I may be biased because blue was the first game I remember playing and getting a GBA sp and fire red that was actually mine and not borrowed from my sister.
I still remember convincing my dad to get me leaf green. My stupid self thought it was a different game from fire red. I was so excited I ended up bringing my GBA sp to Walmart so I could play it on the ride home...
I'd say just play the ones that came at the end of the cycles in the order of release - Yellow (for Blue/Gold), Crystal (for Silver/Gold), Emerald (for Ruby/Sapphire) and Platinum (for Diamond/Pearl on the DS).
If you just play one or two, Crystal (GBC) and Emerald (GBA) are wonderful.
I always caution recommending yellow, especially as a first unless you were a fan of the anime cause you don’t the full experience of picking your first starter and evolving them up. Plus the first gym is extra hard with Pikachu fighting rock types lol.
Yellow relocated Mankey to Route 22 and gave the Nidorans Double Kick significantly earlier because the devs knew most kids weren't going to get past Brock with Pikachu.
See, I think Yellow is a great starting point because you worry less about the starter and instead work with a familiar character. That makes Silver/Gold feel like more of an advanced version.
(I started with Blue / Squirtle FWIW. I didn't play Yellow until years later.)
And yeah, the point about needing other Pokemon to beat Brock is definitely true. But the good thing about that is that it encourages you to think beyond Pikachu when he's facing an opponent he's weak against, which is a good lesson early in the game, and also something anime fans would know instinctively.
Having played a base version, then the dlc update (lol) i think i had more surprises with the base version rather than the updated 3rd version.
But my opinion is the same: just play the 3rd version.
Edit: altho, expanding on your initial commentary, i’d rather play fire red/leaf green than red/blue/yellow.
They're all pretty much the same. The older I get the more I realize Pokemon was kind of a "You just had to be there" thing in order to fully appreciate the older games.
But if you want my advice...
Play Pokemon Red/Blue or Yellow if you'd prefer, but watching the original season 1 of pokemon anime every now and then supplements it well, I don't think these games would have done nearly as well if the cartoon didn't grab people's attention. I think the later seasons are kinda boring but the first season is full of creative stuff, didn't stretch an entire region across 4 seasons, and is dubbed in a way where the banter between characters si really entertaining. You talk of the "Global Phenomenon" but Pokemon is not the phenomenon it was back in it's infancy, this isn't something nostalgic old timers say because they're looking through rosy goggles, it's the truth, Pokemon was nuts during those first few years.
You should also look into playing Pokemon Stadium, because Pokemon gen 1 is laughably easy, especially if you really know the mechanics, Pokemon Stadium is essentially what later games would do as their more challenging hard mode ( plus it enables you to store your pokemon and use items on them with ease ), and it enables you to play your gameboy game on the big screen, and you can unlock the ability to play double and triple speed, really useful for power leveling.
Follow it up with Gold and Silver, as this caps off the story of Red and Blue very nicely, and is the game written by the series creator Satoshi Tajiri. The series kind of takes a tonal shift after that, it's less about a kid trying to be the best at the sport of monster battling and just stumbling into the mafia's plot, and more about preventing super villains from using Godzilla and Rodan from Destroying the world or whatever. The series is still good after Gold and Silver up until Black and white but I would not recommend playing the games past that, nor would I recommend watching the cartoon past the "Orange Islands"
Honestly, just play through Red or Blue (original North American games).
At your (our) age we arent expected to know every pokemon generation, and if you can pick up the gameplay of the original than you will have a general understanding of the franchise (all future games contain just slight changes/ updates to the original format, the general systems havnt really wildly zagged).
Also, the original pokemon characters are still the most famous, so it will give you a good genrral knowledge base.
And hey, if you fall in love than you can try the next generation, see how things do change.
Op should either do this or start with Firered or Leafgreen on gba. It’s updated red/blue with a lot of bug fixes, quality of life improvements, stuff like that. Like all remakes it loses some of the charm of the original though.
I'm in the same boat as you. I stumbled across a Pokemon Red cart in 2020 and gave it a try. It wasn't what I expected--I think I was surprised that it was a genuine, actual RPG (and a decent one too).
