What's your favourite region?

[Puddle]

Eight regions, each with their own unique culture, geography and biodiversity. Which is your favourite, and why? Additionally, feel free to talk about your least favourite region, or even rank all of them, if you like.

 

[WyndonCalling]

For over a decade it was comfortably Johto, it being the main region of my first and favourite game, and also just generally being beautiful, authentically Japanese and having some banging tunes.

But... no region has ever realised a culture as well as Galar. Shamelessly self-plagiarising here:

I'd go so far as to say that Galar in particular might be the best rendition of a UK facsimile I've ever seen. A lesser team might have copied and pasted variations on Hammerlocke and Postwick ad infinitum, but GF managed to capture the UK's musical culture, sporting obsession, industrial heritage, post-industrial coastal towns, and more besides. Obviously, this speaks to the influence of James Turner, but I'd have a lot of confidence that GF can do full justice to any real-world location they draw inspiration from.

And, again - grew up equidistant between Stoke and Chester, attended uni in Hull, live and work in London, and actually worked in an IRL Wyndon building. I are teh bias here, but there's no contest.

 

[GrookeyFan77]

Kanto, mainly cuz it's my first reigon
2nd Sinnoh
3rd Alola
4th Galar
5th Hoenn
6th Unova
7th Johto
8th Kalos

 

[Leaf_Ranger]

Gen. III's Hoenn.
Despite Sapphire being my 2nd favorite game and HG the first, Hoenn in Gen. III is an amazing world to explore after the more "civilised" Kanto and Johto.
I love the darker colors used (namely when compared to LeafGreen), the fauna and flora, the map progression, the abandoned ship, Slateport's market was just amazing and vibrant and the region has plenty of exploration and routes where one can get lost. Finally, Ever Grande is a paradise.

 

[Esserise]

I think these days I lean mostly toward Alola. I think the way it's divided into four separate islands, each with their own sort of unique profile and landmarks, while also feeling like the islands as a whole are cohesive and connected in terms of their culture and relationship with one another is a really stand-out achievement. It feels like the creators really came into it with a lot of very clear ideas about what they wanted to do, and it also created a very memorable journey for me. Part of that's the art direction and the beautiful locations, but part of it is also the storyline - I was really invested in it, so traveling to each new island felt firmly like moving on to the next chapter of the story. Edit: Oh, and I can't forget to mention all of the immersive little sub-events added in USUM!

I want to give a small mention to the Poké Finder here. Normally, photography features in the games have been designed with a focus on recording your own progress (you're the central focus in XY's photo feature, and HGSS places you in a line-up with your team) - and USUM do come around with that kind of feature for Alola as well - but here, the Poké Finder encouraging you to take pictures of the scenic nature and wildlife. You're not the subject, and while I guess you could say this makes it feel more "touristic," for me personally, it just gave me a sharper appreciation for the areas in which you can take photographs. I'm not much of a "selfie" person - I like taking pictures of things, and am a big fan of nature photography, so I think this allowed me to connect with Alola in a way that I found very gratifying. (I've still never managed to spot a Dragonite flying around Poni Meadow, but boy would I sure love to.)

To do a quick off-the-cuff ranking:

1. Alola
2. Unova
3. Hoenn
4. Kalos
5. Galar (actually, Galar might be able to edge out Kalos on the immersive strength of the Isle and the Tundra, but I think Kalos is more well-rounded and substantial as a whole)
6. Johto
7. Sinnoh
8. Kanto (nothin' personal *shivs Kanto in the back*)

 

[WyndonCalling]

Seeing as full lists are all the rage:

1: Galar
2: Johto
3: Hoenn
4: Kanto - I actually think Kanto gets a lot of things right; good city/wilderness ratio, variety of landscapes, wild species distribution. One of the few pieces of unqualified praise I can give it.
5: Unova
6: Alola
7: Sinnoh
8: Kalos - I remember being particularly unimpressed with XY's early-game routes from my first run, and a recent, now-in-stasis Nuzlocke has confirmed my gut reaction. It's so civilised and packed with humans.

