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Have past mainline Pokémon games 'aged' well?
- Thread starter zMiiChy-
- Start date
Uhhh how long has it been since you actually replayed those games?
Personally anything before Gen 4 has not aged well due to the Physical/Special split but also just a lot of QoL other features. Like going back to Gen 1 or 2 and not having running shoes is such a pain.
I think Gen 5 has aged the best. It has a unique visual style and great sprite work so it doesn't age too much visually. The gameplay mechanics, features and QoL are all excellent and modern and don't feel like they're missing much compared to the gens after. And as far as "less Pokemon" go, Black and White limiting the Pokedex to only Gen 5 pokemon, thus creating a "soft reboot" makes the game feel like it's own thing and not like it's missing Pokemon.
I think Gen 5 has aged the best. It has a unique visual style and great sprite work so it doesn't age too much visually. The gameplay mechanics, features and QoL are all excellent and modern and don't feel like they're missing much compared to the gens after. And as far as "less Pokemon" go, Black and White limiting the Pokedex to only Gen 5 pokemon, thus creating a "soft reboot" makes the game feel like it's own thing and not like it's missing Pokemon.
Gen.4/5 hit the sweet-spot for # of Pokemon and content, imho.
I also like the contrast in presentation between the two Generations.
I also like the contrast in presentation between the two Generations.
I've played pretty much every generation and the only ones I think I'd want to go back to today are Gen 3 and Gen 5 because their battles are snappy and everything is polished to a fine sheen. I never played HeartGold/SoulSilver but I hear those have also aged very well, though I hate Gen 4's interface and overall sluggishness.
Gen 4/5 have aged very well.
Partly because they arent introducing much more to the battle system outside of temporary gimmicks. Since then. Also the art style is great.
Gen 3 is missing the physical/special split and also has a washed out color pallete.
Gen 6 looks ugly af, especially the character models.
Gen 1/2 are just too old.
Partly because they arent introducing much more to the battle system outside of temporary gimmicks. Since then. Also the art style is great.
Gen 3 is missing the physical/special split and also has a washed out color pallete.
Gen 6 looks ugly af, especially the character models.
Gen 1/2 are just too old.
As others have said, the DS games have aged really well (Platinum, B/W, B/W2). I'm also a big fan of the GBA games.
The 3DS games were a step in the wrong direction in terms of game design. Pokémon has always been accessible to children but the games have always been solid RPGs. With the 3DS games, they designed the games to be aimed at children first and foremost, as opposed to just being accessible to children. It sounds like a small difference but the world design, pacing and handholding were all much worse in the 3DS titles.
The 3DS games were a step in the wrong direction in terms of game design. Pokémon has always been accessible to children but the games have always been solid RPGs. With the 3DS games, they designed the games to be aimed at children first and foremost, as opposed to just being accessible to children. It sounds like a small difference but the world design, pacing and handholding were all much worse in the 3DS titles.
Sun and Moon are harder and less linear than Black and White so I'd say they course corrected
The 3DS era is the worst so shrug
If you cant stomach the HORRORS of gen I (ps: you can. people are exaggerating), just play the gba remakes
If you cant stomach the HORRORS of gen I (ps: you can. people are exaggerating), just play the gba remakes
First generation is a bit poor with regards to some quality of life stuff, but yeah they are all very playable
All the games are perfectly playable, pokemon is a franchise for children and therefore there isn't really too much challenge if played in the traditional mannar.
However some are harder to play than others, anything older than the GBA is rough.
Anything after and including gen 5 is filled in ith constant interruptions and rail roading.
Gen 3 and 4 are the sweet spot, the franchise was at its best with: FRLG, HGSS, Emerald and Platinum
However some are harder to play than others, anything older than the GBA is rough.
Anything after and including gen 5 is filled in ith constant interruptions and rail roading.
Gen 3 and 4 are the sweet spot, the franchise was at its best with: FRLG, HGSS, Emerald and Platinum
i would include gen V despite not being the biggest fan. the games are perfect for portable playing, the sprites still look good and frankly special/split are less of a bother than people make it up to be, the games are still easy enough for it to be a non nuisance in casual plays. it's when the games go 3D that the age starts showing, i wouldnt recommend ORAS over Emerald to anyone
I find gen 2 and specially crystal perfectly playable, but i can understand why some people wouldnt. starting from the gba though you would get gen 1 and 2 remakes and be up to par with anything so, no loss anyway.
I honestly think everything aside from Gen III (so RSE and FRLG) has aged well. The movepool needed a massive shakeup by then which it got in Gen IV alongside the glorious physical/special split.
I also think natures were a bad idea without being able to be changed
I also think natures were a bad idea without being able to be changed
Being broken doesnt stop anyone from enjoying them. Frankly tolerance to the "old" graphics are a far bigger barrier than the game mechanics. It still feels like pokemon and its as easy to pick up and play as any new game
I think Gen 5 is fine, but for a new fan wanting to get into the series I would recommend HG/SS. Personally I think Gen 2 plays fine, but with remakes existing that offer everything they do and more there's no real reason to play Crystal for a new fan if you have access to HG/SS
They're pretty much all still playable and enjoyable today, even with the crazy amount of bugs Gen 1 has. There's a reason they became a worldwide phenomenon back then and are still strong now.
