So I’m six gyms deep into Pokémon Sword, and creeping up on the seventh. I probably shouldn’t be, but here I am. To think there was a time when I said I was planning to sit the game out.
The reasoning was sound. The eighth-generation game -- both for the franchise, and in terms of consoles -- has been mired in controversies for months. “The graphics are awful.” “They’re cutting out Pokémon.” “Features are getting dropped.” “They’re not even trying.” “Game Freak lied.” And so on, and so forth. All things considered? I didn’t need another franchise installment in my life. I fell off at the endgame of Moon, and was willing to sit it out until Gen 9’s inevitable drop. Maybe then, Game Freak would straighten things out. Earn fans’ trust with a title that knocked it into space. I bought into the fans’ outcry (despite previous indifference to it) and decided, yeah, supporting the game meant supporting a slide into mediocrity. So, I didn’t.
Then my brother bought the game regardless. I suspect he would have even if he knew about the controversies -- which meant I’d have to give the game an honest shot.
Pfft. Who needs integrity, anyway?
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