Screenshot from FULL MEOWTH EVOLUTION TEAM! ( ALL FORMS ) / PIMPNITEPIMPNITE / YouTube.com

Going into Pokemon Sword and Shield, I was unimpressed with the new starter Pokemon.

I normally gravitate towards fire-type starters, but Cinderace was a little too humanoid-rabbit-wearing-pants for my tastes. Inteleon was just "lol no." Rillaboom hit the closest to my usual favorite powerhouse aesthetic (think Charizard, Blaziken, and Incineroar), but something about him didn't quite feel right (or maybe I just don't connect with grass types?).

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CULTURE

The Pokemon Community Has Gone Full-Blown Toxic Over Sword and Shield

#IStandWithSerebii trends on Twitter after angry Pokemon fans attack one of the community's most helpful people.

Nintendo/ The Pokemon Company

A large chunk of the Pokemon fandom seems to have taught themselves TM06 in response to their dissatisfaction with the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield games for Nintendo Switch. That's the in-game means of making your Pokemon learn the move Toxic, for any of you non-fans.

With Pokemon Sword and Shield set to launch on Friday, the online Pokemon fan community is wrapped up in a storm of inner turmoil. Every official Pokemon post on social media is being barraged with negativity, and the Pokemon subreddit is mired in complaint threads––all over a game that hasn't even come out yet.

sword and shield mr mimeNintendo/ The Pokemon Company

Their ire boils down to an overwhelming sentiment that Game Freak, the development team behind the Pokemon games, is giving them a subpar product. Many of their issues center around "Dexit," the fan term for Game Freak's decision to make roughly 400 Pokemon species unavailable in Sword and Shield––a particularly unpopular direction for a series wherein every previous Pokemon has been available in every subsequent mainline game since its inception over 20 years ago.

On a personal note, I agree with a lot of the complaints. I've been a dedicated Pokemon player since Gen 1, when I got the original Pokemon Blue alongside my first Gameboy. So yes, I've been disappointed in everything from the cut Pokemon to the newer Pokemon designs, and if it weren't for Chonk Pikachu, there's a good chance I would have canceled my preorder.

That being said, the Pokemon community's toxicity has gotten out of hand. Complaints and dissatisfaction are fine, but recently, some fans have taken to lashing out at game developers, and even other fans, who simply want to enjoy their own gameplay experience. And while personally being upset about a game not turning out the way you want it to is totally understandable, attacking other people, accusing the game developers of lying, and going so far as to send death threats is completely inexcusable.

If you've been on Twitter recently, you might have seen #IStandWithSerebii trending. For those out of the loop, Serebii.net is the most prominent Pokemon news site, having been in operation for over 20 years and providing a veritable treasure trove of Pokemon info. Amazingly, it's also fan-run. The site's creator and webmaster, Joe Merrick, is a bit like a Pokemon fandom celebrity, considering his dedication to running a core source of information for one of the world's biggest franchises.

Like most Pokemon fans, Merrick hasn't exactly been celebrating the loss of over 400 Pokemon in the new games. But he's also a seemingly nice, level-headed guy, and he's been vocal about not supporting anyone taking their anger out on the game's developers.

On November 8th, after the Pokemon Company in Japan canceled their Sword and Shield launch event due to "operational reasons," Merrick Tweeted a nice, sympathetic message to the game's director, Junichi Masuda.

The message is in Japanese, but it basically expresses the fact that the vocal outrage is not indicative of the feelings of every fan, and while many people might have different opinions about the new games, a lot of fans still appreciate all the fun and imagination that comes part and parcel with a new Pokemon game. Merrick later Tweeted appreciation for the franchise under #ThankYouGameFreak.

Well, some Pokemon fans didn't take kindly to this and started attacking Merrick on Twitter and even, allegedly, sending death threats. The unprecedented toxicity against Merrick, a person who has brought nothing but positivity to the Pokemon community, resulted in a rallying cry for sanity from the portion of the Pokemon fanbase who, you know, aren't real monsters. Thus began #IStandWithSerebii.

Merrick's partner, Marti, utilized the hashtag to lament her SO's treatment by the fanbase.

Many people expressed extreme disappointment in their community.

