3DS - DS - Black/White or HG/SS

[LaureTheLoner]

I probably should have made a poll for this topic, but since this deals with more than one subject I really wouldn't know how to phrase it.

But basically-

My birthday is on the 20th, and every spring it seems like I get Pokemon fever. 2 springs ago I traded my ipod for my sister's DS, walked down to to the video store, and bought Platnium and engaged in the world of online competition. That lasted a year though, but then around last spring my DS got stolen. Luckily I still have my magical Platinum version full of my homie pokemon.

Anyway I don't know what I should get for my birthday.
The 3DS just came out, and part of me really wants to get it, because its the newest thing.
Then again it cost the same amount as a Wii, and it will probably be years before there is a Pokemon game just made for it, and if my mom buys it for me I doubt she'd get me a Pokemon game.
Then there is the DS lite and The DSi. I don't know which one to get between these. I'll probably just get a used one on Craigslist.

Then there are the Pokemon games. Now I have an Acekard, but when a Pokemon game comes out I prefer to get them the legit way to support what I like and I'm OCD about having the physical copy of things. I didn't have my DS when HG and SS came out, and I kinda want one for the Pokewalker because its warm and work out time, but everyone else is playing Black and White. I thought I wouldn't enjoy White and Black because I hated gen IV and it only can get worse can it? I guess not cause everyone is praising this.

So basically what's the best handheld system game combo?

 

[Shining Raichu]

My recommendation would be to get a 3DS, because you will eventually have to get one anyway, and this way you save the money you'd need to buy both.

As far as games go, I'd recommend HG or SS, they're the best games of the series so far. B/W are fantastic and impressive as always, but if you hated the Gen IV Pokemon you are going to loathe these ones.

 

[The_Noob]

If you didn't like Gen IV, get HGSS, not Black & White. The new guys will make you want to an hero if your'e a nostalgiafag.

Noob out.

 

[Clairissa]

A 3DS would be a better investment, especially if you ever end up using WPA or WPA2 encryption for your router, as the DS and DS lite only support WEP, the oldest form, and I had to learn that the hard way when we got a new router...

So, get the 3DS, as for what game... It really depends, obviously Black/White will have more people doing things there, but if you don't have any gen3 games, HG/SS will have a lot of legendaries and other pokemon you can't get in Platinum or Black/White, unless that doesn't matter to you, in case you want to know, this is a list of unobtainable pokemon in Black/White.

 

[LaureTheLoner]

My recommendation would be to get a 3DS, because you will eventually have to get one anyway, and this way you save the money you'd need to buy both.

As far as games go, I'd recommend HG or SS, they're the best games of the series so far. B/W are fantastic and impressive as always, but if you hated the Gen IV Pokemon you are going to loathe these ones.

$250 though at Wal-mart ;_; that is like the same amount as a Nintendo Wii cost ;_;

and I don't hate the Pokemon of Gen IV I think they were a huge improvement compared to 3rd gen. Also does Gen V still allow importing GBA pokes.

and does HG/SS still come with the Pokewalker?

 

[PokéSwimmer]

$250 though at Wal-mart ;_; that is like the same amount as a Nintendo Wii cost ;_;

and I don't hate the Pokemon of Gen IV I think they were a huge improvement compared to 3rd gen. Also does Gen V still allow importing GBA pokes.

and does HG/SS still come with the Pokewalker?

Actually, that's more than the Nintendo Wii (which is $200). HGSS still comes with the Pokéwalker and still allows you to import Pokémon from your GBA games. Black and White, however, do not. If you want to get your Pokémon from your Gen III games to Gen V, you need to send them to a Gen IV game first and then to a Gen V game.

As for the recommandation, if you haven't played the original Gold, Silver, or Crystal, get HGSS. Johto is something you need to experience at least once. If you have played them before, then get Black or White. They're both incredibly good games. I HATED Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, but Black and White are both very good games (possibly the best in the series).

 

[fenyx4]

[S-HIGHLIGHT]$250 though at Wal-mart [/S-HIGHLIGHT];_; that is like the same amount as a Nintendo Wii cost ;_;

For a Nintendo 3DS?! Seriously? Amazing...I thought it was retailing everywhere for $300...

As for the recommandation, if you haven't played the original Gold, Silver, or Crystal, get HGSS. Johto is something you need to experience at least once. If you have played them before, then get Black or White. They're both incredibly good games. I HATED Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, but Black and White are both very good games (possibly the best in the series).

