>>547477568. Gold and Silver
Yeah baby we're finally getting into the kino games. Fuck you and all the faults you find with gen 2, they're all unironically part of ludonarrative kino. Gen 2 Pokémon locked to postgame or harder to find, and gym leaders don't use them? Makes sense, gen 2 Pokémon in-universe were discovered recently and you're actively discovering new species as you explore the region. Team Rocket is a shadow of their former selves? Makes sense, the game constantly references Red and his achievements so making a bigger and better Team Rocket early in the game would undermine the previous game's accomplishments and make the final boss less impressive and memorable; you were chasing the legacy of a spectre throughout the game and finally you caught up and surpassed him. Level curve? Part of the intentional non-linearity and makes the bosses harder since you're not overleveled and can't grind.
Much like gen 1 they're held back by being mechanically outdated and not having enough content, so this is as high as they're ranked.
