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#2. Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
The original. The firsts. Although there may be a bit of nostalgia bias, Pokemon Red and Blue are by far one of the best if not the best Pokemon games ever. Pokemon Yellow followed suite from these games but you could only choose your starter as Pikachu.
The year was 1998 and the world outside Japan was introduced to the Pokemon series for the first time. Set in the Kanto region, you had to navigate the region, defeat Gym Leaders and get badges and you gotta catch 'em all! 151 Pokemon were introduced in these games.
The success of the Pokemon series really stemmed from the success of Red, Blue, and Yellow. Red and Blue were remade for the Gameboy Advance after Generation 3, with FireRed and LeafGreen versions. It was the same game but introduced several new regions and introduced Pokemon from Generation 2 and 3 into the game.
A simpler version of Pokemon Yellow was also released for the Switch, with Pokemon Let's Go: Pikachu and Let's Go: Eevee. None of the remakes could capture the original essence.
These games were the last Pokemon games that were legitimately hard. You could not heal Pokemon by storing them in the PC, types were limited, items were limited and HM moves could not be erased. There was a real challenge to the game which does not exist anymore.
#1. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
The number 1 spot goes to Gold, Silver, and Crystal (this was a hard choice to make). Set in the Johto region and in Generation 2, Gold and Silver introduced new Pokemon to the region and also introduced several concepts that were not available in the original Red/Blue/Yellow.
The best part of these games were after defeating the Elite Four, you could travel to Kanto, the region from the original games. No other Pokemon game in the past 20 years has allowed this to happen. You can battle a total of 16 Gym Leaders and there was just so much content in the game.
Pokemon Crystal was the same concept as Gold and Silver. It had a few changes such as the introduction of the Battle Tower and more focus on the Legendary Dogs (Suicine, Entei and Raikou). This generation was also the first to introduce the Dark Type.
Pokemon Gold and Silver were remade in 2009 for the Nintendo DS as HeartGold and SoulSilver. It is the same game but features enhanced graphics and the introduction of the Safari Zone, which was not available in the original.
It also featured Pokemon from Generation 3 and 4. The best part of those games were Pokemon following you, which has never been seen again.
Pokemon Gold and Silver and their remakes feature the best gameplay and one of the best stories available in Pokemon games. They have features that were never seen again in any other Pokemon game. Their uniqueness and delight makes them the best Pokemon game of all time.
