Why do most people believe that Gen 3 was the best one?

[Ether's Bane]

What it says in the title, basically.

(Although, I'm more of a Gen 4 guy myself.)

 

[shy ♡]

'Most people'? Have you taken a poll of the pokemon fandom?

 

[Murkrow]

I think we're hearing a lot about gen 3 recently because it's next in line for a remake if they're going to continue with remakes.

I'm not sure about "most" people thinking it's the best.

There are certainly good things about gen 3 though! The music was cool, a lot of decent Pokémon designs, I think it had the best contests, secret bases were pretty fun, and there was a lot of exploring to be done!

Gen 2 was my favourite though :P

 

[Ether's Bane]

'Most people'? Have you taken a poll of the pokemon fandom?

No, but it seems that on most Pokemon websites, Gen 3 is the consensus pick.

 

[Momo(th)]

It's my favorite.

I liked the variety R/S/E offered in terms of locations, the pokemon were cool, it had a pretty good metagame, secret bases, it was the first to really start promoting mascot legandaries, and the music to this day still hits a certain vibe in me.

 

[Murkrow]

it was the first to really start promoting mascot legandaries

This is actually a big negative for me. I preferred it when legendaries were just legendaries. Now they pretty much have to be a part of the storyline and I can never tell if they thought of the legendaries first and thought of a story around them, or thought of the story first and made up legendaries to fit.

 

[Butterfree]

Because of this:

(courtesy of Chibi Pika)

The arrows stretch over time, hence why the "Best Gen Evar!!" arrow is still over gen 3.

 

[Momo(th)]

This is actually a big negative for me. I preferred it when legendaries were just legendaries. Now they pretty much have to be a part of the storyline and I can never tell if they thought of the legendaries first and thought of a story around them, or thought of the story first and made up legendaries to fit.

Sorry, but I think I mispoke. I felt that starting gen III they really began to pour effort into the legendaries.

 

[kyeugh]

This is actually a big negative for me. I preferred it when legendaries were just legendaries. Now they pretty much have to be a part of the storyline and I can never tell if they thought of the legendaries first and thought of a story around them, or thought of the story first and made up legendaries to fit.

The fact that you can't tell whether the legendaries or the story came first just means that it's intertwined really well. That's not a bad thing.

In any case, I'm yet to play Gen III, but from what I've heard, it's a pretty casual game, but it's fun to play. At the time, it was revolutionary. We went for basically terrible graphics right onto vibrant colors and amazing spritework, and then there were the new communication features and and and... it was just generally more developed than the other games, so at the time it seemed much better; it seems like first impressions last, in this sense.

That's my two cents. I haven't even played the game, so don't listen to me. :I

 

[Murkrow]

(courtesy of Chibi Pika)

Who is that, so I can rant at them for making that image? :P

Sorry, but I think I mispoke. I felt that starting gen III they really began to pour effort into the legendaries.

And I don't like that effort. I liked it when legendaries were just other Pokémon, just rarer. The birds and beasts of gens 1 and 2 were... just birds and beasts. Nothing really special about them, they were just so rare they happened to have legends about them in-universe. I doubt as much effort was put into them as any of the mascot legendaries. (yes, I know that Lugia and Ho-Oh were mascots, shhh)

EDIT:

The fact that you can't tell whether the legendaries or the story came first just means that it's intertwined really well. That's not a bad thing.

Just because it's intertwined really well, doesn't mean the things that are intertwined are themselves any good! That said, gen 5 was brilliant. I'm not fond of Reshiram or Zerkrom but they at least managed to make a story with them that was good.


Gen 3 is casual? I'm not disagreeing with you but I don't see how it's any more casual than Pokémon games are in general.

 

[kyeugh]

It seemed a lot more laid back, I dunno. Keep in mind that I haven't played them.

It's a bit more upbeat than Gen I and II, because it's the first "the world is in jeapordy oh no" plot, but from my understanding it's generally a pretty cool region (geographically. I mean, they have a space station), and the villainous teams are at least kind of quirky as opposed to, "You're going to get beat, you rotten brat." Then again, it's less upbeat than the newer Gens, but not any less great. So it's kind of in that nice "in-between zone," and I think that's why people like it.

 

[Karousever]

Hmmm, well Gen 3 was my favorite generation. Though to be fair, this may have a large amount to do with the fact that Ruby was my first Pokemon game ever. I really like Hoenn itself, and that's why I am so desperately hoping for a remake, because that region is just so...good feeling. Like the way it felt was just nice. I really like a lot of the Pokemon, and I admit I love the secret bases and the contests. I can't really put it into words. Though to be fair, the fact that it was my first Pokemon experience and I had played it for quite a while before I got my next game may have a lot to do with why I am so fond of it. But I know that even taking away the nostalgia that Gen 3 is my favorite. It's just harder to explain. Bah I give no insight whatsoever here.

 

[Momo(th)]

-


And I don't like that effort. I liked it when legendaries were just other Pokémon, just rarer. The birds and beasts of gens 1 and 2 were... just birds and beasts. Nothing really special about them, they were just so rare they happened to have legends about them in-universe. I doubt as much effort was put into them as any of the mascot legendaries. (yes, I know that Lugia and Ho-Oh were mascots, shhh)

Sorry, I meant that starting in gen 3 I felt that instead of legendaries being random birds they were well researched and anesthetically unique beings, as opposed to a Fire/Water/Thunder trio.

 

[Dar]

Me, personally? One thing I really like is the art in the games. It's my favorite style out of any of the other generations, and the 3rd gen Pokémon have great designs as well. Most of my favorite Pokémon come from third gen (aside from my #1, Cubone). I like the region of Hoenn as well, and also there's the fact that you actually have a dad. I feel like that brought upon just a bit more immersion, especially since you talk to him when you start your journey and defeat him halfway through.

