Tri-Top: Pokémon Franchise

[Mr. TM]

This really spawns out of a talk I had last night with Marquis. We were discussing the Pokemon games, and it got me thinking about what Pokemon games you have enjoyed the most. You can choose from the Game Boy Games, all the way to the systems.

Pokemon Blue- My first Pokemon game I have ever played. What a fantastic game, where I got to take Blastoise (The spokesmen for Blue) all the way to Victory Road. The game itself is quite large, giving you the challenge of collecting 150 pokemon, while collecting 8 badges and vying for immortality in the Hall of Fame.

Pokemon FireRed- A sort of a remake for the original games, the new version is expanded. I first played it a few years ago, but it seems I did not take full advantage of it. I look forward to taking the games to the limit one day.

Pokemon Yellow- I haven't played them all, only playing 5 of the hand held games (These and Gold/Ruby), but I prefer the classic version, equipped with the 150 original, so that is why I choose the first generation versions. Also not a fan of the console versions of the game. But Yellow was an excellent game, giving you another central character in Pikachu to lead you throughout the game. Great to have Pikachu to expand the game for you.

 

[NSL]

The only Pokemon game I ever enjoyed, and played, was Pokemon Gold. It took me roughly a week to defeat the Elite Four, and then maybe 2 more weeks to delete the other 8 gym leaders. Within a month, I had every Pokemon, every badge, and had all the moves that I wanted each Pokemon to have. It helped towards the end that my brother knew the cheat to duplicate items, because there's some you can only get once.

The ones before Gold looked alright, but never seemed interesting enough to play. The ones after that though, seemed too complicated. They added to much to a simple battle. Mind you, I was never a fan of RPGs anyway.

 

[shazam]

I have either tried or beat one of the games in all of the different groups that came out, but I could never really get into the ones that added to the original 150. There was something that I think got taken away from the games when they added all the extra pokemon.

But for the Game Boy my fav game would have to be Pokemon Yellow. Simpley b/c it was the one that I played the most and it was like the tv show and that was my real first intro to Pokemon so the game really made everything come together. Even though it wasn't the hardest thing to do I really liked that you had to get Pikachu to trust you and then like you. The one thing that I remember the most about that game is that when you face the first gym leader Brock that is one of the toughest points of the game b/c Pikachu can not do anything to his ground Pokemon.

The only other Game Boy games that I played was Blue and Gold. Just on the fact that I didn't know and still don't know all the Pokemon in Gold, Blue would have to be my other Game Boy fav.

I didn't play all of the system games but the one that I liked the most was Pokemon Stadium for N64. There was something about the fact that you could see a giant version of Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur. You could also play your Game Boy versions of the game on your tv and import your Pokemon into the game to do the story mode which at the time totally blew my mind. And when I think about it now they had a pretty decent story mode.

Even though I don't know any of the newer Pokemon I'm still a fan of the first 150.

 

[a7xoff]

Pokemon. Ah good times and I'm still an active player in the game. My top three though. That's a toughie.

1.) Pokemon Silver: My all time favorite has to be Silver. I loved starting with Cyndaquil, and to this day it's still the only fire type I actually use once getting the national dex. The game I feel was near flawless with the introduction of new types (steel and dark), new pokemon, and of course the real time system were all just added bonuses to the game. The main story I also felt and still feel is probably one of the best in the series, the only one I can think of that is better is that of Platinum. The sixteen badges were also a great addition as when you thought the game was over, you were really only half way through.

2.) Pokemon Leaf Green: What a gem of a remake. Leaf Green is the remake of the original Blue Version and holds all of the amazingness of the originals plus a little extra. I didn't care too much for the new islands, but the original storyline still remains as one of the best in the series. The added abilities and natures from Ruby/Saphhire, really made the basic original game rather complex for hardcore players. The only issue I can say I found with this game involved evolution. If you managed to get a pokemon such as Golbat who evolves into Crobat, you had to wait until you get the national dex for it to evolve. The biggest problem I found with that was each time Golbat leveled up... The evolution would start then stop. Kind of annoying, but just a very tiny drawback to a fantastic game.

