>>41216961>DPSlow as fuck (this applies to all below), but decently fun. Obviously feel like they are missing a lot compared to Platinum. Honestly, these are hard to judge. I'd say they're better "first attempts" at a region than RS, but not by a wide margin. This is the generation which came to signal the peak of Pokemon for me, in terms of a focus on increasing mechanical complexity and QoL improvements.
>HGSSProbably the best games in the series, for my money. They don't entirely fix the problems which exist in GSC (level curve is still a mess) although they do improve on some, such as the distribution of mons - Misdreavus, Sneasel and Murkrow are now available before post-game, and even mons stuck in post-game such as Houndour/Houndoom can now be found at level 40 instead of 15. More post-game content in the form of Battle Frontier, and plenty of extra stuff to make that entire experience feel less sparse than it did in GSC. Really, the key feature of these games is that they breathe life into Johto and make it seem how you imagined it in your head when you were looking at it on your GBC. They're just beautiful games, and there's a sort of vibe to them which is indescribable. FRLG has a bit of this, too.
>PlatinumStraight upgrade to DP, obviously. Also has the Battle Frontier, lots of good mons distributed, improved E4 over DP (they actually use mons of their type, now!). Sinnoh isn't my favourite region layout, so that's the main thing DPPt has going against it. Still, I want to say that this is the last time Pokemon felt "special" to me, even if Sinnoh as a region is a downgrade from the previous three. There's still a certain mystqiue and sense of adventure surrounding everything (although IMO this peaked in gen 3 with the release of side games for Gamecube, Mystery Dungeon etc.) Top 3 game in the series, tied with Emerald but behind HGSS.
