R/B/Y
The first games in the series, Blue was also my first Pokémon game. They had some great music too.
Favorites:
Route 24/25: This one feels quite victorious, which is suitable for the last routes in terms of numbers even if they aren’t the last routes you visit in the games.
Vermilion City: I love how energetic this feels. It sort of captures the feeling of having completed the early parts of the game and that the real game is now about to begin.
S.S. Anne: Mostly happy but with a somewhat sad undertone, it is bittersweet which I think is very suitable for an area which you won’t be able to visit again anymore once the ship sails away.
Celadon City: I like how this is happy and energetic, it feels suitable for a big city which is surrounded by nature. I prefer this over the theme that plays in Saffron and other cities.
G/S/C
While this is my least favorite generation, I still think it had some pretty good music.
Favorites:
Goldenrod City: I really like the melancholic feeling this one gives. I think that it perfectly captures the atmosphere of a big city, which is really fantastic for the first really “big” city in the series. When I played G/S/C, I often spent a lot of time in Goldenrod without really doing anything just so I could listen to the music.
Route 42/43/44/Lake of Rage: I have always loved this one and how it creates a feeling of a grand adventure.
Tin Tower: Majestic and mysterious, perfect for a tower with a weird puzzle that I had a very hard time figuring out as a kid, and then finally a legendary bird roosting on the top once you manage to reach it.
Raikou/Entei/Suicune Battle theme: First unique legendary theme in the series and I think it was really amazing for its time, I remember falling in love with it the first time I heard it in Crystal. I prefer the remake version nowadays though.
R/S/E
While I find the “trumpets” of the R/S/E soundtrack to be a bit overrated, I still think it has some really great music. The new better technology also allowed the music here to be more technically advanced than in the previous generations, which was neat.
Favorites:
Gym Leader Battle theme: Amazing Gym Leader theme, one of my favorites in the series. I love how it sort of steps up from the regular battle theme, as if it is telling you that this is no longer a playground, it is serious business.
Abandoned Ship: A bit bittersweet and mysterious, I think it suits the Abandoned Ship perfectly.
Mt. Pyre (outside): This one has a fun beginning and then it becomes a bit mysterious which is perfect for this place.
Battle Frontier: Awesome theme for an awesome area. I spent a lot of time at the Battle Frontier and despite listening to the music for so many hours, I never got tired of it. I love how it starts with a big surprise and then continues to be amazing throughout.
Frontier Brain Battle theme: After having battled through a bunch of battles at the Frontier, you have finally reached a boss. And when you get to battle them, they come with their own amazing battle theme! I have many memories associated to this theme from the times when I battled the Frontier Brains and I always loved listening to it again when I managed to get to rebattle a Frontier Brain or reach a new one I hadn’t battled before.
FR/LG
Solid remakes on the whole, the same goes for the soundtrack. Many of my favorite tracks from R/B/Y got remade in great new versions, and to my surprise, a few from G/S/C too!
Favorites:
Cinnabar Island: I like this one better than in the originals because it sounds very happy and energetic here, suitable for an island full of life and joy.
Sevault Canyon: A remix of Route 42/43/44/Lake of Rage from G/S/C, and this is honestly my favorite version of this theme. It sounds so energetic and awesome, perfect for going out on new adventures in unexplored areas!
There’s also Vermilion City, SS. Anne and Route 24/25, which I like for the same reasons as in the originals. I think the remake versions of them were just as fantastic as the original versions.
Colosseum & XD
These are two of the few side games I have played, they were fun games and they had some really excellent music too.
Favorites:
Overworld Map (Colosseum) / Orre Colosseum (XD): This one is just epic. Sometimes I would stay at the Map screen in Colosseum or at Orre Colosseum in XD just so I could listen to this theme.
Miror B's Theme (Colosseum): Really weird theme, completely different from anything I had previously heard in Pokémon. But it is amazing and super suitable for a weirdo character who has several dancing Ludicolo.
Friendly battle: This one doesn’t play in many battles, but it is one of my favorite battle themes from Colosseum, I definitely prefer it over the regular battle theme. I really like how happy and energetic it is.
Colosseum Credits: Epic beyond words, one of my favorite credits themes in the series. I love how it mixes in some themes from the main game like Mt. Battle and Relic Forest, but makes some changes to them to make it sound different but still familiar at the same time. Sometimes when I played Colosseum, I would go back and beat the final bosses again just so I could get to the credits and listen to this awesome music.
