Your Favourite Place (Route, City, etc.) in Pokemon

[Heracr055]

I wanted to talk about a few more areas that I enjoy quite a lot in this series:
1) Lavaridge Town. It's fairly small and unremarkable except for one thing: there's an exit at the back of the Pokemon Center! It takes you out onto a planked path that leads you to the town's local hot spring. I don't think it does anything for you, but I love the touch it adds to the town. A resident even describes taking a Pokemon into the springs with you could result in a bubble bath or 'even a lava bath...' (yikes!)
2) The Old Chateau. Tucked into the back of Eterna Forest, this abandoned location is home to Ghost type Pokemon and actual ghosts that haunt the Chateau. You never learn an actual story of what happened here, so it's ambiguous why the location fell into disrepair or why ghosts live within the walls. The theme is one of the spookier ones in the series, too. And this is where you, of course, encounter Rotom. (Unrelated but I'm also a sucker for anywhere that plays the Eterna Forest theme, it's one of my favorites)

 

[noobcubed]

It's not really a whole area - but I still feel N's bedroom in BW2 is possibly the most outstanding little detail in any of the Pokemon games. It's a place that, while saying nothing specifically, in its own way says a great deal about who N was and somehow allows you to instinctively fill in his whole backstory. And it is so creepy.

 

[Cretacerus]

My personal favorite place would be Canalave City in Sinnoh. It's a small and peaceful harbor town off the beaten track, which seems to exist at its very own pace compared to the rest of the region. The pavement, bascule bridge and library all give it a very cultured and historical charm, which is further enhanced by the beautiful and relaxing piano theme playing in the background (one of the best the series has to offer, in my opinion). In the playthrough of my Diamond version, I would oftentimes find myself standing in Canalave City just to pause for a moment and enjoy the music. It's almost ironic that the climactic Team Galactic arc, with us racing against time to prevent the destruction of the universe, had its starting point in the quiet library of this town.

I also thought that it was pretty cool that they included an optional training dungeon in Iron Island accessible from Canalave City with a boat, especially since it gave more depth and background to the resident Gym Leader Byron's character. I did spend lots of time over there training with Riley and ended up with a team around Lv. 60 before proceeding with the plot, so the place became like a second home to me in Sinnoh. Can't wait to visit it again in the future DPP remakes!

 

[Thundersamurott]

As a trainer who lives in a tropical island, my favorite place in sinnoh is Snowpoint City. I really want to experience real snow so visiting that city is awesome. I really like the special snow (forgot what's the name) in Mr. Masuda's birthday which is the same day as mine. Now I dont have the game because I lost it at my old apartment and I didn't finish the game but I'm glad I at least experience that city for once.

 

[PsychicAcademic]

Wherever the musics are great, I'll usually be there. But anyway....


From Kalos, somehow I like the metropolitan Lumiose City. I used to know the map well on my regular places like the juice shop. At night, it is actually deserving the title "City of Light".

In Hoenn, dunno if this counts as a place, but soaring on Mega Lati_s. Beautiful music and feeling of flying freely. I spent quite some time just hovering around. Really, this feature is one of best feature in Pokémon, ever.

That, or Battle Frontier. THE endless challenge. Shame it never come back....

As of Alola... idk. Hauoli sounds cheerful as it says. But I apparently also like to seclude myself in that cold Victory Road with its heroic music despite loneliness.

What makes this place in my opinion so interesting is the fact that its Asian style stands in considerable contrast with the Hawaiian style of the rest of the Alola region.
Even the Rotom Pokédex says something along the lines of: "Thizz Malie City place kinda reminds me of the Johto region, you know? Zzt?" before disappearing again in our backpack.

Here are a couple of elements that underline the Asian theme of this place:

• You can encounter both Magikarp and Gyarados while fishing.
• Magikarp is based on a koi carp which can usually be found in Asian water gardens.
• According to an Asian legend said koi carps can evolve into dragons.
• I know that Gyarados isn't really a "dragon", but I think it's still nice that you can encounter both of them in this place.
• You can encounter both Celesteela and Kartana.
• While Celesteela has the theme of "bamboo" going, Kartana is based both on the famous Katana swords that were used by the Samurai back in Feudal Japan times and the Origami art style.
• While battling against trainers in this area, you can also spot the famous Asian pagodas in the background of the scenery!

