1. Black & White 1. People complain about not having access to older Pokémon until the post-game, but IMO that is a GOOD thing for a new player. Having a limited roster allows for much tighter game design. It is also easier for a new player to only have to learn 150 Pokémon with their type matchups and abilities as opposed to the ~400-600 that are commonly used in most other games. Remember that it is nkt just about the 6 Pokémon in tbr player's party, but also the Pokémon they are battling AGAINST that a player needs to understand to play the game.

For every single gym, there is an area where you can catch a Pokémon to counter it nearby. Very often you encounter a trainer who shows you a new Pokémon, and then it is available on thr next route.

With older gens you might not have all of the great improvements the series has made over time. Physical/special split, abilities, held items, color, multiple bag pockets, etc. Big Stadium and Small Court are available early as a source of exp and money farming that scales. The battle subway is great. The experience curve was re-worked and is much better. The games run and move a lot faster than Gen 4 and anything that came later.

The only downside is that, as DS games, it is annoying to have to emulate the 2nd screen and touch it occasionally. These games use that screen less than most DS games though.

2. FRLG. Really polished, no second screen. Sucks that there is no physical a special split, but other than that has most of the important mechanics and is still a polished experience.