The Best Pokémon Games, Ranked

hello there lovely people it's Alex from Nintendo life here and today we're going to take you through and rank the 21 best Pokémon games and we're specifically talking the mainline games that means no Pokémon Stadium 2 no learn with Pokémon typing adventure and definitely no flipping Pokémon Pikachu look at him he's having a sandwich cheeky little and most importantly all these Mainline games cuz it is all of them have been ranked by you lovely people overall nintendolife.com so if you've got any complaints about the list any order anything like that whatever is at number one you know where to find yourself one last note we're going to be treating each version from a particular generation as one game so for example red and blue that's just one game you know but yellow that's a separate entry wow but anyway that's more than enough waffling let's Dive Right into [Music] things starting things off we have Scarlet and violet recency bias may be a factor here but it's hard to deny that although these games were ambitious they absolutely did not manage to achieve things in the way that I think fans wanted for the first time you can go anywhere and do anything you want in any order you like within reason because the game doesn't scale so you're either going to do stuff that's too hard for you or later on you're going to come back and have things that are an absolute Cakewalk performance is across the board also pretty terrible and the game's well it's no oil painting it has its good points for sure but let's just say that we are not personally surprised that the community decided that this would end up right at the bottom next up we have brilliant diamond and Shining Pearl which if you hadn't worked it out already is a remake of diamond and pearl whereas previous Pokémon remakes have brought everything up to date and to be in line with the current generation brilliant diamond and Shining Pearl don't do that and realistically this is very little more than a one toone conversion that's laudable in itself but the visuals already look dated it does run well and we've already played this game as I say previous remakes did some really cool stuff and sort of was almost like a remix or a reimagining of those old games whereas this this is just Diamond and Pearl it's not entirely clear why this pair of games even exists other than it was a way to get a Pokémon game out moving on we have Pokémon let's go Pikachu and Pokémon let's go Eevee I think recency bias is definitely a thing here these are kind of remakes of Pokémon Yellow arguably Pokémon Red blue as well but they also mix things up by bringing in elements and gameplay mechanics from Pokémon go which was an interesting move to say the least the games look quite pretty in their own way but they do lack the depth of other remakes as previously mentioned it's definitely its own thing and is kind of like an introduction to the Pokémon series and I can't deny that having your Pikachu or Eevee with you at all times and really bonding with them is kind of cool but they very quickly become very overpowered and the game was already very easy meaning that there's not a lot of reason to come back to this one moving on we have sword and shield the weird in between game that isn't quite 3DS era and isn't quite scarlet and Viet it introduced the wild area for the first time which was a huge breath of fresh air but unfortunately the substance kind of fell by the way side the game is quite linear to say the least and you really don't do that much exploring All Things Considered and truth be told it's also very easy being the first HD Mainline Pokémon game I think people were a little bit more forgiving when it first came out but with things like hiding an accessibility option like changing the audio settings being hidden behind an item you have to find in game it's not surprising that as time has gone on people have looked at this game less favorably next up we've got Ultra sun and Ultra Moon basically the DLC games before they actually started doing real DLC for Pokémon these are essentially more complete versions of sun and moon and realistically if you're only going to be buying one you might as well go for one of the ultra variants because the games are quite similar in a lot of ways which shouldn't be entirely surprising given the fact that it's just the same names with ultra in front they're already good games but it has to be said that these passed a lot of people by because we'd only just had sun and moon so there wasn't really a lot of incentive to go for this Ultra version later on next up it's it's appropriate we've got the standard sun and moon it may be lacking certain features from the ultra variant but these are still two excellent Games should I already call it two games it's basically one game with two versions this was the first game in the series and I'm always going to love it for this to do away with hm moves no instead you can just call Pokémon ride on them and just do the things that you've always wanted to do without taking up one of your precious 24 move slots for your party the setting of Al Lola is great as well it's a really different environment for a Pokémon game and overall just really nice to explore there are also no Gym Battles per se at least not in the traditional sense and I thought that was going to be the end of it as well but then they brought them right back in sword and shield so shows what I know good Pokémon games good Pokémon games next up we have the original Diamond and Pearl which will always have a special place in my heart as I think the Pokémon game that I have played technically the most admittedly I think a good 200 hours of that was just me riding my bike up and down to hatch eggs but you know it counts the Overworld and the environment may look a little bit shunky by modern standards but the 2D artwork still shines beautifully this was also the first time we got the global trade station which for ages was really good and nowadays is just people asking from you for their digler but even then