What Pokemon game is best for beginners?

Started by LazyTrainer July 20th, 2013 2:38 PM
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Best Pokemon Game for Beginners

Purple Materia

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Age 28
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Seen April 12th, 2014
Posted August 20th, 2013
783 posts
12.7 Years
I would say FireRed/LeafGreen, simply because it's more simple compared to the newer ones.

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I agree with Purple Materia! Plus, with FireRed or LeafGreen, you get to play in Kanto. It's the very first region of pokémon, and admittedly the simplest one. If you start with one of these two games, you can then move on to play Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald and be amazed at the much more lively scenery. And then you can move on to a gen 4 Sinnoh game (where you should play Platinum) and a gen 4 Johto game (either HeartGold or SoulSilver) where you get a lot of new features and even more lively scenery and animations. Because if you had started with a gen 4 or gen 5 game, you maybe wouldn't have appreciated Kanto and Hoenn :3

The 4 gen games are not necessary imo though (but that might just be me!) so if you don't feel like playing through all generations, you could skip from gen 3 directly to the Unova games in gen 5 (Black and White, and Black2 and White2).

On a side note, this thread is much more suited for Pokémon Gaming Central, as it is about the games alone. Here in Pokémon General, we talk about stuff that doesn't have another forum where it fits better.

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Seen April 18th, 2022
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12.6 Years
I'd vote HG/SS, but it's not on the poll.
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bobandbill

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The 4 gen games are not necessary imo though (but that might just be me!)
It might be, Platinum and especially HGSS are amazing. =p

I will go with FR/LG because it comes with a bunch of tutorials as well, so in that sense it's good for people new to the game. It also does make sense to go with the older games first as newer ones tend to have more features/improvements to them, as RHCP said.

If you do want to try out Diamond/Pearl at some point I do suggest going with Platinum instead, as it is the same game as those but with a lot of additions and fixes. Same deal with Emerald in favour of Ruby/Sapphire.

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Seen September 24th, 2016
Posted November 8th, 2014
284 posts
10.1 Years
Fire Red and Leaf Green are the best choice for beginners. They are easy and interesting. When you want a little bit more challange you can change to Crystal ore Emerald or Platinum. All are slightly more difficult the FR and LG
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Posted September 7th, 2013
66 posts
9.8 Years
Pokemon games don't vary in difficulty IMO. Every game is made so you can pick it up, and play without any prior experience. So really any of them are fine. I say go with Pokémon Emerald, Platinum, or Black/White. I had the most fun with Emerald and played it over and over. If you have or plan on getting a 3DS eventually, and either Pokémon X or Y then you could easily transfer your pokemon from Platinum or BW to it.
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Posted September 4th, 2018
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12.2 Years
It might be, Platinum and especially HGSS are amazing. =p

I will go with FR/LG because it comes with a bunch of tutorials as well, so in that sense it's good for people new to the game. It also does make sense to go with the older games first as newer ones tend to have more features/improvements to them, as RHCP said.

If you do want to try out Diamond/Pearl at some point I do suggest going with Platinum instead, as it is the same game as those but with a lot of additions and fixes. Same deal with Emerald in favour of Ruby/Sapphire.
I basically agree with Marcin there, FireRed and LeafGreen are some good ones to start with because it has some tutorials thanks to that Teachy TV key item and it has the original Pokemon in it so you can get used to the games.

It's up to you, but I suggest playing the games in order of when they were released, like you can do Platinum, then HeartGold/SoulSilver and finally the 5th Gen. I suggest trying them all out and while some were less impressive than others they are still worth playing.
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Captain Gizmo

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10.6 Years
Pokemon FR/LG no doubt.

You get good tutorials at the beginning and you also have the L & R buttons which toggles the help menu. Along the way you also have a guy who gives you a teach TV that gives you a simple short video tutorial on how to do stuffs. The battles are also fairly easy and the E4 also, compared to the other games. They made FR & LG for new Pokemon comers and it works really well in that concept. So if you wanna get into Pokemon and learn the basic, you should go with FR/LG and then (if you want) gradually go up with Emerald, Platinum or HG/SS & Black2/White2.
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In my opinion, there's really no "pokemon game that's best for beginners". Allow me to expand that.

Pokemon, as a franchise, has always been great for any RPG beginner. Nothing really "trumps" the other in terms of easiness/difficulty. Each title has a different story from the other, and consistently for 15 years, it still has retained it's very shallow learning curve. What I mean is that every title in it's name is easy enough for even children to understand.

Sure, there's EVs and IVs and whatnot. But those deeper stuff aren't required to beat the game at all.

Firstly, your goal is simply to save the world before bedtime be a Pokemon Master -- and with that said, you simply just have to collect 8 gym badges, kick a few bad guys' butts, and then enter the Pokemon League like a boss. In each gym, there would always be one NPC who would give you trainer tips that would help against fighting the said gym. In each game, there are even various signposts scattered throughout the maps with some valuable info.

Secondly, game over does not exist. You can re-do everything with only very little penalty (being a small loss in money). Got wiped out and forgot to save? No problem. Continue from the last Pokecenter and try again!

