by WigglsbySo Pokemon is.. pretty much a worldwide phonomenon. If you haven’t played Pokemon you’ve either watched it at one point or at the very least seen it at one point or another.
That is because Pokemon is one of the most successful gaming and Anime franchises of all time, dating all the way back to 1996.
It has grown so large, they have produced so many versions of the game, so many new seasons of the Anime, and so many animated movies of Pokemon that an MMO should have been all but guaranteed, right?
Wrong. Unfortunately Game Freak – the company behind the Pokemon games have adamantly refused to push through with an MMO for Pokemon – refusing to bring it to an online audience.
While I personally disagree with this as I believe an online Pokemon MMORPG with Game Freak and Nintendo’s funding and finesse could make for an amazing MMORPG, I found myself wanting. I want a Pokemon MMORPG. I need a Pokemon MMORPG. Don’t you?
Thankfully there have been people online that have taken it upon themselves to try and bring a Pokemon MMO into fruition – most being barely playable or filled with viruses however.
That’s fine though as it makes finding the few good Pokemon MMOs out there actually worth it. Fulfilling, even.
There are a few Pokemon MMORPG out there truly worthy of the name.
Either due to the fact that they’re all round fantastic Pokemon games in and of themselves, or that they’re so different that they’re entertaining in their own right.
So, in light of this, Stix and I have decided to give you guys a quick rundown of the best Pokemon MMORPGs currently available.
They’re the only MMORPGs worth noting and only Pokemon MMO worthy of the name.
Pokemon Revolution Online.)
So I’m just gonna start this off with my personal favorite. Why? Why not!
Pokemon Revolution Online has blown me away time after time. It looks amazing, taking advantage of what the PC can really do and making for the most visually pleasing Pokemon game on PC currently.
Not only does it look visually amazing, but the group behind the game have taken to keeping with the original Pokemon games’ storyline while tweaking it in their own unique way.
What this means is that you’re essentially playing through the entire original Pokemon game adventure but with some additional story and further backstory to some of the games’ characters.
This makes it much easier to play again, especially if you’ve burned out on the original games, as, honestly, you can really only play through the same thing so many times, right?
Gameplay however is where this beauty shines.
Pokemon Revolution Online has fully functional skill effects – meaning you’re fully capable of seeing each and every single skill used with their own unique animation.
While not really new to the Pokemon game franchise overall, the fact that most Pokemon MMORPGs don’t utilize this makes Pokemon Revolution Online so much more appealing to me, personally.
With the ability to capture and train several hundred different Pokemon, the ability to duel, travel through both the Kanto and Johto regions, unique story elements, and amazing graphics..
It really shouldn’t be all that much of a surprise that Pokemon Revolution Online is rated all the way up here.
Pokemon MMO 3D.)
Next up is Pokemon MMO 3D – A surprisingly good looking Pokemon MMORPG – dare I even say the best looking Pokemon MMORPG currently available!
Unfortunately however, even so, Pokemon MMO 3D is also one of the least complete Pokemon MMOs on this entire list as the game was only semi functional at the time of playing.
While it does indeed look absolutely stunning.
The fact is the game doesn’t really.. have much in the way of story or exploration, opting to (currently at least) throw you right into the world and expect you to just.. exist.
However, Pokemon MMO 3D is also one of the most anticipated Pokemon MMO, partly due to how amazing the game looks and partly because of what is currently attainable with a game using this engine.
Truly, if how the game looks was how we rated the differing Pokemon MMORPGs in this list then there would be absolutely no contest at all as this is truly beautiful and capture the essence of the Pokemon games.
As stated, Pokemon MMO 3D however lacks.. anything else. Literally anything else. We spent an hour running around a dead, empty world, getting attacked by random Pokemon that just.. messed us up repeatedly.
While this wasn’t really a problem, the fact that the game had no core, no feeling, no.. purpose made it really hard for us to get into.
However, the combat, the fact you could control your Pokemon personally and have your trainer follow you, the graphics, the open world, and the sheer 3D Pokemon feel this game had..
Mmm. You get into it and you just don’t want to leave, which makes sense as to why there are so many people playing it right now.
It just looks and plays so uniquely. So interestingly. If only it were a fully functional, complete game.
PokeMMO.)
The only Pokemon MMORPG comparable to Pokemon Revolution Online – PokeMMO is a carbon copy of the original Pokemon games for the Gameboy – with Gameboy Advance graphics.
Yes, they do look that old, but that’s not a bad thing. The game itself looks great. Not nearly as good as Pokemon Revolution in my opinion but the nostalgia I get when playing PokeMMO, man..
This is a more traditional Pokemon MMORPG, being even closer to the original games than Pokemon Revolution is. Which isn’t a bad thing, not at all.
It’s actually great, as if you’re looking for a Pokemon MMORPG that is identical to the older more traditional Pokemon games than this may very well be the exact game you’re looking for.
Why? Because it plays just like the original games – Think, if you will, Pokemon Heart Gold or Soul Silver. That is in essence what PokeMMO is.
However imagine being able to play Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver with friends that you can party with and duel with whenever you want.
Yeah, now you’re getting why I believe PokeMMO is such a good Pokemon MMORPG.
Although technically not as unique as Pokemon Revolution or Pokemon MMO 3D, the fact that it’s such a traditional adaptation regardless is something that I believe is truly worthy of praise.
Maintaining a game completely inspired by Heart Gold and Soul Silver is amazing as not only are the Gold and Silver games some of the most popular, but the game itself is very professionally done.
So again, while not as unique, it does offer the largest selection of Pokemon in an MMO, is the most traditional, in so that it actually truly feels like a Pokemon game, and it holds up fairly well visually as well.
Pokemon Brick Bronze.)
Now for what is likely the only other decent Pokemon MMORPG – Pokemon Brick Bronze.
This one is a little different as it is actually powered by Roblox. Which I’m sure will turn you all off of this right away. Perfectly understandable, Roblox is fairly bad and definitely not for everyone.
However the fact that the game – disregarding how bad it looks visually – is so much fun, and so unique even, goes a long ways to show that the creator(s) actually put a fair amount of work into it.
That is more than you can say about the rest of the Pokemon MMO out there not included in this list.
You could even go so far as to say the person that created this did it from the ground up – instead of leeching off of Game Freak’s hard work and making it an exact replica of old Pokemon games.
That being said, I’m not praising the fact that it’s a Roblox game nor am I personally praising Roblox.
I am simply pointing out that when it comes to sheer entertainment value, the fact is that the game is completely unique and the Pokemon battles look as though they were ripped from a more recent Pokemon game.
Which is a good thing as I was hoping we’d find something with a good Pokemon battle system.
The problem with that, though, is that the Pokemon come out incredibly pixelated and nasty looking, leaving you longing for more.
The fact is though that the game, character models aside, looks pretty decent and with some touching up it could even go so far as being a good Pokemon MMO adaptation.
Now, all of this being said, if you haven’t played any of these titles yet and are looking for a Pokemon MMORPG to play then please, jump right in to one of these as this is about as good as you’re going to get.
At least.. until, maybe, Game Freak or Nintendo decide to finally push out a Pokemon MMORPG and give World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV a run for their money.
I’m kidding. We all know there will never be an official Pokemon MMORPG.
