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Pokémon What's a good Pokemon game to start out with?

Ably.Saucey

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I'm toying with starting to play Pokemon, what's a good introductory one?
Thanks!
Edit: I have a 3ds...
Edit Edit: Holy Moses. All of you are very nicely trying explain the games to me, and I'm reading them on my end completely bewildered. I'm going to have to take notes....
 
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I think Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are good! They aren’t too hard, yet they aren’t as handholding as say, the original Sun/Moon :p So I’d definitely go for those! If you’re looking DS system, I’d say Heartgold is a fun one to start off with!
 
Hmm... Certainly not gen 3.
My first thought is to go for one of the first gen games, as they are the simplest.
But a lot has changed since then. Maybe FireRed or LeafGreen?
 
Heart gold soul silver, not crazy old. Has the first two regions. Best games�� then just work your way up lol
 
Any 3ds Pokemon game will be good but I'd recommend Ultras over normal because it's like playing Ruby and sapphire or diamond and Pearl instead of emerald or platinum-- that is if those were direct add-ons to the original 2s



Hmm... Certainly not gen 3.
My first thought is to go for one of the first gen games, as they are the simplest

Wait. Why not gen 3?

I'd say do not do gen 1 unleas you want some painfully arbitrary concepts such as overpowered psychic types or MISSING POKEBALLS
Frlg is good thought as it's gen 1 except with the correction of Missing balls or unstoppable psychic
 
Black 2. Its challenging and filled with cool moments, has the best music and hands down the coolest title legendary. Also Platinum is great but it will kick your ass, really!
 
Tough to say, as the mechanics have had tweaks over the years and as such, while it's mostly the same game, there are a number of differences from Gen 1 (Red/Blue/Yellow) to Gen 7 (Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon).

For practicality's sake, if you want to get an idea of what Pokemon is like currently, any game from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum up to Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon is good. So that gives you Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, Heart Gold/Soul Silver, Black/White/Black 2/White 2, X/Y, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, and Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon to choose from.

See, there are 18 types of Pokemon and in the first three generations (1: Red/Blue/Yellow, 2: Gold/Silver/Crystal, 3: Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Fire Red/Leaf Green) whether an attack was Physical or Special was determined by the Pokemon's type. So, back then, a Fire type move would always be Special. But Generation 4, Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, introduced the Physical/Special split and now attacks can be either Physical or Special individually instead of being restricted by the type. This is better because you used to have Pokemon with a high Attack stat that might have only learned good Special Attacks, or vice versa. Now more Pokemon have a chance to flourish in their own niche.

I would probably recommend Pokemon X & Y as a good start because, compared to other games in the series, it is a bit easier. It is also a game you can still utilize the online features of so you can trade with people. Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are the most current but they are outliers from the rest of the Pokemon games because there are no Pokemon Gyms. See, in every main series game of the series except for the most recent ones, you challenge the Pokemon Gyms found around the region in which the game takes place, ultimately face the leaders of said Gyms, and if you defeat them you earn badges that show your accomplishment and permit you to train Pokemon above a certain level without them starting to disobey you. Once you collect all 8 badges of a region, you face the Elite 4 of the region and attempt to defeat the Champion of the Pokemon League.

Alternatively you could get Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver, or Gold from the eShop on the 3DS for much cheaper than one of the DS or 3DS games and experience things like many 90s kids did when Pokemon first came out. I'd still advise against it for the mechanic differences I mentioned above but at the same time, if you're going to enjoy those games, it'd probably most likely be if you played them first and saw how much things have improved over the years. I won't speak for everyone, but I and a number of other people feel that the R/B/Y/S/G games are too archaic at this point, so for whatever that's worth. I'd stick with the X & Y recommendation because if you get used to that, there's nothing to have to get used to all over again if you enjoy them and want to pick up other current Pokemon games.

I hope this was helpful and that such a long post wasn't daunting. I'm simply a long-winded person and get carried away sometimes. Whichever game you might choose to start with, I hope you enjoy it. :)
 
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A well done long post.

