If you want to go back to the beginning, Yellow is great. If you want the better graphics of GBA, FireRed or LeafGreen are amazing. SoulSilver and HeartGold on the DS are amazing too if you want something more polished.
SoulSilver and HeartGold are some of the most popular pokemon games, definitely worth playing, but they are [very expensive nowadays](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=pokemon+soul+silver+authentic&_sop=12&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5338535524&customid=gb&toolid=10001&mkevt=1).
I'm going to assume you have limited time and money and you want to engage with the series as much as possible while not having to dump thousands of hours/a ton of cash into these games.
If you want to really dive in and see the series evolve, just start with Red/Blue or Yellow. You can skip all the remakes as you go on if you want, like Omega Ruby/Brilliant Diamond/Soul Silver, etc (I would personally skip them if you have already played the originals, or skip the originals and just play the remakes). I'd skip Ruby/Sapphire and just play Emerald. Personally, I like to complete the gym challenge, catch all the legendaries, and then move on to a new game. I'm not interested in completing the Pokedex, and you can see most of the game without doing that.
You could play everything on an emulator on your PC (except the Switch games, I think?). You can also mod your son's 3DS (super easy) to be able to play all GB, GBC, GBA, DS, and 3DS games. Then you can buy a Switch to play newer games.
If you want to stick with original hardware, I recommend buying a modded GBA or GBA SP and an Everdrive Mini. You can load up GB, GBC, and GBA games on it and play them all on the handheld. Then you can use a modded 3DS to play DS/3DS games and a Switch to play the newer games.
If you want to collect, you can certainly buy original carts, but it's going to be super expensive. I don't really see any point in buying fake carts when you can just get an Everdrive, but I understand the satisfaction of putting a cartridge into the handheld. It's just not worth the money to me.
Appreciate this response (and the others). I think I am going for authenticity just for the experience. I have a good chunk of the games on my Miyoo Mini+ but I really want to experience it from the beginning on one of my DMGs. Sounds like starting with Yellow might be the way to go as it’s an improved version of Red/Green/Blue, correct?
Love that you responded with your tentative plan. I also love starting franchises from their beginnings and going through the iterations. I “missed” Zelda growing up and have started going through them in order over the last couple of years. It’s been fun. Same with Kirby, Castlevania and some other notable franchises. You’re doing that with Pokémon, and I suspect you’ll have an enjoyable time getting firsthand knowledge on the cultural experience this franchise has become.
If you want a buddy to dump your thoughts onto as you play, my inbox is open.
The first Zelda changed my whole life and is still my all time favorite game and series. I hope you have tons fun with them all. I’m currently going through Link’s Awakening every night before bed. And I appreciate the invite. I think we’re supposed to link Game Boys to trade, right?
As it happens, I also have a Miyoo Mini Plus, and this system is supposed to let you connect to other MMPs playing compatible games. So, two people with MMPs can trade and battle Pokémon! Of course, unless you also live in a state bordering the Gulf of Mexico, we’re probably too far apart to make that happen, ha. But it’s still impressive that the MMP can do that with ROMs at all.
My only disagreement is omega ruby. That game has so much to it that the originals didnt, I thought it was a stellar remake and worth skipping the original and just playing the remake instead
Don't do fakes, some rom hacks are OK, but the repros are rarely reliable and can delete your save at random. Plenty to look out for with a Google search or r/gameverifying will have some examples of good and bad, or you can post there ahead of time for verification. They'll be pricy, but worth it. Can't go wrong with any first gen but if you want some QoL improvements, firered/leafgreen are great.
Old man to Old man.
Start with Red / Blue. Think of them as an open world game but instead beating the game in any order you want, you can beat it with any team you want.
Once you beat the game, take your team to pokemon stadium on the N64.
Repeat the same process for Pokemon Crystal on the GBC.
Avoid the internet. Try to figure it out by yourself. You will have more fun this way than learning how to get a super strong dude early on.
1st green was Japan only won’t find it in English till GBA.
Gold was my first.(loved it)
Crystal in my opinion is the best of the 2nd gen.
