It's been about nine years or so since I've played Pokémon, and the only game I've ever played through was Yellow. In that timeframe, there's been so many games, let alone generations, that I've missed out on. Part of my stagnation was having to play the games on a portable console, but since the advent of emulation, I can play a good number of games now without having to use their respective handhelds. Is it safe to jump into any game/generation, or will quality-of-life improvements and gameplay changes hamper the experience if I start with a newer game? Would the experience be awkward if I start a newer game then decide to go back and play an older one?