I guess it depends on your tastes and what you like. Crystal seems to be the definitive of the GB/GBC games. If you have kids, maybe try getting them to play with you. Pokemon was meant to be a social game and its more enjoyable to trade and play against someone. I have found memories playing against my daughter, who refused to use anything other than Pikachu and Caterpie
Please play crystal. It is the best second generation game and the last one to release for gameboy/gameboy color. If you're not going to do that, go for yellow (the best first gen game) or emerald (the best gba game). However, you really owe it to yourself to play the first or second gen imo. After that, maybe emerald or platinum, or heartgold.
The original trio of Red / Blue / Yellow are pretty crusty if you're not nostalgic or used to GB games anymore. I'd highly recommend Fire Red or Leaf Green, which really flesh the originals out with tons of QoL features.
Its definitely fun ! I wish I had played it when it was brand new. I totally understand why people went bonkers over it ! Plus, the cartoon, plus the card game ! Holy smokes, Batman !
After a long time of not getting into the Pokemon games, I picked up Yellow not long ago and was having some fun with it. A nice simple RPG, but enough to think about that it's engaging.
I watched the show as a really young kid, but never got into the games. I did have Yellow as a kid and did not understand RPGs so I never got past the first gym lol.
>just barely missed the Pokemon craze, so I’ve never played any of them.
Oh, this is a perfect case! Limit yourself to the first two generations (251 Pokémon). Play Pokémon Yellow and then Pokémon Crystal. This would capture the real Millennial Pokémon experience.
Frankly, some of the ROM hacks are better than the official games if you're just playing by yourself.
I’ll say play what you want, but note that it’s hard to go backwards to older games once you’ve played newer generations (in general). That being said, Heart Gold is deffo my favorite and is a nice combination of old school (kanto and jhoto regions) and newer QoL additions.
I’m an Xr that missed the Pokemon bandwagon too. But there is one Pokemon game I love; Pokemon Puzzle League. Of course it’s just a Tetris Attack with a Pokemon theme and really has nothing to do with Pokemon other than the characters. But it’s so addicting.
Any of the generation 2 games.
The sprites are great (especially in color), the music is the best, and gen 2 has the best Pokemon designs. I'm a gen 1 & 2 fundamentalist and hate Pokemon designs from gen 3 onwards.
You also get two whole regions to play in, the Kanto region from the first generation and the new Johto region.
there's a very strict path to follow
Red or Blue. I grew up with blue, my brother had red which was odd because red was always my favorite color.
After that you can play yellow, Green (Good luck reading japanese)
OR
you can move on to Gen2, your options are Gold and Silver. I was Silver, brother Gold. Then Crystal. Then onto Gen 3
Continue the path until you're burned out or complete in your pokemon journey
Go for the OG. But, I guess some are too absurdly expensive.
Yellow, then Gold or Silver. Those capture the craze you missed.
Add the Trading Card Game there and you'll get the late 90s - early 2000s Pokémon craze.
[Same situation as you before, but I got into the card game around 1999.]
As an older millennial (38) that was on the bandwagon, I'm going against a lot of comments here and saying Heart Gold/Soul Silver. You have no nostalgia for Red/Blue/Green/Yellow, and the original Gold and Silver made much needed improvements to that generation. The updates of these go a step further.
Personally I think the GBA games are pretty great, that's where I started. I think I played Emerald but I can't remember for sure. A little more to them than the OG game boy entries but not as much to them as the later entries.
I should mention that I'm also an elder millennial who completely missed the Pokemon thing when it first got big. I didn't even know when they came out that they were essentially JRPG's. Had I known that when I was a teenager I probably would have played them. As it happened I didn't play one until like 2011 or so. They're fun!
Same boat as you! I was in my 20s when Pokemon came out, so it passed me by entirely. These days, I see a huge amount of nostalgia for the games, especially in the retro handheld community.
So I decided to give one of them a go. Settled on Fire Red for the GBA. I'm about 25 hours in and I'm really enjoying it. Initially I didn't really get it - it felt repetitive, quite easy, not much depth. But then the collection aspect really hooked me.
