lets starts a gen war

Texas Cloverleaf

This user has a custom title
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
1600261927321.png


Emerald is the best Pokemon game of all time, Platinum a close second, G/S were absolutely transcendent at the time and HG/SS were a worthy successor.

R/B are the OGs and the first games I ever played, B/W2 took and okay formula and corrected and perfected it into a very good game, Crystal I never played but it's also obviously great, dropped a tier because Ho-oh>Suicune

AS/OR and US/UM are solid entries but nothing special, Shield and Sword similarly not going to blow your mind but they're good games, solid entries in keeping things fresh and introducing the wild areas even as other flaws hold it back, Yellow I similarly never played but having to use a Pikachu sounds like ass, but the other neat pieces like getting all three starters still keep it solid.

B/W the originals are just okay, same with FR/LG despite how many times I've played them and how much love I have for gen 3, same with LGE and LGP, cute takes on the originals but just okay, R/S were always good but they do suffer from missing out on the massive improvements that Emerald brought in the form of more trainers, better gym leaders, the Battle Frontier, and more double battles, similarly SUMO is just okay, played once and once was enough.

D/P are great games in the period of time they were released but fall completely flat now with how slow they run, Platinum perfected their great format and they can't stand up to the other games, X/Y are bad and boring
 

Yung Dramps

awesome gaming
-Gen 5 as a whole has become painfully overrated, BW1 in particular is just average and while BW2 is actually pretty good I'd still say it gets more circlejerking than it deserves
-I also think that Gen 2 is even more overrated but I'll reserve judgment as I have not actually played a Gen 2 game and am going off of seeing aspects of the game
-As someone who started with Pearl I can safely say OG DP were always bottom tier Pokemon games, slow af with a terrible main campaign due to middling story even for early Pokemon standards and bar none the worst Pokedex in the series. Thank god for Platinum
-It's only a matter of time until people realize the true greatness of ORAS and SM (not USUM, those games are a waste of resources that I hope and pray are someday officially written off as non-canon)

There's all the hot takes out of my system
 

Yung Dramps

awesome gaming
Fools, you cannot escape. The Pokefandom cycle is real, some day us Gen 7 stans shall rise and become your new gods
 

earl

(EVIOLITE COMPATIBLE)
is a Community Contributor
Tbf gen 2 as pokemon games do kind of suck. The level curve and team variety is pretty awful, and kanto isn’t particularly fun or challenging if you think about it (I, for one, can’t remember anything about it outside of Blue and “wow second region!”). Not to mention that generation tries it’s goddamn hardest to make sure you don’t see half of the new mons until like Mt. Silver
 
1600277646153.png


I made this quickly, but the real bulk of my post is a response to a grave accusation that couldn't go unquestioned.

Literally the only Pokemon game that matters
I have to disagree on calling this a Pokemon game. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon? More like Seed Mystery Dungeon.
I was pretty young playing this, and I was having a fun time up until the very endgame. I made my way through the hidden land and climbed up the tower only for Dialga to OHKO my partner and me with Roar of Time. I grind my heart out afterwards, obtaining levels, learning moves like Flamethrower+1 and Mirror Move, ranking up Team Destiny, and gorging on gummis. Every time I clear a mission, I always find myself at the beach, but it's never my destination. Nobody in town has anything new to say; they're all stuck talking about the planet's paralysis.

When I finally return to the Hidden Land, I'm reminded that I'm one party member short this time around. One tower later, I start on the defence with Mirror Move, which Dialga immediately bypasses with Roar of Time. It OHKOs us again, but this time I have a few Reviver Seeds so I can keep playing the game for a few turns. I move a space so I can aim my Flamethrower or something, Dialga recharges, and long story short I died to Roar of Time. I guess that's what I get for playing Explorers of Time. It was an intense battle, though I was still confused about what I was missing.

That was the point I stopped playing, and at some point I looked up just how to beat this boss. It turns out that I had been focusing on the wrong aspect of grinding all along. The answer is to use seeds to cripple it into submission. The entire plot has been building up to this climactic showdown, and it's resolved by SEEDS. My disappointment was immeasurable and my immersion was completely ruined. I thought I was playing as the chosen human from the future destined to save the past, but Torchic was only the middleman whose ultimate destiny was to make a god eat a seed. It didn't even have to be me. The guild could've just sent Bidoof to throw a seed at Primal Dialga like a snickers bar. My character had no purpose, no meaning in life. I haven't visited the game in years, and I like to think that my abandoning it represents the planet's full paralysis. All because the destined hero didn't know he was supposed to throw a seed. I hate seeds. If you do not know what seeds look like, here is a picture of them in real life. As for the worst seeds in real life, it has to be tangerine seeds because of their size and inconsistency slash surprise factor.

