Best (And Worst?!) Pokemon Spin-Offs

[Toastie]

With every generation brings new spin-offs. Some are good, some aren't (and some are just plain awful *coughheyyoupikachudidn'tevenworkandwasn'tincludedonthislistcough*) So, which of these is your favourite spin-off? Personally, while the stadium games are amazing and Pokepark Wii and Pokemon Rumble were pretty fun, they don't come close to Pokemon Snap. An on-rails Pokemon shooter snapper? Hell yeah. Yes, it could've been longer and included more Pokemon, but there are so many secrets and features that it doesn't matter. Tonnes of replay value. *Crosses fingers for Pokemon Snap Wii*

I'm sorry if I missed out a spin-off, and if you notice a gap you can PM me and I'll add it. The Bulbapedia page I got this off had very strict criteria for a spin-off, and as a result I had to add some in later. I wondered whether to include the console battlers or not, and in the end included them, as this is basically non main series Pokemon Games.

So, let the opinions begin!

 

[Linkachu]

I remember a topic like this in the past.. XD

I voted for Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness last time, and I think I still would. As much as I loved the Stadium games and Colosseum for being the first 3D RPG on a console, I've always felt that Pokemon XD took the concepts of Colosseum and made them better. It reused locations, yes, but it still offered something new with each location and then some. I view it similar to one of the "3rd games" like Platinum was to R/S, only with many more additions obviously. I don't care if the graphics were a bit strange, the access to TMs sucked, and the battles were slow. I loved Pokemon XD and what it tried to achieve, and I hope they make another like it someday.

 

[SlowPokemon]

I voted for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time and Darkness.

My first spinoff game was either Pokemon Pinball Ruby/Sapphire or Pokemon Snap, and I love those.

The first Mystery Dungeon brought with it a whole new idea, and it was epically fun (being Psyduck ftw), but the second one not only had a better and longer story, but it took advantage of the Gen IV Pokemon. Plus in Explorers of Sky you can't be Meowth.

My favorite part in PMD is when Grovyle's talking about the sunset... Tears in my eyes.

 

[KoL]

My favourite spin-off is, and probably will always be, the Trading Card Game. It was solid, fun, used a very similar formula to the regular games and thus felt familiar, and it was quite addicting - I could play and replay that game over and over even today. It just had everything.

XD: Gale of Darkness would come second here itself for being solid while quite different to the norm, and for being considerably better than the grind-tastic snooze-fest that was its prequel. Unfortunately, it lacks the replay value of TCG for me, which puts it in second place, although the quirky connection it had with Pokemon Emerald (every Pokemon in the Hoenn 'Dex that can't be found in Emerald can be caught in XD) was pretty cool - makes me think the idea was for people to own both games.

...that's all I have to say really, since I'll end up bashing the rest of the list and saying half the games on it suck ass (I'm looking at you, Ranger and PMD series.)

 

[SlowPokemon]

The Ranger and PMD series are pretty much the best IMO. And I liked Colusseum better than XD.

Battle Revolution is a great way to battle Wi-Fi for those of us who use WPA rather than WEP... -_-

 

[baratron]

I'm very impressed by your list - it must have taken forever to write the poll! I haven't played all the games, so I can't actually comment on all of them. (I didn't even know there was a third Pokemon Ranger game out!). Here are the ones I have played:

Pokemon Snap (N64) - well, I played it on Wiiware - 6/10
Pokemon Channel (GC) - 8/10
Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire (GBA) - 7/10
Pokemon Dash (DS) - 5/10
Pokemon Trozei (DS) - called Pokemon Link in Europe for some reason (though I got mine on US import) - 6/10
Pokemon Ranger (DS) - 9/10
Pokemon Rumble (WiiWare) - 9/10
Pokemon Colosseum (GC) - 7/10
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (GC) - 9.5/10
Pokemon Battle Revolution (Wii) - 6/10

What can I say about them, without writing an epic post that'll take me ages? Hmm. I know, scores out of ten!

Most of the low scores aren't very surprising. 5/10 for Pokemon Dash, because it wasn't a proper game, more of a technical demo (although not as bad as Yoshi Touch & Go, which I believe only had one level. At least, if it did have more than one, neither I nor my three friends could figure out how to unlock it). Though, I'd note this is a retrospective score - at the time, I loved it. My guess is that there are so many much better DS games out now that I look back at Dash as if it was rubbish, even though it wasn't.

6/10 for Battle Revolution because it was dreadful. Nice to see Gen 4 Pokemon in 3D, nice to have the option of basic customisation for your Trainer, no other redeeming features.

6/10 for Pokemon Snap? Well, I liked it - but I simply am not good enough at it to progress very far in the game at all. Even with FAQs, there was no way I'd get most of the achievements, because it's just too time-critical. The fact you can't stop the damn train-thing, or go backwards! I lose patience after playing a level 5 or 6 times to the best of my ability, yet not getting any better at it. So I haven't actually finished the game. I got as far as the fire level. Meh.

