HELP Which Pokemon game should I buy?

[Not Lord Atkin]

my personal favourite is Platinum but Gold and Silver are widely considered by the fans to be the best. So get either Platinum or Heartgold/Soulsilver.

I was quite disappointed by White, to be honest.

 

[Church185]

Hey everyone, I need your advice.

I haven't played a pokemon game since the original pokemon blue on my gameboy and lately with my DS I'm considering buying one of the newer pokemon games (but not Black/White 2).

Ah, well that tells me you should play Soul Silver. Along with the 2nd generation being the best (in my opinion), Soul Silver is longer than most of the other pokemon games because there are 16 gyms instead of just 8. See in this game, once you have completed the path through Johto and defeat the Pokemon League, you get to go back to Kanto (the area you explored in Blue) to see what has changed and fight harder versions of the Kanto gyms. This also lets you go back and get a large portion of the original 151 if you like them so much.

 

[Church185]

Everyone knows that Yellow was the best. Get that one.
Emulators are good for the older games. I guess you could call them abandon-ware as they are no longer sold. Nintendo no longer has any financial interest in them.

I don't know all that much about the newer ones. You should definitely buy one if you are interested. Just because it is Pokemon.

You kind of have to emulate the second gen pokemon games now. The battery that keeps the internal memory alive runs dry after 10-15 years, so all the saved games from those old cartridges will be gone and you wont be able to save the game anymore.

Personal experience /cry

 

[IronMit]

1st choice is Soul silver/ Heart Gold -

They are a remake of the original silver/gold but for DS. It's the next step in the story. Plus all the new types like Steel and Dark are introduced to you like they should be but it has all the perks of the DS versions..where you get physical and special variations of each type etc.

Black/white-black2/white2 are pretty disappointing ..I have no idea why people like them the most. The pokemon are boring apart from the ones that re-appear from the older generations; they have crappy plants and crappy designs. Most of the ones that are good you have to wait till victory road and after the league. In black 2 the story only picks up till after the league...I was 6 badges in and there were only hints of a story. When I saw an icecream cone pokemon I decided the game has got too stupid and stopped playing.

2nd choice will be Diamond/pearl/platinum - good story, good pokemon, good pacing. good level design

 

[Sonic Doctor]

snip

I would recommend getting either Heart Gold or Soul Silver. It will keep you busy longer, since it is technically twice the game because of using two regions, plus, being a remake, there is a whole lot of extras that weren't in the old gold and silver. Plus as an added bonus, the games take the Pikachu follows behind you mechanic from Yellow and blows it out of the water by allowing you to have any of the hundreds of Pokemon follow behind you, all you have to do is have that Pokemon in your first party slot, also you can then talk to your Pokemon to get different bits of dialogue and it sometimes gives you things it has picked up.

The only thing I would say about the first Black and White, eventually get one, because they are great as well. Yes, you can't get the original 150 right away, but contrary to what detractors will say about the new Pokemon, they are actually really awesome. I've created four separate teams of 6 just from the new Pokemon(I did that because of all the people saying they looked stupid and they weren't as good as some of the older ones, which frankly, I find them better than most of the originals). Also, one of the biggest changes to the series came in B&W, and that is that TMs are no longer one time use. They've become like HMs have always been, but unlike HMs, you don't have to get some NPC to delete them for you. Basically, once you get a TM, you will always have it to use on whatever Pokemon you want to have the move. I think this change was long overdue since it made it so I didn't have to grind to get money or points to get multiples of a TM; I hope the change is here to stay.

Last, on what games have what Pokemon. It has always been the case with each iteration after the first generation, that you can eventually get all the previous Pokemon, through trading and whatnot.

Also on your Platinum question from earlier. What that 495 number means is that you will through capturing in game or through trading, the game has the space in the Pokedex for all 495 Pokemon that had been created since first gen to then, the fourth gen. Out of that 495, I would say that 60 or so various Pokemon you will have to trade to get, because with each generation, there are at least 15 version exclusives.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention about Heart Gold and Soul Silver, there are more than the 250 total that were in gen one and gen 2. Through certain conditions like swarm Pokemon and such, will be able to capture some gen 3 and gen 4 Pokemon in game without having to trade from a gen 4 game.

Finally I will impart this information to you:

http://www.serebii.net/index2.shtml

If you want to know anything about the Pokemon games and other things, that is the place to go.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Everyone knows that Yellow was the best. Get that one.
Emulators are good for the older games. I guess you could call them abandon-ware as they are no longer sold. Nintendo no longer has any financial interest in them.

I don't know all that much about the newer ones. You should definitely buy one if you are interested. Just because it is Pokemon.

