Pokémon is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, and the franchise is set to enter its 10th generation with Winds & Waves next year. Even though Pokémon is on the brink of a new era, there’s more interest than ever in the series’ past, especially with rumors that Ruby & Sapphire will be hitting the Nintendo eShop next week.
The best Pokémon games feel timeless, and many fans even prefer titles like Black & White to modern entries like Scarlet & Violet. From 2D classics to early forays into 3D, these Pokémon titles have aged like fine wine, and they’re even better now than they were when they first released.
Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Are Amazing On the Switch 2
When the Pokémon franchise stopped cross-gen support in the jump to Gen 3, it meant that a lot of Pokémon from the Kanto and Johto suddenly became a lot harder to acquire. This resulted in the earliest remakes in the franchise: Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, which remade the Gen 1 games, using the titling from the Japanese originals, which had Pokémon Green instead of Blue at launch.
Not only did Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen introduce the Dark and Steel-type to the Kanto region for the first time, but they also added a ton of QoL improvements, along with more resources to help new players. The games were added to the Nintendo eShop earlier this year, and the fact that people are flocking to play them shows how well they’ve aged.
Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Are Amazing Remakes
Not all Pokémon remakes need to be straight updates with new graphics. As Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire prove, it’s possible to inject some content from the later games in there to freshen things up. Remakes that haven’t aged as well, like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, failed to add interesting new content.
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Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire not only remade the Hoenn region, but they added Mega Evolutions from Gen 6 into the mix. This made a lot of the enemy trainers in the region a lot more threatening than they were in their original game, especially Champion Steven Stone and his mighty Mega Metagross. T
Pokémon Sun & Moon Are the Best of Gen 7
Pokémon Sun & Moon often take flak for being too simplistic, with a game world consisting of straight lines. Still, there’s a lot to love about the Alola region, with the Ultra Beasts being some of the best additions to the series to date, along with both Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves being a part of Sun and Moon‘s combat system.
More importantly, the Gen 7 games were the last time all Pokémon were present in a single title, so it was the final “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” experience. The only issue with this Gen was Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, as they changed the plot to make the villains way, way less interesting, so they’re not worth checking out.
Pokémon X & Y Were a Leap Forward for the Franchise
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Pokémon X & Y represented the first true jump to 3D for the franchise, and it didn’t disappoint. This was the generation that brought with it Mega Evolutions, which was the single best addition to the combat system in years. Fans were thrilled to see Mega Evolutions return in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and many are hoping that the gimmick will stick around.
The Kalos region might not feel as grand as Galar or Paldea, but Lumiose City is still one of the best locations in the franchise’s history, actually feeling like the kind of massive metropolis that someone can get lost in. If the region featured more enemy trainers with Mega Evolutions, then it might have been one of the best entries in the franchise.
Pokémon Crystal Is One of the Best Game Boy Games
Gen 2 produced some of the best games in the entire Pokémon franchise. Those looking to return to the final Game Boy titles should only look for a single game: Pokémon Crystal. Not only does Pokémon Crystal feature the first playable female character in the series, but it also drastically improved the visuals, including basic animations for every Pokémon.
Pokémon Crystal‘s addition of new story content with Suicine means that players actually have a chance of taking down Red without endless power-leveling. It’s still one of the best Game Boy games, but anyone who goes back to Crystal should try out the Nintendo 3DS version, as it added a way to finally add Celebi without attending an event.
Pokémon Yellow Is Perfect for Pikachu Fans
Pokémon Yellow is a great game for players who don’t want to think too hard about team composition, as the protagonist is just given an awesome Pikachu, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle throughout the story. This means it’s possible to relive Ash Ketchum’s journey in the most refined version of the Gen 1 games available to date.
While some of the best Pokémon games are still waiting for remakes, Pokémon Yellow has been remade in the form of the Let’s Go games. These titles captured many details from the original, like featuring Team Rocket from the anime as recurring foes. Unfortunately, the games also injected some gameplay mechanics from Pokémon Go, making it feel unfamiliar to those who enjoyed the original.
Pokémon Emerald Changed the Series Forever
The Gen 3 remakes on the Nintendo 3DS added a ton of content that arguably improved the gameplay experience. However, it also lost some of the retro magic of the originals. This is where Pokémon Emerald comes in, as it not only improved on Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, but it also brought forward a number of changes from Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen.
Of course, the real reason to play Pokémon Emerald is for the brutally hard Battle Frontier, which was completely absent from the remakes. Those looking for the ultimate challenge will want to venture back to the Hoenn region and tackle the most fearsome enemies in the franchise.
Pokémon Platinum Is the Best Gen 4 Had to Offer
Gen 4 hasn’t always gotten the respect it deserves over the years. Pokémon Diamond & Pearl were unbearably slow and had some of the biggest enemy level jumps in the series, while the remakes barely added any new content to justify their price tag. The main exception (not counting Legends: Arceus, which is a very distant prequel) is Pokémon Platinum.
Not only did Platinum speed up the gameplay and balance the levels out, but it also added new story content, withGiratina in one of the freakiest locations in the series. Fans will need Giratina’s help, as the Elite Four in Platinum is one of the most brutally hard in the franchise, to say nothing of Champion Cynthia, making it all the more satisfying when they’re defeated.
Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 Made Gen 5 Even Better
Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 only made one small choice that made them more interesting than most Pokémon games before them: the titles shook up the wild Pokémon on the routes. This means that Black 2 & White 2 is one of the best entries to use for a Nuzlocke challenge run, as it has such a wide choice of team compositions.
Nuzlockes aside, Black 2 & White 2 are fantastic games in their own right, which are jam-packed with content. They also followed up on the story beats from the previous games, which are amazing in their own right. It’s a shame that The Pokémon Company has skipped Gen 5 remakes, as fans are desperate to see a revived version of the Unova region on Nintendo Switch 2.
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Show Johto and Kanto At Their Best
Gen 2 has some of the best entries in the franchise, but there’s no denying that the return to Kanto is a little underbaked, with the region feeling barren compared to its Gen 1 iteration. Those who want to challenge Red also have a massive amount of boring leveling up to do, even if they bring Legendary ‘Mons to the fight.
Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver improved upon everything from the Gen 2 era, with gorgeous visuals, a new soundtrack, a fleshed-out Kanto region, and more content at every point in the game. There’s a reason these games still command ridiculous prices online, and that’s because no one wants to sell them. Who could bring themselves to sell the ultimate Pokémon games?
