What game to start with

[KiwiDude]

Ok, I am going it buy a new 2Ds XL tomorrow. Don't care about Switch that much, and I love Pokémon, even though the only games I played on a console (i.e. not emulated) were Ruby and FireRed. I had the idea to start with Alpha Sapphire, so I know at least *something* in the game. Do you think it's a good starting point?

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

If you're looking for familiarity with a bit of a different storyline than Ruby, then yes I would suggest Alpha Sapphire.
Personally, though, I wasn't a fan of XY or ORAS, so I would have you either start with Pokémon Platinum version or HeartGold/SoulSilver from Gen IV and work your way through Black/White and Black 2/White 2 in Gen V (in which case you'd most likely have to get the games from GameStop or an equivalent as used games) or I would tell you to just skip straight to Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon.
This is all my subjective opinion because I got bored with X and Y and felt underwhelmed by Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. As a fun fact, I never made it to the end game of any Gen VI game because I was so bored while playing them.

 

[KiwiDude]

If you're looking for familiarity with a bit of a different storyline than Ruby, then yes I would suggest Alpha Sapphire.
Personally, though, I wasn't a fan of XY or ORAS, so I would have you either start with Pokémon Platinum version or HeartGold/SoulSilver from Gen IV and work your way through Black/White and Black 2/White 2 in Gen V (in which case you'd most likely have to get the games from GameStop or an equivalent as used games) or I would tell you to just skip straight to Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon.
This is all my subjective opinion because I got bored with X and Y and felt underwhelmed by Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. As a fun fact, I never made it to the end game of any Gen VI game because I was so bored while playing them.

Don't get me wrong, I played at least 1 game from each gen, but I used an emulator there. It was enough to give me the experience I wanted. And now, with the 3ds, I was asking if it's a good decision to play Gen6 remake first, rather than X/Y, or Gen7. Iasked for a starting point for the 3ds games, not the Pokémon games in general.

P.S. ...thanks for replying, though... (.,.)

 

[CynthiaLover]

@KiwiDude If I was you, I'd go with Alpha Sapphire over XY. XY is very bare bones in terms of content, story, and most everything else. The Gym Battles are pretty bland, too, as they don't take much effort to beat. And your rivals are utter jokes, even your primary one, who only gains "some" skill post-game. Not to mention the worst level pacing system. Seriously, you could have a fully evolved Starter by the time you reach the second gym, and they only grow faster from there to the point you can be ridiculously overleveled by the halfway point. Plus it has Team Flare, who is, by far, the worst team to date, and many gimmicks that are hardly worth the effort. You're better off going with Alpha Sapphire. Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire fixes everything that was wrong in XY (and the Gen III games as a whole), Team Aqua and Team Magma have more "realistic" goals and plans, and just a smoother gameplay/story experience. Also, ORAS offer a lot of extra stuff to do, such as soaring on Latios/Latias for rare Pokemon, trainer rematches (though, sadly, no Gym Leader rematches), the extremely useful DexNav for Pokemon hunting that will often have egg moves, higher levels, and even up to 3 perfect IVs, and just an overall better experience. So I recommend starting with either of the Gen III remakes, though my personal favorite of the two is Alpha Sapphire (due to my days of playing Sapphire way back when). So start with your choice of the remake games, as XY was, in my eyes (and probably others), just the trail stage for a 3DS Pokemon game. If it wasn't for ORAS, Gen VI would be largely forgettable. So go with the Hoenn games, as they are loads better than XY.

 

[KiwiDude]

@KiwiDude So go with the Hoenn games, as they are loads better than XY.

Well, I guess it's decided now: Alpha Sapphire it is. Thanks for explaining a lot of stuff regarding XY! I always thought the games were god-like for being, idk, "revolutionary", but I guess it isn't completely true.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Well, I guess it's decided now: Alpha Sapphire it is. Thanks for explaining a lot of stuff regarding XY! I always thought the games were god-like for being, idk, "revolutionary", but I guess it isn't completely true.

They were revolutionary, no doubt about it, as GF and such were taking a big step in regards to them, but they were also very much like a trial run for 3DS Pokemon games. When compared to later 3DS Pokemon games, XY's flaws and such become a lot more noticeable. They're not outright terrible, mind you, but you'll have more fun with ORAS, as they have more to offer than XY does. But glad I could help, and I hope you enjoy Gen VI Hoenn.

 

[DoctorWhy]

Alpha Sapphire is a solid pick. Personally, ORAS is in my top 3 games in the series (1. HGSS, 2. B2W2, 3. ORAS/Emerald tied)

Another important note for you: Don't play both Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon. Just skip SM and jump straight into USUM. They aren't quite different enough to warrant playing both.

(and the Gen III games as a whole)

Except for butchering a couple dungeons/caves and not including all of Emerald's additions like the Battle Frontier. But yeah it's still a great game overall.