If I never played Pokémon before, is Let’s Go Pikachu worth bothering with?

[Fleet of Foot]

I've never played Pokémon. Any Pokémon. I've played a lot of jrpgs, though, and I'm wondering if this game would have enough depth for me. I'm into the art style but I have no nostalgia for the old game it's based off. I don't really know who any of the Pokémon are. Like I'm not going to be excited if I see a Squirtle. (If a Squirtle is even in this game? That's one of the few Pokémon I can name.)

If I have no nostalgia for it, would it just seem elementary and boring to me?

 

[ILikeFeet]

LG is made for new people. though if you're not ok with a "simpler" rpg, then it's not for you. it's a pretty simple game, even in comparison to other entries with some mechanics taken out. but the series is pretty fuckin basic

 

[Red]

It's very simple, a nice relaxing time, but it's a game primarily designed for children and you'll have to be on board with that to get value out of the purchase.

Nostalgia isn't the only thing it has going for it, but it's not a world shattering title. It's a simple, solid monster-collecting RPG. Not much else to it than that.

Note that despite LG being pared back, it's got some depth beneath the surface if you find yourself interested in the competitive aspect. Each Pokémon has some amount of distinction even among its species due to personality and unique stat distributions (although I imagine the high-level meta will flatten these out, as it always has, with competitive builds), and you can play around with different strategies and approaches to multiplayer battles if you find that kind of thing engaging. You can get deep into their stuff, even if none of it is necessary to complete the game.

 

[Mega Man Zero]

There's a lot of depth to Pokemon battling and raising. Each Pokemon is like a character in another RPG. There is no deeper RPG outside of maybe an MMO, if you're willing to look past its kids anime style. It is basically a simplified Dragon Quest clone made to be playable by anyone old enough to read, though.

 

[Deleted member 9714]

Heck no. Avoid it by all means. Don't let it be your first impression of what Pokémon has to offer.

Wait for Gen 8.

 

[Orb]

It's not a very deep game, but if you're interested in playing a Pokemon game for the first time, you can't really go wrong with this one.

 

[Deleted member 42686]

If dont want challenge at all, then you gonna be just fine with this game.

 

[Ryuelli]

Definitely, they're the most enjoyable Pokemon games in awhile. Don't need to sit through hours of cutscenes and tutorials before you get to the action, and the world feels a lot more alive thanks to Pokemon walking around on the overworld.

It's absolutely a good starting point for someone who has never played Pokemon before.


That being said, if you're looking for something "difficult", Pokemon isn't that series.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

It's simple, but also leans in on nostalgia. I like it for both reasons, but maybe that's not enough for you, as it's a newer take on a classic but basic adventure.

 

[Travless]

I definitely think so. It streamlines a lot of pacing issues that previous entries had, that have turned newcomers off.

 

[Deleted member 36622]

I've never played Pokémon. Any Pokémon. I've played a lot of jrpgs, though, and I'm wondering if this game would have enough depth for me. I'm into the art style but I have no nostalgia for the old game it's based off. I don't really know who any of the Pokémon are. Like I'm not going to be excited if I see a Squirtle. (If a Squirtle is even in this game? That's one of the few Pokémon I can name.)

If I have no nostalgia for it, would it just seem elementary and boring to me?

Click to shrink...

This is not the right Pokémon for those who want depth.

It's supposed to be a jolly stress free adventure, like a Kirby game almost, it is still a great entry point, but keep in mind it is supposed to be easy. Wait for the next one coming in 2019 if you want more challenges.

 

[Jecht]

It's a great entry point and I don't think nostalgia is needed to enjoy it.

 

[jonamok]

It was my first Pokemon game too. Not sure whether I really liked it or not.

In the plus column, it's pretty to look at, relaxing and often engaging.

The only negatives are that it's very linear and ridiculously easy, with almost zero challenge. I just put Eevee in to fight everything - with an occasional sub while I cleared her of any status effects - and I honestly never lost a single fight through the 22 hours it took to see the credits. Not one. Perhaps the post-game content adds depth, but I've no intention to catch 'em all.

So, yes, frequently fun and a mini timesink, but wafer-thin, and very simplistic.

 

[tenderbrew]

It's a very good game (coming from a Pokemon vet) and I've put well over 100 hours into getting shinies and mons with good stats. Definitely what you make of it though. If you plan to just play narrative and be done, ehhhh wouldn't bother. But honestly wouldn't bother with ANY Pokemon game if that's all you're into.

 

[KillstealWolf]

Let's Go is the easiest game in the entire series. With your main starter very likely to just steam-roll the whole game. The less said about the AV system, the better.

Pokemon series has been getting easier and easier since the 3DS Days with more hoops you have to jump through to make it more challenging for yourself, with Let's Go being the worst instance yet.

I would advise picking up Ultra Sun and Moon over Let's Go. Significantly more pokemon to play around with and build a team, Alola is one of the more memorable regions of pokemon to explore with fun characters, great soundtrack and great art direction, it's still very easy but the Totems will give you are run for your money if you are unprepared, you have good online features that you don't have to pay for and you can probably find them for a much cheaper price as well. It should also help you prep for next years titles better as well as they will be based on the more traditional mechanics instead of the watered down versions of Let's Go.