7/10 for Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire. It's a pinball game. I prefer proper pinball with a full-size table that you can whack and lean on, as required. Pinball on a GBA is never going to be as satisfying.

7/10 for Colosseum is a high score, simply because it was my first opportunity to play with a lot of Pokemon (my first game was Sapphire), and because of the ability to trade them back to Ruby or Sapphire and breed. Really, this is an average score: 9/10 for the Gen 2 Pokemon and 5/10 for the gameplay. It annoyed the hell out of me that you had to play as a boy! I don't mind so much playing as a male character when it's someone with a clearly-defined personality, such as Link, but the male protagonist of Colosseum was totally nondescript.

8/10 for Pokemon Channel is probably a surprisingly high score for most people - I believe it was generally regarded as a useless, patronising game for small children. Me? I LOVED IT. That game was responsible for turning me from someone who quite enjoyed Pokemon Sapphire into a raging Poke-Maniac. The crazy channels - Hatch Up, PokeEgg! The Wobbuffet quiz show. "Nice Cards"! That thing where all the Oddish marched across the screen and it said "Are there others?"! I even wrote an FAQ for it, though never got round to posting it on GameFAQs.

9/10 for Pokemon Ranger. It was generally a good game, and came with the bonus Manaphy. I probably put at least 25 hours into it, which is a sign of a game that I've enjoyed. Though I did need the Prima Guide to get to the end.

9/10 for Pokemon Rumble. I LOVE THIS GAME. It is, sad though this may sound, the Wii-native game that I've played the most. (Really, there just haven't been many games out for the Wii that appeal to me that I haven't already got on the XBox 360). It's not really a "proper" game in terms of having strategy or anything like that, but it's so easy to play it multiplayer (just give your friend a spare Wiimote or GameCube controller), your friends don't need to know anything about Pokemon, and you do genuinely progress and open up more levels. Also, this is the game that gave me my first ever shiny Pokemon! I have four now . (Though the only one I have on the DS was given to me by Midnight the shiny chainer).

As for the 9.5/10 for Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness - it was a full adventure, with Pokemon to collect who had new, special movesets. Also, the Battle CDs were and are fantastic. Dozens of genuinely difficult brain-teasing puzzles, e.g. trying to defeat a team of 6 Pokemon in Double Battle in only 2 moves. (Some of them using rules that no longer apply in Gen 4, however ).

What are the two Ranger sequels like - I have no idea? Or Pokepark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure? How about Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - I've been thinking about picking that up even though lots of adults have claimed it's a game for 8 year olds. Do I have to start with Explorers of Time and Darkness, or can I go straight onto Explorers of Sky?

...and that was my short post. Worry about how long the epic post would have been .

 

[SlowPokemon]

Definitely play PMD Explorers of Time, Darkness, or Sky. Such amazing games...

...

*reminisces*

 

[Doubled]

Well, I can't personally speak for all of them, so I'll just vouch for the ones I have played.

Pokemon snap: 7/10 (Only reason it wasn't a perfect 10 was because my mom and dad hogged it)
Pokechannel: 4/10
Pokemon Pinball: 5/10
Pokemon Ranger: 8/10
Pokemon Colloseum: 9.5/10
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness: 9.5/10
Pokemon Battle Revolution: 9/10
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red 10/10
Blue 8/10
TIme 7/10
Darkness 7/10
Sky 7/10

While pokemon Silver was my first actual game, Snap was my first first Pokemon game. My Aunt got it for me, and I was hooked.....unfortunately so was the rest of my family. My Dad got all the best shots because he had so much attention to detail, and my Mom completed the game when I wasn't looking. I only got to play one level! Arggghhh!!! Oh well, It was still awesome post game, pplus there's also the reset and locking the doors, so it wasn't too bad

Pokemon CHannel.... yeah, it wasn't as much fun. It probably would have been better had I been younger, but I did enjoy the Pichu bros

Pokemon Pinball: It was fun too. It's just that like actuall pinball, it was hard to play. THough, it was my first game for the SP, so it wasn't that bad

Pokemon Ranger: One of the best ideas Nintendo had for a spin off ever. It was so much fun! It's just too bad that you couldn't transfer any pokemon from it. But overall it was great story and control wise.

Colloseum: My first "Stadium" game. It was epic! It certainly took a darker turn, and Wes just looked fricken epic! (And the girl (Rui was it?)wasn't that bad lookin' either). Only problem with it was that I couldn't make my cable work so I could trade, but it was still fun, and it definately was challenging with the constant double battles. I still couldn't beat it though, as I got lost after I beat that lady with the Suicune and Steelix.

