Do the even-numbered gens tend to stand out less?

Hellomello

Hellomello

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This is somewhat of a pattern that has been observed -- odd-numbered gens tend to be more 'gutsy'; ie. Hoenn and Unova seem to be soft reboots of the franchise, while Alola has gotten rid of the badge quest entirely, shaking up the formula that this franchise has built itself on in the process. Meanwhile, even-numbered gens seem more interested in refinement, (ie. tweaking elements that were introduced before/ introducing new gameplay mechanics) -- in other words, they tend to act as more of a 'refined' version of the gens that came before them.

I've noticed, in various places, that there seems to be some distaste towards the latter for...'playing it too safe'. Johto, whilst generally loved for its' nostalgic value, has been criticized for its' Kanto-reliance, like-wise for Kalos, while Sinnoh seems to get criticism for being too 'formulaic', and is sometimes seen as one of the less innovative gens.

Hell, it says something when the term 'odd-gener' (referring to those with a preference towards odd-numbered gens) exists while there seems to be no signs or traces of the term 'even-gener', or anything of the sort.

I guess my question is, do you find the even-numbered generations lacking identity, or paling in comparison to their odd-numbered counterparts in terms of memorability?
 
The even-numbered generations do feel more memorable to me. They are the only generations to introduce new types and gave us the physical/special split for moves. Shiny Pokemon were also introduced in Gen II.

In terms of story, one of debatable, but best is Platinum. I am also sure that many have fond memories of your Pokemon following you in HGSS. :)
 
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In my opinion, the odd- numbered generations tend to have the better "games set in a new region": Gen III gave us Hoenn and Emerald, Gen V gave us Unova and BW/BW2, Gen VII gave us Alola.

Whereas the odd- numberes generations are usually weaker (for my taste) in terms of the new regions they introduce (not a fan of Sinnoh or Kalos) but are "saved" in my eyes by the remakes they have: Gen IV gave us HGSS and Gen VI gave us ORAS. So, despite not liking the new region introduced in those gens, they end up among my favourites thanks to the remakes they give us.

The exception to the aforementioned pattern is Gen II, since I like Johto a lot.

So, in conclusion, it´s not really a solid pattern, but it´s something :p
 
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Well, when it comes to the Pokémon available I mostly prefer the odd gens indeed, as they focus the most on new Pokémon (except SM).

But when it comes to the region, story, and characters, I prefer the even gens (except XY). Though tbh I've never played gen II, but I do prefer HGSS over FRLG. Not just because FRLG is older, I just like the Johto region and its characters more.

XY and SM kinda broke this pattern, with both focusing on older Pokémon a lot (especially Kanto ones) and XY's story and characters being very lacking, while SM makes up for this.

So I mostly prefer the even gens, because I simply enjoyed them more. Hoping for gen VIII to focus on new Pokémon and to be a region I really enjoy, but can't have everything I guess :p
 
I like I, II, V and VII. So most of them are odd numbered, but II is at the top for me and I love replaying Crystal (admittedly through hacks for a more polished experience).
 
I actually prefer the even numbered gens in general because they feel more polished, especially in terms of region design and content. The odd numbered gens tend to fix a lot of things that weren't broken (BW especially) and end up removing things that they probably should've kept, and the even numbered gens bring them back and balance them with the new things introduced a little more. XY and SM are exceptions though, XY introduced a lot of new things to the series and didn't really have enough there to feel polished (although it also suffered from not having a third version or sequel which likely would've helped its case), and SM's changes were less intrusive than RS and BW's.
 
I'd agree that the even generations focus more on "refinement," with the exception of XY introducing Mega Evolution. But I think this is largely just a natural course - you introduce big, bold, "gutsy" ideas in one generation, and then the next generation is predisposed to respond to that and make adjustments based on the performance of those ideas.

For what it's worth, my favorite generations are 2, 5, and 6, with Gen 5 being divinely crafted. Gen 7 is pending though it's (mostly) looking good so far, but I have trouble getting into the remaining three. They're just too slow or too frustrating or too lacking in terms of the stuff I like. So I guess I have a slight inclination toward even generations, but I don't fall decisively into either category.
 
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It's a shame, really. I happen to adore Gen IV and everything it brought to the franchise. It practically overhauled the competitive scene and people call it out for being "less innovative"? Silly, I say.
 
I have to agree that yes, the even numbered tend to stand out less because the odd Gens tend to shake things up a bit more (Gen I started it all off, Gen III introduces Doubles, Contests, the full integrations of the Legendaries into the story, Gen V went for a whole new Pokedex, a larger focus on story, and 2 new battle types, and Gen VII completely abolished the Gym system that was integral to the past 6), with the even ones doing more refinement and patching up flaws in the systems of old games (Gen VI is the exception).
So yes, they stand out less, but that doesn't mean they were bad, just less of a shake-up.
 
Gengarzilla said:
It's a shame, really. I happen to adore Gen IV and everything it brought to the franchise. It practically overhauled the competitive scene and people call it out for being "less innovative"? Silly, I say.
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Those competitive changes were significant, but they weren't innovative. They refined and polished what was already there (moves and items). If you're referring to Wi-Fi, that was a given for any DS games. Online communication was innovative when done for the first time in Japanese Crystal.

They're definitely a bigger deal than the competitive changes made by BW or SM, but those games are considered innovative for other reasons.
 
To each their own. I like all Gens, but some stand out more to me than others, regardless if they are even numbered or odd numbered. My top three favorite games in the series are White, Platinum, and Red. A Gen V, IV, and I game. I pick on Generation III a lot, but that's just because of Ruby and Sapphire's scaring me into thinking they were rebooting the series. Thankfully with the release of FireRed and LeafGreen, that didn't happen. Now I give Generation VI a lot of grief, which is ironic since Ruby and Sapphire remakes came out then. Also, I prefer ORAS to X and Y.

Again, to each their own. I don't think too much of the numbered generations and what they have to offer. =) Unless they were to offer a reboot with no spinoffs and nothing of value, I'll probably enjoy what is released.
 
Up until X and Y, I always felt the even-gens were better. 1 may have introduced the series, but 2 introduced a lot and fixed a lot. And that was generally a pattern for awhile... The odd would introduce a bit, the even would fix it and introduce far more.

X and Y broke the pattern, and Sun and Moon keep it broke.
 
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