July 18th, 2018
While this blog is mainly dedicated to reviewing and rating all existing Pokémon, I sometimes put out some miscellaneous articles that have little or nothing to do with the Pokémon themselves and more so with the franchise as a whole. Aside from the very first post, which served to introduce this blog to my readers, the other two articles were game reviews of Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, respectively. I guess you could say this article is also a 'game review' of some sort, because today I present to you my top 7 favorite Pokémon generations, and those who have read my review for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will remember exactly - or not - what this list looks like. However, in this article I am going to give actual reasons and arguments for the placing of certain generations in my list. I am fully aware that we are living in a trigger-happy society, but please don't get mad at me for not liking (certain aspects of) your favorite generation. This is my list and I write whatever the fuck I want about whatever the fuck I want to write about in the first fucking place; it's called an opinion for a reason and you don't have to agree with mine by any means, but please be civil about it if you decide to leave a comment about how butthurt you are.
Without further ado, though, let's get this motherfucker started.
#7: Generation 1 (Red, Blue & Yellow)
Oh boy, am I going to piss off a bunch of Genwunners with this one. Look, I was born in 1990. I got into the Pokémon anime when I was 8 years old and played my first Pokémon game two years later, when I got a Game Boy Color and Pokémon Silver to go with it. I didn't get a chance to play Pokémon Red and Blue until a couple of years later, and they honestly sucked ass. The graphics are shit (seriously, have you seen the Pokémon's sprites?), the story is basically nonexistent, a lot of moves and other gameplay mechanics are broken as fuck or don't work the way they're supposed to, and the games overall are a glitchy mess. There is nothing fun about being trapped by Wrap, Clamp or Fire Spin and being prevented from doing anything at all until your opponent uses another move or misses; there is nothing fun about your opponent not being required to recharge from Hyper Beam just because they knocked out one of your Pokémon with it in the previous turn; there is nothing fun about getting critted one turn after another just because the opposing Pokémon is faster than yours; there is nothing fun about your game having a chance to freeze just because you caught a glitch Pokémon that has the honest-to-goodness bird type; and there is nothing fun about an opponent getting its original speed stat back and subsequently having it doubled by a single Agility after the speed loss by the paralysis you inflicted on it (same goes for Swords Dance and burn), because that is absolutely ridiculous. Hell, what's the fun in doing any of these things yourself? Also, all moves have a chance to miss regardless of their accuracy, some type match-ups are totally fucked up (making the psychic type stupidly overpowered), and you can actually fail at throwing a goddamn Poké Ball.
Fuck. That. Shit.
Those are only a few examples, though; there are over two dozen other problems that plague Red, Blue and Yellow and they all equally make you want to facepalm. Sure, Pokémon Red and Blue - Green in Japan - were the first Pokémon games ever and I don't think Game Freak and Nintendo had anticipated the amount of popularity Pokémon would receive and keep receiving in subsequent years, but that is not an excuse to defend such bad games even to the point that it gets annoying (yes, I am looking at you, Genwunners). The only redeeming factors are the roster of Pokémon - while not the best in any way, shape or form, there is no denying that the likes of Pikachu, Charizard, Lapras, Mewtwo, Snorlax, Eevee, Arcanine, Alakazam and many more classics still have a huge impact on the lives of many children and adults around the world - as well as the characters, who have become staples of the franchise in the years after their initial introduction. But in the end, Gen. I has not aged well at all. Red, Blue and Yellow are utterly terrible games, and to this day, they're the only main games that I genuinely dislike.
#6: Generation 3 (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed & LeafGreen)
From this point on, I actually like the main series games discussed here... albeit to some extent, in this case. Ruby and Sapphire looked nice enough and worked fine, while the Hoenn region felt very complete and detailed, but I can't help but feel that the games were lacking something. Until a couple of years ago, it didn't dawn on me that it was actually the story that was kind of ridiculous: Team Magma's Maxie wants more land in order for humans to develop technologically and intellectually, so he summons Groudon to evaporate the oceans, while Team Aqua's Archie wants more water in order for Pokémon to freely roam about and summons Kyogre to flood the mainland. Bitch, what? Archie and Maxie's motives are weak and their actions make no sense at all, and all that bullshit was a poor attempt from Game Freak to create a story with different villains than Team Rocket. However, I think the abduction of Pokémon by a criminal orginisation led by a mob boss - or even the goons from said crime syndicate trying to do everything in their power to get their leader back after he got his ass handed to him by a 10-year-old - is more plausible than a bunch of geo-terrorists who want to vaporize the seas or inundate the land masses by summoning some wacky-ass legendary Pokémon.
Dude, if you want a flood, just melt the fucking ice caps.
