Although the franchise as a whole is phenomenally successful, some Pokémon games have still sold better than others, and those that rank as the best-selling titles of all may come as a surprise. Of course, Pokémon has produced some of the most popular video games in the world, with any new title all but guaranteed to sell extremely well. Nevertheless, for a variety of reasons, not every Pokémon game is equally successful, and the sales figures of some titles are undoubtedly a cut above the rest. 6m5m39

Pokémonis a cultural juggernaut, so it's almost hard to imagine that Pokémon Red and Blue were almost drastically changed for their U.S. release. I'm also a little surprised that the benefits of a franchise about collecting cute creatures wouldn't have been readily apparent so close to the Beanie Baby craze of the 1990s. However, when the first Pokémon games were being brought to the United States, there was apparently a plan to make some major changes to the franchise due to fears that its original form wouldn't resonate outside of Japan.

One of Pokémon’s rarest and first-ever event Pokémon may have just been discovered 26 years later. In April 1996 Japan, the magazine CoroCoro hosted the first Pokémon distribution event for Pokémon Red and Green, in which it gave away the “Legendary Offer Mew” to select fans who correctly answered a question from the magazine. Only 20 fans would be chosen by CoroCoro to receive the Mew, making the event among the most exclusive in Pokémon history. Given that so few people won the Mew and that the memories on Pokémon Red and Green cartridges were stored on impermanent batteries, the chance that any of these Legendary Offer Mews still exists today seems little to none.

Dual versions have been a part of Pokémon since the first generation, but the differences between versions have been growing since Red and Blue. Players have more reasons to scrutinize the details of every version than the original Red and Blue, and it has even become a part of the pre-release hype. The differences between Pokémon versions have evolved almost as steadily as the game mechanics.

Pokémon Red and Blue laid the groundwork for the series going forward, but it had a few odd elements that were dropped quickly and didn't show up later in the series. There are a lot of reasons why Red and Blue may look odd to modern players, mostly due to how outdated they seem in comparison. However, there are a few details that would likely leave newer fans surprised when they see them.

There's less worth in playing or revisiting some Pokémongames than others, with some outings making for disappointing or at least baffling experiences today. The franchise has existed for twenty-six years and counting and has used its popularity and lucrative nature to provide players with dozens of different ways to engage with its world over its run. But with the time that the series has had to grow and its sheer output, it's no real shock that some of its entries have aged poorly or were, in retrospect, never its most winning ideas.

The Mythical Pokémon Mew was inspired by an F4 Phantom Fighter Jet hidden in the arcade game Xevious. Similar to Galaga, Xevious is a 1982 arcade shooter originally intended to take place during the Vietnam War. Partway through development, the game was altered to feature a sci-fi aesthetic. However, a small fighter jet sprite was left behind in the game’s code, which would later inspire the creator of Pokémon.

The new Pokémon games, Scarlet and Violet, will be released on November 22nd for the Nintendo Switch. This will mark the second installment of the main series games on the platform.

Music can make or break a Pokémon game. If a song fails to capture the atmosphere of a region, it can leave players feeling as if the setting is lifeless. It is for this reason that the Pokémon series has strong music across the board. But for the same reason, the games rival each other strongly in the competition of which has the best soundtrack.

Choosing the right moves has always been a core part of success in Pokémon, and Pokémon Red & Blue had some astoundingly awful options. Whether they are weak, unintuitive or just impossible to form a strategy with, some moves are better off forgotten or never learned at all. These moves may be one of the best examples of balancing issues in Pokémon's first generation.