>>54660069I'm of the opinion that the original Gold/Silver games are the most soulful. It likely just comes down to a difference in preference regarding aesthetics or tone.
>They could’ve done the easy route of making Pokemon “Gray,” but instead they go against a 10+ year tradition of 3rd versions to make a sequel, purely out of continuing the story and the world. They also could’ve went straight for the 3DS, but instead they decided to push the DS to its limits. Considering the series definitely peaked on the DS, it just shows that they made this game out of pure passion and skill and not just to make easy money. I largely agree with the points you made and still remember being pleasantly surprised by the games. It did feel to me like they eschewed safety at the behest of a more nuanced experience within the world they had created beyond a profit margin. That's nothing if not soulful, but that approach foregoes the games style in of itself.
For instance, while I thoroughly enjoy the soundtracks in BW2, I feel as though GS have more "soulful" tracks. Is that a good position compared to what you've said? Not really, but there are certainly contextual points that support the position outside of the game itself which I don't value as much as the game itself as a player goes through it as a standalone experience. There are other redundant comparisons within art style, gameplay and map design that would all prove subjective. Is "Soul" quality? Emotional resonance? Earnestness? If you said they were the highest quality games, I might have agreed outright.
>Considering the series definitely peaked on the DSI agree game quality wise, though Pokemon was largely already out of the cultural mind at the time. The real craze and popularity had already died down at around gen3.
Soul is a difficult metric to quantify, thus my emphasis on it being personal opinion.
