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[Metroid Killer]

If it's more suited to nostalgia then definitely sounds good. I don't remember how big Johto is, and have no idea how many more Pokemon there are these days, but it sounds pretty big.

One more question: are the only extra creatures in Platinum the legendaries? If there's a bunch more that won't be available in HG/SS then maybe it's worth getting anyway?

There are 493 pokemon as of now. It varies between games which ones you can get, but starters and legendaries are usually the most exclusive ones.

Sinnoh seems like it's bigger than Johto, but remember that in HGSS after you beat the Johto area Kanto will open up.

Pokemon not in Platinum*

Pokemon not in HG/SS*

*You'll only be able to get them via trades and events/wi-fi.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

There are 493 pokemon as of now. It varies between games which ones you can get, but starters and legendaries are usually the most exclusive ones.

Sinnoh seems like it's bigger than Johto, but remember that in HGSS after you beat the Johto area

Spoiler

Kanto will open up.

Spoilers! Gosh!

Spoiler

Also I remember hacking being prevalent on Wi-Fi trading after DP came out, was that fixed in Platinum/will it be fixed in HGSS? I've gone on a decent blackout about them.

 

[Wiseblade]

Spoilers! Gosh!

Spoiler

Also I remember hacking being prevalent on Wi-Fi trading after DP came out, was that fixed in Platinum/will it be fixed in HGSS? I've gone on a decent blackout about them.

Mostly. AFAIK, you can't place obviously hacked pokes for trade or upload replays with hacked Pokemon. I'm not sure how good it is at picking out "legal" hacks, though.

 

[lordfroakie]

Gliscor is officially one of my favorite pokemon. It took care of half of the elite four

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I'm not sure how good it is at picking out "legal" hacks, though.

It's not. WFC catches illegal EV spreads, but I think just about anything else passes through. That was the case last time I checked, anyway.

 

[Boney]

It's not. WFC catches illegal EV spreads, but I think just about anything else passes through. That was the case last time I checked, anyway.

Meaning over 250 EV points destributed?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Meaning over 250 EV points destributed?

Stuff like 255 in every stat (instead of 510 total or less).

 

[Boney]

Right, it's been so long I played pokemon I forgot the total numbers of EV's, I only remembered 2 remained without use.

Anyway, can't wait for SS

 

[The Librarian]

I'm on route 215 right now. I'm trying to get all my pokemon to level 30 before I move on...

1. Grotle - level 29
2. Staravia - level 29
3. Luxio - level 29
4. Gabite - level 28
5. Heracross - level 29
6. Gengar - level 28

I'm not regretting my purchase so far. I don't think by the time I finish with Platinum, I won't be burned out enough to not play SoulSilver. Hell, I'm ready for it right now! Bring it on!

 

[ThatObviousUser]

I got burned out on Pearl after about a year of on/off grinding, EV training, battle tower matches, nature breeding, move teaching, etc. And I only got done with like two or three of my team. But it's over two years since then, I couldn't be more hyped for SoulSilver if I tried. Silver has always been my favorite Pokemon game (despite my DPPt avatars), and all the new gimmicks sound really cool (Pokewalker, Pokemon following you.) Plus the touch screen integration looks a lot tighter than D/P's, one of my larger complaints of the game.

It's like the perfect storm of Pokemon awesomeness.

 

[The Librarian]

I got burned out on Pearl after about a year of on/off grinding, EV training, battle tower matches, nature breeding, move teaching, etc. And I only got done with like two or three of my team. But it's over two years since then, I couldn't be more hyped for SoulSilver if I tried. Silver has always been my favorite Pokemon game (despite my DPPt avatars), and all the new gimmicks sound really cool (Pokewalker, Pokemon following you.) Plus the touch screen integration looks a lot tighter than D/P's, one of my larger complaints of the game.

It's like the perfect storm of Pokemon awesomeness.

I think I know what all of those are, and I have no interest in doing any of those.:lol I think I'll be fine.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

The worst part about all that crap is how getting started with competitive battling is as newcomer-unfriendly as possible if you're doing it on your own.

1) Okay, EV training with no specialty items takes an eternity, so I might want to get those.
2) To get the EV items, I need to build up long streaks in the Battle Tower.
3) To build long streaks in the Battle Tower, I need a well-trained team.
4) Return to 1.

I ragequit so hard after failing to defeat Palmer for the nth time in Pearl that I swore off the game for a year.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

I think I know what all of those are, and I have no interest in doing any of those.:lol I think I'll be fine.

Heh well the forums I was at when the games came out were semi-competitive, but by the time I scraped together a decent team everyone else had lost interest. It was actually the first time I bothered to learn the strategic side of Pokemon, and not only that I lapsed during the third generation almost completely. It was a big chunk to bite off right after getting back on the Poke-wagon.

