Worst Pokémon game?

X/Y are clearly the worst:

- No challenge whatsoever, outrageously easy
- Introduces terrible concepts such as the new Exp Share and Mega Evolution
- No notable post-game
- No memorable story or characters
- Came after what was probably the best Pokemon Game, Black/White 2, so they KNEW how to do it right

The only good thing about these games is that Gen 6 had probably the most balanced battling metagame, despite Mega Evolutions (at least before Mega Rayquaza became a thing).

I would say I enjoyed bw the least. It was hard for me to get into it when I didn't like a lot of new designs while being forced to only use the new Pokemon. And those bridges man. I like to forget those happened.

Also op I agree Pokemon has become stale. I keep seeing two sides over the internet, one side would love to see Pokemon go a new course and one side defends it by claiming that that is what Pokemon is. I don't really understand the defiance of it? I think what Pokemon "is" worked really well generation 1-4 and after that it's becoming more of the same old same old with some tweaks. I really think Pokemon has so much potential to be something better than it has been for years now.

Bellsprout said:

I would say I enjoyed bw the least. It was hard for me to get into it when I didn't like a lot of new designs while being forced to only use the new Pokemon. And those bridges man. I like to forget those happened.

Also op I agree Pokemon has become stale. I keep seeing two sides over the internet, one side would love to see Pokemon go a new course and one side defends it by claiming that that is what Pokemon is. I don't really understand the defiance of it? I think what Pokemon "is" worked really well generation 1-4 and after that it's becoming more of the same old same old with some tweaks. I really think Pokemon has so much potential to be something better than it has been for years now.

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It's not defiance, it's acceptance.

Defiance is implying a resistance to change. While I'd love for Pokemon to deviate from the norm, I've accepted it is what it is, and that the formula has worked since RBY and it won't change because people will buy the Pokemon games en masse and support whatever decision Game Freak makes. They have no real reason to change it because there's no significant gain achieved in changing the formula.

You've said yourself that you're not sure exactly what you want Pokemon to be, but you want it to be different. But how different are we talking, here? How much needs to be changed in order to be satisfactory? Pokemon, as its absolute core, is always about being a kid that's on a journey to become a Pokemon champion while defeating whatever evil team stands in your way. The only thing that's really workable in Pokemon games is the main plotline which has varied across the generations but is usually some form of evil team wanting to take over the world/wanting to control nature/wanting to destroy/etc.

Don't get me wrong. Ultimately, I agree with your point that Pokemon has the potential to be more. But again, Game Freak would have to upend the entire formula of the games and start from scratch; almost creating a new line of games entirely with a new focus, etc.

As it stands, I don't know if there's much reason or incentive for them to do that.

colours said:

It's not defiance, it's acceptance.

Defiance is implying a resistance to change. While I'd love for Pokemon to deviate from the norm, I've accepted it is what it is, and that the formula has worked since RBY and it won't change because people will by the Pokemon games en masse and support whatever decision Game Freak makes. They have no real reason to change it because there's no significant gain achieved in changing the formula.

You've said yourself that you're not sure exactly what you want Pokemon to be, but you want it to be different. But how different are we talking, here? How much needs to be changed in order to be satisfactory? Pokemon, as its absolute core, is always about being a kid that's on a journey to become a Pokemon champion while defeating whatever evil team stands in your way. The only thing that's really workable in Pokemon games is the main plotline which has varied across the generations but is usually some form of evil team wanting to take over the world/wanting to control nature/wanting to destroy/etc.

Don't get me wrong. Ultimately, I agree with your point that Pokemon has the potential to be more. But again, Game Freak would have to upend the entire formula of the games and start from scratch; almost creating a new line of games entirely with a new focus, etc.

As it stands, I don't know if there's much reason or incentive for them to do that.

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I totally get they're not going to do it. I honestly have almost zero hope anything will change it just makes me sad knowing that there's a threshold Pokemon could reach, but probably never will because what they have found sells.

I say defiance because I've seen all over the internet someone coming forward saying they wish Pokemon would stray from the same thing to be met with "well then you don't want a pokemon game" or "but that's how pokemon is." I get it to an extent.. but man can a fan dream or even wish for something different?

At one point you said, "For some people? Sure. For others? It's been accepted that this is how Pokemon has always been and there's no real reason for Game Freak to change what works (so far), so they wouldn't." and the response back to you was, "okay then"

because what is there to discuss if there are fans constantly harping that this works for them and that it sells? We all understand that point it doesn't even need to be pointed out. Of course there are people who love Pokemon how it is otherwise it wouldn't be a top selling game. At the same time there are fans who also love Pokemon and would love to see new life given to something they love.

tldr: I am happy you are satisfied with Pokemon, but there are some fans who are dreaming just a bit bigger for it and that's okay

Bellsprout said:

I totally get they're not going to do it. I honestly have almost zero hope anything will change it just makes me sad knowing that there's a threshold Pokemon could reach, but probably never will because what they have found sells.

I say defiance because I've seen all over the internet someone coming forward saying they wish Pokemon would stray from the same thing to be met with "well then you don't want a pokemon game" or "but that's how pokemon is." I get it to an extent.. but man can a fan dream or even wish for something different?

