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What's your favourite main series Pokémon game?
- Thread starter Shiruba
- Start date
Gen III, hands down. While I too, like many here, started with RBY, I loved the atmosphere of Hoenn. It felt right. The ending theme music is one of the more memorable parts of the game. I'd restart, or go beat the E4 over and over again to hear it play. Then there's Blaziken. I know, a little over-hyped, I never played competitive, never had any friends around to play against. I loved it because it looked amazing, coming from a cute little Torchic. I played my copy of Red to death, but Gen III will always be my favorite.
I'd have to say that it's tie between Emerald (it expanded so well on two games I had already fallen in love with) and heart gold/ soul silver.
Emerald: I loved the sort of claymation-looking animation style of that series of games. It made them feel feel very warm and cartoony. Not to mention that generation had some of my favourite pokemon ideas/designs (milotic?!? Kecleon!? Castform even though it's useless!?!?!!!! I even loved silly dancing Ludicolo - though that's more due to Colosseum). I specifically loved emerald because it gave my young brain a chance to do what I loved (which was replaying the game over and over with new teams and creating challenges for myself) with a familiar story that had a few new twists and characters. One down side to emerald was the horrible new champion.
Heart gold and soul silver: one thing really makes it hard for me to say emerald is my stand-alone favourite; pokemon walking behind you! I still don't understand why Gamefreak hasn't repeated this signature playstyle. Gold and Silver hardly stuck in my head when I played them as a child, but with the addition of this new mechanic to the series, I found myself absorbed in the story more than ever. I grew so attached to my pokemon' sober world sprites that soul silver became the first game since elementary school where I nicknamed every pokemon and strived to catch-em-all!
Emerald: I loved the sort of claymation-looking animation style of that series of games. It made them feel feel very warm and cartoony. Not to mention that generation had some of my favourite pokemon ideas/designs (milotic?!? Kecleon!? Castform even though it's useless!?!?!!!! I even loved silly dancing Ludicolo - though that's more due to Colosseum). I specifically loved emerald because it gave my young brain a chance to do what I loved (which was replaying the game over and over with new teams and creating challenges for myself) with a familiar story that had a few new twists and characters. One down side to emerald was the horrible new champion.
Heart gold and soul silver: one thing really makes it hard for me to say emerald is my stand-alone favourite; pokemon walking behind you! I still don't understand why Gamefreak hasn't repeated this signature playstyle. Gold and Silver hardly stuck in my head when I played them as a child, but with the addition of this new mechanic to the series, I found myself absorbed in the story more than ever. I grew so attached to my pokemon' sober world sprites that soul silver became the first game since elementary school where I nicknamed every pokemon and strived to catch-em-all!
I've played all the generations since it first came out in the U.S., but I love GSC the most. It was the last old-school Pokemon game (e.g. no abilities, natures, modern EV system). It was like RBY, only bigger and better, being able to explore two regions. You got to fight Red from the first game too. I'll admit that the starters were unbalanced (why were so many Gyms hostile to Chikorita?), but nothing beats picking Cyndaquil and Thunderpunching Water types that aren't Quagsire to death. It also had the best music of the series.
That, and my favorite Pokemon Sudowoodo is in it. :)
My least favorite ingame (not competitively) was DPP. Sinnoh was pretty forgettable to me. I may do a Nuzlocke of Pearl at some point to see if it changes my mind. At least it has my second favorite Pokemon, Rotom. I liked it BEFORE it got appliance forms (the concept of an electric ghost is just too cool)! :)
Hoenn has varied environments, such as jungles, deserts, and even a volcano. The designer of Unova on the other hand had a bridge fetish.
RBY and GSC had the only good rivals in the series. I want rivals who are jerks so I can rub their virtual faces in when I beat them, not people who want to be friends!
Oh, by the way, is there a way to change the Pokemon sprite in your avatar without uploading your own image? I'm not too fond of Scrafty.
That, and my favorite Pokemon Sudowoodo is in it. :)
My least favorite ingame (not competitively) was DPP. Sinnoh was pretty forgettable to me. I may do a Nuzlocke of Pearl at some point to see if it changes my mind. At least it has my second favorite Pokemon, Rotom. I liked it BEFORE it got appliance forms (the concept of an electric ghost is just too cool)! :)
Hoenn has varied environments, such as jungles, deserts, and even a volcano. The designer of Unova on the other hand had a bridge fetish.