You missed out the forklore of bamboo cutter, tale of princess Kaguya, which is what Celesteela / Tekkaguya is based on.

 

[Deleted User 400951]

I'm biased because of nostalgia, but I loved Sunyshore City. The solar paneled roads to me were just really cool - it felt awesome literally biking on solar panels. I appreciated the seals market because I loved the seals, and Volkner was one of my favorite leaders. He was so chill. The theme to me is one of the best in the series too - upbeat, happy, and perfect right before Victory Road. It was kind of small, yes, but to me it was awesome all the same.

I also absolutely loved Goldenrod. Johto in general was a great region, but Goldenrod City just holds so much for me. Being able to "join" Team Rocket was cool, and I loved the basement of the mall in HGSS. The tunnel was also a really neat thing - a small market where people came together. The theme... I think it might be the single best theme from the series (though many Sinnoh and Unova themes give it competition, the aforementioned Sunyshore theme being one).

For Unova, does anyone appreciate how large the routes are? Each one is filled to the brim with places to explore, even if you have no HMs with you. Route 13 is a good example, and so is 14. Speaking of those, the theme is fantastic - IMO a defining one of the series (it's shared with Route 11 and it's what I could find).

 

[Lady Vader]

I always loved the atmosphere and lore of Ecruteak City.

It also helps that Morty is using my favourite type of Pokémon and my favourite Pokémon in his Gym.

This. Hell, even the statement about the Gym is accurate for me (though Gengar has been replaced as my favorite by Deciudeye and Alolan Ninetales).
Honorable mentions:
Alola in general (best looking region yet)
Every farm with tons of Miltank (just amuses me for some reason)

 

[DancingTyranitar]

I liked Moomoo paddock as it was where I encountered one of my favourite Pokemon: Miltank. I also thought the idea of the abandoned Thriffy Megamart was cool.

 

[Sakito]

ok, let's talk about Sinnoh :

Sinnoh is by far my favorite region of and there's a lot of nice places

Fight Area

so yeah, i really like the atmosphere in this place, it's like a big Festival. it's also the gateway to the Battle Frontier that i love too

Stark Mountain

what a good place here, i like the atmosphere as well. It's also where you catch Heatran which is one of my favorite pokemons.

Snowpoint City

the place i want to see in possible remakes of DPP, i love the city full of snow and i feel very nostalgic when i hear the music

 

[Clouds]

I feel like Vast Poni Canyon flies under the radar a bit more than it should. Arguably the best soundtrack in Gen VII, incredible graphic detail in the scenery, and fits the intended "grand path" vibe perfectly. It almost feels like another victory road, with the path leading up to the Kommo-o trial. Doesn't beat how much I love certain Sinnoh locations, but definitely deserves praise for being one of the better Alola locations.

Theme

I'm not sure if it's a glitch but I did notice the Ride Pager music doesn't play here. If that's intentional then I'd love the location even more, because that increases the amount of time you get to listen to the banger of a theme.

 

[bdt2002]

Favorite Locations in Pokémon? That is a tough one. Oh, man, that is a tough one. But alas, there are a very few select areas that hold dear to me, if that means anything to anyone. Before I list them off by category, please note that I am a HUGE video game nostalgia advocate, if you will, (Especially with DS and Wii games, despite ironically never having WFC growing up :3)

Favorite City: Oh man, there are so many good ones, especially in Gen 4, but if I HAD to pick one, I'd have to go with Aspertia City from Black & White 2. This is a good time to mention that I have a very strong connection with Black 2 in particular, as you'll see in some of my other picks. It's my most played video game of all time if you add up all playthroughs, and that music takes me back. It's also close to a very, VERY special spot for me in Pokémon...that being said...