Some even took a harsher approach, pointing out how pathetic a person must be to send out death threats over a video game.

And, in what might be the only positive thing to come out from the entire Sword and Shield debacle, Merrick got the message of support loud and clear.

But the truth is, no matter how mad you are about anything in a video game, even a franchise you've loved for over 20 years, it's never justifiable to use that passion to attack another person. Purposely ruining enjoyment for other fans because they like something you don't like is never okay. Writing mean messages to a game developer because you're mad a game feature wasn't included is never okay. And sending death threats over a video game is never, ever, ever okay. No matter how anyone feels about Sword and Shield, we need to be better than that.

CULTURE

New Legendary Pokémon (and Everything Else) Revealed So Far in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Your one-stop breakdown of every new Pokémon and game mechanic in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Pokemon

Photo by Thimo Pedersen on Unsplash

This morning, Nintendo Direct gave us a slew of new information on Pokémon Sword and Shield, including the free-roam Wild Area, the Dynamax mechanic, and two new Legendary Pokémon.

You can watch the full Nintendo Direct here, but if you're short on time, here's a rundown of everything new to the Galar region:

New Pokémon

Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble

Sword and Shield's Starter Pokémon were revealed long before this Nintendo Direct, but we got to see them playing around, and they look especially cute animated on Nintendo Switch.

Wooloo

Pokémon designs have become more derivative with each generation, but it's hard to fault them too much now that there are over 800 species. To be clear, Wooloo is a sheep Pokémon that's not Mareep, because Mareep is Electric type and Wooloo is just a sheep.

Gossifleur

This thing is just a stupid flower.

Eldegoss

Gossifleur evolves into Eldegoss, and they're cotton now? Do flowers turn into cotton? Also, they just did Whimsicott in Generation VI, so whatever, I guess we have multiple cotton Pokémon.

Corviknight

Corviknight looks pretty cool, and it seems like we'll be seeing a good deal of them since it works as Galar region's taxi system. Also, surprisingly, this is the first raven Pokémon.

Drednaw

This is just a Digimon.

Zacian

Okay, Zacian is insanely cool. It's basically Sif from Dark Souls but Pokémon-ized. They're also definitely the cooler of the two new Legendary Pokémon.

Zamazenta

The other new Legendary Pokémon, Zamazenta, is like a less cool version of Zacian, because Zacian has a sword and Zamazenta just has a weird body.

New Characters

Champion Leon

Leon may be the Champion of the Galar Pokémon League, but he also thinks that wearing a cape over a sports jersey makes him look cool. Very weird dude; steer clear.

Rival Hop

Hop is a chump, and he'll never be a worthy rival. He's also Leon's little brother, so we can all look forward to destroying his whole family.

Professor Magnolia

Women. In. STEM. Move aside, Professor Oak, the future is female!

Assistant Sonia

More. Women. In. STEM. Who says fashion and lab work can't go together?

Gym Leader Milo

The first new Gym Leader, Milo, is an absolute unit. Look at the sheer size of this lad. Too bad he uses Eldegoss, the lame cotton Pokémon. But dang, this boi hits the rack.

Dynamax

Dynamax is a new battle mechanic in Pokémon Sword and Shield that you can use once per battle in order to make your Pokémon gigantic for three turns. Their attacks obviously become super-powered, too.

The Wild Area

The Wild Area is the new open space between towns and cities where Pokémon can roam free. Unlike previous mainline Pokémon games, Pokémon can be seen on the map. Events change based on date, time, and weather, and the environment holds many interactive secrets to uncover through exploration.

Max Raid Battles

Pokémon Sword and Shield's newest multiplayer feature, Max Raid Battles, allow you and three other players to join forces in the Wild Area to fight and catch special, ultra-powered Dynamax Pokémon.

Pre-order Promotions

Amazon

Amazon is currently offering Prime members a $10 promotional credit when buying the game.

Pokémon Sword

Pokémon Shield

Best Buy

Best Buy is offering a $10 promotional credit, too, and also has a special dual-pack available which includes both Sword and Shield.

Pokémon Sword

Pokémon Shield

Pokémon Sword and Shield Double Pack