RBY and GSC had the only good rivals in the series. I want rivals who are jerks so I can rub their virtual faces in when I beat them, not people who want to be friends!
Oh, by the way, is there a way to change the Pokemon sprite in your avatar without uploading your own image? I'm not too fond of Scrafty.
Platinum is my favorite Pokémon. And Gold and HeartGold are the only that I didn't like so much.
Gen IV is my favorite also.
Gen IV is my favorite also.
I have played every gen, including the remakes. But I have to say, I love Red, Blue and Yellow the best.
Pokemon Red was the first pokemon game I have ever played, and I still have the game to this day with LeafGreen. Reason I said that this is my favorite main pokemon game, is that it's classic. You just can't beat the classics. Plus, I like Pokemon Yellow as well even though I never gotten the chance to finish it. It gave me the joy of starting with Pikachu and beating Brock's Onix with it. I miss that feeling.
I'll also say that Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald were the best too with them being my second favorite gen to play in. I can still, if I wanted to, stay up all night playing my Emerald game. Not to mention, I had my first lvl 100 pokemon in Ruby(which I sadly lost T^T). Pokemon Frontier had me going, trying hard to beat all the Frontier Brains.
Pokemon Red was the first pokemon game I have ever played, and I still have the game to this day with LeafGreen. Reason I said that this is my favorite main pokemon game, is that it's classic. You just can't beat the classics. Plus, I like Pokemon Yellow as well even though I never gotten the chance to finish it. It gave me the joy of starting with Pikachu and beating Brock's Onix with it. I miss that feeling.
I'll also say that Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald were the best too with them being my second favorite gen to play in. I can still, if I wanted to, stay up all night playing my Emerald game. Not to mention, I had my first lvl 100 pokemon in Ruby(which I sadly lost T^T). Pokemon Frontier had me going, trying hard to beat all the Frontier Brains.
I too have played all Gens.
I see most people voted for Gen III, but personally I disliked the vast amount of water in Hoenn.
Gen IV is easily my favourite. I loved the story behind the legendary pokes for DPPt
For HGSS, I liked the Pokemon-following-you gimmick and the user-friendly lower screen design.
In Pokemon Adventures (the Manga), I also enjoyed the DPPt arc the most.
I see most people voted for Gen III, but personally I disliked the vast amount of water in Hoenn.
Gen IV is easily my favourite. I loved the story behind the legendary pokes for DPPt
For HGSS, I liked the Pokemon-following-you gimmick and the user-friendly lower screen design.
In Pokemon Adventures (the Manga), I also enjoyed the DPPt arc the most.
Stuck between Gens 4 and 5. 4 is where I started, while 5 includes some of my favorite Pokemon, including Samurott, Reshiram, and Haxorus. There's just so much I like about each, but I've still got some considering to do.
Gen 2 was a game that fused 2 different gen maps and storylines and also included the legendary Red as a final boss. It was way ahead of its time and very underrated.
I pride myself in being able to ignore nostalgia when it comes to rating games despite starting Pokemon back in Gen I.
Objectively speaking, I'd say Gen V was the best, more specifically BW.
Storywise it had the most cohesive narrative. There were legitimate stakes and a plot that didn't come off as contrived. Most of this can be attributed to the villains: N, Ghetsis, and Team Plasma were surprisingly compelling. Furthermore, the pacing was also well done, with the climax being at the end of the game instead of the middle (with that excellent twist).
The whole message of truth vs ideals and tolerance despite disagreement may have been a bit on the nose, but it's a very apt message considering today's society.
Gameplay-wise, it truly streamlined the pokemon formula perfectly: reusable TMs, optional HMs, and an exp system that encourages leveling multiple mons. Having a region with only new mons was great for veteran players looking for something new.
In terms of flaws though, the biggest is the Pokemon designs. I honestly don't think they're as bad as many people say they are, though I'd be lying If I didn't say that I thought it was one of the weaker generations of designs.
Honorable mentions to Hoenn's atmosphere, Sinnoh & Johto's music, and Kalos' graphics and interactivity.
Objectively speaking, I'd say Gen V was the best, more specifically BW.