XD: Now there's an awkward name. However, it was an awesome sequel, as you got to choose from so many choices as to what your Pokemon would be. Plus, Michael (THough I prefer his name to be Max) looks awesome. Only problem I had with it was that it was heavily based on Kanto and Hoenn pokemon, and I never was able to make it up that mountain so I could get the Johto Starters. I could never complete it because after that guy took the snag machine away, I couldn't find it.

Red Rescue Team: Pure epicness. I swear no game has ever gripped me like this game did. I was Charmander, and Squirtle was my partner. I still remember all of those times where I was gritting my teeth saying "What will happen nexxxxxtt!?!?". But, I will say it was the first game to make me cry. Although post ending was weird. After your partner begged you to come back, he leaves you when either of you evolve. Growing apart I guess?

Blue rescue Team: Well, I gave it a lower score because it was just a DS rehash of the GBA version. It was the same thing, with almost no differences in story or gameplay.

Time: Almost as epic as Red, with the exception that the story had to drag on and on just so you could evolve. It was also a tear jerker at several times. Oh well, at least your partner stayed with you (Infernape and Swampert ftw!).

Dark: Same as Time, only I was Typhlosion and my partner was Meganium.

Sky: I would've given it a higher score, but the game was almost exactly the same throughout, with the exception of story changes and the Extra eps. However, I did like the hero change up. (I swear, I wish they would've done this in TIme and Darkness, I restarted so many times it wasn't funny.) At one point I was Riolu and Eevee, then at another I was Shinx and Vulpix.

FOr future game, I wish they would implement the Wii-ware dungeon game mechanics. It would make the story much more epic to evolve while exploring.

I feel like I'm forgetting something.... Oh yeah!


Battle Revolution: I loved it. I was wondering what my Infernape would look like in 3d from the moment I got it, and I wasn't disapointed. I love how you could transfer teams in so you could stage battles. The customization, well, they could've done better. The only other flaw with this game was that it didn't really have a story to it. Plus, it was really more of a over-glorified Battle Frontier. So, if Nintendo is listening, some suggestions on how to fix those flaws:

Spoiler

We need more interactivity. A story is a good way to make kids want to play, and we could use the movement to pass the time. Now, I would also recomend adding the same feature from HGSS, that is having a Pokemon follow you. With the 3d, we could take it up a notch. Small Pokemon can ride on your shoulder, medium to large can walk next to you. Anything bigger than that I would recomend keeping out of cities, but I could see some for open spaces, like Wailord appearing in the ocean next to you. Flying Pokemon could also fly overhead.

As for Character customization, I would recomend keeping a model of the past characters in the handhelds and spin offs. Then, for skin tones I would recomend a color scale, where you can adjust the color to a certain tone, rather than being Albino, Latin, and Black ( No offense intended). THe same color scale could be used for clothes, only you could use a Color Spectrum for this. As for clothing it self, I would make different arrangements for vertain clothes. And for Pete's sake let us take off the hat! The hair style also need the color spectrum, and there needs to be more than one hair style. THere could be long, short, spiky, etc. etc. The headware could also use special customization.

Now, the graphics were okay, but I'm pretty sure that those of us who've seen the original trailor were probably upset when they downgraded the attack scale and the graphic scale. We want to blow stuff up!

Now, since this thread isn't dedicated to this one game, I'll just put them in spoiler tags.

 

[Darkrai Shadows]

Ehem *Pokemonsnapworstgameeverepicfail* Eh,for the heck of it i'll give it a 4/10

 

[DJ Luke]

Hehe, pokémon rumble gets my vote (lets get ready to rumble!) because of its graphics of course and taking on multiple pokémon at once. PMD:EOS is second, okay the graphics aren't the best but I am completely addicted to that spinda's cafe joint. Lastly I would like to say that PR3 was a complete waste of 30 hard earned pounds because as with all 3 PR games playing them for the first time dosen't give off that exiting and adventurous vibe you get from other pokemon games therefore the PR games are kinda like dragon quest, too many humans, not enough creatures (and far too pixely).

 

[BazookaNeon]

Explorers of Sky is far the way X3 Most favorite of the spin-offs. As you can see, I'm all about that game. I'd say, along with Time and Darkness, it was the ONLY Pokemon Game that made me cry so much. It has a great plot twist along with the second plot, although I'd say the main plot was a lot more complex than the post-plot. I am a Vulpix and my partner is a Riolu :3

Pokemon Ranger gets my least favorite vote. Really, all you do is capture pokemon with a styler, which you cannot keep and your only pokemon is a Plusle or Minun. (This is the first one I'm speaking of, not the other two.) Sure, plot was okay, but in the long run, I didn't keep my DS lite on for long. :/

 

[KoL]

Neoni, drop the blue text please, there's no reason for you to have it and it's painful to look at with the green background.