I Ranked EVERY Pokemon Game

with generation 9 right around the corner you  might think it's strange to rank the mainline   games now and not wait until I play the new ones  well my friend you're forgetting one crucial bit   of information I am a content creator not  a Content waiter as with most rankings the   way I organize this list can differ based on  a great number of things the order I put them   in today might be completely different from the  order I put them in a few years from now tastes   and feelings can change with time and growth  and I hope you consider that when I inevitably   trash your favorite game Pokemon is one of the  most complex RPGs in terms of party composition   one person's experience with the game could  be completely different from someone else's   depending on which Pokemon they ran and how  soon they decided to start spamming surf each   game presents the player with hundreds of ways to  play some more challenging than others there are   moments that we all experience the same way such  as plot characters and game design but these all   really come down to taste and of course how much  you're willing to allow Nostalgia to play a part   in your opinion that's right I went there I'll  be the first to admit that Nostalgia plays a   significant part in my opinions that's just how  human brains work and as of last month I am at   least 90 sure that I have a human brain and most  likely had one when I played these games so as   always please respect that we all have different  tastes and it's certainly possible that they can   change down the line now One Taste of mine that  certainly won't change down the line is how much   I love raid Shadow Legends the sponsor of today's  video sponsors like raid make it possible for me   to put so much time into my videos and make  them as great as they can be raid has asked   me to interview their Champion Death Knight on  his recent promotion to the legendary champion   Ultimate Death Knight heyo what's that Ultimate  Death Knight is a different Champion uh well   thanks for joining me death knight ah it's great  to see you are you a regular viewer of my channel   Let's uh change the conversation huh so are you  excited for this new Champion to join the game   no sir do you think you'll at least still have  loyal fans with this new death knight being added   I shouldn't okay last question this one's just  for fun do you like Xerneas yes yes a thousand   times yes well Ultimate Death Knight is amazing  and everyone can get this Champion during the   death knight hunt event oh he's getting his own  event just log in and play raid for seven days   between now and October 27th and Ultimate Death  Knight is yours for free free oh no no no no no   no there's also the promo code DK Rises for a  bunch of free items to instantly level your new   strongest Champion all the way to level 50 and  5 Star Ascension but they could also 5 Star me   right well seems like it's been a pretty bad week  for you but hey there's still time for things to   turn around thanks for coming death knight catch  you later check out the death knight hunt event   and don't forget to use promo code DK rise is  so you can be sure to Five Star Ultimate Death   Knight and if you are a new player use my link or  scan the QR code right here and get a free starter   pack worth almost thirty dollars a free champion  vergies and this cool in-game loot now throwing   all Nuance out the window the worst Mainline  Pokemon game ever made no I'm just kidding I'm   not gonna be that harsh the truth is brilliant  diamond and Shining Pearl were just a complete   misfire from the very first announcement we were  told that these were going to be faithful remakes   but the extent of which we wouldn't know until  we actually played the games what faithful remake   ended up meaning was a Fresh coat of paint and  quality of life updates how about quality of game   updates instead of remaking Platinum version which  most people consider to be better than Diamond and   Pearl they chose to remake The Originals even  though I like diamond and pearl this was a huge   mistake unfortunately Platinum is still the best  way to play the Sinnoh games leaving brilliant   diamond and Shining Pearl pretty much pointless  save for connectivity to recent games the common   assumption is that remaking diamond and pearl made  more sense financially because Platinum sold so   poorly the Pokemon company might have assumed that  more people would have Nostalgia for Diamond and   Pearl than for platinum then why include Crystal  content in HeartGold and soul silver why include   Emerald content in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire  it's possible that they just wanted to make a   quick buck and push these games out the door  as soon as possible or maybe they didn't trust   ILCA to adapt one game into two either way it's  clear that after years of begging for remakes   Pokemon Company still didn't know what we wanted  while it is technically an upgrade the graphics   and the new underground just weren't enough to  Warrant a remake I know the art style is a