I started playing Pokemon Shield yesterday and I'm totally smitten with this game.

This is probably my first true Pokemon playthrough since Crystal. I loved gen 1 and 2, played all the way through those generations, then sort of fell off from the DS onwards. The solo games anyway, I always kept up with Pokemon through movies, card collecting, and multiplayer games like Smash.

Pokémon_Sword_and_Shield.jpg


As there's been such a huge jump of time, there are a ton of quality of life changes I'm seeing. Some things I'm really enjoying:

-I'm so glad I can personalize my outfit
-I really like that you can take your "PC" on the go, and just change your Pokemon on the field instead of having to make the trip to the Pokemon center
-Really enjoying the wild area, and just having this vast expanse where you can travel, explore, catch, and level. The days of walking up and down routes to grind are in the past. I was having so much fun there that I had to pull myself towards the next town because all my Pokemon are level 20-ish and I want to start getting badges before they start ignoring me lol
-You get a ton of items, a ton of Pokeballs from the jump. This was really nice for me as someone who likes to get out there and catch Pokemon instead of worrying about breaking the bank at the mart
-This is a small touch, but I like that they give the third starter Pokemon to somebody. That's something I always thought about as a kid. When you and your rival pick 2 of the starters, that third ball is just left there.
-Camping is so fun. I enjoy getting the chance to just play fetch with your Pokemon and make food for them.
I also found it interesting that your rival chooses a Pokemon that's weak to yours, whereas in the past Gary/Blue would always pick the one that gives you a type disadvantage.

At first I wasn't sure what I thought about having "raid battles" in my solo Pokemon experience, but I'm having a lot of fun with the party fights. I bought my brother Sword for Christmas, which is the reason I picked up Shield, so we can have the opposite and trade exclusives, but it's been fun teaming up with him in these Gigantamax raid battles.

Overall, I can't speak highly enough of it. Again, as someone who last played Pokemon hardcore during the Crystal era, there may have been so many incremental changes over the generations that I just wasn't around to notice.

It was kind of poetic that I got a Pikachu as a Mystery Gift. As a kid, my first level 100 was a Raichu I raised from my starter Pikachu in Pokemon Yellow. It felt very fitting to go through my journey with not only my starter Grookey but with a Pikachu alongside it.

If you're someone who's been out of Pokemon like i was for a while, this is a great generation to get a fresh start with. It's lighthearted and fun, doesn't feel like a grind or a cake walk either, just really balanced.