GBA, DS, 3DS, Switch, and my goddamn phone
Posted: 2024-05-12
So recently I’ve fallen back in love with pokemon, so I’ve been playing a little bit of every generation. sometimes i think the only reason i play so many other rpgs is so that i can the experience of going back to pokemon feels that much better It’s a comfort series and lately I’ve been experiencing more stress than usual (don’t worry, nothing bad is happening, I’m just getting served extra helpings of the usual stuff i normally deal with (^u^’)7 scratch that, my boss is stupid as hell and he’s thinking about sacking half my team (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻). I’ve decided to do some rapid fire reviews for the entire mainline games.
Gen I
I stand by my original assessment. An interesting novelty regarding mechanics, but not the best way to play Kanto these days. Including this one, there are at least 5 different versions of Kanto for players to enjoy. ¯\_(σ ‸ σ)_/¯
Gen II
I got a soft spot for this one. I don’t know why the tech in the gbc keeps surprising me but it does. Gen II is a better representative for a retro pokemon experience. Crystal is a standout game among them and I’m sad I dont own a copy. Getting constantly interrupted by phone calls from npcs is a lil irritating, but the day/night cycle, music, and double region generally makes up for this.
Gen III
Literally the first game i ever owned was Sapphire, and easily the game I’ve plugged the most hours into. (I still own my original copy. ) This gen has the gold standard for post game legendary catching experience. Decoding braille and solving riddles is exactly how tracking legendaries should go. Unfourtunately, this gen is mired by several design issues that will be fixed in later gens. I forgot how tedious and mean completing the pokedex in tolder pokemon games were. The FRLG remakes were my intro to Kanto, and it’s a decent way to experience the region.
Gen IV
My personal favourite. (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ) Best music. Gorgeous visuals. This gen also includes HGSS remakes, which are the best way to play Kanto/Johto imo. The downside is that this gen has one of, if not, the slowest HP bars of any gen. (Fun fact: The guy who made that video is a co-worker :3) To this day Cynthia remains the toughest and most iconic Champion in the series.
Gen V
The consensus among pokemon fans is that these games are the strongest of the series. I don’t disagree. Frankly, I’m blown away that this gen was released to the DS and not 3DS. This gen really pushed the DS hardware, and showcases some of the best art and music of the series. Changing the low HP alarm to it’s own song was a genius move. The character N has a truly haunting backstory and arc that remains memorable to this day.
Gen VI
The switch to 3D was not kind to pokemon. I’ve mentioned the logistical nightmare of modelling, rigging, and animating hundreds of mons, and XY is no exception. If I had to describe this game in one word, it’s “lukewarm”. ¯\_(σ ‸ σ)_/¯ However, this gen did introduce the Pokemon-Amie. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° This is easily the best interactivity minigame of all gens. Fascinatiung that they nailed that first try lmao. This on it’s own makes XY a fun game to revisit. This gen also includes ORAS, the best of the remakes. Dividing the pokedex by route revolutionized the experience of catching mons.
Gen VII
I am a Sun/Moon defender. This one is the best of the 3D pokemon games imo. (im not counting the colosseum/stadium spinoffs, sue me ¯\_(σ ‸ σ)_/¯) The environments are gorgeous and the removal of HMs is a welcome change. This gen has what is easily the most chilling plot. Lusamine’s decent into madness is creepy as hell. The way Lusamine treats Lillie and Gladion is super uncomfortable. Her battle theme is already unsettling, and then the music changes after she does something truly fucked up. *spoiler* in the thumbnail. I dont like catching legendaries in the postgame for Ultra. It feels like a slot machine with more steps :/ I don’t own LGPE. I already own 4 different versions of Kanto. I don’t need a 5th. "=3=
Gen VIII
Galar is a solid region. Best gym music by far. I dislike that a lot of the postgame largely takes place in the Wild Area, especially when the rest of the region is visually amazing. The cinematography and framing in this game looks better in handheld mode. Pretty sure this game was originally developed for the 3DS which would explain that. The other major issue is that SWSH is not properly optimized for the Switch, which retroactively isnt so bad bc SV is so dogshit. I regret ever saying anything bad about the Wild Area. The Wild Area is generally more stable than SV, and clearly has more structure. I didn’t realize how important is it that humans pick sensible spawn points.
Legends Arceus has amazing gameplay but is otherwise so bare bones I cannot comfortably justify the full AAA price tag. My favourite region got a remake in this gen. I don’t own BDSP and I don’t plan to anytime soon. Look what they did to my boy!
Gen IX
Playing this gen makes me sad. Even without comparing to SWSH, this game is unbelievably buggy. The last time i played, my picnic table failed to render two days in a row. SV lacks the scenery of previous games so its not even a fun region to hang out in. The only unambiguously positive is the music.
Special mention Pokemon GO
AAAA AAAAAAAAAAA. AAAAAAAAAAAA A A AAA A AAAAAA A AAAA!!! i knew i was cooked when i started looking up pokemon availability charts ʘ‿ʘ