Which Pokémon game should i try first?

Terra1050

Terra1050

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    So I've recently been gaining more and more interest in Pokémon (hence why I've joined the Pokecommunity), and so I've been trying to narrow down my choice on what Pokémon game I should try first. There are so many options! I have a Nintendo Switch, and a 3ds as well, so I'd be able to play any of the games on those consoles. I've heard good things about many of the games, but don't know much about specifics. Is there a specific game that seems the most "beginner-friendly" to a newbie to the franchise?
     
    Designed most of the newer main games to be pretty beginner friendly. Argues most of them to be okay. In rough order of recommendation:

    • Pokemon Sword/Shield (Switch): Good character customization and plenty of Pokemon. Felt a little easier than Sun/Moon. Follows more of the standard formula.
    • Pokemon Sun/Moon (3DS): Notably gives the player a lot of tutorials on stuff (and story) at the start. Irked some veteran players who wanted to get on with it. Personally did not mind it. Liked the story of this game more than Sword/Shield. Rates it as a little harder, however.
    • Pokemon X/Y (3DS): Potentially too easy, especially later on. Introduced the Experience Share in these games. Resulted in being way overleveled with it on. Considers it best used sparingly, which is not obvious to a new player.
    • Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee (Switch): The game with the fewest mechanics. May not enjoy catching Pokemon in this game, however. Expects you to use motion controls. (Is not necessary to use motion controls, apparently. Cannot say what it is like without them, having never played it.)
    • Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl (Switch): Perfectly fine, although tough at the end. Enjoyed the Grand Underground.
    • Scarlet/Violet (Switch): Only ever crashed...once in 300 hours? Heard of more struggles from other people. Advises saving often and closing the game if you play for longer than...2 hours? (Note: Enables an autosave feature by default.) Probably had the best story of all the games mentioned here, though.

    Only really advises steering clear of one set of games: Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, at least for a first-timer. Considers them to be good games, but also one of the harder Pokemon games (if not the hardest).

    Edit: Always forgets Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire. Places that below X/Y for less trainer customization. Matches X/Y in difficulty, roughly.
     
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    Pokemon Fire Red And Leaf green are good first timer pokemon games, even if they're old, they're nostalgic, for more modern games, X And Y
     
    My opinion - Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are a lot of fun. Some people don't like that it's a little easy, but I found it very fun and thought the soundtrack was awesome. Personally preferred it more than XY since I thought it was a little more enjoyable to play, and the NPCs are a bit more memorable for the most part.

    For Switch... if you want a unique Pokémon experience then maybe Legends Arceus? It's such a good game even if it's different from other mainlines! Really fun new battle and catch mechanics, and a cool story. For the more classic mainline games then Sword and Shield are good. Scarlet/Violet are a little too buggy and laggy for me to recommend, especially since the open world aspect might not be everyone's cup of tea.
     
    Are you coming from another franchise? Because Legends: Arceus was stated to have been designed specifically to bring more "hard-core gamers" into the franchise. It was a little rough for me since I rarely play games that rely on reflex anymore. Honestly, I doubt I ever wouldn't have beaten it had I not relied on the "continue battle" feature for bosses.

    For the Pokémon at its finest, I'd personally recommend HGSS (since 3DS can play DS). Problem is finding a cheap enough copy...

    Sheep said:
    My opinion - Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are a lot of fun. Some people don't like that it's a little easy, but I found it very fun and thought the soundtrack was awesome. Personally preferred it more than XY since I thought it was a little more enjoyable to play, and the NPCs are a bit more memorable for the most part.
    Click to expand...

    Don't forget Super Secret Bases! Which can still be shared now that the official servers are down via QR. (Of course, upping your rank will be more of a pain w/o the servers.)
     
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    For beginner friendly games X/Y or ORAS are probably your best bet.
    SwSh would be decent too, but in the wild areas there's Pokemon with fixed levels, some of which are high level and they can KO your entire team if you don't avoid them early on. It's fully possible to just avoid them though... just something that might catch you off guard if you play it for the first time.
     
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