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Best "first" Pokemon game for a child?

Neiteio

Member
The only reason why you would start with an older entry first is because you won't be bothered too much by the improvements the sequels make. I mean, I love heartgold, but after they changed the text speed, it's a bit jarring to go back.

If you let them start with the older titles it won't bother them since they haven't experienced the improved stuff.

That's just how I'd do it though.
I think if the kid starts with X/Y and then goes to OR/AS, that'll be plenty to keep the kid busy until Z or Gen 7 comes out.
 

Nightbird

Member
Definitely X/Y. Anyone who names an earlier entry is speaking out of nostalgia. X/Y has the best presentation, the most streamlined interface and learning curve, the most tools to assist the player. It also has the most Pokemon per capita. It's the best Pokemon game I've played, and the first one in which I've gone so far as to IV/EV train perfect teams and play competitively. (Full disclosure: Still have to try Alpha Sapphire — picked it up but haven't started yet)

Alpha Sapphire is better competetive, but other than that you are right
 
I feel like X/Y would be the best option for a newbie on the 3DS, other than that I'd suggest either FR/LG or HG/SS.

I found OR/AS to be super bland, but maybe it's because Hoenn was pretty bland to me back in the day also... however it did seem better at some points, I just struggled to finish it.
 

RionaaM

Unconfirmed Member
The only reason why you would start with an older entry first is because you won't be bothered too much by the improvements the sequels make. I mean, I love heartgold, but after they changed the text speed, it's a bit jarring to go back.

If you let them start with the older titles it won't bother them since they haven't experienced the improved stuff.

That's just how I'd do it though.
Why would you want a child to have a suboptimal experience? They want to play one game, why not give them the newest, shiniest, most refined one? Well, technically speaking XY aren't the newest, but they share many of the mechanics with ORAS due to both being gen 6, and they also fit the criteria of OP's daughter (which is to feature a lot of gen 1 mons).
 

Neiteio

Member
Yeah, XY is perfect, really. There are so many Pokemon, including tons (all?) of the Pokemon from Gen 1, which appears to be what the OP's daughter wants. XY has Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, etc. Everyone she likes in the cartoons will appear in XY.
 
I wanted to suggest heart gold/soul silver just because it felt like the most feature rich game, where as i was really disappointed with X/Y because of the tiny selection of post game captures/events.

But actually, since we're talking about a 7 year old, X/Y shouldn't really disappoint them at all. Worst case scenario you can always grab them Alpha or Omega afterward if they're still hungry for some pokemans.
 

DeSolos

Member
I'd say the best fit for her is definitely Pokemon Yellow as it's closest to the anime, though given your current circumstances emulation may be the only viable option for that one.

For DS the next best thing is Heart Gold/ Soul Silver. You can tell her you can visit Kanto(where the first season takes place) later, and this takes place in Johto, which is the setting of the season called Pokemon Johto. There are new Pokemon, but it's the closest you'll get.
 

QisTopTier

XisBannedTier
XY is your best bet imo. Cool 3d pokemon, little mini games and interactions with your pokemon and customized characters
 
Most of you apparently can't even be bothered to read the OP. The kid wants to see the characters from Gen 1. She's not going to get Oak or Brock and Misty from X and Y.

Jesus Christ
 

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
Okay I've watched enough Pokemon X/Y videos, it looks awesome, my daughter is going to love it! She also loves Animal Crossing right now, so I know she's going to love dressing up her character. I have one question: can you have multiple characters/profiles on a single game cart? I think I'm going to want to play it too. (I've only ever played through Yellow, back in HS. The Pokemon crave took off when I was older in school and never got into it myself).
 
Okay I've watched enough Pokemon X/Y videos, it looks awesome, my daughter is going to love it! I have one question: can you have multiple characters/profiles on a single game cart? I think I'm going to want to play it too. (I've only ever played through Yellow, back in HS. The Pokemon crave took off when I was older in school and never got into it myself).
You can only have one save. Every Pokemon main title is like that.
 
