I missed out on Pokemon as a kid, and want to get started.
I missed out on Pokemon as a kid, and want to get started.
On a whim, I picked up a used DS lite yesterday with the intent to play some games I didn't have an opportunity to play as a kid. I'd like to try play through as many generations of Pokemon as I can. The store I got the DS from had copies of Black, and SoulSilver so I got those, but I was wondering what games y'all would recommend from each generation that I could play on DS (or possibly switch, but I'd prefer playing mostly on the DS).
I know each generation had multiple versions, and I'm not sure if one version is much different or better than the others each generation.
Don’t bother playing the original gen 1/2 unless you do the VC versions out of curiosity. The physical versions of those games cannot carry your mons forward to gen 3+. This is why gen 1&2 had remakes in the first place.
Most gens follow a release like this: OriginalA, OriginalB, Sequel, Remake1, Remake2.
Usually the Sequel game is just an enhanced/fixed version of the OriginalA/B games, so that’s the one you want if that generation has one (e.g. Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, Ultra Sun/Moon).
Gen 5’s sequels (Black/White 2) are actually a different story so they stand out as being a little different from the other sequels. Gen 6’s sequel (Z) got canceled and some elements of that (such as Zygarde) seemingly ended up in Sun/Moon instead.
The remake games always have 2 words in the name and are the setting from an older gen (e.g. FireRed/LeafGreen, SoulSilver/HeartGold, OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire, BrilliantDiamond/ShiningPearl).
These remakes are generally regarded as the best version of that setting. Be aware that they usually introduce mons from later gens in the postgame, so it wouldn’t be a “pure” experience if you want things to be chronological. Also be aware that BD/SP had some negative reviews and some people say it’s worse that just playing Platinum instead since it is missing some features added in Platinum.
I would consider the Let’s Go games to be spin-offs and would only recommend them if you played a lot of Go. They are mechanically different from the normal games, taking several elements from Go.
Playing the games is great but if you are trying to experience the feel of playing Pokemon as a kid you should put the show on! Even if its just playing in the background it will add to the experience.
As for what to play my favorite Pokemon was Ruby for the gameboy advance.
Try out Diamond version, you can't get Skuntank unless you use GTS trades or catch Stunky from Diamond Version...
For Gameboy of course red and blue. Maybe also yellow if you want too. Then you have gold and silver. And again maybe you also want to play cristal. From the Gameboy (color) generation I recommend Pokemon red and gold at least.
All the Gameboy(color) games you can play on the ds using a r4 card(there quit cheap now if you get a clone) and a emulator.
For Gameboy advance you have FireRed and leaf green. And then again a not double release emerald. For Gameboy advance I only played FireRed. It was pretty nice
Luckily you also can play the cartridge for the Gameboy advance on your ds lite. Emulation of Gameboy advance is not really possible on the ds. So you wil need to get the real games or play it on a other device.
The double release are most of the time pretty similar.
I also could borrow a copy of Let's go Eevee from a friend, but they told me it's not a great representation of Gen1.
The Let's Go games were fairly faithful? They are very easy though, because you get so much XP and it's given to all your pokemon. That might be a good place to start, since it kinda holds your hand.
As far as which is the best version, it's usually the last game from that generation. So: Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum... After that it doesn't matter which game you pick.
Keep in mind there is not a huge difference between the "regular" pokemon games (like red and blue) vs the 3rd release (yellow). The story is the same. They add a couple extra scene at the end and an extra legendary. That's it. For instance, it's not worth getting platinum if you already have diamond.
I would suggest yellow as a good place to start. Having Pikachu follow you around is cute, and by far the best gimmick added to a third game. Plus Jessie and James from the anime are added in a couple places. It's also less buggy than red or blue.
Anything DS or older is very easy to emulate on your phone, btw. I can elaborate on that if you wish.
Another fellow here who didn't get into pokemon as a kid. I had a gameboy, but never got a pokemon game for some reason :/
For original entries in GBA/DS realm I'd play the third version (emerald & platinum). With remakes or gens without the third version, I wouldn't stress too much about what to buy.
If you're buying legit carts, then just get the one that you can find for a good price. Alternatively if a game has version exclusive pokemon that you really like, get that one.
In my opinion it is as follows: Soul Silver, Emerald, Fire Red, Black, Diamond, the rest.