the idea that you could trade Pokémon over the internet was frankly just baffling to my child eyes I was so besotted with diamond and P that I actually imported my copy early from North America because it was released earlier there so I was the first person in my school to have a copy of diamond and that made me about as popular as you might expect a great generation for Pokémon and one that I think overall has actually aged quite well even if initially it wasn't as well received next up we're ditching the 2D Al together we've gone into Pokémon X and Y these were contentious games when they came out but I think they've aged fairly well visually they're lacking a little bit in certain areas there suddenly not pushing the 3DS as far as later Pokémon games but even then still pretty good to have those battles in 3D for the first time was well whilst it wasn't entirely mind-blowing it was very very nice the story line is pretty typical for Pokémon and the fact that you've got like eight different Rivals that's an exaggeration it's not as many as eight does make the game feel a little bit cluttered and a little bit disperate and spread out but one thing that it will always be revered for is the introduction of Mega revolutions and you know you know game freak have been chasing that kind of clout since and have never achieved it although personally I actually quite liked Dynamite maxing but I know I'm in the minority Mega revolutions are broken seriously overpowered things that basically turn already ridiculously powerful Pokémon into even more ridiculously overpowered Pokémon with a few exceptions I am so pleased that Beedrill finally got a use slight tangent but I'm really disappointed they've never come back to this because there are so many Pokémon that are really cool and have the potential to be actually usable in these games but they aren't and a mega Revolution is the solution to that and they're just not doing it also make Mega Revolution take a turn you shouldn't be able to get a move in after that as well it's broken moving on the GBA Classics yes it's Pokémon rubby and Sapphire I grew up with these I grew up with all these games what am I talking about it's contentious I know but personally I don't think we've seen a glow up for Pokémon as strong as this going from eight bit particularly if you were using an original Game Boy as opposed to a Game Boy Color all the way to this this massive color in front of your face on a terribly poorly lit screen cuz it wasn't lit it was incredible it was a massive breath of fresh air and it also brought in the running shoes which C why did it take so long I actually had a dream the other day that the running shoes were in red and blue it's just no one found them and you just had to hold be it it it's not real though Ruby and Sapphire was also the first time we got double battles at last and whilst they don't come up all the time these days it's still a nice different way to play the game and certainly compared to other battle modes like triple battles and things like that it stood the test of time and people are still doing them to this day next up it's the originals if you discount red and green it's Pokémon red and blue this is where it all began and frankly they still kind of stand up today the games have aged don't get me wrong but at the same time they also haven't in certain very remarkable ways it was a pair of games very ahead of their time and whilst we did have similar games out there none of them managed to capture the imaginations of everyone everywhere like Pokémon red and blue it was a phenomenon which we'll probably never see again well we will but it'll be fortnite won't it the fact that you could get a game like this running on something as pitifully powered as a Game Boy was incredible the trading system the entire idea of having two different versions to encourage you to trade between and now realistically these days feels like it's a relic of the past they should stop it all started here and okay they haven't aged as gracefully as some of the other games but you can still go back to them and there is still that classic sort of growing pains charm to the whole thing I love these games I am always up for giving them another run just edging ahead we have yellow now it's no surprise that this is rated slightly higher than red and blue because it's basically a slightly better version of those games the gimmick of this version is that you run around with a Pikachu running behind you every step of the way and that's largely it I mean it's not it's not entirely it it's much more closely based on the anime than it is the original games which did have their own manga series actually and I read that first I'm that person your Pikachu has moods can bond with you and although it's very basic compared to what we get in later games it is still kind of fun and Charming I mean it's no Pokémon Pikachu but still and most importantly it introduced the world to this bit crushed nonsense take it away Pikachu music to my ears wowers trousers we're about halfway through now so so uh maybe take this opportunity to have a little break you can come back here look at the time stamp it it it's simple you can just do that or you can stick around and just binge the lot that's good as well moving on we've got the first Pokémon game I ever reviewed Amiga Ruby and Alpha Sapphire a faithful Recreation of the original Ruby and Sapphire but with all the bells and whistles that you'd expect from something like oh I don't know X and Y cuz that was the generation it was from like every good Pokémon remake it took the originals I managed to bring them up to date and make them feel really fresh and if you'd never played The Originals before like a brand new game it may only tease the Battlefront here and indeed it may have too much water but we also get new Mega revolutions some of the best quality of life features we've ever had and a genuinely cinematic experience for something that's stuck on the 3DS also big props to Soaring I know it's slower than flying but honestly soaring