4 Pokémon Spin-Off Games Worth Playing (And 4 To AVOID)

Mobile games, particularly those supported by microtransactions, should usually be avoided at all costs given that they are typically designed solely to squeeze every penny from their player base, rather than provide an enjoyable gameplay experience.

Pokemon Go is different, despite the presence of some irksome ‘pay to win’ elements that give those with bottomless pockets an advantage over those with mere patience.

The game took over the world in the summer of 2016, with seemingly everybody, even those who hadn’t followed the series since its heyday, walking endlessly around parks and city centres glued to their phone screens, catching Pokemon in augmented reality and living our their childhood fantasies of being Pokemon trainers.

The drop-off was sharp after just a few months, with people understandably tired of seeing nothing but Pidgeys and Rattatas for miles on end and bored of having nothing to do but hatch eggs and take part in a battle mode that lacked any form of strategy or enjoyment.

Many of these flaws have been addressed by developers Niantic though, with the game now offering legendary raids, trading and objectives to complete, amongst other things.

It’s still a very basic and repetitive game, but one that continues to suck in a considerable player base, addictively dangling the carrot of a complete Pokemon collection comprising Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh generations now available to seek out.