No matter how many decades pass since the release of the original Red and Blue for the Game Boy, Pokèmon continues to have an incredibly devoted fanbase, and newcomers are still getting into the franchise with recent phenomenon such as Pokèmon Go helping to ease in a more casual audience. Though each new game in the series brought about changes to help streamline or modernize things, it doesn't necessarily mean that each new entry ranked higher than the last. In fact, at least according to IGN, it's impossible to dethrone a classic.
Today, we'll be raking the top 10 mainline games in the Pokèmon franchise, according to IGN review scores.
10 FireRed And LeafGreen: 9 / 10
Coming in at number 10 are FireRed and LeafGreen, the GBA remakes of the classic Red and Green, even though originally in North America, Red released alongside Blue. This pair is definitely the stronger of the two when it comes to Kanto remakes, complete with upgraded sprites and music from the original game as the remakes have the luxury of being on a more powerful system than the original Game Boy. Above all else, they add a wonderful splash of color to what used to be a completely monochrome game, and we have very fond childhood memories of this pair of games.
The fact that you could finally play wirelessly via an adapter was a great addition to the series in its time, as well.
9 Sun And Moon: 9 / 10
The number nine spot belongs to none other than Sun and Moon for the Nintendo 3DS, and it certainly deserves to be on this list. Alola featured the series' first real shakeup to the formula of gym battles finally leading into the Elite Four, instead replacing them with island trials. They were a bit hit-or-miss in terms of enjoyment, but each one was very creative and it was still always refreshing to go through something that felt so different.
These games featured a heavier story than most before it, as well, and we found ourselves more attached to the characters in this entry than most others.
8 Crystal: 9 / 10
Next up, in the number 8th spot, we have the third game in the original Johto trilogy, Pokèmon Crystal. This was an incredibly exciting time for fans of the franchise and was the first game to feature the choice of playing as either a female or a male protagonist instead of simply a male. The sprites for the pokèmon also have little animations now instead of simply being stuck as static models in titles that came before it.
The story is also changed slightly to give some of the legendaries, especially Suicune being the box legendary for the game, more presence, which is always a welcome addition.
7 Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon: 9 / 10
The remakes for Sun and Moon, fittingly dubbed Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, take the number seventh spot on the list- and boy, do these have enough extra content to justify their spot. Aside from fleshing out, expanding and even changing SuMo's story in some places, it boasts an extra minigame, a new online mode in the form of the Battle Agency and a new trial for the Fairy-type. There's also a gym-like Battle Arena, but unlike regular gyms that are simply challenged once, this one could be taken on daily.
We know casual fans have a tendency to either play the original or the second game in a generation, but we fully recommend Ultra if you're one of the fans that skipped over them.
6 X And Y: 9 / 10
The sixth spot goes to none other than X and Y. Thankfully, the typically slow-opening of mainline games is sped up in this generation, making getting into things less tedious for those who aren't newcomers. This was also the first Pokèmon games to move away from pixel sprites and go fully-3D, and it adds a lot of charm and personality to our beloved collectible critters. The online features for this game are arguably better than any game that came before it, and even better than the games that come after it.
This entry also introduced Mega Evolutions, which to this day are still dearly beloved by the community despite not being in the latest entry.
5 Sword and Shield: 9.3 / 10
The fifth spot actually goes to Sword and Shield, the newest generation of Pokèmon games and the first non-spinoff title for the Switch. Additions such as camping to play with your Pokèmon and cooking curry are much appreciated, and it's the small features like that where these titles really shine. Though the story is rather basic, these games feature a wide and colorful cast of characters, and it's quite the challenge not to fall in love with at least one of them during your playthrough.
Having a mix of seeing sprites in the overworld and having random grass encounters is something that we hope is now standard in the series, as well.
4 White 2/Black 2: 9.6 / 10
Next up in the fourth spot are the successors to Black and White, Black 2 and White 2. Instead of simply being the original game with a few small additions or upgrades, these games really blow it out of the water. New additions feature new main characters, new areas to explore and even an entirely new storyline. When it comes to getting the most out of remakes, Black 2 and White 2 are probably the best example of that.
Game Freak also had a lot of experience working with the DS at this point, so they were able to get absolutely everything out of the hardware that they could this time around.
3 Gold/Silver: 10 / 10
Number three belongs to none other than the classic Johto experience, Gold and Silver. Not only was this generation home to Johto and a large variety of new Pokèmon to catch, but after players beat the Elite Four a special surprise opened up! Being able to return to Kanto and go back through a familiar world once more, getting to essentially play two games in one.
This was rather shocking to fans but also incredibly well-received, and is a feature fans have been begging to see in another game since.
2 Yellow: 10 / 10
Stealing the second-place spot is actually a semi-remake of the original games, but with a bit of a twist- Pokèmon Yellow. Players still traverse Kanto like in the originals, but instead of choosing from your pick of Charmander, Bulbasaur or Squirtle, they're instead given a Pikachu! This Pikachu can be talked to and will emote at the player and express emotions, sometimes even giving the player items. It was a wonderful way to really feel like a bond was growing between trainer and Pokèmon, even back then.
The best part is that the three original starters can still be obtained as you go through the game.
1 Red/Blue: 10 / 10
The original still sits atop the throne of Pokèmon games, it seems, as the number one spot is taken by none other than Red and Blue. Though weighed down by various bugs, glitches and limitations having come out in the mid-90's, the original titles seemed to have truly captured fans' hearts in a way that no title since has quite been able to. While not the most visually or musically impressive and having next-to-no real story, it laid the groundwork for everything that came after, and for that it deserves the crowning title of the best mainline Pokèmon game.