Intro
So yeah after what Generation 4 gave us could Generation 5 go beyond to be even better than before? Well not really, that isn't to say that the game is bad, but there are some things they took out that I would have really wanted to see continue in the games. But with what they have now I do hope for the best in future games where they bring the good elements of the Gen 5 games with the good elements they scrapped in Gen 5. As of now it plateaus on the scale, it's isn't too bad but at the same time it isn't as good either. Let's see what they did correctly and what should return permanently to the series.
Graphics
A lot of time went into the overworld graphics. And those graphics look sweet. Plus I never felt that the sprites used were ever out of place in this world. Now there are many old Pokemon that have Gen 4 sprites being used here, but all Pokemon are in motion now so even the old sprites there are given some motion detail. Not only in motion throughout the whole battle but back sprites are full bodied and not just a part of their back.
If there is any complaint I have is one thing.... the hexagons. They're everywhere! Look that the map for the Unova region, it has a hexagon right on it! The C-Gear even has hexagons everywhere! It's a little much for me to see this shape be repeated for no reason.
Plot
This time you are a trainer in the Unova region. Personally I like to pronounce the region as "You"-"Nova", I know that isn't how they call it that in the anime or the like but I think it just works better my way... I mean you're saying Nova that is always cool. Back on track the player this time is a bit older than the 10 year-olds that go on their journey. If I had to guess you are in your teens this time. Well spending a day with your childhood friends Cheren and Bianca, you get a gift from Professor Juniper, the first female Pokemon professor in the games, the regions three starters. So together with you and your friends you start your Pokemon quest together as you become rivals to get all 8 badges to become the Champion.
And sorry but I have to do this.... IN AMERICA! Yes Unova is based in the USA, or to be more exact New York City. A major location change since the last generations have been based in Japan. Even before it was revealed that it was New York I guessed it and I was right.
Like in Johto, Unova has a history to it but different and refreshing. The best part is that humans are involved. I don't mean groups of humans, but two brothers using a single dragon Pokemon brought peace to the land. Then they began to fight and the dragon having difficulty deciding which side to take split into two Pokemon, Zekrom and Reshiram, with each one siding with a brother they thought was right. Like the legendary beast trio of Johto I find it interesting with unknown Pokemon somehow becoming new Pokemon while their previous life is left unknown to the world. While the brothers don't have names it is interesting to see that there are individuals that have made their mark in Pokemon history.
The evil team this time is Team Plasma and they are my favorite of all the games villains. They have a mid-evil knight look to them and follow one king. This almost makes them look like a religious order more than anything. They bring up the ethical debate of if people are using Pokemon for their own ends and enslaving Pokemon. Some might call them hypocrites as they battle with and steal Pokemon, but for me I would defend that, to them it might be more of a necessary evil in order to free Pokemon. The king of Team Plasma, N, is a young man about your age and follows those beliefs strongly compared to the others, seeming to let Pokemon go after every battle you have with him. At N's Castle there is a grunt in a room trying to free their Patrat but it honestly doesn't want to leave them. Of course there are those in Team Plasma who are only using that kind nature for much darker means. The 7 sages, lead by N's father Ghetsis, are out to be the only ones in Unova that have Pokemon so that can.... that's right take over the world! OF COURSE! This falls to what Team Rocket was trying to do... but sadly Ghetsis has Giovanni beat, where Team Rocket just wants the world, Team Plasma as a plan to make it possible. Ghetsis raised N to be a pure boy by bringing Pokemon that have been abused by humans so that N can gain favor of one of the two legendary dragons of Unova. And with that heart and power people would give up their Pokemon so the sages can enslave the rest of the region with their own Pokemon. What makes Team Plasma more hardcore is that they are the final bosses of the game. When it came to the handheld games the evil team always loses before you face the Champion but here N beats the Champion having to fight N as the new Champion... kind of. After beating N, Ghetsis shows the truly evil mad man he is. He rants on how his own son is a failure and has the balls to face you. So yeah he doesn't give a rat's ass about his son (a sage suggests they might not be related but look at them, plus it would make it all the more meaningful in his evil if N is his son), and challenges you even though you beat the powerful dragon N had AND most likely have the other dragon of legend ready to kick ass. I mean he witnessed this, how can he not know about it, so that makes him the most badass villain of the games. Plus the best plan out of everyone, with no one with Pokemon who can stop him honestly?
