3 Pokemon Titles That Didn't Get the Love They Deserved
In the wake of a taste of world peace thanks to Pokemon Go, it's beyond doubt that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most popular video games around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as recognizable as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The persistent frenzy around card prices ensures almost daily Pokémon news stories. It would be difficult to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a few million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, some Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These are titles that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed by the hype of the core series. These are Pokémon games stuck on doomed consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they ever got follow-ups or modern remakes. Considering these factors, we won't be offering yet another reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and typing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with discerning palates, shall we?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the battling aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them highlight the ordinary realities that would come with owning a pet. Sure, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from different games. Reviews from its launch said Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. I'm not here to dispute these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your Mii avatars—imagine this—simply hang out with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were simple, and a significant part of the appeal was watching what your monsters might do when not forced into cockfighting. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a beautiful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a small creature. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of cozy games. It was before the rise of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of watching games you aren't playing. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you interact with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In truth, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, a Twitch stream focused on broadcasting the game 24/7. The individual who runs the channel maintains that, after almost twenty years of experiencing the game, he even now has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Tactical Tabletop Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokémon once had an official tabletop game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the tabletop experience in a more approachable form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's first forays into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha game where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
All of these poor design choices masked a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel today. "I can’t express how much I adored and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with connectivity problems. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unique board structure made for a great tactical experience for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating eyesore.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so silly, it was verging on internet meme. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a team of ineffective monsters who simply cannot do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the best possible version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'karp raised to enter competitions to see who can flop the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, forces the player to pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that Select Button loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range of the same species of monster. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the running when Game of the Year season rolls around.
With dozens of core games and derivative titles, it's probable that I didn't mention that particular Pokémon game you totally love but argue that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu
