I haven't played Pokémon in a looooong time.

[industry]

Seriously. The last game I played was Gold version, with Stadium 2. Yeah.

I'm thinking about picking up the series again, which game should I start with?

Should a returning player start with the older games, or go ahead and get the newest generation?
Why?

 

[Hidden Mew]

I think it would probably be best to start with the newest generation, as opposed to starting where you left off. You can see where the games are now and determine from that experience if you'd want to keep playing. Besides that, it's a lot easier to find games from the fourth and fifth generation as opposed to the first three generation. You can go back to the older generations too for fun if you like playing through the newest generation.

I'd recommend checking out Black or White. It had a really good storyline, introduced some of the best rival characters in years, including N in a way at least, and Team Plasma is my favorite evil team. It does lack in the post-storyline content department, but they were solid games that I'd highly recommend. There's also Black 2 or White 2 as an option and you can play them without playing either Black or White first, but I do think it adds more to the experience if you're familiar with the first games. Plus, as enjoyable as B2/W2 were, the story wasn't as good as it was in B/W, but still pretty enjoyable. You could also wait until X/Y come out since they'll be out in October, but if you want to try playing a Pokemon game sooner rather than later.

 

[HoppytheCourier]

You my friend have been away for far too long. Please allow me to be one of the first to welcome you back.

Anyway, since you have not played a Pokemon game since 2001 I have a few suggestions for you. First of all, I would recommend that you play either Pokemon Black or Pokemon White first. These games will bring you up to speed on the franchise and introduce you to a new region with new Pokemon, new characters, and new mechanics. One cool new feature is that the battle sprites constantly move while the battle is going on. Plus, Pokemon Black and White have the best storyline of any Pokemon game that I have played. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend that you play Black 2 or White 2 before playing their predecessors. Maybe after finishing Black or White you would consider my second choice: Pokemon Firered or Leafgreen. Finally, I hope that after playing Black or White you can form your own opinion on the Pokemon franchise and hopefully decide where to go from there.

Oh, I almost forgot. Please, use Bulbapedia if you want to know more about the mechanics of Pokemon or about the Pokemon themselves.

 

[SquishyFace]

Woah, for a second there I thought you were my teacher (he hasn't played any Pokemon since Crystal, and he was wondering about the newer games too).

Anyway, I definitely recommend Pokemon Black and White. Just as a warning, though, you won't see any of the older Pokemon in that game until you beat the main storyline. The storyline (according to many sources) might be the best out of all the storylines. The Villain team actually has a goal that seems like it would be a good thing, but they do it in such a horrible way. Personally, I love villains who think that everyone's role is opposite of what they really are. Now the gameplay requires a lot of strategy. There's now Triple Battles and Spin Battles, the latter being extremely difficult for me the first time I tried it. But after getting used to it, Spin battles are my favorite type of battles. Also, during battle the Pokemon Sprites are always moving, so they really do look alive at moments.

 

[industry]

Thank you all for the warm welcome back, and this is some solid advice. I really appreciate the expert opinions, especially since all of you are showing such solidarity!

Sadly, I have an unopened DS, a hardly used GBA, unopened copies of FireRed, SoulSilver, and Black.. Just haven't had time.

About to open up my DS and Black right now!

Oh, I almost forgot. Please, use Bulbapedia if you want to know more about the mechanics of Pokemon or about the Pokemon themselves.

Of course, but I think I'll just go for full immersion! More fun that way!

Woah, for a second there I thought you were my teacher (he hasn't played any Pokemon since Crystal, and he was wondering about the newer games too).

Hah, I'm old enough to be...




Anyways, I really appreciate the good advice, guys. Thanks.

 

[Hidden Mew]

Thank you all for the warm welcome back, and this is some solid advice. I really appreciate the expert opinions, especially since all of you are showing such solidarity!

Sadly, I have an unopened DS, a hardly used GBA, unopened copies of FireRed, SoulSilver, and Black.. Just haven't had time.

About to open up my DS and Black right now!

That's understandable. At least you already have the systems and a couple of more recent games to try out instead of needing to buy them. I was thinking about recommending HeartGold or SoulSilver for you since I really like those remakes. They're able to add a bit more to those remakes than I think they did for FR/LG and I thought that they were more fun, but I might be a bit bias since Silver was my first game, so I was much more eager to see the remakes for those games than for the original games. I hope that you have fun playing through the games.

 

[industry]

This is literally the fourth time in ten years I've wanted to play these games again. School, work... you get the idea.

I'm already enjoying myself, this game is beautiful. I am, however, not looking forward to such an enormous Pokédex.
Hell, I never even learned the last 154(?) introduced in the second gen. Anyways, this thread is starting to derail towards The Lost Tower.

I do really appreciate the input. So far, starting with Black seems like a good idea.