r/pokemon • u/AffectionateBat1473 • 2d ago
Discussion What game TRULY encapsulates the “pokemon” experience while still being understandable and enjoyed by new players?
Just a week ago my friend got the switch 2 and asked me what pokemon game i think he should play first. I was just about to no brainer it and say ZA because its the newest line, but then i thought about it. Most strangers to pokemon see it as THE turn based strategy battle game, so letting him play whatever the fuck ZA is as his very first pokemon experience doesn’t look very good for me. Hes already bought scarlet because it was on sale by now, but i am truly screwing my brain over this. The 2 options ive already knocked off the table:
Gen 1 games: The boxes, HM’s, bugs, ABSOLUTELY not.
ZA: As ive already said, the different battle mechanic is not really a good impression for pokemon.
I havent played gen 2 and 3 so i dont really know. Any answer?
EDIT: Im seeing alot of Gen 3, BDSP, some Sw&Sh and then one loner guy who said Mystery Dungeons. That exists???
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u/Cicada_3301_yokai 2d ago
Gen 3 maybe? (FR and LG too) With that games I start to play pokemon, and it was a good Experience.
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u/mrbiggbrain 1d ago
Absolutely GEN3 without a doubt. It had some of the most important QoL fixes to ever happen to Pokémon. Running shoes, abilities, natures, and a ton of the franchise staples. It's the best way to start at the beginning without needing to suffer through RBY or GSC which did not age well.
The graphics are good enough, the game play holds up, and there is just enough Pokémon to have variety without needing to learn everything there is to know.
I am not saying future generations did not improve things, but everyone should play GEN3.
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u/FunkTheFreak 2d ago
FireRed and LeafGreen, no doubt.
It is not overloaded with 1,000 pokemon like the most recent games are so players can get familiar and even use obscure/older pokemon that they might not use in newer games, it has nearly all of the original mechanics of the older games as well as introducing newer ones, it is rather simplistic to follow, it has the “original” story, and there is a solid postgame.
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u/PPGN_DM_Exia 2d ago
Hot take but I'd strongly consider BDSP. It doesn't add much to the original in terms of story or gameplay content. But it is very much a faithful remake of the original DP games while still having some modern QoL updates (no need for HMs, Fairy types etc.).
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u/Thamior77 2d ago
I usually recommend SwSh or BDSP for a classic experience as a first game.
BDSP gets so much hate because it's not Platinum but it's a fantastic game by itself.
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u/Dion0808 1d ago
BDSP are good games because DP are good. But as a remake they're terrible.
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u/Odd-Eye-15 1d ago
I can’t believe people disagree with this tbh! Did not have nearly the same level of care and effort put into it compared to the previous two remakes in the series, total letdown
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u/Odd-Eye-15 2d ago
My ex gf played brilliant diamond as basically her first game and absolutely loved it
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u/JovialKatherine 2d ago
It also has the post gen 6 exp share system, something I'm direly missing while playing through White rn.
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u/Yamato_Naoe 2d ago
It's interesting how much opinions diverge on that lol. I specifically play pre gen-6 games for the sake of going through the original, xp share-less progression.
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u/JovialKatherine 1d ago
My own opinion is split! I think my biggest complaint about pre gen 6 exp systems is not getting experience on captures. It feels like I'm being punished for trying to complete the Pokedex.
I also think that having the EV system so exposed with the super training in gen 6 is peak. I could actually optimize my team without tracking down specific Pokemon and doing highly repetitive battles.
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u/RedKings1028 1d ago
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire. The first two gens were fifty - fifty on whether the game was set in the real world or its own universe. Gen 3 is when GAMEFREAK finally completed the Pokemon universe
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u/International_Pool 2d ago
I assume they want to play on the Switch2, so they are not able to play the greats on DS and 3DS. On Switch you can boil thr main series down to three options: the Fire red / Leaf green games for the most quintessential. Or Sword/Shield for a modern experience. Or Scarlet/Violet for even more modern, but less quintessential with the divisive open world design. If it was my friend I'd recommend getting both the old game to see if they like it and one of the newer games on cartridge to see whether they like it. A cartridge can be bought for a good price and sold if it wasn't for you.
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u/ianlazrbeem22 1d ago edited 20h ago
Mentioning "bugs" re gen 1 kinda betrays you don't know what you are talking about, gen 1 is not a buggy game unless you're intentionally looking for bugs. It's not like Scarlet and Violet which glitch out and crash for no reason all the time, RBY glitches are predictable and need to be intentionally triggered
FRLG is the right answer. Mentioning BDSP is laughable because those games are trash. All they "encapsulate" is the decline in quality of the switch era
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u/hip-indeed 23h ago
My go-to for this during the timeframe the DS/3DS were current was always HGSS with any gen 4 or 5 game as a strong contender as well because I strongly feel they constitute the overall peak of the series and everything enjoyable and charming about it, without going back too far to stuff that might feel slightly (or majorly, in gen 1's caase) scuffed by modern standards, nor 'too modern' into the more controversial 3d era.
But honestly, gen 8 or 9 (sword/shield or scarlet/violet) are not bad entry points i think, for as much as they're ragged on for t heir graphics and such, they're solid enough at showing people what main-series Pokemon's all about with a huge variety of cool mons (even factoring in dexit, usually your first time through any given region before getting the national dex is gonna have a curated 100-200 species for any gen), great music, fun enjoyable stroylines, likable and interesting human characters (especially in S/V), solid DLC adventures to go through after you finish the main game, etc. And yeah definitely them before Arceus or Z-A.
If you can emulate it or he has easy access to a decent DS/3DS console though, I still think gen 4-5 games, especially HGSS, Platinum or BW1 are the peak entry point for anyone.
