Which Pokemon game should I get my nephew?

Since we both don't know how many pokemon he knows and he's trying to learn them all, I would recommend buying HeartGold or SoulSilver first and then Black or White.

HeartGold/SoulSilver are remakes of the original Gold and Silver and focuses on the older pokemon. Black/White are the most up to date pokemon games and focuses on the new 156 pokemon. It's possible to obtain all 493 pokemon in HeartGold/SoulSilver and 649 in Black/White if you (or his parents) help him with online/wireless trading.

You don't need to play pokemon games in order, but playing Black and White first can make HeartGold/SoulSilver feel dated when it comes to gameplay and amount of pokemon... but he's 5 so I don't think he cares about that yet. :P

I recomend Heart Gold or Soul Silver first, they are remakes of the original Gold and Silver for the gameboy color. Silver was my first pokemon game, got it when I was 5 actually, and I still think its my favorite, so your nephew should love the updated version. However, they are all good and very similar so you can't really go wrong with any of them. Oh and in case you weren't aware Soul silver and Heart Gold are essentially the same game, the only difference is a few pokemon are exclusive to one game or the other. The same thing applies to Black and white, and Pearl, Diamond, Platinum as a set.

Heart Gold/Soul Silver are a little easier. I think that's quite a big deal when it comes to a 5 year old. Also HG/SS feature less pokemon and i think it's easier with the nature's and stuff like that.

I think HG/SS is the best for a 5 year old. But B/W is better. Not that a 5 year old would see the difference....

Go with Pokemon White. It is the most recent Pokemon release so it coincides with the cartoon that is currently running on Saturday mornings. The game is much easier that Soul Silver (not sure what those people are on about) as it makes leveling up your Pokemon much easier than in older games. At a later point he will be able to have all of the Pokemon available in White but he would not be able to do that in Soul Silver. I have both games and I prefer White. My eight year old has both games (along with Platinum) and he prefers Black. I got into Pokemon at the time Platinum launched and I would guess that those who prefer Heart Gold and Soul Silver are fans who have been into Pokemon for much longer and prefer the older games because they meant more to them back then than the new ones mean to them now (kind of like how Super Mario 64 will always remain my favorite Mario game despite the fact that the Galaxies have better graphics and the like).

Go with Pokemon White. It is the most recent Pokemon release so it coincides with the cartoon that is currently running on Saturday mornings. The game is much easier that Soul Silver (not sure what those people are on about) as it makes leveling up your Pokemon much easier than in older games. At a later point he will be able to have all of the Pokemon available in White but he would not be able to do that in Soul Silver. I have both games and I prefer White. My eight year old has both games (along with Platinum) and he prefers Black. I got into Pokemon at the time Platinum launched and I would guess that those who prefer Heart Gold and Soul Silver are fans who have been into Pokemon for much longer and prefer the older games because they meant more to them back then than the new ones mean to them now (kind of like how Super Mario 64 will always remain my favorite Mario game despite the fact that the Galaxies have better graphics and the like).

Euaggelistes

I agree with you. But the kid is 5 years old. Pokemon games aren't that hard, but if there's one that is a little hard, it's Black/White.

I also think that the difference in 8 year old and 5 year old is quite big. Not because of the number, but the things they learn and they grow very fast in those years.

I think you're right about the sentimental thing though. After playing HG/SS (which i really like), it wasn't as great as i expected.

I say Soul Silver or Heart Gold because there aren't that many pokemon and there's still the original pokemon in the game. Plus, there are 2 regions to explore, not just one so he'll play longer.

Although everyone here is saying Heartgold and Soulsilver and those are fantastic games I see some problems.

First he is five, he probably likes pokemon because other kids at his school and they are probably playing the newest and coolest one with all the new ones in it. I mean, come on depth and all that jazz means squat when your friends are getting to experience something you aren't.

Also guys I think we have to remember as a lot of you said we have very good memories of Gold/Silver but half of that is remembering playing the games on the playground with your friends, or making that first trade ever for a Graveler and seeing him evolve in front of you without even knowing.

That is why I would say pick him up a copy of Black or White. It is the cartoon he is currently watching on TV, it is the toys he can currently find at the toy store, his friends are probably playing those games, and they are quality games as always. Having said that, any pokemon game is a great place to start and a great experience for any kid, so you can't go wrong buddy.

thank you so much everyone for your help! I'm sure he will be very happy with the gift =)gr8scott

Just curious, which one did you choose?

@xXDante666XxTrue, but i doubt that many 5 year olds have a DS + pokemon game. And then know how to install the options for trading and stuff like that.

Sure B/W is the newest, but also the hardest pokemon game ever. I don't know if a five year old wuld really know how to play the game well and if he would really understand.

(I could be wrong since i'm Dutch and the games are in English, so i didn't understand at a young age like that. My experience with my nephews are that they only push some buttons without knowing why they do it. And they are also around 4/5 years old. True, they don't know english, but it was a game where you only had to jump with you'r character, like super mario bros. If you can't even understand how to play games like that, i wish you good luck with Pokemon...)