 

[EternalPokéFanGirl]

Hoenn is my favorite, It's the most nostalgic region to me because it was in that season of the anime when I really started to watch the series (I watched some episodes in Kanto and Johto before that but at that time I had no cable on my television). And besides that in the games the region feels long in a good way, it really feels like a journey.

Unova is my second favorite basically for the same reason about feeling like a journey, and though the anime is hated (What makes me sad) it brings me good memories (Cilan is perfection ).

Alola is my third, I love the tropical environment and how different it feels from other regions. I also love the family atmosphere in the anime, Ohana means family after all .

 

[Bahamut]

Hoenn is my favorite! My favorite game is Emerald, and Hoenn is just so nostalgic to me. Most of my favorite Pokemon come from Hoenn, and Salamence is my number one favorite Pokemon. I think that Hoenn has really nice geography too.

 

[Fan of Jarrus]

Galar because it is based on my home country.

 

[Emmy]

Until relatively recently I would have said "Johto" for as previously mentioned reasons.

But ever since Gen 7 it really feels like GF have been going above and beyond in order to bring the Regions to life and I've really loved both Alola and Galar as a result of it. Thus if I had to choose between them, I'd go with "Galar" for the simple reason of it having more diversity of scenery than Alola - even if you subtract the DLC to make things fair.

 

[Insanish Danish]

Unova. Always and forever Unova. I really can't quite describe exactly why I love this region so much and why it fills me with so much joy, but I do and it does. I love all the cities, and the routes, and the forest areas, and just...everything. I don't think it can be replaced tbh.

Honorable mentions go to Galar, which is GORGEOUS, and Johto, which has always been my favorite of the "classic" regions. But honestly there isn't a single region I dislike. They all have something to offer. Ranking them all is difficult, but if I HAD to do it, it would probably be this:

1. Unova
2. Galar
3. Johto
4. Kalos
5. Hoenn
6. Kanto
7. Sinnoh
8. Alola

 

[Aulos]

I'm going to have to go with Kalos. I was really excited to see a Western European region. So I'm kinda biased. There's Parfum Palace, which is simply fabulous and the OST of the X/Y games is fantastic. I hadn't found an OST memorable since Gen III. I especially liked the orchestral OSTs and the harpsichord (my favorite keyboard instrument) peppered into some OSTs like the shop's. I also liked the pretty autumn-like routes.

 

[Nichole the Otter]

Unova! I have a lot of memories with Gen 5 as a whole, and I love the design of Unova's largest city, Castelia City.

My ranking of each region:
1. Unova
2. Hoenn
3. Sinnoh
4. Kalos
5. Alola
6. Johto
7. Galar
8. Kanto

 

[Puddle]

As for myself (and this is really difficult because I love them all)...

1. Galar - Being from the UK makes me a little biased, but I still think Galar is deserving of the top spot thanks to its breathtaking Wild Areas and stadiums. This was my favourite region even before the addition of the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra, which were just the icing on the cake.

2. Kalos - Before Galar came along, Kalos was the region that most reminded me of home. I absolutely adore the elegant, country garden aesthetic of Parfum Palace and the early routes. Kalos has some of the best new Pokemon designs too - it's just a shame that the Pokedex is so oversaturated with older ones.

3. Hoenn - A gorgeous wilderness to lose yourself in, accompanied by the best music in the series. Hoenn captivated me when I was nine, and still does today. The heavy focus on nature, as opposed to human settlements, is a big plus for me. Even when you do come to a settlement, sometimes it'll be so harmoniously intergrated into its surrounding environment that it feels like a part of, rather than a break in, the adventure.

4. Johto - The first region I ever explored, and one that will always have a special place in my heart. The myriad of daily and weekly events make the region feel alive, and there's something very atmospheric about the mountainous stretch between Ecruteak and Blackthorn. Johto is tied with Kalos for my favourite Pokemon designs - the starters and legendaries, in particular, are all stellar.

5. Sinnoh - I like the quieter, more subdued aesthetic of this region, and it has some of the best myths and legends (both the tales and the Pokemon themselves). The fact that I've ranked Sinnoh at number 5, despite it being the region I feel the least "at home" in (I spent relatively little time playing this generation, due to not having a DS for most of its duration) says a lot about how much I appreciate the things it did well.

