PB's Pokémon Opinions Corner

[Boss1708]

Hey guys!

I will be posting my opinions about the Pokémon main series games here. I will also make rankings about the different aspects of the main series games, such as ranking my favourite games, features, regions, gym leaders, MCs, etc.

So be sure to check them out if you are interested. Also, please feel free to agree, disagree and comment.


----------

So, I will start by ranking my favourite main series games!



1. EMERALD: the best Pokémon game, imo. The reasons?

• It's set in Hoenn, the most explorable and adventure-oriented region. Everything is vibrant, green, blue, beautiful, and with very diverse habitats. Forests, Ocean, Deserts, Mountains, you name it. You also hear the cries of wild Pokémon around you. It's everything I could want from a Pokémon region.
• The soundtrack is a joy
• It's the very first game to give us Gym Leader rematches. For those of us who are fond of Gym Leaders, that's a big thing.
• Contests are a very fun alternative to battles.
• It has my favourite side activity of all: Secret Bases. It's so creative and rewarding to design your own personal space. And unlike in Sinnoh, you are not restricted to dusty underground caves for your Secret Base. You can make it inside a tree, a bush, etc.
• What's most important, this is the game with the biggest variety of battle facilities. And this is the most important thing for a battle-centric player like me. Not only does it have 7 fantastic battle facilities in the unrivaled Hoenn Battle Frontier, but there is even an additional facility near Mauville: Trainer's Hill. That makes a total of 8 Battle Facilities you can challenge in the postgame. Exactly the same number as Gyms we need to challenge in the main game. It's perfect symmetry.

Therefore, I give Emerald a 9.9/10 (it's not a 10/10 only because Steven Stone is not rematchable in the postgame. You can only battle him once, which I dislike).


2. BLACK 2/WHITE 2: a really close runner up.

• Unova is a spectacular, unique region, with a very distinct vibe and theme. Castelia, Nimbasa and the majestic bridges are the most memorable things about Unova, imo. But the way BW2 improved the region in general is very satisfying. The trip via boat from Virbank City to Castelia City, is a real highlight for me. It just felt epic.
• Funfest Missions are such a wonderful time waster. Join Avenue helps world building a lot. I don't particularly care about PokeStar Studios and Musicals, but in general, the amount of side activities in BW2 is just stellar.
• the soundtrack is very very good. Unwavering Emotions might be one of the best pieces of music in videogames.
• You can catch Pokémon like Kingdra, Steelix, Dragonite, etc in the wild. Thank. You. BW2.
• Again, Battle Facilities. The Battle Subway is more aesthetically pleasing than the Battle Tower, White Treehollow is a nice change of formula, and the Pokémon World Tournament is simply one of the best features in the entire franchise.

I give BW2 a 9.6/10. It's not a perfect 10/10 because I really don't like the moving battle sprites. This level of pixelation is a bit too much...


3. HEARTGOLD/SSOULSILVER: also very close to the top.

• the joint region of Johto and Kanto is probably the biggest, and probably best Pokémon region. They are two great regions on their own, especially Johto, but combined, they really shine.
• HGSS has the prettiest, most perfect graphics out of any Pokémon game.
• the plot is very low-key, which is something I enjoy. You are not saving the world, not even the region. You are just preventing the reunion of a former Villain group. It's like you are preventing a threat before it's become an actual threat. I like that. It lets you focus on your own personal journey of becoming the best trainer ever.
• the soundtrack is really good. Some people don't like some of the remixes, but they are quite solid imo.
• Battling Red on the summit of Mt. Silver is epic. More epic than in the original.
• Pokeathlon is so fun. The PokéSoccer game in particular had me addicted.
• Having casual chats with all the Gym Leaders via Pokegear is a great piece of world building.
• The Battle Frontier is a very solid postgame. It's not as satisfying as the Emerald BF or the PWT, but it is still satisfying.

i give HGSS a 9.5/10. It's not a perfect 10/10 because the Gen IV Battle Frontier just doesn't satisfy me like the Emerald one. Not only because there are fewer facilities, but because they are not as fun, imo. Also, HGSS removed the ability to decorate you room.

