"Going from Dragon Quest XI S to Pokémon Sword and Shield highlighted Generation 8's glaring issues."

As a long time Pokémon fan, I'd awaited the new games with an excited eagerness, keeping clear of the controversies so I could make my own mind up. So when I popped in my copy of Sword and got ready to listen to the "Welcome to the word of Pokémon" spiel, I was bemused to say the least at Rose's lips moving to the scrolling text, but no actual voiceover.Maybe, I thought, I've just been spoiled by playing too much Dragon Quest XIS, where virtually every single cutscene (and there are A LOT of cutscenes) is fully voiced over. But the more I played, the more I realised what I'd taken for granted when it came to Dragon Quest, and before long, I was back to racing around Erdrea because it was just more interesting. Let me explain why these two JRPGs feel so different to me.THE Graphics have been to me, never a defining aspect of a Pokémon game. I don't think it's fair to judge a game off of its graphics alone but aside from the towns, especially Postwick and Wedgehurst. But then I reached the Wild Area. The blandness of it coupled with the poor framerate (due to playing online) negatively impacted my initial joy at seeing pokémon in the wild. Comparing it to DQXIS, which you can see in this excellently made video of a direct comparison from E3 footage, Sw/Sh's "Wild" Area really isn't that "wild" at all. Each zone in DQXIS is vibrant, full of unique monsters and has a purpose outside of 'catching them all' or providing a route to the next town. And it shows. Not to mention, the switch version of DQXI offers the option to play the entire game in a classic 2D style.THE Gameplay is what I'd say is the most important aspect of any game, and this is no exception for Pokémon. I held off prejudgements on the hope that the gameplay would be engaging and fill in the gaps GameFreak had left unpatched. But unfortunately, this wasn't the case for me. I can see the attraction in the similar formula, and for a long time I enjoyed it too, but this time I couldn't see myself playing to completion. Yet I found (and still find) the Dragon Quest formula thoroughly engaging - and they are a very similar turn-based, "choose your ability", style. The prior video has a section comparing Sw/Sh to DQXI PS4 gameplay and you can see the individual attack and enemy animations for each spell and ability (again there are A LOT). Riding monsters in Dragon Quest XI S offers the opportunity to plough through enemies in a way I could only imagine Pokémon would offer if it was still in the game.THE Story is something I only feel comfortable comparing as both games are technically the same genre of JRPG. To put it bluntly, Dragon Quest blows Pokémon out of the water completely and utterly. And that's not just in terms of writing, Sword & Shield take approximately 15 - 20 hours to beat whereas Dragon Quest 11 takes 50 to get to the "official" end at Act 2, with masses of content left to do in the third Act (personally it took me 75 hours playing casually). I cannot give enough praise for the writing: you actually care for the diverse cast of characters with their unique personalities and growth over time, each "zone" has its own story arc, usually themed around an idea, you truly feel like you're interacting with the world of Erdea and most importantly, you feel drawn in from the beginning. In every Pokémon game, you battle your way to the top with little difficulty or feeling of consequence, time after time, and Sword & Shield are no different.IN Conclusion, Pokémon Sword & Shield simply fail to capture the same emotions that Dragon Quest XI does. I cannot recommend DQXI enough but Pokémon feels like it fails to meet the mark when compared to similar titles. If you feel even some slight intrigue from this post, I implore you to download the free 10 hour demo from the eshop and experience it for yourself or watch either Tim Roger's Dragon Quest XI (PS4) Review or his Dragon Quest XI S: Definitive Edition (Switch) Review, both of which offer excellent insights.Please note all these ideas are my own opinions and should be treated as such. I do not hate the new Pokémon games for their changes but equally haven't found the level of enjoyment out of them that I had expected. I will try to play through them again soon... when I've finished all the post-game content in Dragon Quest. via /r/pokemon https://ift.tt/35ARGgc