Inspired by a discussion from the Unpopular opinions thread, I am curious to hear about others' top ten Pokémon games and a brief reasoning why they rank them that way. If you can't think of a top ten you can shorten it to five or three or whatever, but try to avoid just stating your #1 favorite as most of us have that and it's a little too easy. Also, be sure to post a brief reasoning for your ranking to foster some discussion and prevent this thread from being overly PC++ against OI rules. With that said here's my list and reasoning:
Deluxe tier
1. Platinum
2. Emerald
These are ambitious, standalone games that have rich maps and regional dexes, even pacing, enough but not too much of a challenge, "save the world" plots done without being too over the top, and robust post games complete with a Battle Frontier. They both follow a similar formula; ultimately, I give it to Platinum for beating Emerald in all of the aforementioned categories in terms of quality, aside from only the Battle Frontier perhaps.
Sequel tier
3. HGSS
4. B2W2
Both sequels are great. However, HGSS suffers from poor execution and uneven pacing, with much of the game being a sleep walk aside from Lance who is the worst difficulty spike in the franchise. Red is also rather poorly executed with his bloated levels rather than giving him quality Pokémon, making him a less effective final boss than Cynthia and Steven for example, who spotlight their respective regions' pseudo legendaries. B2W2 suffers from not being great as a standalone game, leaning heavily on BW's narrative in order to appreciate its main campaign. HGSS in fairness is the most beautiful game in the franchise in my opinion which vaults it high on my list, and B2W2 has the best regional dex and an excellent postgame battle facility in PWT which keeps it from falling any further.
Elementary tier
5. BW
6. FRLG
The two games I would introduce to a newcomer of the franchise. BW's simplistic (if overly simplistic) map and rehashed Kanto regional dex (I say this as a good and bad thing) give it a very elementary nature well suited for beginners. And the climax of this game against N gives it high points in my book. FRLG also has a great endgame, particularly if you go all the way to the Elite Four rematch, but is also perhaps too bland in its regional design like the original Unova, which ultimately keep it from measuring up to richer maps like that of Platinum and Emerald. And also keep it from measuring up to the sequels especially with their post game battle facilities. But it's enough to keep these games ahead of everything else.
Basic Hoenn tier
7. ORAS
8. RS
Ruby and Sapphire did a great job of introducing the Hoenn region even on a new system (GBA) as compared to the job Diamond and Pearl did for Sinnoh on the DS. Hoenn itself is a great region and there's not a whole lot wrong with RS, it just lacks the content to compete with the other games above it. And while I'm not a huge fan of many post Gen 5 game mechanics, ORAS is objectively the best of the lot and takes a good baseline of RS and enhances it even further. Lack ofpostgame battle facility Battle Frontier or great climax prevent these games from climbing further on my list.
Basic Johto tier
9. Crystal
10. GS
For their time, these games were excellent and they still hold up pretty well today. The sprite work is what really helps these games earn spots in my top ten. Crystal's animations give it a slight edge, though there isn't a huge difference really. The games are hurt by a lot of the execution issues of HGSS like level curve and Pokémon availability, only to a worse extent which puts them below the rest of the top ten. But they fixed a lot of RBY's glitches and AI which resulted in a very good overall product.
That was a long post to hopefully spark some discussion. Very curious to hear what other people's thoughts are.
Edit: strike-through
Deluxe tier
1. Platinum
2. Emerald
These are ambitious, standalone games that have rich maps and regional dexes, even pacing, enough but not too much of a challenge, "save the world" plots done without being too over the top, and robust post games complete with a Battle Frontier. They both follow a similar formula; ultimately, I give it to Platinum for beating Emerald in all of the aforementioned categories in terms of quality, aside from only the Battle Frontier perhaps.
Sequel tier
3. HGSS
4. B2W2
Both sequels are great. However, HGSS suffers from poor execution and uneven pacing, with much of the game being a sleep walk aside from Lance who is the worst difficulty spike in the franchise. Red is also rather poorly executed with his bloated levels rather than giving him quality Pokémon, making him a less effective final boss than Cynthia and Steven for example, who spotlight their respective regions' pseudo legendaries. B2W2 suffers from not being great as a standalone game, leaning heavily on BW's narrative in order to appreciate its main campaign. HGSS in fairness is the most beautiful game in the franchise in my opinion which vaults it high on my list, and B2W2 has the best regional dex and an excellent postgame battle facility in PWT which keeps it from falling any further.
Elementary tier
5. BW
6. FRLG
The two games I would introduce to a newcomer of the franchise. BW's simplistic (if overly simplistic) map and rehashed Kanto regional dex (I say this as a good and bad thing) give it a very elementary nature well suited for beginners. And the climax of this game against N gives it high points in my book. FRLG also has a great endgame, particularly if you go all the way to the Elite Four rematch, but is also perhaps too bland in its regional design like the original Unova, which ultimately keep it from measuring up to richer maps like that of Platinum and Emerald. And also keep it from measuring up to the sequels especially with their post game battle facilities. But it's enough to keep these games ahead of everything else.
Basic Hoenn tier
7. ORAS
8. RS
Ruby and Sapphire did a great job of introducing the Hoenn region even on a new system (GBA) as compared to the job Diamond and Pearl did for Sinnoh on the DS. Hoenn itself is a great region and there's not a whole lot wrong with RS, it just lacks the content to compete with the other games above it. And while I'm not a huge fan of many post Gen 5 game mechanics, ORAS is objectively the best of the lot and takes a good baseline of RS and enhances it even further. Lack of
Basic Johto tier
9. Crystal
10. GS
For their time, these games were excellent and they still hold up pretty well today. The sprite work is what really helps these games earn spots in my top ten. Crystal's animations give it a slight edge, though there isn't a huge difference really. The games are hurt by a lot of the execution issues of HGSS like level curve and Pokémon availability, only to a worse extent which puts them below the rest of the top ten. But they fixed a lot of RBY's glitches and AI which resulted in a very good overall product.
That was a long post to hopefully spark some discussion. Very curious to hear what other people's thoughts are.
Edit: strike-through
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