Here are the reasons you should just get X/Y.

- X/Y has extensive and safe online functionality. None of the other Pokemon games besides OR/AS have this right now. You can trade and battle almost immediately with pretty much anyone in a safe environment that doesn't compromise on features. If your daughter simply knows the name of a Pokemon she likes, she can search and trade for it online.
- You can customize your player character in X/Y.
- X/Y lets you interact with your Pokemon and make them more friendly toward you.
- X/Y has WAAAAAAAY more Pokemon available to capture and train than any other Pokemon games, including many of the classic Pokemon your child may or may not be attached to. Including Pikachu, and Bulbasaur, and I mean just take a look. This is the short list of Pokemon you CAN'T capture in Pokemon X/Y. Out of over seven hundred Pokemon, that's a list of just 125 Pokemon you can't get in these games, and very few of them are from Gen 1, 2, or 3.
- X/Y is incredibly beginner friendly, and has features in place that allow the player to train a lot more of the Pokemon they capture than they could in any other Pokemon game without a profound grind.

etc. etc. X/Y is the way to go re: first Pokemon game for a young child, without a doubt, and I really just don't understand why anyone else would tell you otherwise.

Most of you apparently can't even be bothered to read the OP. The kid wants to see the characters from Gen 1. She's not going to get Oak or Brock and Misty from X and Y.

Jesus Christ

lmao, I read the OP, bro....did you?

Did he name characters like Brock and Misty when he used the word 'characters'? Nope.

When he said characters, he DID however mention two Pokemon.

Pokemon that are actually in X and Y lol
 
Most of you apparently can't even be bothered to read the OP. The kid wants to see the characters from Gen 1. She's not going to get Oak or Brock and Misty from X and Y.

Jesus Christ
You really want him to buy new hardware for a series she hasn't even played yet?

She wants to see Pikachu and Bulbasaur. X and Y were deliberately designed for that.
 
lmao, I read the OP, bro....did you?

Did he name characters like Brock and Misty when he used the word 'characters'? Nope.

When he said characters, he DID however mention two Pokemon.

Pokemon that are actually in X and Y lol
It doesn't sound like you dd. He doesn't have to. They are literally "OG characters".

You can tune down the smarm as he already made the choice.

You really want him to buy new hardware for a series she hasn't even played yet?

She wants to see Pikachu and Bulbasaur. X and Y were deliberately designed for that.
I want him to do whatever it is that makes his kid happy. He doesn't need to buy new hardware for that.
 

Tiamant

Member
All of you recommending gen1 games to a child are missing the point completely. X/Y is definitely the right choice.
 
I want him to do whatever it is that makes his kid happy. He doesn't need to buy new hardware for that.
Well, if he wants to buy a game with the Kanto characters in, he has two choices.

1) Buy a GBA with a copy of FRLG. Can be expensive, getting legit GBA games is a pain, directly opposed to what he said his plan was. Pass.
2) Buy a copy of HGSS. A bit daunting for a newcomer, and you don't even get to see those characters until the post game. Also very difficult to get Pokemon she says she likes, such as Bulbasaur.

X and Y, on the other hand, are explicitly tooled for newcomers, and feature the Gen I starters and Pikachu early and prominent in the game. Again, this sort of scenario is exactly what they were designed for.
 
It doesn't sound like you dd. He doesn't have to. They are literally "OG characters".

You can tune down the smarm as he already made the choice.

I was responding in kind, but fair enough. It's not like the OP specified human characters like Oak or Brock and Misty, whose roles as characters in any of the other Pokemon games don't really extend beyond 10 minute encounters anyway. The fact that there's a bevy of Gen 1 Pokemon in X/Y like the ones OP mentioned would probably prove to be a lot more relevant to his daughter (among X/Y's other features and advancements) than seeing those handful of familiar human characters in passing, although I do understand the appeal for a child to play through a game that depicts the events and world of their favorite cartoon. If there were a modern Red/Blue/Yellow remake with X/Y's features and a reasonably wider roster of Pokemon to capture, I probably would have suggested that, instead. X/Y goes to great lengths to pander to gen-1 sensibilities with its early game roster, gifting of starters, and familiar areas, though. The only thing it's missing is those humans you mentioned and I wouldn't consider seeing them in an older game to be a decent tradeoff for a kid when you lose the 3D graphics, the online trading/battling, Pokeamie, and 300 or so other Pokemon in the process.
 
