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Pokemon has appeared on Nintendo Switch with Pokken Tournament and the Let’s Go games, but Pokemon Sword and Shield marks the series’ big generation-shifting debut on Nintendo’s latest hardware. And like each new generation, that means new characters, a new region, and a bunch of new monsters to collect.

Reviews for Pokemon Sword and Shield have started to publish ahead of its release on November 15. The critics agree that this edition of the long-running series trims some of its more unwieldy elements but keeps the most important elements well intact and more streamlined. That opinion was reflected in GameSpot’s Pokemon Sword and Shield review.

“In collecting, battling, and exploring, Sword and Shield cut out the bloat and focus on what makes these pillars of the Pokemon games so captivating in the first place,” Kallie Plagge wrote. “You’re not held back by overly complicated back-end systems or hoops to jump through; from the outset, you can start wandering the Galar region, seeing its new Pokemon, and trying out its new battle strategies with very little in your way. This leaves you free to enjoy what Pokemon is all about, and that makes for an incredibly strong showing for the series’ proper debut on Switch.”

We’ve collected a smattering of critical opinions below. For an even wider view, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Pokemon Sword and Shield
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch
• Developer: Game Freak
• Release date: November 15
• Price: $60 / £45 / $62 AUD

GameSpot – 9/10

“With each new Pokemon game comes a new set of Pokemon, mechanics, and a region to discover, and Sword and Shield are no exception. The vibrant Galar region is a consistent delight to explore, incentivizing and rewarding collecting and battling in equal measure, and grandiose battles add an exciting dimension to the familiar Gym formula to deliver an engaging adventure beginning to end. But most notably, Sword and Shield cut down on the tedious and protracted elements from previous games in favor of amplifying what makes Pokemon great in the first place. This is the most balanced a Pokemon game has felt in a long time, and with that, Sword and Shield mark the best new generation of Pokemon games in years.” – Kallie Plagge [Full Review]

IGN – 9.3/10

“Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are closer to my dream Pokemon RPGs than anything that’s come before. I’d still like better cutscenes, companion Pokemon, the complete Pokedex, and a more visually interesting Wild Area, but nitpicks are just not very effective when everything else was such a complete joy to play. The way they respect my time is wonderful, and the removal of monotony from random encounters and other odds and ends distills it down to only the pure and charming fun of capturing, training, and battling wonderful creatures. And hey, if I’m missing any tedious repetition, I can always get back into breeding.” – Casey DeFreitas [Full Review]

GamesRadar – 4.5/5

“Thankfully though, this is a seriously memorable Pokemon adventure. The story delivers enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, steeped in the kinds of myths and legends that you forget the British Isles are chock-full of. It might lack the puzzling areas of previous series’ entries like Silph Co, but there’s plenty to love about Pokemon Sword and Shield, especially the loveable cast of characters, and the impeccable attention to detail in the Galar region both visually and in terms of the regional dialogue. It’s a great way to start the next core generation of Pokemon games.” – Sam Loveridge [Full Review]

Game Informer – 8.75/10

“Pokemon Sword & Shield are strong first attempts for the series’ full transition to consoles. While some frustrations hold it back from true legendary status, this new generation proves the Pokemon franchise is still great more than two decades after its debut.” – Brian Shea [Full Review]

VG247 – 3/5

“Pokemon Sword & Shield is all too often a bit disappointing, and in some places actually feels a little unfinished, but it also fully provides that warm, fuzzy feeling that one expects from the series. Crucially, even through frustration, never once did I think about putting it down, which is to its credit. It comes recommended almost for the Galar setting and new Pokemon alone, but with a long list of caveats indeed. With the level of fan hyperbole surrounding this release, that recommendation is worth repeating and underscoring–but this is not the revolution that was promised or hoped for, and some may prefer to wait for a sale or wait and see if an improved, definitive release is on the cards.” – Alex Donaldson [Full Review]

US Gamer – No Score

“Pokemon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch is a solid reminder that Pokemon will probably never run out of the stardust that helps keep it an endearing franchise for old and young alike. It’s also a solid reminder that Game Freak is unlikely to unchain itself from the ‘Three Starters, Eight Gyms’ formula that launched Pokemon into the stratosphere to begin with.” – Nadia Oxford [Review in Progress]

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

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Diablo IV might have been announced at BlizzCon 2019, but Blizzard is far from done with Diablo III. Seven and a half years after release, the latest patch for Diablo III has launched season 19, which will give returning players a new way to play. Major changes have also come in this update for the Crusader and Monk classes, as new class sets are now available for the game’s two holiest classes. These changes, which we’ve got the patch notes for, have arrived on the PC, Switch, PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game.