big   point of contention among fans as well I'm fine  with it personally but I definitely picked the   originals art style over this any day I'm not  going to get too deep into my thoughts on the   actual game plan story because they're essentially  one for one with the originals which we'll discuss   later in this list brilliant diamond running Pearl  are a great case study in how not to remake A game   fix the issues don't just reskin them and assume  will be blinded by Nostalgia next up Pokemon Ultra   sun and Ultra Moon these entries just had all the  qualities I don't want in a Pokemon game too many   cutscenes two handholdy and two linear these were  all issues that have been creeping their way into   each installment and they finally reached their  worst in this generation but what makes the ultra   games even worse than sun and moon for me was that  they were essentially the same games released only   a year later I actually liked sun and moon when  I first played them but having to replace such a   long drawn out story filled with cutscenes really  ruined the whole generation for me you might be   thinking well Mr Wolf you didn't have to play them  but I wanted to compete in tournaments so I did   have to play them the ultra games introduced new Z  crystals that were going to be crucial to The Meta   you think I'm sending out a lunala without its  new Z Crystal I might as well forfeit I'd be a   joke a has been so yeah playing Ultra sun was  a miserable experience for me I can't justify   placing them any higher than this if I had played  it before sun and moon sure they might be higher   on the list but not by much because our next spot  goes to Sun and Moon these games fall victim to   all the same issues that plagued their enhanced  versions so I'm mostly going to touch on what I   actually liked I really like how they mixed up  the gym formula some of the trials were pretty   dumb and mind-numbingly easy but replacing the  gym leaders with totem Pokemon was a great way   to spark some life into something that was getting  pretty stale fighting a totem Pokemon required a   whole different strategy that could actually get  you into hot water if you weren't prepared I might   have lost once or twice to a requited because  it kept calling a stupid masquerade to back   it up I was initially glad to see Mega Evolution  replaced with a different gimmick but what we got   was actually worse Z moves provided a great Hail  Mary for when you were in a tight spot but if your   opponent predicted it it was a massive waste  Z moves did far too much damage and you could   get randomly ko'd by an unusual one you weren't  expecting also the animations took way too long   not even turning off move animations got rid of  these things was a game freak's intention to make   these games feel as long as possible we're not  out of the woods yet the next games on this list   are the highly divisive X and Y while attitudes  toward these games have softened over the years   as they do with every generation I haven't shaken  the feeling of disappointment they left me with   like most people I was so excited to finally play  a Mainline game in 3D we were getting a huge jump   in graphics and a promising new battle mechanic in  Mega Evolution the hype was intense however once I   got my hands on the game I couldn't help but feel  underwhelmed first of all I hate the legendaries   well I hate Xerneas xerne is a Stranglehold on the  metagame in 2016 and 2019 cannot be understated   their part in the actual game didn't do it for me  either I thought the story was so bad stories and   Pokemon games have never been good but this was  just abysmal the Rival characters in particular   were the weakest this generation and the map was  a mess what is this I remember feeling so dumb   because I had to take a taxi around Lumiose to  find where anything was trying to find anything   in Lumiose on foot felt like trying to find a  plunger in a Walmart trust me it took me like half   an hour it's not where you would think speaking of  needing a plunger the next spot belongs to let's   go Pikachu and let's go Eevee these were games  I wasn't disappointed by because I already knew   they weren't for me while not as offensive as they  were for some people let's go definitely suffered   from its new catching mechanic it wasn't that  interesting and got old quick if you somehow only   managed to play each Pokemon Generation once this  would still be your fifth time playing through   Kanto it's clear they were made to bring the  Pokemon go players into the series so I tend to be   more forgiving toward them they weren't made for  me and they made our Community bigger that's great   I should mention out of all the Pokemon games  on switch let's go has the best graphics and is   the only one to get following Pokemon right and it  came out first what happened if it was your first   Pokemon game your first one in decades or you're a  small child I could see let's go being a great way   to get into the mainline games it's cute easy and  has most of what makes Pokemon good but as a jaded   veteran of the series