*Note: Remakes are not included in this list. Let it be known that HeartGold/SoulSilver would rank near the top if they had been added. Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby would have boded well, too. The redundant FireRed/Leafgreen wouldn’t have ranked very high.

Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald: When IGN, a gaming website, infamously called out the third generation for having “too much water,” the reviewer wasn’t wrong. The bad map and lack of compatibility with previous games (and the exclusion of some of their best features, like the night/day cycle) and you have the “advanced” generation that stopped the advancement of the Pokémon phenomenon in its tracks in the early 2000s.

X and Y: The most recent mainstream games were a bit of a letdown, especially since they were marketed as being earth-shattering thanks to the inclusion of 3D capabilities. There weren’t many new Pokémon and the post-game was worse than any other in the series (basically nonexistent; I didn’t even feel compelled to keep playing after beating the champion). Maybe the rumored Z version will make up for this generation’s shortcomings.

Diamond, Pearl and Platinum: The fourth generation brought the series back to form after the R/S/E debacle, with the return of the day/night cycle, less water and intriguing locales (like a village made of tree houses). They were also the first games to utilize dual-screen gameplay, thanks to their release on the DS console.

Red, Green, Blue and Yellow: The games that started it all deserve a high ranking. They aren’t perfect (the lack of running shoes makes the first part of the game frustratingly slow), but they are spectacularly close. I can’t wait to replay them on the 3DS this February. I hope they get a proper remake for the 25th anniversary (FR/LG were weak re-packages).

Black and White/Black 2 and White 2: The fifth generation’s geography was based on the United States, which led to the series’ most diverse landscapes yet. There is a NYC-based city full of skyscrapers and a Southwest-style town reminiscent of Santa Fe. The map is fun to explore and keeps the copy-and-paste nature of the series’ gameplay interesting.

Gold, Silver and Crystal: It may be nostalgia speaking (since Gold was my first Pokémon game), but these are, quite simply, perfection. G/S/C served as a direct sequel to the phenomenal first generation, keeping the best aspects and improving on everything else.

G/S/C introduced integral functions for the franchise, like adding new types for a more balanced battling system, implementing a night/day cycle that changed the type of Pokémon you could see based on time of day (and, in some cases, day of the week) and establishing breeding capabilities (which brought about baby Pokémon, like Togepi and Pichu).

Here’s to hoping G/S/C get the 3DS re-release treatment R/G/B/Y are receiving this year.