What's the best Pokémon game?

[HarveyBirdman]

I played the Emerald one on a GBA emuator and enjoyed it with the full intention of completing it but then I lost all my save states about 1/4 of the way in. I had never played that far into any other Pokemon game. That I wanted to finish it is my official endorsement of it.

What makes it so good? The story generally seems alright, but... man, those edgy starter pokemon are a huge turn off.

 

[Delterius]

the one with mew and a truck

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I played the Emerald one on a GBA emuator and enjoyed it with the full intention of completing it but then I lost all my save states about 1/4 of the way in. I had never played that far into any other Pokemon game. That I wanted to finish it is my official endorsement of it.

What makes it so good? The story generally seems alright, but... man, those edgy starter pokemon are a huge turn off.

I dunno, dude. It's been sooo many years. But I think I liked it despite the lame monsters because it took me back to my childhood out on the schoolyard and facing other kids with bulging, rubber-banded collections of Topps cards and flip-matching them. Sure, these games are completely retarded if you're an adult, but... they take us back. To happy times... sometimes happier times... like a beautiful snow sled named "Rosebud" that isn't given to the fire.

 

[HarveyBirdman]

For ingame content? FireRed/LeafGreen, HeartGold/SoulSilver (though since you played the originals the need to play the remakes is greatly diminished)... For improvement hacks there's plenty of full Pokedex (which tend to be interchangeable)/difficulty mods (which can vary wildly in quality). For original content romhacks that don't suck, I recommend Vega (early game and endgame are pretty poorly balanced in difficulty though, so Vega Minus might be worth a look but it nerfs a tough but largely fair mid-game too) Orange (for Crystal by piacarrot) and Gaia.

Black and White and their sequels are good, but not great. X/Y and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are OK, but underwhelming. Diamond and Pearl are easily the worst, with horrible world design (requires a ton of HMs to get anywhere, constant backtracking, and repetitive encounters) and poor battle design (low Pokemon availability, uninteresting bosses) on top of being horribly slow.

and also...

If you enjoy rebalancing mods or hardtypes that don't alter too much of the original game, I strongly recommend Pokemon Pyrite. It is a romhack of Crystal. Some modifications I appreciated: unable to use healing items during battle, gym badges lock Pokemon at a certain experience level so you can't overlevel by grinding, trainer ai is improved (HarveyBirdman ), and 'set' battle style is locked. While far more difficult than the original, it's nowhere near the brutal kaizo games.

This is the best Pokemon game I've played :D
- https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=350926

• Just fired up a vanilla Crystal ROM and beat the Elite 4 in an evening (sped up). Then I dicked around in the gimped Kanto for a while before my emulator fucked up my save. I really enjoy this region, and especially like the number/quality of pokemon. But I can't get over how easy the gameplay was... I'll come back to this in a bit.

• Next, I tried an Emerald ROM, but quickly got annoyed with the overabundance of water. Also, the pokemon designs were very lackluster. I found myself wishing I could go back to the Gen II group of pokemon, and stopped playing.

• Looked into the later generations, and honestly the graphics really bother me on a visceral level, but I guess I could get over it. One thing I do like ABOUT GEN IV+ at least on paper, Is the introduction of type splitting; it seems entirely necessary.

SO! Based off what you two have said and my own experience, I want to do either Crystal (again) or HGSS, but only with the right mods (or is ROM hack the proper term?).
Things I really want in order of importance:

• Improved AI --> All the trainers are idiots. I want them to battle as close to as well as a real human would.
• Trainers with more pokemon --> Why am I the only guy running around with a full party? Why does anybody who has more than 3 pokemon have a bunch of under-leveled fodder? This should not be!
• Improved Kanto --> Kanto in vanilla Crystal got shafted. I'd love to see it fleshed out so it more closely resembles the quantity of content in Gen I.
• Full Pokedex --> I'd like to naturally be able to find every pokemon in Gen II in the wild.
• 7th slot for non-combat HM slave pokemon --> I don't know if this is even possible, but if there's a way I could have a 7th pokemon that can't enter battle, but that can soak up four HMs, I would be very happy.
• More content --> Bringing in new locations, trainers, puzzles, and so forth would be awesome.

deuxhero, could you tell me a bit more about how Vega and Vega Minus affect balancing? Any more suggestions for things that fit what I'm looking for?

Twizman, is Pyrite modular, i.e. can I turn off things i don't like, such as no gym badges locking pokemon levels? Also, same question: any more suggestions for things that fit what I'm looking for?

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

Improved AI --> All the trainers are idiots. I want them to battle as close to as well as a real human would.

Later games in the series have noticeably improved AI. If you can get over the translation and art-style shift (I totally get what you meant with it bothering you), it sounds like HGSS is your jam.

 

[lightbane]

Here's the pokemon fangame I mentioned:

https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=351035

7th slot for non-combat HM slave pokemon --> I don't know if this is even possible, but if there's a way I could have a 7th pokemon that can't enter battle, but that can soak up four HMs, I would be very happy.

