Best "3D Era" Pokemon game?

[Boss1708]

I feel that Pokemon games can be divided in 2 big eras: the 2D era (RGB to BW2) and the 3D era (XY to SwSh currently).

So, my question is, what is the BEST game of the 3D era sofar, for you?

X/Y
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
Sun/Moon
Ultra Sun/ Ultra Moon
Let's Go Pikachu/ Let's Go Eevee
Sword/ Shield (including DLC)

Please explain why!

 

[WyndonCalling]

Comfortably SwSh (I'd be a little more hesitant if the DLC weren't included, but I think it'd still win). Sun and Moon get a shout-out for the best story to date, but otherwise Galar is just great and the DLC Wild Areas are top-notch.

 

[Boss1708]

For me, the winner is SwSh.

XY is a solid game with a beautiful region. I don't see any significant flaws in it.

ORAS had the potential to easily become the best Pokemon game ever, but instead, it became the biggest disappointment ever. The Frontier fiasco was too much for me.

SM had an amazing plot for Pokemon standards, but the game felt like unfinished imo.

USUM polished SM a lot and is definitely the ultimate Alola game. I would say USUM is what SM should have been.

LGPE feels like a very special and unique project to me, with lovely graphics and an a lot of love put into it. But despite that, it pales in comparison to the other games, in terms of content.

SwSh felt somewhat content lacking before the DLC was announced. But after the 2 DLCs, the game has skyrocketed in my ranking. It feels like a complete game now, and a really great one.

In conclusion:

SwSh > USUM > XY > ORAS > SM > LGPE

 

[KJNanika]

ORAS, but tbf it was my first (and currently only) exposure to Hoenn in the games. Good story, great Pokémon, and the Delta Episode and new Megas are pretty memorable to me, and I also have fond memories riding above the islands on Mega Latios' back (as similar as its and Mega Latias' designs are)

 

[Tood]

I have to give it to X and Y.

The games do have some serious flaws (especially with regards to difficulty), but I adore Kalos and I think the gen 6 Pokemon and character designs are the best in the series. I also vastly prefer Megas over Z-moves and Dynamax.

ORAS is probably my second favorite, then SwSh, and then SM/USUM.

 

[R1ke]

It’s between SM and USUM for me. Gen 7 had the best plot, characters and even boss fights out of them if you’d ask me. Alola is quite literally a breath of fresh air and is my favourite region so far. The island challenge was more fun than the gym challenge imo and I’m a fan of the ultra beasts (wish we got to explore more of ultra space tbh). Title defence was amazing and offered much needed variety/incentive to rematching the elite four multiple times. Regional variations are an awesome idea that should be a staple moving forward. The main story was engaging and the post game was solid. There’s some stunning locations and great music tracks too. Both SM and USUM complement each other as well, albeit most the differences are late in the game. Yeah it’s hard to replay these due to the cutscenes/linear format, but it’s a great journey overall.

 

[PurplePopplio]

Definitely USUM. It's easily the hardest game of the bunch and I quite enjoyed the changes made to the games. I also love Alola and felt that USUM really expanded the islands somewhat.

 

[Esserise]

Probably ORAS I suppose; I think they contain the best blend of what 3D can offer the series without compromising too much on what worked well with the 2D games' design philosophies. To be clear, I'm differentiating between "best" and "favorite," here. I just talked about how much I love Sun & Moon in the thread about "favorite" core series games, but one thing I've always disliked about SM is how extremely lacking they are when it comes to puzzles and dungeons and world depth in general. USUM make up for many of SM's shortcomings, so I was inclined to vote for them here, but then I decided that being a third version was simply too condemnable a fact of their existence. Anyway, ORAS, by virtue of adapting a much older game, are able to retain a more fleshed-out and complicated world design while elevating it to a new level of presentation. I suppose LGPE do the same thing, but Kanto in general has a lot less to do, and LGPE don't have as many varied activities, nor as many available Pokémon, as ORAS.

I think all of the games in the poll have worthwhile things to offer, but as far as which one has the most and presents it in the most satisfying way, I think I've got to give it to ORAS.

To rank:

ORAS
SwSh+
USUM
XY
SM
SwSh
LGPE

 

[SlowGinFizzzz]

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire by far, but even those felt lacking in certain departments. Overall they're very enjoyable games, though.
My ranking would be:

1. Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
2. X/Y
3. Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
4. Sword/Shield (including DLC)
5. Let's Go
6. Sun/Moon
   
   
7. Sword/Shield (without DLC)

 

[GhostLucario]

I feel like USUM was the best in terms of content and postgame, with ORAS a close second (no new areas and no BF really hurt it)
And then SwSh, which was significantly improved by the DLC. The base game is so awful, almost as bad as XY in terms of storyline, content, post game etc.

 

[CyberKitten05]

Easily USUM for the difficulty alone.

 

[Silktree]

A "complete" game shouldn't cost $90. DLC is better than a third version, but SwSh should be judged based on their own merits.

I find it hard to rank these games. I can only say good things about SM's climax (not the story as a whole), regional variants and Totem bosses (a deviation from gyms), and also about LGPE's implementation of Pokemon into the overworld. When I think about the other games in the 3D era, I'm indifferent (3D battles were exciting at first).

 

[Camille]

OR/AS and X/Y are the only 3D games I like, the rest have too many features that irk me.

 

[colours]

sun & moon

i really think these games will continue to be very underrated for one reason and one reason alone: cultural integration. credit where credit is due for Game Freak for, at the very least, pokemon-ifying hawaiian culture and incorporating it not only in the region itself, but also the gyms, z-moves, pokemon... pretty much everything, really. i get s/m might not be to everyone's particular tastes for understandable reasons (which is to say that some people take issue with how long the "tutorial" part of the game is). i also think gladion is cool af and lillie is amazing and kukui is cool and idk s/m introduced a ton of cool characters i got really invested into because of their personality and the time we spent with them as a player. i like that kinda stuff. c:

 

[FlashFire926]

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. It felt like a nice fusion of the old (the older route and region design) and the new (QoL and other gen 6 features), while bringing in features of it's own like the dexnav and soaring.

The Hoenn region feels very believable, (in stark contrast to Kalos) and is an absolute joy to explore. The online suite is the best yet with super secret bases in addition to the PSS. The story and characters were much improved from the originals, and while it doesn't include the battle frontier, I still quite enjoyed the post game.

Gen 7 is also pretty solid, especially USUM. Changing up the formula made it feel really fresh.

I'd rank them as
1) OR/AS
2) Ultra Sun/Moon
3) Sun/Moon
4) Sword/Shield
5) Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee
6) X/Y

Sword/Shield was somewhat redeemed by it's DLC, for me. Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra were a pretty drastic improvement from the base games.

 

[PinkIceFox]

I have a very simple brain. My answer is also simple and will always be the same.

points at the last, newest game I've played That one. That one is the best.

 

[Daenerys]

X/Y and US/UM based on replay value from my personal experience.

 

[FelipePR]

X/Y and Replay Value in the same sentence seems to me unthinkable.

If you really consider the 3D aspect, I believe current games are the best. Sun and Moon, visually, remind me of PS1 games and the 3d graphics in the previous ones are even weaker.

 

[Dorothy]

Sun and Moon, by far. Best story I've seen in a Pokemon game since Black and White. I'm surprised to see so much more appreciation for USUM in this thread, in my eyes those games really lessened the story of Sun and Moon, not least by softening Lusamine.