Topic: Are the GB Pokemon games worth it?

So i have 145 dollars and im going to spend it on Twilight Princess HD and both Fire Emblem Fates games. ill have around 20 or so dollars left. Should i get Pokemon yellow and is it worth it?

Nope.

The only reason why the majority of the site is getting it is due to Nostalgia.

The game is poorly paced, the combat is sluggish, and the type match-ups aren't balanced in the slightest. That being said, I'm getting the game because of said Nostalgia, otherwise you should skip it.

They were brilliant at the time. No reason to play them today though. Just play the more recent ones.

I'm loving it, but I wouldn't recommend it for those who have never played the originals. Everyone else would be much better off with a future rerelease of FireRed and LeafGreen (here's hoping that they too will be released, if not on 3DS, than as Wii U VC titles).

Many battle mechanics and features that we take for granted today are not included in the originals. You are limited to 20 items in your bag, HMs cannot be deleted (unless the Gen II games are released at one point, and either way, it's a horribly convoluted process), you cannot breed your Pokémon, and grinding can be quite a chore (though the faster pacing of the battles makes up for this a little). There are many other deficiencies as well, but they just aren't springing to mind at the moment. At least FireRed and LeafGreen conform more or less to the standard that the main series is held to today.

If you're a current Pokémon fan and have played Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver or Crystal back in the day, you are likely to enjoy these as well. If not, you'd best stay away as you may be surprised by just how limiting the experience is. Those who've never played a main series Pokémon game before may also enjoy this as a starting point before "graduating" to the meatier and deeper experiences of the current games, and may find R/B/Y to be less intimidating.

If you end up buying any of them though, you'd probably be best off with Yellow as it is the most refined of the three releases, and is the only version that has been released in colour in the eShop. Just make sure that you have a Mankey or Nidoran (with Double Kick) before taking on the first gym. Mercifully, the movesets of Nidoran were adjusted for Pokémon Yellow to make it possible to defeat Brock. =P

I don't know. The older games come with more simplicity, no handholding and an actual challenge. I wouldn't write them off like that. All of the games have their own positives and negatives, and if you can look beyond the 8-bit limitations, there's still a decent game to be found.

@Tsurii: Problem with that is it is likely that abilities, natures and IVs will be completely randomized when sent.

Yellow no. Great for nostalgia but as others pointed out very primitive. Instead if you must buy a gb Pokemon game buy Pokemon Puzzle League. Its less then five dollars and really a good value. It held u better then yellow. Note this puzzle game is hard.

I disagree, I bought pokemon blue and the core mechanics whilst not refined are really good. There is a reason why pokemon got so popular and if these games weren't any good, then it wouldn't have managed to become as big as it did.

Couldn't have said it better.

I found myself enjoying it more than I expected. If you don't have the superior GBA remakes FireRed and LeafGreen, this is still a very solid game. The interface is frustratingly bare-bones and the Pyschic-type is overpowered in generation 1, but other than that it's still a fantastic game in its own right.

If you're curious about where the behemothic franchise started, or are pining for a reminder, then yes. If you want something that jumps out of the screen at you and constitutes easy, attention-grabbing entertainment, then I don't think so, no. You have to invest yourself in the titles much more than modern games, as the world is drawn with a much lighter touch, but I still think it constitutes an excellent all round experience (despite the "frustratingly bare-bones interface", as @Rensch says.

It's Pokemon at its purest, and the lack of options and variables (compared to the modern games) certainly makes it easier to barrel on through the adventure (without, for example, fussing over the nature, gender, IVs, or EVs of your Charmander). I think this also adds more significance to the choices you do have to make. There can be some grinding, but I like the music so much that I'm often happy enough to play parts of the game through audio cues while I do something else. But when you're pushing on with the story, there's definitely nothing better to do while listening to Pokemon music than actually play Pokemon.