Best Pokemon Games?

[Synchronized]

Just stumbled upon this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plJN4LpqWXg

 

Found it kind of interesting because I never really sat down to rank them or anything like that.  For the most part, I agree with the list, though I'm not sure I'd place Pokemon Stadium that high.  Was never a fan of Black/White either, so I'm not too upset to see they're not there.

 

Interested to see what some people's Top 5's may be.

 

I'd say mine's probably very similar, but with Red/Blue being #5.

[Agro]

That video's order is debatable, but everything outside XY is absolutely spot on.

 

HGSS is far and away my #1, with gen 2 being my absolute favorite. I thought all the improvements they made for the remakes made the game 10x better, plus the mons walking behind you was absolutely fantastic. I never actually played Crystal, so I can't vouch for it over Gold or Silver, which I did play, but I've read the changes and don't mind it being included to rep that gen.

 

Emerald seems to be the most argued for #1, but I wasn't as much of a fan of Level 70 Raquaza being obtainable prior to the 8th Gym. You can beat the last gym and E4 with Rayquaza & a semi-respectable starter alone, and I thought that was rather poor planning, which is why I rank it lower than HGSS and GSC.

 

Stadium 2 is still the best console pokemon game, and it deserves the rep.

 

XY, I do have a bit of issue with. To make that game challenging, you physically have to not use all of the items afforded to you. That's pretty basic poor game design. Being 20 levels above the Elite 4 without knowing I'd turned on "easy mode" with Exp Share is a major dislike from me. The story in that game was also pretty poor, imo, I thought BW2 did it better, although there hasn't really been an AMAZING story in a Pokémon game. What it did well, and why I'd rank it high up is the pure AMOUNT of different mons available in the game, as well as the vast online capabilities. If you only focus on those two and ignore the rest, then I can see it getting into top 5, but I'd probably hold it behind Stadium 2.

 

As for my top 5, it'd probably be:

1. HGSS

2. GSC

3. RSE

4. Stadium 2

5. FRLG

[Kazooie]

XY, I do have a bit of issue with. To make that game challenging, you physically have to not use all of the items afforded to you. That's pretty basic poor game design. Being 20 levels above the Elite 4 without knowing I'd turned on "easy mode" with Exp Share is a major dislike from me. The story in that game was also pretty poor, imo, I thought BW2 did it better, although there hasn't really been an AMAZING story in a Pokémon game. What it did well, and why I'd rank it high up is the pure AMOUNT of different mons available in the game, as well as the vast online capabilities. If you only focus on those two and ignore the rest, then I can see it getting into top 5, but I'd probably hold it behind Stadium 2.

 

If you couldn't figure out you were overleveled by the time you got to the 3rd gym while using the EXP Share, that's your problem. It is insanely easy to tell when you're getting overleveled and when it's time to stop using the EXP Share.

 

The only Pokemon games with a solid story in my opinion are Colosseum and XD. BW were okay at the start, but around Nimbasa Cheren stopped being interesting and the plot really drug on near the end. BW2 were the closest to being the best plot on the handhelds to me, but damn, all the Plasma being shoved at the end is a legit complaint. XY suffer from the Team Rocket syndrome in FRLG. The villains are consistently showing up, but fuck they are not interesting until Lysander gets his screentime.

 

When it comes to game design, BW2 and XY are tied for my favorite.

 

XY - What Agro said about the EXP Share seems really stupid considering how simple it is to see when you're getting overleveled, and the level curve is easy to adjust to over all. The Pokemon diversity is pretty much spot on, and the online mechanics are so much better then past generations. Breeding and leveling is really easy, and it's really, really nice.

 

BW2 - Best handheld plot as far as I'm concerned. Hugh kind of went down the same path as Cheren near the end, but he was more interesting for longer and he at least recovered. As for the game itself, the Pokemon diversity is really nice, the level curve generally isn't TOO bad, though the stretch from Castelia to Driftveil was annoying because grinding before Clay was kind of a hassle.

 

As for an actual list, probably something like...

 

5. Pokemon Colosseum - Better plot then XD really, but the mechanics were unrefined.

 

4. Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver - Not being able to consistently grind without it taking ages really hampers this game, but they really polished it from the GSC era and the level curve, while still really meh for a big chunk of the game, was vastly improved.

 

3. Pokemon XD - Plot wasn't as good as Colosseum, and the atmosphere was kinda... Too bright for Orre a lot of the time in my opinion, but the mechanics for the game were fantastic and while the options were limited on what to use, they were diverse enough to make replaying the game fun.