Sun and Moon do something like that. Some fangames have items that do equivalent functions, but usually they're the bad games (Reborn, Uranium and so on).

 

[Werdna's Revenge]

Original Gold/Silver or bust. Series peaked there and only got worse since.

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

Original Gold/Silver or bust. Series peaked there and only got worse since.

I actually like how Crystal was different without being a faggy anime tie-in. But other than that, yeah, pretty much.

 

[glass blackbird]

I think the hardest pokemon game is generally considered to be Platinum, but it also has endless shitty dialog so I guess pick your fuckin poison there

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

I think the hardest pokemon game is generally considered to be Platinum, but it also has endless shitty dialog so I guess pick your fuckin poison there

According to Nob Ogasowara, he may have been partially to blame for that. Apparently, he triggered somebody at Gamefreak when he casually pointed out (while translating Diamond and Pearl for American audiences) that Team Galactic's entire motivational arc made no fucking sense. Platinum was the last game they hired him for, funny enough.

 

[deuxhero]

Vega has some bullshit (even if you pick the fire starter the first bug leader requires luck or grinding to beat) and some late bosses have movesets that are impossible. Vega Minus goes full casual (explicitly) and makes some obtuse (guy wants a fossil, you have to go back to a random NPC you met to get one) things needed for progression clearer. Pick your poison.

Fire Red Omega is pretty good if all you want is difficulty and full Pokedex. The only thing missing is the other starters and fossil, but I may have missed those. Only new shit is a extra dungeon for quick leveling and all the formerly missing legendary Pokemon.

As for expanding Kanto, I know of no romhack that does that beyond reinserting Mewtwo's dungeon. HeartGold / SoulSilver do restore some parts of Kanto, most prominently Vermillion Forest and the Seafoam Islands (Safari Zone is used for transfering from GBA games, which is likely useless for you though it IS emulated)

I think the hardest pokemon game is generally considered to be Platinum, but it also has endless shitty dialog so I guess pick your fuckin poison there

XD and Colosseum tend to be harder. The more complicated nature of doubles battles combined with enemies having actual strategies makes even some minor enemies a threat. The evil teams also don't have the same 4 Pokemon over and over again.

 

[Nathir]

I actually played Pokemon Sun on Citra recently, after not playing a Pokemon game for the longest time. It was unbelievably bad.

Piss easy. You got exp share at start which now somehow works on all your pokemon, not just one. So you are leveling up really fast, while the rest of the trainers have really low lvl Pokemans. And they all have like 1 or 2 Pokemon each till the end. Elite four have 5/6 and the only one to have 6/6 is Kukui. Disgusting. Trash anime story mode. Why the fuck am I getting interrupted with cinematics every 20 min, just to listen to anime children talk about the most retarded stuff? The characters are all lame. The story has no point and is boring. Impossible to explore or go your own way. Everytime you try you just get blocked by a random kid riding a Tauros and doing some unimportant shit and saying you can't cross after he's done. Bitch, it's a public road. Move out of the way, or I'll battle you. Game is just so boring and sterile.

Don't like most of the new Pokemon too. The best designs were in gen 3 imo. The best game for me is Yellow.

 

[deuxhero]

Why would you play Sun? Ultra Sun is a straight improvement.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

Original Gold/Silver or bust. Series peaked there and only got worse since.

Nah. They made a lot of improvements to the mechanics in the 3rd generation (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Fire Red/Leaf Green) and to the 4th one as well (Pearl/Diamond/Platinum/Heart Gold/Soul Silver).
And the campaign of those games are pretty good as well.
The series only started to decline with the 5th generation.

 

[retinoid]

Fire Red/Leaf Green and Heart Gold/Souls Silver.

They had just the right amount of Pokemon without being overwhelming and the designs weren't completely fucking retarded straight line glossy bubblegum garbage.

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

They made a lot of improvements to the mechanics in the 3rd generation (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Fire Red/Leaf Green)...

How so?

 

[Twizman]

HarveyBirdman If I recall no it's not modular. The gym badges locking Pokemon levels didn't have much impact on my run though, you should only max levels if you overgrind.
Pyrite mod delivers trainers with more Pokemon, and the AI is better. There are more trainers and some new puzzles. In terms of Kanto it wasn't as interesting as the first world for me, just felt like a gym grindathon like the original, still good though.

 

[deuxhero]

They made a lot of improvements to the mechanics in the 3rd generation (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Fire Red/Leaf Green)...

How so?

Gen 1's code is a fucking mess and, to maintain backward compatibility with it, Gen 2 has only minimal changes. Gen 3 is allowed to scrap all the old shit and start from scratch. Aside from the many under the hood changes you'll only notice in competitive play, abilities are the most prominent. Even otherwise garbage Pokemon can be good with the right ability. While this is best shown off in Gen 5, where Politoad and Ninetales became the most used Pokemon due to getting good abilities, there's plenty of examples in gen 3. Gen 3 also made movepools much broader and introduced better support move variety.

