the Y-Comm.

Click to shrink...

There was a lot of positivity around the Pokemon and some of the QoL changes, but the negatives are so numerous and baffling that they are the main focus. There is no sinister narrative here, people aren't just hating on the games to hate them, they are just genuinely upset at all the backwards decisions.

 

[Deleted member 2669]

This series is a lost cause, ain't it?

 

[Queen__ofhyrule]

Think about this Gamefreak is still getting away with selling you 2 versions of a game with minimal difference and locking pokemons (content) exclusively to them. If any of the big bad publishers does this it will be shitted on to hell and back, they can easily get away with this lol #thankyougamefreak

Click to shrink...

Careful, you might get a warning for an 'inappropriate drive-by'.

 

[psynergyadept]

well this fucking blows....well your lost nintendo! looks like I don't have to buy your shitty online pass

So much concern trolling over the hashtag use. It's not "cruel" to be sarcastic towards a company that makes millions off the most lucrative media franchise in the world. It's not "cruel" to complain that a game series's features and content are regressing while the games now cost $60 compared to the $40 they used to. Saying #ThankYouGameFreak over something like this is not the equivalent of finding a Game Freak employee and rubbing their nose in harassment. It's an extremely mild way of expressing discontent in the grand scheme of things, so just because y'all SAY it's cruel to the devs doesn't make it so. It's directed at the company, which is not, in fact, your friend. Not to say that cruelty towards the devs hasn't happened and that it shouldn't be condemned when it does happen, but save it for when that's actually happening.

Click to shrink...

also this.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Think about this Gamefreak is still getting away with selling you 2 versions of a game with minimal difference and locking pokemons (content) exclusively to them. If any of the big bad publishers does this it will be shitted on to hell and back, they can easily get away with this lol #thankyougamefreak

Click to shrink...

The "locked content" that was both minuscule and easy to obtain? That was never something worth complaining about nor were you ever expected to buy both versions for yourself. There are real problems with Pokemon, that aint it.

 

[KartuneDX]

I gotta say, in light of everything yesterday and ahead of reviews today, I'm encouraging those dissatisfied with the games to vocalize this with their wallets, one way or another.

Even if you see yourself eventually wanting to play the games, just hunt down a secondhand copy. I just don't feel comfortable contributing $60 for this and I know I'm not alone.

 

[noyram23]

Careful, you might get a warning for an 'inappropriate drive-by'.

Click to shrink...

Honestly, so what? it's true though. You're seeing games from other Nintendo devs stepping up significantly this gen and a lot of them are just a fraction of what Pokemon is selling (Astral Chain, Xenoblade, FE, etc), they can do a lot better than this.

 

[Serebii]

There was a lot of positivity around the Pokemon and some of the QoL changes, but the negatives are so numerous and baffling that they are the main focus. There is no sinister narrative here, people aren't just hating on the games to hate them, they are just genuinely upset at all the backwards decisions.

Click to shrink...

Negatives are always everyone's main focus. It's human

 

[Tempy]

That first page sure is embarassing.

Fale edit: not just the first page

 

[MoonToon]

It's fine if it happens Blizzard, Bethesda, Activision, Konami, EA, Bioware or something. This wasn't supposed to happen to Game Freak, or to a franchise I actually like. Now I conveniently realize the companies are made up of people, and ya'll are lowering their morale every second. How dare.

Click to shrink...

The irony in it is that many of those are western devs who might actually have people who read a forum like this.

I'm fairly sure no one at GF is reading post on this forum ... (how ever it seems JPN tweeter is going straight for the neck and I'm sure they're far more likely to read that.)

 

[noyram23]

The "locked content" that was both minuscule and easy to obtain? That was never something worth complaining about nor were you ever expected to buy both versions for yourself. There are real problems with Pokemon, that aint it.

Click to shrink...

