As early visitors to this post may tell, I voted for GSC, but it's a toss-up in my head between that generation and RBY.

Both had some cracker moments - and despite my choice, there have been fewer more precious gaming moments for me than the first time I fired up Blue Version on my giant 4-AA-battery see-through original GameBoy :P

In fact, I'm in a semi-stream-of-consciousness mood today...

Pallet Town, Viridian Forest, the early fight with your rival, the battle with Brock (and stupid useless Bide), levelling up your starter for the first time (Bubble/Ember/LEECH SEED *sigh*), seeing your Pidgey evolve into awesomely-cool Pidgeotto, muddling through Mt Moon, CELADON CITY!, the rare candy behind the Gym-Badge-Explainer's house, Fighting Misty (and the useful-EXP Goldeen trainer before her), crossing Nugget Bridge, the patch of grass where you find Bellsprout for the first time, THUNDER WAVE TM, fighting the above-Nugget-Bridge trainers, BILL'S House!, watching him transform, the SS ANNE!!, the underground path to Vermillion, the girl who wants to trade Nidorans, Fighting your Rival (~l16) on board the ship, rubbing the captain's back, HM CUT!, fighting Lt Surge (and flicking the right gosh-darn switches), DIGLETT's CAVE!, finding a WEIRD l29 DUGTRIO!, trading for Mr Mime, muddling through Rock Tunnel, *not laughing, Hah-choo!, Ha-choo!* Hiker near the exit, LAVENDER TOWN!, Pokemon Tower, the Pokeflute, CELADON CITY!, the game corner, the Department store (and the drinks on the top, ICE BEAM AND ROCK SLIDE!), defeating Erika (stupid Victreebel/Tangela), Rocket's Game Corner hideout, the Silph Scope, uncovering the Ghostly Marowak, crushing Mr Fuji's captors (HE WENT THERE OF HIS OWN ACCORD?!), using the Bike Voucher to head down Cycling Road, fighting all the stupid Cue Balls, trading for Lickitung at the end, navigating around the stupidly-designed Fuschia City, defeating Koga (and the semi-invisible walls), the SAFARI ZONE!! - DRATINI caught using a Super Rod!!!, Surf and Strength in one place - the Golden Teeth and the Rare Candy behind the boulder back in Fuschia, heading "round the back way" to Lavender Town for more training/EXP, surfing across the ocean to the Seafoam Islands, fighting the Seel trainer there, capturing Krabby, getting MIGHTY CONFUSED over the boulder puzzle, RANDOMLY COMING ACROSS ARTICUNO!!, finally Surfing to Cinnabar Island, the Laboratory - de-fossilising the Old Amber, heading into the burned out building, finding the weird Mew/two diaries, getting attacked every five freaking seconds, finally escaping, fighting Blaine (SUPER easy with Blastoise), heading back to Viridian, smashing Giovanni and all the super-good EXP trainers in the Gym, heading west to Victory Road, *an hour later*, the Elite Four, Crushing Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha and Lance before finally defeating Gary - what a stunning game...

*faints*

I'm going with GSC also. Of course, I've only played the first two generations and the Japanese Emerald, but I think the second group was really the best. They improved everything from the first set (graphics, animations, moves, new pokes) and still managed to include Johto -- or whatever the first land is called -- as well. Heck, I even had a trade link for a few friends to use.

Part of the reason that 2nd generation seems so rosy is because everything was so manageable. I balk at my memorization skills now, but being familiar with 250-300 pokemon tops back in the day was still pretty impressive. To boot, it was expansive and didn't seem overly long or difficult. I never played Crystal but had both Gold/Silver and still think of them fondly.

Nowadays things seem kind of confusing and I'm behind the times quite a bit, but being able to manage and multitask all that stuff back then was just peachy. WIGGLYTUFF 4EVER.

I am still really really partial to 1st Gen Pokémon. Squirtle was the first Pokémon I ever had... and he is still my favorite.

Now, I love the whole G/S/C storyline and game. It was awesome to be able to visit both regions and get 16 Gym Badges.

*hugglez Squirtle*

Pokemon Blue was my first EVER video game, it was awesome to me when I first turned it on. I played that game non-stop. I was stuck in Rock Tunnel for a month >____>

But my vote goes to G/S/C, specifically Crystal.

EV's, awesome pokemon (Houndoom :D), 16 badges, going back to Kanto, it was an amazing experience.

G/S/C, no question. Not only what it the longest game, it also had the largest number of directly in-game Pokemon. Between G & S, there were only a handful you couldn't get. Add to that that, for the first time, individual pokemon got their own polts (Ho-oh & Lugia, and even the Legendary Dogs) and you've got a steller little sequel. The whole Team Rocket sub-plot was great too. And man, I'm never gonna forget trecking through Mt. Silver and fighting Red, or going to Viridian and battling my cousin (the last person I traded with, of course)

The newest Diamond and Pearl were a let down for me. If not for wireless play it wouldn't even be worth it. Now its annoying when they say somethings new but 90% of the new Pokemon are just evolutions of old ones and the other 9% are legends. Legendary used to be something rare, now there almost as common as dirt.