Storywise it had the most cohesive narrative. There were legitimate stakes and a plot that didn't come off as contrived. Most of this can be attributed to the villains: N, Ghetsis, and Team Plasma were surprisingly compelling. Furthermore, the pacing was also well done, with the climax being at the end of the game instead of the middle (with that excellent twist).
The whole message of truth vs ideals and tolerance despite disagreement may have been a bit on the nose, but it's a very apt message considering today's society.
Gameplay-wise, it truly streamlined the pokemon formula perfectly: reusable TMs, optional HMs, and an exp system that encourages leveling multiple mons. Having a region with only new mons was great for veteran players looking for something new.
In terms of flaws though, the biggest is the Pokemon designs. I honestly don't think they're as bad as many people say they are, though I'd be lying If I didn't say that I thought it was one of the weaker generations of designs.
Honorable mentions to Hoenn's atmosphere, Sinnoh & Johto's music, and Kalos' graphics and interactivity.
It seems to me that, of all the games, RSE have had something of a critical reappraisal since they came out. They had the misfortune to come out well after the Poke-hype of the late nineties/early noughties had subsided, and people who had played those older games were disappointed by some stuff that had gone, like half the old Pokedex, blindly ignoring the introduction of natures, EVs and abilities, and a massive graphical update. In other words it was "different", in a way that for some reason was considered bad at the time. Strangely enough something similar happened with Nintendo's other franchises during this period; Super Mario Sunshine and Zelda: the Wind Waker are now considered much better than they were at release, due to players just not being prepared for something different.
It also had very little of the social aspects that other games had, again just by bad luck in its release date. Earlier games, especially RBY, had started a craze which meant it was everywhere and if you were a seven- or eight-year-old kid you probably had several friends willing and able to trade and battle you; generation IV introduced Wi-Fi connectivity and took socialisation to a global scale. But in the third generation era, trading and battling would be pretty hard to come by. I myself lost interest in the franchise over this period to be honest.
It also had very little of the social aspects that other games had, again just by bad luck in its release date. Earlier games, especially RBY, had started a craze which meant it was everywhere and if you were a seven- or eight-year-old kid you probably had several friends willing and able to trade and battle you; generation IV introduced Wi-Fi connectivity and took socialisation to a global scale. But in the third generation era, trading and battling would be pretty hard to come by. I myself lost interest in the franchise over this period to be honest.
My favorite is Pokemon Emerald. When choosing a favorite Pokemon game, a lot of what I take into consideration is post-game content. I don't want to just beat the Elite four and be done with the game, yknow? I want to have fun with whatever happens after the game, I want to see more of what the game has to offer. Truth be told, I want the experience of going on another adventure post-game. This meaning that I only want the main storyline to kind of be a small part of what the game is really about.
Of course, Emerald isn't a shining example, since the Team Magma/Aqua conflict was pretty big (and the inclusion of Rayquaza made this even more so, which I have no problem with because it was executed quite well), but what I'm speaking of is the Battle Frontier. To me, Emerald has, hands down, the best Battle Frontier in any main series Pokemon game, where one could continuously challenge the Battle Pike, or the Battle Pyramid, and hardly get tired of it because of the challenges that they pose. Sure, HG/SS has a decent frontier, but I feel it pales to the real challenges and conditions that Emerald offered. I mean, for goodness sakes, I'm pretty sure there's a battle facility where your pokemon battle completely on their own. I really miss that, and I hope that it makes a return someday.
But yeah, Emerald will forever be a part of my memories because of how much fun not just the storyline was, but post-game as well!
Of course, Emerald isn't a shining example, since the Team Magma/Aqua conflict was pretty big (and the inclusion of Rayquaza made this even more so, which I have no problem with because it was executed quite well), but what I'm speaking of is the Battle Frontier. To me, Emerald has, hands down, the best Battle Frontier in any main series Pokemon game, where one could continuously challenge the Battle Pike, or the Battle Pyramid, and hardly get tired of it because of the challenges that they pose. Sure, HG/SS has a decent frontier, but I feel it pales to the real challenges and conditions that Emerald offered. I mean, for goodness sakes, I'm pretty sure there's a battle facility where your pokemon battle completely on their own. I really miss that, and I hope that it makes a return someday.
But yeah, Emerald will forever be a part of my memories because of how much fun not just the storyline was, but post-game as well!