Then Emerald came along, and boy, does that game annoy the shit out of me. Not only does this game combine the two villanous teams to create a story that makes even less sense than Ruby and Sapphire's, it also includes a ton of Double Battles with random Trainers that you come across along your journey. It is simply irritating. And as I played through Omega Ruby again a few months ago, I realized that IGN was right and that there is indeed too much water to be found in Hoenn, and anybody who knows me knows I despise water routes. As for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, these games are a massive improvement compared to their originals, but the upgraded graphics and better gameplay mechanics cannot hide the fact that the Kanto region is pretty toothless, and the story even more so.
Of course, there are a lot more redeeming factors to the third generation than there are to the first, and the most important one is the Pokémon roster. I wasn't a fan of most of the new Pokémon when I first played through Ruby and Sapphire, but I have definitely come to appreciate a lot of them over the years, even though Hoenn is still home to some of my least favorite Pokémon, such as Spinda, Castform, Luvdisc and - the worst Pokémon of all time - Pelipper. And while natures and abilities were initially confusing to me, as my knowledge of the English language was very limited at the time Ruby and Sapphire were released, it cannot be denied that they have become very important features in the Pokémon franchise and are here to stay until the whole thing ends. Even the current IV/EV system was introduced in Gen. III and allowed for a more competitive approach to Pokémon.
#5: Generation 6 (X, Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire)
Listen, I actually loved the hell out of X and Y when they first came out. Only five years ago, the 3D graphics and Pokémon models were just goddamn phenomenal. Kalos is pretty, its rich history of war and conflict is fascinating, and Lumiose City is the largest - and arguably the best - city in the entire franchise. Gameplay-wise, the fairy type has become crucial to the current competitive landscape as well as the entire fucking franchise, and Mega evolutions have had quite the impact as well. They're not as prevalent in competitive now as they were two or three years ago, as only a select group of Pokémon can actually Mega-evolve and Z-Crystals have basically taken over for now, but currently I don't see Game Freak getting rid of them.
Now that Sun and Moon and even Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are out, however, X and Y have lost a bit of their charm. While you could argue they have a huge replay factor due to the characters and the region, there is just no use in picking up X or Y while you can play an even prettier game on the 3DS. And in hindsight, there are some glaring issuess X and Y have that I'd like to address. The first involves the small roster of new Pokémon, which feels rather underwhelming with only 72 additions, and on top of that there are some Gen. VI Pokémon that didn't quite meet their expectations. Sure, some Megas could be used during the main story, but most them could only be acquired post-game, which basically defeats the purpose of putting them in, anyway. Why not make them gradually obtainable throughout the main story? Speaking of which, X and Y are fairly lacking in that regard. While I like how much history Kalos has, Team Flare is kinda dumb and their arc could have been executed a lot less poorly than it was. Strangely enough, I understand Lysandre's motives and actions (not that I approve of them), but there is some poor writing involved and by this time narrative slip-ups can hardly be excused anymore.
Also, can anybody shut that bitch Shauna up, please and thank you?
One other reason why Gen. VI is so low on the list is that there aren't any enhanced versions of X and Y, as Nintendo and Game Freak did absolutely nothing with Zygarde and went straight for remakes of Ruby and Sapphire. Granted, those games are what fans had been asking for for a while, and I enjoyed them as much as the next person, but I got a little salty when Game Freak put their half-assed attempt to give Zygarde some attention in Sun and Moon instead of a different game under the Gen. VI umbrella.
#4: Generation 2 (Gold, Silver & Crystal)
I heavily debated putting these games on the #3 spot, but in the end I simply cannot look at these games without nostalgia goggles on - and without them, they would be even lower on the list. Like I mentioned earlier, Pokémon Silver was the first Pokémon game I played on a handheld console, which is the reason why I still love Lugia so much. Gold and Silver aren't even that bad graphic-wise, as they are a massive improvement compared to their dreadful predecessors, even though some sprites are completely off - Raikou and Sneasel, for example. A lot - if not all - of the mechanical issues that Red and Blue had are completely gone, though, and it seems like the creators knew these games were going to be immensely popular and put a lot more effort into them as a result. While the Team Rocket story in the Gen. II games isn't all that engaging, watching the villains do everything they can to get their beloved leader to come back and lead them again is more entertaining than their original story. Also, Johto has a very historical feel to it, especially in Ecruteak City, while the Kanto post-game is no less than phenomenal and the final battle with Red is iconic.