 

[lightbane]

IF you think pokemon hacks are bad, I insist you should check Reborn. It makes Dwarf Fortress and Caves of Qud look good in comparison and is more bloated than these two. There's a LP here in the SA forums for those interested: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856521

There's also a Pokemon Diamond in the LP archive freshly uploaded with fuckton of interesting trivia and information about the game's mechanics.

What I wonder though is whether Pokemon Contest is worth a play. Is it any good?

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

There's a LP here in the SA forums for those interested: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856521

Why would you link anybody to Something Awful in Year 2019 AD?

They made a lot of improvements to the mechanics in the 3rd generation (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Fire Red/Leaf Green)...

How so?

Gen 1's code is a fucking mess and, to maintain backward compatibility with it, Gen 2 has only minimal changes. Gen 3 is allowed to scrap all the old shit and start from scratch. Aside from the many under the hood changes you'll only notice in competitive play, abilities are the most prominent. Even otherwise garbage Pokemon can be good with the right ability. While this is best shown off in Gen 5, where Politoad and Ninetales became the most used Pokemon due to getting good abilities, there's plenty of examples in gen 3. Gen 3 also made movepools much broader and introduced better support move variety.

Interesting. Thank you.

 

[lightbane]

Why would you link anybody to Something Awful in Year 2019 AD?

Jeez, has it got so bad lately? I mean, they were never good, but...

Anyways, I did that because the LP won't be finished until/if Reborn is complete, which may take a while since the developer is one of these women (assuming it's an actual woman to begin with). Either way, it mentions another fangame that for some reason it's not liked, even though it's purposedly edgy and Codex-worthy:
https://reliccastle.com/threads/504/

Spoiler

Game Title: Pokémon Edge Rising

Game Screenshots:
Description:
Experience the dark, horrifying world of the Inferno Region, home to death, darkness, and lots of black and red.
Follow the journey of Fang, a teenage boy who desires revenge, as he uncovers a dark truth in the world and the people around him. Also monologues. A lot of 'em.

Features:
-A deep, well-written plot
-A diverse region
-Extremely complex and thought provoking characters
-25+ Fakemon
-Deep moral choices
-NPCs that say kinda useful stuff sometimes
-Characters portraits
-No TMs or HMs
-Use Alt to speed up your game.

Obviously, it's not too serious, but it seems a funny take.

Interesting. Thank you.

Crosspiece's LPs in the LP Archive tend to delve into the game mecahnics. He has done up to the 3rd generation so far. They're an interesting read.

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

Crosspiece's LPs in the LP Archive tend to delve into the game mecahnics. He has done up to the 3rd generation so far. They're an interesting read.

Oh, believe me: LP Archive is one of the few ways I can stomach SA's LPs. I'll be checking it out, don't you worry.

 

[Vorark]

Do give Perfect Crystal a try.

 

[lightbane]

I've been reading the Reborn LP. Truly, it's a must-see experience, because it does everything wrong it can do and then some, truly something to be aware of if you ever wanted to make your own Pokemon fangame. You know that game is hilariously edgy when another game called "Edge Rising" is actually more reasonable than that trainwreck. What's more, the writing is derived from a server RP thing where all players were apparently actual psychos, had RL problems such as car accidents and custody legal battles and, if that wasn't enough, one of their members commited suicide which was reproduced extremely poorly in the game (the daughter of said player also participated in the RP but left for "some reason", probably related to the fact they made a mockery of his dad's suicide, much to the others' confusion), and then another player died of a fatal illness (which ingame is translated into having said character being brutally cut in half after having her Pokemon thrown into a laval pool because EDGE!). Also, lots of female characters die over and over (even though the writer is a woman).

Of course, the main writer has a patreon account so someone wanted this shit to be a thing.

 

[Goi~Yaas~Dinn]

I've been reading the Reborn LP. Truly, it's a must-see experience, because it does everything wrong it can do and then some, truly something to be aware of if you ever wanted to make your own Pokemon fangame. You know that game is hilariously edgy when another game called "Edge Rising" is actually more reasonable than that trainwreck. What's more, the writing is derived from a server RP thing where all players were apparently actual psychos, had RL problems such as car accidents and custody legal battles and, if that wasn't enough, one of their members commited suicide which was reproduced extremely poorly in the game (the daughter of said player also participated in the RP but left for "some reason" (probably related to the fact they made a mockery of his dad's suicide), much to the others' confusion), and then another player died of a fatal illness (which ingame is translated into having said character being brutally cut in half after having her Pokemon thrown into a laval pool because EDGE!). Also, lots of female characters die over and over (even though the writer is a woman).

Of course, the main writer has a patreon account so someone wanted this shit to be a thing.

...Did you seriously just sperg so hard about Pokemon that you used parentheses inside of another pair of parentheses? I'd rate you "Bad Spelling" if I could, but in lieu of that: do you understand the concept of parenthetical asides? Are you aware that it's incredibly poor form to nest them (because this is the English language and not fucking C++)?