Those are my 3 favourite Pokémon games.

 

[Boss1708]

Outside of my Top 3 (Emerald, BW2, HGSS), my ranking would continue as follows:

1. Platinum: a really solid and well rounded game. The problem is... that Platinum is basically a "poor man's Emerald". It has a Battle Frontier, Secret Bases and Contests (all the features that make Emerald so great), but an inferior version of all of them: the Sinnoh Frontier is smaller and less exciting than the Emerald one, Secret Bases are a lot less varied, and Super Contests are annoying and overcomplicated. Overall a great game, but not in the Top 3. I give it a 8.9.
2. USUM: good game, and a clear upgrade to SM in most aspects, but still suffers from SM's biggest problems: Alola's routes are linear and corridor-like, there is an overabundance of cutscenes/dialogues that interrupt you, and Rotom Dex is a pain in the ass. Still an exciting game. Also, the RR Episode is a pretty neat idea. I give USUM a 8.3.
3. ORAS: the game that could've been the best ever, but blew it. So many great ideas like DexNav, Soaring and Super Secret Bases...but even more wasted opportunities. The lack of a Battle Frontier and Gym Leader rematches are a real disrespect to Hoenn fans. Still, due to the things done right, I can't rank ORAS very low. 7.2.
4. BW1: the best initial pair of games... Can't really compare with the awesomeness of BW2, but it set the solid foundations, and has probably the best plot, so that gives it an edge over other initial pairs. 7.1
5. XY: my least favourite region, with my least favourite soundtrack, with my least favourite set of Characters, with my least favourite villain team. Despite all of that, it is more content packed than other initial pairs, and it doesn't have a third version (Z) to render it obsolete. 7
6. Crystal: the best game for its time. Gave us the first ever Battle Facility. So because of this (and also because of the awesome art style and soundtrack) it gets ranked higher than its time would suggest. 7.
7. FRLG: a good remake, but it played it too safe. 6.7
8. DP: beta-Platinum. 6.5
9. RS: beta-Emerald 6.5
10. LGPE: I love the concept behind these games, but the execution is lacking. No postgame battle facility = no buy. 6.3
11. GS: great game, but not enough content. 6.2
12. Yellow: I like the Anime references, the fact that you can catch all 3 starters, and the Pikachu mini-game. 5.5
13. RGB: very barebones. Very, very, very barebones. 5.1

 

[Boss1708]

This time I will list all my favourite Pokémon, starting from Kanto, all the way until Alola, in national Dex order. This will be exclusively based on how much I like their design.

Charizard: my first favourite Pokémon. 11/10 design
(Mega X: awesome)
(Mega Y: awesome as well)
Pidgeot: my favourite bird Pokémon
Pikachu: this guy is the mascot for a reason: 10/10 design
Gastly: perfect ghost type Pokémon. 10/10 design
Haunter: same as Gastly. 10/10 design
Gengar: really good as well. Scary and fitting.
Gyarados: the perfect sea dragon. 10/10 design
Meganium: a friendly flower-y dinosaur. Pretty cute.
Typlosion: unique volcano design. Cool af.
Feraligatr: nice gator.
Kingdra: there is something appealing about a deep sea sea horse dragon. 10/10 design.
Sceptile: based lizard bro. Sleek and cool.
Swampert: quite different to most starters, but in a good way.
(Mega Swampert: In love this bodybuilder Evo)
Salamence: best dragon type Pokémon, no questions asked. 11/10 design
Metagross: what can I say? Based steel bro. 11/10 design
Primal Groudon: the power of the earth and its depth. Fantastic.
Rayquaza: the moderator. Enough said.
Torterra: cool concept, nice execution
Empoleon: surprisingly cool looking for a penguin!
Staraptor: menacing bird
Garchomp: the predator. Weird, cool air jet land shark dragon.
Samurott: based Samurai bro. The thing on his head is cool af
Krokorok: great thief design.
Krookodile: nice evolution for Krokorok.
Sawsbuck: elegant seasonal deer. Nice concept.
Galvantula: I love it's electroweb.
Zekrom: epic dragon. There is something grand about him.
Landorus (T): a good, unique design, despite being a metagame meme.
Kyurem/White Kyurem: I surprisingly like those, despite not liking over the top designs in general. This one just works.
Honedge: I like the concept of a haunted weapon.
Doublade: same as above, multiplied by two.
Dragalge: a slightly worse Kingdra, but still good design, and unique typing
Decidueye: cool concept, nice execution.
Kommo-o: I like all the scales. Very interesting design.
Solgaleo: very majestic and powerful. Great design.