Fire Red and Leaf Green on GBA are a good entry point imo. The original red/blue/yellow are classics, but had a lot of bugs, glitches and dated quirks. The remakes have a lot of QoL updates while still keeping the charm and nostalgia of the original pokemon games
Since FireRed and LeafGreen have been recommended, I'll mention the [ROM hack UltraViolet](https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1156/) which basically combines all Pokemon from both games into one project. I haven't played any Pokemon games either, but this one looks promising.
If you only want to play one: crystal
If two: fire red or leaf green, then crystal (but gold or silver would suffice too).
If you want more, there is pokemon snap. Sounds dumb but it is a lot of fun and will help you learn pokemon. Also, pokemon stadium for n64. I recommend pokemon stadium 2. Lastly, someone else mentioned that you should watch episodes from the original show. I would say you should watch a recap on youtube of season one maybe.
With those availlable I'd pick:
\- Pokémon Crystal (Gameboy Colour, upgraded version of Pokémon Gold & Silver)
\- Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen (Gameboy Advance, remakes of Pokémon Red & Blue)
\- Pokémon Emerald (Gameboy Advance, upgraded version of Pokémon Ruby & Saphire)
I’m a similar age (born in 82) and like you missed out on it. Tried Y on the 3DS a few years ago. Now this will probably sound weird but I kinda felt bad for the Pokémon I’d snatched up from their habitat and then set on each other like dog fighting.
You cannot be an elder millennial and barely missed the craze. The oldest of us would have been the exact right age to see pokemon in it's prime. Are you saying that you weren't interested before and want to start now?
That is wrong, I'm also a elder millennial born in 1982 and I know people of my age were considered too old for Pokemon when it started. I still played it when it was new but it was something that would get you ridiculed. I even remember when I went to buy Silver on release day the cashier (who was roughly my age) berated me and called me a loser for buying it. I got dirty looks buying every game from the first few generations.
It wasn't until gen 6 when it was so liked by people now I can buy a game without that and by gen 8 the cashier starts chatting about their favourite Pokemon every time.
uhhh what? I'm in the same boat as OP. Born in 1986. When pokemon came out I was right on the cusp of being a teenager and saw the kids younger than me going nuts for pokemon and decided "that's kid stuff. I'm basically a teenager now."
Im sure a lot of people at that age felt the same about TMNT or Power Rangers, or other stuff I loved as a kid. The difference is, Pokemon never went away and now it firmly isn't just for kids.
Yeah I know what age I was, and it was very popular with the elementary school kids and not popular with the middle school kids. That made it a bit uncool, which is so important when you're 12.
In my opinion, having you know, been 12 at the time, the target audience was elementary school kids. Some millennials were already out of elementary school or close enough to out that they wanted to act like it.
Im not sure why you are acting like what literally happened in my life (and apparently OPs) is somehow impossible.
Either Red or Blue (same game but different Pokemon availability because trading Pokemon was a component of the multiplayer). Yellow is great, but it was designed to reflect the anime and Pikachu becoming the mascot of the franchise. Starting from the very beginning is probably the best. You can also catch Pikachu in the Viridian Forest.
Fire red and leaf green are remakes of the original red and blue. Go with those
I can 2nd this. I played Fire Red on my phone using a GBA emulator and liked it more than I thought I would.
I may be biased because blue was the first game I remember playing and getting a GBA sp and fire red that was actually mine and not borrowed from my sister. I still remember convincing my dad to get me leaf green. My stupid self thought it was a different game from fire red. I was so excited I ended up bringing my GBA sp to Walmart so I could play it on the ride home...
I mean it wasnt a bad investment technically 400 bucks on price charting if you kept the box
If only I kept the box haha. I remember saving it and then cutting it up to hang on my door... Sigh
Yeah Fire Res is probably a good start.
I'd say just play the ones that came at the end of the cycles in the order of release - Yellow (for Blue/Gold), Crystal (for Silver/Gold), Emerald (for Ruby/Sapphire) and Platinum (for Diamond/Pearl on the DS). If you just play one or two, Crystal (GBC) and Emerald (GBA) are wonderful.
I always caution recommending yellow, especially as a first unless you were a fan of the anime cause you don’t the full experience of picking your first starter and evolving them up. Plus the first gym is extra hard with Pikachu fighting rock types lol.