The worst part about all that crap is how getting started with competitive battling is as newcomer-unfriendly as possible if you're doing it on your own.

1) Okay, EV training with no specialty items takes an eternity, so I might want to get those.
2) To get the EV items, I need to build up long streaks in the Battle Tower.
3) To build long streaks in the Battle Tower, I need a well-trained team.
4) Return to 1.

I ragequit so hard after failing to defeat Palmer for the nth time in Pearl that I swore off the game for a year.

That's basically exactly what happened to me! :lol I was on my own, replaying the battle tower over and over. I never did beat the "final" Palmer.

 

[Fleet of Foot]

If I was going to start playing Pokemon now and all I have is a DS Lite, which should I buy?

Diamond?
Pearl?
Platinum?

Why?

Keep in mind I'd be starting from scratch and the very small nuances of different versions would probably be lost on me.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

If I was going to start playing Pokemon now and all I have is a DS Lite, which should I buy?

Diamond?
Pearl?
Platinum?

Why?

Keep in mind I'd be starting from scratch and the very small nuances of different versions would probably be lost on me.

Platinum is Diamond and Pearl combined plus a bonus area, go with that. Or wait for SuperiorSilver.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

If I was going to start playing Pokemon now and all I have is a DS Lite, which should I buy?

Between the games that are out now: Platinum. It is literally "everything from Diamond/Pearl plus some extras."

 

[The Librarian]

Platinum is Diamond and Pearl combined plus a bonus area, go with that. Or wait for SuperiorSilver.

This. But the more Pokemon the better for me at the moment! Plus, the nostalgia with silver is really gonna help.

 

[Galang]

I've never understood the Gen II love/Gen III hate. I'm almost the exact opposite. I despise a lot of the Johto pokemon designs and love most of the Hoenn ones.

I agree with this completely. The Gen II designs are my least favorite by far (especially the starters), but it did have a few interesting pokemon. Gen III brought a lot of diverse additions and it's my favorite design-wise since the first. Initially I was disappointed with Sinnoh, but a lot of pokemon I initially hated like Ambipom, Drifblim and Electivire eventually grew on me to become some of my favorites. I did like that Sinnoh brought evolutions to a lot of Johto pokemon that desperately needed them. Unfortunately pokemon like Corsola and Dunsparce still failed to get an evolution, and I have a feeling there won't be many new evolutions in Gen V for existing pokemon similar to how Hoenn mostly added completely new pokemon.

 

[silverbullet1080]

If I was going to start playing Pokemon now and all I have is a DS Lite, which should I buy?

Diamond?
Pearl?
Platinum?

Why?

Keep in mind I'd be starting from scratch and the very small nuances of different versions would probably be lost on me.

Platinum is like a directors cut version of D/P.

 

[Teknoman]

The worst part about all that crap is how getting started with competitive battling is as newcomer-unfriendly as possible if you're doing it on your own.

1) Okay, EV training with no specialty items takes an eternity, so I might want to get those.
2) To get the EV items, I need to build up long streaks in the Battle Tower.
3) To build long streaks in the Battle Tower, I need a well-trained team.
4) Return to 1.

I ragequit so hard after failing to defeat Palmer for the nth time in Pearl that I swore off the game for a year.

Cant you just find someone infected with the Pokerus, trade them, then infect what you want to train?

EV training isnt that hard once everyone documents the best places for them...just a little time consuming. Really you shouldnt worry about it until after you've done everything you want in the game. I think exp share helps too.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Cant you just find someone infected with the Pokerus, trade them, then infect what you want to train?

I have Pokerus, two dozen Dittos (one of every nature!), two dozen synchronizers, a handful of dedicated utility catchers (false swipe, spore, mean look, etc), one of every Power Item, multiple Macho Braces, six Exp Shares (given away several extras to others as well), that bell hold item that increases happiness, a few dozen Rare Candies, and a few dozen PP Ups (I win more at the lottery almost every day).

Catching/breeding/training is a snap now. But getting to this point was an ordeal in itself. I basically just let the game sit for a year, then checked Smogon to see how they demolished the Battle Tower. I copied the best team that I could (basically the first one that didn't use legendaries), then stormed the Frontier and started farming BP like crazy.

 

[Galang]

^ I used to dread training my pokemon, I got a lot of BP last year and bought all the power items, useful hold items etc. but then got tired of playing the game and put it down for a year myself. Only returned to the games this month in anticipation of March and spent at least 50 hours this month just breeding. Now I'm finally EV training pokemon again, and did about 10 this week. Much easier with the power items, and I'm glad I went through the hassle to get BP beforehand.

 

[TheSeks]

Fuck yeah! Most awesomest pokemon ever

That's not Ludicolo! ( )

I've never been a bug Pokemon fan. Half the time my Charizard/Blastoise/Venusaur can just rip them a new asshole.

