Best RPGs of 2019
Second Runner-Up: Pokemon Sword and Shield
Features Editor Greysun Morales: Pokemon Sword and Shield are the first mainline Pokemon RPGs to make their way to the Nintendo Switch and with this release, some fans were expecting Game Freak to blow it out of the water and make this the “Breath of the Wild” of Pokemon. We didn’t get that and I honestly think that it was for the better.
Pokemon Sword and Shield reiterate on the tried and true formula of battling, catching, training, and gym leaders while adding in some much-needed quality of life changes to make this the best Pokemon game yet in terms of accessibility and just pure fun.
There are changes here that makes competitive battling easier to get into, the addition of dynamaxing makes gym battles more hype than they’ve ever been, and the world of the Galar region looks absolutely gorgeous with each town and city oozing with charm and spectacle.
I was cautious going into Sword and Shield based on my feelings on previous generations of Pokemon but man, these games are excellent and I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun raising a team of new Pokemon since the days of Gold and Silver.
The cast of characters is great, the gym leaders have tons of personality, and there’s tons of stuff to do once you beat the game that will surely give players lots of extra hours of playtime.