Heroic theme: It has been many years since I played XD, but IIRC this theme only played at one or a few moments during the main story. I like how it gives an inspirational and happy feeling. It is as if the game is telling you to not give up, you can do this!
Miror B's Theme (XD): Miror B made a return in XD… but his old theme didn’t! His new theme is just as awesome as his old one though, even if it is a bit less unique. But I don’t mind, I love this one as well.
Wild Pokemon Battle (Pokéspot): This is very fun to listen to and very different from usual wild Pokémon music, which is suitable considering how different wild Pokémon encounters were in XD compared to in the main series.
SS Libra: A pretty sad theme, very suitable music for this ship which got stolen by Cipher/Shadow Lugia and later dropped in the desert.
D/P/P
I really like the Sinnoh games and I think they had some really awesome music too.
Favorites:
Jubilife City: Similar to Goldenrod, I think this captures the feeling of a big city very well. It is a bit more happy and less melancholic than Goldenrod but the happy parts never take over too much, it hits the balance just perfectly.
Gym Leader Battle theme: Another great Gym Leader theme. This sounds a bit darker than most other Gym Leader themes, I like it.
Canalave City: Slow-moving and a bit melancholic, I love it. I really liked to spend time at the library in Canalave, and I remember back in 2007, I used to think that this theme would be perfect if it played in a real library. I often imagined that this theme played when I was in the library in my local city which I visited quite a lot during the Gen 4 days since it was right next to the school I was going to then. Guess I should have brought my DS with some headphones and a Sinnoh game with me so that I could actually listen to it too!
Route 216/217: It starts a bit slow and quiet, then it escalates into madness after a while. Suitable for those routes which had a lot of snow and the constant snowstorms going on.
Sunyshore City: I remember when I first arrived in Sunyshore City in Pearl and this music played, I got very surprised. I love how energetic and fun it is to listen to, similar to the theme in Vermilion City.
Credits: While not quite my favorite credits in the series, I think it is still good enough to be included here. It starts of a bit bittersweet and slow, then it gets a bit more energetic but without ever sounding too happy.
Distortion World: Very calm for such a crazy world, but the good thing about that is that you can stay calm while listening to the music instead of freaking out. I love it.
Giratina Battle Theme: Another great legendary theme, with many different parts that flow together perfectly. It is epic and really suits Giratina.
Frontier Brain Battle theme: Different from the Emerald theme but just as awesome and it captures tension of facing a Frontier Brain so very well.
HG/SS
My least favorite Pokémon games, and while I think their soundtrack is a bit below average for a Pokémon game, they still have a few excellent tracks which deserve some praise.
Favorites:
Ecruteak City: The remakes went for different approaches for the music in Ecruteak and Cianwood despite them being the same in the originals, which was neat. While Cianwood is calmer and stays truer to the original, I prefer the Ecruteak theme. It captures the traditional feeling that Johto was supposed to create very well, and I think it goes very well together with the overall atmosphere of this city.
Ho-Oh Battle theme: Yet another great legendary theme, it suits Ho-Oh perfectly and I definitely prefer it over Lugia’s theme.
Cinnabar Island: HG/SS failed in many aspects, but they absolutely nailed it with this theme. It suits the situation and area so perfectly that I don’t know what to say. Like with Goldenrod in the originals, I would often fly to Cinnabar in the remakes just so I could listen to the music there.
Radio music - Variety Channel: I talked about this in the other thread but decided to include it here too since this is the better place for it. While this is basically just the Goldenrod theme without the main melody, I actually prefer it over the actual Goldenrod theme since this one removes the happy part and therefore, I think it does a better job at capturing the melancholic feeling from the original Goldenrod theme.
Unlike the other remakes, I do not like all the new versions of the old music in HG/SS. Though I still like some more of the tracks I liked from the originals, such as the Raikou/Entei/Suicune battle theme and the Bell Tower theme.
Pokémon Battle Revolution
Another of the very few side games I have played. This game seems to generally be heavily disliked and criticized by most fans, but I personally liked it and had lots of fun with it. It also had some really great music.
Favorites:
Pokémon selection theme: As mentioned in the likes thread a while ago, I love this. It is just so calming and relaxing to listen to, I could listen to it for ages without getting bored.
Magma Colosseum: It starts a bit mysterious and quiet, then it gradually builds up into a bigger melody which is amazing.
Sunny Park Colosseum: Fun and energetic, I like it a lot.
Sashay's theme: I like this one a lot. I remember going through one of the rounds at Stargazer Colosseum where Sashay appears many times after beating said round, just so I could battle her and listen to this music again.