So that's basically my wider list of favourites. I have only rated the few designs I consider perfect.

Feel free to comment my taste

 

[Nicolas721]

Rayquaza 12/10 design

Finally someone who appreciates Kommo-o!

 

[Boss1708]

Rayquaza 12/10 design

Rayquaza is a great design, but there is one thing that bothers me: the red gums/fangs(?) look unpleasant. I am actually more inclined to give Mega Rayquaza a 10/10. A really great legendary mon.

Finally someone who appreciates Kommo-o!

Yeah, Kommo-o is pretty unique. Probably the best Alola Pokémon.

 

[Boss1708]

Ok, here comes a new ranking. This time, I will rank all my favourite Gym Leaders.

Gym Leaders

1. Gym Leader Blue (GSC, HGSS, LGPE): he is my favourite Gym Leader. The main reasons are that I really like his design, and also his character development as a Gym Leader. He has already lost the Champion title to Red, and is slowly starting to respect his opponents.

2. Brawly (RSE, ORAS): I just have great memories of challenging his Gym. He also looks pretty cool.

3. Roxanne (ORAS): I really like here Gym in ORAS, with the fossils and all.

4. Misty (RGBY, GSC, FRLF, HGSS, LGPE): purely for nostalgia reasons, but I also like her Gym a lot.

5. Lt. Surge (RGBY, GSC, FRLG, HGSS, LGPE): again, very nostalgic Gym.

6. Clair (GSC, HGSS): great design, great gym, and she's Lance's cousin

7. Clay (BW1, BW2): this guy created the PWT. He's got my respect. Also he's a cowboy businessman and his Gym is great.

8. Blaine (GSC, HGSS): I like how he still continues to be a Gym Leader even after the Cinnabar incident.

9. Brock (RGBY, GSC, FRLG, HGSS, LGPE): purely for nostalgia reasons, tbh.

 

[Boss1708]

Time for a new one! This time, it's the Champions' turn. I will rank all the Champions from favourite to least favourite.

1. Steven Stone. I guess you saw that one coming, considering my current avatar! But yeah, Steven is my favourite Champion, and probably my favourite NPC trainer in general. His design is perfect, he uses one of my favourite Pokémon (Metagross), and he is just so cool. He is reserved, yet caring, and also has a sense of humour. I know I am fanboying at this point, but Steven deserves it xD

2. Blue. As you know from my previous post, Blue is my favourite Gym Leader, but he is also my second favourite Champion, and he comes quite close to Steven, actually. He is the definition of a competitor, and battling him is always a pleasure. And his design is perfect, too.

3. Lance. He is the definition of a Dragon Master, and Dragon is my favourite Pokémon type... So this is self explanatory. I also like his design, but I wouldn't call it perfect. His personality is great, though. Especially how he helps you with Team Rocket.

4. Cynthia. She is probably the hardest Champion battle of them all. Which makes her memorable. That Garchomp and that Lucario are really tough.

5. Kukui. Idk if he should be considered a Champion, but he created an entire Pokémon League, so he's got my respect. And he is passionate about battling.

6. Iris. I don't particularly like her design, but I do like her team, and I have a soft spot for Dragon trainers, as I said...

7. Alder: I probably prefer him over Iris, but I don't like his team. I do like his involvement in BW, and how he "guides" the player. A good Champion.

