I never played Silver, Ruby, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Leafgreen, White, Black, White 2 or Alpha Sapphire.
I played very little of Red, Blue, Gold, Sapphire and Firered
I finished Yellow, Crystal and Y
I'm currently playing Black 2, X and Omega Ruby.
Even though I didn't play Pokemon after gen 3 I still bought guides and pokedexs to keep up with the new Pokemon, I still can't tell you if Piplup is gen 4 or gen 5 of the top of my head, but I remember discovering pokemon such as Braviary and Durant many years after they were released.
Even now I'm using Pokemon for the first time with trying to complete my Y Pokedex.