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Rank The Gens

Which of the 6 Gens so far is your favourite


  • Total voters
    70

Genwunner

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So X and Y have been out for a week now and I've been having a lot of discussions across other threads arguing the finer points of different gens. Is Gen 3 the worst or is it Gen 6, is Gen 4 over rated, did Gen 5s Pokes suck etc etc etc.

So I thought why not create a thread?
In addition to completing the poll above picking your favourite Gen, this thread is more about ranking all the Gens. Put your fave of the 6 at the top, and least fave last, you can include spin offs in your decision, but count them as part of the Gen, so Colloseum and XD are apart of Gen 3. (Gen 3 fans this will help you greatly)

So for me it's:

#1 Gen 1 (duh)
#2 Gen 5 (no main console tie in hurt this gen, but even then it wouldn't top Gen 1)
#3 Gen 4 (only beats Gen 2 as it has Gen 2 remakes as well as the main DPPT)
#4 Gen 2 (I really love Johto, it's my favourite region, I loved visiting Kanto, but the Gen itself was really short and they put Johto pokes too late in the game)
#5 Gen 3 (Colloseum and XD do give it a boost but for me personally, it still doesn't top Gen 2.)
#6 Gen 6 (I know it's not finished yet, but I think I've seen enough, a rehashed Z version, and remake of my 5th ranked Gen aren't going to boost this gen up)

Post your rankings below. If you think it's too early to rate Gen 6 then you can just omit this one.
 
1. 3rd gen very fun
2. 2nd gen it has my favorite pokemon!
3. 4th gen good
4. 5th gen I don't own it and only played a little bit of my friend's and it seems fun... I just don't like the pokemon as much
5. 1st gen well the remakes were great but if you mean the original r/b/y I can't stand to look at the graphics
 
I have only played Gen 2 - Gen 4 games, so that is all I can rank.

1. Gen 2. Maybe its the music, maybe its the simple block-y sprites, maybe its nostalgia goggles. Whatever it is, something about Gen 2 really makes me think "this is Pokemon". It was the first generation I played, so Gen 2 games really give me a sense of adventure and excitement when I play them. I liked getting to go back to Kanto, even though a lot of people complained about how easy it was, I liked it that way. My teams aren't usually very strong or balanced, so Gen 2 being "easy" really suited my tastes.

2. Gen 3. The Gen 3 games, in my opinion, were also easy. I think Gen 3 had some really great music and the introduction of weather and double battles made it really enjoyable to play the first time.

3. Gen 4. The first time I played DP I disliked it. I thought the Pokemon were ugly and the game was too hard. I replayed it this past summer though and loved it. The Sinnoh region is a lot bigger than past regions, so it was very fun to explore. Especially the post-Elite 4 events!
 
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Gen IV. I wouldn't change a thing about it. At first I hated the Sinnoh region and its Pokemon but now I absolutely love it. Graphically I think that's how the Pokemon games should look. The battles look really nice unlike in Gen V where the sprites are all pixelated and the environments really do look nice as well. Gen IV also introduced some pretty good Pokemon and some cool new evolutions like Electivire. It's what I always wanted the Pokemon games to look like and I'm sad they dumped the sprites for CG models in Gen VI. Gen IV also introduced Pal Park and while the 6 Pokemon per 24 hours was a stupid rule it did get corrected in HGSS. If I have one complaint it's that the Sinnoh trilogy seemed biased towards the water starter. Two of the Elite Four members had types that water (primarily because of that type's speed) could excel through but if you chose Turtwig or Chimchar you were pretty much out of luck.
 
I simply can't decide between Gen 1, 2 and 5 D: I just can't... I'm sure that 4 is my least favorite, though.
 
1: G5. Best batch of Pokémon and great characters.
2: G6. XY actually improved on a lot.
3: G4, because of PMD Sky.

the rest in reverse release order. Great for their day, dated now
 
1 had its flaws, but without it we wouldn't be where we are today. It was good during its time and has its own brand of epic glitches. Plus, 8-bit graphics and sound are fun.

2 brought the improvements that 1 really should've had, and expanded the Pokémon world.

But I can't decide between 3 and 4 for my absolute favorite. As someone else on this page has said, 4 really established the signature graphical style of Pokémon. Plus, the Physical/Special split was badly needed. But Hoenn is the best region for exploring, I think. It feels bigger than the others, somehow. Both these Gens have the best music and Legendaries.

V made competitive battling easier with reusable TMs and Join Avenue. It had awesome moments, mainly in the form of graphics, and also had more plot than any other. But somehow I sensed more potential than just 2 main series games, and the potential was wasted. It brought back the Dive HM and desert areas, so I was hyped for a RSE remake, but... nope.

