Favourite core series game?

[Puddle]

The "favourite" and "least favourite" threads for enhanced versions, remakes and primary paired versions were a lot of fun. Now the Crown Tundra is out and we can experience Sword and Shield in what is presumably their entirety, it seems like a good time for a pair of definitive polls for the whole series. I also thought it was about time that Black 2 and White 2 had a chance to be included in a poll, as they didn't fit into any of the previous categories.

So, without further ado... which core series game is your favourite, and why?

The "least favourite" version of this thread can be found here.

 

[Fan of Jarrus]

I love SWSH.

Great characters and my home country is a region. All of the members of my team are found very early.

 

[WyndonCalling]

This is becomingly increasingly difficult with time, because several games that gave me some of my best experiences and memories are ones that are dated to the point of being quaint. The Sword and Shield dlc are very, very good and might mark the most significant upgrade since Gen 2 - if I were to split the series into 'eras', it might be Gen 1, Gens 2-7 and Gen 8. Hunting those birds has really impressed upon me what the future could look like.

All this said, I'll split the difference and say Heartgold, followed closely by Sword. Gold had a vast world, banging tunes and daily replayability and that was all my younger self needed to craft his own stories and carve his little niche - it's pure nostalgia fodder. Heartgold's overworld visual style and colour palette is beautiful and it helps that I picked up the game on a particularly memorable family holiday.

Great characters and my home country is a region.

I bang on about it a lot but the UK fanservice is lovely. Heck, I can even pinpoint a specific building I've worked in IRL.

 

[Aulos]

I'm astonished to see Sword/Shield being so popular. How did that happen? I'm not meaning to attack anyone here, I just don't understand. I'm no Sword/Shield hater, I just don't know how it could be elevated to peoples' number one?

Anyway, Black/White for me. Only letting us use new Pokemon pre-post game was a great choice. For generations, I had been caught in a pattern of using my old favorites from Gen I. B/W forced me to see "Hey, there are other great Pokemon". Gen V gets a lot of flack for Pokemon designs, but I think it was full of amazing Pokemon designs, like Sawsbuck, Samurott, Litwick, Zebstrika, etc.

B/W were super refreshing games. There were a lot of reasons, but it's been a very long time since I've played them now. Crystal was longtime favorite for years before for being an even better version of G/S and finally letting me play as a trainer of my own gender.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I've always said HeartGold/SoulSilver or Black 2/White 2 because of the sheer amount of content in them. Out of the two, I'm gonna say B2W2.

The Unova sequels had the great story and characters from the B/W games, but also added more Pokémon variety, new locations and characters, changes to old locations, and so, so much side/post-game content that you can easily sink hours into the game even after finishing all the story the game has to offer. Black Tower and White Treehollow are probably my favorite battle facilities due to how you can earn experience and money in them. But if we're talking about battle facilities in these games, we can't not talk about the PWT, which is probably the best idea for a battle facility ever. And the Pokéstar Studios also definitely deserve a mention. I loved making all of those movies and watching the results on the in-game big screen.

 

[eil]

Emerald

 

[RK9]

Black/White followed by Black/White 2 and then Sword/Shield.

 

[Puddle]

As for myself... it's Sword and Shield. Like @Skalesgon and @WyndonCalling, I'm from the UK and the amount of care and attention that went into creating its Pokemon world counterpart is astonishing. There are so many little details that relate to my own life experiences, that it almost feels as if these games were made especially for me. I'm a quarter Scottish and used to visit Scotland frequently on childhood holidays, so the Crown Tundra was the icing on the cake. I don't think I will ever have such a deep emotional connection to a Pokemon game again, not unless Galar one day gets a remake.

Personal reasons aside, they're just fantastic games as well. The Dynamax phenomenon and cheering crowds give important battles a sense of intensity not seen in the series before, the open world areas are breathtaking, and there's a very memorable cast of characters who develop as the story progresses, making the world feel alive.

They're not perfect games, and I do have a few issues with them. I'm not a fan of the online paywall, both games having separate Expansion Passes, or the GTS and Mythical Pokemon distributions being moved onto a smartphone app. I get annoyed with the Max Raid battles, and I'm a little disappointed that Typhlosion didn't make it in. But the positives far outweight the negatives for me.

Honorable mentions go to ORAS and HGSS for being near-perfect remakes of my childhood games, BW and SM for having the best stories, LGPE for the delightful aesthetics, XY for the region and Pokemon designs, and Crystal for being really fun to play on the Virtual Console, particularly due to the addition of the Celebi event.

I'm astonished to see Sword/Shield being so popular. How did that happen? I'm not meaning to attack anyone here, I just don't understand. I'm no Sword/Shield hater, I just don't know how it could be elevated to peoples' number one?