Gameplay
Like I said the series plateaus from here. And it's because of the gameplay. They have taken out things that people might have wanted here, but added a few things that kept it from falling.
First thing to note, no Vs. Seeker. I fangasmed about this enough before, and for those who don't know, look at my "A Look at Pokemon: Gen 3" Blog. So yeah best item the series had that allowed you to rebattle any trainer at just about any time. Now there are Daily Battles in limited areas so you don't have to battle just the last 5 trainers over and over again like in Gen 1. Really though no game should be without the Seeker or a device of equal or better quality, but we don't get that here.
For this generation there is nothing but all new Pokemon, until you beat Team Plasma. This is what was something no game after the first games did. In all games there was always some Pokemon from previous generations walking around in a new region. But this game doesn't give us that. This is straight new Pokemon found in Unova, and not giving us any familiar faces. One of the odd things to note is that Pikachu can be spotted in the game from billboards, to bushes, a balloon, and even one that a trainer has walking around. Really odd when Pikachu can't even be caught post game.
Triple Battle is the newest form of battle. Considering that in odd number generations the amount of Pokemon used in battles goes up I would guess by the 11th generation we'll get a full 6 vs 6 battle. Anyways triple battles are not only about adding one more Pokemon to the field, but also has the player focus on placement. Pokemon can be in the left, right, or middle, and those placements have an effect on the moves used. Take for example the move Earthquake, if the Pokemon using it is in the middle of the field then the attack will hit the 5 other Pokemon on the field. However if the Pokemon is to the left (or right) side then Earthquake will not hit the Pokemon placed on the right (or left) side. There are moves that target a Pokemon regardless of placement on the field, this includes most flying type moves (the only one that doesn't work here is Air Cutter) and moves with Pulse in their name (this includes Aura Sphere as its Japanese name has Pulse in it). The only problem is that this new kind of battle isn't used much in the game, not even the Battle Subway makes use of it only having up to double battles. The only way to go about triple battles is to fight multiplayer mode.
Rotation Battle is a mix of Triple and Single, if that makes any sense. You can call three Pokemon to the field but only one will be active. So here one will attack and take damage while the others wait. Rotating Pokemon isn't like switching as you which Pokemon will be in front and what move they will use, so nothing that works on switching will work on rotating, also rotating doesn't take away a turn. You see what Pokemon your opponent is using but you don't know which one they'll use for an attack. Another fun and refreshing style but battle but like triple battles it isn't used much and only can fully use it in multiplayer mode. What's sad about them is that double battles when they were done in the generation 3 games they were used a fair amount of times even were the Gym Leaders used double battles.
In multiplayer battles generation 5 gave us the Wonder Launcher. A new device that allows players to use items in battles against other people, but it doesn't work the same way as using items from the item bag. In battle the trainers can score points that go to using items the Launcher has with items costing 1 point to up to 14 points. A great way to add more of a challenge to all battles in multiplayer.
C-Gear is the newest device of the games taking the space on the bottom screen. The main menu is also in the bottom screen but the X button has to be pressed to use it. The C-Gear is used mostly for connecting to other people or the internet, with three sections, Infrared, Online, and Wireless. Infrared can allow the player to trade and battle with nearby people without having to go to the Pokemon Center. Players can also exchange friend codes this way too, and with a Feeling Check players can get Sweet Hearts from it. Online has Game Sync that puts Pokemon to sleep to send them in the Dream World which will be explained in the Global Link section. Wireless has two, Xtransceiver and Entralink. With DSs that have a camera players can talk and view each other with the Xtransceiver. As for the Entralink... we'll get to that.