3.) Pokemon Platinum: The latest in the series comes in as my 3rd favorite. It expanded on Diamond and Pearl which in themselves were great games. They introduced some great new pokemon as well as some much needed evolutions. As for Platinum, a big addition is the distortion world which maxes out the DS's capability as you literally go 360 degreese as you walk around the distortion world. The new origin and sky forme's of Giratina and Shaymin added a fun little change for players using them. Also the ability to catch both Dialga and Palkia was a great addition.

Pokemon has been an epic since Red, Blue, and Green. However I'm starting to think that they are starting to run out of ideas for new pokemon. Some of the evolutions in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum were needed like Misdrevus, and Honchkrow, but others like Lickilicky and Probopass just did not need to exist... Will Diamond/Pearl/Platinum be the end of pokemon? I hope that it is the end of the creation of new pokemon as like I said they have to be running out of ideas. Still though a Gold and Silver remake would be great!

 

[Pimpin]

Pokemon games. Great times.

I loved Pokemon pinball cause I have a strange love for pinball games & I would always try to top my highest score & eventually it came to where the entire family would take part in playing it. Truly were great times.

I also loved Pokemon Yellow as it was very much like the tv show where you had to get Pikachu to trust you & like you & it was challenging as I love games that challenges me.

I think the reasons why Pokemon games fell out of favor with gamers was cause the creators of it decided to add on to the original 150 Pokemon characters which it looked solid on paper, but ultimately didn't favor well in reality.

 

[The Hiphopapotamus]

In my opinion,the top 3 games were:

3)Pokemon Leafgreen and firered:It was a mixture of the great original games and better graphics.The gameplay was great aswell.

2)Diamond and pearl:These 2 games wre brilliant.The gameplay was the best out of them all,the graphics wre cool,the pokemon were a mix f all generations and had awesome moves.The story was also good,but not as good as...

1)Silver and gold:This was the best pokemon game.It had some of the best pokemon,gym leaders,elite four and characters.The way there was so many additional in game parts,like when you make pokeballs.I thought it was epic that you could get 16 badges rather than just 8.

I'm really psyched to get platinum in a week or so,and heartgold and soulsilver will be next,the remakes of my favourites.Finally.I didn't see the point in remaking sapphire and ruby though.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

I absolutely love the Pokemon franchise. This was one craze that I got swept into and have loved every minute of it.

My favourite Pokemon games:

1) Pokemon Gold: This was the best pokemon game to me because it still had the incredible story from the original, but added a whole new world to do it in. The new pokemon were also very creative and awesome to use. The new evolutions, the baby pokemon, the dogs, the time events, everything in this game was amazing, from start to finish. And the perfect ending was facing Red (aka Ash). That son of a bitch was scary strong and it felt glorifying when you beat him. Absolutley great game.

2) Pokemon Blue: This was the original game in the series with Red, but I liked Blue more. This was a great game because it was something different. The gameplay was awesome, the story was fantastic, and it brought the show to life. A classic and still something I would play.

3) Pokemon Crystal: It took Gold and Silver and added new different things to do in the game. They took a perfect game and made it better somehow. The sub-plot with Suicune was a great little addition and the Battle Tower is an incredible creation. I am currently playing this game right now and still find it terribly enjoying.

Along with Crystal, I am also playing Pokemon Silver again. These are the only games that I continuously replay and beat the game again. I just find that every time I play the game it's never the same as before because you can use different pokemon to win and create different move sets and all that. My one regret was never continuing playing the new games because of a lack of a Gameboy Advance and DS. I stopped playing after Crystal so I'm lost when it comes to the new pokemon. One day I will play Ruby/Sapphire, LeafGreen/FireRed, Diamond/Pearl/Platinum.

 

[a7xoff]

One day I will play Ruby/Sapphire.

Please take it from me and save yourself the pain. I have Emerald which is essentially the Crystal of Ruby and Sapphire, and it really is not that good of a game. The pokemon that were introduced in that series... Well let's just say that most of them are really just terrible in both looks and stats. If the statement talent skips a generation is true, then the 3rd generation of pokemon is the skipped one. The story of Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald I thought was really just terrible and there was no need for two teams, Magma and Aqua...

