Pokémon Black and White (2010, DS)

Each generation of Pokémon games is set in a region broadly inspired by a real-world setting. The most current games, Sword and Shield, take place in Galar—basically, the United Kingdom. Kalos, from X and Y, is a take on northern France. They’re all terrific and inspire some degree of travel envy. But few compare to Unova, the main setting of Pokémon Black and White, which centers around a Poké-fied version of New York City. Like the real thing, it’s magnificent and overwhelming and transformed the idea of what a Pokémon city could be. Rather than a top-down perspective, you could see these spaces in something resembling a three-dimensional perspective—an indication of what could be possible.

Black and White also, as with each game before it, introduced some fun new features, like the new triple battle system. Unlike double battles (more of the significance of those in a bit), in some cases, each trainer could have three Pokémon on the field. Black and White was also the first game to feature seasons, which, alongside changing how the game world appeared, also shifted how some Pokémon looked. Both were examples of well-considered incremental changes that freshened up the long-standing formula without breaking it.