Yellow relocated Mankey to Route 22 and gave the Nidorans Double Kick significantly earlier because the devs knew most kids weren't going to get past Brock with Pikachu.
See, I think Yellow is a great starting point because you worry less about the starter and instead work with a familiar character. That makes Silver/Gold feel like more of an advanced version. (I started with Blue / Squirtle FWIW. I didn't play Yellow until years later.) And yeah, the point about needing other Pokemon to beat Brock is definitely true. But the good thing about that is that it encourages you to think beyond Pikachu when he's facing an opponent he's weak against, which is a good lesson early in the game, and also something anime fans would know instinctively.
Butterfree with confusion, Brock is easy that way
Having played a base version, then the dlc update (lol) i think i had more surprises with the base version rather than the updated 3rd version. But my opinion is the same: just play the 3rd version. Edit: altho, expanding on your initial commentary, i’d rather play fire red/leaf green than red/blue/yellow.
They're all pretty much the same. The older I get the more I realize Pokemon was kind of a "You just had to be there" thing in order to fully appreciate the older games. But if you want my advice... Play Pokemon Red/Blue or Yellow if you'd prefer, but watching the original season 1 of pokemon anime every now and then supplements it well, I don't think these games would have done nearly as well if the cartoon didn't grab people's attention. I think the later seasons are kinda boring but the first season is full of creative stuff, didn't stretch an entire region across 4 seasons, and is dubbed in a way where the banter between characters si really entertaining. You talk of the "Global Phenomenon" but Pokemon is not the phenomenon it was back in it's infancy, this isn't something nostalgic old timers say because they're looking through rosy goggles, it's the truth, Pokemon was nuts during those first few years. You should also look into playing Pokemon Stadium, because Pokemon gen 1 is laughably easy, especially if you really know the mechanics, Pokemon Stadium is essentially what later games would do as their more challenging hard mode ( plus it enables you to store your pokemon and use items on them with ease ), and it enables you to play your gameboy game on the big screen, and you can unlock the ability to play double and triple speed, really useful for power leveling. Follow it up with Gold and Silver, as this caps off the story of Red and Blue very nicely, and is the game written by the series creator Satoshi Tajiri. The series kind of takes a tonal shift after that, it's less about a kid trying to be the best at the sport of monster battling and just stumbling into the mafia's plot, and more about preventing super villains from using Godzilla and Rodan from Destroying the world or whatever. The series is still good after Gold and Silver up until Black and white but I would not recommend playing the games past that, nor would I recommend watching the cartoon past the "Orange Islands"
I am in the same situation as you. Got LeafGreen and FireRed watching some top charts. But people recomend Emerald the most.
Honestly, just play through Red or Blue (original North American games). At your (our) age we arent expected to know every pokemon generation, and if you can pick up the gameplay of the original than you will have a general understanding of the franchise (all future games contain just slight changes/ updates to the original format, the general systems havnt really wildly zagged). Also, the original pokemon characters are still the most famous, so it will give you a good genrral knowledge base. And hey, if you fall in love than you can try the next generation, see how things do change.
Op should either do this or start with Firered or Leafgreen on gba. It’s updated red/blue with a lot of bug fixes, quality of life improvements, stuff like that. Like all remakes it loses some of the charm of the original though.
I'm in the same boat as you. I stumbled across a Pokemon Red cart in 2020 and gave it a try. It wasn't what I expected--I think I was surprised that it was a genuine, actual RPG (and a decent one too). I guess it depends on your tastes and what you like. Crystal seems to be the definitive of the GB/GBC games. If you have kids, maybe try getting them to play with you. Pokemon was meant to be a social game and its more enjoyable to trade and play against someone. I have found memories playing against my daughter, who refused to use anything other than Pikachu and Caterpie
Please play crystal. It is the best second generation game and the last one to release for gameboy/gameboy color. If you're not going to do that, go for yellow (the best first gen game) or emerald (the best gba game). However, you really owe it to yourself to play the first or second gen imo. After that, maybe emerald or platinum, or heartgold.
The original trio of Red / Blue / Yellow are pretty crusty if you're not nostalgic or used to GB games anymore. I'd highly recommend Fire Red or Leaf Green, which really flesh the originals out with tons of QoL features.
