Ride Pokemon

[ReKoil]

Rideable Pokemon were first introduced in X/Y, but have since been in ORAS, SM/USUM, LGPE, Legends Arceus and Scarlet/Violet.

In X/Y there were 5 rideable Pokemon, however 4 of those could only be ridden in a specific place with one of them being uncontrollable by the player if ridden. These were:
-Gogoat; Lumiose City. The Gogoat shuttle - you pay $200 to take one and have no control over it.
-Rhyhorn; Route 9. You have to ride a Rhyhorn to get over some rocky terrain to progress.
-Skiddo; Route 12. There is a farm full of Skiddo and you can ride them while on this route. If you ride Skiddo you can reach some otherwise unreachable items.
-Mamoswine; Route 17. You have to ride a Mamoswine to plow through some deep snow and reach the other side to progress.
-Lapras; Surf everywhere. If you teach Surf to Lapras and surf on the water with it, you will be riding Lapras instead of the default surfing model.

Spoiler:

In ORAS Wailmer, Sharpedo & Kyogre also have their own models when surfing/diving much like Lapras in XY. You also ride on the back of Mega Latias/Latios when Soaring in the Sky.

Spoiler:

In the Alola games they gave us Poke Rides. Charizard was unfortunately merely a cutscene and not actually ride-able/flyable.
-Tauros. Was used to break boulders and could run around fast when charging.
-Stoutland. Slower then Tauros, but can help you find items.
-Mudsdale. Used to cross rough terrain much like Rhyhorn.
-Machamp. Used to push big blocks out of the way.
-Lapras. Used to surf across the water.
-Sharpedo. Surfing version of Tauros pretty much.

Aside from the Poke Rides you can also ride Lunala and Solgaleo within the Ultra Wormholes, and Mantine during Mantine Surf.
Edit: Completely forgot about Mantine Surf =\

Spoiler:

In Let's Go the following 18 Pokemon could be ridden:
Charizard, Persian, Arcanine, Machamp, Rapidash, Dodrio, Haunter, Onix, Rhyhorn, Rhydon, Kangaskhan, Starmie, Tauros, Gyarados, Lapras, Aerodactyl, Snorlax , Dragonite.

Spoiler:

Pokemon with no additional effects:

Spoiler:

Pokemon that gave increased movement speed:

Spoiler:

Can reach wild Pokemon flying in the sky:

Spoiler:

Fly in the sky with them (after beating the league once):

Spoiler:

Can ride on them in the water when using Sea skim:

Spoiler:

Galar gave us no ride-able Pokemon sadly, but Hisui did:
-Wyrdeer. Runs (fast).
-Ursaluna. Item finder.
-Basculegion. Water travel.
-Sneasler. For climbing cliffs.
-Hisui Braviary. Flying/Gliding.

Spoiler:

Paldea gave us ride-able companions in Koraidon/Miraidon, which become increasingly versatile as you progress their story line.

Spoiler:

Which was your favorite Pokemon to ride on in each of these games? Could just be because you like the Pokemon or because you like what you could do while riding it or whatever.

Do you like a bigger variety of ride-able Pokemon such as in LGPE or do you prefer a more limited amount that can traverse the region by itself more like Scarlet/Violet? Or perhaps something in between?

What is your favorite ride Pokemon from all the currently existing ones?

If you could've added any 1 Pokemon as a ride Pokemon to each of these games, which Pokemon would you add? You can pick a different Pokemon for each game or use the same for all of them as long as it was actually in that game.

Spoiler:

Which was your favorite Pokemon to ride on in each of these games?

X/Y: Mamoswine, though Skiddo and Lapras were nice too. Plowing through the snow on the back of Mamoswine was just really cool to me at the time and made a lasting impression.
ORAS: surfing on Kyogre's back was pretty cool, but soaring in the sky with Mega Latias/Latios was something I loved doing so I gotta go with them.
SM/USUM: Riding the sun cat through the Wormhole =3 Otherwise it's Lapras paddle for me.
LGPE: Honestly didn't know about most of these when I played through LGE. Rode around on Persian's back mostly. Tried some of them out myself later on and Kangaskhan is my top pick here.
LA: Basculegion. I have not yet seen or been able to ride with Hisuian Braviary though. Right now Basculegion wins as I loved racing across the water with it.
ScVi: Not much choice here as the mount is version exclusive. Not sure if there's any point in picking when I've only played Miraidon and rode on it's back.

Do you like a bigger variety of ride-able Pokemon such as in LGPE or do you prefer a more limited amount that can traverse the region by itself more like Scarlet/Violet? Or perhaps something in between?

I liked the bigger variety of ride-able Pokemon in LGPE. Getting to see multiple Pokemon help you around the region was nice. That said I bonded with Miraidon quite a bit simply because he was always there with me. I like both ways, I guess?

What is your favorite ride Pokemon from all the currently existing ones?

I gotta go with Miraidon simply because it's at your side pretty much the entire game and is just the most versatile. Compared to all the other mounts they were just more limited in what they can do.

If you could've added any 1 Pokemon as a ride Pokemon to each of these games, which Pokemon would you add? You can pick a different Pokemon for each game or use the same for all of them as long as it was actually in that game.

