Sequel Showdown #10 - Pokemon (Main Series)

[AstralSoul | 502]

What's your favorite mainline Pokemon game? Spin offs do not count, but remakes of mainline games do. Feel free to give your ranking if you please.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,509]

Never played one.  But I plan on doing Red/Blue for reference in the next year or two.

I imagine that will be it for me though, since SMT is a much better thematic fit for me.  And because I assume they're, like, way better 

(I'm done trolling)

[croagunk | 798]

I love all the games very much, but my favorite is Pokémon Silver. It was the first game that was all mine and there is a lot of nostalgia tied to it. 

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,055]

2nd Gen has been a favorite. As a kid after playing Red/Blue and riding the pokemon wave you find out tgats theres even more pokémon! My head exploded. Then you find out that post game you can go through the ENTIRE kanto map again! It was incredible.

Side note, Ive long though that pokemon should at this point just make an online game (only accessible through nintendo console obviously) that lets you free roam through every region. Charge a yearly fee and when they want to make a new region and new pokemon boom, additional $60 fee but it unlocks that new area in the game for you. They can make money, I can live my pokemon fantasy of all regions and all pokemon 

[BortLicensePlate | 652]

Awe man such a tough choice. 

Gen 2 is my most nostalgic, and probably the one I've gone back to the most. But I also have really fond memories of Gen 3.

Beyond that I've played and enjoyed most of them but not as much as 2 and 3. I did like Sun/Moon and X/Y. Sword/Shield I played a little but stopped before getting too far.

I'm going with Ruby/Sapphire. For no reason other than timing. I was young for Gen 2 and played the crap out of it, and I vividly remember the upgrade from GBC to GBA and how excited I was at that age. Of course the new games look better but I cared a lot more back then.

[Gloves | 11,759]

Easy for me; Gen 2.

[AstralSoul | 502]

I love them all, its one of the few franchises that I was there Day 1 for it and have never stopped being a fan since. 23 years later for NA, 25 years for Japan. Actually I can't even think of one other game franchise I've been around with since launch day of the original.

That said, I have my preference. Black and White 2 were my favorite, I'm not even sure why, it might've just been the timing of their release but I was heavily into them, I loved the world of Unova, and I loved all the new pokemon from that gen. After 3 gens of recycling a lot of the same Pokemon, playing Black and White was refreshing because it introduced all only new pokemon. And black and White 2 just expanded the world and unlike other "3rd versions" of other gens, BW2 actually was a sequel and played like it. It was the only new version of the same gen that was worth revisiting in my opinion.

My least favorite goes to Sun and Moon, just because they felt the most forgettable to me. I thought they were okay, but lackluster in comparison to the rest of the series.

1. Black/White/Black 2/White 2
2. HeartGold/SoulSilver
3. Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
4. FireRed/LeafGreen
5. AlphaSapphire/OmegaRuby
6. X/Y
7. Silver/Gold/Crystal
8. Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu
9. Red/Blue/Yellow
10. Sword/Shield
11. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
12. Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

You know I just realized I completely forgot the Let's Go games. If they're your favorite just vote for Red/Blue/Yellow.

 

 

[noiseredux | 232]

27 minutes ago, AstralSoul said:

I love them all, its one of the few franchises that I was there Day 1 for it and have never stopped being a fan since. 23 years later for NA, 25 years for Japan. Actually I can't even think of one other game franchise I've been around with since launch day of the original.

That said, I have my preference. Black and White 2 were my favorite, I'm not even sure why, it might've just been the timing of their release but I was heavily into them, I loved the world of Unova, and I loved all the new pokemon from that gen. After 3 gens of recycling a lot of the same Pokemon, playing Black and White was refreshing because it introduced all only new pokemon. And black and White 2 just expanded the world and unlike other "3rd versions" of other gens, BW2 actually was a sequel and played like it. It was the only new version of the same gen that was worth revisiting in my opinion.

