Three Pokemon Titles That Were Denied the Appreciation They Deserved

In the wake of a taste of world peace courtesy of Pokemon Go, there's no question that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most ubiquitous gaming titles in existence. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as recognizable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The ongoing excitement around card prices guarantees near-daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon game that didn't sell at least a few million copies. Even, unofficial Pokémon games go viral every year.

However in spite of that ubiquity and fame, some Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These represent games that didn't get their fair shake, or were buried by the excitement of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on doomed consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they had received sequels or modern remakes. With these criteria in mind, this list will not be yet another recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.

Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and typing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?

Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor

Too many Pokémon games emphasize the battling aspect of the series, and far too few of them highlight the ordinary aspects that would come with owning a companion. Admittedly, there are small features like these in recent entries—you can pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am longing for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.

My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii is not that game. The downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokémon 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 argue against these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.

As the name suggests, the game is set on a farm where your personal Miis—get this—just relax 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 not forced into battle. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a wonderful franchise built on the daily joys of coexisting with a tiny companion. But since The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its complete potential. I'd say 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.

Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was before the rise of passive games, and the video playthrough popularization of watching games you aren't playing. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to watch your creatures as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, a Twitch stream dedicated to broadcasting the game continuously. The individual who runs the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he even now has not encountered everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.

Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Gone

Did you know that Pokémon once had an licensed tabletop game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to adapt the physical experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of free-to-play mobile gaming. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title 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 excellent tactical game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," one YouTube comment reads, years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, game design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket combined."

Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people few incentives to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unique board structure made for a great strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Experiment

Wow, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a concept so silly, it was bordering on shitpost. And when 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 poke fun at themselves.

Within Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with breeding the best possible version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can flop the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, requires the player to wait before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood the community love around Magikarp.

Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's brutal random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to raise its stats as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the great writing, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same species of monster. I know it's not feasible for any Pokémon game to have dozens of colorings and patterns for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.

Magikarp Jump was not a particularly complex or deep game, but the kernels of genius were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that permanently influence how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the conversation when Game of the Year season arrives.

With dozens of mainline entries and spin-offs, it's probable that I omitted that one Pokémon game you totally love but argue that too few people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu