Pokémon Gold and Silver/Crystal
Gold and Silver set the bar for Pokémon post-games that a majority of these titles haven’t even dared to touch. The second generation games introduce a hundred new Pokémon, new typings, and a brand new region to explore in Johto. Then, after the credits roll, the entirety of the previous games’ map opens up, and you have basically a second game waiting for you. All of this culminates in a final battle that still remains legendary in the Pokémon community…then Game Freak just never did it again. It’s not like that would be an easy undertaking, but it set an expectation the company never again attempted to meet. These days, the original Gold and Silver fall short in the way most old games do, with new iterations and improvements making them feel decidedly dated and less fun to play. But its ambition, especially for its time, can’t be overstated.
