What is your favorite Pokemon game?

Pokemon Shield by far takes the cake.

I am surprised how many people are saying Scarlet or Violet in this thread. Is that just recency bias? I admit I was quite impressed with them when they first released, and in spite of glaring flaws, thought them a step in the right direction. I have since tempered my impressions.

Black and White are easily my favourite installments. The story was interesting in its willingness to question the morality of Pokémon's core mechanic, even if it does abandon the premise in favour of the antagonists being evil and going for world domination all along. It was great to see key characters like gym leaders actually get involved in events that threaten the region, if not the world. I liked the new Pokémon regional Pokédex restriction as it encouraged players to try something new rather than trying to pick up a team of their old favourites. And the sprite design for the Pokémon was at its absolute best in generation 5, colourful and animated. It is a shame the series abandoned the aesthetic from gen 6 onwards.