 

2. Pokemon Black and White 2 - Personal favorite DS Pokemon Games. Plot took a second seat to mechanics compared to BW1 which I'm fine with. BW1 had horrid encounter rates and a bad level curve for most of the game. I still greatly enjoyed the plot, and while I wasn't happy with SO MUCH PLASMA RUSH at the end, it was still fun.

 

1. Pokemon X and Y - The mechanics are nice. Really, really nice. You don't play this for story, you play this for difficultly and challenge runs. Nuzlocking this game is one of my favorites to do it in simply because not using the EXP Share except TO grind makes this game far more difficult. Getting into Competitive Play isn't like, pulling teeth either. It's easy to get started and I'm just a huge fan of the game.

[Agro]

I'd wouldn't say what I said is stupid. It's opinionated, obviously, in the fact that I don't like "super duper easy" mode as the default setting, or even included in a Pokémon game that's already very easy and not all that challenging to newcomers, but it's about as stupid as "you don't play this game for the part that takes several 10's of hours that many, if not most players of this game are probably playing this game for."

[Kazooie]

I'd wouldn't say what I said is stupid. It's opinionated, obviously, in the fact that I don't like "super duper easy" mode as the default setting, or even included in a Pokémon game that's already very easy and not all that challenging to newcomers, but it's about as stupid as "you don't play this game for the part that takes several 10's of hours that many, if not most players of this game are probably playing this game for."

 

Not the DEFAULT setting considering that only an idiot wouldn't figure out how to turn it off. It's an extra addition, and the only reason to claim it's the default is because "oh no they turned it on for me without my permission what a horrible game"

 

Very few, if anyone, plays a Pokemon game for the story past their first time playing it. It's not a vital part of any of the Pokemon games except maybe the spinoffs. The story in any pokemon game does not take 10's of hours. Even in BW that's a huge overstatement.

[Maeriberii Haan]

Black 2 White 2 is filled with wonderful features and is definitely an improvement from BW (who was kinda lackluster in that department), though was not a fan of Hugh, personally.

 

XY is great, the most enjoyable Pokemon game for me to play when I'm not seeking a challenging game.

 

Outside of the main games, Pinball will always be my favorite. <3

Though, I really like the Mystery Dungeon series, balance issues aside.

 

My top 5 would be:

 

1 XY

2. BW/B2W2

3. Pinball <3

4. Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky

5. Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team

[Airride]

Main Series

1. XY (This is about when I had finally committed to my true nature and preferences, and despite the spoilers, each moment was full of wonder and surprises, and it felt...new again. Plus, Breeding is super simple, EV training is Fun, Etc, etc, etc, Best one IMO)

2. HG/SS (Gold has a bit of a special Place in my heart for being my first "True" Pokemon Adventure; THis did it all, and did it so much better. Love 'em.)

3. Black/White (Man, All my run of this game have been fantastic. I like the story [Then again, my first run was while I was still "Ignorant", and my second, I didn't pay much attention, soooo], I like most of the Pokemon, and overall, it was funtimes)

4.  Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (Tons of Nostalgia, but playing them again, Grinding is...Pretty really bad)

5. FR/LG (Not my favorites, but my LP of it helped me to realize that they were very much worth playing through again)

 

Black 2/White 2 - I don't like this game. The Music Remixes were all...eeeeh to me, my first run was unenjoyable and boring, my second was frustrating and hard, the Failed Nuzlockes never took off, and the New legendaries are dumb and unnecessary and also I GOT THE WRONG VERSION SO NOW I AM FOREVER LOCKED OUT OF GETTING LATIAS AND RESHIRAM DNGFADHBHFD (Until I get another HG, but still, Reshiram)

Diamon/Pearl/Platinum - I don't know how to feel about these games. Please get back to me on these.

 

Spin-Offs

1. Pinball RS (FUCKING THIS GAME IS SO GOOD I LOVE IT NOPE IM GOING TO PLAY IT AGAIN)

2. XD (My Childhood. It's this game. I also named a Scyther Smoon while I was 8. Somebody please figure that out for me.)

