What Pokémon game do you recommend to someone who's never played one?
I am just asking out of curiosity. What do you do when a friend or acquaintance says they've never played a Pokémon game before, and asks you where they should start?
If they say they want to play through the whole series then the choice is somewhat obvious. Start with Kanto, be it gen 1 or gen 3, and work your way through from there.
Equally, if they are already interested in a specific game, the typically self-contained nature of Pokémon narratives also makes it easy. Just play that game.
But in the event that they are not invested enough to commit to playing through the whole series yet, they don't know anything about the games and ask you, as a fan, which game would give them a good overall impression of what the games are like, which game do you point them to?
Do you steadfastly insist they start with Kanto? Do you say just play the latest game? Or do you have a specific title in mind?
I would be interested to hear your thoughts, and why you feel your selected title is the best entry point or exemplar of the series as a whole.
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It depends on the person
For some
Fr/Lg
For some
Sv
For some crystal
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Probably Legends Arceus if its someone who wants a fresh take on the series, for someone who wants to dive in probably a Gen 4/Gen 5 entry, maybe Gen 6.
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FRLG I understand as a remake of the start of the franchise. And SV I also understand as the latest games. Assuming those are your reasons.
But why Crystal? Why not HGSS? It's not a hard sequel, but Johto definitely takes a lot of cues from Kanto, and the post-league is essentially a REMEMBER KANTO follow-up to gen 1. A bit odd for a new player, methinks.
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Crystal is kinda like recommending original kanto
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I was talking about main series games, yes. I know you love the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, but I think you would agree it is not representative of the main series.
I think people may have guessed already and I can go into my reasons, but I would agree with BW as my pick.
I disagree with you there. Kanto in gen 2 is comparatively barren and exists essentially as a bonus to close out the stories from the first game in what might have been the last in a small, niché RPG duology had fate gone differently and the series didn't explode internationally.
The inclusion of Kanto is great, and it sort of spoiled my expectations for Pokémon game worlds going forward, but a substitute for gen 1 it is not.
And again, why not HGSS?
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I meant by kanto like red and blue
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Oh, as in the Game Boy graphics? Okay, but why?
I love that era and aesthetic myself, but why would you recommend that to a new player? Why not recommend RB at that point, and suggest they can move on to Crystal if they like it?
As I alluded in my OP, the games are generally self contained, but I think GSC and BW2 represent the most bizarre entry points as sequels (in the latter case, a hard sequel) to the previous games.
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PLA is an odd choice as an entry point. And why would you want a fresh take on a series you've never played? Surely the point is to show them a typical game, not one of the exceptions?
What about 4,5 and 6 make them good entry points in your mind?
I think people know how I feel about SwSh at this point. My concern would be that they are too simple. I think someone starting there might question why people liked Pokémon in the first place.
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