One day I will play LeafGreen/FireRed, Diamond/Pearl/Platinum.

Seriously try any of these out. I mean Green and Red are remakes of the original Red and Blue so if you love them, you'll love Leaf Green and Fire Red. Platinum/Pearl/Diamond are a very different kind of Pokemon game. Your selection of what to use is bigger than in any pokemon game prior, outside of mabey Gold and Silver, but that I'm not sure on that. The game is certainly worth the 35$ and the online ability is enough to keep ya entertained for quite a while!

 

[Jane]

Pokemon Gold
Best Pokemon game ever, period. I've played this game consistently for like 5 years and it never gets old. I've gotten to a point where I can beat the game in a week with certain strategies. I just have loved this game for years and it's always gonna be one of my favourite video games.

Pokemon Yellow
It's cool to be able to have all three starters, plus a Pikachu, so this game was pretty fun even though I never got as into it as Gold.

Pokemon Stadium
Another one I loved. Seeing the Pokemon as 3D was pretty amazing during my Pokemon obsessed phase. So this game was awesome to me and I loved having the freedom of making my own unstoppable team.

Considering I stopped paying attention to Pokemon after the 250 series, I am kinda biased. But the new games don't look as great. Too many people to keep track of, where as a few years back I could name all 250. I could probably get the top 150 today. That's how much I loved Gold.

 

[The Rob]

Pokemon Gold:

This was really almost two games in one. It had the 8 new gyms, all the new Pokemon and (unless I am completely getting things mixed up) you could go back to the original gyms from the Blue/Red games and get those badges too. This really was an awesome, addictive, superbly created piece of work.

Pokemon Leaf Green:

I wasen't going to buy this but I remember reading a very positive review about it and decided to take a ride on memory lane... and it turned out to be just as addictive as it before. The updated graphics were really the main feature but it made me feel like I was a little boy again playing Pokemon Red for the first time. So it was worth it.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

As everyone has said, Pokemon Gold absolutely dominates. It can be hard to take a step backwards in terms of technology, but with this game, its easy. Good colours, innovative gameplay, fresh pokemon and a huge storyline.

When I first played this, it seemed like they had put so much more effort into the story, so that once you got to a high level it didnt get monotonous. There were radio stations you could tune into that got hijacked, there were characters and secret pokemon that only appeared on certain days. So much to explore, including a way to get back to the original region of Kanto, after a time lapse of 10 years was excellent. Am I raving about Pokemon in 2009?

That how good this game was.

 

[HereComesThePain101]

blue-When i was five my brother let me play his copy and i ended up getting addicted to the game. i still have that copy. it took me a month to beat the elite four.

platinum-i bought this for my ds and found that it was really fun. it really expanded on diamond and pearl and was really cool in the distortion world.

so yeah those are my favorites of the series
honorable mentions........ crystal version and emerald

 

[Michael Jordan]

Here are my top 3 favorite pokemon games in order

1.) Pokemon Gold /Silver: I put them together because they are essentially the same game with maybe three different pokemon. Its my favorite because it expanded on the original 150 and it didn't seem like a ridiculous amount yet. Now theres like 500 different ones to capture. A good long story too that will keep you busy for days to months depending on how much you play a day. It even took part of the story from Red and Blue which I thought was pretty cool. The only games to let you obtain two different regions badges.

2.) Pokemon Yellow: A upgraded version of Pokemon Red and Blue because you got to start with Pikachu and the game seemed more like the television series making it more realistic. A game that keeps me busy for hours because I'll spend my time playing it through the night and trading all the good pokemon I get to Gold and Silver like Mew, Mewtwo, Charizard etc.

3.) Pokemon Stadium 2: My favorite Nintendo 64 game along with Donkey Kong 64. This game has it all from Gym Leader Challenge mode where you battle gym leaders to earn prizes for your gameboy pokemon game, to Stadium mode where you battle in level restricted tournaments for trophies and prize pokemon to mini-game mode where you can use your gameboy pokemon to play fun minigames. It even has a game boy tower where you can play your game boy game at double and even triple speed. You don't have to own one of the handheld versions of pokemon to enjoy this game but it will make it alot more enjoyable.