8. Trace: nothing to write home about, and a clear downgrade from Blue. Not terrible, just nothing to write home about.

9. Diantha: completely forgettable and has no personality.

 

[Almonds]

1. Steven Stone. I guess you saw that one coming, considering my current avatar! But yeah, Steven is my favourite Champion, and probably my favourite NPC trainer in general. His design is perfect, he uses one of my favourite Pokémon (Metagross), and he is just so cool. He is reserved, yet caring, and also has a sense of humour. I know I am fanboying at this point, but Steven deserves it xD

cheers

 

[Boss1708]

So, now is time to rank all the Frontier Brains and Battle Facilities' bosses, from favourite to least favourite.

1. Dome Ace Tucker: the Battle Dome is my all-time favourite Battle Facility in Pokémon, and Tucker uses Salamence, Metagross and Charizard (my 3 favourite Pokémon), plus Swampert and Latias, which I also like.

2. Red & Blue (Battle Tree): they are two of my favourite characters in Pokémon, so it's self explanatory. I also like the aesthetics of the Battle Tree and all the returning NPCs there. I am not sure exactly how to feel about their more grown up appearance. I think I like Blue's new design, but not Red's. But by virtue of being them, I rank them high.

3. Ingo & Emmet: I like their designs, and they seem confident in their capabilities. The Subway is also more interesting than your typical Battle Tower.

4. Tower Tycoon Palmer: great design, powerful, competitive appearance, and I like how he is Barry's dad.

5. Pike Queen Lucy (Battle Pike): she is awesome. Lots of personality and self confidence, a great design, and a good Facility to go through.

6. Arena Tycoon Greta (Battle Arena): I love how she uses Shedinja. It can potentially screw you up, if you are not expecting it. Also, the Battle Arena is one of my favourite facilities.

7. Pyramid King Brandon (Battle Pyramid): I like how is an explorer. I also love how challenging his Facility is. One of my favourites.

8. Anabel (Battle Tower): I like her enough. She has a good solid team, too.

My least favourite ones are the terribly boring Battle Chatelaines. Completely forgettable characters. In a completely forgettable Facility (the Battle Maison). Also, I can't forgive Game Freak for replacing the ORAS Battle Frontier with them

Everyone else (Noland, Dahila, Thorton, etc.) are in the middle. They are not my favourite Battle Facility bosses, but I like them enough to not rank them as low as the Chatelaines.

 

[Boss1708]

This time, I will be posting a personal opinion, rather than a ranking. And it's my opinion regarding the graphics of the Pokémon main series games.

Personally, my favourite graphics and art style, are those of Gen III, Gen IV, and Gen V. Gen III is super vibrant and beautiful looking. Gen V is more "zoomed in" and realistic in terms of colours. And Gen IV, particularly HGSS, is the perfect middle ground.

FRLG, Emerald, HGSS and BW/BW2 are my favourites. I do like the graphics of Gen VII (SM/USUM), and what we've seen sofar from SwSh looks great as well. But the moment Pokémon transitioned to 3d, it lost some of its visual appeal and overall charm. And I mean this for both the overworld and Pokémon sprites. The reason is that the pre-Gen VI graphics, being less realistic, allowed for our imagination to do part of the work. We imagined how the world and the Pokémon would look in 3D, which is a lot more fun.

That's part of the reason why I prefer to play the older Pokémon games (Gen III to Gen V), though to be honest, the main reason is how much more content packed said games were, compared to the more recent games.

 

[Nicolas721]

Not surprised My favorite is HGSS as it blends Gen 3's vibrant colors with Gen IV semi3D style. However, Galar looks awesome, if it takes advantage of its many landscapes and has lots of Walking Pokemon it may win me.

 

[Boss1708]

Time for a new ranking. This time, it will be one of the classics: ranking all Pokémon regions, from best to worst.

1. Hoenn: Hoenn is the perfect Pokémon region. Or, at least it's Western half is perfect. The Eastern half truly does have too much water. It is a little overwhelming. However, despite not particularly loving the watery half of Hoenn, I do feel that it helps to set Hoenn apart from every other region, and make the entire region more unique than any other.
Other than that, Hoenn is just unmatched. The amount of exploration, the feeling of adventure, the closeness to nature, and the overall atmosphere just make the region a very memorable experience. And Secret Bases. Let's not forget about Secret Bases. They are what truly set Hoenn apart from other regions. Being able to create your own little space, surrounded by nature, is beautiful.

1. Johto is actually tied with Hoenn as n1 in my ranking. It is such a pretty region. It is very traditional and history-oriented. This is partially because of the great lore of Johto, and how it is integrated into the region itself (for instance, Burned Tower or the Ruins of Alpha, or Celebi's Shrine in Ilex Forest). The calmness Johto emanates is also remarkable. Azalea Town is a good example. And so is Ecruteak City.
The only real downside of Johto is its small size. But again, on the other hand, Johto's small size allows it to have a unique complementary relationship with Kanto.

1. Unova: if it was just BW1 Unova, I would've probably ranked it lower, but the expanded BW2 Unova is just too good to not rank it as n1, tied with Hoenn and Johto.
Unova is a perfect mixture of cultures and influences. It does seem American, but also Asian. I really enjoy that melting pot theme. It's not so much the region as a whole that I like (well, that as well, actually xD) but the amount of individual highlights it has: Castelia City, Pinewheel Forest, Skyarrow Bridge, Nimbasa, White Forest, Aspertia City, Virbank City, Join Avenue, Marine Tube, etc. There are just many memorable locations.

2. Kanto: I think it is actually a bit hard to rank Kanto, because it is the first Pokémon region, and we didn't have anything to compare it to. So it became the standard of what a region is. To me, Kanto is a more urbanized version of Johto. And since I like Johto a lot, I also like Kanto (though not as much).

3. Alola: Alola is great and very atmospheric. The colours, the natural environment, etc. But when it comes down to it, Alola is basically a poor man's Hoenn. It is smaller, a lot more linear and corridor-y, and overall less exciting. But it is still a very good region, mind you. And it has a few unique things like the fact it is divided in Islands, and you can surf from Island to Island via Mantine Surf.


4. Sinnoh. I don't particularly like Sinnoh. It is very cave-heavy and I don't like that. It is also a bit claustrophobic at places.
But Sinnoh is so big, I feel like I have to respect it. It's the biggest region sofar, and it becomes even bigger when we count the Sinnoh Underground. In Sinnoh's case, size matters.

Kalos: Kalos is... a mixed bag. I feel indifferent to most of the region, and I find a big part of it quite boring. But the first half of Kalos (that goes from Vaniville Town, all the way up to Coumarine City) is pretty good and well designed. I especially like Azure Bay, Ambrette Town, Couriway City, Pokeball Factory, and Lost Hotel. Very good locations.

Sevii Islands: They're cute, but too small. I still like them atmospherically. And it's a nice homage to Johto (having tons of Johto Pokémon to catch, and remixed Johto music).

 

[Boss1708]

An other opinion: Shigeki Morimoto is the most important person in the history of Pokémon.

• He created the entire Battle System, which is the core of Pokémon.
• He directed Pokémon Emerald (the best third version)
• He directed HGSS (the best remake)
• He created the Battle Frontier (best feature ever)

This man is a legend. I guess Satoshi Tajiri and Masuda are the most important guys in the history of the company, but to me, as a battle-oriented fan, Morimoto was even more important.

 

[Poneto]

Personally would put HGSS slightly above Emerald, purely because HGSS adds so many modern, quality of life changes like phys/special split & internet trading, and tbh I think the battle frontier of gen 4 is just as good as gen 3. HGSS doesnt have contests, and that's really sad, but Pokethlon almost makes up for it.

Outside of my Top 3 (Emerald, BW2, HGSS), my ranking would continue as follows:

1. Platinum: a really solid and well rounded game. The problem is... that Platinum is basically a "poor man's Emerald". It has a Battle Frontier, Secret Bases and Contests (all the features that make Emerald so great), but an inferior version of all of them: the Sinnoh Frontier is smaller and less exciting than the Emerald one, Secret Bases are a lot less varied, and Super Contests are annoying and overcomplicated. Overall a great game, but not in the Top 3. I give it a 8.9.

You take that back right now!