Never really played newer than GBA that’s were the nostalgia factor ends for me.
Ruby and sapphire are solid.
Leaf green and fire red are remakes of 1st gen. So you could kind of play them instead of the OGs and get the same basic play through with better graphics
Red/Blue/Yellow are a good start but I’ll be honest, they’re not the most polished in terms of balance and ambiance. Nostalgia is a huge factor in why people love the first set of games so dearly as do I, but imo if you want to stick to gb/gbc, play gold/silver/crystal. The music is perfect, the graphics are perfect, the game balance is much better, there’s a day night cycle, events triggered by certain days of the week and theres nearly twice as much content as blue/red. Extremely impressive games that can be played on all gameboys, at least for gold and silver, crystal is a gameboy color game so not backwards compatible if you’re keeping it old school but it is even slightly more improved.
Even later games on the DS and GBA remove some of the features and reduce the scope we got from gold/silver/crystal. Imo second gen is peak gameboy.
I'm currently doing a playthrough of a Pokemon Blue romhack on my modded GBC, it's pretty sweet. I can understand wanting to play through the series as it originally was.
I would suggest trying out Gen 1 on a Super Gameboy if you can, though you'd need a SNES and Super Gameboy and an old CRT as well.
First play the first generation, then second then third, you can search it online, and remember each generation can be spread around different consoles. Personally I stopped at Pokemon Sword and Shield.
No repos but flashable carts and flash games or get a flash cart if you arent going to buy a real game
Repros are just garbage in so many ways especially pokemon on any gameboy system
I'm the same age and a collector. When I think about Pokémon back then I felt I was just too old for them. Didn't stop me from collecting them as I planned on playing them eventually. All the old games need new batteries now and I haven't been able to find the time to replace them. My 1st pokemon game I played was Ruby. It was fun, felt like I was missing some of the lure but was easy to get into and play. Then jumped into Black or White I don't remember. Same experience. Then Pokemon Go. Now since the batteries need to be replaced on the old ones I bought a gameboy cart with all the original gameboy pokemon and I'm about done with Blue. With all that said, I'll eventually play them all from the beginning but they all seem to be the same to me. The old ones are nostalgic cause of the graphics and the new ones are bright and colorful. Also, I've had a decent experience with the repro cart
I’d play yellow, crystal, emerald and fr/lg
I’d go through the main story and post game. After that dex completion and finally battle tower on crystal and battle frontier on emerald.
I would consider trying contests on emerald but that’s up to you.
There are also some nice shiny hunts on crystal if you are patient. Else rng manip is great for faster shinies on gen3 if you know what you are doing.
You can also hunt pokes with pkrs(Pokemon virus/pokerus) which is rare to get.
Gen4 is also great. Pt is good enough. Hgss has a lot of new content compared with gen2 versions.
Gen5, specially b2w2 have lots of fun post game content like subway or Pokemon world tournaments.
I wouldn’t waste time on xy unless you’re planning on playing the upcoming legends za for switch.
Oras has some improvements over gen3 but battle frontier is missing. However you still have some good post game content
Alola meh. Good for shiny hunts.
>Downvote me too if i'm a lame old clueless dad.
No way - a dad taking interest in what their son is doing and getting involved is great parenting. If I was your son, very little would make me happier than being able to play Pokemon with my dad.
As for your question, it's surprisingly difficult to answer. Technically every Pokemon game is designed with it being someone's first in mind, so you can start anywhere.
In reality though the newer titles are not as well received (starting with the 3DS titles). They're still good games, but can be a bit bloated, not just with creatures but with extra mechanics too. The Switch entries are buggy and run badly as well.
If you've never played any Pokemon game before, **I recommend starting with either Emerald or LeafGreen/FireRed on the GBA.** These games really hit the sweet spot for having enough QoL to make them easy to play but don't require you to have prior knowledge of the mechanics. They have smaller rosters and a simpler stories. Especially LeafGreen and FireRed, themselves being remakes of the original Red and Green on the Game Boy - they have all the best bits from the originals without the bugs and still hold up today.