Well, if he wants to buy a game with the Kanto characters in, he has two choices.

1) Buy a GBA with a copy of FRLG. Can be expensive, getting legit GBA games is a pain, directly opposed to what he said his plan was. Pass.
2) Buy a copy of HGSS. A bit daunting for a newcomer, and you don't even get to see those characters until the post game. Also very difficult to get Pokemon she says she likes, such as Bulbasaur.

X and Y, on the other hand, are explicitly tooled for newcomers, and feature the Gen I starters and Pikachu early and prominent in the game. Again, this sort of scenario is exactly what they were designed for.
True, if you want to limit yourself to those two choices, those are definitely your only options.

She is a newcomer who's watching the first season of the anime. The scenario is a tiny bit more complicated than just going to Kalos and seeing Pikachu, Caterpie, Weedle, and Pidgey in Santalune Forest and then the Kanto starters in Lumiose in the beginning of the game and calling it day.

I was responding in kind, but fair enough. It's not like the OP specified human characters like Oak or Brock and Misty, whose roles as characters in any of the other Pokemon games don't really extend beyond 10 minute encounters anyway. The fact that there's a bevy of Gen 1 Pokemon in X/Y like the ones OP mentioned would probably prove to be a lot more relevant to his daughter (among X/Y's other features and advancements) than seeing those handful of familiar human characters in passing, although I do understand the appeal for a child to play through a game that depicts the events and world of their favorite cartoon. If there were a modern Red/Blue/Yellow remake with X/Y's features and a reasonably wider roster of Pokemon to capture, I probably would have suggested that, instead. X/Y goes to great lengths to pander to gen-1 sensibilities with its early game roster, gifting of starters, and familiar areas, though. The only thing it's missing is those humans you mentioned and I wouldn't consider seeing them in an older game to be a decent tradeoff for a kid when you lose the 3D graphics, the online trading/battling, Pokeamie, and 300 or so other Pokemon in the process.
I don't think he needs to specify; she's a kid, she wants to be part of that adventure. You wouldn't consider them, most people wouldn't, because we're grown ass people who know how pointless these side characters are. Those small ten minute roles are a lot bigger to a kid.
 

True Fire

Member
Yeah, XY are definitely nostalgia sinks. They even give you a Kanto starter. Not to mention Snorlax and Rhyhorn and other plot-relevant Kanto mons.
 

Nightbird

Member
If you recommend Gen 1 Games just because of Misty and Brock, then you are not only making this overly complicated for the OP, you are also setting the Kid up for a huge disappointment, since the kid will have a severely outdated Game where those Characters have maybe 3 Dialogues at best, and will never mover away from their spot.

The only thing the Games older than DS Era can do is calm your Nostalgia, something that has no effect on that Girl since she is currently discovering Pokemon. Better give her the current Games, that do actually recreate the "Adventure with Friends" feel, they do the job better than the old ones
 

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
One more question about X/Y, how likely is it for my kid to come across something vulgar like "EAT MY DICK" on someone's character when you're doing the online battling and sharing stuff?
 

brinstar

Member
I believe nicknames are disabled for other players' Pokemon when playing with randoms online, and the game has a swear filter.
 

Nightbird

Member
One more question about X/Y, how likely is it for my kid to come across something vulgar like "EAT MY DICK" on someone's character when you're doing the online battling and sharing stuff?

Well they do have a System in place where vulgar words will simply not accepted when you try to enter them somewhere (and I think the filter covers a lot of words, even from other languages) , but I think it may be able to bypass those with numbers or something like that.

