HYPED FOR THIS WITHOUT A DOUBT YES!
But really, this looks GOOD! The region looks gorgeous, and it looks like it'll be sooo much fun to explore the region!
There is so much to love here though.
First of all, I absolutely LOVE that the Gym Battles in Galar are in stadiums with massive crowds and being broadcast (ie the general populace actually watching them). It really helps make every step towards becoming Champion feel like a much more grandiose event: in the other regions, the Gyms are just there, and no one seems to really pay attention to you. Like yeah, you're on your way to becoming Champion, but who cares, right? But here, aiming for Champion will just feel that much more grand with the populace watching the big battles.
Leon is looking to be a pretty cool Champion though. He's using a...Charizard, which isn't anything special, but I'm hoping he ends up using the Gen 8 pseudo-legendary/600 club member, whatever that ends up being, and I hope that thing ends up being cool. Here's to hoping he also ends up being challenging even with EXP Share on, while Diantha was cool I was disappointed in how easy that fight was with EXP Share on (she's fine without it though). I hope he has some interesting character to him too, looking forward to seeing how our new Champion will fare.
The new professor is named Magnolia, which is also a tree. The fact that she's named after a tree is pretty much to be expected at this point given the pattern with professors since Gen 1. She seems to be a relatively old woman, which is a first for a Pokemon Professor. And she's researching the new Dynamax phenomenon, which is to be expected as well. Wondering what her granddaughter Sonia will bring to the table as well: this is the second time we've had a Professor with a family member doing research (first time was Gen 5 with Juniper and her father Cedric also being a researcher).
I'm also liking the new Pokemon as well. Wooloo is adorable and fluffy, Corviknight looks cool and will be a reliable Fly taxi in the game, Drednaw is a turtle and is likely Druddigon's distant relative (and I hope Drednaw is just as almighty powerful as the almighty Druddigon is), and Gossifleur and Eldegoss look to be the typical flowering plant Grass-type Pokemon. So far the new Galarian Pokemon look pretty cool, but I especially look forward to the new pseudo-legendary and what new fossil Pokemon there will be as well: as well as the third legend to Zacian and Zamazenta.
Zacian and Zamazenta are cool new cover legendaries. They are from what I've read and seen the Pokemon manifestations of the unstoppable force and the immovable object: Zacian the sword that can cut through anything, and Zamazenta the shield that cannot be penetrated. Zacian vs Zamazenta in other words is a living manifestation of the irresistible force paradox: when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object. Wondering what their roles in the story will be though, and how the villainous team will likely try to utilize them for their evil schemes. It'll be interesting to see.
Dynamax...looks to be the new Gen 8 gimmick. It looks like almost any Pokemon can use it, and basically is super sized Pokemon and super-powered moves for three turns. Wondering how this will work in battles, and how it'll affect Sword and Shield competitive. It'll be interesting to see how Dynamax affects Pokemon battles this time around. It's pretty cool to say the least.
Speaking of older gimmicks, I will be very upset if Mega Evolution doesn't return: that was a cool new feature. Z-Moves on the other hand I won't care if they're gone this time around.
In any case, I'm hyped for Sword and Shield without a doubt, and can't wait to play them in November. They look AWESOME!