My least favorite goes to Sun and Moon, just because they felt the most forgettable to me. I thought they were okay, but lackluster in comparison to the rest of the series.

1. Black/White/Black 2/White 2
2. HeartGold/SoulSilver
3. Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
4. FireRed/LeafGreen
5. AlphaSapphire/OmegaRuby
6. X/Y
7. Silver/Gold/Crystal
8. Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu
9. Red/Blue/Yellow
10. Sword/Shield
11. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
12. Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

You know I just realized I completely forgot the Let's Go games. If they're your favorite just vote for Red/Blue/Yellow.

 

 

Yellow was my favorite for years, then I played Let's Go and that kind of replaced it. So yeah, I voted Yellow as a placeholder for Let's Go.

I haven't played every gen, but I've played a lot. My least favorite of the ones I played was Sun, though.

[a_profile_name | 230]

gen-1 all the way!

As much as I recognize the sequels are better games, nothing comes close to my enjoyment of a replay of red.

I only played gen 1-3 but I'm pretty certain the others won't change my opinion lol

2 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Never played one.  But I plan on doing Red/Blue for reference in the next year or two.

I imagine that will be it for me though, since SMT is a much better thematic fit for me.  And because I assume they're, like, way better 

(I'm done trolling)

Why wait a year or two when you can start right now?

[Nintegageo | 582]

I chose gen 1 though I think the actual argument is gen 2.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,509]

1 hour ago, sg17 said:

gen-1 all the way!

As much as I recognize the sequels are better games, nothing comes close to my enjoyment of a replay of red.

I only played gen 1-3 but I'm pretty certain the others won't change my opinion lol

Why wait a year or two when you can start right now?

Well I have my 2021 backlog already (which includes two SMT games), and the remaining 200 SNES games, and my rather large Switch backlog...

[DefaultGen | 5,397]

HG/SS, they’re the biggest 2D-perspective games and look amazing. Pokemon is just uglier in 3D, both the overworld and Pokemon themselves. Game Freak is not an ambitious or technically proficient developer, and they’ve never made 3D Pokemon look worthy of the world’s biggest franchise.

Gen 1 is busted (psychic, etc.) but mostly it doesn’t win because there isn’t enough to do. Pokemon is like the easiest game of all time to blast through so it’s fun to hunt shinies, have a bigger Pokedex, find legendary Pokemon, breeding, Battle Frontier, etc. Gen 2 is almost strictly better and the remakes add so much quality of life stuff.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,011]

I think I would vote R/B/Y if G/S didn't have the post game in it. I really wish that could've been something they kept up, the connected world's.

Imagine gen 4 and 5 being able to go post game through the Jhoto and Kanto regions. 

[Tanooki | 4,929]

Ooooh so challenging to pick, but I went with Gen1.  I started with it, really dug yellow since they parroted the cartoon so so well, and also let you get all the starters in it too!  It was fun watching Team Rocket take a pasting like they do in the cartoon with their crappy tactics.

But that said, the franchise has been post-Crystal really on this downward spiral of damn near do nothing new formula and I got more and more turned off to it, large misses I didn't care I missed over hits.  Dumb luck find at 1/2 off I ended up with Ultra Sun having no hope of improvement to be proven utterly wrong in my thoughts.  Gym battles 8x over removed, having no real story at all to even support the wash-rinse-repeat removed, boring ass samey terrains also removed.  That whole move to Alola parroting Hawaii was genius as it was having just 4 island leaders, having not just a story but multiple substories and plots, engaging dialog, totem pokemon as badass powered up mini-boss battles, it just keeps me engaged which the franchise couldn't manage since the 90s.  I so want to give it the tops, but just can't, if we had check boxes with pick up to 3, it would be Gen R/B/Y and then US/UM...if I did a third then firered as it's a nice boost to the original.