X/Y: Salamence. No ride-able Pokemon for flying in this game, so I'd give it to Salamence if flying around were to be a thing. Riding around on Scolipede on a route sounds like fun too though.
ORAS: Once you've completed the Delta Episode it would've been nice if you could've soared in the sky with Mega Rayquaza instead or optionally.
SM/USUM: Araquanid. Could traverse both land and water at normal speeds.
LGPE: Venusaur. Ride around while sitting atop that flower would be pretty stylish :coolcat:
LA: Drapion. Intimidating Pokemon, could scare off wild Pokemon so they don't aggro on you?
ScVi: Cyclizar seems like an obvious choice. You can see other people with them, but you never get to try one since you already have Koraidon/Miraidon. A rent-able Cyclizar would've been nice.

 

[Devalue]

Technically rides on Rotom in Galar. Powers the bike. (Really ought to make the bike and Pokedex actual battle forms.)

Favorite riding Pokemon by game:

• X/Y: Skiddo because of speed and being unique for jumping up ledges. Moved too slowly on the other controllable ones with an effect.
• ORAS: Only used Mega Latias (or Latios?) of those. Worked alright as a means of flying without Fly.
• Sun/Moon: Stoutland. Travelled at a good pace without pushing any buttons. (Sacrificed control with Tauros and Sharpedo.) Used it to hatch eggs all the time.
• Let's Go + Legends: Arceus: Did not play these.
• Scarlet/Violet: Only played Scarlet. Cannot comment on Miraidon.

Variety versus one do-it-all Pokemon: Leans more towards the variety end. Deals with some issues of menuing for the correct Pokemon. Gains better flavor (especially if actually using a party Pokemon) and more chances at movement that feels good to you. Likens it to having Mach AND Acro Bike versus a combination of the two. May not like how the Mach Bike moves in some scenarios.

Favorite overall Ride Pokemon: Probably Stoutland for speed and maneuverability. Used Skiddo too little to have a strong opinion. Grows annoyed at Koraidon for sliding down walls or struggling to get onto land from time to time. Also cannot start a picnic while riding on Koraidon.

Add a Ride Pokemon by game:

• X/Y: Zebstrika. Shows up in the Friend Safari. Good enough. Deserves more visibility. Increases your speed and prevents encounters while holding A or something. (Second choice: Noivern for a easy Fly.)
• ORAS: Pelipper. Enables you to fly above water sections without getting encounters. Passes over some rocks too, because why not?
• Sun/Moon: Lycanroc. Calls different forms, depending on the time of day. Jumps ledges and cuts trees, regardless of form.
• Scarlet/Violet: Espathra. Possesses the same ability to glide and jump as Koraidon/Miraidon. Moves faster than them. Cannot climb walls or enter water, however. Ideally helps for going between Tera Raid dens.

 

[Sheep]

I loved the ride feature in SM/USUM. Stoutland was my favorite since it didn't go too slow nor too fast, so getting inside buildings and the like wasn't ever difficult when I was traversing the region.

Nothing beats Lati@s in ORAS though. Sure, the overworld was tiny when flying, but it felt so fun and something I always enjoyed. One of these days I hope I'll get a similar feeling in a modern Pokémon game. SV hasn't hit the same yet.. probably because there's no actual flying and only gliding haha.

 

[Corveone]

I love this feature, way better than having to teach HMs.

Favorite in Alola was Tauros I suppose, because of how fast it goes and it looks cool when smashing rocks with its head. Stoutland was great too, not so fast but still nice speed and could find items. And a honorable mention to Mantine, while not a regular Ride like the others technically you ride it for Mantine Surf which was my favorite mini-game in the entire franchise.

On Hisui I really liked Basculegion, Wyrdeer and Ursaluna. They were all great and helpful for different things, Wyrdeer for faster navigation, Ursaluna because there's a lot of hidden stuff to find, and Basculegion surfing was amazing. Sneasler looks weird to me and its usage is more situational, and Braviary's flying is strange, feels more like gliding and honestly I preferred travelling Hisui by ground because you can miss plenty of stuff while rushing through the air. I mean, if there was some more stuff going on in the skies that could have given Braviary a bit more purpose, but it's mostly a not so fast fast travelling as it is.

Koraidon was fine. I don't know Miraidon because I only played Scarlet. I prefer different Pokémon rather than an all-in-one mount, but I get that this makes sense in SV because it's for lore reasons, so it's fine. It would be harder to connect with Koraidon/Miraidon if they were just one of many PokéRides.

 

[Sweet Serenity]

I never had a favorite Pokémon to ride in Pokémon X and Y. The portion where I had to ride Rhyhorn and Mamoswine simply existed to reach the next portion of the game. I did enjoy riding Skiddo, but it was too brief and only in one part of the region. Because of that, I can't call it a favorite. As for the Alola games, I enjoyed riding Tauros the most. You were able to travel quickly and smash through rocks, which I assume was Rock Smash. The same also applies to Sharpedo on water, which I also enjoyed riding. As for Pokémon Violet, Miraidon is definitely my favorite ride Pokémon of all time. It can jump, climb, glide, traverse water, and travel at fast speeds. It has also spent time with you since the beginning of the game and is quite cute for an overpowered box legendary.