Game versions required to complete the full Pokedex?

Question

Hello there, i've previously only played generation 1 and 2 Pokemon Games and am looking at buying a DS to enjoy the later generations.

I would really like to fully complete the pokedex (all regions) and would like some help in establishing what i'll need to get to do this.

Presumably the first thing will be to buy a second hand DS Lite so I can insert the GBA carts; play through those games and trade up to DS versions later?

Are all the GBA version games required?

(Fire Red, Leaf Green, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald)

I'm probably going to be doing this on my own, so in order to trade; I know i'll need a second DS in some form.

From there on; will I need to buy all the DS version games or do some overlap?

I've been looking for a comprehensive answer on this for a little while now, so some help would be greately appreciated before I embark on this adventure and start spending money on things I may not need :-)

Many Thanks

Answer 1

Long post coming up.

There's actually no need to play a GBA game to complete later Pokdex(es). There are no Pokemon that aren't available in Gen IV/ V due to the remakes HeartGold & SoulSilver. With the exception of event legendaries, you should be able to get most Pokemon relatively easily. Rayquaza is probably the hardest to get, requiring the Kyogre and Groudon from HG and SS.

I would suggest you get a 3DS if you want to play any future games; you can play up to Gen V games on a normal DS, but Pokemon X & Y will be released only for 3DS, and it's expected that all future games will only be 3DS compatible. You can still play normal 2D games on a 3DS, so that's better worth of your money.

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I think the games you want for full Pokedex completion in a Gen V game would probably be:

• HGSS (both, to get Rayquaza); you will also get one of the Hoenn & Kanto starters in each game after beating Red; the remaining starters you will either have to trade for or restart a game
• Platinum (you can get Dialga/ Palkia/ Giratina from 1 version); no need for Diamond or Pearl, because Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie you can get in B2W2
• Black & White (so you can get both Tornadus and Thundurus to get Landorus)
• Black 2 & White 2 (so you can get both Regice and Registeel to get Regigigas)

So 7 games in total. :I

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Rather than get double versions, I would advise you to trade with others in order to get a the few remaining Pokemon you need. I think this only works for B2W2 though, since you can swap Regice/ Registeel keys and get the remaining Regi member that you need. Also, while you only get Latias in White 2 and Latios in Black 2, if you have HG & SS you should have both of them already.

There's also a way to get Landorus/ Thundurus/ Tornadus without Black and White, which is through Dream Radar. However, they will have their Hidden Abilities, which is pretty rubbish for Tornadus and Thundurus... if you don't plan on using them in battle, then that's fine.

The fastest way to trade with yourself would be to use another DS. If a friend of yours has a DS, ask if you can borrow it since that will be the easiest way. If you trade often, that might get a bit annoying, so you can get a DS Lite cheap/ second hand, since you'll only be using it for trading anyway.

Comments

Thank you for the detailed response :-) that is pretty much what I was looking for in terms of guidance.

I will try and pick up a cheap DS Lite for trading, although if the GBA games aren't needed I may be able to borrow an unused DSi from family instead to save some cash towards the games instead, thanks for the heads up on that!

I do hope to get a 3DS rather than a DSI for my own personal use though, certainly for future game support!

Thanks a lot for your time and help ;-)