Unfortunately, out of the 100 'new' Pokémon pretty much 10% are baby Pokémon. Breeding wasn't really necessary in this generation at all and I think it would have been better if Game Freak had introduced this mechanic in Gen. III alongside natures, abilities and the current IV/EV system. However, baby Pokémon are by far the most redundant Pokémon in the franchise ever; with literally just a few exceptions (Magby and Pichu; I don't regard Togepi and Riolu as baby Pokémon), I hate or dislike them all. Also, a couple of the Pokémon introduced in Gold and Silver - like the Houndour line, the Larvitar line and Skarmory - aren't available in Johto at all and can only be caught in Kanto at a relatively low level, after defeating the Elite 4 and the Champion. It really doesn't make sense, because I don't see any reason why these Pokémon would be native to Kanto other than the fact it makes them harder to obtain. It also makes the selection of good Johto Pokémon to use during a playthrough very limited, which means you'll probably have to resort to using at least one or two Gen. I Pokémon on your team - if not more. Still, I think Gold, Silver and Crystal have aged a lot better than Red, Blue and Yellow, even though they have their fair share of flaws and they're nowhere near as perfect as their remakes, which I will talk about in the next section of this list.
#3: Generation 4 (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver)
First off, I am going to mention the two things that bother me about Diamond and Pearl. Aesthetically, the Sinnoh region looks very limited and pretty much the same all throughout, and while it is just distinctive enough to determine where the fuck I am, I don't feel like there is all that much variety to be found in Sinnoh except for the major cities. Diamond and Pearl are also terribly slow-paced; there are areas in the game that slow you down significantly (like the mist-covered Route 210 and the snowy routes leading to Snowbelle City), sometimes there are large chunks in the main story where absolutely nothing noteworthy happens and you're just left to explore route after route after route (between Eterna City and Veilstone City, as well as all of the routes leading to Pastoria City), and it feels like an eternity before the entire battle screen is finally loaded, not to mention that the long move animations and slowly decreasing health bars make battles even longer than absolutely necessary.
Having said that, it must be mentioned that the story - while a little bit over the top - is engaging and much better thought-out than Ruby, Sapphire and definitely Emerald's, and Cyrus is a cunning leader of this generation's villainous team, Team Galactic. Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint what exactly Cyrus is on about, but it is obvious we're dealing with a very asocial and troubled young man who feels rejected by his parents. As a result, he decided that emotions are the source of strife in the world and that eliminating them would be the end of wars and conflicts. The roster of Pokémon is also one of the better ones, with two of my favorite starters (Empoleon and Torterra), my all-time favorite Pokémon in existence (Luxray), some solid steel types (Lucario, Bronzor/Bronzong, Heatran, Dialga) and a whole bunch of evolutions of old Pokémon all residing here. It's a shame most of these evolutions weren't available in Diamond and Pearl until post-game, but Platinum fixed a lot of the things plaguing Diamond and Pearl, which is one of the reasons why it's such a fan favorite. Adding a whole segment revolving around Giratina and the Distortion World really helped, too, as an alternate dimension in which the normal laws of physics are disobeyed is something Game Freak and Nintendo hadn't done before - at least not to my knowledge.
Functionally, Diamond and Pearl were the very first Pokémon games in the core series that ran on the Nintendo DS system, and the touch screens made for a whole new playing experience. I'm actually sad to see the current battle interface leaving when the new games for the Nintendo Switch come out, but it was fun while it lasted. What isn't going anywhere, though, is the physical/special split, which determines whether a move is special or physical based on what they do instead of their type. We're used to Crunch being physical and Dark Pulse being special, but at the time the physical/special split was introduced it was one of the welcomest additions to any Pokémon game ever. It was ridiculous that a move being special or physical was determined by the type of the move, which meant Hitmonchan couldn't use Fire Punch, Ice Punch and Thunder Punch effectively because they were all special moves! It made no sense, and the physical/special split finally added a whole lot of much-needed logic to the franchise and made a bunch of Pokémon actually viable in battle - I mean, some Pokémon got the short end of the stick (*cough* Sceptile *cough*), but there's always casualties in love and war.
Last but not least, HeartGold and SoulSilver really tickle my nostalgia bone and are a definite improvement of the originals. Game Freak and Nintendo even added the Suicune story from Pokémon Crystal to these games, yet even now it doesn't feel crammed in. HeartGold and SoulSilver take all of the things that make the originals so good in the first place and improve on them, even adding some nifty new features that make the games feel more complete. The cherry on top is that these games run on Gen. IV mechanics (duh!), which means the presence of a bottom screen as well as the divine physical/special split. HeartGold and SoulSilver check all the right boxes and they're easily among my top 5 Pokémon games of all time.
#2: Generation 7 (Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon)
I already posted extensive reviews of both of the Gen. VII installments - for reference, you can find them here and here - so I'll be keeping this section short and sweet.