[Webhead123 | 675]

I was in my late teens when Pokemon first became a thing, so I never really got into it. A couple years ago, I played about 3 hours of Red and about an hour of Emerald as an attempt to experience the series roots and find out why it was so highly regarded. I can see the appeal, certainly. It's got collecting and that "RPG" hook of leveling up/unlocking new abilities. I'll probably go back to finish both those games I started at some point. Part of me also wants to check out one of the DS/3DS titles to see how the series evolved over the years.

So, while I'll always be a bit of an outsider on the whole Pokemon thing, I can appreciate it for having a neat foundation for game design.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Webhead123

[a_profile_name | 230]

3 hours ago, Webhead123 said:

I was in my late teens when Pokemon first became a thing, so I never really got into it. A couple years ago, I played about 3 hours of Red and about an hour of Emerald as an attempt to experience the series roots and find out why it was so highly regarded. I can see the appeal, certainly. It's got collecting and that "RPG" hook of leveling up/unlocking new abilities. I'll probably go back to finish both those games I started at some point. Part of me also wants to check out one of the DS/3DS titles to see how the series evolved over the years.

So, while I'll always be a bit of an outsider on the whole Pokemon thing, I can appreciate it for having a neat foundation for game design.

One thing I always think when people try out gen-1 games years later - you also have to take into account the social aspect of it. That is, everyone was playing, sharing rumors, battling with each other via the link cable, trading.... You don't just level up your team for the fun of it, you also level them up so you'll beat other kids.

[Webhead123 | 675]

5 minutes ago, sg17 said:

One thing I always think when people try out gen-1 games years later - you also have to take into account the social aspect of it. That is, everyone was playing, sharing rumors, battling with each other via the link cable, trading.... You don't just level up your team for the fun of it, you also level them up so you'll beat other kids.

Yes, the whole "trading/social exchange" element is one that I missed out on but helps explain even more so why the game caught on with the youth of the time. The early Pokemon games in particular seemed perfectly suited for the "school yard chat". Add in the link cable on top of being able to compare secrets and discoveries and you've got a recipe for tons of replayability. I can see the charm, even if I never experienced it at the time. Even without all of that, I found my limited time with Gen 1 enjoyable.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Webhead123

[DefaultGen | 5,397]

Wait you guys didn't just have a sibling so you had access to both copies of the game and played both games at the same time and traded all the Pokemon to yourself??

[Sumer | 221]

No clue!  Never played a Pokemon...I think I was past the demographic Nintendo was going for when it came out in the US.  1998 for the first US release?  Yeah, I was in college by that point and I think the perception was that the series, when it first started out, was for 8-12 year olds?  My little cousin, who was pretty into it at the time, was probably 11 when he showed everyone what a "Squirtle" was that Xmas.

I have kids now who are into Pokemon, but haven't really played the games and just like watching the shows and playing the card game.  I am sure I will be pulled along to play it on our 2DSes and Switch "soon," however.  

Edited March 4, 2021 by Sumer

[a_profile_name | 230]

25 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

Wait you guys didn't just have a sibling so you had access to both copies of the game and played both games at the same time and traded all the Pokemon to yourself??

I'm the younger brother (of two), and each of us had the different version of the game. Somehow it never came to my mind that I can take his cart and trade all his pokemon for a bunch of level 2 Rattatas. Really, I was such a douche and my brother was much calmer, nicer, and more responsible then I was. So I really imagine it like something I could do (I'm a much better person now-days).

 

Edit: Now I recall that while we had two games we had only one gameboy we shared. All the trades and battles I did only with other kids. So that explain why I didn't ruin my brothers save file.

Edited March 4, 2021 by sg17

[sp1nz | 611]

My vote is for Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (GBA). I've played Blue, Silver, Sapphire, Black and Y.

Blue is most nostalgic but also most archaic (duh). Starter Pokémon: Squirtle. I beat it and then I catched MissingNo, and I wasn't happy with the glitches after that, so I got a new copy. I gave my cartridges to my niece though in my teens, when I had a video game collection purge. I think she still has them.