At one point you said, "For some people? Sure. For others? It's been accepted that this is how Pokemon has always been and there's no real reason for Game Freak to change what works (so far), so they wouldn't." and the response back to you was, "okay then"

because what is there to discuss if there are fans constantly harping that this works for them and that it sells? We all understand that point it doesn't even need to be pointed out. Of course there are people who love Pokemon how it is otherwise it wouldn't be a top selling game. At the same time there are fans who also love Pokemon and would love to see new life given to something they love.

tldr: I am happy you are satisfied with Pokemon, but there are some fans who are dreaming just a bit bigger for it and that's okay

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That's actually completely okay! No one's faulting you guys for wanting something more; hell even I want more from Pokemon games these days other than just being the same old formula again. But I suppose what frustrates me the most is that the very same people who want to dream of more.... are usually the same ones being disappointed game after game after game. I suppose it's because they still hold on to a tiny bit of hope that things would change, that the next game would be one that they've been waiting years for, and who can blame them? A part of my frustration is also because I'm also a realist and I know not to get my expectations too high with Pokemon games when I know it's more or less going to be the same thing under a different skin.

N O N E. The person who made this thread is probably blinded, there are no bad main series games here. Not every game has to be perfect, they all have ups and downs. This is probably going to be the last of these kind of threads I will ever look at. In fact the main reason why I stayed away from the PGC forum for so long is because of threads like these. I apologise if this post sounds wrong but I had to get it out.

PageEmperor said:

N O N E. The person who made this thread is probably blinded, there are no bad main series games here. Not every game has to be perfect, they all have ups and downs. This is probably going to be the last of these kind of threads I will ever look at. In fact the main reason why I stayed away from the PGC forum for so long is because of threads like these. I apologise if this post sounds wrong but I had to get it out.

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If you hate these threads so much.

Why do you visit them anyway?

Honestly, I'm happy with the way Pokemon was until Gen 6. Sure, it did get a bit easy, but then it was still fun to play around Kalos and Hoenn. The mechanics were interesting, and though the post-game of Kalos was a bit lacking, the battle chateau was still fun to revisit again and again. I also see a lot of people here disliking RBGY, and yeah the games were pretty difficult, but I stopped playing Red because I got bored, and Yellow because I accidentally forgot Thunderbolt on my Jolteon for Swift, and I ragequit.

But I still enjoyed the challenge the games posed, not because of difficulties, but because of how annoying the mechanics were. In my opinion, the worst Pokemon games are unfortunately SM. USUM are actually pretty fun, and I thought that SM was pretty fun when they came out, but they really didn't have the same feeling as older Pokemon games, and I really, really, really hated Lillie. And the long tutorials, even though I'd been playing for years by then. The fact that you couldn't really skip any of the annoying hand-holding moments really pissed me off, and I also disliked the addition of Type: Null and Silvally as legendaries, because they were basically discount Arceus clones, and I didn't find them too fun to use in game or in Battle Tree and stuff.

Pokedigifan1178 said:

If you hate these threads so much.

Why do you visit them anyway?

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Interesting question. Well, I did say this is most possibly going to be the last of these kinds of threads I will be looking at, but maybe I just wanted to explain why I haven't been to this subforum for so long. Though to be fair maybe I should have posted it somewhere else, but eh.

colours said:

If I had to: it'd be RBY.

The games did not age well at all, as is evident from their VC release. Apologies to all the Gen I fans out there.

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I greatly enjoyed the Virtual Console releases, but...objectively speaking, this may be the answer. :/
Unbalanced type chart! Screwy critical hit system! No move descriptions anywhere in the game! OP status conditions (partial-trapping, freeze, sleep)! Spot in Pokemon Mansion where you can get stuck and have to reset the game! Laundry list of glitches! Are you not entertained??

(Again, I do still like the games and respect them for being the start of this wonderful franchise - and, of course, I realize they were made in a different time. And, admittedly, the glitchiness can make the experience better *pets Mew* *gives it one of 99 Rare Candies*)

I haven't played a Pokemon spinoff since, like, Pokemon Stadium 2, so I don't have any opinions over spinoffs in the last, well, nearly 20 years. lol

I can't not mention LGP/E. Releasing a bare bones 2.5D remake of a game that has already been remade with only the original 151 Pokemon on the Switch for $60. That's just bad.

Otherwise, Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon get my vote. They have steered this series in a direction I really don't care for.