 

[Spoon]

I'm sure a lot of people want to revisit it, myself included. Plus the games got a lack of flack for not being backwards compatible when they were first released, the Pokémon designs (huge graphic jump allowed for more variety), lack of relation to the older gens, and the Pokémon fad started to dying around that time so Gen III wasn't especially popular. In my opinion, the idea of a re-release, the de-emphasis on former problems, and it being the first game for a lot people in the Pokémon fandom now are why the fandom seems to really like Gen III as of late. And it wasn't a bad gen overall, either.

Beyond sidegames, Gen III wasn't and still isn't my favorite. (Got me on Gen IV being my least favorite, though.)

 

[Storm Earth and Fire]

Always seemed like a hipster generation to me. Not generally popular. Why do I like it?

1. The games themselves lack problems. The only major glitch was the berry bug, and thanks to technology that we probably didn't have before, they managed to fix that. Gen 1 and 2, by comparison, were kinda janky. Gen 2's glitches were more stuff you had to look for, but gen 1 had some stuff that you could just run into. Gen 3, on the other hand, was devoid of major glitches. It made the game feel solidly put together. More legit, if you will.

2. Abilities are a pretty awesome addition to battling.

3. I love double battles.

4. Hoenn is probably still my favorite region. It felt like a pretty quirky place compared to Kanto and Johto, and I like it more than Sinnoh and Unova. I liked diving, and I liked the cities a lot, especially Sootopolis. There's every environment besides an icy place, something for almost everyone.

5. Best graphics in the main series, IMO. The overworld sprites are great looking, and when we moved to 3D overworlds in gen 4, I could not dig it. Gen 6 certainly comes a long way, but you can't replace good old sprites in my book. I almost dread a gen 3 remake because it won't be sprites anymore.

6. Solrock, Aggron, and Blaziken. Or whatever are your personal favorites from gen 3.

7. Shout-outs to the GameCube games, both Colosseum and XD were big hits with me.

8. My age. When gen 3 came out was when my eyes were actually opened to the inner workings of Pokemon and the fandom as well. It was when I first started going to tCoD to read up on game mechanics. I tried to get into competitive battling (especially doubles). At the same time, it's when I started roleplaying. There's just a lot of memories surrounding this generation. And quite frankly, the change from GBC to GBA was mindblowing when you're just 12 years old, and Sapphire is one of the first GBA games I got. Nothing's been quite as drastic, especially because I didn't get into gen 4 until Platinum.

It was a pleasant and likeable generation. Maybe a bit strange at first but heck, we were going to a new console, so of course there's a huge shift coming from the GBC.

I don't think I could go back and play them, though, the games afterward are infinitely more convenient, plus the big change in battle mechanics since then make it hard for me to easily go back.

 

[Ether's Bane]

Because of this:

(courtesy of Chibi Pika)

The arrows stretch over time, hence why the "Best Gen Evar!!" arrow is still over gen 3.

I think I've figured it out (and answered my own question).

Nostalgia/childhood memories.

Generally, those who enjoy indulging in the fandom as well as the source material tend to be around 15 to 21 years old. Most Pokemon players would've started playing the games somewhere between the ages of 7 and 11. Therefore, the majority of the fandom would have started somewhere between four and fourteen years ago, with the bulk of this majority between... five and twelve years ago. If you apply this to 2013, this makes the bounds 2001 and 2008, which is... the second half of Gen 2, all of Gen 3, and the beginning on Gen 4. That's how the chart applies; during Gen 4 days, Gen 2 was the consensus pick. Five to twelve years before 2009 was... 1997 to 2004. Much of Gen 1, all of Gen 2, and the beginning of Gen 3.

This is also why Gen 1 and Gen 3 nostalgia are stronger than Gen 2 nostalgia - Gens 1, 3, and 4 ran for four years, while Gens 2 and 5 only ran for three years.

Gen 1: 1996-1999
Gen 2: 1999-2002
Gen 3: 2002-2006
Gen 4: 2006-2010
Gen 5: 2010-2013
Gen 6: 2013-present

Am I on to something here?

 

[Spoon]

Gen 1: 1996-1999
Gen 2: 1999-2002
Gen 3: 2002-2006
Gen 4: 2006-2010
Gen 5: 2010-2013
Gen 6: 2013-present

Those are the dates for the Japanese release dates. For most of the English speaking fandom it's by the localized dates. I'm going to use US release dates as it got most of the English releases first.

Gen I: September 30th, 1998-September 4th, 2000 (two years)
Gen II: September 4th 2000-March 19th, 2003 (two and half years)
Gen III: March 19th 2003-April 22nd, 2007 (four years and a month)
Gen IV: April 22nd, 2007-March 4th, 2011 (four years minus a month)
Gen V: March 4th, 2011-October 12th, 2013 (two years and seven months)

Not to mention that a lot of the so called nostalgia covered by the chart has to do with HGSS and FRLG.

 

[shy ♡]

Always seemed like a hipster generation to me. Not generally popular. Why do I like it?

1. The games themselves lack problems. The only major glitch was the berry bug, and thanks to technology that we probably didn't have before, they managed to fix that. Gen 1 and 2, by comparison, were kinda janky. Gen 2's glitches were more stuff you had to look for, but gen 1 had some stuff that you could just run into. Gen 3, on the other hand, was devoid of major glitches. It made the game feel solidly put together. More legit, if you will.

You know you could clone your pokemon (and by extension whatever item they were holding) in emerald, right...?

 

[Superbird]

Part of it is also that the pokémon fad had died out by the time the third gen was released. Because of this, only the true pokémon fans actually saw the third gen in action, and those people perhaps liked it. Since those people are still major voices in the fandom today, it may have spread as popular opinion.