Not much of a story till post game. Dialogue is weird and akward at times. Stufff just happens and no real surprises. Gameplay is average If this was a Gameboy game I would have nothing bad to say. Things seem oddly safe. At least there is a post game even though even that was bad for different reasons.

That is all I can remember right now, will post more if I remember more. I wanted to like this more but Ijust can't and so far this was the worst main game for me. This game would probably be great for a kid but for me a guy where dropping $50 on one thing is a lot of money this game I just can't recommend at full retail.

Also all the cut features including National Dex, Megas, and Z-Moves.

Eh, given that the last game didn't have a national dex until Bank was updated months later and Megas weren't available until you'd completed the entire game, I think it's very comparable in quality to SM. And I can't say I'm missing Z-moves.

What I'm left with is a very solid and focused entry that I feel a lot more motivated to not just replay, but even get into competitively for the first time in years.

I think the point is that over half the actual Pokémon are missing, not that the national dex itself is missing.

I know, and those Pokémon also weren't available to Sun/Moon until Bank updated either. And yet, that didn't hold Sun/Moon back from being a good game. Almost as if it's a feature not many people used and they just enjoyed the already vast in-game selection.

And? Both Sun/Moon and Sword/Shield are good games, but SuMo had far more to offer because you could transfer in your older Pokémon, and you could breed them, or teach them new moves,or play with them in Amie/Refresh.
I'm genuinely enjoying my playthrough of Sword, and, thankfully, the only older Pokémon I wanted for my party - Sylveon and Tsareena - both made it in.
But two of my all time favourite Pokémon - Piplup and Liligant - aren't. I would have loved to go camping with them, or run around the Wild Area with them, and I do find it upsetting that you can't.
Does no National Dex make SwSh bad games? In my opinion, no. But it does make them worse games than SuMo/USUM.

No, I'd disagree; as someone who does sorely miss my Infernape and Crobat and Porygon-Z. Would I have liked them in? Yes, but if they were given, say, another year to work on the game; I would prefer to see them prioritise improving other aspects of it and giving new, original content. If Pokémon wishes to grow as a series, it has to move away from being £50 updates to The Big Pokémon Collection and improve other aspects. It's a nice feature, but not one that a lot of people actually use and one that would take away from the more important parts of the game.

I will say that if they're keeping transfer around, though, then it would make sense to have a larger selection than 435 -- I personally would have said that around 550, or if you're pushing it 600 is a better more representative number. Further, I think they should have had all starters; I think those are the ones most people would care about transferring up. Not everyone used, for instance, Pidove or Roggenrola in their Gen 5 games; but you can all but guarantee that most will have used Snivy, Tepig or Oshawott.

But I think asking for every single creature and feature Game Freak has ever made is asking them to put all their workload on providing us everything from the past rather than moving forward and creating something new.

Though, really, all these problems arise from them bringing out a new game yearly. Maybe if they were given anything other than the most ludicrous work schedule in the world, we could have had more content...

Yes, and all of those are fine opinions - but so is missing the national dex. Not everyone that misses it and marks the games down because of it is doing so out of spite, or for the hell of it. It is a perfectly valid opinion to have.

I do definitely agree on the topic of the starters, though - and that the whole 'game a year' think is really hurting them...

Oh, totally; and I agree that it hurts not having it around. Like I said, I'm really sad that I won't be able to transfer up so many of my Pokémon -- and I certainly don't want to chastise anyone simply for feeling sad about it. I think I've just gotten to used to people being a bit too extreme about it and creating awful discourse about it; sorry if I came across too strong because of it.

Funnily enough, one of the examples you brought up - Lilligant - is one of the Pokémon I would have specifically added to the game besides the starters since Whimsicott is in but she isn't

I doubt we will see new Mega Evolutions until Gen 6 gets a remake which probably won't happen for at least another 15 years.