Best for No Return, polished combat, strong extras, and the best-looking version of Part II. Skip it if you only want major story changes, dislike grim violence, or already played...
Pros: core gameplay loop, level design
Cons: family friendliness, puzzle design
Good if you want a huge, emotional action RPG with excellent combat, characters, music, and minigames. Skip it if open-world checklists, uneven pacing, visual/performance tradeoffs, or convoluted ending choices will...
Pros: world-building, art direction
Cons: mission design, stealth mechanics
Best for stunning anime-style fights, approachable-but-deep combat, and strong Switch portability. Skip it if repetitive story fights, lobby menus, DLC costs, or inconsistent online matchmaking will frustrate you.
Pros: movement feel, world-building
Cons: save system reliability, mission variety
Best for a faithful, addictive Kanto RPG with excellent replay value and strong postgame content. Skip it if local-only trading, old-school grinding, or a barebones $20 port outweighs the nostalgia.
Pros: boss design, side character depth
Cons: monetization fairness, originality