There’s little to say about the Pokemon series that you haven’t already heard. This monster collecting franchise has become Nintendo’s main RPG outlet. The games were thought to be a short lived fad when they stormed all regions of the globe in the mid-90s, but since then it has become the most popular role playing franchise around the world. I was there from the very beginning, and I’ve played every mainline Pokemon game since it launched. Today I’m here to talk about the series as a whole, and rank each generation. These are the best Pokemon games, or rather, the series ranked!
Before we get started let’s go over the what the Pokemon franchise is all about. In these games you assume the role of a young hero in a world populated with animal-like creatures. These are Pokemon, and in your case, are used for battling foes. Your ultimate goal is to catch ’em all, challenge all of the Pokemon Gyms in the region, and ultimately challenge the Elite 4 (the best trainers in the region) and even the champion. The games are strictly turn based role playing games. You gain experience points which increase the level of your creatures. This makes them more powerful, teaches them new moves, and even allows them to transform into more powerful forms via what the game’s call ‘evolution.’
With that out of the way, there are a few guidelines I’m following for this list:
- I’m only including the mainline games. Spin-offs don’t count in this ranking.
- Each generation counts as one game as far as I’m concerned. I’m not going to rank each individual version because that would be redundant.
- I’m not counting remakes. That wouldn’t really be fair. Only original Pokemon releases.
And now, let’s get started. These are the best Pokemon games in order from worst to best:
Pokemon X/Y
The hype was insane. The Pokemon series had been 3D in previous installments, but it was always with sprite based characters and the perspective would occasionally skew. Pokemon X/Y versions were the first installments on the 3DS (a platform with PS2 level graphics) and fans went berserk when this version was shown. It had different perspectives, and the battles were fully three dimensional. So what went wrong?
For one, Pokemon X/Y introduced so few new critters it was immediately disappointing. Sure, the fairy type was introduced, but that wasn’t enough. Then we had the new gameplay feature; mega evolutions. These completely changed the tactics you would use with popular mainstays. Unfortunately the main quest was just bland. Mega evolutions added very little to the game, and they later proved to be a throwaway feature. Ugh, the disappointment still hits home.
Pokemon Sword/Shield
Since the franchise went 3D us fans were looking forward to the first high definition installment. The starters were incredibly cute, and it was the first game that was fully 3D and not heavily pixelated. Unfortunately Nintendo (or rather, Game Freak) ruined the whole thing by excluding the international dex. This means that you can’t introduce your previously caught Pokemon into this one. Everything you’ve done was for loss now. I still can’t believe it.
For me this destroys things like the ability to make creatures huge and more powerful, and also the fact that the environments are more detailed. On the plus side it introduces a bunch of new creatures, and they’re all in high definitions. The best part of the game however is that, like in Sun/Moon, this region introduces new variations on classic Pokemon. The lack of a national dex holds this one back. Hopefully they add it back in because as of now I’m terribly disappointed.
Pokemon Black/White/Black 2/White 2
By the time the fifth generation of Pokemon games started fans were getting tired of the same old conventions. They were tired of using hms, and encountering pidgeys and rattatas. This generation had none of that. You encountered an entirely new cast of Pokemon throughout the adventure, and didn’t have to teach them useless moves in order to progress in the quest.
This game also introduced a lot of animation to each creature including attack and idle graphics. The problem was that every critter was basically a clone of previous ones. The story was also worse, and this one introduced nothing interesting to the gameplay. The direct sequels offered up classic Pokemon, but again, the main quest just wasn’t that interesting.
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Again, this was another release met with a lot of hype. This was the first time that the Pokemon franchise moved to new hardware. We had more advances sprites now. The new Pokemon were really cool and there were some new type combinations introduced. When the games were first introduced you didn’t have access to the classic creatures, and that was a huge issue.
The remakes to Red/Blue really helped out in this regard. The main problem I had with the Hoenn region was that it introduced too many new water Pokemon. The world map had too much ocean, rivers, lakes, etc. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire was however a great continuation to the series even if things like double battles didn’t enhance the experience a great deal.
Pokemon Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
I was pretty jaded after Pokemon X/Y came out. I assumed that Game Freak was done coming up with new ideas, and that mega evolutions was the extent of what they were doing. With that said, Sun/Moon blew me away. The games kind of did their own thing. Mega evolutions didn’t rear their ugly head, and instead their are special moves that are more powerful.
The game introduced different forms of classic Pokemon, and had some of the most interesting new creatures in the series. Sun/Moon did away with classic gyms, and had a really fun alternative with island challenges. It is based on Hawaii after all. The sequels added on to the formula and made it more accessible.
Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
This is where is all started. What else needs to be said? Well, a lot actually. These games introduced the concept of the franchise; you battle creatures, raise them up, and try to become the very best. The idea clicked with me immediatetly. The basic ideas still hold up.
The Game Boy releases are a little slow by modern standards, and you can’t transfer your creatures to modern games, so there’s no reason to play the original versions. The remakes on the Game Boy Advance however do allow for it, and they have the benefit of being backwards supported to this day.
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
With the first installments on the Nintendo DS we were all looking forward to the leap ahead in graphics. Unfortunately we didn’t really see it here. What we did get however get was a refinement of the formula, without anything extraneous like mega evolutions or super moves. The Pokemon added to the roster here felt like they were largely all highly inspired by the original designs.
The high point for me however was the new evolutions of older designs that this one added. This game introduced Togekiss and made that line finally viable for use in tournament play. Additionally we had a new line on the Gardevoir evolutions. Finally a physical psychic fighter!
Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
It should come as no surprise that this would be the headlining generation in this list. Fans were hungry for more Pokemon, and a new region. What they got was the best darn new creatures in the franchise, as well as the most interesting area to explore. These games led the franchise in an incredible direction with Team Rocket returning in a new and interesting way.
When you completed your journey through Johto you could then go back to Kanto from Red/Blue. This was absolutely unexpected and could be considered the most insane and unexpected addition to any game, ever. Even better, the final boss is the hero from the original game. Gold/Silver/Crystal are the most in depth, content rich, and all around incredible installments in the series.
Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear you viewpoints in the comment section!