 

[Deleted member 3815]

There's a more traditional Pokémon game releasing next year than Let's Go as Let's go is more of catching game than a full fledged RPG.

Plus Let's Go control scheme leaves a lot to be desired as the best way to play the game is in handheld mode as the one joycon style is far to clunky and Game Freak made the bonded headed choice in not allowing player to use a traditional control.

The only thing that Let's Go has going for it is nostalgia, being a kiddie first Pokémon game and trying to bridge the gap between Go and the core series, which I think it fails heavily at.

 

[MagicDoogies]

It's a very casualized version of Pokemon to be honest. And for all that they took out I wouldn't drop $60 on it.
Honestly just go with Ultra Sun/Moon it's the most entry friendly of the series and has all the new Pokemon in it.

 

[Aveyn Knight]

Normally I'd say yes, since Let's Go is perfect for people who haven't touched Pokemon.

But if you are a JRPG fan, I'd honestly recommend normal Sun/Moon. Just be wary it's fairly linear and there's a lot of hand holding early on.

Failing that, there's Black/White. It's still story driven and is less guided. But it's kinda dated nowadays.

Or if you can wait a year, the upcoming Gen 8 game should be promising.

 

[MadMike]

Pokémon, in general, is a pretty basic JRPG. If you're looking for something challenging, or for a compelling story, the series is probably not for you. It gets more complex if you get into the nitty-gritty details, but those really aren't important unless you're super cereal about battling other players. That said, simply exploring and collecting Pokémon can be fun and relaxing. It's even more so now that you can actually see Pokémon out in the wild, rather than just being randomized encounters.

 

[Deleted member 24021]

It's kinda fun, but overall mediocre. I made the mistake of buying it at $60, buy it after a price drop.

 

[Axisofweevils]

I'm kinda in your situation, OP. Never really got into a pokemon game before and it was always a strange void in my gaming history. But Pokemon Let's Go, I'm hooked. I'm 25 hours into it. Give it a go. You might feel the same.

 

[Aleh]

It doesn't seem like a game that would leave you a good impression of what Pokémon has to offer. Wait for next year's game, that will be more in line with other modern jrpgs, although still quite unique.

 

[Kyzer]

100% , probably the best entry point since Black and White. The game is actually not even as "baby" as I feared. LG is a great entry point to the series because it is a really "pure" vanilla experience that gives you a grasp of the basics without overwhelming you with the convolution of the entire system. Then you'll be ready for gen 8!

Many hardcore pokemon fans seem to have very little idea how convoluted the systems of the series are to a general mass consumer audience, so be aware that they will probably not appreciate the simplicity of this game.

 

[Jacobson]

Heck no. Avoid it by all means. Don't let it be your first impression of what Pokémon has to offer.

Wait for Gen 8.

Click to shrink...

sure, he should wait for gen 8 where there's a fucking thousand total pokemon. that shit's overwhelming for those new to the series.

 

[Rogue Blue]

They're fantastic games. I would say yes, go for it.

 

[ILikeFeet]

sure, he should wait for gen 8 where there's a fucking thousand total pokemon. that shit's overwhelming for those new to the series.

Click to shrink...

considering he's played lots of other rpgs, I doubt it'd be daunting. also, Pokemon doesn't have all the pokemon available in the game anymore. that's a non-issue

 

[Amaterasu]

No. Let's Go Eevee is much better.

 

[Deleted member 9714]

sure, he should wait for gen 8 where there's a fucking thousand total pokemon. that shit's overwhelming for those new to the series.

Click to shrink...

Well, from the OP it sounds like prefers games with content. And Pokémon games don't throw every Pokémon under the sun at you immediately. He and the thousands of other players who play Generation 8 as their first Pokémon game will be fine.

 

[Deleted member 42]

It's the best Pokemon game so yes but get Eevee

 

[Poimandres]

My friend played some Red/Blue back in the day, and hasn't played any mainline titles since. He is, however, very into Pokemon Go so was hyped for this.

He's kind of over it now... Just sort of bored. I played a little with him, and the joycon throwing seemed actually broken?

 

[Deleted member 3815]

sure, he should wait for gen 8 where there's a fucking thousand total pokemon. that shit's overwhelming for those new to the series.

Click to shrink...

Ever since gen 3 Game Freak have carefully limited the Pokédex thus not every Pokémon will appear in the game.

They are not going to be overwhelmed by 1000 Pokémon.

My friend played some Red/Blue back in the day, and hasn't played any mainline titles since. He is, however, very into Pokemon Go so was hyped for this.

He's kind of over it now... Just sort of bored. I played a little with him, and the joycon throwing seemed actually broken?

Click to shrink...

I don't blame your friend, this is the first Pokémon game where I got bored playing it and...kinda regret buying both version. It's brain dead, generic, restrictive and frankly I am so sick of Kanto at this point.

And yeah the Joycon throwing is busted, you're better off playing it in handheld.