Ranking all remakes in Pokemon history

Pokemon fans have grown to look forward to the remakes as often as the new games.

The remakes have been considerable achievements for Game Freak since it allows them to rework older gens in a modern lens. While newer fans may not like picking up a Game Boy or GBA to play some of the older titles, they might have access to their remakes.

Which Pokemon remakes made the best impression?

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4) Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

While at the bottom of the list, these are far from bad games. The developers achieved precisely what they set out to do — create a very accurate remake of Generation IV.

As a result, the other remakes gave a little extra to their separate experiences to make them stand out from their base games (new gameplay mechanics, additive stories, etc.). Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl doesn’t expound on the Sinnoh region, but it is a fantastic HD trip down memory lane.

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3) Fire Red and Leaf Green

Fire Red and Leaf Green added new areas to the Kanto region (Image via Game Freak)

No region needed a remake more than Kanto did. With the first Pokemon games giving users an unforgettable introduction to the series, playing them on the Game Boy feels very dated.

While Fire Red and Leaf Green added a couple of new features to Kanto (for instance, the Sevii Islands), it’s still remaking a region that doesn’t have that much depth, to begin with. Trainers can end up close to the endgame and still only find Growlithe and Raticate in the grass.

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2) Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby

The Generation III remakes introduced Primal Reversions (Image via Game Freak)

This game not only updated the Hoenn region but it breathed new life into it. New features like Mega evolutions gave gamers a reason to catch some old staples that they’ve likely used a thousand times.

The PokeNav also allowed trainers to catch Pokemon with rare moves. All of that, combined with the Delta episode, provided users with lots more content than they had with the original Generation III titles.

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1) Heart Gold and Soul Silver

Tin Tower lies in the middle of the Johto region (Image via Game Freak)

Heart Gold and Soul Silver did more than remaking the Johto region. It practically fixed it. While they certainly could have done more to improve the region (the Kanto portion of the game is still filled with underleveled opponents), many other quality of life changes were implemented in these Generation II remakes.

First of all, the new Safari Zone allowed trainers to catch Pokemon that were unavailable otherwise until the end game (especially Larvitar). The physical and special split also allowed Gyarados and Weavile to actually deal decent damage.

Updated Gym Leader teams also gave added depth to the game, including the Elite Four rematches.

Note: This article reflects the author’s views.