Getting back into Pokemon?

>Are the new games better?

No.

The games aren't better.

The issue you had in x and y. It's way worse in sun and moon

I would skip it all and save up for switch if you want to play Pokemon again

Of course the games will evolve over time, add new features and Pokemon. You can't expect the franchise to completely stagnate. (Though Pokemon has stagnated in a lot of areas.)

XY was probably a bad start. It's probably one of the easiest games, but it has an enormous Dex, introduces a lot of new mechanics, and is very hand-holdy. I'd say to go for Black and White - 156 Pokemon in the regional Pokedex, until post-game, though you can have any Pokemon that was introduced before BW. BW's Pokedex consists entirely of new Pokemon, so it might be overwhelming. But it does feel like a fresh start, and the game is pretty simple.

Top games are
>Platinum
>HeartGold and SoulSilver
>Black 2 and White 2
not necessarily in that order.
The Generation IV engine (Diamond/Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold/SoulSilver) is slower than other games, but I would call it the most solid generation of Pokémon. There are 493 Pokémon overall, plenty of cool events (make sure to look them up if you're playing on an emulator so you can do them), and have a good amount of post-game content. B2W2 is the sequel to BW, so you'd kinda be missing out on some stuff if you didn't play them first, but it's kinda like playing a Generation II game without having played Generation I. They contain a ton of side content and fanservice like battling every Gym Leader and Champion from previous games in a tournament, starring in movies, getting an idol girlfriend/boyfriend, a hard mode, and good Pokémon variety.

>>33339843
Bloat is undoubtedly worse, but they're more newbie-friendly.

There's also more focus on story, so you'll be stopped every 10 seconds whenever you reach a new town.

>>33339898
Adding to BW: it doesn't have a lot of gimmicks or features, and is missing the Fairy type. It introduces Triple and Rotation Battles, but they're optional. Pokemon Musicals are also a thing, but only in one city, and are also optional. There is a heavy emphasis on plot, but it's way better than XY's story. The characters are a lot better than your XY friends, and you have more battles with them.

It's a good game for casuals, but if you're the type who gets upset when they don't have their Pikachu and Charizard, you'll probably hate it. But you can always trade those Pokemon in after you get your first badge.

If DP didn't do anything for you, your best bet is probably to just play HGSS. Platinum fixes a few problems with DP, but you're still playing through the Sinnoh region, so if it didn't resonate with you the first time, it wouldn't the second time.

>>33339898
Black and White have a lot of problems OP had with XY, too, outside of the dex bloat. Most of the time, you're railroaded/roadblocked, and you're frequently stopped by your two rivals (3 if you want to call N one too) and are given a whole bunch of dialogue or explanations.

A lot of you guys seem like you really like Black and White, I think maybe I'll try it out.

>>33340055
Check out HGSS beforehand as it was released earlier, and definitely play BW2 after BW1.

>>33340055
What >>33340062 said, play Heat Gold/Soul Silver first. HGSS is less railroaded than BW, and it'll help ease you into the new era.

BW2 is a must, though. On /vp/, it, HGSS, Platinum and Emerald are generally considered to be the best Pokemon games. It has a ton of content, has a big (but not unwieldy) Pokedex that includes classic Pokemon, it has a ton of optional side content to try, and it has difficulty options. (But you need to buy both games and jump through hoops to utilize them.)

Just for clarification, OP, when you mention
>I couldn't walk ten paces or go through any doors without meeting some random NPC waiting for me, ready to accost me to explain some new gimmick to me, and I felt kind of overwhelmed
You're referring specifically to the friend characters following you around constantly, right? And always blocking your path or meeting up with you to battle or give you an explanation? Because if you dislike that in XY, then the Unova games aren't for you. For a specific example on something that happens in BW1:
>upon reaching the first gym's town, female rival battles you.
>once you get into the town, you have to fight male rival. You cannot move beyond the town until you defeat the Gym Leader.
>you challenge the gym. After beating it, a scientist talks all about an item you need to get for her. You go there with female rival, and fight a few evil team members.
>after getting scientist what she needs, she explains the functions of your bottom screen for you. Saying no does nothing.
>once you leave town, male rival battles you again. Female rival then shows up to say evil team did something wrong again.
>you and male rival stop evil team.
>male rival explains the functions of double battle grass.
It's been a trend ever since BW1, and it didn't stop in XY.

