Key Takeaways
- Pokemon Yellow focuses on anime aesthetics, altering original gameplay.
- Pokemon Crystal stands out with iconic features and deeper narrative.
- Pokemon Black and White 2 showcases tremendous polish and a compelling narrative.
The monolithic Pokemon series is a train that continues to build up momentum, with the long expected Pokemon Legends: Z-A the next to come in a line of titles that have always managed to provoke the excitement of millions of players. Nintendo seems to have adapted to some popular gaming trends of late, such as the release of DLC to expand the content in a title, and with it, that title’s lifespan in the gaming zeitgeist.
But this wasn’t always the case for expansions upon Pokemon games. Instead of DLC, there was a time when gamers could expect (or at least, could hope for) an upgraded ‘third version’ of a title, featuring more content and a revised, improved story. Many of these titles have become staples within the Pokemon community, but some have aged far better than others.
7 Pokemon Yellow
Novel Features, But Reduces Freedom From Red And Blue
Pokemon Yellow was a revised version of sorts to the original Red and Blue titles in the West, or Red and Green in Japan. Rather than strictly being an upgrade, this was a version of the classic Game Boy hit that focused more on the anime side of Pokemon, mirroring Ash with a Pikachu starter that follows the player around. The introduction of Jessie and James only furthers the anime parallels.
While the Pikachu follower has a surprising amount of personality, the title’s revisions remove an iconic part of the series in terms of the three Pokemon starters. It’s a fairly linear game with a tight selection of Pokemon, and having one less choice to make can impact things quickly.
6 Pokemon Blue (Japan)
Mostly Technical Upgrades From The Original Japanese Titles
While Western audiences might recognize Red and Blue as the original Game Boy titles that began the hugely popular series, Pokemon Blue in Japan holds the honor as the first ever “third version” to hit the shelves after the release of Red and Green.
The title was first intended to be a mail order exclusive, before essentially becoming the default way to play the Game Boy title, due to its greater level of polish. Various bugs and glitches were never known to the Western audiences, since the titles that came their way were based off the revised title seen in Blue originally.
5 Pokemon Ultra Sun And Ultra Moon
More Polish Can’t Fix Fundamental Issues
In many ways, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were a fantastic send off to the 3DS era of Pokemon games. The variety of encounters in the Ultra Wormholes, expanded upon in this title, allowed for near limitless combinations of teams to be made through relatively attainable means. The game let the story breathe a little more, and overall, was simply a more enjoyable experience.
But even with polish, the underlying issues with this game, such as the excessive hand-holding and tight linearity in a game supposed to be about exploring a variety of isles, couldn’t be saved even with admittedly great quality of life benefits.
4 Pokemon Crystal
A Definitive, Underrated Title With Iconic Features
The definitive version of the games in Generation 2, Pokemon Crystal not only adds an incredible level of polish to the previous titles, but adds a great number of series mainstays that stick with subsequent games. These changes include the option to play as a girl, as well as the addition of animations when Pokemon enter the battlefield.
Suicine’s secondary storyline, which was revived in Heart Gold and Soul Silver, adds another layer of depth to the overall narrative. It gives players more things to do and more reasons to keep coming back for more.
3 Pokemon Emerald
A Perfect Synthesis Of The Previous Titles
For many, Emerald is the pinnacle of the Pokemon experience, through a mixture of nostalgia and genuine depth of gameplay. When looking at some of the newer titles in Pokemon’s lineup, there’s a level of respect for the player’s intelligence in Emerald that is not present in titles on the Switch, or even 3DS titles.
Emerald’s story successfully juggles two evil teams, and reincorporates their goals into a more well-rounded plot. This title is a classic among classics, retaining its popularity for years as the pinnacle of a set of high-quality third generation Pokemon titles. It also retains its playability when taking on challenge runs such as the Nuzlocke.
2 Pokemon Platinum
A Masterful Upgrade That Makes The Region Feel Alive
An unfortunate fact when looking at Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is that most of the discourse it spawned regarding future remakes is how they can avoid the mistakes that BDSP made. Perhaps more unfortunate is that these titles took so much from the original games, but almost nothing from the legendary Pokemon Platinum. The latter is an exemplar of taking a game’s faults and reworking them into something far better.
Both mechanically and narrative-wise, Platinum is much faster and more dynamic than its predecessors. The Sinnoh region feels more unique with the inclusion of new weather effects, and even small details like coal conveyor belts in Oreburgh add more personality to the region than Diamond and Pearl. Giratina is also one of the most intimidating mascot legendaries ever grace the front cover of a Pokemon game.
1 Pokemon Black And White 2
A Tremendous Level Of Polish
Pokemon Black and White are among the most celebrated entries in the series to date, though they received a fair dose of criticism shortly after their launch. This was an unfair rejection of new ideas to some, while to others, nostalgia has made the games better in retrospect. What cannot be disputed, however, is that the sequels to these titles were perhaps the pinnacle of handheld Pokemon games, with rumors and clamors for their remakes practically unceasing.
The PWT feature turns Driftveil City into a hub of activity, and grants so many opportunities for players to reconnect with famous figures from past titles. The variation in terrain is vast while making sense, and the Pokemon distribution is among some of the best in the series. It can be disputed whether USUM was the send off the 3DS games deserved, but there’s no denying BW2 were the perfect titles to close off the DS games with.