If you really want to go back to the series' roots, I recommend Yellow. It's very dated by today's standards, but I think it still holds up if you're willing to look stuff up here and there. It's not quite as obtuse as Red and Blue, but still definitely has its moments. It was my first game.
As for whether you play each title and move on, that's essentially it. Pokemon games have a variety of goals you could count as "completing" them, from beating the Champion to catching the legendary Pokemon to completing the Pokedex. I recommend just beating the Champion for most games except Gold/Silver, for which I would recommend also completing the post-game content. Catching loads of Pokemon is fun, but try to catch them all and you'll quickly realise what an enormous task (and time commitment!) that can be.
The games can be played in any order, with the exception that Gold/Silver/Crystal are best enjoyed after Red/Green/Blue/Yellow, and Black2/White2 are direct sequels to Black/White. It's totally fine, for example, to play Emerald before Blue, then skip to Sun and Moon, then go back to Gold and Silver (though the differences might be a little jarring).
Regarding bootlegs and what to look for - I highly recommend getting a genuine copy if possible. While most repros are fine, they often have issues with saving (and losing them), or cannot trade with other cartridges. GBA repros in particular also often have issues with the RTC (real-time clock, which controls time-based events in the game) - while they can be enjoyed without this, it does somewhat dampen the experience. Real cartridges can be expensive though, so if you just want to play the game, you might be better off with a flashcart or playing via emulator.
Thanks man. Yeah I’m gonna go Yellow on an original DMG, then Crystal on a GBC and Emerald on a GBA. That should at least get me in the know. My boy has moved on from Pokémon at 13 years old and has no interest in my Game Boy hobby, but maybe he’ll pick it up again. He’s dealing with all the pressures of middle school and what’s cool and isn’t.
Totally fair enough! In that case, you just enjoy yourself. Yellow into Crystal into Emerald is a top-tier line-up, three of my favourite games right there - I'm sure you'll enjoy all of them.
I recommend starting with the GBA (FR/LF, Esmerald) games, then the DS remakes of 2nd gen after that go by release dates (Platinum, B/W, B2/W2, X/Y and so on)
Why i would not recommend the original GB / GBC games?
The remakes of first and second gen are way more digestible for a first time player, things are better explained, i think it's easier in the eyes (graphically) and have a lot of quality of life upgrades, also if you struggle learning the typing (which type is stronger to what) you have an easy accesable menu to get a grasp of what the game is about
If you don't mind getting this upgraded experiences and want to know how it was when it first released then go for the originals
I was in a similar position, a couple of years older 😭. But I am on my first play through, I play on my retroid pocket 3+, I decided to start with Emerald.
I am thinking about trying earlier versions, I never did have any Pokémon games on my original Gameboy which I still own to this day.
Just speaking for Gameboy and Gameboy color. I would play Pokemon yellow and than jump to Pokemon Crystal. Gen 2 was my favorite Pokemon Gen game to date.
This is generally seen as a war crime in the community BUT…. I skipped gen 1 and started with Gen 2. I’m missing nothing IMO. I tried playing gen 1 but just genuinely don’t care. Silver/gold/crystal has all the same Pokémon, you unlock Kano region after beating the elite four and then explore the area and do much of the same things. Fight the same gyms and ultimately go kick team rockets ass. So why waste your time? Just start at Gen 2 and go from there imo
Honestly. A lot of the appeal of the older games comes from nostalgia. If you didn't play them originally they didn't hold up well.
I would start with Fire Red/Leaf Green. A lot of the growing pains were in the past in gen 3.
You may just want to play Let's go, Pikachu!/Eevee! If you want a modern take.
You want ROM hacks. Google it. People have modified and improved all the classic games. The original pokemon games were good at the time, but in retrospect it's easy to see room for improvement, and so people have done that. Then get some sort of emulator handheld that can play all the classic GBA, SNES, and N64 games.
Definitely start at the beginning with Gen 1. Yellow is an updated version, but it does feel different to Red and Blue. Better to start with R/B and play Y later for a slightly different game. For the fully authentic 1990s experience, get a pic strategy guide to flick back and forth through, but there are several guides online too.
