I haven't played a Pokemone game since Silver. I played the HELL out of Blue, Yellow, and Silver. I've been looking for a good DS game to take up some of my time. I've gotten back in to Advance Wars and Chrono Trigger, but I've wanted another adventure that would take a while. I was wondering if I could get back into Pokemon even after a decade of not playing it? If so should I start here with Black/White, or possibly earlier DS ones...just thinking about it brings back so many childhood memories. Wish I never sold all of my cartridges when I was saving up for a GBA as a kid :(

its not to bad jumping in they use the same formula as always beat 8 gyms the fight the elite 4 and the champion but if you haven't played since silver they have been putting a lot more story in them since ruby and sapphire and the storys not to bad in this Iv been playing for about 22 hours and only have 6 badges but iv played every main series Pokemon game

You could possibly start from black/white then move onto earlier games, check out this guide it's extremely useful http://pokemon.marriland.com/black_white/walkthrough

You could easily start with Platinum and work your way up, or hey go and get Soul Silver.

I've been thinking about doing the same, actually. I haven't played Pokemon since Red/Blue, and I think I'm going to jump into Black/White.

Black/White is definitely a solid entry point. It still plays like the old games, a giant new world, all new Pokemon, and it has the best online support yet.

I love handheld rpgs, I recently got the newest golden sun, but a friend recommended black/white to me. I played so much of the all of them through crystal. In ruby i got every pokemon except 2. i put so many hours into that. So black/white seems to be the one to get?

I see no reason why you shouldn't start with black and white.

DO IT.

You could pretty much start with any game. Though there's some chronology to the games, it's not a massive deal in the individual titles. At worst, you'll miss a reference to an old character such as Cynthia. To you, she'll just be another trainer to fight. Which is fine.

@Kyle said:

I see no reason why you shouldn't start with black and white.

Hmm...thanks forall the input. I'm considering starting with Pearl/Diamond, but I see White/Black are newer and more played. Although I'm sure I could find the older ones cheaper. Glad to se so many people here are into Pokemon, I never woulda guessed anyone was into it after the age I got out of it!

They're still the same game. Though if you're like me and only have nostalgia for 90's Pokemon, you might not like the new games. I got 3 badges in Diamond before shelving it. It's weird how something can be so identical, but totally just not the same.

I would recommend you starting with SoulSilver and HeartGold. Story-wise, them all Pokémon follow the same basic premises. But there was a huge gameplay change in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum: moves stopped being governed by the Attack and Special Attack (and Special/Defense) based on their type and started having each one its own category. For example, in Silver, Fire Punch was a Special Attack, because Fire was Special. Now, it's based on Attack, since it's a, well, a punch. And punches tend to be very physical, AFAIK.

There is no reason for you not to pick up this new system in a matter of battles, but maybe it'll ease the process if you start with something familiar to you, like a game you have already played. Besides, if you ask me, SS and HG are the best versions.

Black and White are amazing.
I bought my 3DS with White when the 3DS came out and I'm still playing much, most pokemon look good and the few that aren't that fun can be easily ignored.
Story and gameplay is just good fun what we expect from the franchise.
The art style is pretty amazing but the pokemon sadly look pretty pixelated from your view,  but you can get over that.
 
Go for it, I didn't regret my purchase one bit.

Black or White are great starting points. Its probably my favorite generation so far. 

Yeah, I went through the same thing earlier this year and decided to pull the trigger. It's good, and worth trying out.

Thanks again to all for the positive feedback. I'll be picking up the Black version sometime this week! Super excited to be playing again!!!

I'm holding out for Gray personally, but at this rate it's gonna be a 3DS game so Black is probably a good choice if you're not planning on getting one soon.

Totally get Black/White. Or HG/SS. Go play Pokemon.

Get SoulSilver or HeartGold, you will not be disappointed.

@Vegsen said:

Get SoulSilver or HeartGold, you will not be disappointed.

I would...but I already played Silver back in the day. Besides I found Black for a good price on eBay!

Just as the title of this thread, I'm thinking about getting back into Pokemon. I played an insane amount of Red and Blue when I was a kid, but pretty much stopped not long after that. The trick for me is that I don't own a DS or 3DS. Therefore, an investment to dive back into Pokemon would include the cost of a new handheld console.

Would you buy a DS or 3DS? Should I start with Pearl/Diamond, Platinum, or Black/White? It's an awfully steep investment for some nostalgia, but I'm still considering it.

Question: Do the later versions include the original Pokemon, and those added in later versions, or only the newest ones for that Generation?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!