I've been pleasantly surprised to see Sword and Shield being treated more kindly of late. I think it's a combination of the dust settling from the Dexit controversy, and the DLC fixing a lot of the problems people had with the games at launch. Pokemon games seem to attract more criticism when they're new, with the fandom growing more fond of them as time goes on.

 

[FelipePR]

While Black 2/White 2 has sheer amount of content and, maybe, is the best gameplaywise, i vote for HeartGold/SoulSilver. The Reason? Is that, in my opinion, HeartGold/SoulSilver has the best execution the base formula of the franchise. I don't know, i thing HeartGold/SoulSilver is exacty the type the game that the producers intended to launch when the franchise debuted. Well, at least it's the kind of game that I expected, Lol.

 

[Esserise]

Lately I'd have to say it's SwSh, at least in pure terms of enjoyment. Other than the somewhat wonky experience slope, there's not really any aspect of them that I personally find frustrating or off-putting - at worst, there are simply aspects of the game in which I wish there was a little more depth (and even then, the DLC has helped a lot in some of those areas).

I really like the cast of characters; I find most of them to be fun and and diverse and relatable in ways that I think only a couple of characters at a time managed to be in previous installments. I think the Galar region has just an insane amount of thought and care put into the world, with an incredibly sharp eye for imagining how a society in which Pokémon exist might actually work. I think Dynamax oozes creative vision and can be a very fun mechanic depending on the situation (I do think there are valid concerns about how it is balanced for 1-on-1 battles, but in terms of Double Battles as well as Max Raids, I think it adds a really nice layer of strategy). I'm very fond of the open-world elements (although they didn't nail them right off the bat), and I think Pokémon Camp and Curry-making are really cute features. And having Pokémon roam around in the overworld really brings the wild to life (to be fair, Let's Go did this first and I liked it there too, but it didn't do it with environments as huge or complex as some of the ones in Galar). And lastly, having the DLC waves to look forward to in order to keep the journey going has been really exciting and very much a bright spot for me this year. Altogether with the DLC, I also think the ways in which the games handle Legendary Pokémon have been the best we've ever had. I used to be hardline against using Legendary Pokémon, but between the arc that the wolf of your game has from the very beginning and the fact that Hop also puts its opposite on his team, and now the way that you get to actively bond with Kubfu and Calyrex as they reach their true potential, I almost feel like I have a hard time choosing even just one to focus on and appreciate!

Also, I guess this is more praise for the concept of the Switch than it is for anything SwSh-specific, but being able to play Pokémon on the TV is really cool.

E: Double-also: Best customization options!!! Not just with clothes either, because I really like designing new League Cards too!

If we're giving honorable mentions, then I'll also give a nod to Ruby & Sapphire, the Gen 5 games, and X & Y.

 

[RK9]

E: Double-also: Best customization options!!! Not just with clothes either, because I really like designing new League Cards too!

This 100 percent.

XY had some nice male options but was otherwise lacklustre, where as SM/USUM had absolute dogshite for clothes. Meanwhile, SwSh knocked it absolutely out of the park for both genders.

 

[Sheep]

Probably BW. My addiction to the games was at its peak back then thanks to the gen V games and anime, and BW overall were just sooo good. The music remains some of my favorite to this day, I loved a lot of the new mons introduced (especially the likes of Mienshao, Whimsicott, Cinccino, Serperior, Meloetta, Audino, and others), and the whole story surrounding N was great. The plot as a whole felt a lot darker than your typical Pokémon game and was a lot of fun to go through <3

 

[Puddle]

Although Sword and Shield are my number one favourites, it makes me happy to see that Black and White are currently in the lead, and that they haven't been overshadowed by their sequels. BW's story is my absolute favourite in any Pokemon game. The narrative and gameplay elements are woven seamlessly together in a way that no other game has ever really managed - apart from maybe SwSh, now that I think of it. Having the main climax occur after the Elite Four, or its equivalent in SwSh's case, works a lot better in my opinion.

Sun and Moon's story is still my second favourite though, ahead of SwSh, because of Lillie's arc. I've played through Moon four times now and I feel emotional at the end credits every single time.

SwSh's story is probably my third favourite. It's the region and gameplay elements that make it my favourite game overall.

 

[Insanish Danish]

I feel like Black and White (and BW2 by extension; although BW had the better story I still enjoy the sequels immensely) are always going to be my favorite Pokemon games at this point. I still love the story, the characters, and the music so much, and Unova is still my favorite region. BW/BW2 are very special to me in a way that none of the other games are for reasons I can't really explain myself, and nearly a decade later those feelings haven't changed. I'll adore them for as long as I live.