Favorite Route: This one is very close. I actually put this into a 3 way tie. It's THAT close. As you might have guessed, Route 19 (and 20 I suppose) from BW2 were my first pick. To get it out of the way quickly, it's where I found my first Shiny (a Patrat that I don't have anymore that I ran into on the way to the water area, GOD I MISS THAT THING SO MUCH), and it easily has the best first route music in the franchise. My second pick was Route 10 from BW1. Why? It's Route 10, and you cannot go wrong with it. Enough said. I was stuck on these two, but then I ALSO remembered Route 47/48 from HGSS and the incredible feeling I get every time I went there with my Pokémon by my side. It just felt great. The feels, man..

Favorite Forest/Cave: I put these as a separate group since they're not necessarily routes. For this, I picked between the Ice Path from Johto for the music and, while not all of it is a cave, I'd say Vast Poni Canyon is up there.

 

[Codraroll]

I feel like Vast Poni Canyon flies under the radar a bit more than it should. Arguably the best soundtrack in Gen VII, incredible graphic detail in the scenery, and fits the intended "grand path" vibe perfectly. It almost feels like another victory road, with the path leading up to the Kommo-o trial. Doesn't beat how much I love certain Sinnoh locations, but definitely deserves praise for being one of the better Alola locations.

Vast Poni Canyon is a pretty big one in my book too. I daresay it's the only location in the games that actually takes advantage of the 3D graphics in its area design.

I really like the way that it is a pretty short route when you open up its shortcut. The dungeon itself consists of two large loops that take you through caves around the titular canyon, and you even pass over the canyon twice. When you arrive at the end, you're just meters away from where you started. There are also some optional side paths with nifty item rewards at the end (one of which trivializes the Totem battle ahead of you, a great reward for exploration).

But the real kicker is the way the dungeon gives you several views over the areas ahead of you and behind you. Around halfway through the dungeon, you cross a bridge and realize you're looking down at the tree in the middle of the canyon, where the cave entrance is. Later, you see the entrance to the Trial site from afar. You can also look down on the path that leads you to the Flamethrower TM, and wonder "how do I get down there?". I seem to recall there's also a view over the inside of one of the large caverns.

No other location in Pokémon gives you views like this. Even where it would have made sense, such as looking down on Route 3 from the cliffs of Mahalo Trail, or Coumarine City's lower part being visible from the upper part (or all about Prism Tower, which would have given you a stellar view of Kalos had they not decided not to give the tower any windows). Vast Poni Canyon seems to be the only place where the capabilities of the 3DS are actually put to the test. This even includes Let's Go, if I've understood it correctly, and that's on the same console as Breath of the Wild, a game littered with peaks and towers from which you can see to the horizon, ten kilometers away or more.

 

[bdt2002]

Vast Poni Canyon is a pretty big one in my book too. I daresay it's the only location in the games that actually takes advantage of the 3D graphics in its area design.

I really like the way that it is a pretty short route when you open up its shortcut. The dungeon itself consists of two large loops that take you through caves around the titular canyon, and you even pass over the canyon twice. When you arrive at the end, you're just meters away from where you started. There are also some optional side paths with nifty item rewards at the end (one of which trivializes the Totem battle ahead of you, a great reward for exploration).

But the real kicker is the way the dungeon gives you several views over the areas ahead of you and behind you. Around halfway through the dungeon, you cross a bridge and realize you're looking down at the tree in the middle of the canyon, where the cave entrance is. Later, you see the entrance to the Trial site from afar. You can also look down on the path that leads you to the Flamethrower TM, and wonder "how do I get down there?". I seem to recall there's also a view over the inside of one of the large caverns.

No other location in Pokémon gives you views like this. Even where it would have made sense, such as looking down on Route 3 from the cliffs of Mahalo Trail, or Coumarine City's lower part being visible from the upper part (or all about Prism Tower, which would have given you a stellar view of Kalos had they not decided not to give the tower any windows). Vast Poni Canyon seems to be the only place where the capabilities of the 3DS are actually put to the test. This even includes Let's Go, if I've understood it correctly, and that's on the same console as Breath of the Wild, a game littered with peaks and towers from which you can see to the horizon, ten kilometers away or more.