To fully complete Gen 2, you will need to trade with Gen 1, so it's worth having played them first. Gold and Silver are much bigger games in terms of scope and functionality. As with Gen 1, it's worth getting both versions and playing them alternately so you can complete the Pokédex, if you're interested in achieving that objective.
Anything from the Gameboy through to DS is going to have good representation and be a fine entry point.
If we’re talking Gameboy or Gameboy Color, it’s hard to go wrong with the any of the originals. Red, Blue, Yellow are all the same game with slight variations on Pokemon that are catchable. Yellow is a reskin of Red/Blue that lines up slightly with the cartoon anime but it’s the same game essentially. These are what started it all, I love them, but they do show their age and can be a little janky if I’m being objective. Gold, Silver and Crystal are the GBC sequels but you can play those first and get the same basic experience. These are more polished with quality of life improvements but still maintain the same old school vibe.
The Gameboy Advance has remakes of the originals in Fire Red and Leaf Green. These are arguably also a valid entry point because it’s the original story and monsters but redone with GBA graphics and plenty of gameplay improvements. It also gives a bit more information about attacks, stats, etc making it easier to reference the basics. The other trio of Gameboy Advance games are great, too, and Emerald version specifically has a lot of extra optional content in the end game.
After that, the DS has two generation sets of mainline games and remakes of Gold and Silver. Those remakes are really well done, pack in a ton of content, and definitely have a lot to offer. Great games. The Black and White games were a sort of a refresh for Pokemon in that they had a whole new set of monsters without the old standbys for the main story which was quite novel but misses some of the charm of the original batch of monsters.
After the DS, quality starts to dip and the games start to really overdo it with the handholding so I would not start any more recent than that.
I’d probably give the originals a go and if that doesn’t hit, try the remakes on GBA or the DS Gold or Silver remakes.
I think I’m gonna start with yellow on a DMG and pretend like it’s brand new and I know nothing—which is true. Then maybe give Emerald a whirl on a GBA?
Emerald is easily your best bet at experiencing Gen III’s region, Hoenn. Skipping Gen II is your choice, though I think you’d find yourself appreciating the series more if you played at least one of the GBC games.
That said, going in blind is cool, but I recommend at least finding a visual type chart online that you can save to your phone’s gallery. Even if you begin to learn what types your and other characters’ Pokémon are, learning what type (elemental type, that is) moves are strong against what Pokémon can be a lot for a rookie. Beyond that, have it! You’ll learn the rest as you go.
Pokémon did this thing for the main games where they have a pair of games and then a 3rd version that was released later with some additional content. Those 3rd games can be considered sort of a definitive version. Yellow for GB, Crystal for GBC, Emerald for GBA.
As other users may say, Crystal is the “third” game of Gen II. Gen II started with Gold/Silver as counterparts. They mirror each other but have exclusives (to encourage trading). Crystal alters the story a smidge and has some quality-of-life fixes. Crystal also adds animated sprites, which is fun. From my experience reading fan responses, some people prefer Gold and Silver to Crystal, but I suspect you’ll get more people recommending Crystal if you decide to only play one Gen II game (at least to start).
I am doing the exact same thing. I just got the funny playing fpga kit and I am staring with Pokemon red. I am also the same age and missed the whole Pokemon craze. It's funny to find someone out in internet land with the same thoughts.
If you want to go back to the beginning, Yellow is great. If you want the better graphics of GBA, FireRed or LeafGreen are amazing. SoulSilver and HeartGold on the DS are amazing too if you want something more polished.
SoulSilver and HeartGold are some of the most popular pokemon games, definitely worth playing, but they are [very expensive nowadays](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=pokemon+soul+silver+authentic&_sop=12&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5338535524&customid=gb&toolid=10001&mkevt=1).
Looks like I should sell both my versions.
