A Pokémon Purist is someone who typically holds the belief that the first generation is the best because it was the first, and usually hold that belief based on nostalgia and sentimentality. They believe they had the best towns, they had the best Pokémon, they had the best story line, they had the best gym leaders, they had the best replay value, etc. Some refuse to buy games of later generations because of this, some continue to buy them and play though them (thoroughly enjoying them), but still hold the belief that Gen I was better and they'll usually never change their opinion.:
I have a problem with that definition, especially the part in bold. Being a so called "purist" doesn't only just relate to fans of Gen 1 or even Gen 2. Anybody can be a purist of any generation (particularly the ones they started out in, be it Gen 1 or even Gens 5 or 6). I've even met fans who've started in Gen 3 who fit that exact description when it comes to R/S/E. To say that this level of obstinate determination exists with just fans of the first generation is narrow minded and wrong.
That said, I'm no purist. I've played at least one main series game from every generation and there are things that I've liked and equally disliked about them. However, from my personal experience, I will contend that the first 2 Generations are the best that I have played (even though I love their respective remakes).
My analysis is thus:
>Graphics
The only thing that has consistently "improved" in the newer generations are the graphics. You CANNOT proportionately or fairly compare 8 bit graphics from 1996 to the 3D standard of graphics of 2014. Obviously the newer graphics are gonna be better.
>Mechanics
It's incorrect to say that the game mechanics have "improved". The correct term is developed ("improved" connotes change for the better whereas "developed" can simply refer to changes made over time). The gaming mechanics have developed to become more complex in some areas (natures, physical/ special split, EV training and IV breeding) and make the game easier in other areas (Audino training, re-usable TMs, Gen 6 Exp Share). Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on the player themselves. Competitive Battlers live for the more complex aspects and find that the aspects which serve to make the game easier take the fun out of it. Casual Players who only play the main games for relaxation would be turned off by the more complex aspects (they would find that looking for the right natures and such to be too much of a hassle and would take alot of the fun from it). Personally, I accept the benefits of the later developments and the more complex developments doesn't really affect me in the slightest. (Hence why I can appreciate the remakes.)
>Story
The newer generations TRY to place more emphasis on a more complex story. In my humble opinion, they try and fail. Since Gen 3 (and subsequently Gens 4 and 6), they've been pushing these grandiose, convoluted plots to use Legendary Pokemon to destroy the world. It's so nauseatingly cliche, it becomes more of a bother to complete that part of the main story than it is fun.
Gen 5's story was an unexpected change of pace but too preachy for my taste.
The Gen 1 (and Gen 2) storyline was simple, yet satisfying. It had three defined goals (to complete the Pokedex, to defeat the EVIL Team Rocket (NOT misguided, confused or foolish), and to beat your rival to become a Pokemon League Champion). All of them were well paced and sufficiently satisfying once accomplished.
>Villains
Teams Aqua and Magma are pretty much a big joke. They're a bunch of radical environmentalists with no sense of reality. Honestly people, it doesn't take a Rocket Scientist (see what I dd there) to know that if you turn the planet into either a barren wasteland or a waterworld that it would cause the extinction of almost all living beings. Archie and Maxie were morons and their Admins and Grunts were fools for following them.
Team Galactic seem threatening at first, but Cyrus just wound up being an self righteous, egotistical, lunatic who didn't actually think his plan through. Say he succeeded in destroying the world and remaking it in his ideal image. How are you going to rule? more so, how do you and your small band of followers expect to survive and thrive? You've basically wiped out every skilled professional from the face of the earth and there would be no real order or infrastructure. I reason that it would be a pain in the ass to get anything done. Cyrus would seem incompetent, there would be discord and later anarchy. Eventually, they would all just die off anyway.
Team Plasma under Ghetsis is probably the second most evil organization. Ghetsis had manipulated a child and made him the figure-head of a group of people who thought they were doing the right thing. He also nearly succeeded his goal. The problem lies again with Ghetsis' short sightedness. What happens after you become the most powerful person in Unova? My guess is that he'd probably end up like Scar in Lion King; a bored, egotistical douchebag.
Team Flare pretty much fall under the same bracket as those previously mentioned.
Team Rocket under Giovanni is the most evil and effective team in Pokemon for the following reasons:
1. Giovanni. He is intelligent, ruthless, powerful; he's the badass amongst evil bosses and he keeps everything together.
2. They are smart. Instead of having the convoluted and cliched plan to destroy the world, the hierarchy of Team Rocket knows that true power lies in controlling the socioeconomic system of a country. They essentially control the socioeconomic hub of Kanto, Celedon City, thereby controlling Kanto's economy and stability and by extension, its' populace. Added to that, Giovanni has placed himself in the inner circle of Kanto's state authority. He's a Gym Leader, an essential part of the Pokemon League thereby putting him in the know and a couple of steps ahead of the law enforcement looking to stop Team Rocket.
3. They have a realistic endgame that they actually succeed in; making a profit. As I've said, they control the economy of Kanto. They also have a monopoly in the market for rare and valuable items. The illegality and cruelty surrounding how they obtain these items make them even more valuable and that makes Team Rocket even more wealthy.
4. The Grunts. the Grunts of every other team are essentially misguided fools. Rocket Grunts, on the other hand, exemplify what is means to be the most evil and despicable beings on the planet. They do evil; steal other trainers Pokemon, mutilate Slowpokes, kill Cubones for their skulls and a slew of other deeds all in the name of profit and power. As if that wasn't bad enough, they also admit to their evil deeds and take pleasure in them.
>Music
Even though the newer soundtracks are clearer, the 8 bit soundtrack is the most iconic and most memorable of all of the soundtracks. You hear it and instantly think Pokemon.
>Glitches
The Mew glitch saved the Pokemon franchise!!! When the games were originally released in Japan, they had modest sales. However, when a player discovered that a Secret Legendary had been programmed into the game, sales skyrocketed, Pokemania was developed and the franchise we all know and love flourished.
Apart from that, glitches were part of the games' charm and stirred the interest of players back then long enough for them to try and keep finding new surprises.
>It had the Most Heart
This is the most important point. For Satoshi Tajiri and everyone else involved since the beginning, it was a labor of love that they risked everything on and went through all sorts of hell to bring to fruition. If you were playing it back then or if you know the history even now, you could feel the love and effort that went into it and regardless of how outdated it may seem, you can still appreciate it for its influence and legacy.
Gaming, however, like all entertainment media, is subjective. A game is only as good as the effect it has on the player playing it and everyone is different. You can't be a critic of any medium of entertainment unless you understand that entertainment is subjective in nature. Something is a fact when it can be quantifiably proven to be a reality. You ABSOLUTELY CANNOT quantifiably measure how much a person enjoys a medium of entertainment, hence, IT IS SUBJECTIVE.
If I get more enjoyment from the Gen 1 or Gen 2 games than I do when I play the Gen 5 games (which through some parts feels like a chore), then who are you to tell me that the games that I enjoy are inferior to the games that you enjoy.
Everybody is entitled to their opinion, I respect that. However, it is wrong to assume that everyone who likes Gen 1 the best are as ignorant as described in the definition given. It works both ways for fans of any of the other generations.
