Favorite Region

[Interdimensional Observer]

This isn't asking what your favorite generation is, just your favorite region.

Which is most appealing to you? Does one have a climate or locale you love? A world you think is very well-built? Characters you're fond of? Perhaps some unique gameplay thing that never returned that you enjoyed? An unmatched combination of myriad factors?

I left things like Ransei, Ferrum, the Mystery Dungeon world (I'll add this one if demanded enough), and other locations that are wafer thin in terms of being a developed world off the list. I also kept off anything exclusively anime. I included the three Ranger worlds as one option not ever having played one of those games, so I'm not sure if they are built up at all or not.

 

I haven't played X/Y or Sun/Moon, but of the regions i have experienced, it's a difficult call. Each is likable in its own way (and fruitful for fanfiction), but I'll throw my vote in with Johto.

Edited May 8, 2017 by Interdimensional Observer

[Xanaxian]

Hoenn. I'm well aware that someone will make the oft-quoted "too much water argument" somewhere down the line, but the geographical diversity of the region coupled with its overall beauty and decent route design render it an exciting adventure time and time again. My favorite route is Route 113, where the ash falls like snow. 

Also, you can catch Skarmory on it.

[bethany81707]

Sinnoh. I'm not so hot on the coldness factor, but a region steeped in mythology definitely shines through for me.

Beyond them, Alola and Orre have my favourite games, but those tend to lean more towards my love of other factors, and in some cases, 'in spite of the region'. I guess the setting has never been one of my favourite parts of Pokemon.

[Magical Glace]

Unova. There may be a bit of first game bias there, but overall I enjoyed the Unova games the most thus far so yeah.

[Anacybele]

Sinnoh, no contest (though I do really like Alola too). I'm not fond of cold at all, but Sinnoh's locations are absolutely beautiful and Floaroma Town has always been my favorite Pokemon town (pretty flowers!). Mount Coronet was also more fun to explore than other Pokemountains. I also have a bit of first game bias, as Diamond and Pearl were the first main series Pokemon games I ever owned myself (despite having been familiar with the franchise since it first came out).

[Slumber]

Alola. It's got the most consistent atmosphere, and as much as I hated the "WATER'S EVERYWHERE, THIS SUCKS" part of Hoenn, Alola actually made being a bunch of disconnected islands work. It helps that the game doesn't expect you to personally to move between each of these islands.

If you could count Kanto and Johto as one region, that'd be #1, but they're two separate regions right next to each other(Mount Silver is ridiculously awesome and probably my single favorite area in the franchise, though).

Unova's up there, too, even though it's partly based on the armpit of America.

Edited May 8, 2017 by Slumber

[Sunwoo]

Kalos, but only because Y is my first main Pokemon game and Alola didn't click with me too well. If I'd started off with ORAS it could very well have been Hoenn.

[Spoiler Alert]

It was a battle among Unova, Hoenn, Orre, and Ransei, and I think that’s how I would rank them personally.

Unova is my favorite because I enjoyed the games so much.  I liked the cities, the changing seasons, and the story around Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem.  Sometimes I would run around on Skyarrow Bridge for the sake of it and the music didn’t drive me crazy while hatching eggs.  Village Bridge had a fun idea with the musical NPCs, and the Moor of Icirrus event for Keldeo was also very sweet.  Oh, and despite it’s faults, I really liked Pokestar Studios.  There's probably more, but I could go on and on.  I hope I didn't get any generation bias in there.

Hoenn is a close second.  It used to be first until the Unova region.  I loved having so much room to explore with Surf and Dive, and I purposefully raised a Sharpedo for OR/AS because of their updates to it.

[Skynstein]

I like Johto, especially HGSS Johto. I also like Sinnoh and Kalos.

The Unova games were good, but the region was one of the worst, the cities were designed well but the pathways are extremely linear. B2W2 fixed it somewhat, though.

Hoenn is perhaps good if you're a huge fan of Tentacool, useless backtracking, cities only accessible by HMs, and pointless items in hard to reach locations, not to mention the large and empty ocean of course.

Kanto is barebones and thus obsolete nowadays, but that's mostly due to the lack of eyecandy and TOTALLY amazing things that were first introduced with Hoenn. The simplistic layout is perfect for casual gameplay.

Edited May 10, 2017 by Cerberus87

[MediocreLee]

Johto is my favorite region, as well as Gen 2 just being my overall favorite Gen.  There's a good blend of traditional and new and the overall atmosphere felt so amazing.  Every time I go back to Johto, whether it be replaying G/S/C or HGSS, I still have the same wave of emotions and wonder I first had when I played through Johto the first time.  It's also an added plus that you can travel to Kanto.  Of course the graphical upgrade of HGSS is my favorite because all of the little touches they added in Johto made my little heart so happy to explore Johto again.

I do have to give runner-ups to Unova, the Ranger regions, Orre, and Alola.  I really enjoyed the city setting of the Unova region which made me feel as if Pokemon was definitely evolving with the times, and I generally really like city scenery.  Ranger regions I feel are relatively underrated since not many people play the games, but it's fun to see and interact with the Pokemon of the region as well as being able to burn vines with a fire Pokemon and the such.  Plus the Ranger regions were very lush in scenery with jungles and forests, but then I do enjoy the village or towns.  Orre's cities and towns captured my attention as it definitely highlighted what Pokemon would look like as if the entire region was rather desolate giving off a somewhat post-apocalyptic feel.  And then Alola was a paradise and I really enjoyed just exploring the beautiful islands, and it really made me wish I could go to Hawaii one day.

[henrymidfields]

Johto for having a region that felt actually Japanese. It was also the last game that featured the Pokeverse as actually an alternate version of our world.

Kalos for having a region that felt actually French, and GF actually doing a good job of that, despite France not being their home turf. Bonus points for actually introducing the Tourist class, and affirming that the Gen 1-4 regions are actually in Poke-Japan, and a story that actually paralleled RL!European (albeit more German than French) right-wing politics of the 1930s. (I even managed to have Lysandre be a descendant of one of the right-wing activists in my headcanon!) You know what, I'm voting for Kalos, because of the well-made realism despite the difficulties stated above.

Edited June 13, 2017 by henrymidfields

[Rex Glacies]

A bit of generation bias, but Sinnoh.

The mythology and history of the region made the setting feel well fleshed out. In addition, there is a large snow area, which isn't very common in Pokemon. Mt. Coronet is also one of the neatest locations in Pokemon in my opinion. It also had a mini region around Stark Mountain, and that is fun (albeit somewhat difficult) to explore.

Kalos is second place, due to the seasonal theme. Laverre City and the surrounding routes have always been some of my favorite areas, mostly due to the music and autumnal colors.

Unova is OK, but it was only interesting in Black and White 2. I never really enjoyed Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Alola. Orre was cool, but the lack of routes was unfortunate. Oblivia was interesting, but it was the only one that stood out from the Ranger games.