Welcome to the Next Level, a.k.a. The Video Game Thread Options

[Silky]

Ah okay, I might agree that for nostalgia and the precedent it set for the sequels they're the best; but surely some of the sequels ate better games in themselves (nostalgia aside)

Can't say I've really tried many more to be honest.

[Llama]

I'd say Red/Blue as well really. I played Silver/Gold after that, and have recently picked up White, but do pretty much agree with that image - Red/Blue always seems the best because it was all new and exciting. Aside from new graphics and swapping out the Pokemon I don't really notice much difference between the games as a whole.

[GundamGuy_UK]

The best Pokemon game and why...gogogo

Not including Black and White

Red and Blue were really broken games, and to say they are the best is just blind nostalgia (listen to who's talking - pot, kettle, black).

As much as I adore Red and Blue, there are so many bugs and exploits that simply the removal of those is enough to call another version a better game. I've avidly played all of the Pokemon games, and Red and Blue is almost unplayable in comparison now. It's so slow and clunky and so many weird loading gaps and bugs that you either didn't notice as a kid or accepted because it was all there was. However, FireRed and LeafGreen solve these problems and add in the newer engine balancers, and the result is a much more polished game (and I don't just mean graphically).

I'm going to say Pokemon Gold. It's a sequel to Red and Blue, as opposed to the stand-alone-but-set-in-the-same-world games the others are. The world of Johto is gorgeous, all rural Japan style towns and buildings, and the inclusion of future Kanto is really cool and kind of sad too (Viridian Forest has been chopped down, the Safari Zone is closed). The music was amazingly haunting for a GameBoy game, and still totally holds up today.
The game fixed all the bugs, and added a lot of features to make the battle engine more interesting - genders and so on being the most obvious, as well as adding two new types, making the Psychic-type less Godly and the Poison-type less rubbish. It was balanced and good, and in fact the same system they're still using now.

Pokemon Red and Blue may have been the first in the series, but it was Gold and Silver that refined it into the awesome game series it is now. It's like Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3.

This post has been edited by GundamGuy_UK: Jun 26 2011, 12:03 AM

[Silky]

Red and Blue were really broken games, and to say they are the best is just blind nostalgia (listen to who's talking - pot, kettle, black).

As much as I adore Red and Blue, there are so many bugs and exploits that simply the removal of those is enough to call another version a better game. I've avidly played all of the Pokemon games, and Red and Blue is almost unplayable in comparison now. It's so slow and clunky and so many weird loading gaps and bugs that you either didn't notice as a kid or accepted because it was all there was. However, FireRed and LeafGreen solve these problems and add in the newer engine balancers, and the result is a much more polished game (and I don't just mean graphically).

I'm going to say Pokemon Gold. It's a sequel to Red and Blue, as opposed to the stand-alone-but-set-in-the-same-world games the others are. The world of Johto is gorgeous, all rural Japan style towns and buildings, and the inclusion of future Kanto is really cool and kind of sad too (Viridian Forest has been chopped down, the Safari Zone is closed). The music was amazingly haunting for a GameBoy game, and still totally holds up today.
The game fixed all the bugs, and added a lot of features to make the battle engine more interesting - genders and so on being the most obvious, as well as adding two new types, making the Psychic-type less Godly and the Poison-type less rubbish. It was balanced and good, and in fact the same system they're still using now.

Pokemon Red and Blue may have been the first in the series, but it was Gold and Silver that refined it into the awesome game series it is now. It's like Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3.

I have them on an emulator, might give them a try now.

[GundamGuy_UK]

All the Pokemon games are great and worth playing, just be prepared that a ROM will never be as good as on a handheld.

[monkeyman]

Are gold and silver completely different to Heartgold/Soulsilver?
I missed gold and silver, diamond/pearl I think were the ones I played after red and blue.

[zeden]

The newer games are more balanced but I'm not big on the hidden stat aspects of how the pokemon level, having to write out plans for how to train because the game doesn't provide an interface that helps just isn't fun. I'd also say that there are far, far too many pokemon in the latest versions, more often than not just to fit themes between games, such as there always being a Zubat-esque bat pokemon added each time despite the fact that there's already something that fits the bill.
As a result I like Pokemon Snap best of all!!!

[monkeyman]

Emerald is my favourite

And the hidden stat and stat training in general isn't something I partake in as I never have anyone to play, and it's not necessary for beating the game. It's cool it's there if you are interested in and get tinkled competitively but otherwise I'm not fussed

[GundamGuy_UK]

Are gold and silver completely different to Heartgold/Soulsilver?
I missed gold and silver, diamond/pearl I think were the ones I played after red and blue.

HeartGold and SoulSilver are to Gold and Silver what FireRed and LeafGreen are to Red and Blue - essentially the same, but with new stuff thrown in too.

The newer games are more balanced but I'm not big on the hidden stat aspects of how the pokemon level

That was in Red and Blue, it's always been there. Genders, natures, IVs, EVs... they've ALWAYS been in the game. The only difference is that such data was kept hidden and unknown in the originals, but they included it because it's that that makes every Pokemon unique. All they did to 'add' gender is just make one digit of the code visible, as "female" or "male". Same with the 'natures' - those are just the stat multiplier codes that were randomly assigned to each Pokemon you caught.

Part of why Red and Blue have so many bugs is because the battle engine is incredibly complicated, and because the way it was coded meant that data had to be done in blocks valued at 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 etc, you ended up with spaces left over (because there aren't 32 types, nor were there 256 Pokemon, but they had to use those values to code it). So what takes up the slot space in 152 to 256? Missingno. That's why it's there.

You don't have to EV train now any more than you had to in Red and Blue - it's just that today people are more aware of how the game mechanics work, and tournament players like to use that fact to train their Pokemon to favour specific stats.

This post has been edited by GundamGuy_UK: Jun 26 2011, 04:46 PM

[Silky]

Started Gold last night.
Chose the fire type, Cyndaquil.
From what I remember fire types tend to be a bit weak at the start, but at higher levels are pretty awesome.

[Llama]

I've always chosen fire. I feel like I got a bit ripped off in White. Stupid giant pig man.

[Silky]

I've always chosen fire. I feel like I got a bit ripped off in White. Stupid giant pig man.

Ha, I googled that. The final grass type looks about the best, but still not great.
I always used to go with water when I was a teenager. Blastoise ftw.

This post has been edited by Silky: Jun 27 2011, 11:51 AM

[NiteFall]

Obviously you should go with fire. Nobody has ever said "Kill it with water!" or "Kill it with grass!" have they?

[Silky]

Obviously you should go with fire. Nobody has ever said "Kill it with water!" or "Kill it with grass!" have they?

Does "Get Intelligence information out of it with water" count?

[monkeyman]

I've always chosen fire. I feel like I got a bit ripped off in White. Stupid giant pig man.

His final form is awesome! The grass one I don't like but the water one is very cool.

Think I'm going to get Emerald on my PSP tonight