Goddamn, what is not to like about Sun and Moon and their enhanced versions? The story is amazing, while the characters feel incredibly fleshed out and have a lot more involvement in the storyline than characters in previous games; grid-based movement is done away with entirely and is replaced by a much more refined system; the Pokémon introduced in these games - including the regional variants and Ultra Beasts - have better designs, have better or more interesting gimmicks and are generally better in the competitive scene than a lot of the Pokémon released in Gen. VI; trials, Trial Captains, Totem Pokémon and Kahunas replace the Gym system from previous games and are fresh and welcome new additions to the franchise; features like side quests, Pokémon Refresh, Poké Pelago and Trainer customization make for a fun playing experience; and the games are a true visual treat. Alola is beautiful and remarkably diverse, and Z-Moves - while overpowered - look fantastic.
The biggest issue is the hand-holding in the beginning of the games, but they're a breeze once all of the tutorials are over and done with. There are some more minor flaws, but they're few and far between and don't matter all that much. All Game Freak had to do is make some much-needed changes and implement them in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and that is exactly what they did. Gen. VII is almost flawless, and they would have been #1 if it wasn't for just one absolutely perfect generation.
#1: Generation 5 (Black, White, Black 2 & White 2)
I've seen a lot of comments by many adult Pokémon fans that they had left the franchise for a while and skipped Gen. IV in its entirety, only to return when Gen. V came out. Pokémon has been a part of my life since I was 8 (I'm 28 now) and I have never even considered leaving Pokémon behind, but Black and White did make me fall in love with the franchise all over again. Because only new Pokémon - some of them clearly Gen. I rip-offs, yet totally different - can be caught until the storyline reaches a climax, the games feel like a reboot of the series. Not that I'm complaining, because the Gen. V batch of Pokémon is absolutely the best in the entire franchise; there is literally not a single Pokémon from the fifth generation that I hate or dislike, not even the likes of Garbodor, Vanilluxe, Basculin, Stunfisk or Alomomola, just to name a few universally hated Pokémon. Even if you want to compose a good team consisting of Unova Pokémon that do not receive so much hate, there are dozens of options for you to choose from: Golurk, Sawsbuck, Chandelure, Zebstrika, Braviary, Ferrothorn, Gigalith, Scolipede, Darmanitan, Zoroark, Samurott, Serperior, Haxorus, Klinklang... they're all so incredibly good, and that's only a select few!
Back in 2011, Black and White felt new, fresh and unique, not in the last place because of the region. Unova is absolutely stunning and is home to some of the most diverse places in the franchise. One moment you're running through lush woodlands, the next you're crossing a gigantic bridge traversing a highway just to enter a true metropolis in the form of Castelia City and continue on to conquer a desert area where a sandstorm is brewing. Unova is vibrant; it's full of life, history and color, and a big part of that is due to the changing of the seasons. The Gen. V games are the only ones that contain the season system in the first place (every real-life month the season changes), and a result of that is that Twist Mountain and Icirrus City are covered in snow in the winter and certain areas are a vivacious red-and-orange in the fall. Even without the seasons there are places that look pretty, despite being rocky and colorless, like Chargestone Cave.
And I haven't even discussed the gameplay features yet. Black and White are the first games in which the models of Pokémon on the battle screen are constantly moving, which makes for a more lively battling experience. Also, I think that competitive battling really took off with this generation, although I could be wrong and I'd like you to correct me if I am. Heck, Black 2 and White 2 even introduced the Pokémon World Tournament, which is still one of the better in-game competitive tournaments to date. Oh man, Black 2 and White 2... everybody thought we would get Pokémon Gray or something, and then Game Freak gave us full-on sequels. Madness! The story is not as strong as the one in Black and White - the latter of which asks tough questions about the ethics of keeping Pokémon contained in man-made balls, makes you think, draws you in, gives clear motive and gives you insight into the feelings and thoughts of enemies and friends/allies alike - but at least they get the job done. However, the original Black and White make their point across so perfectly, and their story is hands down the best I have seen in any Pokémon game so far. Black 2 and White 2 lightly elaborate on it, but those games mainly serve to show off new areas in Unova, give us insight into the lives of the characters we've come to know and love two years after the events of Black and White and introduce new and unforgettable characters like Colress. We even got Pokéstar Studios, which is by far the dumbest thing to have happened to Gen. V, but if that's literally the only thing I'm whining about...
I absolutely love this masterpiece of a generation and I'm sure it will always be my favorite. Ignore the ranking in my review of Pokémon Sun and Moon; I was just awestruck by how beautiful those games were, until I realized they weren't quite that flawless. Gen. V will always have the best Pokémon, best story, best gameplay mechanics, best characters and... well, I was about to say 'best graphics', but even I think that's disputable. Heh. I guess this generation is not so perfect after all.
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