Nintendo Switch Thread - Page 214

All Mainline Pokemon Games, Generations 1-9:
1. R/B/G/Y + FR/LG + LGP/LGE;
2. G/S/C + HG/SS;
3. R/S/E + OR/AS;
4. D/Pe/Pl + BD/SP;
5. B/W + B2/W2;
6. X/Y;
7. S/M + US/UM;
8. Sw/Sh + L:A;
9. S/V + L: Z-A

Pokemon Mainline Games Tier List
S: Gen 8 2nd Round (L:A)
A+: Gen 5 Games (B/W) > Gen 5 Sequels (B2/W2) > Gen 4 Remastered (BD/SP) > Gen 4 Games (D/Pe/Pl)
A: Gen 2 Remastered (HG/SS) > Gen 2 Games (G/S/C)
A-: Gen 1 Remastered 2 (LGP/LGE) > Gen 1 Remastered 1 (FR/LG) > Gen 1 (R/B/G/Y)
B+: Gen 9 1st Round (S/V) > Gen 8 1st Round (Sw/Sh)
B: Gen 3 Remastered (OR/AS) > Gen 3 Games (R/S/E)
B-: Gen 6 Games (X/Y)
C+: Gen 7 Remastered (US/UM) > Gen 7 Games (S/M)
C:
C-:
D:
F:

Games:

Gen 1: Red/Blue/Green/Yellow – Original, straightforward, nostalgia, 151 Pokemon, outdated graphics, gameplay aged decently well, sets the bar with which I’ll be comparing every other Pokemon game

Gen 1 Remastered 1: FireRed/LeafGreen – QoL improvements (running shoes, can delete HM moves), better graphics, some significant neutral Gen 1 retcons (islands, changing Pokemon/types/moves/TMs), probably received better by younger players who don’t have any nostalgia from the original Gen 1 games

Gen 1 Remastered 2: Let’sGoPikachu/Let’sGoEevee – 3D Switch game, not open world, similar to Yellow, visible encounters (not random), weird/neutral Pokemon changes, decent next-gen QoL improvements, you might as well play this modernized/upgraded version of Gen 1 if you’ve never played Gen 1 before

Gen 2: Gold/Silver/Crystal – Great 2nd game after Gen 1, net positive improvements/graphics to Gen 1, 251 Pokemon now, 2 regions to explore (Johto + OG Kanto), slower/longer beginning than Gen 1 though,
rival is worse than Gen 1, mostly unique towns but some are too similar to Gen 1 (Goldenrod = Celadon)

Gen 2 Remastered: HeartGold/SoulSilver – QoL improvements from Gold/Silver/Crystal (running shoes), way more Pokemon (251 -> 493), retcons (Flash HM->TM), remastered versions seem to be a net positive

Gen 3: Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald – Running shoes for movement, double battles, useless secret bases, early game is mainly normal/flying/bug types (copying Gen 1 and Gen 2) instead of more diverse types, can reuse TMs, free premier ball per set of 10 poke/other balls from mart (still have unlimited $ though), receiving the Exp. Share early (to give more Pokemon experience for battles) is a convenient change, arbitrarily given key TMs/HMs just to advance the very slow game progression, map is too spread out, game feels like it’s dragging/boring at times, Team Magma/Aqua trite story (to be expected in Pokemon), linear exploration, the Pokemon Contests + Pokeblocks + Cool/Tough/Clever/Beautiful/Cute are lame

Gen 3 Remastered: OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire – Better graphics, 2 screens (GBA -> DS), triple battles, better battle animations, some neutral gameplay features from later-gen games (e.g., mega evolutions), some rare random encounters end up as 1v5 wild Pokemon (and other odd, surprising battle scenarios), Safari Zone is “removed” (now it’s just a regular area where you use your own Pokemon and Pokeballs), might as well choose the remastered versions, this generation wasn’t as fun or as entertaining for me

Gen 4: Diamond/Pearl/Platinum – Diverse wild Pokemon types during the first few hours of the game, starting Pokemon are all solid choices, decent quality-of-life (running shoes / organized backpack), impressive number of sidequests/post-game (Underground, Battle Tower, etc.), hackneyed story, linear, Platinum is generally perceived as much better than Diamond/Pearl, my ranking averages all three games

Gen 4 Remastered: BrilliantDiamond/ShiningPearl – Same negatives as Gen 4 (story, linear gameplay), even more positives though (more QoL, better graphics, even more optional content / post-game perks), slightly better than the original Gen 4 (worth it if you’ve never played Gen 4, but not worth it if you have)

