What's The Best Side-Game?

[Shiny Blue Gardevoir]

As in, not from the main series. Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon XD... Y'know. I loved the mystery dungeon series when I was little, and before Pokemon Y came out, Explorers Of Time was the first game that legitimately made me cry (I was a sensitive child, ok?!). I paid way more attention to the story in it, since it was SO much better written than any of the ones in the main games I had played before then. That, and Battle Revolution was the coolest thing ever to me, since I loved seeing my team up on the T.V, with those brilliant graphics, and who can forget those Wi-Fi battles, am I right?

So, what about you lot? What was the best side-game for you?

 

[Secad MS]

I'm a big fan of the Pokemon Ranger games and Pokemon Conquest. I just love the new approaches to Pokemon and they're a good introduction (Conquest in particular) to other genres of games. I would have never heard about Nobunga's Ambition or Fire Emblem (this was before they came out popularly in the US) without them.

 

[Palusokudo]

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky was the first Pokémon side game I've ever played, and I'll be honest the first and ONLY game that actually made me cry, and that's surprising because I like never cry at video games.

 

[Keleri]

Pokemon Snap, it's the best. Wish we got a Pokemon Snap Wii U, I'll never forgive Nintendo. In seriousness, Snap is interesting because it was a game where you could really observe pokemon in their natural habitat for once instead of just seeing them on a generic battle screen trying to murder you. Admittedly the pokemon were up to some wacky stuff, but it was a neat nature game, as it were.

I've heard the Mystery Dungeon games get surprisingly emotional but they don't hold my interest, the gameplay is too repetitive. Gotta just watch a let's play one of these days.

 

[Al the Bard]

Pokemon Snap was great. I like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon too.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

Pokemon Stadium is my favorite side game. As a kid I'd spend hours on it battling the tournaments, Gym Leader Castle, the mini-games, or playing Blue on the big screen. As an adult, my bestie and I continue to battle each other while coming up with different restrictions to battle to keep things fresh like only using one type, using only Pokemon that can learn Metronome, only using Pokemon that can learn Self Destruct/Explosion, etc. We've gotten a lot of replay value out of it over the years.

 

[IvanDragwlya]

I think the best side-game is Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.

The story in Explorers of Time/Darkness and Sky is the best of all Mystery Dungeon games, of all Pokemon Games (in my opinion). I think that the battle system in Mystery Dungeon is the best too. I prefer Explorers of Sky because of the special episodes where you play as other characters (Like in Bidoof´s Wish: you play as, well, Bidoof). Also, in Explorers of ky there are 4 new starter Pokemon (Phanpy, Riolu, Vulpix and Shinx, but you can no longer play as Munchlax or Meowth). There are a lot of funny characters like "The Guildmaster", Chatot, Bidoof, etc. It´s an awesome game.