6. Unova - I loved how fresh and different Unova felt, even if it was perhaps a little too urban for my tastes. Skyarrow Bridge and Castelia City look stunning (I love the bit where you come out of Pinwheel Forest and can see the bridge and city in the distance) while having the more rural north-eastern area to explore in the postgame was a nice change of pace.

7. Alola - I'm not really a fan of Z-Moves, and the Pokemon designs were perhaps the weakest overall. The tropical setting, while beautiful, wasn't something I could particularly relate to. But I commend Game Freak for thinking outside the box with Alola - splitting the region into four islands and replacing Gyms with something new made for a memorable experience. I like the lore about the Tapu and the invading Ultra Beasts - the juxtaposition of traditional mythology and science fiction is really quite something. Alola has one of the coolest Pokemon Leagues as well - I'd been wanting to see one situated on a snowy mountain for years.

8) Kanto - The least ambitious region, by virtue of it being the first. Despite this, there's something quite unique about Kanto. There's a slightly haunting, melancholic atmosphere thanks to Lavender Town and the - in my opinion - even creepier Cinnabar Mansion, something which no other region has ever really managed to replicate. The first time I visited Kanto was actually in Silver, and it felt like uncovering a lost treasure.

I've surprised myself by ranking Unova and Alola near the bottom, despite the fact that they have my favourite game storylines. I was thinking more about the culture and geography of each region than the events that occur there.

If you asked me on a different day, I might put some of these in a different order. Kalos, Hoenn and Johto are all in more or less the same tier for me, as are Sinnoh, Unova and Alola.

 

[Cinnabar]

Kanto reminds me of my early childhood, even though I didn't exist during that time period, but Alola tops out as my favorite region all around since I started there and major memories were made during that series.

 

[Unovia]

Oh, this is tough. I am going to go from 8th to 1st, lowest to highest. I have played the games from Red and Blue to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. I didn't play Pikachu and Eevee or Sword and Shield because I don't have a switch. I want to be clear that I love all of these games and all of these Regions.

8th-Galar, only because I have zero experience with it. Nothing personal against Galar, it is a beautiful Region, just no experience.
7th-Unova, mainly because of the Gym situation between BW and BW2. I feel they could have done all of the Gyms in one game. BW2 are the better games, because they give a better experience with more cities and towns. I also don't like the grinding mechanics in Unova.
6th-Kanto, mainly because I think Game Freak has given way too much love to Kanto with 2 remakes.
5th-Johto, mainly because I think it relies too heavily on Kanto. Ranked higher than Kanto, mainly because I want to see what a potential Let's Go Johto would do.
4th-Alola, which while the story was good and the Pokemon were good, I just don't like how slow the mons are. The trials were unique, and an interesting twist. Didn't like the warp ride minigame.
3rd-Hoenn gets the nod because of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, plus Ruby was the game I have played the longest (2003-2009)
2nd-Sinnoh because of Platinum. Platinum was a fantastic game. Want to see what a potential Sinnoh Remake provides
1st-Kalos because the more I play it, the more I appreciate it. X and Y are great games. First games to play in 3D and the clothing customization was fun. Most often played games right now. In fact, I am doing a playthrough of Pokemon Y right now.

 

[Daenerys]

Hoenn but sometimes Johto and Kanto appeal to me more. Hoenn had a lot of cool places to visit and seemed like the biggest region even up till now.

 

[DiamondStormz]

Sinnoh, Alola and Hoenn are my favorite regions not in that order specifically. I love exploring regions with different environments and that have certain charms.

 

[nickdt]

Alrighty, lets rank them.
1. Alola
2. Hoenn
3. Kalos
4. Johto
5. Unova
6. Galar
7. Sinnoh
8. Kanto - TOO MUCH KANTO.

 

[Camille]

Hoenn, as I love its large variation of different enviromnents, it is the only region where you properly explore the underwater, and even its amount of water doesn't bother me.
That being said, I also really like Sinnoh for its enormous size, and Johto for its oriental feel.