I Want To Get Into Pokemon, But Which Game Should I Play First?
Andy Kelly: When you write for TheGamer, you cannot avoid Pokemon. I've never worked with a group of people more passionate about capturing small creatures in a ball, and I think it's rubbing off on me. I watched the Pokemon anime as a teenager, but never got into the games.
Now, as an adult who should probably know better, I quite fancy giving one a go. But where the hell do I start? Which of the 20+ core games and countless spin-offs is the best entry point for a Pokemon first-timer? I could have Googled it, but I thought it would be much more fun to ask the team and watch them argue about it.
Related: Revisiting Kanto: The Complete Journey
Stacey Henley: The first place to start with Pokemon is right at the beginning, where most lifelong fans started, and where most, if not all, of us started. The first games are a little janky and inaccessible these days though, so Let’s Go, the Gen 1 remake made specifically as a first time entry point is the clear choice.
Issy van der Velde: Oh yeah, pick the entry that doesn’t even let you battle wild Pokemon, one of the series’ staples. Emerald has the best mix of casual and competitive gameplay. You can breeze through by just overlevelling your starter, but if you want to take on the Battle Frontier, you need to plan. It’s the best all-rounder to begin with.
SH: Raise your hand if you love battling endless waves of Pidgeys? Anyone? Thought so. Wild battles are shit.
Ben Sledge: I actually think Stacey has a fair point. Let’s Go is a good game for children who have never played a video game before. However, we’re introducing Andy Kelly to Pokemon. Veteran games critic and decades-long gamer Andy Kelly. Let’s Go will just be too easy and vapid for a man of his distinguished
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