Gen 5: Black/White – All 3 starter Pokemon are chosen (you pick one, and then you have two rivals), Pokemon Center now includes Poke Mart (instead of two separate buildings), DS = 2 viewing screens, linear gameplay, antagonists’ plot is interesting (Team Plasma wants to liberate all “enslaved” Pokemon), seasons/days affect the game, better graphics than Gens 1-4, diverse wild Pokemon types in early game, arbitrarily gifted TMs and HMs by NPCs (feels contrived/unearned), double/triple/ally/rotation battles, repels are necessary (encounter rates are insanely high, especially in caves, towers, and the tall grass), Elite Four onward is actually tough to solo-win with just the starter Pokemon (actually requires a team), two Exp. Shares is helpful for leveling up the team, a huge amount of optional and post-game content

Gen 5 Sequel: Black2/White2 – Proper sequel (expanded Unova region, same starter Pokemon / NPCs), extremely diverse wild Pokemon types in early game (normal, dark, bug, grass, water, electric, fighting),
three Exp. Shares for leveling up faster, Team Plasma is gone / split between N (good) and Ghetsis (bad), plot isn’t as interesting anymore (compared to Black/White), linear gameplay (normal for Pokemon), arbitrarily gifted TMs and HMs by NPCs (feels contrived/unearned), double/triple/ally/rotation battles, Elite Four / late game is actually challenging, there’s a huge amount of optional and post-game content, decently reuses Black/White’s Unova region but there are still plenty of empty areas during main game

Gen 6: X/Y – Character models are kind of in-between the old-school 2D design and modern 3D design, mixed feelings about two sets of starters (Kalos + original Kanto), camera auto-zoom/spinning is jarring,
too many Gen1 Pokemon in the early game (Pidgey, Weedle, Caterpie, etc.), lame Viridian Forest clone, starting with 4 rivals/friends (one of whom initially auto-heals you) is an interesting/unique approach, extremely diverse wild Pokemon types in the early game, Mega Evolutions / O-Powers aren’t appealing, Lumiose City is way too big/confusing for this game’s design and constantly-turning camera angles,
arbitrarily gifted TMs/HMs, story and Team Flare aren’t great, very easy, post-game content is just okay

Gen 7: Sun/Moon – Actual full-scale 3D models (like in the later Switch games), camera is inconsistent, Alola region = Hawaii, the rival picks the starter that is elementally weak (not strong) against your starter, can sprint immediately (no Running Shoes needed), can check an attack’s stats/description during battle, Pokemon Refresh/Affection can lead to optional benefits, better graphics/cutscenes than previous Gens, older Pokemon look different/strange (like how Rattata is black instead of purple… and has a mustache), Exeggutor is now a giraffe dragon, Vulpix and Ninetales are now ice types, Diglett and Dugtrio have hair, more efficient PC/pause/combat UI/UX, battle attacks are labeled as super effective / not very effective, slow gameplay, too many cutscenes, diverse early-game Pokemon, early-game Exp. Share is an Exp. All, the Pokedex is controlled/haunted by a battery Pokemon (Rotom) who constantly talks and annoys me, Festival Plaza / Totem Pokemon / Mega Evolutions are uninteresting, bizarre interdimensional storyline, town gyms/badges are replaced with island trials/Z-Crystals, Team Skull is lame, Gen 7 is very different, too many mandatory distractions unrelated to exploring the world or catching/battling/playing Pokemon

Gen 7 Remastered: UltraSun/UltraMoon – Very similar to original Sun/Moon, upgraded versions overall, more Pokemon/forms/content, slightly different story/climax/finale, added quality-of-life improvements, might as well play this over Sun/Moon if you’ve never played Gen 7 (but I don’t really recommend Gen 7)

Gen 8 1st Round: Sword/Shield – 3D Switch game, open world, decently fun to explore and experience, very easy, didn’t really care for the new additions/transformations (raids, Dynamax, Gigantamax, etc.)

Gen 8 2nd Round: Legends:Arceus – 3D Switch game, open world, incredibly fun gameplay/exploration, entertaining sidequests, actually challenging, getting to choose how to interact with / fight Pokemon, this game is essentially what every child wanting to live in a wild Pokemon world dreamed of in 1996

Gen 9 1st Round: Scarlet/Violet – 3D Switch game, open world / non-linear, plenty to do, very easy, laggy, new Tera forms of Pokemon, 3 main questlines to complete (Nemona: defeating gyms and the elite four, Arven: searching for healing herbs and fighting Titan Pokemon, and Penny: fighting the Team Star bullies)

Gen 9 2nd Round: Legends: Z-A – 3D Switch game, open world/city, based on Gen 6 (X/Y, Kalos, Lumiose), can dodge attacks during combat, releases in late 2025, unsure if it will be as great as Legends:Arceus