>>27581345I think Platinum for IV Gen would be better. HG AFTER Platinum. If you start with HG, chances are you won't like Platinum. Black later. Black 2 after that. This route requires a lot more time though. If you want to play one game, go with Black.
Heart Gold is a great game (my #3) but it's basically a pretty Crystal with some features that were scandalously lacking from II Gen.
>>27581386IV Gen is very similar in looks to III Gen but a notch better in every field. The difference isn't as big as you would expect from GBA->DS transition though.
V Gen has some seriously pixelated mons in the battles depending on camera angle. They move around a lot though and there are nice touches like asleep Pokemon having closed eyes. The locations look great and the game is beautifully colored. Music is also really great, this is the game where GameFreak finally used decent chunk of DS' potential. It also has the best story of all Pokemon games for what it's worth.
>>27581415You should try playing V Gen if you think Pokemon is a slow game. I wouldn't be surprised if it was twice as fast as Diamond/Pearl.
>>27581488Yeah, it's really awful when you have to use lv34 Feraligatr to battle lv 21 Rattata and lv 22 Koffing for good two or three hours in row. Thankfully Kanto is actually decent in HGSS, playing through that part was a very nice experience unlike Gen II. Buffed Elite Four after beating Kanto is a great idea.
>>27582045Give them a chance, they grow on you. When Gen V was announced I hated 90% of new mons but now I like majority of them. It's similar with every generation, really.
