So I'm finally going to start playing a Pokemon game and I'm wondering where to start. I have a 3DS and it seems like my main choices are the Omegas, X/Y, or Sun/Moon. I'm wondering what would be the most friendly to start into.

Also, for the one you recommend, I'd like to know which of the dual releases offer a more combat oriented adventure

Thanks

Sun and Moon are absolute the friendliest but it's not hard to get into no matter which you choose. I wouldn't go with OR/AS right off the bat, but it's not like you'd be totally lost.

Fuck popplio, apparently. thats about all i can offer so far.

They're all deisgned to be easy to get into.

Most people including me will probably advise you to start off with an older version, but I think that's mainly to nostalgia. I would actually think it would be interesting to see what perspective a newcomer has on the newest generations (generally the consensus is that the newer the generation the more dumber the pokemon).

I have always felt that all the Pokemon games are kinda designed so they can be a "my first JRPG", so I think no matter which one you go with it won`t be hard to get into it.

Start with Sun/Moon. They are the newest, most modernized versions of Pokemon. They are all easy to get into to a point but with Sun/Moon being just out youll get to converstate with those around you and get the community feeling.

definitely don't think so hard about it. I'd go with Sun or Moon since they're brand new. Flip a coin.

I don't really see any good reason not start with Sun/Moon. Especially if the choice is between that and OR/AS. (Do yourself a favor and pick the game with no HMs, rather than the one with too many.)

The combat ratio is going to be the same either way. The only difference is going to be some "exclusive" Pokemon, and for S/M, the day/night cycle.

@imsh_pl: I'm newish - well, I started in '08 but that's still Generation IV and in the latter half of Pokemon's existence. Whether you like old or new Pokemon is a matter of pure taste as each generation has a pretty clearly defined aesthetic. I think the early Pokemon are okay with the usual highs and lows, though if I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Gen 6. Ultimately each generation has its stinkers and it's not fair to criticise the literal keychain and trashbag Pokes while defending the likes of Grimer, Muk, and the Pokeball that just flips over and gets angry when it evolves.

Newer Pokemon tend to be more high-concept in that they're usually animals with one aesthetic - a ninja frog, a wrestler cat and so on. There aren't as many Pokemon like Starmie, Lickitung, or Golem, where the inspiration is vague at best.

As far as gameplay goes there's really no perfect Pokemon game, largely because they tend to a take a "two steps forward, one step back" approach to each new generation, but Sun and Moon are probably the best ones to get into now. It doesn't really matter which one you pick, though about a dozen Pokemon are exclusive to each. The main difference is that day and night are swapped in Pokemon Moon, even though the game runs in real time.

Having played all 3 of the choices you're deciding between, sun and moon are the easiest to get into and also the most challenging of the 3 options. Which is a good thing because once you get the hang of it after the tutorial you don't want to be bored by the random nonsense that the ai was in x/y and oras. It has a lot of story though which can be good or bad depending on how much you mind watching cut scenes. The challenges are also more interesting than just go beat 8 gyms. For the first time in the pokemon series I feel like I'm actually having rpg styled boss battles. If I were to recommend any pokemon game for a newcomer to the entire series it'd be sun or moon without hesitation.

All right, I know most people would suggest one of the newer games, and that's definitely not the wrong place to start, but I will suggest something a little different. Get Heartgold or Soulsilver. They're both remakes of the second gen games. That's where I came back into pokemon after many years of absence. I easily put 200 hours into my copy of Heartgold and still consider it to be in my top 5 to this day. It is a wonderful remake and still holds up wonderfully. There is no exp share, at least in the sense of the new games (You do get an item called exp share at some point, but you can only give it to one pokemon at a time.), so if that's a deal breaker then be my guest and forego my initial suggestion here. I don't think it's that important though, because without exp share, there's a more natural flow of the game imo. I make liberal use of it now, and constantly find myself overleveled and overpowered in most situations. It can in someways trivialize the path of the game, but with less time nowadays I'm actually glad it's there. So in this respect, if you don't mind a bit more grinding go with Heartgold or Soulsilver.

People call this series "baby's first rpg", but all that really means is that the mechanics are more simplified than other more monotonous games in the genre. I have played plenty of Jrpgs and always come back to Pokemon. It's similar to the way a dog comes back to its owner: excited and ready for a treat! It's gaming comfort food one might say. Now with all that said, if older games (with a bit more grinding) aren't your thing and you decide to stick with one of the newer ones, I would suggest you get X or Y. They are a great start for anyone looking to get into the series and X and Y are still readily available at reasonable prices. A word of warning though, it will probably be harder going back to the games before gen 6 if you start with one of the newer ones.

(Like most pokemon games, the difference between versions is very slight. Just look up the handful of pokemon exclusive to each version and choose based on which ones you prefer more.)

