What do you think of the first gen?

[lucktown]

How good do you think is it compared to the other gens? Why do you like/not like it?
I haven't seen anything like this here (tell me if there is) and there are a lot of people thinking that it still is the best one (not talking about the people who say every other gen sucks). I am interested in what you think.


I really like it, but in my opinion it is in the bottom half of the Pokemon games. It is a great start for the series, but some things in the game are broken (for example the crit ratio) and you don't have that many Pokemon to choose from. The Pokemon designs are as good as in every other Pokemon game and even though it's not my favorite now, it still is by far my favorite childhood game (played it since I was 4 and still sometimes play it).

 

[WiiAssasin]

inb4mr

 

[Koshi]

1st Gen? Ahhhhhhhh, the nostalgia... Defeating trainers one by one with Cha-Squirtle

All in all, it's a great Gen. I'm suprised no one really abandoned Red, Blue and Yellow (Not much Green), Even though I know that they're the games that started it all.

 

[lucktown]

inb4mr

That probably sounds dump, but what do you mean by that?

Defeating trainers one by one with Cha-Squirtle

Squirtle ftw :thumbsup: (although Bulbasaur is pretty awesome too)

I'm suprised no one really abandoned Red, Blue and Yellow

I think it will never die. It's very popular for the age, sequels, and good remakes.

 

[lildan596]

1sr gen fav gen

 

[lucktown]

1sr gen fav gen

I wanted to know why. I know that many people prefer the first gen, but I want to hear different reasons than "all other gens suck"

 

[Splash_King]

inb4genwunmystyrsnessnesses

fix'd

How good do you think is it compared to the other gens?

Comparing Gen 1 t' newer Generations without respecting the retro games' time periods, obviously every game which came after RBY is better. Better balance, moar Pokemon, better overworlds and more battle complexity. This much is obvious. As such, it's a very pointless comparison.

'Course, comparin' the games when keepin' in mind their date of release and what they did for the series is actually a valid topic of discussion. In that regard, I'd say RBY is very high up there. Obviously it's the start'a things and for it's time, was ****in' brilliant. Pokemon's formula as a game was excellent and original. RG took the staple turn based RPG formula and renovated it with innovative ideas such as the necessity of trading. Never before had an RPG embraced such a social aspect like trading 'n battling with friends in such an interestin' way. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some tacked-on multiplayer for a retro RPG, but Pokemon was designed with such a thing in mind. T'is why version differences were spawned, to further build upon the need to trade by makin' certain 'mons exclusive to a particular version.

I could go on further 'bout why RG were such grand games, but that's not necessarily the topic. My point is that RBY could certainly be considered the height of the series 'cause of what it brought t' handheld gaming, as well as settin' the grand series into motion.

GSC did some nice things for the series; 'specially Pokemon designs IMO; but wasn't exactly revolutionary like RG was. RSE was even less innovative indeed, bringin' only extra battle complexity to the series via abilities, the Battle Frontier and Double Battles. DPP really delved into Pokelore, literally the most important addition t' battle complexity with the physical-special split and the introduction of GTS and Wi-Fi play. The latter-most option is without a doubt the most important thing for Pokemon as a series, since multiplayer; one'a Pokemon's defining features; could now be conducted between people at any time across any distance... however, this wasn't an innovation so much as an expected feature. Ain't like t'was the first DS game t' implement Wi-Fi. As such, DPP can't really take credit for that sadly.

Finally, we have BW1/2. I believe Gen 5 is the only Generation that can compete with what RG did for the series. BW1 brought an actual focus on story for the first time in forever. Actual character development and a focus on the logic behind a character's personality and their role in the story. A truly grand game can't just be raw great gameplay. This step forward for the series is an incredibly important one indeed, for the betterment of Pokemon as a whole. Too much weight can't be put on this since it ain't like BW1's plot is the work of an author with immaculate writin' skill or nothin', but I'm moreso concerned by the fact BW1 might of been a huge turning-point for the series to begin includin' some real stories inside the tried 'n true formula of Pokegameplay.

Unlike DPP, BW1/2 did innovate with Wi-Fi like few non-PC games have done before; if any at all; with the Dream World. GTS connected the world's trainers, now the Dream World gave these trainers somethin' more than trading and battling. Somethin' completely different.

Another good point would be the music. I haven't wholly enjoyed Pokesoundtracks like I did RBY and GSC's 'til Gen 5 rolled on in. An NPC in Gen 5 actually mentions how Game Freak worked extra hard on the tunes, and I really felt like that effort shined through. Nostalgia aside, I believe Gen 5 actually has the best PokeOSTs to date. I feel Game Freak really gave it their all for BW1.

Lastly, BW2 itself. BW2 has officially broken the mold of the Yellow/Crystal/Emerald of every Generation. No more cleaned up re-releases sold at full price. Instead'a minor fixes to the plot, we now get a true sequel with a new plot all together. I think we can all agree that this is a welcome change, and a huge one at that.

With my thoughts on the matter spoken, I'd honestly say that if you take away the fact Gen 1 was the beginnin' of the series and therefore automatically gets the win for innovation, Gen 5 takes the cake. This Generation brought some non-battle complexity improvements 'n innovation to the series not yet seen outside of grand ol' spin-offs like Mystery Dungeon. Furthermore, as mentioned 'bout the plot, the window is open for Gen 6 to REALLY steal the spotlight. The true venture into 3D Pokegames Colosseum 'n XD failed to implement, the possibility of the games havin' a grandeur plot... BW1/2 was the beginning of a new beginning for Pokemon, I'd say.

