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[dreamlongdead]

Yellow is a good starting point OP! I think you should try to play all generations, at least the third version of the gens (Crystal, Emerald, Platinum). Black 2 isn't really a third version, it's more like a sequel and very worth it. I also agree that you should avoid the remakes. I mean, they're great! But they'll be kinda redundant for you that's only starting now, and some like Heart Gold/Soul Silver run on the really slow Gen 4 engine and that ends up being kind of a downgrade from the original.

You'll have a good time with Yellow as your first game. After you finish Yellow, play HeartGold/SoulSilver (or Crystal if you can't fork up the money).

Pokemon Sun and Moon will probably be out by the time you've played the first two gens, so just jump straight to that.

You don't really need to spend your time with the mainline titles from Gen 3 through 6.

Lmao don't listen to this, 100% garbage advice.

No, your advice is absolutely terrible. Playing six Pokemon games will cause massive fatigue. The games are super similar, and I totally stand by what I said about Gen 3 through 6.

Platinum and the Black/White games are the only mainline titles there that are really fun, and they can be skipped for now. OP can go back if he's truly curious.

 

[ForsakenLotus]

I have never played a pokemon game untill now! Here's the deal, when pokemon was huge I was a big fan of the cartoon. I never had a gameboy because my family sucked. In fact my first handheld was the ds, and by that point I thought it was too late for me to get into the series. But with the rerelease of gen 1 on 3ds I went ahead and bought yellow.

What do I need to know, I have literally no idea what I'm doing. Should I play all the games in order, do these games have any story in them at all, should I catch em all or finish the game and just jump into the sequels?

And the most important question, will pikachu ever like me!

I wouldn't recommend playing the original versions of the games. Play Fire Red and Leaf Green, and likewise play the most updated version of each subsequent game.

If you do play the original version of gen 1, Persian with Slash has something like a 98% chance to crit, so yeah use that beast.

 

[-Mutsukki-]

No, your advice is absolutely terrible. Playing six Pokemon games will cause massive fatigue. The games are super similar, and I totally stand by what I said about Gen 3 through 6.

Platinum and the Black/White games are the only mainline titles there that are really fun, and they can be skipped for now. OP can go back if he's truly curious.

He clearly said he wanted to play all of them to know what's going on, you're assuming a myriad of things that makes no sense. If he waited till now to playe them he might just as well take his time, he doesn't seem pressed for time to join the Sun/Moon wagon, I'd say that would burn him out a lot more than playing the games and seeing if he enjoys it.

Also they're as similar as any other RPG is to any other, saying he should skip potentially fun games is just bad advice period.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Surf + Ice Beam is all it takes to be a good water type so it's not like the other two slots are wasted. I suppose you might want Crunch if you're using Sharpedo.

I mean the exact same thing goes for every cave in the series. If you don't want to fight wild Pokemon then just use repels. There's plenty of variety in fights once you factor in trainer battles.

There's no extra challenge, it just makes everything take longer if you want to use a team instead of only using your starter.

No it doesn't have that problem. We're not talking about a Pokemon from another region being locked away until you're deep into the game, we're talking about a Gen 2 Pokemon not being available until after you beat the Champion. It's not even some super powerful Pokemom like a pseudo or something. In comparison you can get one of Gen 3's Pseudos as soon as you learn surf.

Limiting your water type to two good moves isn't exactly fun. They have a whole move pool and having two moves locked away behind crappy HMs isn't really my idea of a good thing. It effectively stifles your water type so that you can go into like, three areas, then never use the moves again. HM slaves are one of the worst parts of the series and OR/AS essentially makes it to where you need two of them.

The Zubat thing doesn't really go for every cave in the series. A lot in the early generations because of the limited number of Pokémon, but they've gotten a bit better with it, even if it still happens from time to time. For just one example, Mt. Silver in HG/SS has a 5% chance to run into Golbats. Its one of the rarest Pokemon you can encounter there. Chargestone Cave doesn't have any Zubats. I'm sure there are more, but I don't feel like researching them all.