My reason for saying no to gen 3 is just complexity.
For someone jumping in, I'd think they'd wanna take their time figuring out gimmicks. And gen 3 went crazy with them.
Can't imagine a first-timer trying to decode the braille or anything.

I can agree with X and Y being a good starting point.
 
I can’t recommend any gen 7 games (Sun/Moon/Ultra). The main game is one long tutorial and has way too much dialogue . I’d say with X/Y they’re kinda dated but they’ve got that classic charm and are also good for beginners but aren’t overbearing like gen 7.
 
Personally I'd suggest black 2/white 2, expansive region with good story and a lot better Pokemon selection than the original Unova games, as well as a bunch of nice content you don't really have in other games such as pokestar studios and the Pokemon world tournament, adding some nice touches to an already great game
 
As someone who's legit new to the series, you might not find the tutorials of Gen VII as annoying as the rest of us, so don't rule them out just because seasoned vets don't like it. :p S/M/US/UM are good games to learn how Pokemon is currently being played, and the online communities are way more active for these than for the previous 3DS titles, if that matters to you.

If you want games that'll teach you how Pokemon games usually are (Gen VII was a massive departure from the norm), I agree with the others that X, Y, HeartGold, or SoulSilver are good choices. Really, though, all Pokemon games are great in their own way ^^
 
I'd recommend X & Y, or Sun & Moon. X was my first Pokemon game, and I really enjoyed it. I couldn't put it down it was so fun. I also loved Pokemon Moon. I haven't played many Pokemon games, but Moon was the favorite of the ones I've played. A lot of people complain about handholding in the newer games, but I don't think that will be a problem for a new player so I wouldn't let that worry you.
 
Pok?mon Yellow is pretty easy because you can get all three starters in that game without trading. There are also a few less different Pok?mon types in the older generations which might make battling easier. I like that they don't have the fairy type Pok?mon. That type always confuses me. You could also go with Fire Red/ Leaf Green or Heart Gold/ Soul Silver if you wanted to try updated versions of the older games.

I personally didn't like Sun and Moon because I thought they were pretty easy, but they might also be a good choice for someone wanting to try the series. A lot of the beginning trial bosses help you find Pok?mon that are effective in the next area. For example you fight the water trial and then the fire one. You can use Pok?mon you find at the water trial to fight the fire trial Pok?mon. The game will also tell you which or your moves are super effective if you have fought a Pok?mon once before. I find this annoying and wish I could turn it off, but it does help show different type match ups. I personally rather guess and have more of a possibility of losing if I am unsure of a type match up.
 
If you start with heartgold and soulsilver (or any of the older games gen3 and earlier) just note that they are not always easy. You will find points in the game (such as gyms) where you'll be having issues, especially around the first half of the game where options are more limited.

Also: the sooner you can learn the types and how they interact, the better.

- - - Post Merge - - -

I would actually suggest Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire for a newcomer. This would give you a good head start into what pokemon "used to be" and you would experience much of what kept us all playing long ago.

X and Y, as well as Sun/Moon, are new spins on Pokemon franchise. If you want a first experience with pokemon, I think you should start with ORAS, if not an older DS/GBA game. There is a lot of nostalgic value to older Pokemon games which you won't appreciate starting with XY and SM. You will get a lot of that from ORAS.
 
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I think Pokemon XY. They're very captivating and they're not too hard. I also think any of the Generation 7 games are really good. If you want a DS Pokemon game, definitely HG/SS. If you want one of the Gameboy games, go for Pokemon Crystal.
 
Start with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. They're still recent and are very user friendly, and since they came out in 2014 you can probably get them for a good price. You could start with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon but these games added so many changes, if you're planning on going back to play the older games, being stuck with clunky mechanics is going to feel weird. Otherwise HeartGold and SoulSilver would be your next bet.
 
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire > X & Y > Sun & Moon

Fun and fairly easy, sun & moon being the hardest of the three.

I wouldn't recommend any gen 4 games as they are a little challenging, gen 5 is a little complicated.
 
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Nothing beats the fabulousness that's Pok?mon X and Y. They perfectly capture the charm of the older games, but add modern graphics and mechanics. Plus, they're the easiest titles in the series.
 
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