Third, there's always a way around. You are not prohibited from overleveling and the "bosses" aren't stupendously hard in such a way that you'd be forced to use specific pokemon, no. In fact, the game still gives you the fair chance to beat those powerful dragons without using ice pokemon at all! Additionally, TMs and HMs help a lot on making your team cover gaps you've missed. This allows you to avoid training a lv 5 pokemon to 70 from scratch just to beat one or two walls in the game.

Pokemon isn't hard at all. It always has had it's doors wide open for beginners and veterans alike. Just choose what gen/title you seem to like and play with it. There's absolutely no drawback.
I voted for FR/LG as they are the very first games but remade with better graphics ofc ;)
After you finish playing them you could go for Emerald, then Platinum & B/W.
Also the original Gold/Silver versions & their remakes HG/SS are awesome games too, make sure to try them out :)
If you liked the Pokémon games then try getting X/Y, the trailers are tempting enough ^_^
Age 35
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Milwaukee, WI
Seen November 2nd, 2020
Posted March 24th, 2020
1,288 posts
11 Years
I say at least B/W I think you should start off with whats most accessible. The concept of Pokemon isnt difficult. In game anyway. While FR/LG is a viable choice. I dont think there is enough post game things to keep you entertained. The graphics arent that intense. I also think that B/W has a storyline that makes you think more. Instead of win 8 badges, Beat Team Rocket, become Champion.
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Male
Australia
Seen April 12th, 2022
Posted September 17th, 2021
22 posts
9.8 Years
I voted Diamond and Pearl, for a few reasons.

1. They are compatible with the most up-to-date handheld system.
2. They are available brand-new in store (avoiding counterfeit copies online)
3. They aren't overly complicated (although the same could be said for most Pokemon games)

Although these could all be valid points for all Pokemon games, I'd still pick one of the two to start off with.
Main Game Progress:

| B: 3/8 | R: n/a | Y: n/a |
| G: n/a | S: 0/16 | C: n/a |
| R: 0/8 | S: 8/8 | E: 8/8 | FR:8/8 | LG: 0/8 |
| D: 8/8 | P: 3/8 | Pt: 5/8 | HG: 0/16 | SS: 16/16 |
| B: 1/8 | W: n/a | B2: n/a | W2: 8/8 |
| X: 8/8 | Y: n/a | OR: 8/8 | AS: 1/8 |

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greenking13

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Seen May 20th, 2014
Posted May 3rd, 2014
48 posts
12.7 Years
Start with the originals, like FireRed or LeafGreen. Although, personally I started with Yellow and then went to Emerald. Just try the third gen, you can go back to 1st and 2nd gen, then you should move on to the newer gens.
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Seen November 4th, 2013
Posted November 2nd, 2013
58 posts
9.9 Years
FR/LG in my opinion.....You can get help from the L R (Though they are just the basics). Also, the game is a lot simpler compared to the next generations. Also, it starts in Kanto which is the first generation of the series. So it'll introduce you to the world better. Though the graphics are not as good as the current generations, and several mechanics are not as deep, it still provides you with a nice introduction.
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Age 30
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Seen December 10th, 2014
Posted December 10th, 2014
1,388 posts
10.3 Years
FR/LG is the best for beginners because it includes a lot of tutorials and it's a remake of the very beginning of the whole series, but B/W isn't too shabby either. It basically serves as a recreation of the experience of playing R/B/Y. To be honest, all Pokemon games are pretty easy. Everything is explained in every game through capture tutorials, item descriptions, and dialogue. The only difficult thing to learn is typing strengths/weaknesses and they're easy to memorize once you know them.

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10.5 Years
I think going for Fire Red or Leaf Green would be the best choice for a beginner. The earlier the generation the better, in my opinion.
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Seen August 30th, 2013
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Here's the order in which I think they should be played. FireRed and LeafGreen first, gotta start in Kanto. HeartGold and SoulSilver second, they're sequels to the Kanto games. Emerald, it's a better version of Ruby and Sapphire, and Hoenn really was a great generation. Then Platinum, it's just like Emerald for Diamond and Pearl. Then Black and White, the first Unova games, and then Black 2 and White 2, again, sequels to the games that came before them. Except unlike with Red/Green and Gold/Silver, they're direct sequels, taking place just two years ago and having heavily intertwined storylines.
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Seen February 7th, 2016
Posted June 21st, 2015
612 posts
10.5 Years
I've never checked out FireRed or LeafGreen, but I still believe that Black/White is the best game for learning Pokemon. I especially like the idea of the first gym, as it makes the most of utilizing the Grass/Fire/Water combo.
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Seen September 18th, 2020
Posted February 18th, 2018
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16.6 Years
The newer the game, the more beginner friendly it is likely to be. I think since the fourth generation, they hold the player's hand at the beginning rather than sending them on the one fetch quest and letting them be on their way. That said, the older games came with more substantial manuals in place of such tutorials, so while one Pokemon game may be easier for someone unfamiliar to get into than another depending on what sort of learner one is, none of them should be difficult.