How important is postgame (like Frontier) to you, by the way?

>>33340086
You all seem like you like it, so I'm willing to give it a go.
>>33340115
I guess, I just thought the friend characters were forgettable, and it felt weird being followed by all these people who were being overly friendly with me when I had no reason to like them at all. They didn't feel developed.

Sometimes I feel like the new mechanics detract from the experience. I didn't like how easy it was to just get a random level 100 off the GTS at the start of the game. I really think that trades should only be conducted between friends, enabling asocial trading killed the social aspect of pokemon. The games are always gonna have unique things and mechanics and some gimmicks and I'm okay with those being there, but I really hated all of them being heaped on me in X and Y when I was just focusing on trying to figure out how things worked, and all the shops and places are closed and I kept being led through this gauntlet of attractive gimmicks (tm) when I really just wanted to get to the core of the game's tangible content.

>>33340115
I really like postgame stuff. Emerald's battle frontier totally nailed it, with there being a bunch of challenges and optional stuff to give your teams some more stuff to do. Stuff like the Battle Tower is really important when you've beaten all the trainers on the main map and your only other choice is beating the elite four.

I also really liked going to Kanto in 2nd gen. New maps and unexpected territories are always cool in my book, even stuff like the sevii islands.

>>33339843
>>33339882
The issue with there being so many Pokémon is more of an X and Y thing. This is the number of Pokémon you can locate before the first Gym of each region (or first trial in Alola). Alola simmers down after a bit. Also, I'm going by initial pairs of a generation here.

Kanto (Pallet Town, Route 1, Viridian City, Route 22, Route 2, Viridian City, Pewter City)
>Bulbasaur (starter)/Charmander (starter)/Squirtle (starter)
>Caterpie
>Metapod
>Weedle
>Kakuna
>Pidgey
>Rattata
>Spearow
>Pikachu
>Nidoran
>Nidoran

Johto (New Bark Town, Route 29, Route 46, Cherrygrove City, Route 30, Route 31, Dark Cave, Violet City, Sprout Tower, Ruins of Alph, Route 32, Route 36)
>Caterpie (Gold)/Weedle (Silver)
>Metapod (Gold)/Kakuna (Silver)
>Pidgey
>Rattata
>Spearow
>Jigglypuff
>Zubat
>Bellsprout
>Geodude
>Gastly
>Onix (trade)
>Chikorita (starter)/Cyndaquil (starter)/Totodile (starter)
>Sentret
>Hoothoot
>Ledyba (Silver)/Spinarak (Gold)
>Togepi (egg)
>Unown (A through K)
>Dunsparce

Hoenn (Littleroot Town, Route 101, Oldale Town, Route 103, Route 102, Petalburg City, Route 104, Petalburg Woods, Rustboro City, Route 115, Route 116, Rusturf Tunnel)
>Treecko (starter)/Torchic (starter)/Mudkip (starter)
>Poochyena
>Zigzagoon
>Wurmple
>Silcoon
>Cascoon
>Lotad (Sapphire)/Seedot (Ruby)
>Taillow
>Wingull
>Ralts
>Surskit
>Shroomish
>Slakoth
>Nincada
>Whismur
>Skitty

Sinnoh (Twinleaf Town, Route 201, Sandgem Town, Route 219, Route 202, Jubilife City, Route 218, Route 204, Route 203, Oreburgh Gate, Oreburgh Mine, Route 207)
>Zubat
>Abra
>Machop
>Geodude
>Onix
>Turtwig (starter)/Chimchar (starter)/Piplup (starter)
>Starly
>Bidoof
>Kricketot
>Shinx
>Budew

Unova (Nuvema Town, Route 1, Accumula Town, Route 2, Striaton City, Dreamyard)
>Snivy (starter)/Tepig (starter)/Oshawott (starter)
>Patrat
>Lillipup
>Purrloin
>Pansage/Pansear/Panpour (depends on starter)
>Munna

>>33340265
I mean Nidoran-F and Nidoran-M obviously for Kanto.