This. My main experiences with Johto have been the Pokemon anime (the Johto Journeys, Johto League Champions, and Master Quest seasons, as well as Movies 1-4), Pokemon Stadium 2, and the few Johto Pokemon in RSE/FRLG. Even without actually "playing" through Johto, those combined experiences still call me towards Johto.
I expect HeartGold to be an excellent follow-up to FireRed, and judging from my Bulbapedia research, there's an insane amount of things to do in the game compared to DPPt. Storyline and version-exclusives aside, the only thing HGSS lacks compared to DPPt are, IIRC, Pokemon Super Contests and Poffin-making.

Personally, BW took out a lot of lovable things about Generation 4 with minor improvements (triple battles, graphics, infinite TM usage). I'd say play HG or SS for now, and use that to tide over the time until Pokemon "Gray" Version (BW's rumored third version counterpart) arrives (likely for the 3DS, but a DS version isn't necessarily ruled out, either). And I feel that several awesome Unova Pokemon counterbalance the Unova species that detract from the games... (i.e., Zoroark, Haxorus, Hydreigon, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyuremu, Genosect, Bisharp counteracting Simipour, Samurott, Stunfisk, Beartic). It's all up to opinion, though. I am highly optimistic that "Gray Version" will fix BW's minor flaws that are present, resulting in one of the best Pokemon installments that the main series has to offer for the franchise.

But yeah...the only use of getting a DS now is primarily for using Pal Park to transfer Pokemon from Generation 3, and possibly if you want to PokeShift by yourself and you do not have a friend with a DS available. Otherwise, I'd recommend the Nintendo 3DS all the way. It's likely that you'll have your eye on one when 3DS Pokemon games are released, and if you buy a DS now, you'll just have to shell out more money come 3DS Pokemon games. With a 3DS now, you'll be ready to go for the next 5-7 years without having to invest in another handheld for quite some time, not to mention backwards compatibility with 3DS games. If you need to Pal Park, you could buy a 3DS now and wait for DS Lites to drop substantially in price in the future in case you need to purchase one for Generation 3 transfer.

In conclusion: 3DS+HGSS (which you could use to tide over the wait for Gray Version) is my recommended advice.

If you've already gotten enough out of Johto from GSC (even if you have, I'd still recommend HGSS, though I haven't even played it yet..), then 3DS+BW is my recommendation.

The DS has lots of staying power, but the mere existence of the 3DS is gradually rendering the DS obsolete, slowly but surely... At this point, in the Pokemon franchise, buying a DS Lite over a 3DS would only be viable if you need to migrate Pokemon from RSE or FRLG. DSi and XL are completely out of the question since they can't even transfer from Gen 3; they are now subpar 3DS alternatives if one does not have enough money for a 3DS at the moment...

 

[LaureTheLoner]

Actually it's Meijers where I saw it for $250 if anyone is interested, but I won't lie D:< I always by the obviously-stolen-from-a-semitruck ones from Craigslist to avoid sales tax. I'll still have to think on the 3DS I always buy the third installment. Emerald and Platnium at least (I jumped right on them when R/B and G/S came out). ;_; if worse comes worse I will be a bad person, get the 3DS, and break out the acekard <.< >.> just until I can afford the games, maybe break out some platnium. Don't know why I asked about gba importing I remember I just sold all my gba games.

Anyway I've basically been swayed to HG and SS if I decide to get the average DSlite

 

[fenyx4]

Don't know why I asked about gba importing I remember I just sold all my gba games.

Anyway I've basically been swayed to HG and SS if I decide to get the average DSlite

Um...if you've sold all your GBA games and don't have a need for transferring Pokemon from Gen 3, I'd recommend the Nintendo 3DS all the way then...

 

[PlatinumDude]

Get the 3DS and Black/White. B/W's graphics are amazing in the 3DS.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

Good decision on the HGSS. As has been mentioned by countless others, it's almost like a rite of passage for any Pokemon fan to experience Johto and all its wonderfulness at least once. SoulSilver is probably my favourite Pokemon game played thus far, and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to.

Unless you have a real, burgeoning desire to play a 3DS game in the not-so-distant future, a cheap-ish DS would probably be better in the short- to mid-term. Obviously, if you do want to play a recently released game, then go ahead and splash out.

 

[Palkia]

Get B/W and a DSi. HG/SS has the least replay value of any Pre Gen II game because of the awful rematch system, whereas B/W has a much better way to grind pokemon up, and the Battle Subway is just as good as the Battle Frontier.

The DSi is not as expensive as a 3DS, and is compatible with WAP security settings and other stuff.

 

[Kendosis]

I wouldn't recommend getting the 3DS now, I'd wait until they release a new Pokemon game for it and by then the price should be a lot lower.