#2. POKEMON RED AND BLUE
The ones that started it all. Under ordinary circumstances, you’d think that placing the first game of a long-running series so high in such a list is, plain and simple, a case of nostalgia, but that is far from true in Pokemon Red and Blue’s case- they’re just that good. With their very first crack at Pokemon, Game Freak established an airtight formula and ethos that has persisted and influences the industry to this day.
But Pokemon Red and Blue deserve praise for more than just the impact they had when they first came out. The true test of any so-called “classic” is how well it ages, and Red and Blue have aged wonderfully. Even today, playing through them is an addictive, joyous, and magical experience. Sure, they’re lacking in some of the core features the series introduced in later years, and the bells and whistles that their sequels brought with them, but Red and Blue are pure, unadulterated Pokemon– and that, really, is the biggest praise anyone can give to these games.