That's also on the same console as Mario Oddesey, to further prove your point. Have you seen those views? Dang.

Vast Poni Canyon is just what the name says. Vast. It feels like one of the few places in Alola that's actually fun to explore as well, which is also a plus. Even fighting Hapu there (in SM, not USUM) was memorable for me, since it helped her character growth a tiny bit.

 

[HONK]

Anywhere you can find fossils is an ideal place for me.

 

[PrisonInmate]

I like the Distortion World. Isolation from everyone (well...minus Giratina) is my ideal location to be.

 

[bdt2002]

I like the Distortion World. Isolation from everyone (well...minus Giratina) is my ideal location to be.

Lol, mood-

On second thought, I don't blame you. We all need alone time, including myself.

I feel like Vast Poni Canyon flies under the radar a bit more than it should. Arguably the best soundtrack in Gen VII, incredible graphic detail in the scenery, and fits the intended "grand path" vibe perfectly. It almost feels like another victory road, with the path leading up to the Kommo-o trial. Doesn't beat how much I love certain Sinnoh locations, but definitely deserves praise for being one of the better Alola locations.

View attachment 148246

Theme

I'm not sure if it's a glitch but I did notice the Ride Pager music doesn't play here. If that's intentional then I'd love the location even more, because that increases the amount of time you get to listen to the banger of a theme.

If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure they did it on purpose to give the area a more undisturbed, natural feel. But what do I know?

MOD EDIT: Please don't double post - CRoll

 

[Heracr055]

Solaceon Town is another location that I admire. In Pokemon DPPt we typically think of all the bustling and large cities (Jubilife, Veilstone and Hearthome for instance). Solaceon, on the other end of the spectrum, is a quaint little town with a laid back attitude (one of the NPCs says "howdy, Trainer") and a relaxing tune. The landmarks are fairly unique too:

-a Daycare, which couples very nicely with the northern and southern routes for hatching eggs. You can use your bike to ride back and forth in a fairly long , straight path between these locations. If you memorize the music cues when you change routes you can time your turning and get your hatching steps in without looking at the screen
-a house that prints newspapers for Sinnoh. Everyday the owner wants you to bring a Pokemon so they can run their main article. You can get some cool items this way, including Heart Scales
-a house where you can get a Seal Case (Seals allowed you to customize the animation when you send your Pokemon out). You can also get alphabet Seals here (more on that later)
-the Solaceon Ruins. It's a cave filled with a variety of items (moreso if playing Platinum since the Fire, Thunder and Water Stones will be there), Unowns and curious inscriptions. If you take your captured Unowns to the Seal house back in town you can get Seals that match the Unown you caught

In conclusion, there's more to Solaceon Town than you might think, but it's also a nice getaway from all the other, busier locations. I personally prefer this town for my "Western type outpost" over Paniola Town in Sun/Moon.

 

[Scorpio]

I got a couple of locations that have particularly wowed me:

The entrance to Frost Cavern: I happened to come here at night once (either the first time when Team Flare were being dumb, or the other times I came to train the Squirtle/Wartortle I got at Sycamore's into a Blastoise), and as I was walking the straight path right towards the entrance, the camera pans up to reveal this incredible starry night sky that absolutely awed me. I even remember stopping for a bit to take it all in. Easily one of the most memorable sights for me in any Pokemon game.

Village Bridge: I absolutely love the look of the bridge proper, to me it feels like the most uniquely "American" looking place in the region. I also like the variable BGM of the place (if only the flute guy weren't so hard to reach tho)

 

[iamnathan]

I always thought Floaroma town was such a beautiful and tranquil place whenever I played Diamond. I can remember spending who knows how long running through the flowers and just enjoying the music.

 

[bdt2002]

(To the mods: sorry for accidentally double posting; I honestly though that counted as one single reply. Lol, my bad)

There were a few other locations I wanted to bring up, if you don't mind.

