Favorite Pokemon game?

crantheman

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2024
Messages
51
Reaction score
51
Location
middle of nowhere
Gold
461
Terminal Frame
Lounge Access
Pronouns
he/him/his
I've been having a HUGE Pokemon itch lately. I recently beat Ruby after finding it at a local tag sale for $60 and found it very fun. I never played the Gen 3 Pokemon games so getting to experience them was a blast. Do any of y'all have a favorite Pokemon game? Personally, HeartGold holds a special place in my heart.
 
Maybe an unpopular opinion amongst some people, but I actually really like Sun and Moon. I think it’s really fun aesthetically. I like the region and the new Pokémon. The new characters are fun too. Besides sun and moon though, I think SoulSilver is a pretty close runner up too. I also have a soft spot for ORAS and Arceus. Pokémon’s just one of those franchises where I have a hard time picking favorite, I guess lol
 
HeartGold is the best one by a wiiiide margin

altho I know a lot of people love Platinum & that's pretty much the only one I haven't played yet
 
I've played very very few (and finished fewer) so when I say "Fire Red" please know that I do not say it because I'm a Pokemon sedevacantist (better known as a "genwunner"). Just such a ludicrously good game handled so well as a remake. One day I'll actually finish some of the others, I never had a DS as a kid so playing those properly has been on the list for a while lol.
 
100% a nostalgia pick, but it's Emerald for me. it's the better version of Ruby, and Ruby is a really important game to me. it wasn't just the first Pokémon game I played, it was the first RPG I ever played. the first time staring at a screen and pushing buttons actually felt like an adventure. for me it marks the point where games stopped being another one of the toys that I had and started being something more important than that.

you could probably get these feelings from a lot of games. I might have gotten them from Ocarina of Time first if the inside of the Deku Tree didn't scare me too much as a kid to keep playing lmao. but that's the one that's always stuck with me. helps that I love the music and it has some of my favourite designs (for both Pokémon and humans) too. there is too much water though, that's valid.

gotta say I love Scarlet too. an absolute mess of a game on a technical level, don't get me wrong, but it has maybe my favourite story and characters in the mainline series and they were cooking with the open world formula. I hope the next game is just like that except with actually acceptable visuals and performance lol
 
I am going to be annoying and choose several different games. I cannot pick just one!!! I've played almost all mainline pokemon games besides Ultrasun/Ultramoon. To this day, my fave's gotta be Emerald, Platinum, or Soulsilver. Those three stole 500+ hours each from me as a child. Recently replayed Emerald and it still was such a blast; I am sure extreme nostalgia bias also plays a role in this, but fuck man. I like that it is still a challenge, I love the story, I love the vibe, and the post game? Cmon.

Platinum still is so special to me because it really perfected what was child-me's favorite pokemon game (and the first game I ever pre-ordered), Pokemon Diamond. Platinum still has that special feeling that only Sinnoh has, without the struggles of the OG games. Plus, all the content and story added was delicious. The multiplayer, Wi-Fi plaza, etc. Man I just cannot get enough. And we are fortunate enough to live in a time where you can still access all it's special events!

Soulsilver is the only one I feel like I can confidently say "is the best" without the nostalgia being a factor. It is beyond a complete package. It really makes the last decade of releases feel sore for me, because in sheer terms of content, there just has not been anything close. It is INSANE that they packed all that in onto a DS cartridge, and then NEVER PORTED IT. CMON. I am so fortunate to still have my OG copy, because the price for this game now is just so stupid. I hope one day there is an easy way for everyone to play it (not including emulator of course), because I am sure there are a lot of new Pokemon fans that would really enjoy it. It really made the Pokemon world feel so big.

I also think that the Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky or Pokemon Ranger games should be considered, too. Those were incredibly enjoyable experiences in their own right. (Side note, isn't it crazy how premium the Nintendo DS's library is?)

