Preparing for Sword and Shield

Two years ago, I wrote a post on the preparations for the then-upcoming new main series Pokémon games, which were Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. It was timed several weeks before its release - to be more exact, about one and a half months. Today, it's more or less the same amount of time before the newest members, Sword and Shield, are released, so I figure it's time to create this post for those new games. The only real difference is that this post may not reflect my "preparations", so much as "concerns" that may keep me from playing the games for some time. Nevertheless, some preparation considerations are in order.

An important preparation effort for this is obviously the console, which is the Nintendo Switch. The console is indeed lucrative and is now even available in a "budget" or "mini" Lite version, but even with that, the matters are a bit complicated. You see, I still don't have the console at this point, and if I wish to play, at least personally, the console is the priority item. Moreover, recently the Switch Lite, even with its distinct design, has shown that it's not immune to problems; its controller has shown indication of "drifting" with some users. Such a problem could prove to be grave for certain games, including Sword and Shield. The choice then becomes to shell out for a regular Switch, or to buy the Switch Lite and deal with the problem somehow, if and when it occurs. It becomes a major decision.

If the console itself is quite expensive, the game itself is somewhat expensive, at least compared to previous experiences of buying the main series games. It will be the most I've ever spent to play a main series Pokémon game, and it's a significant spend. I'm up for it, but only as soon it becomes viable for me to do so. And it won't be the first time; my experience with the 3DS was as such, with me coming late into playing the games as intended. That is also a segue into the issue of time for playing the games, something that will have to justify my becoming able to do so. Those are quite the considerations.

Even with all that, there is still one thing I've prepared. I've somewhat firmly decided on Sword, since my last main series game was Ultra Moon, continuing the pattern of my path. A friend of mine had said that the decision has been made on Shield, which could mean that we could become trading partners later on down the line. Meanwhile, the games themselves are being prepared - they're being "amped up" or "hyped" prior to release. One such effort was announced last week and will be underway tomorrow, as a "livestream" will be held in a certain place from the game's region, with the expectation that there will be discoveries that will further the understanding of the game.

There's a lot of things to be prepared for these two new games. They're totally new games on a totally new console, necessitating totally new paradigms as well. Those who want to play, like me, will have to make sure that things are totally suitable for this to happen. They may also have to alleviate a few (or perhaps many) concerns before playability can happen, as part of those preparations. A Pokémon fan at heart should be able to make this happen one way or another and in due time... maybe, whenever "due time" is.

One year ago: The Items of Shuffle's Special Shop
Two years ago: When an Iris Blooms: Episode 669 - "The Bloom Is on Axew!"