Why not offer those pokemon on just 1 game? If they want to foster trading why not make each randomly locked into a certain selection/random generator when you start the game? You know they're getting a LOT more money from selling 2 versions and even the 2 in 1 pack, that's why

 

[KartuneDX]

The "locked content" that was both minuscule and easy to obtain? That was never something worth complaining about nor were you ever expected to buy both versions for yourself. There are real problems with Pokemon, that aint it.

Click to shrink...

That locked content is absolutely minuscule compared to locking Mew behind PokeBall +, or trapping entire generations between a last gen paywall for this gen's pay wall.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Why not offer those pokemon on just 1 game? If they want to foster trading why not make each randomly locked into a certain selection/random generator when you start the game? You know they're getting a LOT more money from selling 2 versions and even the 2 in 1 pack, that's why

Click to shrink...

Thats so much worse

 

[RockmanBN]

I gotta say, in light of everything yesterday and ahead of reviews today, I'm encouraging those dissatisfied with the games to vocalize this with their wallets, one way or another.

Even if you see yourself eventually wanting to play the games, just hunt down a secondhand copy. I just don't feel comfortable contributing $60 for this and I know I'm not alone.

Click to shrink...

Yeah I'm just getting this used. This really ain't on GameFreak, but more on The Pokemon Company for not giving them enough time to let this cook. Game needed to release to coincide with the anime and merchandising but I guess they didn't want to wait longer.

 

[cainhxrst]

So much concern trolling over the hashtag use. It's not "cruel" to be sarcastic towards a company that makes millions off the most lucrative media franchise in the world. It's not "cruel" to complain that a game series's features and content are regressing while the games now cost $60 compared to the $40 they used to. Saying #ThankYouGameFreak over something like this is not the equivalent of finding a Game Freak employee and rubbing their nose in harassment. It's an extremely mild way of expressing discontent in the grand scheme of things, so just because y'all SAY it's cruel to the devs doesn't make it so. It's directed at the company, which is not, in fact, your friend. Not to say that cruelty towards the devs hasn't happened and that it shouldn't be condemned when it does happen, but save it for when that's actually happening.

Click to shrink...

You're tip-toeing around the point people are making. Nobody is saying it's cruel to mock or express discontent towards gamefreak. It is cruel to mock fans for showing love to a dev/franchise just because they don't agree with opinions you have about the games, which is where the sarcastic use of the hashtag is coming from.

 

[MicH]

Thats so much worse

Click to shrink...

But it's miniscule and easy to obtain, you said so yourself. So what's the issue?

 

[Dany1899]

This is a bad enws (which I already knew and had time to assimilate), I completed my first National Dex in Y thanks to the GTS, and I used it to immediately get the Pokémon exclusive to the other version. I hope that at least it will really at least present in Home. It would be not so intuitive to use to complete the Pokédex of a game (i.e., I have to transfer Pokémon to Home, exchange with the GTS, make them return to the game), but at least this feature which I always liked could come back.

 

[Phendrana]

then on the other hand I think of the hundreds of employees that released a game last year, are releasing a game this year ...and I think about how we all claim that crunch needs to stop... i then see all these awful posts and think to myself, fuck all these "fans"

Click to shrink...

Wait...what?!

Being critical of this game does not mean that you support crunch. Another year in the oven honestly wouldn't even solve most of the issues I have with the series at this point. I've been saying for years that Game Freak should be a much bigger studio than it is. As the developer of a franchise that sells upwards of ten million copies a year, there's simply no excuse for these kinds of feature/content cuts. Or the general unambitious nature of the series as a whole. Their refusal to grow is not something that should be championed imo.

Crunch is not the solution to the issues the series has. A massive overhaul is.

 

[Angie]

This is more surprising for me than the lost feature!
I know GF is not that used to HD but they could've used help from Monolithsoft, Tecmo Koei or Bandai Namco.
At least for this entry until they are more familiar.
It's not that they are short on cash.

Click to shrink...