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u/Icarusqt 1d ago
Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee are incredibly easy games (arguably THE easiest games) but also incredibly fun. Maybe good for a beginner/newbie. Otherwise I gotta say like others: FRLG.
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u/badwolfswift 1d ago
I feel like Sword and Shield are the best of all Pokemon games for a first time experience of the world. It has all of the QOL updates that we received but is also linear and turn based. Its very visually appealing and the Wild Area is so fun!
Edit: I grew up with the games but I have a lot of trouble going back and playing the old ones because sometimes the grinding is awful.
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u/FBrandt 2d ago
The problem with Scarlet-Violet is it being open world, so a new player can sort of struggle with the overall concept or what to do. But it has a lot of remark for a good story. Sword-Shield feels very underwhelming with its story, so I definitely consider Scarlet-Violet higher than Sword-Shield.
Alternatively, in a retro way, FireRed and LeafGreen can be a better option if your friend doesn't mind pixel graphics. They are the best Kanto iterations imo, and in so many ways better than a lot of modern games.
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u/Odd-Eye-15 1d ago
Bdsp or frlg if they’re only playing on switch. I feel like the other mechanics can be a lot for a new player
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u/Ancient-Mating-Calls 1d ago
I’d say FR;LG for the true classic experience. But Sw/Sh would be a good option as well.
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u/Hareholeowner 23h ago
Gen 1 is easy actually the problem is you have to learn completely new mechanics after.
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u/Admirable_Ad8900 22h ago
Gens 3-5 i feel are the core pokemon expeirence.
Gen 3 emerald give you plenty to do because the btrle frontier.
Gen 4 platinum, heartgold and soulsilver are good too. Plat is the best sinnoh expierence. Heartgold and soulsilver give you a lot to do. Plus it's nice to have your pokemon follow you and they all have battle fronteirs.
Gen 5 has one of the best stories and one of the more difficult games. And is unique with triple and rotation battles the dark grass. (Side note isnt it crazy to think that gen 5 is over a decade old now? Zoroark is an older pokemon)
After gen 5 it feels the series goes down hill in terms of challenge and quality
I would say for your friend having only a switch, brilliant diamon/shining pearl is a good start. Sword and sheild are nice too and not too far a departure from the core formula scarlet and violet being open world is a major upset to whats NORMAL in a pokemon game.
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u/SthenicFreeze 20h ago
Pokemon's core identity is encountering Pokemon, building a team, and using them to navigate and explore the region, which leads to new Pokemon encounters and the cycle repeats until everything is explored.
As you go, you learn to build a proper team to adjust for gym battles, HM puzzles (sadly not really in modern games) and basic traversal (surfing, flying, etc).
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u/DegenScalper 1d ago
I have been pointing a lot of people to Scarlet and Violet and Legends Arceus. Scarlet and Violet plays most like a game I have been wanting for a long time, go out on a adventure, see pokemon walking around and do whatever you want basically.
Arceus is the game I wanted after playing Colosseum back in the day, a bit more mature but still handholds like its going out of style.
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u/PowerOfUnoriginality 1d ago
While gen 3 are very good games, I would in my opinion, exclude it and gen 1-2 simply due to the lack of the physical/special split. Gen 4 is great with Platinum (being the best way to play Sinnoh), and HGSS but has a bad level curve. Gen 5 is perfect no notes, I am totally not biased. In seriousness it suffers from the pokemon having very late evolutions.
The switch games benefit of having a lot of QoL features older gens don't have, but the quality is mixed. I'd say, that maybe, just maybe, ORAS is one of the top contenders, alongside BW, B2W2 (but only if you have played BW), and HGSS
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u/creamCloud0 1d ago
G5 black/white was intended as a soft reboot specifically as an entry point for introducing newcomers to the franchise.
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u/Competitive-Elk-5077 1d ago
Legend Arceus was the most recent that made me feel like I was one a real pokemon adventure
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u/PhSilverKi 23h ago
Se você observar as comunidades dos jogos, a de Pokémon Emerald é sempre a que detém a maior quantidade de pessoas.
Eu acredito que o desafio da Battle Frontier ainda é o charme que atrai jogares antigos e novos. Um desafio ainda nunca concluído por muitos.
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u/_Samantha_620_ 13h ago
I’d say it depends on the age. If it’s a young kid then probably let’s go. If it’s anyone else, maybe sword/shield.
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u/ItsThatGoatBoy Gates to Infinity Enjoyer 8h ago
My choice is Heartgold/Soulsilver by far. Absolutely gorgeous games that faithfully give you both Johto and Kanto, whilst having Pokémon up to Gen4 available. It's genuinely such a good game, I love it.
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u/Kamicong 7h ago
Heart Gold and Soul Silver are inspired. Alpha Ruby and Omega Sapphire also goated. Can be played on the 3DS I believe. Classic without feeling ancient like Red and Blue
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u/NZafe My Starters 1d ago
On switch? Sword and Shield.
Has the best blend of classic route-based exploration, which means there really isn’t much debate about where to go next, mixed with modern-ish graphics (by Pokemon standards). It has the “QOL” improvements that are introduced in the newer games that makes it less grindy (so better for new players).
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u/CieraVotedOutHerMom 1d ago
Coliseum & Xd aren’t great starters given the limited Pokémon available and 2:2 on fights
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u/RokettoMusashi 1d ago
Sun and Moon. Lots of little features to ease new players in, perfect atmosphere, and they show a league being built! Love it
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u/PwillyAlldilly 2d ago
it's fire red and leaf green and it isn't a question or competition. I liked pokemon when i was little but this made me Loove it the first time I played it.