If you want to talk about taking longer, we can talk about how every cave is full of Zubats that will confuse you and then proceed to turn into shit AI that spams Confuse Ray over and over. Even Team Magma has Zubats with this problem. So it's not even a situation where you can just run from battle. You get stuck in boring, drawn out trainer battles where you have to hope that your Pokemon can snap out of confusion and KO the opponent before their next inevitable Confuse Ray attack. I want to say that all of their Poochyena also have sand attack, which they will spam to lower your accuracy. So every encounter with Team Magma just turns into "How many turns will it take until I can actually land an attack?"

And at least in HG/SS there are new gyms to beat in the Kanto region after you beat the Champion. In OR/AS they lock huge amounts of Pokémon until you're almost past every gym. And after you beat the Champion your only option gym wise is to go rebattle gyms you already beat with leaders who have slightly different teams.

 

[shandy706]

Same here OP. That is, I'm playing my first Pokemon game ever and I picked yellow. Just have fun. The game is a walk in the park easy, I've taken down three gyms and I haven't really had to grind much of anything. I've yet to use any kind of TM. The only thing I've taught any Pokémon is cut.

I find the game neat, but there's no challenge. Granted, I'm 33 now and it may have been tougher if I played it in my teens, but I doubt that..haha. Enjoy

 

[Boney]

What do you mean you have no idea what's going on. It's a game for children

 

[dreamlongdead]

He clearly said he wanted to play all of them to know what's going on, you're assuming a myriad of things that makes no sense. If he waited till now to playe them he might just as well take his time, he doesn't seem pressed for time to join the Sun/Moon wagon, I'd say that would burn him out a lot more than playing the games and seeing if he enjoys it.

Also they're as similar as any other RPG is to any other, saying he should skip potentially fun games is just bad advice period.

Oh, it was post #14. If he's going to play all of them, then this topic should pretty much be done.

I still suggest that if he's going to play Gen 3 and 4, he should just play Emerald and Platinum respectively.

 

[Mista Koo]

I recommend watching/listening to Brandon Plays Pokemon, a big Pokemon fan has conversations with someone who is playing his first Pokemon game (Pokemon Red) in 2016. Would probably be fun to watch along as you're playing it.

As for what you should play either play the one you bought, or wait till November to play Sun and Moon with the rest of us.

 

[Greddleok]

I definitely wouldn't play all of them through in order. You'll get bored as fuck. Don't get me wrong, I like pokemon, but the games aren't different enough to justify playing them all without years between each one.

I'd probably jump straight to Gold/Silver (or Heart Gold/ Soul Silver) then maybe Black/White then the newest one.

 

[The12thGripper]

I don't see the point of playing the GB games, especially since they have remakes that are infinitely better than the original games.

In order of my favorite to least favorite (and also the only games you should play but not in this order):

B2/W2 -> HG/SS -> Platinum -> FR/LG -> B/W -> X/Y -> OR/AS

I also wouldn't recommend playing them all one after another so I'd pick one to play (or just finish Yellow since you already bought it) and wait for Sun/Moon if you plan on getting it.

 

[Polioliolio]

Play one Pokemon game and you're pretty much good for life.

I played Red, I think. It was great. Dabbled in the sequels but it was all pretty much the same thing.

 

[Zelias]

Honestly, I think you're fine just playing through Yellow, maybe trying to fill up your Dex as much as possible (you will, eventually, be able to transfer Pokemon from Yellow into Sun/Moon), and then jumping into Sun/Moon when they're released. The games are always very beginner-friendly.

If you do want to play another game in the meantime, though, I recommend HeartGold/SoulSilver (Gen 4 remakes of the Gen 2 games, probably my faves) or any of the Gen 5 games.

 

[Reaganomics]

Go really hard into the first generation games then immediately into Gold/Silver to get the full effect

 

[Mr-Joker]

Only 2 pages in and already this thread has descended into a gen war, I am so sorry OP not all Pokémon fan are like this.

Should I play all the games in order,

It is not recommenced for a new comer to play them in order as some aspect of the older game haven't aged well like Gen 1 buggy battle system, Gen 2 level curve, gen 3 physical/special split, Gen 4 slowness. Plus older copies of the games are hard to come by and generally expensive.

I recommended waiting for Sun and Moon so you can experience the game for the first time with all Pokémon fan and only play the older games if you like it the series.

do these games have any story in them at all,

Yes they do but they are self contained, barring Black and White 2 which acts as a sequel.

But one of the strongest point of the series is that they do make small references to the other games and region but you can get away in not playing them.

should I catch em all or finish the game and just jump into the sequels?