it's just too much fun it's it's just too much [Music] fun next up we have fire red and leaf green and for many people this is where it ends this is all they care about taking those classic original games and just simply making them better versions of themselves again it's a Pokémon remake in the most obvious sense but it works so so well growing up I never had either of these but I always wanted leaf green because I was like it must be different because it's green being an idiot and not knowing that it you know it's based on the Japanese editions I've seen a few people online saying that we need like modern remakes of red and blue and frankly I don't think we do because these do everything that I want them to do I think bringing it too far forward would deviate Too Much from the feel of the original games this just feels like kind of like the Super Nintendo version of the Nez version of The Originals it's just it's just better it's super Mario All Star but with Pokémon moving on we have black and white now I missed out on black and white growing up because I didn't like some of the designs of the Pokémon and everyone around me had them on our four cards and I sort of felt a bit funny about that but many years later I did pick up a copy of white and it turned out to be a a dud version it was a it it was a fake and then I bought a proper version and I loved it this was a big step up in terms of the narrative for Pokémon and also just being being quite bold like you play the main game there are none of the classic Pokémon around it's all brand new ones and at first I thought that's terrible and then I realized I tend to just play the new games with all new Pokémon anyway so it makes no difference and it's a great game anyway and you know what I'm over cling clang I'm almost over cling clang these games are seriously pushing the DS just about as far as it could go and then trying to squeeze a little bit extra out of them at the same time truly impressive for hardware and truly impressive games next up and this speaks volumes to me we've got Pokémon Legends archus it's the only modern game on this list in the top 10 some people may argue that this isn't a Mainline game but to them I say game freak confirmed it themselves as did the Pokémon company according to them it's Mainline so it's Mainline they flipping made it this shattered my expectations I was a little bit nervous going in the idea of an open world Pokémon or kind of large open space it's not technically open world but still sounded really cool on the face of it but I was a little bit worried about performance and visuals and things like that and whilst it's not anything out of this world the gameplay makes up for it it takes the Pokémon formula and makes it interesting and different again yeah you're catching God knows how many of the same Pokemon over and over again but that's what you end up doing in the main games anyway and this kind of cuts out the chaff and it makes you actually a feature in the game your player character is is actually present rather than just being a conduit to the Pokémon if a Pokémon attacks you you take damage not your Pokémon they don't come out straight away you've got to choose to do it thank you can we have more of this please to be a bit more succinct I love this game it really is the best Pokémon experience I've had in probably 10 years and I really can't believe they dropped the ball as much as they did with scarleton Violet after this absolute Banger next up we're deep into the good stuff now it's Crystal Crystal managed to supersede Pokémon Yellow by being almost I mean it's not an entirely new game but it feels so much more substantial and so much more of an upgrade compared to something like yellow still love yellow don't get me wrong but crystal is something else it was harder than the previous two games it allowed you to play as a female character for the first time in the series which was a bit overdue but more importantly than anything else it lent into the idea of mystery more I feel than any other game since you've got the unknown and all their mystery you've got suun and all of its suuny bits that intro animation lives rentree in my head and speaking of Animation this is the first time that the Pokémon were properly animated on a large scale and it's not super impressive by modern standards but at the time this was a little bit a little bit jawdropping like it sounds pathetic to say now but it was kind of jawdropping what do you mean the Pokémon can move more importantly this stands as The Only Game Boy Color exclusive Ive Pokémon game that has ever been released it doesn't work on the original systems if you try you'll just have a sad time next up we've got gold and silver much to my surprise the people have put these above Crystal but fair enough I grew up with these ones as well and my great goggly goodness these are some good video games right here gold and silver in a way felt like games that shouldn't exist it was incredible already that Pokémon red and blue would work on an original game boy let alone these absolute monsters that included the entirety of Kanto as well as the new region jotto it was just Unthinkable okay K was a bit stripped back but it's still impressive these are the games where game freak really hit their stride and really knew what they were doing and it paid off in Spades these games are just to die for you've got time of day systems you can transfer your Pokémon from red and blue to this game and you can get a Croc many people think that the series peaked with these two games and whilst I don't necessarily agree with that I can entirely see why they think that and I respect that opinion thoroughly from one pair of games that seemingly shouldn't exist on the platform we've got Black and White 2 which good God you remember how I said how black and white were really pushing the DS to its limits and Beyond what a fool I was I knew this was coming I just thought it' be funny the only direct sequels that are actually numbered in Pokémon's history Black 2 and White 2 are excellent