SEEDS
So no, every other pokemon game does matter since you actually play as a trainer, not a seeder. At least in the main games, your training and strategy matters since the game consists of battling other trainers with your raised Pokemon to become the Champion. There's no option to "throw a seed" at the other trainer before battle that puts every mon to sleep or makes their attacks always miss. Are seeds even canon to the story? All Wigglytuff eats are apples. Imagine if important battle mechanics like Z-moves or Dynamax went without any flavour or explanation or mentions in the story, but you can use them in battle all the same and they were the only way to win against some big boss like Ultra Necrozma. That's seeds.

I also had like 15 Gastrodon on that save, who I distinctly remember because Storm Drain was always making Squirtle useless by draining water moves globally. I tried to bring my own Gastrodon to counter it right back since it was a water dungeon, but apparently it doesn't work on the player's side.
 

Yung Dramps

awesome gaming
View attachment 276192

I made this quickly, but the real bulk of my post is a response to a grave accusation that couldn't go unquestioned.


I have to disagree on calling this a Pokemon game. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon? More like Seed Mystery Dungeon.
I was pretty young playing this, and I was having a fun time up until the very endgame. I made my way through the hidden land and climbed up the tower only for Dialga to OHKO my partner and me with Roar of Time. I grind my heart out afterwards, obtaining levels, learning moves like Flamethrower+1 and Mirror Move, ranking up Team Destiny, and gorging on gummis. Every time I clear a mission, I always find myself at the beach, but it's never my destination. Nobody in town has anything new to say; they're all stuck talking about the planet's paralysis.

When I finally return to the Hidden Land, I'm reminded that I'm one party member short this time around. One tower later, I start on the defence with Mirror Move, which Dialga immediately bypasses with Roar of Time. It OHKOs us again, but this time I have a few Reviver Seeds so I can keep playing the game for a few turns. I move a space so I can aim my Flamethrower or something, Dialga recharges, and long story short I died to Roar of Time. I guess that's what I get for playing Explorers of Time. It was an intense battle, though I was still confused about what I was missing.

That was the point I stopped playing, and at some point I looked up just how to beat this boss. It turns out that I had been focusing on the wrong aspect of grinding all along. The answer is to use seeds to cripple it into submission. The entire plot has been building up to this climactic showdown, and it's resolved by SEEDS. My disappointment was immeasurable and my immersion was completely ruined. I thought I was playing as the chosen human from the future destined to save the past, but Torchic was only the middleman whose ultimate destiny was to make a god eat a seed. It didn't even have to be me. The guild could've just sent Bidoof to throw a seed at Primal Dialga like a snickers bar. My character had no purpose, no meaning in life. I haven't visited the game in years, and I like to think that my abandoning it represents the planet's full paralysis. All because the destined hero didn't know he was supposed to throw a seed. I hate seeds. If you do not know what seeds look like, here is a picture of them in real life. As for the worst seeds in real life, it has to be tangerine seeds because of their size and inconsistency slash surprise factor.

View attachment 276198
So no, every other pokemon game does matter since you actually play as a trainer, not a seeder. At least in the main games, your training and strategy matters since the game consists of battling other trainers with your raised Pokemon to become the Champion. There's no option to "throw a seed" at the other trainer before battle that puts every mon to sleep or makes their attacks always miss. Are seeds even canon to the story? All Wigglytuff eats are apples. Imagine if important battle mechanics like Z-moves or Dynamax went without any flavour or explanation or mentions in the story, but you can use them in battle all the same and they were the only way to win against some big boss like Ultra Necrozma. That's seeds.

I also had like 15 Gastrodon on that save, who I distinctly remember because Storm Drain was always making Squirtle useless by draining water moves globally. I tried to bring my own Gastrodon to counter it right back since it was a water dungeon, but apparently it doesn't work on the player's side.
That's a FIRE tier list, but I must ask: Why do you prefer OG DP over Platinum by such a huge margin? And what about LGPE made you love them?
 