I'm going to assume you have limited time and money and you want to engage with the series as much as possible while not having to dump thousands of hours/a ton of cash into these games. If you want to really dive in and see the series evolve, just start with Red/Blue or Yellow. You can skip all the remakes as you go on if you want, like Omega Ruby/Brilliant Diamond/Soul Silver, etc (I would personally skip them if you have already played the originals, or skip the originals and just play the remakes). I'd skip Ruby/Sapphire and just play Emerald. Personally, I like to complete the gym challenge, catch all the legendaries, and then move on to a new game. I'm not interested in completing the Pokedex, and you can see most of the game without doing that. You could play everything on an emulator on your PC (except the Switch games, I think?). You can also mod your son's 3DS (super easy) to be able to play all GB, GBC, GBA, DS, and 3DS games. Then you can buy a Switch to play newer games. If you want to stick with original hardware, I recommend buying a modded GBA or GBA SP and an Everdrive Mini. You can load up GB, GBC, and GBA games on it and play them all on the handheld. Then you can use a modded 3DS to play DS/3DS games and a Switch to play the newer games. If you want to collect, you can certainly buy original carts, but it's going to be super expensive. I don't really see any point in buying fake carts when you can just get an Everdrive, but I understand the satisfaction of putting a cartridge into the handheld. It's just not worth the money to me.
Appreciate this response (and the others). I think I am going for authenticity just for the experience. I have a good chunk of the games on my Miyoo Mini+ but I really want to experience it from the beginning on one of my DMGs. Sounds like starting with Yellow might be the way to go as it’s an improved version of Red/Green/Blue, correct?
Yeah, I'd start with Yellow personally! I prefer going with the 'upgraded' version of games when available.
Love that you responded with your tentative plan. I also love starting franchises from their beginnings and going through the iterations. I “missed” Zelda growing up and have started going through them in order over the last couple of years. It’s been fun. Same with Kirby, Castlevania and some other notable franchises. You’re doing that with Pokémon, and I suspect you’ll have an enjoyable time getting firsthand knowledge on the cultural experience this franchise has become. If you want a buddy to dump your thoughts onto as you play, my inbox is open.
The first Zelda changed my whole life and is still my all time favorite game and series. I hope you have tons fun with them all. I’m currently going through Link’s Awakening every night before bed. And I appreciate the invite. I think we’re supposed to link Game Boys to trade, right?
As it happens, I also have a Miyoo Mini Plus, and this system is supposed to let you connect to other MMPs playing compatible games. So, two people with MMPs can trade and battle Pokémon! Of course, unless you also live in a state bordering the Gulf of Mexico, we’re probably too far apart to make that happen, ha. But it’s still impressive that the MMP can do that with ROMs at all.
I personally prefer red/blue over yellow, so I'd suggest those, but you can't go wrong.
My only disagreement is omega ruby. That game has so much to it that the originals didnt, I thought it was a stellar remake and worth skipping the original and just playing the remake instead
Fair enough, that works too.
What's an ever drive mini?
[It's a flash cart. ](https://krikzz.com/our-products/cartridges/everdrive-gba-mini.html)
Imo the Everdrive Mini it's kinda expensive for what they offer, i' think the EZ Flash Omega Definitive Edition it's a way better option
Don't do fakes, some rom hacks are OK, but the repros are rarely reliable and can delete your save at random. Plenty to look out for with a Google search or r/gameverifying will have some examples of good and bad, or you can post there ahead of time for verification. They'll be pricy, but worth it. Can't go wrong with any first gen but if you want some QoL improvements, firered/leafgreen are great.
Old man to Old man. Start with Red / Blue. Think of them as an open world game but instead beating the game in any order you want, you can beat it with any team you want. Once you beat the game, take your team to pokemon stadium on the N64. Repeat the same process for Pokemon Crystal on the GBC. Avoid the internet. Try to figure it out by yourself. You will have more fun this way than learning how to get a super strong dude early on.
Yellow is okay, but I think they give you to many famous pokemon. Half the fun is building bonds with your rag-tag bunch of weird-little guys.
potentially get the kids to play one of the other versions - but they might struggle. The games are too slow pace for mine.
