My absolute favorite Pokemon game. Everything about this game screams soul, and it isn't just nostalgia talking. There is so much to do and complete in this game that it is just crazy. The pokemon selection during your playthrough is great, the difficulty is the perfect balance between a breeze (what a pokemon game should be) and random but fair challenging fights. The poketch is fun, underground is great, contests are honestly fun too as a mini game. And man, the Battle Frontier is just the ultimate challenge for someone who wants more from this game. I have gotten every single trainer card star in this game which entails Beating the game, getting 100 battle win streak in the Battle Tower, Stealing 50 flags in the underground, winning a Master rank contest, and completing the Pokedex. I also, as of writing this, have 4 gold symbols in the Battle Frontier, with a silver symbol in the Battle Factory. Meaning I have essentially done 99% of what there is to do in this game. It is the absolute pinnacle of Pokemon. Amazing region, amazing map design, amazing OST...now if only it was on Gen 5's engine...

I would have to call this my favorite game of all time. For 8...? years and counting I have played this game to death. I have 11k+ hours in it and am still playing it to this day. The replayable is simply insane. Such a great combination of gun combat, rouguelike progression, and RPG elements. The writing is bad, yes, but I just play with the dialogue volume turned to 0. The way you progress through this game so smoothly, constantly having something to farm, something to do is just so great. The 6 unique playstyles you get from all the characters are all fun, at least 5 of them I always enjoy playing as on a consistent basis. And the end game is a complete joy. Two new game + modes may be seen as annoying, but I like it. The grind to the last level cap of 80, which was added 3 months before Borderlands 3, can be a big pain, but on the whole it is a great game. The overpowered levels reward you with a nice end game grind and difficulty spike if you wanna take the challenge, and raid bosses are fun too. PVE on the better made maps at end game is always enjoyable too, the game is just satisfying to play, and especially with all the random knowledge and tidbits I have on it. All the random statistics, strategies, gear and skill interactions, among many other things combine for a game that never ever gets old.

Although 2 of the raid bosses have glitched doubled health as of the final patch, making one an absolute ridiculous fight. Maybe we can get a 10 year anniversary remaster that fixes this.