Oh Hop, what a weird friendly rival character you are.

So I’m a decent way through Pokemon Sword and I’m still having a good time.  It’s definitely cookie cutter and lazy, but I must admit it’s been fun going handheld mode and playing in bed.  There’s something really nostalgic and nice about it and I feel like a kid while playing.

SwSh does a great job of treating Pokemon battling like the sport it is by having gym events attended by thousands of cheering fans and a soundtrack that feels like the rabid crowd is busting out into song during matches.  It’s silly, it’s a spectacle, and it’s engaging in a charming way.

Some of the animations I’ve run into since the last strip are laughably bad however, like… the character models just shake back and forth at each other like weeble-wobbles with tremors on the Titanic.

Like… geeeeeze.