Honorable mentions go to Sword and Shield, Sun and Moon, and HeartGold and SoulSilver, but honestly I just really love the entire series with the exception of USUM (which I don't even really hate, I just find them kind of unnecessary).

 

[Jyo]

for me I'll say the original Sun and Moon where my most favorite and the ones I had a lot of fun in
different from a tradition game, and all my favorite Pokemon are available to use
region for me was fun to explore
and loved Refresh, more fun chances of interacting and playing with the cute Pokemon

would have picked USUM more if it wasn't for that super annoying Rotom Dex, it ruined part of the experience

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

Choosing a favorite is literally impossible for me. I think I'm torn between Platinum and B2W2. But there are things I like and dislike about all the games. In fact, I've been thinking of doing a marathon of them all.

Platinum has my favorite villain and I love all the lore the region offers. It's also a very cozy feeling region with wonderful music and I like dressing up my pokemon for contests and making ball capsules and buying a house in the resort area. And I like the little cafe where Gym Leader matches happen. But pokemon availability is awful for the main story and the level curve is a pain. I'm always very under leveled before the elite four.

B2W2 also has great villain(s) and a very fun region map. I love how diverse it is and like exploring the sewers as well as desert ruins and power plants and oh gosh; the Marine Tube is so pretty! I also had more fun with PokeStar Studios than I expected. I actually don't care that much about the PWT even though I agree it is pretty cool. Actually, I'm not even sure if there's anything I dislike about the game per se, I just haven't had the chance to play it as much as the others because I didn't buy it until after X&Y.

Edit: this realization has actually intrigued me, but while, I can't think of anything bad to say about B2W2 there are features from the other games I really enjoy that makes it hard for me to say B2W2 is my favorite.

 

[Neyo]

I started with AS, and I still love it, but Ultra Sun is probably my favorite. I have about 300+ hours logged into it, and I still play it a lot. Gen 7 introduced what are arguably some of the best designs out there, and 50% of my favorites: Silvally, Kommo-o, Toxapex, Popplio, Drampa and Decidueye. Although it did have some pretty bad ones(Incineroar, Turtonator), I adore this region for shaking up the formula.

 

[Boss1708]

My top 3 favorite games:

1. Emerald: Simply the best and most content-rich Pokemon game of all time. And it continues to be, despite its 15 years of age! Which is amazing imo. Hoenn is so beautiful and the music is legendary.
Main highlights: Battle Frontier, Trainer Hill, Contests, Secret Bases

2. HG/SS: The most comfy and cozy experience you can find in the franchise, while also having a huge amount of content. It is the perfect love letter to the Pokemania era. Kanto and Johto look perfect. Simply a flawless experience overall.
Main highlights: Battle Frontier, Pokeathlon, following Pokemon, Voltorb Flip

3. Sw/Sh + Expansion Pass: I think this game is the best thing that has happened to Pokemon in a VERY long time. Overworld Pokemon and the lovely Open World locations, is EXACTLY what the franchise was lacking imo. SwSh is also really fun and full of content overall. It is just a really solid game with so many highlights.
Main highlights: Overworld Pokemon, gorgeous Open World locations, New Battle Tower, Restricted Sparring battles, Dynamax Adventures, Trainer Card customization.

Honorary mentions: Platinum and BW2

 

[Penn251]

USUM by far. Alola is a beautiful region that felt really unique and immersive to me, it has some of my favorite Pokémon, and the Ultra games added so much over the original Sun and Moon, which were also great. I really loved Z-Moves and the addition of Ultra Beasts, too. Mantine Surfing was probably my favorite minigame in a long time, despite its relative simplicity. Really my only complaint of the games would be Rotom Dex talking way too much lol.

 

[R1ke]

It’s a tough question, but I’ll give it to Black and White 2. They just did so much right in terms of story, difficulty, gameplay, lore, music, etc that directly build off from their predecessors. They integrated the unova and non unovan pokemon pretty well and have plenty of post game content. There’s just so much to like and it was a great way to end the franchise before it went to 3D.

I’ll also give Sun and Moon, and their ultra counterparts an honourable mention here. They were so refreshing and more creative with the pokemon formula and really pushed the franchise in a new direction. Alola has some of the best characters, story, boss battles and atmosphere I’ve seen in the franchise so far. I want to see future titles reinvent the wheel like these did.

Leafgreen was also the first one I played as a kid, so I have strong nostalgia for it. It’ll always hold a special place in my heart, even though Kanto isn’t that special to me. Really takes me back when I even see gameplay of it nowadays.