There are 122 Pokémon games out there. Sounds like a ton. Although we can’t fit every single game into one list, here are 5 retro Pokémon titles ranked from worst to best, for old times sake.
5. Pokémon Yellow
This is a perfectly good game on its own, but doesn’t really bring much to the table in terms of something new. As this was a remake, you would usually expect to receive more in terms of content. It didn’t exactly surprise us in any way, especially considering that Red and Blue would soon receive updates making it a much better choice overall. It was a bit more vibrant and did have a unique storyline, since you didn’t have the usual choice of starter Pokémons and would instead work with Pikachu throughout the game.
4. Pokémon Platinum
This was a Gen 4 release, building off of Diamond and Pearl. Platinum was a much more solid improvement on Diamond and Pearl, making plenty of good changes and adding better game mechanics. It also had much better use of the Wi-Fi features, allowing players to battle in PvP, and even play minigames. Additionally, it gave the game a higher feeling of fluidity, adding character and Pokémon animations into battle for the first time. We can definitely thank Diamond and Pearl for the solid game base, but it isn’t hard to see that this version reigned superior.
3. Pokémon Black and White 2
Black and White is considered a roaring success by industry standards. It was released with a well produced animated trailer throughout America, and was well received by fans with one of the strongest storylines of the entire series. There are plenty of Gen V lovers that can attest to the fact that this is likely one of the best done games of this franchise. However, it is ranked third on our list, since Pokémon tend to evolve late causing quite a bit of difficulty for first time players.
2. Pokémon X and Y
Variety is the key to a good game. Pokémon X and Y effectively has a ton of activities to do while not battling, plenty of Pokémon to catch, lots of interesting characters and a very pleasant villainous story to catch up with. There was plenty of attention to detail in the design of the game, which you can easily see in the buildings, landscape, and character design, all using an excellent 3D engine. It’s easy to pick up for new players, and filled with things to do for the veterans. All in all, this is likely one of the best, nostalgia inducing Pokémon games out there.
1. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
These were the remakes everyone wanted. HG and SS had very high ranking graphical improvements since Gold and Silver. It has more than enough IU changes, adding in visual player badges, a starter menu at the bottom of the screen, and touch screen features since it was originally intended for the Nintendo. Another feature was re-added giving it a good bit of charm, letting your Pokémon follow you in the overworld.
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