Akai

'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
It's just the exact opposite of the OP's tier list, I'm guessing he's just a contrarian.
Everyone can have their own taste I don't mind it at all :)

And to clarify something about my choice for the list, I made it based on the what I liked from those games such as story lines or graphism. For Exemple Let's go, since it's the same game than the previous ones (Fire red) and much more easier in terms of leveling, I don't want to play at the same I already play five or six times.
View attachment 276150

Literally the only Pokemon game that matters
Spin off games deserve a tier list for them since the story line and the post game is much complete and some dungeons are much harder than some trainers in the Tree in USUM (Shot out to Colosseum).

And I also think the third game is always the best.

Tbf gen 2 as pokemon games do kind of suck. The level curve and team variety is pretty awful, and kanto isn’t particularly fun or challenging if you think about it (I, for one, can’t remember anything about it outside of Blue and “wow second region!”). Not to mention that generation tries it’s goddamn hardest to make sure you don’t see half of the new mons until like Mt. Silver
That's true, but on the other after gen2 we didn't have a good rival with a background with his own personality.
 

ShootingStarmie

Bulletproof
is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
1600295384040.png


Didn't include games I haven't played (started in gen 3, so skipped gen 1 and 2).

Gen 7 as a whole was hugely disappointing for me, so much so that I couldn't motivate myself to complete the games, and I didn't even bother with the sequel. I know Pokemon games as a whole are becoming easier, but the hand-holding in this game is atrocious, and so annoying. My idea of a Pokemon game is exploration with my team, and being resourceful with my team, so being constantly forced to watch cut scenes, and constantly running into road blocks was too much for me. D tier, wouldn't ever revisit this game.

Gen 5 had some cool new toys, such as the shiny dragons post game, and the interesting plot development with N and Team Plasma. When comparing it to the other generations though, it really is in a league of its own (being sub par). Pokemon Sword is a good game, but I hate the approach Gamefreak have taken with cutting Pokemon and releasing DLCs for cash grabs. I think its a disgusting practice, and I only really associate this behavior with S&S. No updated animations is also laughable, they're reusing the same models we've had for what feels like 6+ years. C tier, sort it out GF / barebones.

LGE/LGP were sold as a very barebones game, which I was fine with personally. It was refreshing revisiting Kanto with updated graphics, and having certain Pokemon follow you around like Charizard was a really nice touch. Eevee is adorable, and I didn't mind the new Pokemon catch mechanics. Pokemon candies were stupidly broken though, and lack of post game made this a "one and done" adventure. FR/LG are in a similar fashion, but when comparing to LGE, I personally didn't like the Sevii Islands, but the extra content is always welcomed. D/P were good games, and I like the majority of Pokemon in the regional dex. The majority of new evolutions for Pokemon such as Sneaseal and Rhydon imo were a huge success, and they really fit nicely into their respective families. The biggest downfall for these games is pacing. These games are so slow! The text and battle animations drag on, and that's not even including the tedious task of climbing through snow to reach Snowpoint City. B tier, good games, would revisit.

I'm probably looking at R/S through nostalgia glasses, since they were the first games I played, but man I dumped so many hours into these games as a kid. 2 Bicycles that can perform tricks, Pokemon contests, hidden bases, and a ton of exploration make these have a special place in my heart. I view OR/AS in a similar light, as imo they stayed true to the gen 3 games, with some nice extra inclusions, like flying on Lati twins and better graphics (ofc). The lack of the game corner sucks, but nothing they could really do about that. HG/SS were superb games, packed with a bunch of content and neat little features that other games lack (constant follower Pokemon, ability to listen to old themes). Battling Red at the top of the mountain also feels like a true last boss, something other games have tried to replicate (Steven Stone in Emerald), but there's just something special about this moment. Pokemon Platinum has all of the good points of D/P, but offers loads of endgame content in the form of a battle facility, and feels like the "complete version" of the games. A tier, great games, fond memories playing them.

Pokemon X is just fantastic. The transition from BW2 > XY in terms of style, graphics, and direction was huge, and almost all new features and changes added were positive. New Pokemon models, Roller Skates, introduction to Fairy-types, ability to ride Pokemon like Rhydon and Gogoat, the list goes on. Getting 2 starter Pokemon was also super interesting, and who doesn't want an extra starter? Mega Evolutions are best described to me as epic. The lore surrounding them, along with the change in design and animations made it feel very special. This is exactly what Pokemon games should be. Forming connections, innovating, and huge improvements over the last generation. I personally prefer rivals that are more bad than good, as it feels good beating them, but I didn't mind having 5 friends along the adventure. Only bad thing I have to say about X/Y is the post game content. Emerald is the complete version of R/S, and offers a bunch of extra content too. Instead of facing one bad team, you face both Team Aqua and Magma, which makes a lot more sense lore wise. Also, the ability to capture all 3 box legendary Pokemon in this game, along with the countless hours you can spend trying to get the Gold Medals at the Battle Frontier make this the best Pokemon game imo. S tier, the best games GF have made due to their innovation and content.

