3 Pokemon Games That Were Denied the Love They Warranted
Following a taste of global harmony courtesy of Pokémon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting series is about as mainstream gaming titles in existence. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as identifiable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The persistent frenzy surrounding card prices ensures almost daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be difficult to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a few million units. Remarkably, unofficial Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However despite that ubiquity and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These represent titles that failed to receive their fair shake, or were overshadowed by the hype of the mainline series. They're Pokémon games stuck on doomed consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they had received sequels or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, we won't be offering just one more reminder for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Cozy Precursor
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the combat aspect of the series, and far too few of them focus on the everyday realities that would come with living with a pet. Sure, there are small features like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am longing for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii is not that game. The digital-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from different games. Reviews from its launch noted Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to argue against these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a farm where your Mii avatars—imagine this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the draw was observing what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a beautiful franchise built on the daily joys of living your life with a tiny companion. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its fullest potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the rise of passive games, and the Let's Play popularization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Many never realized that Ranch's concept to observe your creatures as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, there's a Twitch stream dedicated to broadcasting the game 24/7. The streamer who operates the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he even now has not encountered everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Lost
Are you aware that Pokemon once had an licensed tabletop game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was incentive to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.
These questionable mechanics masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was marred by server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people few incentives to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unique game board made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting eyesore.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a premise so silly, it was bordering on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of ineffective monsters who simply cannot do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that poke fun at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with raising the ultimate version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, forces the player to pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that Select Button appreciated and got the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's brutal random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same type of monster. I know it's not feasible for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially complex or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the conversation when Game of the Year season arrives.
Given numerous mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you totally love but argue that too few people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly despite argu