 

[Boss1708]

Personally would put HGSS slightly above Emerald, purely because HGSS adds so many modern, quality of life changes like phys/special split & internet trading, and tbh I think the battle frontier of gen 4 is just as good as gen 3.

I agree that the phys/spec split is a definite improvement, but in my eyes, this is no game merit of HGSS: simply something that was introduced in Gen IV, and HGSS happens to benefit from it. I also definitely consider the Gen IV BF inferior to Emerald's BF.

HGSS doesnt have contests, and that's really sad, but Pokethlon almost makes up for it.

I miss contests in HGSS, but I miss Secret Bases even more. And as I said above, they even removed the one thing that remotely resembled Secret Base making in Johto: the ability to decorate your room. GSC had that.

You take that back right now!

 

[Poneto]

I also definitely consider the Gen IV BF inferior to Emerald's BF.

What do you miss most going from Gen III to IV BF?

 

[Boss1708]

What do you miss most going from Gen III to IV BF?

Well, for starters, all the Battle Facilities in Gen IV are "stationary" (you stay in one place, and battle). Emerald also has 5 "stationary" Battle Facilities, but also has 2 "dynamic" facilities: the Battle Pyramid and the Battle Pike. In those two, you combine battling and exploration, making them a more complete, varied experience.

Also, the Battle Dome and Battle Arena are my favourite facilities (other than the PWT in BW2) and none of the Sinnoh facilities is as fun, imo.

 

[Poneto]

Well, for starters, all the Battle Facilities in Gen IV are "static" (you stay in one place, and battle). Emerald also has 5 "static" Battle Facilities, but also has 2 "dynamic" facilities: the Battle Pyramid and the Battle Pike. In those two, you combine battling with exploration, since you explore

Battle Pyramid was probably my most hated facility I think. I mostly played Factory and Pike.

 

[Boss1708]

Battle Pyramid was probably my most hated facility I think. I mostly played Factory and Pike.

I also hate the Battle Pyramid, actually, but I also enjoy it, in a twisted way. It's hard, but feels rewarding.

For me, the best facilities overall in Pokémon, are the Battle Dome, Battle Arena and PWT.

The Battle Pike is great as well

 

[Boss1708]

This time, I will not make a ranking of all my favourite rivals throughout the series, but instead I will just talk about my favourites, and explain why I prefer them over others.

So I dislike rivals that are too friendly (like Hau, Trace, etc) since they are just NO fun to battle. But the thing is, I also dislike rivals that are total JERKS, like Blue (let me clarify, I love Champion Blue and Gym Leader Blue, I only dislike him as a rival in Gen I, which is when he was at his jerkiest. He changes for the better after that). Silver is a real jerk as well, but he is a special case, since his character development is very good, and he ends up earning my respect.

But in general, my favourite rivals are those that show they care for you, but are also competitive enough to not be kissing your ass all the time. And I have realized that the only rivals that fit these parameters, are Barry and Cheren.

Barry is always in a rush, but he is the perfect balance of friendly and competitive. I also especially like how his dad is a Frontier Brain. It gives Barry an extra layer of personality.

Cheren is serious, reserved, really focused on just being the strongest (which makes beating him feel rewarding) and is also a good friend. So he really wants to be the n1, but that doesn't lead him to act like a jerk to you.

So yeah, those two are my favourite rivals.

Spoiler

I also want to say that when I think about it, I think Hugh is my least favourite rival, actually. Simply because everything he seems to do and think about, is to recover his sister's Purrloin. He doesn't seem to care about you at all, and instead just "uses" you as a tool in order to recover Purrloin. I obviously don't mind how the guy is obsessed with that Purrloin: it shows he is a caring guy who loves his little sister. But what I really dislike is that he barely develops a bond with you throughout the journey. At the end he just kinda thanks you for your help and that's it. At least Blue or Silver hate me for how strong I am. That's still better than Hugh's absolute indifference towards me.

I just want to clarify that this doesn't diminish my enjoyment of BW2 in the slightest. Thankfully, Cheren and Bianca are still around in BW2, so they make up for Hugh.