Here is my ranking of the main games in the Pokémon series. Enjoy.
Note: I have not played Black 2/White 2 or FireRed/LeafGreen, so they will default on the bottom of the list until I play them. I would predict that Black 2 would sit right above Black from what I've heard, maybe above Diamond, and that FireRed would sit above Ruby. I really have no idea though.
Wow Pokémon Sun. I did not expect this. GameFreak really did it right this time. Beside the kinda dumb new Pokémon, this game is pretty dang fantastic. Many of the minor gameplay flaws that were stuck in Pokémon games up to this point are finally gone: the ride Pokémon making HMs a thing of the past, the computer and other menus being so much more organized and fluid, the integration of full 3D movement and full-scale character models, and even changing out the traditional gyms for interesting new trials. Things just work so well in this game that I can forgive the dumb-looking riding suits you wear while on the ride Pokémon and the fact that you can't change what Pokémon you use for your rides. I would love to see alternate Pokémon for the ride pager, like Rhyhorn instead of Mudsdale, but it's still awesome. Fantastic game! 10/10
Ok, I don't know how anyone else felt about this game, but I thought it was great. Although it still has some of the archaic structure of traditional Pokémon games, I can forgive them a lot because it IS a remake of one. I always enjoyed the feel and atmosphere of Sapphire and even the Pokédex (Gen III is probably ranked at #2 for me), so to see it with a fresh coat of paint with some of the gameplay features that HAVE improved since the GBA, I can appreciate this game a lot. This game finally utilizes the bottom screen well by putting your map there and allowing you to simply tap on it to fly places, which is a major thing for me. The semi-chibi look for the character sprites is ok for me in this game as well, mostly because it is a remake of a GBA game and it almost fits it better than full-scale sprites would. I don't know, I just really found myself enjoying this game a ton and found it to be full of things to do, even after beating it. 9.5/10
While I do consider Gold to be better than Sapphire, I think its remake is a little less solid than the latter's. Until Alpha Sapphire was released, this was my favorite Pokémon game. It integrated the great feel of one of the best games in the series into new gameplay. Yes, the 3D buildings combined with the 2D sprites are awkward and look kinda bad, but this game made some minor changes to the core gameplay of Diamond that I thought were particularly good, such as the permanent running shoes and the fact that the game allowed you to have a Pokémon following you. I'm honestly kinda sad that both these features were immediately taken out just one game later. I think this game is quite solid overall. 9/10
Includes Crystal. Gold version is the first Pokémon game I REALLY remember playing. I did have Blue as well, but I was so little that I didn't really have the concept down. The atmosphere of this game is so fantastic, and the gameplay improvements over the slow, clunky Blue version, along with the game time that is probably double that of its predecessor made this game so fantastic. Even though the Pokédex wasn't as strong as the first 150 (none are), it still brought a lot of neat Pokémon to the table. It does integrate many of the Gen I Pokémon anyway. Gold is the best of the classic games (Gen I-III). 9/10
Includes Emerald. While Gold was the first game I really remember, Sapphire is the first one I remember getting and being really excited about. Being a little older, I guess I had more cognitive thought or something. I have always loved the feel of Gen III, I have no idea why, but I have. Honestly, I didn't even come close to beating this game for a LONG time. I was still a little too young and inexperienced when this came out, so I chose Treecko, purely based upon how cool I thought he looked, only to find that he is AWFUL. I got stuck on the third gym, and by the time I was old enough to know what NOT to do in a Pokémon game, Diamond was out and I was playing that. Years later, I came back and found that I didn't just love the Pokémon in the game, but the game itself. Very strange indeed. Also, running shoes. 8.5/10