Kalos (Vaniville Town, Route 1 Aquacorde Town, Route 2, Route 3, and Santalune City)
>Caterpie
>Metapod
>Weedle
>Kakuna
>Pidgey
>Pikachu
>Dunsparce
>Zigzagoon
>Azurill
>Bidoof
>Burmy (Plant Cloak)
>Pansage
>Pansear
>Panpour
>Chespin (starter)/Fennekin (starter)/Froakie (starter)
>Bunnelby
>Fletchling
>Scatterbug

Alola (Hau'oli Outskirts, Iki Town, Mahalo Trail, Route 1, Beachfront, Trainer's School, Hau'oli City, Route 2, Hau'oli Cemetery)
>Caterpie
>Metapod
>Rattata (Alola Form)
>Spearow
>Zubat
>Meowth (Alola Form)
>Growlithe
>Abra
>Machop (trade)
>Slowpoke
>Magnemite
>Grimer (Alola Form)
>Gastly
>Drowzee
>Chikorita (Island Scan)
>Ledyba
>Spinarak
>Pichu
>Misdreavus
>Smeargle
>Wingull
>Makuhita
>Drifloon
>Klink (Island Scan)
>Litwick (Island Scan)
>Rowlet (starter)/Litten (starter)/Popplio (starter)
>Pikipek
>Yungoos
>Grubbin
>Crabrawler (berry tree)
>Cutiefly

Totals (not counting evolving Pokémon)
>RG Kanto: 11
>GS Johto: 18 (+10 other forms of Unown if you're into that)
>RS Hoenn: 16
>DP Sinnoh: 11 (+5 with gender differences)
>BW Unova: 6
>XY Kalos: 18 (+2 with gender differences)
>SM Alola: 31 (+2 with gender differences)

>>33340202
Well, in regards to all the new gimmicks, the Unova games are still pretty bad when it comes to introducing you to them. A lot of characters will still give you plenty of tutorials on side gimmicks and features, like the previously mentioned C-Gear and Doubles Grass, and in BW2's case, even forces you to go through an entire session of Pokestar Studios along with cutscenes regarding characters who'll hardly ever show up again after said tutorial, and lumps the Join Avenue on you with you becoming owner and all, though you can completely ignore that.

As for postgame, if that's something you love, then HGSS is your best bet. As it's a remake of GSC, you'll be able to go back to Kanto again here, this time in a much more complete format. Things that were missing or butchered in GSC are now restored in HGSS, whether it be music or route sizes. HGSS also shares Platinum's Battle Frontier, and while the gimmicks in that one aren't as outlandish as Emerald's, it still offers a whole new way of battling.

In regards to battling postgame, BW2 isn't as good as Emerald or HGSS if you're looking for things that actually change the flow of gameplay. Postgame PWT is the basic Tower-like format of standard 3v3 gimmickless matches, but with Gym Leader and Champion skins tacked on.

>>33340265
>>33340296
I goofed for Unova. Munna isn't available until AFTER the first Gym.
>BW Unova: 5

>>33340343
I think you can get it before first gym if you play the Blaze Black/Volt White romhacks and go to the Dreamyard and use Cut there which is possible before having a badge.

>>33340307
That's pretty cool, I didn't know they brought back the Battle Frontier after Emerald. I'll have to check out HGSS too.

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I'm in the same boat. Haven't played in about 10 years. I like it as something to do in between work. Working my way to the last gym now at least until I can get Kyogre and Groudon to fuck off. Which I guess entails finding Rayquaza.