Being based on New York City, Entralink is based on Central Park and looks like a pokeball. This place allows one to connect to another players game if they within the hexagon shape of the region. And by traveling to other people's game players can complete missions to unlock power-ups in their game. It is through Entralink that players can go to the Black City or White Forest of another game. And if that game is the opposite version of the one your using you can invite NPCs from their game to yours (like inviting NPCs from Black City to White Forest). At the northern end of Entralink is Entree Forest where Pokemon from the Dream world can be obtained. In Entree Forest trainers are given a special pokeball to use in case they don't have any, also all pokeballs have a 100% catch rate in Entree Forest. Pokemon appearing in the Entree Forest us the sprites used for following trainers from Heart Gold and Soul Silver. As pointless it was following you around was neat and you only needed to make them for the new Pokemon only.
The Battle Subway, move over Children Card Games on Motorcycles a new champion has appeared! Seriously you battle Pokemon with many destructive attacks on a MOVING subway train. I can't possibly imagine all the things that go terribly wrong here. On topic the Battle Subway is a replacement for the Battle Tower, while I do like the subway for it's insane design I think the Tower is much safer. So as replacing the Battle Tower it using all the same battle styles with facing 7 trainers in a row and getting points in return. Like noted before it doesn't use the new Triple and Rotation battles so kind of a missed chance by the developers. And no Battle Frontier, the Subway is it, this is just me talking but I think they could have the Subway as a start then have a train that goes to the Frontier in post game.
PokeTransfer............ *facepalm* While being able to connect to the last generation is fine and all but really? Can we stop with this "sending to new game and never returning" garage? I would think that Gen 4 could get away with it because it was two different systems and making a trade thing might have been hard to pull off, but both the Gen 4 and Gen 5 games are DS games. You're telling me you can't do what they did with Gen 2 connecting to Gen 1? Those were Gameboy game systems, the same thing. This is really the biggest disappointment to me beating out my disappointment of the lack of a Vs Seeker, but not by much. How PokeTransfer works is that you link up two DSs to send Pokemon from Gen 4 to Gen 5. Like before there is no HM moves that can be on a Pokemon. This rules makes me rage since I can't send my Surfing and Flying Pikachus, even though I would do it in a heartbeat if they didn't have that rule. A new rule in sending Pokemon over is that they can't hold items...... Really this needs so many facepalms. I believe this rule was set since of a change in TMs (which will be explained later), but really couldn't they have fixed that so that Pokemon wouldn't be holding TMs so that other items can go through, it really isn't that hard of an idea to come up with. Well unlike Pal Park where 6 Pokemon are sent in one day and all 6 have to be obtained, the PokeTransfer allows 6 at a time but you can catch which ones you want and leave the ones not obtained in the Gen 4 game. The goal of this one is to fire a pokeball at the Pokemon icon to catch them as they play hide and seek, again I did like Pal Park better with the goal of finding and catching Pokemon to get a prize at the end despite it's flaws. I do hope future games will stop this trend and do things right cause it's just getting worse and worse.
The main thing in versions that existed that made them different was that you can't catch all Pokemon in one game without trade, and Ruby and Sapphire had different teams to fight. In the Gen 5 games locations have their differences mostly in one area that is either Black City or White Forest. In Pokemon Black players can go to Black City with trainers to battle and rare items to buy. With Pokemon White, White Forest takes the place where Black City would be, and instead of battling trainers they are just there to talk and you can find level 5 Pokemon there and rare items can be found on the ground daily. Pokemon battled/found are in connection with the trainers, like a trainer named Jacques who battles with Nidoqueen in Black City but in White Forest allows you to get wild Nidoran (F). And not just Pokemon but items too have a connection for example Grace who would allow the Dawn Stone to be sold in Black City for found in White Forest. Not that not all items would be the same for both locations but it will be the same for evolution stones.
In the generation 5 games several places have been removed or changed. One would be the PokeMart, where the building itself has been removed but now shopping happens in the Pokemon Center. It's convenient but I liked going to a PokeMart and having a shop environment, here there isn't one. There is a big shopping building like in every game but here it's just not as impressive as it usually is. A big difference is the lack of a Game Corner that existed throughout all the games before, I think this has to do with the issues of gambling but really I never had problems myself. Another lose is the Safari Zone Yes, no area to be lucky and catch rare Pokemon. The lack of a Safari Zone doesn't bother me, since well... after losing a shiny in Heart Gold, I can't imagine anyone caring about it anymore.
