5 Pokemon Games Better Than Legends ZA

The long awaited Pokemon Legends: ZA is now available and, despite some of its obvious problems, is already widely regarded as one of the best Pokémon games from the 3D era. Players are completely mesmerized by its dynamic real-time combat, its over-the-top boss fights, its surprisingly solid story and writing, and its fascinating collection of all-new Mega Evolutions.

It's safe to say that Pokemon Legends: ZA is one of the best main lines Pokémon game ever made, but is it the absolute best? It is very difficult to give a concrete answer to that question, because this franchise is filled to the brim with several high-quality releases. Legends: ZA is good, but the following five Pokémon games are superior in various areas.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

A more consistent experience with a new premise

Pokemon Legends: ZA is the long-awaited second game in the all-new Legends subseries and as such it wouldn't even exist if it weren't for its predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Needless to say, these two video games share many similarities, but Legends: Arceus is the better of the two. For starters, it actually has more than one explorable semi-open area (five, to be exact) that are full of style and variety, instead of being relegated to a place that Legends: ZA.

On top of that, Legends: Arceus is a more consistently solid adventure that focuses on catching and researching Pokémon during a time when humans and Pokémon didn't get along as well. It's a creative and novel premise that felt incredibly groundbreaking for its time and led to an exciting story with many memorable moments. Legends: ZA can have more exciting Pokémon battles, but its predecessor has a better atmosphere, better mechanics and better exploration. Still, these are two excellent games as any Pokémon fan should add to his collection.

Pokemon Sun and Moon

It broke the mold many years before the Legends Games

Pokemon X and Y were the first mainline games in the series to be in full 3D, but for all their positives, they are also two of the weakest. That is exactly why Pokemon sun and moon felt like such a breath of fresh air because, even though they were also exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS, they really felt like they utilized the console's hardware to its full potential.

Legends: ZA and Legends: Arceus now get credit for breaking Pokémon formula in clever ways, though Sun and moon did it first, mainly thanks to the introduction of Totem Pokemon, Trial Captains, and Kahunas, all of which replaced classic Gym Leader matches. Also, the Alola region is unique and a real joy to explore. Regional Forms are a brilliant way to breathe new life into older Pokemon, Z-Moves are a lot of fun to use, and the story – revolving around alternate dimensions and Ultra Beasts – is surprisingly deep and emotional. Sun and moons follow-up game, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moonare also quite good, but they are far too similar to their predecessors to rank among the best entries in the franchise.

Pokemon Black And White / Pokemon Black 2 And White 2

The first games in the series that had dark and mature stories

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon video game cover label

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2

8/10

When Pokémon fans are asked what the best main entries in the series are, there's a very good chance they'll immediately name one of the two Generation Five games. They absolutely cannot be blamed because both Pokemon black and white and their direct successors, Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2are absolutely stunning experiences and the perfect send-off for the franchise's 2D era.

Pokemon Legends: ZA has a captivating and surprisingly mature history, but all this would never have been possible if it weren't for Black and whitewhich featured a dark and complex story that was revolutionary for its time and laid the foundation for every game that came after it. Unova's geography and culture is extremely refreshing, mainly because it is mostly based in New York, meaning it was the first Pokemon region to be based in a location outside of Japan. Beyond that, the battles are fast and have solid mechanics, the new Pokémon are among some of the best in the series, and both games are jam-packed with fun content, especially Black 2 and White 2which saw the introduction of a huge fan-favorite: the Pokemon World Tournament.

Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver

Its two explorable regions add some variety to the game

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the only games that can compete with Black and white and their sequels for the title of best 2D entry in the series, and for very good reason. If anything, these are arguably the best remakes in the Pokémon franchise, because they took everything that made the original Gold and Silver so special and elevated everything with better graphics, higher quality music, deeper mechanics and even more content.

As astonishing as Pokemon Legends: ZAs depiction of Lumiose City is that the game is quite criticized for taking place entirely in one location. On the other hand, HeartGold and SoulSilver are highly regarded by many fans for having two explorable regions in one game, as players, after beating all the Johto Gym Leaders and the Elite Four, can travel to the Kanto region and face all of its respective gym leaders as well. HeartGold and SoulSilver are two very long games that are packed with content, and yet never feel like they drag on for too long, making them two of the most addictive titles in the entire franchise, remake or otherwise.

Pokemon Emerald

This third version game is full of powerful trainers in every corner

There are many good third versions Pokémon games out there, like Crystal, Platinum or Ultra Sun and Ultra Moonbut Pokemon Emerald is definitely the best and most popular, mainly because it is based on two titles that were already very good (Ruby and Sapphire), but has enough interesting additions that it feels like a completely different experience. This game is twenty years old, and it still holds up very well, to the point where most fans agree that it is superior to the Generation Six Hoenn remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Emerald is a delightful experience from start to finish, because Hoenn is a unique region with lovable characters, memorable places and cool Pokémon, and all the completely new elements of the game (like all new areas or Rayquaza's involvement in the story) make this adventure even more compelling and entertaining than ever before. Legends: ZA was very well received by fans who enjoy challenging Pokémon battles, so it's safe to say that this type of player cut their teeth on Emeralda game full of skilled trainers who can battle again and again, thanks to Gym Leader Rematches, PokeNav and, of course, Battle Frontier, which made its debut here.