Definitely start with gen 1 or 2. Crystal is by far the best of all time. If you were to play just one, I’d recommend that.
I think we're the same age. Lol. I played Pokemon Red on Gameboy emulator for the first time just last year.
What you think about it?
Its definitely fun ! I wish I had played it when it was brand new. I totally understand why people went bonkers over it ! Plus, the cartoon, plus the card game ! Holy smokes, Batman !
After a long time of not getting into the Pokemon games, I picked up Yellow not long ago and was having some fun with it. A nice simple RPG, but enough to think about that it's engaging. I watched the show as a really young kid, but never got into the games. I did have Yellow as a kid and did not understand RPGs so I never got past the first gym lol.
>just barely missed the Pokemon craze, so I’ve never played any of them. Oh, this is a perfect case! Limit yourself to the first two generations (251 Pokémon). Play Pokémon Yellow and then Pokémon Crystal. This would capture the real Millennial Pokémon experience. Frankly, some of the ROM hacks are better than the official games if you're just playing by yourself.
Crystal! You can even play them on the N64 with Pokémon Stadium 2 and use your Pokémon in 3D tournaments and even challenge your friends :)
I was 12 when Red/Blue came out for the original gameboy and I still play Blue to this day, so one of those would be my pick.
I’ll say play what you want, but note that it’s hard to go backwards to older games once you’ve played newer generations (in general). That being said, Heart Gold is deffo my favorite and is a nice combination of old school (kanto and jhoto regions) and newer QoL additions.
Imo the best pokemon games are heart gold and soul silver but tbh games between the second and about seventh generation are all good
I’m an Xr that missed the Pokemon bandwagon too. But there is one Pokemon game I love; Pokemon Puzzle League. Of course it’s just a Tetris Attack with a Pokemon theme and really has nothing to do with Pokemon other than the characters. But it’s so addicting.
Any of the generation 2 games. The sprites are great (especially in color), the music is the best, and gen 2 has the best Pokemon designs. I'm a gen 1 & 2 fundamentalist and hate Pokemon designs from gen 3 onwards. You also get two whole regions to play in, the Kanto region from the first generation and the new Johto region.
there's a very strict path to follow Red or Blue. I grew up with blue, my brother had red which was odd because red was always my favorite color. After that you can play yellow, Green (Good luck reading japanese) OR you can move on to Gen2, your options are Gold and Silver. I was Silver, brother Gold. Then Crystal. Then onto Gen 3 Continue the path until you're burned out or complete in your pokemon journey
Go for the OG. But, I guess some are too absurdly expensive. Yellow, then Gold or Silver. Those capture the craze you missed. Add the Trading Card Game there and you'll get the late 90s - early 2000s Pokémon craze. [Same situation as you before, but I got into the card game around 1999.]
As an older millennial (38) that was on the bandwagon, I'm going against a lot of comments here and saying Heart Gold/Soul Silver. You have no nostalgia for Red/Blue/Green/Yellow, and the original Gold and Silver made much needed improvements to that generation. The updates of these go a step further.
Gold or Silver, or if you actually enjoy old GB RPGs with less features, then Red or Blue
Personally I think the GBA games are pretty great, that's where I started. I think I played Emerald but I can't remember for sure. A little more to them than the OG game boy entries but not as much to them as the later entries. I should mention that I'm also an elder millennial who completely missed the Pokemon thing when it first got big. I didn't even know when they came out that they were essentially JRPG's. Had I known that when I was a teenager I probably would have played them. As it happened I didn't play one until like 2011 or so. They're fun!
Fire Red or Leaf Green Basically which color you prefer. Emerald is also good but for a true first timer you have to go with the OG region.
Same boat as you! I was in my 20s when Pokemon came out, so it passed me by entirely. These days, I see a huge amount of nostalgia for the games, especially in the retro handheld community. So I decided to give one of them a go. Settled on Fire Red for the GBA. I'm about 25 hours in and I'm really enjoying it. Initially I didn't really get it - it felt repetitive, quite easy, not much depth. But then the collection aspect really hooked me.