Pokemon Musical is what has replaced the Pokemon Contests and the Pokeathlon, and I got to say missed opportunity here. The Musical has dressing up Pokemon and dancing like in the Super Contests but with no appeals round to add to the challenge. Sad that this could easily fit in there to give us a better contest but no. Plus there is nothing to be won from this, the game doesn't have ribbons, sure you can view them from Pokemon you have but they are either from past games or an event Pokemon. At best after the show fans might give you items for dressing up your Pokemon for the next one but that's it. There isn't even any big prizes to get like in the Pokeathlon. Maybe if there was something to gain for all this the Pokemon Musical would be a beloved mini-game like event like the Pokemon Contests and Pokeathlon but with no pay off it just isn't worth it unless your are really bored and want a slight change in pace.
So what did they do right and improve on from the last generation? One word, Trade. Battle may be a large part of the series but the ability to trade has always been just as large a part that people don't think as much. That's right, trading has been so complex before, like having a cable (Gen 1-3), always being in the Pokemon Center, and always having the traded Pokemon in your party. But now with the use of the C Gear (explained above) you can trade without a Center for those near by, and you can trade Pokemon from your boxes now too. Noted before like the PokeMart the GTS has become part of the Center which I kind of miss. But there GTS had an upgrade from before. Overall it's still flawed with how it works but there is now GTS Negotiation where you can trade with anyone anywhere and for the right price get the Pokemon you want without needing it on your Pokedex.
Again I must bring up the TMs. Last time it was how the gen 3 TMs made it to gen 4 but things are different. TMs now work almost like HMs, just without needing a Move Deletor to get rid of the move if you don't want that move. Yes, TMs are now unlimited usage, but because of this some ground rules have been set up. Back in the day TMs would fill your PP when the PP of one move was low so you get a new move that is full right away, so now that you can use them as much as you want in order to avoid cheating to get PP full all the time usage remains the same. If you have 5 PP left on a move and use a TM which the move has more the PP count will still be at 5. It's a good thing and this is a small price to pay.
The Relocator is a special device to transfer only 4 Pokemon over from the Gen 4 games much earlier than if you went to the PokeTransfer that happens after you beat the game. These Pokemon are the event Celebi and shiny Johto beast trio from the last events of the Gen 4 games. And only by the use of the Relocator can they be used to unlock events in Black and White. If you got them by PokeTransfer it will not work. There was also a locked device that could be transferred but it was never released.
Pokemon
This generation has been the boldest when it came to new Pokemon, with 156 new ones with no connection to any Pokemon from previous generations. Also I wasn't sure about this generation originally because they made a God Pokemon in generation 4 so were could they go from there? Well they didn't seem to focus on the point that they made the creator of everything and had fun with it, and it didn't disappoint. The starters are good, though it is rough for Tepig who evolves into the 3rd Fire/Fighting type starter. It just barely slides since it has points that make it different from the last Fire/Fighting starters but come on.... there are other types you could make it.
Some of the new Pokemon have been made to mirror some of the first generation Pokemon like how the Pidove family is like the Pidgy family, the Roggenrola family is like the Geodude family, the Woobat family is like the Zubat family, the Timburr family is like the Machop family, Throh and Sawk is like Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, or the Bouffalant family is like the Tauros family. While these are easy parallels to spot their designs are their own and not some cheap rip-off of the generation 1 cousins.
Considering the scale of Global Link this gets it's own section. If you have a computer hooked up to the internet and a DS that can go Wi-Fi (with a generation 5 game of course) then you have the possibilities that this has to offer. The Global Link is part of Pokemon.com and you need an account, and it's free to so no need to worry there. There are four main points of the Global Link, Promotions, Global Battle Union, the Dream World, and Customization.
Promotions are pretty much events for the most part. They allow you to get special Pokemon you can't get anywhere else. Some promotions not only include Pokemon but also stuff for the Dream world and stuff for the Customization section. Promotions have a time limit and you need a password in order to unlock it. And if you have trouble with a promotion then don't be shy to ask the tech workers by asking questions on Pokemon.com. I had trouble with a Promotion once and they were able to fit it right up for me.