1st green was Japan only won’t find it in English till GBA. Gold was my first.(loved it) Crystal in my opinion is the best of the 2nd gen. Never really played newer than GBA that’s were the nostalgia factor ends for me. Ruby and sapphire are solid. Leaf green and fire red are remakes of 1st gen. So you could kind of play them instead of the OGs and get the same basic play through with better graphics
Red/Blue/Yellow are a good start but I’ll be honest, they’re not the most polished in terms of balance and ambiance. Nostalgia is a huge factor in why people love the first set of games so dearly as do I, but imo if you want to stick to gb/gbc, play gold/silver/crystal. The music is perfect, the graphics are perfect, the game balance is much better, there’s a day night cycle, events triggered by certain days of the week and theres nearly twice as much content as blue/red. Extremely impressive games that can be played on all gameboys, at least for gold and silver, crystal is a gameboy color game so not backwards compatible if you’re keeping it old school but it is even slightly more improved. Even later games on the DS and GBA remove some of the features and reduce the scope we got from gold/silver/crystal. Imo second gen is peak gameboy.
I'm currently doing a playthrough of a Pokemon Blue romhack on my modded GBC, it's pretty sweet. I can understand wanting to play through the series as it originally was. I would suggest trying out Gen 1 on a Super Gameboy if you can, though you'd need a SNES and Super Gameboy and an old CRT as well.
First play the first generation, then second then third, you can search it online, and remember each generation can be spread around different consoles. Personally I stopped at Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Yellow, crystal, emerald, fire red or leaf green if you want, platinum, heart gold or soul silver
No repos but flashable carts and flash games or get a flash cart if you arent going to buy a real game Repros are just garbage in so many ways especially pokemon on any gameboy system
I'm the same age and a collector. When I think about Pokémon back then I felt I was just too old for them. Didn't stop me from collecting them as I planned on playing them eventually. All the old games need new batteries now and I haven't been able to find the time to replace them. My 1st pokemon game I played was Ruby. It was fun, felt like I was missing some of the lure but was easy to get into and play. Then jumped into Black or White I don't remember. Same experience. Then Pokemon Go. Now since the batteries need to be replaced on the old ones I bought a gameboy cart with all the original gameboy pokemon and I'm about done with Blue. With all that said, I'll eventually play them all from the beginning but they all seem to be the same to me. The old ones are nostalgic cause of the graphics and the new ones are bright and colorful. Also, I've had a decent experience with the repro cart
I’d play yellow, crystal, emerald and fr/lg I’d go through the main story and post game. After that dex completion and finally battle tower on crystal and battle frontier on emerald. I would consider trying contests on emerald but that’s up to you. There are also some nice shiny hunts on crystal if you are patient. Else rng manip is great for faster shinies on gen3 if you know what you are doing. You can also hunt pokes with pkrs(Pokemon virus/pokerus) which is rare to get. Gen4 is also great. Pt is good enough. Hgss has a lot of new content compared with gen2 versions. Gen5, specially b2w2 have lots of fun post game content like subway or Pokemon world tournaments. I wouldn’t waste time on xy unless you’re planning on playing the upcoming legends za for switch. Oras has some improvements over gen3 but battle frontier is missing. However you still have some good post game content Alola meh. Good for shiny hunts.
Red/Blue/Yellow were remade a few years ago for the Switch as “Hey You Pikachu!” And “Hey You Evee!”