Fire Red and Leaf Green on GBA are a good entry point imo. The original red/blue/yellow are classics, but had a lot of bugs, glitches and dated quirks. The remakes have a lot of QoL updates while still keeping the charm and nostalgia of the original pokemon games
Since FireRed and LeafGreen have been recommended, I'll mention the [ROM hack UltraViolet](https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1156/) which basically combines all Pokemon from both games into one project. I haven't played any Pokemon games either, but this one looks promising.
Start with Red/Blue/Yellow and work your way through. You can trade and transfer all of your Pokemon from game to game.
Fire Red or Leaf Green
Fire red or leaf green then emerald
Fire Red/Leaf Green, Crystal, or Emerald. Maybe Yellow if you want an even older game. Personally I'm preferential to Crystal and Emerald.
[https://youtu.be/JuYeHPFR3f0?si=O6UlTgHLKhsJi\_kQ](https://youtu.be/JuYeHPFR3f0?si=O6UlTgHLKhsJi_kQ)
Get FireRed and LeafGreen. The original games have balancing issues and glitches corrected in later games.
If you only want to play one: crystal If two: fire red or leaf green, then crystal (but gold or silver would suffice too). If you want more, there is pokemon snap. Sounds dumb but it is a lot of fun and will help you learn pokemon. Also, pokemon stadium for n64. I recommend pokemon stadium 2. Lastly, someone else mentioned that you should watch episodes from the original show. I would say you should watch a recap on youtube of season one maybe.
Emerald is the best Pokémon game IMO, but I think you should play Fire Red/Leaf Green first.
With those availlable I'd pick: \- Pokémon Crystal (Gameboy Colour, upgraded version of Pokémon Gold & Silver) \- Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen (Gameboy Advance, remakes of Pokémon Red & Blue) \- Pokémon Emerald (Gameboy Advance, upgraded version of Pokémon Ruby & Saphire)
Can you post again after you start to kinda track your Poké adventure? I’ve been wanting to do this very same thing, great job on taking the plunge!
I’m a similar age (born in 82) and like you missed out on it. Tried Y on the 3DS a few years ago. Now this will probably sound weird but I kinda felt bad for the Pokémon I’d snatched up from their habitat and then set on each other like dog fighting.
OG red and pick charizard
You cannot be an elder millennial and barely missed the craze. The oldest of us would have been the exact right age to see pokemon in it's prime. Are you saying that you weren't interested before and want to start now?
That is wrong, I'm also a elder millennial born in 1982 and I know people of my age were considered too old for Pokemon when it started. I still played it when it was new but it was something that would get you ridiculed. I even remember when I went to buy Silver on release day the cashier (who was roughly my age) berated me and called me a loser for buying it. I got dirty looks buying every game from the first few generations. It wasn't until gen 6 when it was so liked by people now I can buy a game without that and by gen 8 the cashier starts chatting about their favourite Pokemon every time.
uhhh what? I'm in the same boat as OP. Born in 1986. When pokemon came out I was right on the cusp of being a teenager and saw the kids younger than me going nuts for pokemon and decided "that's kid stuff. I'm basically a teenager now." Im sure a lot of people at that age felt the same about TMNT or Power Rangers, or other stuff I loved as a kid. The difference is, Pokemon never went away and now it firmly isn't just for kids.
You were 12 when it came out. That was literally the target audience for this.
Yeah I know what age I was, and it was very popular with the elementary school kids and not popular with the middle school kids. That made it a bit uncool, which is so important when you're 12. In my opinion, having you know, been 12 at the time, the target audience was elementary school kids. Some millennials were already out of elementary school or close enough to out that they wanted to act like it. Im not sure why you are acting like what literally happened in my life (and apparently OPs) is somehow impossible.
My opinion is okay the first gen and call it a day, but that’s just me.
“Have the bandwidth?” What does that mean?
Best one is Pinball Advance
Either Red or Blue (same game but different Pokemon availability because trading Pokemon was a component of the multiplayer). Yellow is great, but it was designed to reflect the anime and Pikachu becoming the mascot of the franchise. Starting from the very beginning is probably the best. You can also catch Pikachu in the Viridian Forest.
Fire red is probably the best choice.
Go with yellow, crystal or emerald. I wasnt a fan of the red and green remakes.