Mt experience is not a good indicator since I don't battle much online, but I've never seen any vulgar stuff there. The online environment seems to be pretty kid friendly (besides the fact that online players are pretty strong, so she should be careful not to challenge everyone :p)
 

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
You should just get the other version so you can trade with her, battle with her, etc. :)

I always said I'd never buy my kids their own hardware and that we have a "Family 3DS/ Family WiiU"... But I'll see how much she enjoys the game if it would warrant another "family system" at Christmas.
 

doofy102

Member
Anything but the 3DS games is a mistake.

This is one of those times you should ignore the nostalgic advice of men in their mid-twenties.
 

Neiteio

Member
I always said I'd never buy my kids their own hardware and that we have a "Family 3DS/ Family WiiU"... But I'll see how much she enjoys the game if it would warrant another "family system" at Christmas.
It'll be tricky to share one save file with her, and she'll probably want to make her own progress (rather than turn it on and find herself in a place/scenario she doesn't recognize since you were playing). I would suggest you each get a copy of the game, if you also want to play it. You can both use the same system, but it's best if you each have your own copy, since it's only one save per copy.
 
One more question about X/Y, how likely is it for my kid to come across something vulgar like "EAT MY DICK" on someone's character when you're doing the online battling and sharing stuff?

The game prevents the use of profanity in multiple languages, but it doesn't take alternate spelling into account.

I recommend X/Y over OR/AS. If you purchase X/Y, be sure to download the patch so she doesn't come across the Lumiose City save glitch.

X/Y = you can catch a pikachu early in the game
ORAS = you are a given a pikachu you can play dress-up with
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
While I generally agree with this sentiment, I think HG/SS and BW2 are pretty decent secondary recommendations if only for the sheer density of content available. (And something that Gen VI dropped the ball on massively)

Yeah I do think that the past Pokémon should be played, but I honestly feel that they can be played after a newcomers get to grip with the game play mechanic and wants more from a single player story.

Most of you apparently can't even be bothered to read the OP. The kid wants to see the characters from Gen 1. She's not going to get Oak or Brock and Misty from X and Y.

Jesus Christ

Brock and Misty are only in the game during the beginning and they don't follow the player like they do in the show.

The only characters from the Animé that she will see often will be Blue, who can be rename and the gen 1 Pokémon.

Furthermore the best part of Pokémon is creating your own journey and adventure, something that X and Y can offer to her on a bigger scale.

I always said I'd never buy my kids their own hardware and that we have a "Family 3DS/ Family WiiU"... But I'll see how much she enjoys the game if it would warrant another "family system" at Christmas.

I hope she likes its so your family can have fun sharing your Pokémon adventure.
 

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
Whichever one most of her classmates are playing.

Lol she's seven!! Her classmates don't play Nintendo, they play mobile! I bought her amiibos for her last birthday and she freaked out excited... Her friends just stared at her like she's crazy.
 

Zophar

Member
Get X/Y. It's not 1997 anymore, no matter how badly people in this thread want you to buy a Game Boy Color.
 

REDSLATE

Member
It a was a kid, I would be pissed that my dad got me that while all of my friends are playing the fancy new ones with 3D graphics.

You'd be wrongly upset. It's the best Pokémon game and links with Stadium which has far better 3D and animations than the "new ones."
 
My son is 7 and he just got into Pokémon this year. Since January, he has beaten Omega Ruby twice, X twice, and is now working on White. He's taking a break at the moment, I assume due to burn out, but his first was Omega Ruby. Really, I don't think any game is better than any other. They all kind of play the same and follow the same structure.
 
XY seems to make the most sense here. It's new, features a lot of the old Gen 1 Pokemon and its online features are still active. Plus she might have fun with being able to customize her character.
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
The OP just said that she's currenly watching the *original* anime. She won't know Johto at first, but she WILL know Kanto's characters.
The OP made it quite clear that their kid is watching the original anime series, not the XY anime, so they should recognize Kanto just fine.

Hmm I got confused what he meant by "original" anime.

Anyway he should skip to XY for anime instead!
 
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