There's no ideal Pokemon game, but they do hold up to varying degrees.
Gen III holds up well - it's got a rock solid framerate, it introduced the Running Shoes, and the Hoenn games have the fastest bike in the series. Plus, Emerald has (the better version of) the Battle Frontier. The biggest issue, IMO, is the lack of transparency on which types use the Attack stat and which use Special Attack. Breeding/training a multiplayer-competitive was nearly impossible in these games, but that's a non-issue when revisiting in 2019.
Gen IV holds up, except for how slow it is. Even Platinum is a noticeable downgrade from Gen III in performance. On the other hand, there's loads of optional areas, a whopping 18 legendary/mythical Pokemon to find (most of which have dedicated locations in the world), and a (scaled back) Battle Frontier. It also features some extra tools to facilitate training, but again, that's not as much of a factor with the community naturally moving on to current games.
Gen V retains the modern comforts introduced in Gen IV and has the best performance in the series - the overworld is a solid 30 FPS instead of 60 like in Gen III, but the battle system is 60 FPS and speeds up things like the health bar animation to make battles faster than any other entries. That alone makes them my favorite games in the series to revist. The campaigns in BW1 and BW2 have different philosophies - BW has the most straightforward campaign (literally), so it's pleasant to just blast through, while BW2 takes the kitchen sink approach like Platinum did. They lack the Battle Frontier, but BW2 has lots of side content in its own right, like the Pokemon World Tournament and PokeStar Studios (as well as 15 legendary Pokemon). Just about the only things newer entries have over Gen V are connectivity features and the new Pokemon themselves.
(I have limited experience with Gens I and II, so I'll let other people judge them.)
Gen III holds up well - it's got a rock solid framerate, it introduced the Running Shoes, and the Hoenn games have the fastest bike in the series. Plus, Emerald has (the better version of) the Battle Frontier. The biggest issue, IMO, is the lack of transparency on which types use the Attack stat and which use Special Attack. Breeding/training a multiplayer-competitive was nearly impossible in these games, but that's a non-issue when revisiting in 2019.
Gen IV holds up, except for how slow it is. Even Platinum is a noticeable downgrade from Gen III in performance. On the other hand, there's loads of optional areas, a whopping 18 legendary/mythical Pokemon to find (most of which have dedicated locations in the world), and a (scaled back) Battle Frontier. It also features some extra tools to facilitate training, but again, that's not as much of a factor with the community naturally moving on to current games.
Gen V retains the modern comforts introduced in Gen IV and has the best performance in the series - the overworld is a solid 30 FPS instead of 60 like in Gen III, but the battle system is 60 FPS and speeds up things like the health bar animation to make battles faster than any other entries. That alone makes them my favorite games in the series to revist. The campaigns in BW1 and BW2 have different philosophies - BW has the most straightforward campaign (literally), so it's pleasant to just blast through, while BW2 takes the kitchen sink approach like Platinum did. They lack the Battle Frontier, but BW2 has lots of side content in its own right, like the Pokemon World Tournament and PokeStar Studios (as well as 15 legendary Pokemon). Just about the only things newer entries have over Gen V are connectivity features and the new Pokemon themselves.
(I have limited experience with Gens I and II, so I'll let other people judge them.)
The DS games, especially Black/White 2 have aged fantastically and still pretty much hold up. Sadly it feels like even some of the 3ds ones have already started to feel old by comparison.
i dont really agree with "HGSS is crystal but better" though. much of the balance, as little as it was, in gen 2 was based on special/split not existing and some of the new moves and all abilities not existing. so i feel like HGSS despite being amazing games are sort of a watered down version of gen 2 (which wasnt incredibly challenging to begin with, but still)
in fact i think HGSS looks better when you play gen 2 first and appreciate all the improvements despite the minor setbacks it brought. i'd definitely recommend someone to play crystal before still. its not really that hard to grasp even in this day and age.
Gen 1 - If you have nostalgia, yes, they're still fun. If not, absolutely not.
Gen 2 - Yes, Crystal in particular is very good by any standard.
Gen 3 - Fuck yes. Emerald, Colosseum and XD are still some of the greatest games ever made, the music is timeless, the challenge just right.. Fantastic.
FRLG - They're not great or anything, but they are the best way to experience Kanto.
Gen 4 - DP? Absolutely not, waaaaaaaaaaaaay too slow, even back when they were new. Platinum and HGSS? Yes. Platinum fixes DP's issues and turns them in to a great game.
HGSS - builds on the fantastic Crystal and makes it even better (I wish they'd kept the Pokethlon..)
Gen 5 - Absolutely. No handholding, a great challenge with fantastic design and progression. B2W2 are the highpoint of the series.
Gen 6 - No. X/Y feel rushed as hell, very hard to recommend.