And to even it out, if I am picking a modern Pokemon game, it's gotta be Pokemon Shield. Even though it really hammered in the trend of Pokemon's technical struggles, I genuinely enjoyed my time with it. I liked the wild area, the raids, Dynamaxxing was hype, the music was great, actually good character customization, and there are some seriously great looking locales. And I hate to say it, but the DLC is a must. It makes the game actually feel.. "full". The game is at its best when you are playing with your pals, doing raids. Some of the most fun I've had since Diamond/Pearl/Platinum's underground. The game is wayyy too easy though. I thought this was just a symptom of me having played the series for 20 years, but no man, when I played Emerald, that shit was still a challenge! The new games are way too easy!
 
I am going to be annoying and choose several different games. I cannot pick just one!!! I've played almost all mainline pokemon games besides Ultrasun/Ultramoon. To this day, my fave's gotta be Emerald, Platinum, or Soulsilver. Those three stole 500+ hours each from me as a child. Recently replayed Emerald and it still was such a blast; I am sure extreme nostalgia bias also plays a role in this, but fuck man. I like that it is still a challenge, I love the story, I love the vibe, and the post game? Cmon.

Platinum still is so special to me because it really perfected what was child-me's favorite pokemon game (and the first game I ever pre-ordered), Pokemon Diamond. Platinum still has that special feeling that only Sinnoh has, without the struggles of the OG games. Plus, all the content and story added was delicious. The multiplayer, Wi-Fi plaza, etc. Man I just cannot get enough. And we are fortunate enough to live in a time where you can still access all it's special events!

Soulsilver is the only one I feel like I can confidently say "is the best" without the nostalgia being a factor. It is beyond a complete package. It really makes the last decade of releases feel sore for me, because in sheer terms of content, there just has not been anything close. It is INSANE that they packed all that in onto a DS cartridge, and then NEVER PORTED IT. CMON. I am so fortunate to still have my OG copy, because the price for this game now is just so stupid. I hope one day there is an easy way for everyone to play it (not including emulator of course), because I am sure there are a lot of new Pokemon fans that would really enjoy it. It really made the Pokemon world feel so big.

I also think that the Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky or Pokemon Ranger games should be considered, too. Those were incredibly enjoyable experiences in their own right. (Side note, isn't it crazy how premium the Nintendo DS's library is?)

And to even it out, if I am picking a modern Pokemon game, it's gotta be Pokemon Shield. Even though it really hammered in the trend of Pokemon's technical struggles, I genuinely enjoyed my time with it. I liked the wild area, the raids, Dynamaxxing was hype, the music was great, actually good character customization, and there are some seriously great looking locales. And I hate to say it, but the DLC is a must. It makes the game actually feel.. "full". The game is at its best when you are playing with your pals, doing raids. Some of the most fun I've had since Diamond/Pearl/Platinum's underground. The game is wayyy too easy though. I thought this was just a symptom of me having played the series for 20 years, but no man, when I played Emerald, that shit was still a challenge! The new games are way too easy!
Y'know I was gonna do a post here but you captured my thoughts almost exactly in a much better way than I ever could.

Sinnoh is my absloute favourite regieon, I never had the chance to try Platinum but I spent HOURS in Diamond, long past the point any sane person would lol

While some the functionality doesn't work anymore due to services being shut off, Pokemon White was probably the most awe-inspiring pokemon world for me. It felt so full, and the bottom half of the screen felt super modern and I love the way you could customise the UI. The pokewatch you got in Diamond/Pearl was super fun too, I just love little mini UIs that you can play around with outside of the normal gameplay flow, it makes the games feel so much more immservive. Something nothing other than the DS could do.
 
Gotta be the gen 5 games for me for their 🅱️retty good story (better than other Pokemon games, anyway) and lovely art style.

But I have to confess I quite like S/V too. I absolutely don't blame anyone who doesn't like them, but the jank doesn't rlly bother me. It's weirdly charming to me in the same way gen 1 jank is charming to gen 1 heads.
 
Back
Top