 

[GKANG]

I really wish I didn't buy Platinum. I completed Diamond twice and playing through 3/5 of Platinum has burned me out, meaning I won't be getting Heart Gold until like.. June/July.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I've never been a bug Pokemon fan. Half the time my Charizard/Blastoise/Venusaur can just rip them a new asshole.

I trained one of these just 'cause I liked its 3 unique moves so much. "Use an army of bees to do all of my bidding? Yes please."

So what if Bug/Flying is the worst typing ever (and still inexplicably common at that) and that I'm hardly ever going to actually use it. Thing's awesome.

 

[mjc]

So are the starters from Red/Blue obtainable in SS or HG, or would I have to trade for them?

 

[Teknoman]

I really wish I didn't buy Platinum. I completed Diamond twice and playing through 3/5 of Platinum has burned me out, meaning I won't be getting Heart Gold until like.. June/July.

Yup, same thing happened to me (minus the completed twice part). But now im just going to go through and snag whatever legendaries I can. Wont be really training anything to fight since i'll just transfer my favorites to Soul Silver after getting to a certain point.

Also, Serebii.net is very helpful for those just getting started/ want detailed general info on versions/pokemon stats/move sets/ etc.

 

[Wiseblade]

The worst part about all that crap is how getting started with competitive battling is as newcomer-unfriendly as possible if you're doing it on your own.

1) Okay, EV training with no specialty items takes an eternity, so I might want to get those.
2) To get the EV items, I need to build up long streaks in the Battle Tower.
3) To build long streaks in the Battle Tower, I need a well-trained team.
4) Return to 1.

I ragequit so hard after failing to defeat Palmer for the nth time in Pearl that I swore off the game for a year.

This is too true. It's a nightmare getting off the ground, but once you do it's a piece of cake. Everything snowballs into making the process run so smoothly.

 

[Parallax]

so in preparation for heart golds release, i decided to restart sapphire and play from scratch, and i must say, its a lot more fun that my initial run, that, and this game really makes me miss the pokenav. but i will say this, there is an ungodly balance in the pokemon. so many damn water, bug and grass types that it makes my head hurt. not to mention the lack of fire and electric types, but i can suffice for now.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

So are the starters from Red/Blue obtainable in SS or HG, or would I have to trade for them?

You can get one of the RBY starters and one of the RSE starters in HGSS. You have to trade for the others.

 

[TSAGoodness]

I've never played a pokemon game before and have always wanted to, I have a DS, should I start with Platinum or wait for Heart Gold?

 

[The Librarian]

I've never played a pokemon game before and have always wanted to, I have a DS, should I start with Platinum or wait for Heart Gold?

Get SoulSilver instead (because Lugia>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Ho-Oh).
I recently bought Platinum because I got the itch to play Pokemon again after I took a break from it for about five or so years, so that means I was in the same basic position as you a couple of days ago. I bought Platinum and am having a great time, and I don't think I'll be burned out enough to not get SoulSilver on release.

If you're worried about getting burned out, just wait for SoulSilver.

 

[Galang]

but i will say this, there is an ungodly balance in the pokemon. so many damn water, bug and grass types that it makes my head hurt. not to mention the lack of fire and electric types, but i can suffice for now.

I find this a problem with pretty much every installment so far. There's a lack of fire and electric types in Sinnoh as well, until you have access to the national dex.

 

[Parallax]

I find this a problem with pretty much every installment so far. There's a lack of fire and electric types in Sinnoh as well, until you have access to the national dex.

its just become more apparent now that im up against the flying gym leader. 2 that are completely weak against her, and others that are neutral. im gonna have to raise an electrike, and i really dont want to....

 

[Teknoman]

Are Gallade considered to be decently fast? Trying to figure out if I want Zen Headbutt or Psycho Cut. I've got one thats naive, so I might be able to piss people off with Zen Headbutt (attack bonus + possible flinch).

 

[Galang]

its just become more apparent now that im up against the flying gym leader. 2 that are completely weak against her, and others that are neutral. im gonna have to raise an electrike, and i really dont want to....

You might be able to get away with just buying potions and such to defeat her, but it's probably a good idea to raise an electric type anyway considering the amount of water pokemon in Hoenn after the sixth gym. :lol Luckily unlike Emerald, you don't have Adan + Wallace to deal with. It's not too bad to plow through the game without an electric type regardless. I've played through R/S/E about 8 times and only had an electric type once, picked Treecko as my starter almost every time.

Are Gallade considered to be decently fast? Trying to figure out if I want Zen Headbutt or Psycho Cut.

I would go with Psycho Cut as Gallade's speed is average at best. Zen Headbutt seems only useful in a choice scarf set, and even then it's accuracy is only 90 =/.