The Battle Union section of the Global Link is a way to check stats of other trainers and your own stats as a trainer on online multiplayer battles. Aside from that it also allows you to sign up for any Global Link battle tournaments that will happen soon.
The Dream World is by far the most important thing the Global Link has to offer. Now you can put only one Pokemon to sleep once a day and you have only one hour to play. Now this is reasonable especially after what happened then the Dream World first launched in Japan, it's because of a massive amount of people going in the Dream World that they had to control it by having hour time limits. The world takes place on a floating island with a home to call your own. The island has a house; that you can decorate like the secret bases before it, a field; the only place where you can grow berries, a bridge; that takes you to different lands to find Pokemon, and a share shelf; that allows you to share items with anyone in the Dream World. Another thing to note is Dream Points, that unlock certain areas and Pokemon in the Dream World. These are obtained in many ways, playing games with Pokemon, picking a Pokemon to send to your game, watering your or other players berries, picking your fully grown berries, and sharing items. Now the main point is to go on the bridge to find Pokemon. All of them are from generation 1 to 4 and what makes them different from those that would be transferred from past games is that most of the Dream World Pokemon have a secret ability. That's right, certain Pokemon will have an ability that can only be obtained in the Dream World and no where else, also mothers can have a chance to pass on their Dream World ability to their child. Now to get those Pokemon you have to like noted in the points is to play a game with them, do well and they join you, do fantastic in the game and they could have a special move that is an egg move or a move exclusive to the Dream World. The hard choice being that you can only bring one Pokemon you found into your game so it better be the best one you can find and you have to give up one berry to send that Pokemon over. Also as you hunt for Pokemon in an area you can find items even berries that you can grow, share, or give to get a Pokemon. Now there is a downside to this, you have no choice on which place to go after you go on the bridge, making the odds 1 in (number of places available to go) getting lower each new place that you can go to, making it hard if you want a certain Pokemon or item. Now you can leave and try again hoping you get the right area but even that has a price. After going to areas so many times there will be a point where no Pokemon or items show up in the area for the rest of the time, this counts leaving right away and coming back. Those rules are okay, but paired together it just doesn't work... either let use pick the place we want to explore while having limited times, or let Pokemon and items be there all the time and the location be random. Seriously we have an hour limit already, what's the point in doing something like this that could ultimately waste that whole hour into less than a minute? But with some changes happening real soon as I'm writing this I hope this is something that will change for the better.
Customization is for downloading things to your game. This allows to you set up images for your Pokedex and C-Gear, along with giving you a new Pokemon Musical. While not much it helps to give off some personality to your stuff.
Replayability
I don't think it has the lasting power the generation 4 games had, but for what it does it does well. More open trading and battles, and new styles of battle to compete against friends with. The Dream World is a refreshing new thing despite its problems. Grinding Pokemon to level 100 is far more easier in this game than any other in my opinion, I have so many Pokemon already at the max level. But with more on the way there could be more possibilities that have yet to be used.
Final Thoughts
They are good and make some bold choices but with the reasons above that is the reason why I felt that this generation is more or less on even ground with the last generation. It has some good stuff that keeps it from dropping down in quality but also misses some good stuff that keeps it from raising. That is only for Black and White themselves as this generation is still young and has a ways to go.
Black 2, White 2, and the Future
The third game or games are coming out sometime this fall, and there is some fair hype about them. Unlike other third games of a generation this one is not just offering some more stuff but a LOT of new stuff along with some new settings in Unova and some changes in routes and cities. These games are set two years after the first making them the second direct squeal games after Gold and Silver. So now is a new leading male and female trainer along with a new rival. There are some new Gym Leaders including the old rival Cheren, a new Poison gym leader, and a new Water gym leader. Now I like the Poison one but not the Water one, the main problem being we have had a lot of water Gym Leaders already and not many Poison ones. I think they really should have used that to reveal a Dark type Gym Leader. Team Plasma strikes again but this time with a look that could have come from the Metal Gear games. One of the things that I'm sure many have wanted is a way to battle past Gym Leaders and Champions, now it was revealed that there will be a location that has tournament battles with them. Unlike the first gen 5 game that was new Pokemon throughout the first part of the game, previous generation Pokemon make it to the Unova dex this time. These games will also include a way of making Pokemon movies, which I hope proves to have more fun and have pay off compared to the Pokemon Musical. For the 3DS there is the upcoming Pokemon Dream Radar than can catch Pokemon and send them to the new games. Final thing to note is the forms for the Pokemon. Kyurem the Ice/Dragon Pokemon of gen 5 takes a Black and White form (each one based on the game, Black Kyurem in Black 2 and White Kyurem in White 2) based on the other two dragons Zekrom and Reshiram. The last Pokemon to get some new forms is the trio of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus and those forms can only be obtained through the Dream Radar I noted before. So far it looks pretty good for the next generation 5 games and may set a new standard for other third games.