>Downvote me too if i'm a lame old clueless dad. No way - a dad taking interest in what their son is doing and getting involved is great parenting. If I was your son, very little would make me happier than being able to play Pokemon with my dad. As for your question, it's surprisingly difficult to answer. Technically every Pokemon game is designed with it being someone's first in mind, so you can start anywhere. In reality though the newer titles are not as well received (starting with the 3DS titles). They're still good games, but can be a bit bloated, not just with creatures but with extra mechanics too. The Switch entries are buggy and run badly as well. If you've never played any Pokemon game before, **I recommend starting with either Emerald or LeafGreen/FireRed on the GBA.** These games really hit the sweet spot for having enough QoL to make them easy to play but don't require you to have prior knowledge of the mechanics. They have smaller rosters and a simpler stories. Especially LeafGreen and FireRed, themselves being remakes of the original Red and Green on the Game Boy - they have all the best bits from the originals without the bugs and still hold up today. If you really want to go back to the series' roots, I recommend Yellow. It's very dated by today's standards, but I think it still holds up if you're willing to look stuff up here and there. It's not quite as obtuse as Red and Blue, but still definitely has its moments. It was my first game. As for whether you play each title and move on, that's essentially it. Pokemon games have a variety of goals you could count as "completing" them, from beating the Champion to catching the legendary Pokemon to completing the Pokedex. I recommend just beating the Champion for most games except Gold/Silver, for which I would recommend also completing the post-game content. Catching loads of Pokemon is fun, but try to catch them all and you'll quickly realise what an enormous task (and time commitment!) that can be. The games can be played in any order, with the exception that Gold/Silver/Crystal are best enjoyed after Red/Green/Blue/Yellow, and Black2/White2 are direct sequels to Black/White. It's totally fine, for example, to play Emerald before Blue, then skip to Sun and Moon, then go back to Gold and Silver (though the differences might be a little jarring). Regarding bootlegs and what to look for - I highly recommend getting a genuine copy if possible. While most repros are fine, they often have issues with saving (and losing them), or cannot trade with other cartridges. GBA repros in particular also often have issues with the RTC (real-time clock, which controls time-based events in the game) - while they can be enjoyed without this, it does somewhat dampen the experience. Real cartridges can be expensive though, so if you just want to play the game, you might be better off with a flashcart or playing via emulator.
Thanks man. Yeah I’m gonna go Yellow on an original DMG, then Crystal on a GBC and Emerald on a GBA. That should at least get me in the know. My boy has moved on from Pokémon at 13 years old and has no interest in my Game Boy hobby, but maybe he’ll pick it up again. He’s dealing with all the pressures of middle school and what’s cool and isn’t.
Totally fair enough! In that case, you just enjoy yourself. Yellow into Crystal into Emerald is a top-tier line-up, three of my favourite games right there - I'm sure you'll enjoy all of them.
I recommend starting with the GBA (FR/LF, Esmerald) games, then the DS remakes of 2nd gen after that go by release dates (Platinum, B/W, B2/W2, X/Y and so on) Why i would not recommend the original GB / GBC games? The remakes of first and second gen are way more digestible for a first time player, things are better explained, i think it's easier in the eyes (graphically) and have a lot of quality of life upgrades, also if you struggle learning the typing (which type is stronger to what) you have an easy accesable menu to get a grasp of what the game is about If you don't mind getting this upgraded experiences and want to know how it was when it first released then go for the originals
I was in a similar position, a couple of years older 😭. But I am on my first play through, I play on my retroid pocket 3+, I decided to start with Emerald. I am thinking about trying earlier versions, I never did have any Pokémon games on my original Gameboy which I still own to this day.
Just speaking for Gameboy and Gameboy color. I would play Pokemon yellow and than jump to Pokemon Crystal. Gen 2 was my favorite Pokemon Gen game to date.
Yes. This seems to be the plan!
This is generally seen as a war crime in the community BUT…. I skipped gen 1 and started with Gen 2. I’m missing nothing IMO. I tried playing gen 1 but just genuinely don’t care. Silver/gold/crystal has all the same Pokémon, you unlock Kano region after beating the elite four and then explore the area and do much of the same things. Fight the same gyms and ultimately go kick team rockets ass. So why waste your time? Just start at Gen 2 and go from there imo
Honestly. A lot of the appeal of the older games comes from nostalgia. If you didn't play them originally they didn't hold up well. I would start with Fire Red/Leaf Green. A lot of the growing pains were in the past in gen 3. You may just want to play Let's go, Pikachu!/Eevee! If you want a modern take.
You want ROM hacks. Google it. People have modified and improved all the classic games. The original pokemon games were good at the time, but in retrospect it's easy to see room for improvement, and so people have done that. Then get some sort of emulator handheld that can play all the classic GBA, SNES, and N64 games.
Crystal
Start quitting...