And since I don't have X or Y, and so little information is on the wiki, it's too soon to judge Gen 6, but I think it's a step in the right direction into new territory. My only real complaint is the full shift into 3D-rendered graphics... once you go there, you can't go back, and Pokémon is known for its sprites.
 
Favorite is definitely 6. It just feels so fresh and the gameplay and stuff is so much fun! And the 3D graphics make the game feel so much more alive! Kalos is lovely too, partly because France. <3 I was hoping for the region to be based on either France or my home city, which is in the US. I got my wish. :D

After that, gen 6 > gen 5 and 4 > gen 2 > gen 1 >>>>> gen 3. There's very little I like about gen 3.
 
5 is still number one for me. Had everything I wanted in a pokemon game. Also, loved the version differences, how HMs were barely used, the story, and how it actually tried to give even the gym leaders character.

5 > 3 > 4 > 6 > 1 >>> 2. 2 was pretty much everything I didn't want in a pokemon game.
 
1st - Gen V - I thought this was the most polished and refined generation. Everything from the gameplay to the Pokemons were fantastic. The Join Avenue was the most innovative and greatest addition, unfortunately for some reason I don't understand, it was gone in Gen VI =(

Runner ups in order:
2nd Gen III
3rd Gen VI
4th Gen II
5th Gen IV
6th Gen I
 
Generation 4
Generation 2
Generation 6
Generation 1
Generation 3

Didn't rank: 5 I didn't play much of this game... though I'll place after 6 if you really want my opinion.
 
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1st - Gen III - It's my favorite partly because of nostalgia, but it's also my favorite Gen as there was so much to do throughout it. From the main adventure of R/S/E to Colosseum/XD and the other Spinoff games. it also had some of my favorite features such as Contests (made better in Gen IV), Secret Bases which were fun to do with friends, the Battle Frontier and the search for legendary Pokemon. It also was the generation that got me back into to Pokemon after never playing games after Yellow (missed out on Gen II). I recall playing it for the first time and making connections with Pokemon like Wurmple to older 'mons such as Caterpie and wondering where I could get certain Pokemon from the old games (until FR/LG and the console games).

2nd - Gen II, IV, VI

3rd - Gen I

4th - Gen V - In terms of fun and gameplay, I loved this generation. It was just that Black/White where kind of empty and lacking for me but Black 2/White 2 managed to improve upon the previous games. I also find kind of hard to keep interested with these games when do replays of them. They kind of were a one playthrough wonder for me, although BW2's post-game has kept me busy up until Gen VI.
 
Nostalgia partially clouds my judgement on deciding my top two, but I would say...
1st: Gen III; my first generation with my favourite pokemon like Mudkip, Ralts, Mawile, Azurill among others. Also, it had contests which I think Gen IV couldn't do as well because dress-up and dancing is just...bleh.
2nd: Gen VI; it just stuns me, even if it has some post-game flaws akin to Ruby and Sapphire.
3rd: Gen V: The story was great and there were plenty of nice pokemon in there too. Scraggy, Gothitelle, Chandelure...I love it.
4th: Gen II: more of my favourite pokemon, though my only real experience with this generation was in the remakes. Even so, I love the pokemon but find the plot lackluster.
5th: Gen IV. Plenty of fun, good villainous team, introduced Looker...but my god...the Bidoofs...the Bidoofs won't stop coming!
6th: Gen I. Sluggish, uninteresting and fairly boring, with the least interesting pokemon across the board (though gems exist like Gengar, Raichu and Blastoise).
 
Based on mechanics introduced in each gen.
1st: Gen 4
2nd: Gen 6
3rd: Gen 2
4th: Gen 3
5th : Gen 5
6th: Gen 1

By regions, characters, Pokemon, etc.:

1st: Gen 2
2nd Gen 4
3rd: Gen 6
4th:Gen 1
5th:Gen 5
6th: Gen 3
 
1. Gen II - In my opinion this game has overall the best pokemon in the series
2. Gen I - Lot of personal favorite pokemons in this gen, As a game not the best but still great
3. Gen III - Swampert!
4. Gen V - plenty of great pokemon but overall bit weak
5. Gen VI - Love the graphics and overall style of the game. I Just hate megaevolutions!, also not that many new pokemons that I like
6. Gen IV - Never enjoyed this one. Some good pokemon but overall dissapointing.
 
Really had to put my nostalgic feelings aside for this one.

#1 Gen 4 - Great soundtrack in DPPt, Sinnoh has by far the toughest Elite 4 in the games. The HGSS games were amazing and more than made up for what the GSC games had missing.

