>>55491243Red. Or blue. They have connectivity with their sequels, GSC, as well as Pokemon Stadium, an N64 battle challenge simulator for after you finish the Gameboy campaign.
That era is it's own ecosystem, it's retro and original and iconic. I dislike yellow version, it's corny.
GSC is where I started. It is also very good. I think it's a little easier and also easier on the eyes. It's very nostalgic and Japanese. But I went back and played Red very shortly after and found it a little more exciting. Safari zone, team rocket, etc.
The Gameboy advance remakes and DS remakes of these generations are fine and worth consideration for your first playthrough. These remakes were made so that the Pokemon from those generations could be brought into the DS era technology ecosystem. But if you're emulating anyway, you could probably play the originals so that you'd have a better historical perspective. Transferring GBA to DS to 3DS etc won't be relevant to you unless you have the games or a physical flashcart and all the systems. Emulating should be fine to get a taste.
(I assume you're doing this out of gamer/RPG/fandom curiosity, otherwise you wouldn't be diving in like this)
If you want to play 3rd or 4th gen, play emerald and platinum respectively. They're like ultimate editions and I highly recommend both. Idk why youd start with either unless you have an attachment to a certain Pokemon or era of the anime or TCG or something. I also liked white+white 2, and the spinoff "legends Arceus"
Basically,
>>55491370This because this guy has good taste. These are the gems of the series.
I still kinda recommend the Gameboy games tho
Remember, Gameboy was basically an underpowered calculator and Pokemon red and blue put it on the map, wowed the entire planet, and created an absolute phenomenon. They're worth playing. Plus the tone of the games didn't get all corporate and soft yet. They're glitchy but timeless.