~The region was so limited. Everything felt like narrow paths. You could barely surf anywhere, and you couldn't fish freely anymore, only in certain spots. I also don't really like Alola as a region, but I could have set that aside if everything else was good. It wasn't.
~The difficulty. Most people complain about the hand-holding and the game being too "easy". I disagree. While I can say that there are points where it is super easy (like facing a rival that doesn't even understand type match-ups and uses moves like "Growl"), there are points where it is randomly ramped up. I actually don't mind the Totem battles being tailored to be difficult, but overall it always felt like my Pokemon were weak in the game, and moves like Surf which were really useful in previous games felt watered down (no pun intended). I heard something about trainers having EV/IV trained Pokemon. That crap does not belong in the game, unless hidden behind tougher difficulty levels.
~SOS battle feature. It was amended in US/UM, but was terrible in S/M. I get the appeal to it and the neat little easter eggs it brought about, but in S/M the feature was out of control. They could keep on summoning for more Pokemon forever and ever and succeed. I got so tired of dealing with my Pokemon being double teamed like that while trying to train them that I actually turned on the Exp Share because it was intolerable actually trying to play the normal way.
~Removal of National Dex. What in the world, GF? There's even that QR feature to "see" Pokemon outside of the regional dex, but because there is no National Dex those Pokemon aren't actually registered anywhere ever. Not having seen them, not having caught them. Nothing. If you want to catch them all in Generation VII you are not going to have a fun time going about it.

I honestly don't have any games that I don't like. I can tell you that the one I like most is the very first I ever played. Pokemon RED. :)

Whilst no Pokemon main series game is 'bad' I say the worst games in the series were Diamond and Pearl:

- Very slow paced with lengthy pauses when saving.
- An unbalanced Pokedex with only two fire type lines (Infernape and Rapidash)
- Difficulty is all over the place. The difficulty drops significantly after Fantina. Volkner is a solid character but his team as the last leader is a joke.
- Forgettable Elite Four with poor teams. Aaron has a Dustox of all things whilst Fire Elite Four Member Flint has only two fire types on his team.

Most of these issues were fixed in Platinum but for me Diamond and Pearl are the worst Pokemon games.

Some interesting points being made in this thread! I definitely get what people mean about the games becoming stale. However defeating gym leaders and becoming the Champion is what it is all about for me! Where I think they could change the game is by getting rid of battling against evil gangs. Honestly it is that part of the game that I find repetitive and have often led to the most boring parts of the game. Take the distortion world in Platinum, genuinely think it is the least interesting plan of existence I have encountered in any game, let alone Pokemon.

I'm also seeing hate for Gen 1 games, which I get and obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion. However I think they do have to be judged in the time they were released. They were innovative, launching a brand new concept on a console that was limited in terms of processing powers. I think they were pretty extraordinary for their era. Now they don't compete with later games because they had R/B/Y as a base to build off! So if people are saying that they are their least favourite games to play, then yes I probably agree, but if your saying they were just bad games then I think that is unfair.

My least favourite game was white. No Pokemon I knew being in the game was immediately off putting and there are very few Pokemon in that generation I actually like (and the best of the lot was an event only one...). As a result it is the only Pokemon game that I've started and not finished the main story at least once. In fact I enjoyed it so little I put my NDS down and didn't pick it up again for another nine years.

Diamond & Pearl: Well its GF first time releasing a NDS game and wow saving a game takes bit much time because of that furthermore, everything just bit lag hole for some duration and yes DP are a hell to begin with huge level curve spikes.

S&M:
- The game is very lackluster because its mainly 4 islands and to get to some island either a boat, mantee surfing and sharpedo rides, it makes you feel like you dont want to explore further due to the region not being very vast

- They scrap away National Dex which make less changeling on completing a dex

- Should rivals be strong against you and not a cakewalk because the rival chooses a starter which is x2 against the starter of your choice and any rivals should meant that they pick a starter which your starter is weak too (You pick fire-type, they pick water-type) and I really dont mind totem

Why has almost no one mentioned any of the side games? Some of them make you complaints against the main-line games seem almost irrelevant by comparison.

Black and White 1
They made up for it by releasing Black and White 2

I feel as if the release of USUM made Sun and Moon the worst games for me, as they're pretty much the only games now that I never even consider playing through again. The other games I don't think are too bad as I've played through all of them at least twice before.

Worst Pokémon game?

For me, I don't exactly hate any Pokémon games, I love them all! But I do have some least favorites...

Main core games: Sun and Moon

As much as I love playing the first game, the second game just felt a bit.... unnecessary? I don't know but replaying the same game with the same cutscenes that interrupt every moment and the hand holding the game did really annoyed me. This goes with the first, since their practically the same game. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon just had a "new story." The region also felt a bit... small. It didn't feel huge like Johto or Hoenn and I completed the first game in a whopping couple of days because of it.

Another main core game I would always put down would be Diamond and Pearl. As much as I love the Sinnoh region, the games feel so slow. I complete them eventually but the games took a bit to complete Fuentes to how slow they are, also, another complaint I have with these games are the contests! While I don't mind the dress up part, the dance part feels super unnecessary and annoying.

These are just my thoughts, just a couple of things that urk me. I love all the games but these two in particular bug me the most.

I played and genuinely enjoyed every Pokémon main series game, but the 7th Gen games are definitely my least favorites.
there is too much handholding and cutscenes, while I really enjoy the story and characters of SM and USUM, there should be an option to skip them.
I never found Pokémon to be challenging (save a few battles) but the difficulty in the 7th gen makes it quite boring sometimes. it's really just spamming the strongest super-effective attack.
also the small number of added Pokémon was kind of disappointing.
but other that, I really enjoyed it and don't consider those to be bad games. however, I hope those things get fixed in Sword and Shield.