#2 Gen 3 - Best soundtrack in the franchise. Hoenn is the toughest region to date (tough evil teams and gym leaders), Battle Frontier was a great challenge, contests were simple and fun, and the remakes were a good rendition of the original RBY series, with their much-needed post-Elite 4 storyline.

#3 Gen 5 - I really liked BW, but B2W2 put this Gen up in #3. Pokémon World Tournament, White Treehollow (I only have White 2) and a great Champion with a great soundtrack to boot.

#4 Gen 6 - This Gen is the reason I bought a Nintendo 3DS. New Exp. Share is great but it just made it too easy to get through the Elite 4 (in the sense that I didn't need to do much training to meet the Champion with a party that was 7 levels up from hers). But so far I haven't seen much else to do after that. Pokémon Amie games are pretty fun, even though I haven't got the hang of it (and Super Training) yet.

#5 Gen 1 - Pains me to put it #5, but back then all the games were about beating the Elite 4 and completing the Pokédex, nothing else. However I loved the serious nature of the game: Lavender Town and the Pokémon Tower, the original Team Rocket's exploits, the soundtrack (specially the Trainer Battle Theme sounding like some fight to the death)...Kanto was awesome!

#6 Gen 2 - I liked Johto, but this Gen screwed with the good old Kanto I knew and loved. Screwed with the battle themes, screwed with the Viridian Forest, the Pokémon Tower, one of the underground routes, and most of all it screwed with Cerulean Cave. You never mess with Kanto.
 
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1. Gen II - I've always loved Johto.. And the starters<3 xD (SoulSilver was my first game, even if it's not the first I've played)
2. Gen I - Memories.. xD Even if I'm only 13 years old, I used to watch the Originals Series when i was little. And I knew all the Pokémon from Kanto when I was 7 xD
3. Gen VI - I love French, and Kalos is based on French, and even if it isn't so many of them, the Kalos Pokémon are really cool + the game itself is kinda fun <:
4. Gen IV - Sinnoh is a pretty good region, and the Pokémon is not that bad either, I like many of the cool legendaries too c:
5. Gen III - Hoenn is awsome, but the games are a bit.. Complicated (or I'm just a dummy.. meh) But yeah, I actually like it ^^
6. Gen IV - I do like Unova, it's a cool region and stuff. And I play Black2/White2 alot with friends. But it's lowest on the list because I just like the other regions better xD + I think the anime is kinda.. Messed up

My English sux..
 
1 - Generation III. I may be biased because I grew up with this generation, but looking back it really was a good one. Emerald in particular I can easily go back and play. With a bunch of great Pokemon and the perfect amount of legendaries, Generation III is really good. Also, it has by far the most challenging Elite Four in the series (F*ck you, Glacia!), a tough champion, and some of the toughest Gym Leaders in the series.

The good: Great new Pokemon, Battle Frontier in Emerald, amazing region, memorable legendaries, great replay value, possibly the best 3 starters in any Pokemon game

The bad: Not much of a postgame, a few gimmicky Pokemon (Spinda, Plusle, Minun, Volbeat, Illumise)

2 - Generation VI. Although it just came out, I can easily say that this one ranks up there. The new Pokemon were great, with very few that are completely terrible, and the region was exciting and interesting. The online features are also the most robust in the series, and they make up for the unfortunate lack of a postgame.

The good: Best new Pokemon for quite some time, huge selection of Pokemon to choose from, Mega Evolutions don't suck, best online for any 3DS game

The bad: Nonexistent postgame, the return of Bidoof and other awful early-game Pokes, game can be extremely easy, linear region

3 - Generation II. This is what you call a true classic. With a selection of many good Pokemon, there was a lot going for this region. Luckily, the games delivered, with a good main game, and the best postgame in any Pokemon series. Plus, it introduced the Dark and Steel types. However, some of the Johto Pokemon were kind of forgettable.

The good: Dark and Steel types, huge postgame, good variety of Pokemon to catch, actually challenging Gym leaders and Elite Four

The bad: Internal save batteries, a number of forgettable Pokemon (Miltank, Shuckle, Dunsparce, Furret, Noctowl, etc.)

4 - Generation I. It's the first game in the series, and thus there is a lot of room for improvement. However, Red and Blue remain fun and playable to this day. However, with the advent of huge numbers of Pokemon and additional features like postgames and online, there just isn't much to do in this game once you beat it. This is a game meant for playing through and setting aside afterwards, not for continuing to play. And for me, I like battling others and raising a bunch of Pokemon, so the lack of things like this hurts the game for me. Still, a fun game nonetheless, and a must-play for any Pokemon fan.

