LSav00
2002
A childhood favourite of mine, plugging this into the front of my DS and merrily skipping my way through Hoenn. While they don't feel like TOO much of a full-on revolution for the franchise (well, back when they were new, anyway), it's still a solid game in its own right.
Rough around the edges, but it's easy to see why these games were as popular as they were. They took the Pokémon franchise to new heights with the locale design, and the roster of new mons truly embraced the 'expansion pack' mindset that Gold and Silver before them had set.
Now, if only most of those new Pokémon could be obtained BEFORE clearing the story... Oh, and the speed of the battles was painfully slow. Thankfully, Platinum fixed these issues and then some.
Now, if only most of those new Pokémon could be obtained BEFORE clearing the story... Oh, and the speed of the battles was painfully slow. Thankfully, Platinum fixed these issues and then some.
1999
A classic. Played it over the course of a couple of days while a friend was staying at my house, and it's still some of my fondest memories playing a game. Short, VERY sweet, and impossible to go wrong with.
2021
The Holy Grail of Pokémon spinoffs. Definitive proof that they're FINALLY back in full swing. Long have awaited. And my god, did this game deliver. Far too much grinding for arbitrary 'points' to unlock more photo opportunities, but my god. The graphics and suite of photo editing options more than make up the difference.
2003
The one whole star is for the bonus Jirachi you can obtain and transfer to your Game Boy Advance games infinite times.
Completely pointless video game otherwise. It's hardly even a game, given you sit there and watch TV with Pikachu for an arbitrary number of hours to progress.
Guess what Pokémon is in the egg for literally NO prizes! Watch telemarketing! Isn't that EXCITING?!
No. No it isn't.
Completely pointless video game otherwise. It's hardly even a game, given you sit there and watch TV with Pikachu for an arbitrary number of hours to progress.
Guess what Pokémon is in the egg for literally NO prizes! Watch telemarketing! Isn't that EXCITING?!
No. No it isn't.
2014
A shockingly robust and competent art program, given the limitations of art on the 3DS. A bit clunky, but teaches you some fantastic tips and tricks of the trade to set you on the right path.
2013
For over ten years, up until the release of Monster Hunter Rise and its DLC expansion Sunbreak, this was my most-played game of all time, at 695 hours.
I still have yet to touch the basically-nonexistent postgame story quests.
It came out at the exact right time - 13 year old me saw a full-3D Pokémon game for his fancy new system he got for his birthday, and it was love at first sight. Endless hours were spent catching Pokémon, training them, and battling with friends online.
I didn't even complete the Pokédex, for god's sake!
I still have yet to touch the basically-nonexistent postgame story quests.
It came out at the exact right time - 13 year old me saw a full-3D Pokémon game for his fancy new system he got for his birthday, and it was love at first sight. Endless hours were spent catching Pokémon, training them, and battling with friends online.
I didn't even complete the Pokédex, for god's sake!
Simply put, not only one of the best Pokémon games, but one of the DS games - and remakes - PERIOD. The atmosphere, being able to hear the diegetic sounds of water, and footsteps, and grass rustling, the updated game mechanics, the visual style, the music... It all comes together to form an absolute masterwork.
Now, it isn't without flaw - the lack of Johto Pokémon in Johto is flagrantly stupid, and the level scaling is non-existent - but even with these issues, there's so much to see and do, alongside potential teambuilding during the story, that it still stands tall as something truly amazing.
Now, it isn't without flaw - the lack of Johto Pokémon in Johto is flagrantly stupid, and the level scaling is non-existent - but even with these issues, there's so much to see and do, alongside potential teambuilding during the story, that it still stands tall as something truly amazing.
Fantastic postgame content, brilliant updates to Diamond and Pearl that SHOULD have been in those games to begin with... The definitive version of the Sinnoh games, and one easily stands the test of time to be considered one of the best.
A direct sequel to one of the best games on the DS? They KNEW they were onto a winner, clearly. It adds far more locales and content - perhaps a little TOO much - but it is a prime example of how a sequel should be made. The fact the challenge mode difficulty has never returned is something of a crime, as it scaled just right to make you sweat bullets by the time you were at the Pokémon League.
A younger me only bought this game because he saw Wario on the front cover, and recognised him. An older me is very glad he did, because this game was a childhood favourite, and still my personal favourite Smash Bros. game. The roster? Pretty damn good. The amount of content? STAGGERING. The music? Godlike. It doesn't get much better than this.
The go-to choice for multiplayer with friends, but didn't quite hit the same heights as its 3DS counterpart for me. The side modes just weren't there. Seriously, where was Smash Run?!
I remember feigning illness to get a day off school to play this nonstop. Smash Bros, in the palm of your hand... It was like nothing else. Pretty solid roster of characters, and Smash Run was genius. Many hours of fun were had with this game.
2004
Playing this game when I was young was one of the major reasons I remained with gaming as a hobby. Constantly stumbling on secret after secret led me to believe this game was endless, and FAR larger than it actually is. The controls get a lot of flak (and they're not quite perfect), but this game is more than perfectly playable. A true classic in Mario's lineup, and one that gets ashamedly ignored by the Big N.
A fantastic package, and one I was grateful to own growing up, as I had no clue how elusive and valuable Sonic 3 on a handheld would end up being in the future. Not perfect versions of the games by any means, but still a fantastic way to play them back in the day.