What the hell.
We are talking about a studio that owns the biggest and most profitable franchise in the world. With just a quick google search shows that the franchise alone is well worth over 15 Billions, with an income of 1,5 Billions dolars yearly. With the CEO Net Worth alone in the & Billions. With they claiming they have 1000 devs working on the game. How the hell can they just say "well we just not used to HD".

 

[Rosebud]

This series is a lost cause, ain't it?

Click to shrink...

Yep. Imagine this happening with ANY other huge franchise...

 

[Deleted member 2809]

Negatives are always everyone's main focus. It's human

Click to shrink...

Or maybe they revealed all the good stuff in the 6+ months marketing cycle and left all the bad shit hidden for the release, hence why people are getting pissed. Crazy I know.
Also people liked the final fire starter's signature move's animation that we saw yesterday, so there's that.

 

[Keyouta]

To me, Gamefreak should be stepping away from the yearly release schedule (even if tpci may not prefer it) to boost the quality of their releases. To have to be releasing Pokemon titles ever year is strenuous and cuts into development time and the quality of each game. This is now the fourth year they've released a game without a break. I also don't think they should be releasing director's cut expanded versions of the games (USUM) as much as I love some titles like B2W2. Focus on the mainline titles and previous gen remakes should be the goal. Moving to HD was strenuous enough without having to constantly be thinking about the next set of titles.

This extends to their side projects. I haven't played Little Town Hero, but I feel like it shows there too. It's a low budget game but to me it still looks like it could use a larger team, UI work and general polish. Releasing it a few weeks before their tentpole release was a really strange decision too imo.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

But it's miniscule and easy to obtain, you said so yourself. So what's the issue?

Click to shrink...

The issue is not knowing wtf is in your game to begin with, to the point where you could play multiple full playthroughs and be missing a large selection. For example me and my sister always get opposite versions because we get to trade whats missing, but with a randomizer there's actually no point and that appeal is lost.

 

[Fj0823]

Some more looks at the other issues with Sw/Sh that make me call it unfinished, this time it' backgrounds

Spoiler: NEW POKEMON SPOILERS

While let's Go! had unique backgrounds when you fought inside a house or building or other special locations....Sw/sh does....this

This does not apply to exterior battles....Those have their own set of problems that I'm trying to gif. (They're inconsistent as fuck, like you find a battle in water and you're transported to the middle of the forest lol)

 

[Deleted member 11413]

Negatives are always everyone's main focus. It's human

Click to shrink...

Maybe so, but as someone who is excited to play the game and for whom the cut features don't really affect how I play the games...there has been a TON of negatives this time around. Way more than usual. I don't know how any neutral observer (or even excited pokemon fan) could look at this situation and think "yup, no problems here". There are plenty of valid reasons to be upset.

 

[Astral]

I like to think that a lot of the focus on negativity comes out of a desire to justify not buying the game, at least mine anyway. It's Pokémon. It's next gen Pokémon. Finally a mainline Pokémon game on a home console. And yet nothing is grabbing me. Nothing screams "next gen." Nothing looks better than what was done in previous games. I'm afraid of buying another mediocre Pokémon game like what happened with X and Y. I'm being given multiple reasons not to buy the game and save myself some money and I honestly wanna hold on to that because I don't wanna cave and buy something I might not enjoy just because it's a new Pokémon game. This game is gonna need glowing reviews for me to buy it at this rate.

 

[MoonToon]

Yeah I'm just getting this used. This really ain't on GameFreak, but more on The Pokemon Company for not giving them enough time to let this cook. Game needed to release to coincide with the anime and merchandising but I guess they didn't want to wait longer.

Click to shrink...

Wut?

GF is 1/3 of TPC. We have zero reason to believe Nintendo and Creatures are forcing them to release games as fast as they are.