As for future games well here is a list of things I would add:
1) Create your own gym. Story goes that you find a trainer who wanted to be a gym leader in an old building, he/she fights you and loses. After that they realize you can be a better gym leader than him/her and gives you the building and gives you information on how to make the gym the way you want it. It will start off as a single room, but as you spend money you can buy all kinds of things to add to your gym and even hire NPC trainers and find a place for them. You can even make your own badge. So using Wi-Fi friends can try out your gym. And as to be sure before finishing your gym you would have to make your way to the leader spot, so people don’t end up making gyms where they can mess with people by making it impossible to pass.
2) Connecting to older Generations in a style like Gen 1 and 2. If there is one thing that bugged me most in the newer generations is that you can’t send back pokemon and that they can’t have HM moves. It really needs to stop, since I have a Surf and Fly Pikachus in my HG game that I would like to sent to my White game. So I think it would be a good idea for them to connect like before and connect to generations 3 and 4 along with 5. And with items… well they spotted them with Gen 5 but they should have fixed it up so that ONLY TMs can’t be on a pokemon.
3) Pokeathlon. While contests should come up again I think the Pokeathlon should also be an ongoing thing in the games. They’re really the first mini-games where you control your pokemon, and almost like the Stadium games. Plus they are the best spots for getting stones.
4) Bring back some of the old TMs. What I liked about Gen 4 was that the same TMs were there but they added more. And there are some TMs I liked that they got rid of in Gen 5, like Dark Pulse and Dragon Pulse. And with now endless uses why not have some of the good TMs back again?
5) Improved GTS. Now the GTS Negotiations in Gen 5 was a big step up in trading, along with trading in what is in a box and trading with the C-Gear, but the GTS can use a touch of improvements. It has the same problems as before, you’re only able to see a few trades rather than as many as you can. You only see 7 (I think that’s the number) and only that. I think you should be able to go through as many as you can. And maybe with Global Link have a GTS on there (like the old GTS site before) that can let you look if you don’t have the game on and can give you a code you can enter when you do get to the game so you can enter the code and find the trade faster that way.
6) Custom Main Trainer. Something that I thought about Battle Revolutions for the Wii, it offered a LOT of new great stuff though sadly didn’t give the things it should have had already. One of the great new things was the custom trainer. It would be nice to start as anyone would but got things to give the trainer a look different than the others. Yeah something else to spend game money on… well now in White I have everything and Maxed out money, custom stuff like a Trainers looks and a gym would be a good use of making the money have meaning again.
7) Vs Seeker. The Seeker was fantastic in the Gen 1 remakes and made it to Gen 4 (not to the Gen 2 remakes… since the phone was for that). But I was sad that the Seeker was not added in Gen 5. There are a good number of battles but they are only once a day things, I want to battle a random trainer on a route again.
(I was lazy so I found the comment where I posted these and copied them, deal with it)
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And to end the look at this generation we look at the best and worst of designs of Pokemon. Now a few things to note. Not all will be about appearance alone but how they are presented in the series. Also no Pokemon on the worst list can be explained through species of real life animals, take Beautifly for example, it is a butterfly like Butterfree but based on two different kinds. Also this list is hard to make, while some of my favorites are on the best list it goes by design. Last rule is that pokemon may be grouped in one spot by family, or if they are part of a group (Ex: legendary trio thing), and of unrelated pokemon might be together if they have something similar that bugs/fascinates me. Finally any Pokemon on my worst design list is not a Pokemon I hate.