ORAS - Yes. Not as good as Emerald, but the Delta Episode is a welcome addition, and soaring/Pokenav are fantastic too. Very worth playing.
Gen 7 - No. USUM is the lowpoint of the series, devoid of creativity and life. Handholding is ridiculous to the point of being frustrating.
Let's Go - No. Featureless crap. If you want Kanto, play FRLG.
Gen 2 - Yes, Crystal in particular is very good by any standard.
Gen 3 - Fuck yes. Emerald, Colosseum and XD are still some of the greatest games ever made, the music is timeless, the challenge just right.. Fantastic.
FRLG - They're not great or anything, but they are the best way to experience Kanto.
Gen 4 - DP? Absolutely not, waaaaaaaaaaaaay too slow, even back when they were new. Platinum and HGSS? Yes. Platinum fixes DP's issues and turns them in to a great game.
HGSS - builds on the fantastic Crystal and makes it even better (I wish they'd kept the Pokethlon..)
Gen 5 - Absolutely. No handholding, a great challenge with fantastic design and progression. B2W2 are the highpoint of the series.
Gen 6 - No. X/Y feel rushed as hell, very hard to recommend.
ORAS - Yes. Not as good as Emerald, but the Delta Episode is a welcome addition, and soaring/Pokenav are fantastic too. Very worth playing.
Gen 7 - No. USUM is the lowpoint of the series, devoid of creativity and life. Handholding is ridiculous to the point of being frustrating.
Let's Go - No. Featureless crap. If you want Kanto, play FRLG.
Eh, I don't really think a casual fan would care. Imo, HG/SS are the best Pokémon games ever made but everyone has their reasons for what they enjoy
Gen 5 has aged pretty damn well. The battle system and animations are snappy and feel good, it has a decent difficulty curve, great presentation (probably the best looking Pokemon games), decent story and characters by Pokemon standards, and IMO the Pokemon themselves are cool although a lot of the better ones you only get later and it probably has the worst set of starters.
FRLG have a lot of QoL improvements over the originals, but I wouldn't say they're a superior way to experience the region. A massive portion of the Kanto roster has become comparably less viable to other Kanto pokemon over time due to the mechanical and game design changes that occurred over the generations. It also makes some very questionable decisions like giving Fossil Pokemon to the player at level 5 instead of 30 (making it impossible to use them without grinding) and it replaces all of the Gen 1 TMs with Gen 3 TMs.
I'm gonna @ you just because you're damn right. HG/SS and Platinum is what peak performance of pokemon looks like. I like gen 5 a good bit as well, but HG/SS always has a special place in my heart.
Hell yes. I've played through Pokémon Yellow, Crystal and Platinum over the past year and I've had an absolute blast with all of them.
It'd probably be weird to go backwards since the older games are way slower, but they're perfectly enjoyable.
It'd probably be weird to go backwards since the older games are way slower, but they're perfectly enjoyable.
red/blue
crystal
emerald
fire red/leaf green
platinum
all hold up incredibly well imo
crystal
emerald
fire red/leaf green
platinum
all hold up incredibly well imo
they're pretty ugly. the city looks terrible
I find playing Gens I, II, and IV (and V to an extent) the most playable, even despite QoL from later games. They also look the best (except when V tries to be 3D).
Yeah I agree with this. I love Gens 1-3 but it's really hard to go back to them in the current day. I'm still glad we have the option of buying Gens 1 and 2 on the 3DS VC. Given TPC's decision making, I'm not sure we'll see them re-released anytime soon
I think pretty much the entire series has aged well, but it's also hard for me to see the age since I grew up on them and tolerate some things new players may find rough I guess. I actually played Platinum for the first time this year and it's an excellent game. I've replayed Black and SoulSilver over the past 2-3 years and they've likewise held up very well. I even played Yellow for the first time last year and thought that was excellent even now and I'd even take it straight up over some of the newer games.
Yes, but I also think a lot of turn-based RPG haved "aged" well becuase the genre really hasn't evolved in decades, specifically console-styled RPGs. These days instead of "evolving' the genre and adding mechanics/features that are standard, it's more like each franchise is doing it's own thing.
Only one that I don't think aged well is Gen 1 from a mechanical perspective.
Only one that I don't think aged well is Gen 1 from a mechanical perspective.
All of them hold up. Earlier gens have some annoying item and menu management, but otherwise the gameplay is still great. They are menu-based JRPGs, so it's not like modern controls or physics make it hard to go back to past entries. The art style of all the games is pretty clean and simple. Gen I is not a looker by any stretch, but it excels in readability. Look at some lesser GB games to see what a mess some of those look like in comparison.
I have yet to have enjoyed any of the 3DS era games as much as BW/BW2 and those came out almost a decade ago.
Gen 4 and 5 aged fantastically, and I feel Emerald and FRLG are still the defintive Hoenn and Kanto experiences. Like the series from 2004-2012 hit this sweet spot of quality content that just kept escalating game after game, and playing them today is stil the same experience as playing them back then. SwSh so far is looking to hit that standard and I damn well hope it does.
