I have never played a Gameboy Pokémon game properly. I don't have a clue how to play them. I know they are the most popular games here on Vizzed, yet I don't have a clue what to do or how to get started.

Also I am baffled by the number of different versions of the game. Which is the easiest to play, which is the best? What is the difference between the games.

In fact what are the games all about.

I have never played pokemon cards either, are they the same?

Pokémon cards and Pokémon virtual games are very, very, very different.  LOL!  

Just about any Pokémon (virtual) game is as easy as the next, so where you want to start depends on what you like in a game. If you like a more nostalgic feel, try the older black and white versions (Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Yellow).    If you like games with color, but don't want to be confused by extra features, try some of the middle generations like Pokémon Gold or Pokémon Silver.  And if you like your game to include all kinds of silly things to explore, try any of the new games (Pokémon White, Pokémon Black, Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, etc.).  The newest ones also have very impressive graphics and 3-D renderings.

Most of the games have the same goal:  Train a team of creatures by building their strength and acquiring special moves. Defeat 8 gyms which become progressively more difficult, and then challenge the Elite 4 (usually the toughest people to battle in the game).  Additionally, there is always a side plot to the game in which some evil organization is attempting to cause malarkey, and you have to stop along the way to help defeat them.

Aside from the battling, a popular goal of Pokémon games is to 'catch them all'.  Most games have at LEAST 100 Pokémon... some popular and some very hard to meet or catch.  Really though, the games are ridiculously full of things to do.  If you simply play them without trying to challenge yourself, they are pretty simple to get through and mostly self-explanatory.

Singelli : True that Pokemon games are pretty easy, but Pokemon Yellow was much harder than the other two, due to a start that basically forced you to grind a Mankey or Nidoran of either gender in order to take down Brock, unless you wanted to spend a ridiculous amount of time grinding your other Pokemon.

Local Mods : I think this should be in the Pokemon forum.

Anyway, I would recommend trying Pokemon Emerald on here first. It's the most popular, and it almost always has a bunch of people in the chatroom to help you out if you need help. My personal favorite is Pokemon Gold, though, because you get to explore both Kanto AND Johto.

supernerd117 : Lol I opted to spend the ridiculous amount of time grinding so I could use Pikachu to beat Brock. In fact, I just used Pikachu to beat everyone. Oddly, Surge was the toughest gym leader to defeat with Pikachu for me.


If I can make a suggestion though: The Pokemon TCG is the best option in my opinion. I don't like the other games anymore, but the TCG is alright.

In terms of this site, Pokemon Red and Blue were the very first Pokemon games ever released (in the US), so in my opinion, it would be great to start out with the games that started the entire franchise itself. The main difference is that Red has some Pokemon while Blue has others. Either one is good for playing. Pokemon Yellow is next, and then Gold/Silver.

In terms of how to play, as mentioned in the previous posts, the object is to:

1.)Catch Pokemon
2.)Defeat the 8 Gym Leaders
3.)Challenge the Elite Four

Doing so will allow you to beat the game.

My best advice is to capture a team of 6 Pokemon, and raise them evenly. This way, you'll have an answer for every obstacle thrown at you.

I like to explore everything the pokemon game has to offer, especially when it comes to some of the newer games like pokemon white, black and X and Y. Even  if there are a bunch of silly little things, I like to get a feel for all of the extra stuff the game has. 

Although I am not a competitive battler, I really care about forming a balanced team in two aspects:

1.The types of pokemon on my team (grass, water, fire, etc) 

The reason I find this important is pretty self explanatory, you always want to have as much coverage as possible, so having dual type pokemon, or pokemon that can learn a variety of useful moves via level up or Tm are keepers in my book. 


2. And then the roles each of my pokemon have when it comes to battling an opponent

What I mean by this is the role each pokemon will play on your team, for instance, a high attack pokemon like garchomp serves as a better sweeper (attack) pokemon than a more defensive pokemon like shuckle for example. 

I always like to have a team that consists of a few good defensive walls, sweepers, and staller pokemon that have high hp or can learn moves that drain health like toxic or leech seed. 


Once I have a balanced team, I always EV train them to the best of my ability, the reason being so that they can make the most out of their strongest stats rather than ones they don't really need. EV training is pretty simple and straightforward and they have made it a lot easier in the new gens now with super training. It might sound like a hassle, but it can really give you the edge in competitive battling or just doing well in game!


These are some of the major aspects of pokemon all that I focus on, then of course there are other little things that factor in like IVs, breeding, movesets, natures and stuff like that. Overall though, I find it best to take advantage of whatever I can to make sure that I have the edge in a battle. Aside from that, I also focus on completing the game and beating the Elite Four as well. 

Totts : You know? I never really thought of how I played Pokemon games. I mean, come on, some just play it to level Pokemon. So that means playing it like Pokemon Stadium 1&2.

Some, like me, play Pokemon for the story-line. Personally, I like to play the original Red, Blue, and Yellow best. I get nostalgic not playing the original versions at some point. I like all the Pokemon games, don't get me wrong. They all have some wicked graphics. I'm just saying I like the original versions better than them all.

Well I don't know what else to say here so I will take my leave.

~PokePal435 has left the building~