I would agree to this, but the issue is #1 THESE ARE EXPENSIVE!!! Getting a new version costs upward of 80 bucks.... and #2 is getting a used one on ebay wouldn't be very safe. The pirates that have made fake Pokemon DS and 3DS cartridges is rampant.

I have played all pokemon games and IMO Sun and Moon are probably the best Pokemon games?!? For convenience, jsut getting Sun and Moon will let you play right away rather than waiting to find the one you want.

You could get Red and Blue off the nintendo store for 10 bucks too, its where it all started, but you'd have to deal with this type of monstrosity....

Here's what you do:

Look at a Pokemon game.

Head to the Konami offices in Japan instead.

Picket with me as we demand the return of Suikoden, the best "catch them all" game out there.

Get Sun/Moon. They've made tons of quality of life improvements that people like you can take for granted :P. As for which version it really depends on what legendary Pokemon you want on the cover and which handful of exclusive regular Pokemon each game gets. Do you want another boring fire cat or do you want a rad, weird looking bat thing?

Finally and most importantly, Rowlet>>>>>>>>>>>>

Get Sun/Moon as they're the friendliest to get into and have a lot of quality of life changes. Plus you can be part of the zeitgeist and find some people to trade with and all that.

If you're looking to get into Pokemon from here on out, Sun/Moon is definitely the place to start considering the changes they implemented to make it easier for newcomers and the adjustments to the whole "go to new town, fight gym, move on" deal.

It's also a very fun game by itself and has a lot of humor that I wasn't expecting from a Pokemon game.

I know about the feeling you can get about trying to jump into a series at the latest release, but it's really the best option right now if you feel like you want to keep going. This is probably going to be a lot of people's first Pokemon game in the future.

@avenlaya: Yeah, that is true. It's not impossible to find a copy with a semi reasonable price, but it can be hard.

Edit: Yellow is available as well on the Eshop. That version has much better sprites and a bit more color. Looking back they looked a lot better to 5 year old me...

Oh yeah, I'll just post this if you (op) decided to go for the newest games. Left is Sun and Right is moon, if that's not obvious by the cover pokemon.

If you play Sun and Moon first, you will never want to go back to earlier games and deal with HM slaves. It's got so many quality of life improvements that are gonna make it hard for me to replay older games.

There's no reason to play anything before the GBA remakes of the first gen (FireRed/LeafGreen) but I would just start with Sun/Moon tbh. It's slightly non-standard not having proper gyms and some other weird shit but it's a very streamlined, well-made game. My favorite will always be SoulSilver, far and away one of my favorite games ever too.

@themanwithnoplan: Drampa and Oranguru really sold me on Moon! Though I do fancy Flygon and Cranidos...

The later the game you choose, the harder it will be to go back to the previous generations. After playing X and Y, the most recent generation before Sun and Moon, I tried going back to some of the older games. I can no longer play a Pokemon game without the party-wide experience share. I love those old games, and SoulSilver still has a special place in my heart, but the amount of grind in those old games if you wanted to maintain a well-balanced team of 6 Pokemon is insane. Also, having to have like a level 3 Bellsprout or something so you could use Cut, Flash, or other HM moves in the field was always super frustrating and limiting for much of the game.

I personally would recommend you start Sun and Moon and just use that as your entry point to keep going. The quality of life improvements even over X and Y are just too significant for me to recommend earlier games. If you HAVE to experience the earlier generations, SoulSilver is great. 16 Gyms, man!

I would just recommend Sun and Moon and go from there. There are quite a few great games in the older entries, so if you really enjoy it then you can always go back to them later (the quality of life improvements will be missed, but it's not all that game-breaking, honestly). But by getting in at the start of a new generation you get to experience it at the same time as everyone else - discussing the story, comparing teams, asking for help if you get stuck. The release window is definitely the best time to play; plus Sun and Moon are (like all Pokémon games, but perhaps even more so) designed to be easily accessible to newcomers. Remember that there's always new kids (and adults!) getting into the series so they have to cater to that audience too, as well as the hardcore fanbase.

@dan_citi: you can get flygon in moon. That picture was from the early leaks and is partially incorrect. Flygon, Goodra, Metagross, and the ground dragon whose name is on the tip of my tongue right now are in both versions. The rest of it is correct.

@twistedmerc: I'm going to echo the sentiment that the newer the game you start with, the more spoiled you'll be going back to older ones. Also, if you're someone who likes using internet resources to look things up, like item locations, wild Pokemon encounter tables, evolution requirements, and move lists, those are going to be the most sparse for the generation that just launched last week. As for which games of a pair to chose, it really doesn't matter much. They have a slightly different set of Pokemon in each, but you can easily get the others using the online trading features. I will name drop the two sites I like to look stuff up on: Bulbapedia and Serebii. Between the two of them you can usually find anything you'd want to know more about.