Gen 5 > Gen 1

 

[The_Man]

Personally, If feel that gen 1 was the starting point of a franchise, by no means is it bad but the other ones improved the concept, while still keeping the parts you love. Still, I think Gen 5 takes the cake as the best.

 

[Espmaster_]

Gen 1 was a very flawed generation. Much of the praise for it goes to its concept, and its concept certainly was a great one. However, the developers took alot of easy ways out when designing the game, [STRIKE]mostly because of it being rushed to the market[/STRIKE]. This leads to weird gameplay mechanics (such as the critical/speed relationship and boxes needing to be manually changed) as well as a plethora of strange glitches. Concepts aside, Gen 1 pales in comparison to another other generation, because the Pokemon available and the moves of those Pokemon didn't open the doors to a huge amount of strategy. However, is it really fair to judge it in retrospect? First time playing through the game, it is definately an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. With newer games out, there are three reasons one might want to go back and play the old ones.
1. The difference in the way the game works. Pokemon that are now considered useless, like Flareon, were excellent then because of the completely different stat system and balance in the games.
2. Nostalgia. I guess you can argue that we have FR/LG for that, but some people may feel it's not quite the same.
3. Glitches. Alot of fun to mess around with. Some of the glitches in this are among the most famous in video game history, namely Missingno and the Mew Glitch.

Whenever I hear this game described, I hear extremely cliche phrases like "had to start somewhere" and "good beginning to the series." And while this is very true, I want to explain this position in more detail.
Like I said, this game is nothing to other games in the series, with all of its numerous programming flaws and one-sided battle mechanics. However, if you compare it, not to other Pokemon games, but to RPGs as a whole, you notice that these games bring the RPG concept to a whole new level with the inclusion of over 100 catchable team mates, rather than a select few you get by doing side quests. This makes the games more fun in several ways: for one, you have something worthwhile to collect. For another, you can choose whatever you want, mix and match, get it whenever you want, teach it whatever you want; in other words, your entire team is up to you. It's really no wonder that these games quickly because the coolest thing to do in elementary schools everywhere, and is still going strong today.

 

[lucktown]

So most people agree that it is good, because it is the start of the series and added new things to the series (Splash_King was very accurate with that ) and because of the big nostalgia factor, but it still looses to all or most other generations.

 

[Splash_King]

No, not at all. Gen 1 is the second best Generation for the series solely from what a bloody brilliant game it was overall. Even when takin' away the fact that it's the beginning and therefore instawins for series innovation, t'was still a revolutionary video game as a whole and 'specially for handheld games. No Pokegame since has done so much for gaming, not even close, as all future mainstay games play it very safe and refuse t' experiment and innovate.

As such, one could argue that, on a literal scale of comparin' Pokegames without respecting their seniority, Gen 1 is actually better than Colosseum/XD and RSE. The former two are just poorly made games overall, whereas RSE doesn't have the charm all Pokemon games have in some amount; GSC and 'specially RGBY particularly exhibit this charm (and no, I don't mean nostalgia).

Gen 1 was a very flawed generation. Much of the praise for it goes to its concept, and its concept certainly was a great one. However, the developers took alot of easy ways out when designing the game, mostly because of it being rushed to the market.

Absolutely false. RGBY wasn't rushed at all. The game was in development for many years, halted for a few due to dried up funds even. Nor did developers take "the easy way out". Implyin' Tajiri and his team didn't work immeasurably hard on Gen 1 is blatant slander.

This leads to weird gameplay mechanics (such as the critical/speed relationship and boxes needing to be manually changed) as well as a plethora of strange glitches.

These "weird" gameplay mechanics aren't strange at all. The effect speed has on crit ratio was designed t' counterbalance bulky Pokemon and frail-but-speedy Pokemon. It makes perfect sense that a speedy Poke could more easily strike a slower foe's weak points. Manual box changing was likely just a programming limitation, as it was still a thing in GSC. If not, perhaps the developers' inexperience was t' blame. Either way, it definitely wasn't laziness.

The glitches are definitely a result of the team's vidya gaem programming inexperience. GSC, despite bein' released very quickly, had it's code cleaned up very well as well.

 

[Espmaster_]

Absolutely false. RGBY wasn't rushed at all. The game was in development for many years, halted for a few due to dried up funds even. Nor did developers take "the easy way out". Implyin' Tajiri and his team didn't work immeasurably hard on Gen 1 is blatant slander.

I never meant that they didn't worked hard on the game. As for the game being rushed, I suppose my sources were incorrect, I'll make sure to get verification from several before acting like I know what I'm talking about next time. By "easy way out" I simply meant the loose way the game was coded, which worked fine most of the time but allowed the existence of all of the weird glitches. As for the whole crit ratio thing, your explanation makes sense, but it did sort of flip-flop the balance.

 

[Splash_King]

I don't get what ya mean by a "loose way" of programmin', but either way it's moreso a matter of poor programming overall. Tajiri 'n friends weren't the most experienced vidya gaem developers and therefore lacked some expertise. 'Sides, it's only natural there'd be numerous glitches as every game would have, worked on by veteran programmers or not.

Not to mention most'a the glitches are initiated by abusin' the limited way data is loaded or breakin' a sequence, things of that nature. It's almost impossible t' encounter 'em 'less you try. In that regard the game's code's stability is fine.

 

[Neosquid]

First gen is worst gen [/anti nostalgiafag bias]

On a more serious note, I think it's a pretty cool generation. The games were pretty simple, perhaps too simple, but they were obviously the most revolutionary Pokemon games. You can try to deny that if you're stupid. Really stupid. The Pokemon designs themselves are good too, not my favorite, but still cool.