You kind of have to emulate the second gen pokemon games now. The battery that keeps the internal memory alive runs dry after 10-15 years, so all the saved games from those old cartridges will be gone and you wont be able to save the game anymore.

Personal experience /cry

That is why the remakes are so great, they have everything from the second gen, even the extra Suicune storyline from Crystal version, plus the any Pokemon being able to follow you thing.

Also you won't have to worry about the battery thing with the remakes.

The battery thing did make me said though, my silver version with 30 level 100's went kaput.

 

[Auron225]

One question tho, when Platnium says it has 495 pokemon, is that 495 i can get standalone or is that I have to trade with someone?

You would need to trade to get all 495. You would need to trade A LOT =P Having said that, I don't think you can complete the Pokedex in any game without trading.

EDIT:

I'm just having a look at eBay and Soulsilver and White are both around the same price. $30 or so, with the pokewalker thing Soulsilver goes up to $60.

I'm like WTF, shouldn't SoulSilver it be like $15 or something?

Don't bother with the poke-walker, it's not worth that! I never used mine once.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Normally I would recommend Black/White - of all the Pokemon games available, they have the better stories by miles. Defeating the league and becoming Champion actually takes a back seat compared to everything else going on. If that kind of thing appeals, then go for Black/White.

However, given that you have only played the original gen of Pokemon, I would recommend Heart Gold or Soul Silver. Until you beat the league at least, you will only find the first 2 generations of Pokemon so your mind won't be too boggled with the sheer number of Pokemon you run into. It also means you'll have a better chance of running into Pikachu somewhere - you can get Charmander, Squirtle or Bulbasaur but only when you beat the strongest trainer in the game (not the Champion) so if you really want them, you'd be better starting a new file in Blue (if you have it) and trading them over when you get the chance. The graphics are lovely for it, your Pokemon following you around is great and when you do beat the League, you can go to Kanto (the world map of Red/Blue) to beat the gym leaders there (Brock, Misty, etc) which is awesome fun!

If though you like the idea of having a sh*t-ton of Pokemon to choose from, then you may prefer Platinum. I wouldn't suggest sticking with original Blue - if you really really want to play that gen again, then get Fire Red or Leaf Green (updated versions of the original versions). They are GBA games but they can play on the DS.


My suggestion for you is Heart Gold or Soul Silver.

This. HeartGold/SoulSilver is an awesome trip down memory lane.

Yes. I third this notion. HeartGold/SoulSilver allows you to capture the original 150 Pokemon, as well as 100+ new Pokemon from Gen 2 (the generation that proceeds the first Gen, where the original 150 came from). Also, after you have completed the main story, you are allowed to travel to the Kanto region, where Red/Blue/Yellow took place, and challenge the same Gym Leaders.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

If you are desperate for the originals than I would say HG/SS or just Blue.
Otherwise I would suggest Sapphire/Ruby/Emerald as I find that to be the best region in the series.

 

[shrekfan246]

I think if I get B/W I might not be able to play Soulsilver without raging. lol

They have the same mechanics. After Pearl/Diamond split Special and Physical attacks to the attacks themselves instead of the typing, the combat hasn't really changed again in any of the subsequent games. Just gotten new animations, or one or two new attacks, that sort of thing.

I actually think SoulSilver/HeartGold use the hardware they're on better than Black/White, because B/W dedicate the entire touchscreen of the DS for use with the stupid WiFi BS they put in, while SS/HG let you use it as a quick menu to select all of the classic things like your Pokemon, Pokedex, bag, options, save, etc.

Personally, I can't recommend Black/White. I'd played all of the Pokemon games before it, and maybe I'm just disenchanted with the franchise now but I couldn't even force myself to sit all the way through that Generation. The Pokemon designs were boring or ugly, the distribution of types was abysmal (if you don't pick either of the Water types you can get given early in the game, you won't find another one you can actually catch until something like five Badges into the game), the balance was terrible and artificially inflated the difficulty (though I suppose at least I needed to actually use Potions for once), the story dragged on with horrifically slow pacing, and the world layout was needlessly confusing. Not to mention the fact that there were quite a few Pokemon whom I couldn't figure out the typing of by looking at them, which isn't really something I can say for most of the earlier Gen Pokemon.

Technically, a lot of the same complaints can likely be leveled at... well, any other game in the series. Perhaps it's because of nostalgia or because they're just remakes of the second Gen, but HeartGold/SoulSilver just feel a lot more inspired to me than Black/White did.

And to get all of the Pokemon in any of the games, you'll need to either trade or use an Action Replay (or some other "cheating" device).

 

[jdogtwodolla]

I hear good things about [small]Vietnamese[/small] Crystal.

