1st Gen Complete Kanto Dex: Is It Worth It?

[Reginald Cosmic]

Let me start by asking the age old question: Is it actually worth it to complete the PokéDex in Generation I? I want to be able to say I completed at least one PokéDex (even if it's 25+ years late).

All right, so as a kid, I didn't play a lot of Pokemon until middle school, and that was when Gen V came out, so completing the current National Dex was a no-go. I didn't even know it was common for ten-year-olds in the 90s to beat the Elite Four; I thought Glacia was just impossible. ...It probably would've helped if I'd had a balanced team instead of just Swampert and Gyarados... Anyway, I'm gonna fast forward to a few months ago when I mentioned wanting to complete the Kanto Dex in Leaf Green to my English pen pal. (I live in Nowhere, Kentucky, USA.) He said we could both complete the Violet Dex together, and I got really excited. I was ready to get the game and us complete the Dex together. Then he beat the whole game in a couple days, grew impatient, and completed before I even had four gym badges. So that really stung. I've barely touched Violet since then, but eh, what you gonna do? Genuinely, it's not gonna do any good to tell him off. It's just something I gotta live with.

So um, the question at hand. Is it really worth the effort to complete the PokeDex? I couldn't find a good answer on Google. The most I could find was a GameRant article that erroneously stated Chansey could only be caught in the Safari Zone when Chansey is so obviously easier to catch in Cerulean Cave aka the "Unknown Dungeon" as people used to call it.

I actually do own the games Red and Blue on original hardware, complete with link cables, so buying two copies of the game is not a problem. (I'll find a way to back up my completed save file on Blue if I decide to pursue this arduous task.) I was wondering if anyone had any insights into this. I know people do living dexes despite that meaning a lot more work than I'm willing to do (I mean, eight side playthroughs?!).

To that end, I'd appreciate help with a list of Pokemon that are a pain in the behind to catch. There's the unchosen starters, the fossils (though thankfully the scientist doesn't revive them at level 5 just to [hyperlink blocked] with you), the other Hitmon, the other two Eevees, Dragonite, the trade evolutions, Tauros, Kangaskhan, Scyther, Pinsir, and finally, that Porygon from the Rocket Game Corner.

Side note: Is the Mew glitch frame perfect? The Bulbapedia article mentions a frame, which I would assume means one of the frames of the Game Boy screen, but there's no clarification of how quickly you have to pause the game before the Route 24 trainer sees the player character. I also couldn't find anything on Google suggesting it has to be frame perfect. I know Mew is not necessary for a Gen I PokeDex though.

 

[CoolKid575]

I wouldn't say it's worth it unless you would otherwise want to replay RBY (as you'll pretty much have to play through the whole game twice), if you do, I'd say it's worth it and could be a pretty fun experience. You essentially just have to make sure you choose the opposite fossils, catch the version exclusives along the way and do a 20 min reset for the 3rd starter; it's nothing like Gen 3 onward where you have to use a whole web of spinoffs and techniques to finish the dex.

Side note: Is the Mew glitch frame perfect? The Bulbapedia article mentions a frame, which I would assume means one of the frames of the Game Boy screen, but there's no clarification of how quickly you have to pause the game before the Route 24 trainer sees the player character.

I've done it before and the timing is extremely lenient. As long as you press start during the walking animation; the menu will open on the first frame of you being fully in the tile, which is probably what the Bulbapedia article was referring too.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

Yes, thank you for the clarity regarding the Mew glitch and for your advice.

I plan on visiting Kanto as it appears in Gens I and III many times in the future (though in the past, I've heavily preferred the Gen III remakes), so that's not the problem. I was actually kind of expecting to do a third playthrough on Red to get the third fully evolved starter. This would take a lot of planning, of course, since there's no friends to trade with. I also absolutely do not expect this to get done anytime soon. It's a long-term goal if I commit to it.

 

[Megan]

You can get the Safari Zone encounters a lot easier if you use the right side of Cinnabar Island. It doesn't have any encounters set so it defaults to the last wild encounters entry. Just go to the Safari Zone area those Pokemon reside in, Fly to Cinnabar Island and then Surf on the right side.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

You can get the Safari Zone encounters a lot easier if you use the right side of Cinnabar Island. It doesn't have any encounters set so it defaults to the last wild encounters entry. Just go to the Safari Zone area those Pokemon reside in, Fly to Cinnabar Island and then Surf on the right side.

I forgot all about this glitch. Yes! Thank you! That'll make things so much easier.