in his late 50s I'm not  interested to be fair I'm not really interested   in conto to begin with and the same goes for Johto  that's why the next spot goes to gold and silver   although I think Johto is an incredible region  in concept I think its execution is rather boring   its size is a blessing and a curse it allows you  to get around much quicker than most regions but   it also makes the game feel small and repetitive  of course you could explore caves and rivers that   were previously inaccessible but the rewards you  get for doing so weren't worth the time it took   to get them the map also allowed for flexible  gameplay but it actually felt like more of a   downgrade compared to Kanto which had a lot more  Choice when it came to the order you tackled it in   and we didn't have to deal with a horrible level  curve because of it of course the real reason   Johto is so small is because of Kanto as I said  before the concept incredible the execution not   so much Kanto feels so much emptier than he used  to and ends up just being a Boss Rush grind Fest   until you get to Red the best part of the entire  game but at what cost even though this battle is   one of the most epic things to ever happen in the  Pokemon series I don't think it was worth all the   trouble it might be more worth it however if you  play Crystal my next pick on this list there's not   that big of a difference between Gold Silver and  Crystal but there is enough to make crystal the   most optimal way to play through gen 2. especially  if you play it on the 3DS's Virtual Console the   Virtual Console release finally allowed us to  see the Celebi event that never made it to the   west and you could transfer it to Pokemon home if  you had the poker transporter Pokemon bank and the   aforementioned Pokemon home yeah moving Pokemon  up from previous generations has never been easy   but Generation 1 and generation 2 were trapped  on the cartridges until the Virtual Console came   around so I'll take what I can get if I haven't  upset anyone by now with this list the next spot   will definitely do the trick I don't like heart  gold and soul silver much either I'm sorry I just   really struggled getting through this region I can  totally see why these games are as praised as they   are but I can't place them any higher with all  the problems I have with them also I didn't finish   them I'm not that big of a pickup and play for an  hour every day guy like this game wants me to be I   want to be able to do everything when I want to do  it I don't want to wait until Saturday to do a bug   catching contest I remember being so annoyed when  I wanted to catch Lapras for my run through and   having to wait until Friday to do it I literally  couldn't progress at all because I had to wait   for five days until I could catch the Pokemon I  wanted I understand why in The Originals JoJo's   best Pokemon are locked behind the post game and  why Gym Leaders rarely use them but HeartGold and   soul silver should have changed that by the time  these games were released the concept of a new   Pokemon Generation as we see them today had been  well established when we get a new generation   we see and play with the new Pokemon right away  gold and silver weren't made with this notion in   mind they were the end of a series they were more  like a sequel or expansion to red and blue whereas   every generation afterwards had little connection  to what came before besides what was chosen to be   in the regional decks at least her gold and soul  silver Implement elements of Crystal into them   this along with the quality of life updates and  the physical special split make them the best way   to play through Johto plus it has the Battle  Frontier and specifically the battle Factory   which gets major points from me again I completely  understand why heart gold and soul silver could be   someone's favorite but they just aren't for me the  next spot also belongs to another pair of remakes   Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were remakes that  I think are okay while I love the original gen   3 games I wasn't a fan of X and Y so implementing  element from X and Y into Ruby and Sapphire just   brought these games down for me poem was being  babyfied and I wasn't having it and don't even get   me started on the Delta episode it's just a long  fetch Quest don't get me wrong flying around Hoenn   on Mega Latios is awesome but it gets annoying  having to hop on Fly for a few seconds Land Watch   cutscene and repeat for like an hour the ending's  cool but the journey to get there was so tedious   it just makes losing the battle frontier even  more painful since that are painful it hurts my   little heart that 97 of people watching my videos  aren't subscribed to the channel I'm gonna give   it to you straight this Channel's gonna hit a  million Subs probably in less than a year don't   you want to support me and subscribe before we  hit a million come on anyway back to the list   this next one might seem confusing to viewers  who've watched me the last few years but sword   and shield are the next games on my list