Diamond and Pearl did change the confusing Physical/special system, but in my opinion the system still doesn't make sense.

Ruby and Sapphire were good for the new double battles, but not being able to trade backwards was really annoying, and there were still a tad too many legends.

I'm with the majority, the second generation was the best if you no other reason that introducing two new types(Scizor). It was when it was cool to see a new evolution, I didn't like the idea of Pre-evolutions though but I was still the best. You could trade freely and got to fight your old self. Sneaking in the national park was fun too.

Nintendo wasn't abusing the event tickets then either, so you could get everything in the actual game you paid for. None of us ever found Celebi though...

can't catch me

Great comments all-

GSC for its scope, "compactability" (right Shotty?), wealth of new features (surprised no one added the day/night feature; to me, that was best done in GSC), new types, Kanto! - seems to be very popular.

I agree completely with you Bulbasaur on pre-evos. I was unsure of how to receive breeding when it was first introduced. I still don't like the time it takes to breed moves you want, and (without the help of serebii or something), it's not very clear.

Speaking of serebii, I am SURE that when I first played Crystal I caught Celebi. As in, completed the game, went to some website, followed some directions, ended up at the Shrine in Ilex Forst (what happened to cool names for places, btw?!) and caught her.

However, realism now tells me that can't really have happened.

Still, I'd like to believe... :'(

Oh, and Corrupted Link, Blue was my first EVER videogame too. Playing it for the first time was magic :D

I loved G/S (never had silver). I adored my Typhlosion and Ampharos. I wasn't a competitive battler and watched the anime along with it. Once I got into competitive battling and learning about EVs and not supposed to have multiple moves on the same type on pokemon, it just killed the game for me ;_;

I enjoyed day/night and would do the bug catching events at any chance possible as well as just having fun and trying to level up my pokemon and collect every one.

GSC because Silver was my first game and I can kind of remember how excited I was when I played it. That feeling has mostly disappeared now that I'm used to the pokemon games, and I know so much more about them. I remember I lost Silver for months, and finally found it, just to discover that the internal battery was dead.

My starter was a Feraligatr with Cut, Hydro Pump, Surf and Whirlpool.

I didn't read what Elm told me to do in the beginning. I couldn't figure it out, so I battled wild pokemon. My starter evolved before I found Mr. Pokemon's house.

My first level 100 pokemon was an Alakazam with a surprisingly good moveset: Psychic, Fire Punch, Recover and Flash.

The rest of my team was Lugia, Ho-oh, Espeon and Snorlax (which knew Blizzard and Hyper beam).

I also trained a Misdreavus and a Dragonite.

I can probably list memories all night.

I'm hoping for a remake now, just so I can go back to Johto. But, of course, it won't be the same. You can only have your first game once.

the battle with Brock (and stupid useless Bide)

I've actually gotten some use from Bide on low-level pokemon that can't do much else until I've trained them for a few hours.

G/S/C was the best by far. I loved the Originals so much that I actually knew what the starting pokemon was in every trainer's line-up. I played Gold version even more. At first I thought more pokemon was stupid, but IDC anymore, some are good some re bad, but the first gens are the best. Nevertheless The second generation of games was the best outing.

I love my Ruby version as well, I bought the GBA for it. I also really like D/P, however the feeling is different, it is rather strange. I love D/P but somehow they didn't capture some of the magic that the other 3 generations had. I hope the 5th generation or D/P's "yellow" version recaptures some of that magical feeling.

I've actually gotten some use from Bide on low-level pokemon that can't do much else until I've trained them for a few hours.

Compared to Bubblebeam, Bide is nothing :P

But I see your point. I suppose it would be useful on Metapod/Magikarp?

Like everyone else, G/S.

Heh, Silver was my first pokemon game. I had to get my cousin to show me how to get out of your mom's house. It never occurred to me to try walking toward the pink rug...

Lol bubba, but that was the obvious exit :O, the same place where you came from

CAN I HAZ YOUR PINUTS

I lost my crystal but yeah same as everyone else and red version as well.

It's really a shame that most copies of G/S/C have had their internal batteries die... I tried to buy a new copy of Gold version , but it wouldn't save. I even dug up my old Silver, but it's fried too. *sigh* Maybe there'll be a remake someday, ormaybe they'll come out on hte Vertual Console.

I know its a banned subject but you can still play g/s/c roms on your comp and they are fully saveable.

CAN I HAZ YOUR PINUTS?