33 years old and just discovered Pokemon - Where to Start?

[marlowe221]

Despite growing up on Nintendo and owning every Nintendo handheld since the Gray Brick, I never got into Pokemon. I was 14 or so when the first games hit the USA and I guess I was just "too cool" at the time.

Now I am happily in my 30s and embracing the nerd-ness. On a whim I downloaded the demo for Pokemon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby this afternoon. I had literally never played a Pokemon game before. The demo isn't very long of course but...

I loved it!

But sweet crap on a stick, there are a ton of games in this series! Where do I start? Where does it even make sense to start? Are some of the games better than others? Are the old games still fun?

Also, there seems to be a heavy emphasis on multiplayer in the more recent titles. I might try it but, knowing my history, I am more likely to treat these as purely single player games. Any games I should look for (or avoid) based on that preference?

[Sano]

My advice is start with the original Blue and Red, or Yellow if you really want to start out with Pikachu.

[KalessinDB]

Same age, same feeling when a kid... kinda feel like I might be missing something cool with how much people on the interwebs freak out about it.

If you're hooked, good chance I might be too if I try. Miiiight hafta do just that.

[Erik_Twice]

Pokémon got progressively better on terms of mechanics, but with the departure of Taijiri and the original team, I feel the world and themes got progressively dilluted from something personal and unique to something far more JRPG-like. Other than that they are very similar.

Hence I think that playing the DS remakes of Gold/Silver might be the best option if you ignore the multiplayer aspect. And even then, they might be still the best choice, because in practice multiplayer is played using emulators not the actual consoles.

[alienjesus]

The only' bad' place to start for me would be Pokémon Black 2 or White 2 because they're direct sequels to Black and White. Otherwise, feel free to begin wherever. The older games have much less developed mechanics and few more unrefined elements (item management for example) but they're still fun and very playable.

I feel mechanically the games came into their own in gen 4 when they changed the way physical and special attacks worked. Before then, physical or special damage was based on attack type (which means you just had to know which was which). In gen 4 it changed so it was based on the move itself - a punch is always physical, regardless of type. It also clearly displays whether a move uses physical or special stats. Gen 4 is perhaps my least favourite overall though, due to it's slow pace.

Each gen up to gen 4 has a 3rd version of the main games. Most of these 3rd versions are probably the one to get as they add extra content, but the first 2 are always good too.. Yellow is an exception - it's quite a different experience because of being forced to take Pikachu as your starter.

These are the main games:

Gen 1: Red/Blue/Yellow - I'd recommend Red or Blue
Gen 2: Gold/Silver/Crystal - Go with Crystal if possible.
Gen 3: Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald - Go with Emerald in possible
Gen 4: Diamond/Pearl/Platinum - Definitely try for Platinum, it speeds up general gameplay a lot.
Gen 5: Black/White/Black 2/White 2 - Play Black or White before Black 2 or White 2
Gen 6: X/Y - either is fine. There'll probably be a 'Z' version next year.

They also remade some of the earlier games using more modern game engines. Red and Blue were rereleased as FireRed and LeafGreen using the gen 3 engine. Gold and Silver were rereleased as HeartGold and SoulSilver using gen 4's engine. And most recently, Ruby and Sapphire were rereleased as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire using gen 6's engine.


If I was going to suggest a starting point that represents the series as it is now, it'd be either Heart Gold/Soul Silver or Black & White. They're some of the best in the series, they use more modern mechanics and they don't overwhelm with the amount of monsters available (we're up to 722 total, so it can be a lot to take in!).

X and Y or Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are nice easy starting points too if you want to jump in with the most modern games. Don't worry about the multiplayer focus - it's there, and it's very developed, but it is ENTIRELY optional. The vast majority of Pokémon players just play the single player games.

If you want to experience the series in order without playing literally every game, I'd go with this order:
1. Red or Blue
2. Crystal
3. Emerald
4. FireRed or LeafGreen
5. Platinum
6. HeartGold or SoulSilver
7. Black or White
8. Black 2 or White 2 (choose the same colour as the first one you played if possible)
9. X or Y
10. Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire.


I've waffled for long enough now. I'm a pretty big Pokémon fan as you might have guessed from my avatar, which is always a Pokémon of some sort. The one I have now is my favourite - Jumpluff.

[Blu]

I really like the thread Marlowe! I think the series is quite great and each new generation has added something new.

Alien Jesus has pretty much covered everything. I stopped once after Silver/Gold on GameBoy, but revived my interest briefly on Pearl/Diamond when DS was big. It wasn't until at the beginning of this year that I went through and played all the generations I missed, in chronological order of their release of memory serves me right. It was totally worth it.

You can play however you want also. Sometimes it's fun to raise a team throughout the entire game. Or go after all the Pokemon and catch 'em all. Any way you choose, I think you'll be satisfied.

[Ziggy]

I've only ever played 3 Pokemon games (not including spin offs). Red, Crystal, and White. I found White to be really boring. It just didn't have the same charm as the earlier games. For that reason, I currently have no plans to try any other game from the main series, with the exception of Fire Red and Soul Silver.

If you're playing Red/Blue for the first time, here's a little tip: It's one of those GB games that has enhancements when you play it on a Super GameBoy. It's the best experience of the original version, as far as I know. If playing the GB cart on the Gamecube GB Player, it doesn't have the Super GB enhancements. Pokemon Stadium doesn't either, IIRC.

[Sam_P]

Yeah, AJ has pretty much got everything covered on where to start and what to play, though if you wanna venture "off track" and dabble into the spinoffs, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Pinball are worth a mention.

[fastbilly1]

I recommend starting with Heart Gold/Soul Silver on the DS. You get the classic games with the new feeling/chrome.

[dogman91]

A lot of people suggest the games that offer the biggest 'bang' for your buck, or is the best game in the series (eg HeartGold/SoulSilver), but seriously, as a NEW Pokemon player you should play FireRed or LeafGreen, the remake of the first game of the series on the GBA.

It will introduce you to the world, not overcomplicate things with all the new mechanics of newer games, and only sticks with the original 150 Pokemon. Some of the later games actually revist Kanto, the region you play in the first game, so playing those later ones will basically spoil the first one. IMO, it is THE BEST one the start off with. Plus, it's a classic, and the music is super iconic too!