 

[cainhxrst]

What the hell.
We are talking about a studio that owns the biggest and most profitable franchise in the world. With just a quick google search shows that the franchise alone is well worth over 15 Billions, with an income of 1,5 Billions dolars yearly. With the CEO Net Worth alone in the & Billions. With they claiming they have 1000 devs working on the game. How the hell can they just say "well we just not used to HD".

Click to shrink...

To be fair, they have said that the 1000 number also accounted for things like marketing, PR, etc. They're quite literally not experienced with HD because the main series has been on Nintendo handhelds for 2 decades. They didn't start working on HD hardware till fairly recently

 

[Queen__ofhyrule]

You're tip-toeing around the point people are making. Nobody is saying it's cruel to mock or express discontent towards gamefreak. It is cruel to mock fans for showing love to a dev/franchise just because they don't agree with opinions you have about the games, which is where the sarcastic use of the hashtag is coming from.

Click to shrink...

That ain't it, chief.

This pretty much sums up this divide between people who defend GameFreak and people who are pissed at GameFreak. The apologists think that the people who are just making fun of a hashtag in frustration is personally insulting them. Like, what? People are just frustrated over what we're seeing. There's no conspiracy. We're seeing with our eyes

 

[MayorSquirtle]

You're tip-toeing around the point people are making. Nobody is saying it's cruel to mock or express discontent towards gamefreak. It is cruel to mock fans for showing love to a dev/franchise just because they don't agree with opinions you have about the games, which is where the sarcastic use of the hashtag is coming from.

Click to shrink...

It's not that deep. If you feel personally offended and feel like you're being mocked over a sarcastic hashtag directed at a company, idk what to tell you man. This is another example of "I'm not saying cruelty to fans doesn't happen and shouldn't be condemned, but this ain't it."

 

[Tempy]

Honestly, so what? it's true though. You're seeing games from other Nintendo devs stepping up significantly this gen and a lot of them are just a fraction of what Pokemon is selling (Astral Chain, Xenoblade, FE, etc), they can do a lot better than this.

Click to shrink...

Do you even understand why people using #ThankYouGameFreak ironically are getting warnings?

 

[Serebii]

Maybe so, but as someone who is excited to play the game and for whom the cut features don't really affect how I play the games...there has been a TON of negatives this time around. Way more than usual. I don't know how any neutral observer (or even excited pokemon fan) could look at this situation and think "yup, no problems here". There are plenty of valid reasons to be upset.

Click to shrink...

There are negatives and reasons to be upset, yes. They're not the only things happening though, contrary to the position people are posting.

To be fair, they have said that the 1000 number also accounted for things like marketing, PR, etc. They're quite literally not experienced with HD because the main series has been on Nintendo handhelds for 2 decades. They didn't start working on HD hardware till fairly recently

Click to shrink...

Yes but that number also counts for it with other developers. It's not a double standard where we can only count coders for Game Freak but everyone else for everything else

 

[Deleted member 426]

I don't even know how to take any of this stuff.

i have mild disappointment about missing features in a game that will probably have an updated version with all the missing features and Pokemon in 2 to3 years. I also haven't really kept my ear to the ground to be really invested, as there are so many good games.

then on the other hand I think of the hundreds of employees that released a game last year, are releasing a game this year ...and I think about how we all claim that crunch needs to stop... i then see all these awful posts and think to myself, fuck all these "fans"

i hope that If you are disapointed and spread this kind of hatred that you don't buy the game. It's the only way to send the message that they should have probably spent another year on the game, to include all the features the fans want.

Also, the fact that #thankyougamefreak has been twisted into some negative shit is whack. You should be ashamed if you've used it that way.

Click to shrink...

Most people on this forum who are angry have been happily saying 'take another year' and I'd bet they'd wait even longer for a finished game. There is something fundamentally wrong with game freak at the moment. Direction of the game aside, this game has so many problems it feels like it's been rushed. And with 4 Pokémon games released a year on the trot, you can see exactly why.