Subscriber Poll: The Great Pokémon Play Through!
Welcome, one and all, to 2024; and what better way to start than with a nice big poll? In 2024 I want to play some more games as the last couple of years have been a bit of a dry spell for me due to just normal life and responsibilities. However, as life seems to be settling a bit, I want to get back into it.
Now, I have a bit of a tradition where I will go back and play through either a first or second generation Pokémon game once a year but I realize that I missed the vast majority of the games that have come out over the years. In fact, of the 26 mainline games (not counting remakes) I’ve only played 8 of them from 5 of the 9 generations. It’s kind of crazy when I think about it in terms of the numbers because I’ve always considered myself a fan of the franchise.
Part of the reason I’ve played so little is because I grew up with the Game Boy. I had all three gen 1 games (Red, Blue, and Yellow) and the original two gen 2 games (Gold and Silver) and I played them a literal crap ton. I played a bit of a gen 3 game (Emerald) on an emulator at one point years ago but never finished it, and I didn’t pick up another game until gen 6 when I bought a used 3DS with Pokémon X. I also played through Sun, but I kind of dropped off at that point.
The Rules
In 2024, I want to try to play through one game from each generation in the Pokémon series, and I want you to help me pick which ones. Here’s the rules I set for myself:
Play through at least one mainline title from each generation and document it here before the end of December.
Play through them on original hardware if possible.
Stick to the original releases, not any third-in-a-generation release (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, etc)
Generation 5, apparently, did not have a third release, but rather had two direct sequels. I will be playing the sequel to the game that is selected; so if Black wins, I will also play Black 2. The same goes for White.
With generation 7 I chose the “Ultra” titles since they are basically the originals with additional content, and because I’ve already played the original releases but haven’t tried the Ultra content.
Generations 8 and 9 are the only ones, to my knowledge, to include DLC. I may try the DLC, but don’t see it as necessary to completing this goal.
Why are there two games in each generation?
For those of you who may not be acquainted with the Pokémon video games, each generation had two games; for example, gen 1 had Red and Blue (Green in Japan). The games are identical in every way except for a handful of Pokémon that are exclusive to each game. For example, the Pokémon Growlithe, Electabuzz, and Scyther are only found in Red (and Yellow, but we’re not talking about Thirds). Likewise, Vulpix, Magmar, and Pinsir can only be found in Blue. This means, in order to 100% complete the game you need to find someone who has the other game who can trade you the Pokémon you can’t get in your game. It’s also a brilliant way to double your profits from the weird ones like me who just bought them all in the early days.
What this means for your choice here, is that it doesn’t really matter. If you have a preference then go for it! If you are nostalgic for Diamond over Pearl, make that your pick. If you like the color blue more than red, choose blue. If you’re a night owl, go with Ultra Moon in gen 7. Don’t know? Don’t care? Doesn’t matter. Just vote, your reasons are your own. I just want you to tell me which games I should play through. So without further ado, let’s get to the poll!