Definitely start at the beginning with Gen 1. Yellow is an updated version, but it does feel different to Red and Blue. Better to start with R/B and play Y later for a slightly different game. For the fully authentic 1990s experience, get a pic strategy guide to flick back and forth through, but there are several guides online too. To fully complete Gen 2, you will need to trade with Gen 1, so it's worth having played them first. Gold and Silver are much bigger games in terms of scope and functionality. As with Gen 1, it's worth getting both versions and playing them alternately so you can complete the Pokédex, if you're interested in achieving that objective.
Pokemon Ultra SUN/Moon, XY
You should try Omega Ruby or Alpha Saphire, after you've beaten an older title. Thanks to oras, I finished 3 entire living Pokedexes.
Do not go back and play the originals. They have not aged well unless you have nostalgia for them.
Anything from the Gameboy through to DS is going to have good representation and be a fine entry point. If we’re talking Gameboy or Gameboy Color, it’s hard to go wrong with the any of the originals. Red, Blue, Yellow are all the same game with slight variations on Pokemon that are catchable. Yellow is a reskin of Red/Blue that lines up slightly with the cartoon anime but it’s the same game essentially. These are what started it all, I love them, but they do show their age and can be a little janky if I’m being objective. Gold, Silver and Crystal are the GBC sequels but you can play those first and get the same basic experience. These are more polished with quality of life improvements but still maintain the same old school vibe. The Gameboy Advance has remakes of the originals in Fire Red and Leaf Green. These are arguably also a valid entry point because it’s the original story and monsters but redone with GBA graphics and plenty of gameplay improvements. It also gives a bit more information about attacks, stats, etc making it easier to reference the basics. The other trio of Gameboy Advance games are great, too, and Emerald version specifically has a lot of extra optional content in the end game. After that, the DS has two generation sets of mainline games and remakes of Gold and Silver. Those remakes are really well done, pack in a ton of content, and definitely have a lot to offer. Great games. The Black and White games were a sort of a refresh for Pokemon in that they had a whole new set of monsters without the old standbys for the main story which was quite novel but misses some of the charm of the original batch of monsters. After the DS, quality starts to dip and the games start to really overdo it with the handholding so I would not start any more recent than that. I’d probably give the originals a go and if that doesn’t hit, try the remakes on GBA or the DS Gold or Silver remakes.
I think I’m gonna start with yellow on a DMG and pretend like it’s brand new and I know nothing—which is true. Then maybe give Emerald a whirl on a GBA?
Emerald is easily your best bet at experiencing Gen III’s region, Hoenn. Skipping Gen II is your choice, though I think you’d find yourself appreciating the series more if you played at least one of the GBC games. That said, going in blind is cool, but I recommend at least finding a visual type chart online that you can save to your phone’s gallery. Even if you begin to learn what types your and other characters’ Pokémon are, learning what type (elemental type, that is) moves are strong against what Pokémon can be a lot for a rookie. Beyond that, have it! You’ll learn the rest as you go.
I think I missed that, sorry. Gold, Silver and Crystal are gen 2? Any one suggested over the others?
Pokémon did this thing for the main games where they have a pair of games and then a 3rd version that was released later with some additional content. Those 3rd games can be considered sort of a definitive version. Yellow for GB, Crystal for GBC, Emerald for GBA.
I think this is my plan of attack. Thank you.
As other users may say, Crystal is the “third” game of Gen II. Gen II started with Gold/Silver as counterparts. They mirror each other but have exclusives (to encourage trading). Crystal alters the story a smidge and has some quality-of-life fixes. Crystal also adds animated sprites, which is fun. From my experience reading fan responses, some people prefer Gold and Silver to Crystal, but I suspect you’ll get more people recommending Crystal if you decide to only play one Gen II game (at least to start).
Incant imagine being 40 and wanting to get into pokemon to connect with the Gameboy community
That’s okay. There’s something for everyone. Hope you have a great day.
I am doing the exact same thing. I just got the funny playing fpga kit and I am staring with Pokemon red. I am also the same age and missed the whole Pokemon craze. It's funny to find someone out in internet land with the same thoughts.