In regards to Pokemon

[Classic Adamas]

Graphics, music, Pokemon designs all peaked with Gen 3

 

[Sovran Nila]

Graphics, music, Pokemon designs all peaked with Gen 3

I am forced to agree with you. Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald will always be the most special to me. I actually used to be a GBA, GBA SP, or GBA Micro every year with one of the games in order to complete another play through. It seems that I didn't get a chance to do so this year yet, due to my other ventures.

 

[Papasmurf]

Gold and Silver = PEAK gameplay.

Black and White = best story dualism

Ruby and Sapphire were trash. Only some good Pokemon designs like Tropius and Aggron with a watered down, cut in half story mode and shit tier postgame. Emerald was cool but too glitchy and required the Kanto remakes and Gamecube games to make Battle Frontier manageable.

 

[Classic Adamas]

"peak gameplay" can't even run

Gen 5 = mediocre, overrated and simplistic story

 

[Yoshi]

The battle mechanics definitely peaked in Generation 3 as well, even if the physical/special split was introduced in Generation 4, because Generation 1 and 2 was too primitive, and Generation 4 and 5 was too overpowered (at least to a tolerable degree though, unlike Generations 6, 7, and 8).

 

[Papasmurf]

"peak gameplay" can't even run

Gen 5 = mediocre, overrated and simplistic story

Two regions >>> one

CHAD Red as secret boss >>>>>>>> faggot ass battle tower and only 200 Pokemon out of 386 programmed to the game

Generation 3 has no story, just "lul let's flood the Earth!! Where will we live??? I dun know!!" and "let's dry out the ocean!! There'll probably be a water shortage for centuries and billions will die, but whateva!!".

 

[Classic Adamas]

I think Hoenn is more interesting and memorable when compared to both Johto and Kanto. Not to mention that HeartGold and SoulSilver have made the original Gen 2 completely obsolete, whereas I don't think the same can be said for ORAS and Gen 3. I also don't think the amount of Pokemon really matters as long as there's good variety and the game is solid. Compared to the generations since, I don't think any gen has introduced as many good and iconic designs for Pokemon. Gen 6 is completely forgettable, and most of the Gen 5 designs are unremarkable (granted there are exceptions)

The story for Black and White is based on an interesting premise but with poor execution. The swerve with Ghetsis at the end and N just disappearing lead to quite an unsatisfactory ending. I've not yet finished B2W2 so maybe my opinion will change, but I do think I prefer RSE. The motivations of the enemy teams are stupid but that's not uncommon in Pokemon.

 

[Papasmurf]

I think Hoenn is more interesting and memorable when compared to both Johto and Kanto. Not to mention that HeartGold and SoulSilver have made the original Gen 2 completely obsolete, whereas I don't think the same can be said for ORAS and Gen 3.

ORAS would've made Gen 3 obsolete if the Battle Frontier were included, plus virtually every reviewer rated GSC higher than RSE because it was a more complete package. In many ways RS felt like a return to the bare minimums of RGB - one region, limited Pokemon, virtually no postgame beyond capturing post-game legendaries.

I also don't think the amount of Pokemon really matters as long as there's good variety and the game is solid. Compared to the generations since, I don't think any gen has introduced as many good and iconic designs for Pokemon.

Except you're forgetting the placement of RS is immediately following GSC which had 250 Pokemon and compatiblity with old games, all of which were severed in RS leading to it feeling very limited despite hardware advancement. A lot of oldies born in the late 80's and early 90's jumped ship during Gen 3 for a reason, and a lot of fans of it you'll notice were born in the late 90s (and therefore were small kids when RS came out and played them as their first games).

Gen 6 is completely forgettable, and most of the Gen 5 designs are unremarkable (granted there are exceptions)

True, but Gen 6 only introduced a few dozen Pokemon, and relied primarily on Mega Evolutions and old Pokemon hence it allowing you to catch a legendary Kanto bird, Mewtwo, and giving a Mega Stone having Kanto starter. It also introduced Friend Safari and advanced Wifi battles and GTS beyond any previous game.

The story for Black and White is based on an interesting premise but with poor execution. The swerve with Ghetsis at the end and N just disappearing lead to quite an unsatisfactory ending. I've not yet finished B2W2 so maybe my opinion will change, but I do think I prefer RSE. The motivations of the enemy teams are stupid but that's not uncommon in Pokemon.