 

[Innegativeion]

One question tho, when Platnium says it has 495 pokemon, is that 495 i can get standalone or is that I have to trade with someone?

You'd have to trade plenty to get them.

Whenever there's a new pokemon generation, the world is populated by the pokemon new to that game (usually about 100 of them), and then a handful of pokemon from previous games mixed into the wilds. I'd say about 50-150 old ones are thrown in (that's a totally baseless estimate, btw), though that varies from game to game.

The rest, you'd have to import/trade from a previous game.

 

[Zealous]

If you like the original pokemon and want to get a lot of gameplay then definitely pick up Heartgold/Soulsilver.

You get two full regions in one game (the second being a kick ass endgame for the story mode, plus you get battle tower even later). Most of the original 151 pokemon are available in Johto along with the second gens pokemon, the gyms are all pretty good, the story's decent and the minigames are all pretty good too.

So yeah, I'd recomend Heartgold/Soulsilver.

Plus the first pokemon in your party follows you around everywhere. So there's that.

 

[the_green_dragon]

The cheaper one, they are mostly all the same, only a few changes here and there

Platinum is Believe is the most perfect Pokemon game out there, it has all of what you need sealed in one great package.

I found a copy of Platinum for $16 on eBay... thats a good price right?

EDIT: Most of the people on this say HG/SS so I think I'm going to grab a copy of SoulSilver.

 

[the_green_dragon]

You kind of have to emulate the second gen pokemon games now. The battery that keeps the internal memory alive runs dry after 10-15 years, so all the saved games from those old cartridges will be gone and you wont be able to save the game anymore.

Personal experience /cry

WWWHHHAAATTTT???!?!!?!?!?!?!?!??!

YOU MEAN MY BLUE SAVED FILE IS DEAD??!!

*Runs into backroom and turn on the gameboy orignal

EDIT: Looks like my gameboy is broken, nothing appears on screen but the I could hear the music, and yes I tried blowing air on the cartridge

 

[ccggenius12]

WWWHHHAAATTTT???!?!!?!?!?!?!?!??!

YOU MEAN MY BLUE SAVED FILE IS DEAD??!!

*Runs into backroom and turn on the gameboy orignal

That's the 1st gen... Gold and silver(gen 2) had their batteries die because they used them to keep a clock running in real time. (remember the whole day/night gimmick?)
OT: Frankly, they're all fine, just find the one that has the guys you want in it.
On the pokewalker, I got a lot of mileage(pun intended) out of mine. Assuming you take ~5k steps in a day, if you put a pokemon in it at the beginning of the day, and remove him/her at the end of it, ti will gain a lvl. So you can make progress while just going about your day. I'm not sure if the relevant paths are freely available anymore, but the pokewalker made it really easy to get the number of leftovers(held item) that I needed, as well as getting some guys I wanted well before they appeared in game. This won't be relevant to you, but a while back, there was a promo path that had nothing but pikachus on it, it's the only way to get surfing/flying pikachus with random personalities.

 

[Olas]

Get red man, red is RAD!

Or white, get red or white.

 

[soren7550]

Seeing as you haven't played a Pokemon game since Blue, I'd say to go for SoulSilver. It's a remake to the sequel of R/B/Y, it has the original 252 Pokemon, has both the Kanto and Johto regions, and is by far my favorite Pokemon game out there. As an added bonus, its side game(s) (the Pokeathalon) is actually really fun to do (unlike the contests and musicals).

Also, I recommend getting Black/White 2. Unlike Black/White 1, a bunch of Pokemon from the previous gens are available from the get go, plus it has the awesomeness of reusable TMs (which was introduced in B/W 1), so it should be a little easier for you to jump into.

 

[MightyLB]

I got a 3DS XL recently, my first Nintendo system.
[waits for gasping to subside]
Instead of Black/White2, I went on eBay on got Heartgold/Soulsilver, mostly because 495 seemed more doable than 649 and I'm a completionist, and I liked the Pokéwalker idea. The game is enjoyable and the Pokéwalker does make grinding levels a bit more fun. Then there's also the mini-games when you get tired of levelling-up/battling/rinse/repeat. I also have to agree with what some other people have said about the Pokémon designs themselves in B/W, in that they're really not as thought-out as previous designs, and there didn't seem to be much fun in collecting and journeying with creatures that kind of make you tilt your head and go either, "Ew!", or, "Huh?".

SIDE NOTE: Since I hadn't played any of the previous games, I knew I was only going to able to collect so many Pokémon without having to cheat. I'm almost done with the game, and so I just last week got a copy of the current Action Replay -

- aaaaaaand then Nintendo releases an update this week. If I installed this update, would it kill my 3DS when I finally pop the Action Replay cartridge in?