What!? Y before Blue!? Yes, but bear with me. I had a fair number of issues with both Y and Blue versions, so it was actually a difficult process to decide which would reign supreme. Y obviously won out. My biggest issue with Y is its lack of innovation. Yes it looks different from the DS games (better, kinda), but it feels about the same. Y feels a little stuck in the past and unsure of itself. In a way, Sun feels like what Y should have been. Yes, Yveltal and Xerneas are super freaking cool, and really strong to boot, but that really doesn't necessarily cut it. I'm not saying it wasn't fun... it was. Y was just a little formulaic and felt like almost nothing new, but it was better than its two non-remake predecessors, so I think that's where it gets its bonus. It's also easy to get lost in the main hub city. Yes, Lumiose is a nightmare. But Gogoat. The addition of Mega Evolution was a huge bonus though. This is perhaps the only place where this game REALLY shines. It's a neat feature that Alpha Sapphire was able to take and run with. Y also has a fair amount to do after beating the game, which is a bonus. 8/10
Includes Yellow. Now, I know, my review of Y seemed dismal, but I did still give it an 8/10! Yes Red and Blue have the best Pokédex (obviously it has its duds too. Jynx, for example), everyone knows that. The music is classic, it has Pikachu, it has lots of tie in to the original anime that everyone in my generation remembers fondly for some reason (yes, the Pokémon anime sucks and has always sucked), and it brings about a ton of nostalgia, but this game is REALLY, I mean REALLY hard for me to go back to. Nostalgia does not a good thing make. Basically, if your only argument for a game being good is that it's the original or it makes you feel nostalgic, then that is a terrible argument. No, nostalgia is not all Pokémon Red and Blue have going for them. Notice that this game is not on the bottom of the list. It is; however, what I would consider to be the worst of the best, so to speak. Blue version is good, no doubt. It introduced us to the core gameplay of Pokémon that is still used today and it DOES have the fantastic set of Pokémon themselves. My biggest qualm with Pokémon Blue is that it is SO slow. Menus are horrid, walking is a turtle's pace, and figuring out where to go and what to do is sometimes quite the puzzle if you don't already know. I recently got both Red and Blue on the Virtual Console for 3DS, thinking I would just play through both and use one to move Pokémon to Sun, but that's gonna be a chore. Look, I love this game and all (mostly in concept), but please don't make me go back. Also, the sprites are UGLY and dumb-looking (unless you're my brother, then they're the best things ever). Blue DOES have Team Rocket, and Team Rocket is the best evil team in any Pokémon game. That's mostly due to the fact that they're just basically the mafia and that's it. No weird destroy the earth and all Pokémon plot. They're just scumbags and thugs. I mean, Team Rocket IS in Gold too, but hey, they were conceived in Blue. 7.75/10
Includes Platinum. Ok... now we're to the bad ones. First things first, the Pokédex in Diamond is the WORST. Ok. Now we've got THAT out of the way. Diamond was technically the first Pokémon game I beat (maybe?), so at the time of its release I thought very highly of it. Looking back (and playing better games), it's easy to see that I was obviously a very messed up child. Fine, I won't be that harsh. Aside from the bad Pokédex, Diamond had serious issues. First issue: it was actually worse than the previous title. What? How? You're supposed to improve! Oh well, I guess it happens. Diamond seriously took steps back from Sapphire. Not only did it look worse (2D sprites + bad 3D buildings + muddy textures = Pokémon Diamond), but it was a jumbled mess of, "Wait, where am I supposed to go? Also, why am I in Mt. Coronet again? What is going on!?" You see, I thought that level of confusion was normal in a Pokémon game... then I played HeartGold... oh... Did I mention that the Pokémon in this game are DUMB? Ok, Lucario is cool, but seriously, they're all really stupid. I think over half of them are either babies or evolutions of previously existing Pokémon too. Blech! Man, this game sucks! Next! 6.5/10
Oh dear... this game... can I not? Just when you think Diamond is bad... I do have to give credit where it's due, so I figure I'll do that first. The Pokémon in Black and White are slightly less dumb than in Diamond, but I think that's because there are so many of them, so I guess you're bound to have good ones in there somewhere. I mean, there's Tepig. Yep, Tepig is about the only good thing I have to say about this game. Ok, that's not true. The gimmick in this game is slightly cool. The black legendary is in the white game and the white legendary is in the black game... get it? Its clever. You know, because black and white... you know what? Forget it. Team Plasma is real dumb. Why are they knights? Why do they have a king? Can we go back to Team Rocket now? Ugh... The gameplay even takes a step back from HeartGold. Just stop now... Also, Garbodor... freaking Garbodor... WHY!? I just can't... 5/10
Have not played.
Have not played.