Entirely up to you, it's your adventure so you choose how you want to play the game but keep in mind that if you're trying to catch them all there are Pokémon that you can not obtain without trading.

And the most important question, will pikachu ever like me!

Just keep using him, don't let him faint, don't deposit him in the PC and do not trade him over and evolve him you can screw yourself out of a Bulbasaur who is a strong and viable Pokémon for a beginner like you.

Just don't play the 5th generation games(Black and White), they're complete ass

Says you, I think that gen 5 is worth playing and I strongly recommend it.

What do you mean you have no idea what's going on. It's a game for children

So? It can be overwhelming if you don't know what you're doing, especially with the older games as they were less hand holdy.

 

[yatesl]

It's cool that you've started with Yellow, but I'd have recommended FR/LG, HG/SS, probably AS/OS (I've not played more than 10 mins of these as fuck Gen 3), then go from there.

The GB and GBC games are... old.

 

[woopWOOP]

I somehow knew this thread would turn into bickering what gen is best, lol

Since you've already bought Yellow, go on and see how you enjoy it. Usually the Pokemon games are divided into two entries, where both have a few differences in monster encounters, and sometimes a third one where they add something extra. Pokemon Yellow is this third one of the first generation games. Normally you can only choose one of three 'starter Pokemon', which are Pokemon you can pretty much only get by selecting them at the start, but Yellow starts you off with a Pikachu and lets you get the three starter monsters throughout your adventure... just like in the original anime!
As the first Pokemon generation it's kind of outdated in several aspects, but can still be fun if you can deal with the slow gameplay and graphics. It takes a long time to complete like any other old school jRPG tho, so if you get sick of it you can perhaps try one of the more recent ones instead.

Since you already have a 3DS you can play the Pokemon games for both Nintendo DS and 3DS (if you can find them at a decent price that is). These are generations 4 to 6.
The Generation 4 games for NDS are Diamond & Pearl, with Platinum being the expanded third one. There's also Soul Silver & Heart Gold, remakes of the Generation 2 games Gold & Silver.
The Generation 5 games for NDS are Black & White. Instead of a third version these games have a direct sequel (Black 2 & White 2) that takes place in a lot of the same areas, but has a whole different story.
The Generation 6 games for 3DS are X&Y. There's also Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, remakes of the Generation 3 games Ruby & Sapphire. These games can also be bought through the eShop.

So through remakes you're basically able to play through each of the main games of gen 2 to 6 on your 3DS. Wait a little less than two months and you can buy the latest Generation 7 games Sun & Moon aswell! Since that's what most of PokeGAF will be doing around then, might be the best idea to wait and try those and join the online fun... you know, if the original game hasn't bored you to tears and discouraged you at that point

 

[gaiadyne]

I honestly beat my first Gen 1 game (Pokemon Blue) a few weeks ago. I had a similar situation to the OP and the first Pokemon Game I owned was Ruby it probably would have been the first game I beat but it was stolen. I ended up beating my first Pokemon game (FireRed) later so there was no reason to play the original game. With the 3ds Eshop releases I gave it a shot and after a significant delay (I was intimidated by the jump in trainer levels), I decided to pick it back up and I beat it on my 25th birthday with a team of LV 45 Jolteon, LV 42 Dragonair, LV 42 Dugtrio, LV 44 Blastoise, LV 44 Mew (Yep I used the Mew glitch), and a LV 43 Magmar. It felt weird beating the game with such low level Pokemon after how high leveled my Pokemon were in XY. Also playing in black and white was different.

 

[horkrux]

Gen1 really holds up. Great world design that opens up quite a bit later on. Love the games.

 

[Dimmle]

I wouldn't recommend playing through every title in order unless you specifically want to embark on that challenge or you are a maniac. The games are full of charm but changes from gen to gen aren't going to excite you enough to keep the formula from turning rote.

My personal intuition would be to go Yellow->HGSS->Sun/Moon if you're interested in the modern games. Gold and Silver are legitimate sequels to the first generation titles while every subsequent gen has strived to serve as a full reboot to some extent. You'll burn out on those tropes fast.

 

[dogen]

Gen1 really holds up. Great world design that opens up quite a bit later on. Love the games.

Agreed, other than the bag size and not being able to run.