The notes for Patch 2.6.7. explain the new season in full. As they point out, Season 18‘s buff displeased some players, as the Triune bonus didn’t stick with their adventuring characters. Blizzard is doing things a little differently for the 19th season with the new Pandemonium buff, which introduces “new mechanics to add an element of both chaos and power to the battlefield”. This buff focuses on kill streaks, giving you different rewards as your consecutive kill count rises higher and higher.

Here are the notes for Pandemonium:

• For the duration of the Season, all players will have a stacking buff that that persists as long as you have hit or killed a monster within the last 5 seconds
• Each stack gives .005 movement speed and .001% bonus damage. This bonus caps at 50% movement and 100% damage (1000 stacks)
• In addition, after reaching a certain number of kills in a row, a power is unleashed, dealing an amount of scaling damage based on player level and difficulty or Greater Rift level:
  • 15 Kills: Exploding Chickens seek and destroy
  • 30 Kills: A wide Frost Nova freezes enemies
  • 50 Kills: Corpses rain from the sky
  • 100 Kills: Five massive energy twisters are unleashed
  • 150 Kills: Dark Geysers form beneath enemies
  • 200 Kills: Treasure chests fall from the sky
  • 300 Kills: A ring of fire engulfs everything
  • 400 Kills: Meteors hail from above
  • 500 Kills: Angels descend upon the battlefield to fight for your cause (Angels should no longer one-shot Rift Guardians).
  • 1000 Kills: ?????

Because powers are being tracked at a group level, only one can be active at a time, regardless of how many players you’re rolling with, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens when a player manages to stack 1000 kills. Two new rewards are available to players who complete the season, too: the Valor Portrait Frame and the Angelic Treasure Goblin pet.

This patch also sees some new class sets roll out for the Crusader and Monk, including some new and returning Legendary powers. The new Crusader set, Aegis of Valor, brings in Heaven’s Fury as the development team believes that it “matches the theme and adds more gameplay complexity.” Here are the notes for the Crusader set:

• 2-Piece Bonus: Attacking with Fist of the Heavens empowers you, allowing Heaven’s Fury to deal 100% increased damage for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times (multiplicative).
• 4-Piece Bonus: Hitting with Fist of the Heavens generates 5 Wrath and reduces damage taken by 1% for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 50 times
• 6-Piece Bonus: Increase the damage of Fist of the Heavens and Heaven’s Fury by 20,000%

The new Monk Set, Patterns of Justice, seeks to incorporate extra damage reduction and better integration of the Temple Rush skill.

• 2-Piece Bonus: Sweeping Wind gains the effect of every rune and movement speed is increased by 5% for each stack of Sweeping Wind.
• 4-Piece Bonus: Attacking with Tempest Rush reduces your damage taken by 50% and increases Spirit Regeneration by 50.
• 6-Piece Bonus: Hitting with Tempest Rush while Sweeping Wind is active will temporarily increase the size of Sweeping Wind after hitting over 30 times within a short period. Sweeping Wind damage is increased by 15,000%

Further changes and bug fixes have been made in this patch, and they’re detailed in the full notes. It’s been promised that the other classes will receive similar treatment in future updates, with new sets being planned for all of them. Blizzard has also promised more themed seasons in the game’s future, and Diablo IV is still a long way away, so expect plenty more seasons and updates for Diablo III.

Nintendo expects big things from the newly released mobile racing game, Mario Kart Tour. President Shuntaro Furukawa said in a recent earnings Q&A that the Japanese gaming giant expects the mobile game to have great results. It has big shoes to fill, as Super Mario Run has been downloaded more than 300 million times, but things are going well already.

Mario Kart Tour released at the end of September, and Furukawa said the game got off to a “very good start” compared to Nintendo’s previous mobile games. “Continuing on from Super Mario Run, which more than 300 million consumers are enjoying, I think we can expect remarkable results with Mario Kart Tour,” Furukawa said.

Despite the millions of downloads, Nintendo went on record to say that Super Mario Run was a disappointment as it relates to revenue. That game is free-to-start, and players need to spend $10 to unlock the full game.

That’s a different payment model than Mario Kart Tour, and the shift seems to be paying off. Mario Kart Tour is a free-to-play title supported by microtransactions. Furukawa said of the game’s profitability so far that “earnings are also off to a good start.”

The microtransactions in Mario Kart Tour come in the form of random items and the Gold Pass subscription package. “By including these mechanics and multiplayer functionality, we want to make it an attractive application that will be enjoyed by consumers in the long-term,” Furukawa said.

Also during the Q&A, Furukawa was asked if Nintendo would release Mario Kart Tour in China, but the executive declined to say. He said only, “I cannot say anything at this time about the mobile business in China.”

According to SensorTower, Mario Kart Tour had more than 120 million downloads in its first month, with players collectively spending more than $37 million.