 

[Kyzer]

I find this a problem with pretty much every installment so far. There's a lack of fire and electric types in Sinnoh as well, until you have access to the national dex.

Agreed, sorta. I wouldn't mind it as much if they didn't use the same pokemon over and over and over. There are 493 pokemon and they cant think of anything else to populate the oceans but tentacool? Not cool.

 

[Galang]

I would definitely be happy if they stopped abusing pokemon like Geodude/Tentacool/Zubat. Every shiny I've caught across all games so far have been extremely common - Geodude, Zubat and I just caught a shiny Bibarel last week.

 

[NIGHT-]

I haven't played a pokemon game since Pokemon Yellow. Can you get all the old Pokemon in the new games?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I haven't played a pokemon game since Pokemon Yellow. Can you get all the old Pokemon in the new games?

Almost. 4th generation games tend to give you everything except old starters, old legendaries, and a handful of version exclusives between the individual 4th gen games.

http://www.serebii.net/platinum/missing.shtml
http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/unobtainable.shtml

Between all the DS games, though, the only Pokemon that you'd be missing out on are the ones that require special events anyway (Mew, etc).

 

[Teknoman]

And even then, theres online trading. So as long as you have a wi-fi spot or wireless signal near by, you can trade any time of the day.


Also Deoxys better be in HGSS somewhere.

 

[TSAGoodness]

Get SoulSilver instead (because Lugia>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Ho-Oh).
I recently bought Platinum because I got the itch to play Pokemon again after I took a break from it for about five or so years, so that means I was in the same basic position as you a couple of days ago. I bought Platinum and am having a great time, and I don't think I'll be burned out enough to not get SoulSilver on release.

If you're worried about getting burned out, just wait for SoulSilver.

As lame as it sounds I like the box art for gold better, which is why I wanted that version. Is it that big of a deal if I don't get silver? I'm very uninformed on pokemon, is silver what everyone else is getting?

 

[survivor]

Are Gallade considered to be decently fast? Trying to figure out if I want Zen Headbutt or Psycho Cut. I've got one thats naive, so I might be able to piss people off with Zen Headbutt (attack bonus + possible flinch).

80 base speed isn't exactly fast. You are only faster than most walls/tanks and faster than majority of heavy hitters like Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Heatran. Just stick with Psycho Cut even though most likely you won't be using it cause Close Combat is just much better offensive move.

 

[The Librarian]

As lame as it sounds I like the box art for gold better, which is why I wanted that version. Is it that big of a deal if I don't get silver? I'm very uninformed on pokemon, is silver what everyone else is getting?

I dunno. Silver is just the one I'm getting.

You must agree with me on which version is better!:lol

 

[ThatObviousUser]

As lame as it sounds I like the box art for gold better, which is why I wanted that version. Is it that big of a deal if I don't get silver? I'm very uninformed on pokemon, is silver what everyone else is getting?

Pokemon exclusive to each version:

HeartGold

056 Mankey
057 Primeape
058 Growlithe
059 Arcanine
167 Spinarak
168 Ariados
207 Gligar
226 Mantine
231 Phanpy
232 Donphan
302 Sableye
343 Baltoy
344 Claydol
382 Kyogre
458 Mantyke
472 Gliscor​

SoulSilver

037 Vulpix
038 Ninetales
052 Meowth
053 Persian
165 Ledyba
166 Ledian
225 Delibird
227 Skarmory
216 Teddiursa
217 Ursaring
303 Mawile
316 Gulpin
317 Swalot
383 Groudon​

I believe you get both Ho-oh and Lugia in either version, but in each you get the one on the box first. And as has been said, Lugia > Ho-oh.

 

[lordfroakie]

I caught a bunch of Slakoths today and wondering which one to train, here the the natures: calm, relaxed, gentle, rash, mild. calm, naive

 

[Teknoman]

I would go with Psycho Cut as Gallade's speed is average at best. Zen Headbutt seems only useful in a choice scarf set, and even then it's accuracy is only 90 =/.

80 base speed isn't exactly fast. You are only faster than most walls/tanks and faster than majority of heavy hitters like Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Heatran. Just stick with Psycho Cut even though most likely you won't be using it cause Close Combat is just much better offensive move.

Well thats 2 for Psycho Cut, guess that seals it.

 

[Tawney Bomb]

As lame as it sounds I like the box art for gold better, which is why I wanted that version. Is it that big of a deal if I don't get silver? I'm very uninformed on pokemon, is silver what everyone else is getting?

I played Silver to death back when it came out, so out of nostalgia I will be getting Silver again.

 

[Firestorm]

Pokemon exclusive to each version:

HeartGold

058 Growlithe
059 Arcanine​

Superior version confirmed.

 

[Balb]

Gold has the better exclusives, including Ho-oh. Don't let people tell you otherwise.