 

[Koren]

Play yellow and then gold or silver.

If you really want to play G/S, I think the DS remakes are the way to go.

The improvements of more recent games make older games really annoying.


I doubt playing them in-order is important, if you really wanted to play all of them (seems like a bad idea, you'll burn yourself), I'd rather play them in the *release* order, choosing remakes each time (except mayby the original Yellow for Gen 1 to see how it begun if you're curious, retro-style, but knowing it has improved a lot since).


I'd also skip Diamond/Pearl till they get a remake (maybe Gen VII, after Sun/Moon ?)

 

[Dimmle]

Agreed, other than the bag size and not being able to run.

The walk speed doesn't bother me in gen 1. It seems like every town was made to scale with the player speed. Then, when you venture out of town, it's quick to hop onto the bike if you place it in your first item slot.

 

[Boney]

While the both remakes are better in terms of fm updating the games to their contemporary counterparts, I still prefer playing the originals since you can appreciate how ground breaking and how much it was pushing the itty gameboy hardware. There's something about the sprites, the chipmunk, the sheer scope of the game and the technology added to them. Day/Night cycle in GS is still such a wonderful experience, which isn't the same when using a DS internal clock.

It can be overwhelming if you don't know what you're doing, especially with the older games as they were less hand holdy.

Overwhelming how?
Sure some evolutions like trade or stone ones might get lost on the player but other than that...

 

[ash_ag]

My advice would be to go straight from Yellow to Sun/Moon. RGBY was a bit more than a simple VC release, as it was treated pretty much like how any new Pokémon release is treated. That is to say, it could be seen as the game directly before SM, and I think SM will have a sequel-esque effect with them. Even Game Freak promotes the idea that RGBY are meant to be followed by SM in the Train On series.

So, you can see VC Yellow as your jumping point to the series, and the next logical step will be to adopt the immediate next game in the pipeline. You can return to the older ones later. Besides, you'll find out that playing Pokémon during the first few months of release increases the fun!

 

[Lord Azrael]

I see people are already turning this thread into stupid gen wars and not taking into consideration that OP said s/he is completely new to the games.

Here's what you need to know first. The chronological order of these games:

Generation 1: Red/Blue/Green/Yellow on GB (remade as FireRed/LeafGreen on GBA)

Generation 2: Gold/Silver/Crystal on GBC, but the first two are also playable on the original GB (remade as HeartGold/SoulSilver on DS)

Generation 3: Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald on GBA (remade as OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire on 3DS)

Generation 4: Diamond/Pearl on DS

Generation 5: Black/White followed by direct sequels Black 2/White 2, all on DS.

Generation 6: X/Y on 3DS

Generation 7: Sun/Moon on 3DS, coming out in November

Since you have a 3DS, you have a way to pay any generation in some form on the same system. They are not necessary to play in chronological order, except for gen 1 -> gen 2 and Black/White -> Black 2/White 2, which have connections to each other that will not you not able to associate the latter as much without having played the former.

Also, I feel that people exaggerate how clunky older games are. There are some quality of life features and new battle mechanics added over time, but for the most part the games pay incredibly similarly to each other since the beginning. In fact, I would say that starting with gen 2, all the biggest QOL features are already there.

Since you are already playing Yellow, I would recommend finishing that and then moving on to the second generation. However, if that turns out to be too expensive or inconvenient, you can just move on to any of the 3DS games, or even wait for the newest ones this holiday.

 

[Fumpster]

I think you may as well finish Yellow and then jump into Sun/Moon once they come out. There's no need to play them in order and going from oldest game -> newest game could be a cool contrast.

 

[ar4757]

Just play Yellow, Crystal, and Fire Red.

Fire Red has nothing on Heartgold and Soulsilver

 

[Dr. Worm]

HGSS is pretty overrated.

Coming off RBY, the Pokémon distribution is going to be extremely similar; unless you're prepared to camp out in the game's wonky Safari Zone, expect to see a lot of the same monsters from Gen I. That's compounded by an erratic level curve and the difficulty of grinding relative to newer games, making it difficult to add new recruits to the squad.

WiFi is also unavailable for anything prior to Gen VI. Go with either XY or ORAS as a follow-up. Those have all the Pokémon, the most features, and have an easy way to send Pokémon forward to SM in Pokémon Bank.