Top 5 Worst and Best Pokemon Designs of Generation
Worst
5 Braviary family and Mandibuzz family
Proof that looks isn't everything. I mean these are some awesome Pokemon, based on the eagle and vulture, but they have one major flawing that has annoyed me. The fact that the Braviary family is all male and Mandibuzz is all female. Now with Pokemon like Tauros and Miltank I understand why they would be their genders, along with other Pokemon that have this counterpart relationship. But why do eagles have to be male and vultures female? The idea as a whole doesn't work and such a thing gets this gender confusion on this list.
4 Vanillite, Vanillish, Vanilluxe
I didn't want to, since I do kind of like them but yeah. While the Pokemon themselves are not real ice cream they are based on ice cream and I can see how it can leave a few people scratching their heads at this. A strange creation but while on this list I cut them some slack since they are some of the first Pokemon to be created from a newcomer to Game Freak James Turner. And well it's not as bad as some from the Gen 1 worst list.
3 Basculin
While I do like the forms for it the design overall is kind of bland. Maybe because of the fact that it doesn't have an evolved form that keeps it from being too interesting. It is the only Pokemon to learn 4 abilities, and even then it doesn't help it with a stand out feature like that.
2 Alomomola
This one just bugs me. There is no Pokemon I've seen that has given me the same feeling of "why not?" as Alomomola. What does this look like to you, anyone who are Pokemon fans (since they would most likely know)? It looks like the kind of Pokemon that would be the evolved form of Luvdisc, but as all gen 5 Pokemon it isn't. There have been Pokemon guessed to have been connected to past Pokemon that have not been and later they really didn't need to be. But Alomomola is another story, if they wanted a fish Pokemon for that spot they should have changed it. Because since it isn't an evolved Pokemon yet looks so much like it should be it gets this spot on the list.
1 Ferroseed and Ferrothorn
I really don't know what these Pokemon are, a WTF if I ever saw one, still doesn't beat Wobbuffet though. Then after looking at their page on Bulbapedia I still can't believe what I'm looking at. I mean it seems to be based on a spiked plant and a mace or flail, plus they're found in a cave of all places. I just felt like I made that up but really it isn't.
Best
5 Bouffalant
What else can I say? It's a buffalo with an afro, can't think of much cooler than that. Bouffalant is also the first and only Pokemon to have an afro as I recall. And even more is that it's signature move is called Afro Break, well that's only in Japan, in the states they instead called it Head Charge.... bad move translators at least call it Afro Charge, it didn't have to be Afro Break but as long as the word Afro is in there. Well regardless Bouffalant is bringing the cool in Pokemon.
4 Reuniclus
A Pokemon based on single celled organism and a homunculus. It's just those ideas seem to be in perfect harmony with each other. It has a very cell-like look, and the little creature inside it all fits with the Latin name of homunculus, little man. And considering that a homunculus is a creature made from alchemy I can't help but think that those red orbs might be Philosopher's Stones, but I do have Fullmetal Alchemist on the brain when thinking of that.
3 Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion
There have been Pokemon based on many things, plants, animals, fairy tales, items... the list goes on, but the most impressive base would have to be for these Pokemon. The trio of this game are based on the Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis respectively. While all three have that air of nobility about them as they should they each have a look designed on the character their based on, with Cobalion having the sharp build of a leader, Terrakion as the powerhouse of the group look, and Virizion appearing as slender and romantic. Now some might wonder, what about Keldeo? Well it is an unofficial member, like the character it's based on, so it isn't sharing this spot with them.
2 Litwick, Lampent, and Chandelure
Because I always wanted a candle Pokemon since the beginning. I even made my own. I don't know where that paper is anymore but from what I remember my design was terrible compared to this. Just because it was just so satisfying to see something I thought before and done better than me is why I love the design put into Litwick and it's evolutions.
1 Archen and Archeops
While a favorite like some of the others it's one that I always thought of when it came to fossil Pokemon. Unlike Litwick I had no sketches of this kind of Pokemon before, but now I don't need it. This was handled the way I always wanted and shows that they are not done with good idea yet.
Pokemon Art (c) Ken Sugimori
Information Source Bulbapedia
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