1. Starting with a bizarrely underrated spinoff game throwback, I wanted to bring up the Aqua Resort and Sophian Road from Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs, on Sophian Island. I want to bring up that this was also my first Pokemon spinoff game, and something about the resort town and the beautiful route neighboring it just fills me with so much happiness. It also helps that I just love summer/resort style themes (Summer birthday + too much Wii Sports Resort as a kid lol), and MAN, THE MUSIC IS GORGEOUS... My point is, the resort is practically my dream living location in a nutshell, for more than just the nostalgia.

2. By this point, it should be obvious that I'm not only a sucker for DS nostalgia, but also for places with relaxing music. Case in point, how on Earth could I have forgotten about Route 209 in Sinnoh? I only noticed when I was listening to the Smash Bros. version of the song. I've always loved going on that route seeing what there is to explore, while listening to that fantastic piano melody. It's a similar feeling to some of my other favorite routes in the Unova games...funny enough, those are in Smash also :D

3. I promise I'm almost done here, but I'd like to also mention the underrated Black Tower and White Treehollow areas from Black & White 2. Playing through them isn't really anything that we've seen much of in Pokemon, and it's always fun to train up Pokemon there while listening to one of two very fitting and catchy songs, depending on which facility you are in. And by now, everyone knows about the awesome grand prize you get fom Benga if you can beat him...

 

[Caramel Prisoner]

In conclusion, there's more to Solaceon Town than you might think, but it's also a nice getaway from all the other, busier locations. I personally prefer this town for my "Western type outpost" over Paniola Town in Sun/Moon.

Speaking of, Paniola really frustrates me because I love the theme but I just don't have any reason to spend any time there.

 

[Heracr055]

There's only 2 good things about Paniola Town:

1) You have Magmar acting as staff for a local hotel. That's amazing
2) If you feel lucky you can try fishing in the southwest pond for Barboach (not exactly the strongest Pokemon but is cool in of itself)

Edit: I am convinced the developers said "Hey, let's have a good old-fashioned western showdown with the rival, in a good old-fashioned western town!" Meaning they thought of the silly battle idea and THEN came up with the town afterwards, sort of as an afterthought

 

[innisfree]

Personally my favorite location is the Old Chateau from DPP. In my opinion the atmosphere felt much more polished and genuine than places like Pokemon Tower, Mt. Pyre, etc. I also like the fact that it added an interesting element to the standard forest area which exists at the beginning of every Pokemon game. Plus you can catch Rotom there, who has a unique design and is good competitively.

 

[bdt2002]

Personally my favorite location is the Old Chateau from DPP. In my opinion the atmosphere felt much more polished and genuine than places like Pokemon Tower, Mt. Pyre, etc. I also like the fact that it added an interesting element to the standard forest area which exists at the beginning of every Pokemon game. Plus you can catch Rotom there, who has a unique design and is good competitively.

I tend to find that out of all the haunted/ghostly theme areas in Pokemon, most people side with the Old Chateau. Finding Rotom (and possibly underleveled Gengars using a DS/DS Lite and a GBA game) is definitely cool, but aside from that, I think they're all just the same. I don't like one more than the other with this type of setting, because it's usually the same cliche idea every time.

While on the subject, I feel like not throwing in a wild Darkrai as a secret encounter in BW2's Strange House after getting Cresselia and putting in in your party was a HUGE missed opportunity. Oh well.

 

[deetah]

I've always loved Nimbasa City when I first came across it in Pokémon Black 2. The music is what caught my attention immediately, and I remember as a kid just leaving my trainer in the city and turning my 3DS volume all the way up and just listening to it as I do other things because it was so catchy and upbeat. Overtime I found myself drawn to the general atmosphere of the city, such as the bustling vibe and the theme parks / entertainment feel. Not to mention it's also the home of my favorite gym leader of Unova, Elesa! Elesa was one of the most difficult gym leaders for me to defeat in all of Pokémon for me for some reason, it took multiple tries but I remember feeling so satisfied with myself once I had finally beaten her.