The good: All 3 starters are great, most Pokemon are at least decent, Elite Four is a challenge, glitches are fun to screw around with.

The bad: Not much to do after the game, lack of variety of Pokemon, game can feel slow at times

5 - Generation V. If I felt like it, I could split this generation into 2. I kind of want to, because Black and White 2 are so significantly better than Black and White that I want to put them in their own category. They'd be in between Generation I and II, because that's where I feel they'd fit most. Let me just say, I really do dislike many of the Generation V 'mons. There were a few gems, sure, but many of them are either hideous or mired in boredom. Take Beartic, for instance. Not terribly designed, but just kind of boring and forgettable. On the other side, you've got Vanilluxe, which is so garish and hideous that you can't forget it. Anyway, gameplay-wise Black and White were down there. Without any freedom on where to go, I'd find myself just wanting to be able to bypass all these barriers. I mean sure, X and Y had these as well, but those games were so brilliant to play that I didn't mind as much. But Black and White weren't nearly as brilliant, and much of the game became a mindless fight to be able to go to the next area. Also, the plot: Overrated.
Now as for Black and White 2, these games were pretty good. With an assortment of older Pokemon to choose from, I no longer had to just accept using Pokemon I didn't like much, and I was actually able to build a team that I liked. While many of the features were the same, the game was just so much more fun. Being able to battle vintage Gym leaders in the Tournament was awesome, and the main game was actually decent.

The good: Good selection of Pokemon (BW2), good online, Pokemon finally moved in battle, PWT was fun (BW2)

The bad: Many terrible Pokemon, extreme linearity, boring region, overrated plot, you had to use new Pokemon (BW),

6 - Generation IV. I can't lie, I'm physically unable to play through a Generation IV game that isn't HG or SS, but honestly, I'm considering those as Generation II remakes and thus separated from the main Generation IV. I cannot stand Diamond and Pearl whatsoever. Sinnoh is literally the most cold, dreary, and boring place ever conceived in a video game. The Pokemon aren't very good either, with all 3 starters somehow being awful. Diamond and Pear are also extremely slow and even unplayable by today's standards. Oh, and Team Galactic is a total joke. And to add to this misery, Platinum, while fixing several of the major flaws of Diamond and Pearl, is still boring and mediocre.

The good: Day/Night split returns, some well-deserved evolutions of older Pokemon, moderate challenge

The bad: Sinnoh is a barren wasteland (And not in a good way), Team Galactic is terrible, all 3 starters suck, many of the new Pokemon are forgettable, way too many legendary Pokemon, the online features are lacking, complete dearth of Fire-types (D/P only, Platinum was actually decent in this regard), postgame was aimless
 
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Fourth gen is my absolute favorite. It isn't even specifically about the graphics, Pokemon, region, physical/special split, online play, or any of that. It was just the way everything felt so... right. Previous gens felt lacking to me, and the gens after gen 4 didn't have the fresh feel to them that DPPt seemed to have. Maybe I'm just dumb, but gen 4 captured the Pokemon world the way it should be.

Yeah, I know that wasn't a very good explanation at all. Anyway, for the others:

2. Gen VI. I don't like megas, but who cares? XY's brought so many new, fun things to the table! Trainer customization, wonder trades, and Phil the photo guy are just three of the many silly little features in XY that make the game that much more fun. (Plus, the graphics upgrade is absolutely breathtaking!)

3. Gen II. Johto had some really great Pokemon, and I really liked the story. (I'm a bit biased though, because the anime during gen 2 was really great too). The game mechanics weren't that great, though.

4. Gen V. I was just a tad disappointed in BW. After all the hype about it, I'd expected just a little bit more from the game. However, it was still a pretty great gen. Unova was well-made, and I loved having so many new Pokemon. Graphics were nice. Being able to use TMs more than once was looong needed, too.

5. Gen III. I have a hard time explaining it, but I just really don't like Hoenn. It didn't bring as many new things to the series as it could've. I'm not real fond of the Pokemon either.

6. Gen I. Come on, guys. The graphics were dreadful, the story was nothing special, and there were too many glitches. Honestly, I think Team Rocket isn't that great a team, either.
 
Honestly, this is my list, and I'm surprised nobody has the same one yet:

1. V
2. IV
3. III
4. II
5. I

Pokemon games just keep getting better and better for me. Every generation adds on to what the previous ones had, cumulating in the perfection that gen V was.

So far, though, Gen VI would be the exception for me. I'm only two badges in, but it's failed to 'wow' me in the way that every previous game has. Right now, I'd place it between IV and V, but that may change once I've experienced all it has to offer!
 
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