Yeah but Archie and Maxie were tools, and they were just an afterthought by the time of the Pokemon League. Whereas, the Gen 1 Pokemon league is made extremely interesting due to the plot twist of the rival being the final boss, the Gen 2 Pokemon League is interesting due to it showing the passage of time in how Bruno and Lance changed positions, Gen 4 introduced powered up E4 for the first time and the Unova League was one where the villain bosses were encountered as the main story's actual final bosses for the first time. Gen 3 by comparison was very bareboned. I've little opinion on Gen 6-8 Pokemon Leagues since Gen 6 were incomplete games that were missing a third version because of Game Freak being tools and I've no desire to replay Sun/Moon or buy any game after them.

 

[Yoshi]

The story in G/S/C isn't so hot either, let's be honest. Facing off against the leftovers of Team Rocket isn't really all that. I get why though, as it's supposed to be the direct sequel to R/B/Y. And if you look at it from the perspective that Team Magma/Team Aqua is supposed to conquer the world, and that Team Galactic is supposed to conquer the universe, their stories also make sense.

 

[Papasmurf]

The story in G/S/C isn't so hot either, let's be honest. Facing off against the leftovers of Team Rocket isn't really all that. I get why though, as it's supposed to be the direct sequel to R/B/Y. And if you look at it from the perspective that Team Magma/Team Aqua is supposed to conquer the world, and that Team Galactic is supposed to conquer the universe, their stories also make sense.

GSC's story with TR's remnants pretty much only spans the first half of the game though. After that, following in Red's footsteps and finally besting the Legend himself becomes the focus of the game.

I wouldn't have minded Team Aqua and Magama's motivations all that much if they even gave us a glimpse of Archie/Maxie's backstories in the original three games. Instead, even the likes of Agatha has more of a backstory than these two bosses, and their actions are arguably the most extreme in the entire metaseries except for the lion haired guy in XY (can barely remember his name), who at least has some degree of (flimsy) reasoning for why he thinks humanity is unworthy.

 

[SSJ2]

Let's be real... No Pokemon game has a story that comes remotely close to being memorable.

 

[Yoshi]

Let's be real... No Pokemon game has a story that comes remotely close to being memorable.

I agree, although Black and White/Black 2 and White 2 might come close.

 

[Papasmurf]

Black 2/White 2 were trash. Similar to the Rainbow Rocket sidequest in USUM imo.

 

[Classic Adamas]

I don't think the lack of the original Pokemon hinder Gen 3 at all.

 

[Kyo]

Your thoughts on the number of Pokemon in Gen 3 will largely come down to how you played the games growing up. If you started with Gen 1 as a child, then Ruby and Sapphire might throw you off, much like Black and White did for those who played Gens 3-4 growing up.

It speaks volumes that the only way to complete the National Pokedex pre-Emerald was to buy Gamecube games though. And even after Emerald, you might as well still use those GC games to make it easier.

 

[Classic Adamas]

Fair point, though I do say I feel Ruby and Sapphire hold up well today on their own merit, moreso than Gen 2, but granted it is a more sophisticated game. I do still think graphics and music peaked with these games. They look better than Gen 8

 

[Papasmurf]

Gen 5 at least allowed you to access older Pokemon through the PokeTransfer function and in the postgame. Gen 3 just straight up erased 80% of the old Pokemon a la Sword and Shield, unless you bought at least 2-3 more games. That was bullshit. Most people I know who played both Gen 3 and Gen 2 always preferred the latter, even those a couple years younger than myself who started with the RS generation.

I still prefer Gen 3 to the new Post-Gen 6 garbage, but I'd say even Sun and Moon had more refreshing features despite the genwunner fanservice and lack of the National Dex.

 

[Classic Adamas]

PokeTransfer was fucking awful.

Anyway if your enjoyment is entirely dependant on old Pokemon, you should just play the older games. At no point during any Pokemon game really have I thought "I want to play with Pokemon that aren't available, I hate this!"

 

[Papasmurf]

Most people I knew in the late 90s and early 2000s when I grew up got into Pokemon through the anime, which started with the first 151 Pokemon and moved onto the rest. And most people had already played Red/Blue/Yellow before Gold/Silver/Crystal at which point they moved onto Ruby and Sapphire when the AG season came out, and almost everyone in my general age bracket (born '90 to '94) hated RS. When the previous generation already had 251 Pokemon, and the very next generation has over 490, and the one after that over 600 all available into the game if you met the requirements, how could a good 185 Pokemon being unavailable, many of them fan favorites such as Charizard, Dragonite, Mewtwo, Ho-Oh, Lugia and Suicune, as well as Pokemon very important to the lore of Pokemon such as Unown and Celebi (not to mention something as important to the breeding mechanic as Ditto), how could it not be a detriment to the game?