3 Pokemon Titles That Didn't Get the Appreciation They Deserved

Following a taste of world peace courtesy of Pokemon Go, it's beyond doubt that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most ubiquitous gaming titles in existence. The iconic Pikachu is just as identifiable as Mickey Mouse, perhaps even more. The continued frenzy around trading card values ensures almost daily Pokémon news stories. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a couple million units. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral every year.

However despite that pervasiveness and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These represent games that failed to receive their fair shake, or were overshadowed under the hype of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or services, or were early forays onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they ever got 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.

Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, agreed?

Pokemon Ranch: The Chill Forerunner

An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the battling aspect of the series, and far too few of them highlight the ordinary realities that would come with owning a companion. Admittedly, there are small features like these in recent entries—players may play with your monsters in camps. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein 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 precursor to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. I'm not here to dispute these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.

As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your Mii avatars—get this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were simple, and a significant part of the appeal was observing what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful franchise built on the daily joys of living your life with a small creature. But since The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its fullest potential. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzle game as it is a life simulation.

Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was before the rise of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of watching games you aren't playing. Most people never understood that Ranch's concept to observe your critters as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, a Twitch stream focused on broadcasting the game continuously. The individual who operates the channel states that, after almost twenty years of experiencing the game, he even now has not seen everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.

Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Gone

Did you know that Pokemon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the tabletop experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's first ventures 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 motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.

These questionable mechanics obfuscated a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel today. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," a YouTube comment reads, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, design, and content in general," another commenter wrote. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."

Regrettably, Duel's early release was marred by server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory monetization model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unusual board structure made for a great strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting visual mess.

Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Experiment

Wow, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a premise so absurd, it was verging on internet meme. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt 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 tasked with raising the best possible version of the infamous fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood the community love around Magikarp.

This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just 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 mainline games would do, like offering a wide variety of the same type of monster. It's understood 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 one can dream.

Magikarp Jump was not a particularly sophisticated or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that permanently influence how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the conversation when Game of the Year season arrives.

Given dozens of core games and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but contend that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball with affection notwithstanding argu