sequels at that again I do feel they suffer from the same sort of problem that Ultra sun and Ultra Moon did where some people just kind of brushed them off as just kind of a sort of sparkly versions of the previous game and didn't bother what a treat they missed out on these games pushed the narrative Evolution from black and white even further by well being a direct Sequel and carrying on that story from black and white and just as importantly in some ways feels like pure fan service but you know the kind of good fan service where potentially good the big standout for me which is dripping with fanservicey goodness is the Pokémon World tournament and if you can think of a character like a gym leader or an Elite Form member from a previous game you could well end up fighting them here I don't think they're all here but it feels like they are given how critically acclaimed these games are it kind of surprises me that they've never tried to do the direct sequel thing again but it may be a sales thing Unfortunately they didn't sell as well and just over half the units of Pokémon black and white but it was also released just before the 3DS come on give it a shot game freak do a sequel next up you lot have chosen it it's Pokémon Emerald I understand why they don't do them anymore but why don't they do these like special versions anymore they were always the best there was always so much passion put into them or at least there was largely a lot of passion put into them like Pokémon Emerald whereas Ruby and Sapphire focused on Groudon and Kyogre this time around we're looking at you Rayquaza he's on the box it's to be expected but I think the big reason this is held in such high esteem by the lovely Nintendo life people is because of one thing and one thing alone the Battle Frontier this was essentially a condensed little Pokémon game all on its own Island and was brutally Tough by Pokémon standards like I'm not sure much has come close except maybe Pokémon Stadium but we're not talking about that people have been lamenting the lack of anything similar in recent years for as long as there hasn't been one and to be brutally honest I can see why it's a great addition and Frank ly Pokémon needs more post game it needs more post game like this next up you voted for it it's Platinum it's the special edition of Diamond and Pearl and it is frankly excellent my brother had this one when I was growing up and you know what I was always furious with him because it was clear how much better it is than Diamond and Pearl okay the differences aren't that St but this is easily just like a better version of diamond and pearl one thing I always remember is that it just seems to I I I I haven't actually started recording yet but I seem to remember doesn't it just like run faster like diamond and pearl were glacial by comparison not only that but it's also more challenging and if you know anything about me you know I long for some challenge in my Pokémon games and the stuff with gutina is just you know it's just flat out kind of cool I know Pokemon story lines aren't exactly like high art or anything like that but there's something about gutina maybe it's cuz it was kind of a little bit Shadow the Hedgehog Edge esque uh I don't know I quite like it I like gutina more than than Shadow the Hedgehog and finally you chose it at number one it's heart gold and Soul Silver and I am so proud of you all for selecting this one these for me kind of encapsulate everything that I love about Pokémon a great varied Pokedex pushing a system to its limits rewriting an already familiar story and yet making it better being gold and silver essentially I played this game to a ridiculous degree I remember walking into the nearby town when I was in college that's not University it's basically late school and I remember going out of my way to go to the local game and pick up a coffee and then sitting down in a cafe and ordering like one cup of tea for 3 hours and just sitting there and playing this game and just being absolutely enthralled by it on my original clunky silver DS fat ask me on a different day I may give you a different answer but right now I have to agree with the list hard gold and cell silver are the best they even int UC the Poke Walker which was yes it was a gimmick but it was like the best kind of gimmick it was fun you could take your Pokémon out you could put it in a little device walk around with it it encouraged you to walk I think I did an awful lot of walking with that poke Walker it just worked it was the Pokémon Pikachu but it made sense at last oh my God my venomoth's still here these games are like lightning in a bottle they're encapsulated you can't really remake gold and silver again and have them be as excellent as this I just don't think it's possible please prove me wrong please prove me wrong but these just came out at just the right time they were just what everyone was hankering for they were based on two of the best Pokémon games ever released and they are absolutely superb and there you have it that is every single Pokemon Mainline game that has ever been released ranked by you lovely people once again ranked by you don't blame us it's you you did this to yourself do you agree with the community are you furious with us that we considered Pokémon moon to be the same game as Pokémon Moon let us know with a comment down below thank you so much for watching if you like this video and why don't you uh take a peek at that subscribe button nobody's ever made that joke before and be sure to check out nintendolife.com for all sorts of lovely Nintendo related content thank you again for watching bye-bye [Music] I I want to keep the Pokemon Pikachu here for the video but it's loud

Channel: Nintendo Life

Views: 198,922

Keywords: Nintendo Life, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Switch, Nintendo UK, Alex, pokemon, best pokemon games, pokemon games best to worst, every pokemon games, how many pokemon games, mainline pokemon games

Id: RLc1VHm8D80

Length: 23min 6sec (1386 seconds)

Published: Sat May 11 2024