Want to be a part of our newsletter? You’re welcome to submit content including (but not limited to) questions, fanart, short stories, your cherished memories, photographs of your collection, and anything else you think you want us to see. A reader that goes by the username ‘Experiencers International’ got in touch with a couple of questions!

Experiencers International, United Kingdom:

I wanted to ask a few questions since I’ve never been into the Pokémon series, and I’ve never played a mainline game (Pokémon Quest is the only Pokémon game I’ve put more than 5 seconds into, and that was purely because that was the only free game I could find when I bought my Switch in 2019).

First of all, what would you consider to be the best mainline game for people to try out if they’ve never played one before?

Next, what would you consider to be the best Pokémon in the mainline game you suggested above?

My personal copy of Pokémon Platinum, featuring the legendary Pokémon Giratina (Origin Forme)

Hello there, and thank you for your questions! I was fortunate enough to play through many mainline games in 2022 in the run-up to Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, and while I could be biased and suggest my favourite Pokémon game: Pokémon Crystal, I would recommend Pokémon Platinum to be the best for someone who has never played a mainline game before. It has a great story, characters, lots of Pokémon, some nice post-game content, and is considered to be one of the best games by many fans.

In response to your second question, the ‘best’ Pokémon will come down to what you plan to do with it. What may have been a viable option for competitive Pokémon play in Platinum may not be the case if you were to carry it forwards today, but if you are referring to a favourite, then I would say the box legendary, Giratina, is a pretty great choice!

However, what I consider to be the best game and Pokémon in the series will be different to someone else. Every Pokémon is somebody's favourite. I urge you to explore the franchise and discover a game you love, and even more so, a Pokémon you can call your favourite. Good luck!