3/4. Mystery Dungeon Blue/Sky (I'm playing through them again for a reason, to see which I like more. Get back to me on this)

5. Battle Trozei (Man this game is addicting and fixed 90% of what Trozei did wrong but its still hard and also convoluted eeeh)

 

Other Spin-Offs that come to mind:

Trozei (BURN)

Colosseum (Bad Childhood Memories, Stupid grinding, Stupid getting Ho-Oh, But it's okay)

Ranch (lol)

Battle Revolution (I had fun with it as a Kid, but It's really...eh. Just Battle.s A lot of them/. Also it's useless after Wi-Fi dies. It's like XY before XY was a thing, in a way [Custom Trainers; Thinking about it, how sweet would it be to have various character models to choose from in XY...])

Rumble (Fun and addicting, but short, Lonely Single Player, and only has Gen I and IV)

Ruble Blast (Eh. It's okay? Nothing Special.)

Pinball Original (Really harrrrrrd)

Ranger (Kind of hard but I only played it as a Kid then I lost it so eh)

 

I have nothing witty to say here.

[Agro]

Not the DEFAULT setting considering that only an idiot wouldn't figure out how to turn it off. It's an extra addition, and the only reason to claim it's the default is because "oh no they turned it on for me without my permission what a horrible game"

 

Very few, if anyone, plays a Pokemon game for the story past their first time playing it. It's not a vital part of any of the Pokemon games except maybe the spinoffs. The story in any pokemon game does not take 10's of hours. Even in BW that's a huge overstatement.

Your first point just doesn't make sense to me. If it's automatically on, that means it's default. By definition. It is in no way wrong to say that something is default because it's by definition default. Text speed is also default, but it also tells you what it does and what it means. It's one of a few gripes I have with the game alongside the awful rhyhorn and mamoswine routes. (needed more gogoat)

 

For the second: that is most definitely your opinion. I know many more players who don't care much about the post-story, and others who don't play the game through more than once. Most people do replay the game over and over, yes, but a lot of them only play up to and just after the elite 4, only going the extra mile to get all the items or complete the pokedex. There are many others who don't play competitively, let alone EV train and IV breed, as well as those who don't play through more than once and only don't restart because they're saving the pokemon they have– not to play more, such as what I did in Diamond. There are a lot of people that play competitively and spend a lot of time after the story, yes, but they can in no way be definitively called the majority.

 

As to your final statement: http://www.howlongtobeat.com/game.php?id=13937 33 hours falls under "several 10's of hours" Not much of an over-estimate. BW and BW2 both have about the same average, and all 3 have an average "rushed" at about 20+ hours.

 

Just to put this whole argument in perspective though: I'm not saying your wrong for not caring about the Exp Share. I'm merely saying it's an opinion, just like mine, and I just wanted to have it respected as much. It's not "stupid," even if you disagree.

[DL]

My favorite game would likely be HG and SS

It was everything I loved from Crystal, but BETTER and higher quality.

 

BW2 was so ingenious. The story wasnt all that but the sprites were great, and the music was spectacular. SPECTACULAR. And the PWT entertained me for so long.

 

Pokemon Crystal was so great man. It just had so much RIGHT with it. Also my first Pokemon game.

 

Pokemon X and Y did a LOT right. It had the option to make the game SUPER EASY but the super training was awesome. The 3d models were awesome. The music....aside from the E4 theme, was splendid. 

 

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire was really great. I liked the feel of the game, the 3rd gen Pokemon, the music, etc.

 

1. HeartHGold

2. Black 2

3. Pokemon Crystal
4. Pokemon X
5. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire
 

[Airride]

The music....aside from the E4 theme, was splendid. 

Blasphemy.

[Elijah~]

1- Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (These were my first pokemon games I were introduced to as a kid)
2- Pokemon Emerald ( Tons of nostalgia)
3- Pokemon HeartGold/Soulsilver ( Great improvements from original title, especially level curve imo)
4- Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia ( Great storyline)
5- Pokemon Battle Revolution ( Awesome soundtrack ,but as for gameplay...meh)

[Flame Dragon]

I'm shocked people are putting 5th gen so highly. IMO it was just forgettable since it didn't bring anything major to the franchise as a whole. 
2nd gen gave use 2 new types, fixed type system, SpD, Held Items
3rd gen brought abilities
4th gen brought attack split and many good moves for each type (new moves aren't normally note worthy, but 4th gens are imo)
5th gen brought dream world abilities.........?
6th gen brought 1 new type and reworked type system
 
 
I seriously don't know what else 5th ge brought the games over all. I understand that I'm not like most when I look at the gens since I prioritize different things from most though. 
 