B/W
My favorite generation, favorite games, and also my favorite soundtrack in the series.
Favorites:
Entralink: This one just sounds so majestic and epic, I’m not sure if it is a suitable track for the Entralink but I like it a lot.
Emotion/Unwavering Emotions: This theme is really emotional and captures the essence of every moment it plays in so very well, I love it!
Route 10: A melancholic and bittersweet track, suitable for the last route during the main game. The adventure is almost over, but with every ending comes a new beginning.
Reshiram/Zekrom/Kyurem Battle theme: Another great legendary battle theme.
Black/White Credits: I think this is the best credits music in the series. It is just epic beyond words, a suitable ending theme for an epic game.
B2/W2
Tied with B/W for both being my favorite games in the series and for having my favorite soundtrack in the series. I won’t include any music that already existed in B/W here though.
Favorites:
Aspertia City: A perfect theme for the first (and so far, only) starting city in the series. To me, it gives the feeling that there’s always a new adventure that can be started, but at the same time, you can always come back home to take a rest whenever you need or want to.
Reversal Mountain (White 2): I prefer this over the Black 2 version. This one adds an extra melody which makes it sound more fun and interesting.
Route 21/22: Another great route theme. Bittersweet in a way, similar to Route 10 in B/W.
Iris Battle theme: Best battle theme for the best Champion. I love everything about this. It has many different parts that flow in and out of each other but it never sounds wrong or out of place.
Black Tower: I love this. Wonderfully unique theme for a Pokémon game and for an awesome location. I never got tired of it while beating 1000 trainers here, and I almost want to go back and battle 1000 more trainers just so I can listen to it again.
X/Y
My second favorite generation and I think it had some really good music too.
Favorites:
Professor Sycamore’s theme: A really great character theme, love the instruments and the melody here.
Laverre City: It is simple but contains an aura of mystery hidden within, which feels perfect for this city.
Successor Korrina’s theme: A really good battle theme, basically just a variation of the Gym Leader theme but a much better version if you ask me. I definitely prefer it over the Gym Leader theme, too bad you only get to hear it once during the games.
Route 15/16 & Frost Cavern: Melancholic while it also inspires a sense of exploration, I think it goes very well along with the autumn-feeling the routes give.
Pokémon League: This sounds pretty epic, suitable for the last location in the game, right before the final battles.
OR/AS
I really like these remakes and I actually prefer the soundtrack over the one in the originals.
Favorites:
Wally’s theme: Intense and epic, suitable for a character who goes from zero to hero, though I wish we had seen more of him during the main game.
Zinnia’s theme: Another great character theme. Listening to this really gets me pumped up, I love the melody in it. That said, I prefer the Smash Ultimate version over the one in OR/AS.
Like with FR/LG, I think OR/AS did a great job with remaking the music from the originals so I like all the tracks I liked from R/S/E as well.
S/M/US/UM
My third favorite generation, and I think it had some good music too.
Favorites:
Mahalo Trail: Calm and soothing with a hint of a hidden mystery somewhere within it, I love it.
Ten Carat Hill: Similar to the above, this one is just so relaxing to listen to at first, then it gets a bit more energetic after a while, I love it.
Solgaleo/Lunala/Necrozma battle theme: Another great legendary battle theme. This starts a bit soft and quiet, then it escalates into an energy-filled theme with many unique sounds.
Mantine Surfing: Fun music for a fun minigame, it gives a lot of energy which you need in order to surf between the islands.
Ultra Necrozma battle: I dislike Ultra Necrozma as a boss, but I love it as a Pokémon. Either way, this is yet another awesome legendary battle theme, suitable for one of the hardest boss battles in the series.
S/S
The latest games in the series and I honestly had tons of funs with Sword despite its issues. It also had some great music for sure.
Favorites:
Slumbering Weald: This one starts out happy and carefree, then suddenly it gets dark and mysterious when the “howling” kicks in. Perfectly suitable for a mysterious foggy forest which holds the cover legendary wolf.
Marine battle theme: Awesome battle theme for an awesome rival. It sounds unique and I think it is suitable for Marnie in so many ways.
Wild Area theme 2: This one is amazing, it really captures the adventurous feeling of exploring a new vast area which is something I think the wild area partly lives up to, so that’s cool.
Eternatus Battle (Phase 3): Another epic legendary battle theme, perfect for what I think is one of the coolest legendary battles in the series so far.
Thought I'd ask because the tune is honestly a bop...and it'd be a shame if the only way to listen to it was for twenty seconds of the trailer!