Silver was a good one. Starter Pokémon: Cyndaquil. The rival was memorable in this game but I don't remember too much else about my experience overall other than I didn't like Unown and yet I probably caught all of the alphabet... oh and Miltank used Rollout.

Sapphire I loved but after finishing it I lent it to a friend thinking it has multiple saves for some reason, so needless to say poof went my save and I'm still salty about that. Starter Pokémon: Torchic. I liked many of the additions to the game like ribbons and competitions, and I like the Pokémon that are in the game, in total number and in style. I feel like 3rd gen is a good balance of difficulty, content and good vibes.

Black was great but my playthrough was pretty quick and not super involved. Starter Pokémon: Tepig (I think?). I remember catching shiny Oddish in the wild, I was stoked about actually seeing a random Shiny without any actual hunting shenanigans / grind.

Y I didn't even finish... felt soulless and watered down as all hell. Starter Pokémon: Fennekin (I think?). I did like 3-5 gyms and I felt that there was so much dead air and boring characters, and not that the game series is some challenge oriented thing but in here you get exp share out of the gate and things just felt easier than ever before. This gen kinda killed my enthusiasm towards the series but I do collect the series all the same.

[MagusSmurf | 577]

Played RBY several times, had some runs through GSC but I think only two or three got particularly deep into it, once through Ruby, and got late into Diamond and had 7 badges but didn’t finish.

in general this series is too much the same, there are too many of them, and the games are too long given the other two issues.

RBY is the best. None of these games have a worthwhile story or world but RBY has the only good character (Blue/The Rival). The gameplay isn’t great in any of them but RBY keeps the total amount of content to a reasonable level and so doesn’t get old before finishing. RBY has Missingno.

also, while I was into simulator battling in gens 3 and 4 (netbattle and shoddybattle) for awhile and had great fun with that, the PvP in the games themselves is ridiculous and not sanely workable for anything besides casual matches with friends. Is it any fun whatsoever doing all the grinding and other work you need to get an optimal team? No.

[Tanooki | 4,929]

11 hours ago, Webhead123 said:

Part of me also wants to check out one of the DS/3DS titles to see how the series evolved over the years.

I'll say this much having touched Emerald, the DS games didn't really evolve much if any at all other than using partial 3D visuals for the land you walk around, and I think team battles may have come up then too.  The 3DS games again, mostly, did nothing new either to add value as it kind of rolled into this just re-do the same formula thing.  The exception are the last sets of Ultra Sun and Moon.  They have the more generous XP share for those in pocket but not used in combat, removed the tired 8 gym 8 badge setup.  Added a story with subplots and layers to it.  Added in mini-bosses as totem(overpowered) pokemon bosses with backup...various other bits.  If you want to experience where it went, try that, but if you want to see where it went without evolving other than an open world 'wild' area in places, play Switch releases...also that one removed the random battles.

[SpoonMan Abrams X | 697]

Second Gen Best Gen

Almost went with HG/SS as theyre probably the best remakes hands down, but original GSC was there at the perfect time in my youth, after wearing out RBY and needing something more to play.

Also nothing, nothing compares to that feeling when making your way towards your first Elite 4 challenge, crossing the water east of New Bark Town and suddenly realizing, not just there being double the game, but that it was mother h*cking Kanto

Holy crap

Edited April 19, 2021 by SpoonMan Abrams X

[SpoonMan Abrams X | 697]

On 3/4/2021 at 11:11 PM, Tanooki said:

I'll say this much having touched Emerald, the DS games didn't really evolve much if any at all other than using partial 3D visuals for the land you walk around, and I think team battles may have come up then too.

Gen 4 actually had one of the most significant changes in the series, classifying attacks as either physical or special damage, which up until then had been determined sole based on a move's typing.