My favorite region is hands down kanto, thats where it all started. It didn't need good graphics, in fact part of me likes those crappy sprites better than the new ones. it was just better layed out as all types had a spot. Johto would be next because, well it had a style all its own. almost as if it was from a time before kanto, it felt older in origin. Also they both had some of my favorite pokemon, easily filling my top tens of both legendary and non legendary.
Hoenn was much different, the pokemon lost their natural charm and took on a more "neo" style. I don't mean that to sound bad its not really, there were pokemon i enjoyed greatly. as a matter of fact, I probably hate less pokemon from that region than any other, but at the same time there are only like 2 pokemon i would consider being in maybe my top 20. the region was great it varied so much but it messed up with not adding more fire pokemon. It gets the series's first volcano that you actually climb and get next to the lava flow but it introduces how many catable fire pokemon, well not enough. I understand there should be less fire pokemon than a lot of other types but there is way too few for having nearly 500 pokemon. plus i hated the regis. would have meant something if any of them had been an element i cared for
Sinnoh however was the opposite, all i ever remember was a mountain and thats about it then sometimes there was snow, but it was on the mountain. it did however have good pokemon, as well as pokemon that i hate.
With everything considered i would have to say hoenn and sinnoh are my least liked regions for certain but even then i still like them a great deal. as for the maps well i hate sinnoh completely but hoenn is still 3rd
I agree. The problem I see with RSE and DPPt are:
- repetitive Pokemon design: a lot of the new Pokemon are made redundant by their older counterpart
- bland Pokemon design: a lot of the new Pokemon are based on real living creatures; while this in itself is not a big problem, the new designers place too many restrictions upon themselves; by this I mean, we no longer have unrealistic but charming Pokemon like Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Lickitung, etc.
- not enough innovation: RSE did innovate the battling scene with Abilities, etc., but there are not enough innovations overall when compared to the leaps and bounds GSC made over RBY, why weren't the Pokemon animated in RS? What happened to the more advanced PokeGear? It's not unrealistic to expect even more out of the franchise when the hardware has improved so much (GBA from GBC).
- lack of personality in the region: some say Hoenn feels too different; I say Hoenn feels too impersonal. Kanto was the closest in style to what we live in today: we have bustling cities and quaint little towns that remind us of the suburbs; Johto revealed a dazzling historic view of the Pokemon world, which is heavily influenced by the Japanese culture, we have the Tin Tower, the shrines, the ruins, the mystery!; Hoenn feels tropical, but you still have Rustboro City which feels Western mixed in there, then there is the volcano and the lots and lots of ocean in between, the cities and towns just don't mesh well together to create an overall, coherent atmosphere. Sinnoh to me is just dull looking with lots of gray and brown buildings that are repeatedly used in most cities and towns. This is why the world in HG/SS remakes are so dazzling and unique when compared to the rather bland Sinnoh and awkward Hoenn.
- too many legendaries!! I loved how Kanto and Johto didn't place the entire emphasis of the game on legendaries. Legendaries are just that, legends. The main quest is supposed to be focused on you becoming the Champion of the Pokemon League, not stopping some evil organization from exploiting a legendary Pokemon. It's fun as a secondary quest (not necessarily as minor as a side quest, but not as major as the focus on the game!). And I loved how the Legendaries in Kanto and Johto have mystical powers, but yet are not the end-all, be-all beings that are the later legendaries in Hoenn and Sinnoh. An ancestral Pokemon, a rebirth Pokemon, a Pokemon who can travel through time is believable. But a Sky God, a Ground God, a Sea God, a Time God, a Space God, a Death God, and the God of all things in Pokemon World being captured and controlled by a 10-year old boy is just too much.
I think part of the reason why Pokemon has lost its charm and is spinning out of control is that the original creator, Satoshi Tajiri, got much less involved with the series after GSC.