:smogduck:
 
Last edited:

HailFall

my cancer is sun and my leo is moon


GSC and RBY are dreadful by modern standards. HGSS arent much better, and while they have much better graphics they fail to fix the shit level curve and dozens of other problems. FRLG had the issues of gen 1 having boring ass mons but did make meaningful improvements. BW needed to include some old mons. XY was completely mediocre, and SS had some major improvements but felt rushed and very half baked. Everything other than the wild area felt underdeveloped, and lack of meaningful post game sucked. DP were okay, but lacked polish. SM was the same. BW2 was excellent in terms of gameplay and while the story was a little lacking it makes up for that in other ways. The only thing holding BW2 back is the fact that its in unova probably. RSE were amazing worlds and I dont have much bad to say about them. USUM were fantastic and improved massively on the flaws in SM. Only flaw is slightly disappointing post game. Platinum was an incredible improvement on DP and is almost flawless as a game, and just needed to be a bit longer. ORAS were absolutely incredible. Megas were the best new mechanic ever introduced and ORAS did great with them. Primals were amazingly cool and it greatly improved on the already amazing RSE.
 

cityscapes

Take care of yourself.
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnus
ok lets get it

s rank:

platinum - first game i ever played, may be nostalgic but i think it holds up super well too (playing thru it atm). great pokemon variety, great route design, great everything
xy - pretty good amount of content, surprisingly. cant really hold up to the 300+ hour postgames of 3rd versions but has a pretty great region with replayability (no huge cutscene focus, 400 mon regional dex, things to explore) and accessible competitive play. my only issue is that you cant get all the megas during the main story. "oh but its too easy" alright bro keep playing thru with your team of starter/mega kanto starter/mega lucario/aegislash/talonflame/filler on exp share lol

a rank:

bw2 - theyre good. feels like bw but with platinum's mon variety. dont think i have to say much else here
bw - theres a pretty good chunk of unovan mons that you never see outside of unova, so its really cool to just play thru this and see them highlighted. wish stuff like liepard was usable though (as in not complete garbage)
crystal - havent played. suicune is cool cause i use him and win pokemon battles
emerald - havent played but its battle frontier so a at minimum.
hgss - dont really know how to feel about these. tons of content but its really awkward to get to all of it. this game would work super well if it was modern gens meaning actual pokemon availability and fixed movepools imo
sm - added the ultra beasts. pretty good as a first playthrough experience, even if it is lackluster on future plays

b rank:

rby - some ppl say these are overshadowed by modern gens but i dont really feel that way, early kanto has a cool feel that just isnt replicated in modern gens. game has balance issues but most mons can at least function.
frlg - havent played. preventing mons from accessing new evos before postgame is kind of stupid.
gs - havent played. on par with rby probably, balancing issues are a bit exacerbated but has more overall content so gets a pass. hooh and lugia are both pretty cool
lets go - havent played. i wasnt the target audience for these which is why im not putting them higher, but from what i heard they did a pretty good job doing what they set out to do

c rank:

oras - feels rather cramped, the game looks like it has more content than it actually has (not much to do postgame besides rings and dexnav). not a horrible game on its own but i expect more out of remakes. the megas are definitely welcome though (not rayquaza unless i have one)
rs - havent played. seems like emerald but, like, worse. not bad, but worse
usum - i dont like when the devs make fights that are designed for you to lose without telling you. thats why i ran thru with my exp share iv bred + egg moves team and beat everything. i also dont like playing thru sun/moon twice even if the second time is slightly modified
ss - cant believe we lost megas and got boots + court change in return. insane. games are probably ok but i miss competitive mons being good

d rank:

dp - i played thru this once LOOOOOL cant believe you just beat cyrus on spear pillar and hes like WELP GOTTA HEAD OUT LOOOOL its like rs archie/maxie except even worse. absolute ripoff that i have to get these if i wanna use misdreavus/murkrow/stunky/glameow in platinum
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top