Because of how I view pokemon games, I'll just rank the gens
1st: 4th
2nd: 6th
3rd: 2nd
4th: 3rd
5th: 1st
6th: 5th

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

My top 5, with some reasons

 

1) XD: Pretty good (ignoring the fact this is the only time you even get Lugia outside of an event [considering you HAVE to catch it to move on to endgame], things are nice). Although EV training was a pain, at least there are specific zones that specialize in particular stats. (I used Area 7 a lot b/c of my SpAtk team)

 

2) X & Y: Despite being new, it made EV training a lot easier to deal with. The intro of Fairies didn't go well with me at first [especially with stuff like Jigglypuff and some other Pokes I don't particularly care for gaining it], but I got over that. Too bad I can't name my rival like in Gen 4/5.

 

3) HGSS: I enjoyed being able to catch non-Kanto/Johto Pokes at some points in the game. Also nice that I can rematch the gym leaders at my own pace and not have to kill them on the same day I call them. (Still have to beat Red though)

 

4) Black/White 2: Hidden Abilities, legendaries from Hoenn/Sinnoh [particularly my Latias], no more having to buy multiple TMs after using them up. The starters are meh though and I only get to beat up Ghetsis one time [he has epic music though].

 

5) Battle Revolution: Unfortunately, I don't have HGSS so have to play using rentals. Despite that, it's a nice game [since you can use Battle Coupons to buy stuff that's usually not available easily in DPP/HGSS]. Only complaint about it is that Neon Colosseum cheats at times [and Mysterial and his legendaries].

 

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald tie with PBR (5th); the Roaming IV glitch makes me upset about it. The storyline is nice though; you technically have one of the antagonistic teams backing you up (except in Emerald) and I like the Elite 4 theme here.

[DL]

Blasphemy.

The e4 theme from X was just some dubstep techno...

 

It was disappointing. Truly.

 

 

Nothing...I say NOTHING compared to the Super Training theme.

[Cin]

XY doesn't even list, because of them breaking EXPShare...I liked being able to level just 2 Pokemon at once not 6, 3D to me I always have off so has no value. BW/BW2 there after story got boring fast, infact I've failed repeatedly to complete the BW2 afterstory, only doing any of it because I wanted Kyurem.

 

1) Pokemon Blue (First game I played)

2) Pokemon Yellow (First I owned)

3) Pokemon XD - Added to Colo, by given the purification chamber, saving heaps of time. And Miror B getting Pokemon you miss.

4) Pokemon Colo - Very different to the main series. Miror B's theme.

5) Pokemon Snap - It's epic.

 

More personal reasons than actually based on game content.

 

Honorable mention: Pokemon Box RS. Whilst not a full game, before Bank it was the best storage device. Although given Bank is tied to a console, RS with an external save isn't. I enjoyed getting game after game to dump on it.

[DL]

Pokemon Snap is surely in the top of my side Pokemon games

It was so fun XD

 

Surprisingly so.

[Fusion X. Denver]

I don't think it's possible for me to objectively rank these, so I'll just list my top 5.

 

1. LeafGreen-It breathed new life in the games that kickstarted my passion for video games as a kid, plus I liked Bulbasaur and always wanted to play a game with him on the cover. And the game itself was fun to play through too; also the first game I completed a regional Pokédex in.

2. Sapphire-Yeah yeah, I have a Gen 3 bias and that's weird since no one likes Gen 3, still. Kyogre was an awesome legendary and remains one of my favorites (along with Lugia) today, same with Sceptile, my favorite Pokémon. But aside from that, I just genuinely enjoyed the journey through the Hoenn region more than most. I know people give it flak for too much water and trumpets, but for me, it was one of the most immersive experiences in gaming I've had to date.

That said, LeafGreen and Sapphire are probably tied for my favorite.

3. SoulSilver-Awesome revisitation to Gold/Silver. I liked the overall atmosphere of Johto if not the region (sorry if that doesn't make sense) and having your Pokémon follow you was a cool addition that should come back sometime, maybe for the Hoenn remakes. Also, being able to refight Gym Leaders was a great touch.

4. Y-Kalos was new and awesome, and while the post-game and the number of new Pokémon are a little underwhelming, it just did so much for Pokémon's mechanics; a guy like me could never dream of competitive battling (still kinda can't, but that's just 'cause I suck) or getting a huge number of level 100's, but this has let me done so. And it's the first game where I've completed the National Dex, something I could never do before.

5. White-It was pretty cool. Unova was fun to explore going in blind and I liked how it had its own 150 Pokémon and no others until way later; that made it feel distinct and cool for me. Plus the story was better this time around.