Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
As previously established, Unova is not my favorite region and Black and White aren’t my favorite Pokémon games. So, when Game Freak announced it was making its first direct sequel, I wasn’t particularly enticed by Black 2 and White 2. However, while they’re often iterative of their predecessors, these games are widely considered some of the most robust and feature-complete games in the franchise. Taking a second trip back to Unova is rewarding to learn more about this side of the Pokémon universe, but it also is probably the last pure Pokémon experience before things like Mega Evolution and Terastalyzing started to alter how battles would play out both in the main game and in the competitive meta. It’s just a really solid Pokémon experience, and, for a lot of people, feels like the last bastion for a type of Pokémon game that might not exist anymore.