they're  okay if we're talking competitive Pokemon these   are some of the best games if not the best in the  series in reality sword and shield made raising a   competitive team way easier than ever before for  someone who is constantly building new teams and   competing in tournaments this is a huge deal I  also can't stress how much of a positive this   is for the health of the competitive scene the  actual game on the other hand not so great sword   and shield suffer from many of the same problems  of Gen 6 and 7 but to varying degrees it's easy   too linear and too cutscene knee I think we can  all agree the best thing about the bay this game   is the wild area and it's not even that great the  two DLC areas were infinitely better on the topic   of DLC I wasn't really a fan of them either they  did add a few more things for competitive players   but playing through the story wasn't very fun  sort of reminded me of the Delta episode with   the Stop and Go cutscene blogna I know I'm also  in the minority here but I think Dynamax is a   great gimmick at least in doubles singles is  a whole other story you can tell a lot of the   mechanics in sword and shield were tailored to  competitive players like me but the game's never   fully won me over nice try game freak maybe next  time if you've made it this far you might have   noticed a trend I don't care for a lot of these  games well I don't hate them except for Ultra   sun and moon those games killed a part of me on  the inside the others I've mentioned have good   qualities to them but I can't say I like them as  a whole sword and shield are okay I could even see   myself playing them again in a few years and the  same goes for red blue yellow fire red and leaf   green the reason I'm lumping these all together is  the because they're all essentially the same game   fire red and leaf green obviously got the upper  head because there are Graphics quality of life   updates and mechanics such as abilities Natures  but playing through them is almost one for one   with the originals of course the Savvy islands are  new but they sort of distract from the experience   in my opinion it's another fetch Quest what do  I look like a dog yes I see the opportunity for   the joke but I'm not gonna take it okay another  thing about the Savvy Island the game even goes   out of its way to bring you there during the main  story just to let you know hey remember you still   have some chores you gotta do after you beat the  game just let me play the game red blue and yellow   are only so high on this list because one they  are iconic and provided the basis for the entire   franchise the gameplay although flawed is still  fun which can't be said for a lot of other games   even some released today and the fact that got  it so right all the way back then is genuinely   incredible the second reason no Story I mean  there is a story but the game doesn't bombard   you with cutscenes at every corner honestly the  less story of Pokemon game has the better I hate   being forced to get to a checkpoint and read giant  chunks of exposition Generation 1 and its remakes   rarely do this and it's a huge Plus in my book  the main issue I have with red blue and yellow is   how primitive they seem compared to the updates  we got in gen 4. no physical special split no   online matchmaking number of Pokemon Generation  1 is also sort of broken but I find this more   endearing than annoying you have to remember that  this was the 90s and Game Freak was so small it   took them six years to make the original red and  green and that's with all the bugs they came with   the fact that Pokemon became the highest selling  franchise in the world is a miracle so even though   it's tough to go back to gen 1 now I have to  put them here with the remakes right above them   now we're into the good stuff I think despite  their flaws Diamond and Pearl are great games   you probably already know the criticisms most  people have towards these games they're paced   horribly and they run too slow while I do agree  with this I never really noticed the first time   I played through them and to tell you the truth  I'm not sure I would have noticed had I not heard   it on on the internet I definitely remember the  great Marsh and routes 212 and 217 taking forever   why is this girl just chilling in a puddle of  Mud other than his pacing the legendaries were   great and had a huge impact on the metagame too  a bunch of subpar Pokemon got Evolutions turning   them into the competitive powerhouses we know  today sorry electivire you're on your own still   and without the physical special split introduced  in these games battling competitively would have   been way less interesting the split allowed for  more Pokemon and moves to be competitively viable   without it there would be even less variation  between teams than there is today I mean I'm happy   I get to see you guys but no I didn't mean it as  a jab at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite let   me preface the next pick with this I do really  believe Pokemon games are better the less story   they have however these games are so good on every  other front that I can look past the intrusive and   long-winded cut scenes it also helps that this  story was a huge departure from every game we got   before does that mean it's a good story not really  but it did provide an interesting New Perspective   on the Pokemon world this spot goes to black and  white remember at the end when all the new Nova   and Gym Leaders show up to end tower now that was  a fantastic moment aside from that the story never   really gripped me nevertheless everything else is  incredible the map might be linear but the routes   themselves have so much to explore and unlike  jodo the rewards you get for doing so are actually   worth it forcing us to only play with this  generation's Pokemon was a gutsy move too even   though it made a lot of people angry I was fine  with it because I actually loved these designs   the amount of hate they got was most likely a  reaction to the region lock we all know what   happens when people can't play with their favorite  Pokemon maybe I'm biased because these games are   the first ones I started playing competitively on  but I don't think we've seen a better meta game   since oh stop it you guys weren't even around yet  if this game cut the story down or included in the   Battle Frontier I could see them being my favorite  of all time another set of games that aren't my   favorite of all time but that I still love dearly  are Ruby and Sapphire every Pokemon game has good   music but these games take it to a whole new level  the amazing music that accompanies you through   hoenn's beautiful terrain displayed in glorious  GBA Graphics was mind-blowing at the time of its   release and still holds up today I truly believe  this to be the best Pokemon has ever looked   aesthetically playing through these games sort of  makes me wish Pokemon would go back to 2D because   let's face it game freak's not capable of making a  breath of the Wild Style Pokemon game at least not   on the switch Ruby and Sapphire also introduced  Nature's abilities and double battles some of   the building blocks for competitive Pokemon as  we know it today I guess this is a hot take but   I actually really enjoyed contests but only in  this generation this is the only one that got it   right I spent a ton of time with contests when I  first played through Ruby if the Pokemon company   had made a conscious version of VGC I would have  been all over it we'll talk more about Hoenn once   I get to Emerald but first let's discuss my next  pick Platinum remember all the bad stuff I said   about Diamond pearl and their remake well Platinum  mostly fixes them for one the pacing is so much   better in these games you still have the areas  that slow you down like deep snow or mud but now   you can at least see where you're gonna fall in  surfing is faster you can bike through buildings   you can scroll back on the Pokey Edge which  for some reason wasn't in the remakes despite   how simple it is even the story progression is  better remember how you couldn't battle fantina   the first time you rode through hardhome what was  that that made the stretch between the second and   the third gym so long a few of the gyms also got  redesigns that greatly improved upon the originals   game freak outdid themselves same goes for the  Battle Frontier which was just the battle tower   and diamond and pearl what was once a single Tower  where he battled opponent after opponent became   five facilities each with different mimics that  allowed for a variety of gameplay unfortunately   Hoenn did it better and that's why Emerald is my  next pick Owen's Battle Frontier is usually what   people point to when they call Emerald their  favorite Pokemon game of all time of its seven   facilities my favorite one would have to be the  battle Factory where you competed with rental   Pokemon I probably have 500 hours at least in  Emerald's battle Factory alone but the Battle   Frontier isn't the only new content that makes  this game so good there's also new gym layouts   gym rematches a new gym leader let me address  the people currently screaming at me through   their monitors I don't care that a third of the  map is water if anything it adds to the game oh   now everyone's screaming uh well uh wait a second  hear me out without all the water we wouldn't have   got to explore the sunken ship we wouldn't have  found the reggies we wouldn't have got tsutopolis   Shoal cave Mirage Island these are just a few of  the many components that make Hoenn so iconic and   the only reason they exist is because of how much  water there is much like Platinum it's so good it   essentially makes the original games and and the  remakes irrelevant if you're keeping track you   know what the final two picks are how I placed  them could be Channel defining my entire online   presence no my entire being could be affected  what I say next could send ripples through the   Pokemon Community shaping the thoughts of young  impressionable children for years to come am I   about to change history nope my number two is  Legend Arceus it came close but there's