How to best REplay a Pokemon Game

File: PokemonBlue.png (33KB, 159x161px) Image search: [Google]

33KB, 159x161px

Figured I'd run this by you guys before I make a more formal version.

The first time you play a Pokemon game, try to make it as fun an experience as possible. Pick the starter you like, catch the pokemon you want, and freely ignore the advice of others. The point of an initial playthrough is to indulge in the magic and wonder of a new world with new Pokemon.

The idea of the REplay is to explore more of the depth that game has to offer, getting into the gritty details, exploring things you may have missed and trying the experience in a new way. There are things like Nuzlocke challenges to give skilled players a hard time, but Nuzlocke discourages risk-taking and we're trying to make the most of a replay, so here are some guidelines I like to use.

1) PLAN YOUR PARTY IN ADVANCE AND ONLY CATCH THE ONES YOU NEED

This one takes some strategy and knowledge of the world, but a preplanned team tends to offer new opportunities and balance. Try to pick pokemon you have never used before: That Starter you laughed at, that pokemon you overlooked, or perhaps even one you really hate. Getting out of your comfort zone and avoiding the simple, user-friendly Pokemon the game tends to offer to new players (Regional bugs/birds, ground/water type, etc) give you a new set of strategies to work around and you might even discover a new favorite.

Try to make it a group of pokemon that you can accumulate fairly early (Within the first four to five badges, maybe) and only catch the ones you need, avoiding "Filler" whenever possible. By properly controlling your party size and going through the early game with 2~4 pokemon rather than 6, you will be able to distribute more exp to each of them, making them level up faster and avoiding the tedious grinding that you had much more patience for during your first playthrough while everything was still new.

Part 2 next post.