For me, this game was fantastic! Of course, I know a lot of people are not going to like this game and I will give reasons why you should or shouldn’t buy this game.First of all, this is not the USA version, it’s the European (I believe).The game has a certain controversy called ‘Dexit’ in which a portion (234) of the 898 Pokémon are missing in the game. They cannot be caught or transferred from a later game. So some of your favorites may not be in it.This game also has DLC ($29.99), paid content to further your gameplay. I have the DLC and I really enjoyed it. There’s a whole new island and another new area to discover with brand new stories.This game has a ‘boring, unmemorable gimmick.’ Pokémon games usually have a gimmick like X and Y’s mega evolution but Sword and Shield’s is Dynamax/Gigantamax. Basically Pokémon get bigger and more powerful for 3 turns. Some Pokémon change appearances also. You can decide whether you like it or not. I don’t hate it or love it, so it didn’t really ruin the game for me.This game is pretty easy. It is one of the easiest games to beat. For me, I didn’t dynamax through the whole story or use any items in battle to up the difficulty. You could also try a nuzlocke or another challenge. This is the right difficulty for kids though.There is character customization so you can dress up but you cannot change your Gender once you select it.For returning players, this game has added some quality of life features like the removal of HM’s (yay) and many new Pokémon. There is also a new fairy type if you played before X and Y. No more heart scales to relearn moves either!For competitive players, this game makes it really easy to breed Pokémon and teach them old moves (no heartscales)! They can max out IV’s with an item and there are lots of TM’s and TR’s (one-time-use TM’s). Don’t worry - you can get multiple TR’s of the same move.Multiplayer- this game has some multiplayer aspect to it. There’s online (playing using internet) and local (people physically next to you). You engage in battles by teaming up with 3 other people and fighting a big dynamax Pokémon. BEWARE: You will have to pay for a subscription to play online ($20 for 1 year). Locally, it’s basically the same thing as online but you don’t need a subscription and you see the person. Each person also needs their own copy of Sword or Shield and their own switch, which can get pricey.There are still version exclusives. Basically, this game and Pokémon Shield are the same game but with minor tweaks. *maybe small, minor spoilers ahead* There are 2 gym leaders exclusive to each game (Sword has Fighting and Rock and Shield has Ghost and Ice). Also, some Pokémon are only found in 1 copy of the game (either sword or shield).Most, if not all, trade Pokémon can be caught in the wild.That’s all for my review. I personally loved this game but it ultimately comes down to you if you want it. It’s the perfect addition for kids!