another   game that narrowly beats it out that's not to say  Legends Arceus isn't an amazing game there's just   a few Kings who would have to work out before  getting there for me mainly in its opening few   hours the tutorial section of this game is brutal  I was honestly questioning whether I would even   like this game but once you're given free reign  to explore on your own you can see its genius   the catching is so satisfying The Locomotion  feels so good once you master both of these the   possibilities feel endless you can Traverse the  sky with Braviary but get low enough and you'll   be automatically switched to weirder or basket  Legion hop off and throw out a Pokemon to smash   a rock while they're doing that turn around and  catch a Shinx repeat these are mechanics I never   knew I needed the mechanics I never knew I didn't  need were the new battle Styles Legends tries a   new way of battling with strong style and agile  style I think it was a noble effort to change   up the formula but I don't think it was that  successful in fact it was quite a failure which   is probably why there aren't many battles in this  game because of this and the fact that there's no   online battling system it's not really that big  of a deal this is a case where the highs are so   high I can forgive the lows now it's time for my  number one my favorite Pokemon games of all time   are Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. I know a very  original but hey there's a reason why there's so   many people's favorite games unlike ultrasound and  Ultra Moon which were almost identical to their   original games Black 2 and White 2 were legitimate  sequels I'm talking new story new characters new   locations everything that made the originals great  were still there but with twists to address the   concerns we had with them you explored the region  in a different order so it wasn't as linear you   could catch Pokemon from previous generations  so you weren't restricted to unovan Pokemon you   could find hidden grottos to catch Pokemon who  had their hidden abilities instead of having to   use the dream world or as I like to call it the  nightmare world I mean look at this for once game   freak did everything we asked and it paid off  black and white were already fantastic games   all it needed were some touch-ups throw in a new  story too and Bam best Pokemon games of all time   had Black 2 and White 2 been an exact repeat of  The Originals like every other enhanced version   this might not be the case it's part of the reason  why emerald and platinum aren't in this spot Black   2 and White 2 are unique and that they function  as the enhanced version and a sequel It's not   the same game done better it's a whole new game I  always felt a little ripped off buying the third   version of a game making sequels not only gets  rid of that feeling but it benefits The Originals   as well black and white weren't made obsolete by  enhanced versions they can stand alone that's why   they cost so much on the second hand Market other  editions were Black Tower white tree Hollow and   the Pokemon world tournament featuring me I'm not  kidding I'm technically in these games but that's   not what makes the World Tournament so great it's  the mix of nostalgia and difficulty it brings   to the game battling gym leaders and champions  from other regions was so cool Black Tower and   white tree Hollow were these games version of the  battle tower except with better lore getting to   fight alder's grandson and better rewards a shiny  Dratini or guy bull depending on the game I didn't   even mention how much more there is to explore  in these games the post game is loaded it's a   shame we might never get another game as good  as these the path the series has been on tells   me we won't but scarlet and violet are looking  very promising being open world sounds like it   could be fun but Black 2 and White 2 weren't open  world and look how they turned out either way I'm   not losing hope well that's my list feel free to  leave yours in the comments below I love seeing   all the different ways people rank this series  that's another thing I love about these games   there's no universally accepted order for how to  rank them there's so many factors that influence   our opinions on each one share your thoughts and  don't get mad at each other for having a different   opinion they're just games after all as always  thanks for watching and I'll see you again soon

Channel: WolfeyVGC

Views: 1,347,437

Keywords: Wolfey, Pokemon, VGC, Wolfe Glick, Competitive Pokemon, Pokemon VGC, Pokemon Sword and Shield, twitch, twitch streams, pokemon nuzlocke, nuzlocke, pro gamer, gaming, gamer, hardcore nuzlocke, smallant, ludwig, pokemon challenge, pokemon challenges, alpharad, tier list, ranking, scarlet, violet, scarlet and violet, pokemon tier list, pokemon ranking, ranking every Pokemon game, jschlatt, schlatt, jschlatt ranking, minecraft, pokemon scarlet and violet, new pokemon, ranking new pokemon

Id: MdsJXSMD82M

Length: 25min 56sec (1556 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 23 2022