Don't get me wrong, I'm not an autistic, spiteful manchild that can't see the positive aspects of Swish.
But coming from a rabid Pokemon apologist that enjoys every game for its own merits rather than indulging in shitflinging genwars and muh X game is better than Y, Sword and Shield is the lowest point in the series, bar none. Not because of graphics, or the continued denigration of the player's patience/intelligence, and absolutely not because of the Pokemon (which I think, on the whole, and barring the starters, are pretty solid) - those are not unique to these games. These things make it inferior to pre-Gen 6/5 (depending on your tolerance of narrative-drive), but not bad in its own right. What makes it the worst is the lack of depth, and a lack of depth that seems to have come because of the Wild Area - a pandering, mundane, pointless waste of space that diminishes the experience of the main adventure and serves only to waste one's time during the post-/competive-phase; devaluing the now middling time spent playing Pokemon as it is usually played - dilutting the experience of teambuilding, of exploration, and so forth; what worked on the whole when consistent and limited, but what now is absolutely fuked by le bland, incongruent open world. The world is superficial as it has ever been. Fuck Swish.
I enjoyed it, for what it was worth. But goddamn am I disappointed.
Thanks for listening. You may now call me a faggot. Pic related.
