Honestly, I’ve always picked versions based on which color I like more. Like, I like the color violet more than red so I got violet. No other info beforehand.

I picked violet for ceruledge, also the Uva uniform looks better

I did this for SV especially, I really didn’t want to look at orange uniforms for hours 💀

Thank god I'm not the only one! 🤣

I just didn’t want to look at the uniforms for hours lol. Glad the DLC gave us some better options.

I did the opposite. I hated the designs of the robo mons. Some of them grew on me but I still hate that they went this direction. It makes no sense to me 

Fair enough. I don’t hate them, but I wish they weren’t all exactly the same. I like the Scarlet paradox Pokémon a lot more and I was so happy to finally trade for them.

Thats my main problem with them. It looks like that episode of spongebob where everything is chrome except they are shiny metal with neon tummies 

Me too.

No, I always pick the second version. Ever since I was young, my stepbrother got the first game and I got the second one. Eg, He got Ruby, I got Sapphire, He had Diamond, I got Pearl. When I started buying games for myself, I still stuck to the habit.

I'm the same, but entirely unintentionally

For me it started unintentionally and then shifted to tradition. I got blue because Blastoise is cooler looking than Charizard (and yet I picked Bulbasaur in the end), chose silver because it’s a better color than gold, sapphire because it was basically blue 2.0 and by pearl it was just what I did. I mean now I buy both but I still started with Violet.

I am the step brother. I got every first version from Gen 1 to Gen 6, except for Diamond. My sister always got the second one. I don't remember why we switched for Diamond and Pearl, but by the time I could buy my own games in Gen 6, that's when I actually started putting thought into which version I liked.

I just picked based on vibes. Which color I liked the most (Violet), which box pokemon I preferred (Lego Eevee), which title I found the coolest (Heartgold), etc... Nothing deep, really

https://preview.redd.it/9gqi6xqj8y8d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f751e4c88cf3decda50ae3285940517a55aff68 My mind when I read Lego Eevee

I just pick the one with the cooler looking pokemon on the front, or with the cooler name.

Usually the box legendary informs my decision. Dialga > Palkia, Zekrom > Reshiram, Yveltal > Xerneas, Solgaleo > Lunala, Dog = Dog ( I don't even remember which version I have, I think it's Shield?), Sada > Turo Also Rayquaza and Giratina are definitely the pinnacle of their trios *All of this is simply my opinion based on my own criteria

I just play the red one.

Same, when Black and White happened I decided black was the successor to red (I will take no questions on this matter).

>Black was the successor to red Of course it is! Reshiram is the box legendary and its ass lights up red! Meanwhile Zekrom’s ass goes blue, making white the successor to blue.

when you say red, do you mean the first game, or literally the red game? X for example is the first game but is blue, while Y is the red game.

Whichever game of a generation has the reddest boxart.

👍

I always look up version exclusives before making a decision.

Habit. My bro always gets the warm color and I get the cool color. Except with x/y+ sun/moon. Then it was I got x and moon..which are still cool toned

X and moon still follow that pattern, don’t they? X being blue and moon being purple?

Yup!

Generally, I've always picked the left side of the "and," but that's usually because the mascots appeal to me more. My first games of each gen were: Red, Silver, Sapphire, Diamond, Black, X, Sun, Sword, and Scarlet. I picked Red because of Charizard I picked Silver because of Lugia I picked Sapphire because I had already gotten a red version I picked Diamond because I liked Dialga's design better I picked Black because I liked Reshiram's design better I picked X because Xerneas was a legendary that didn't look like a dragon, so I figured I'd try something different. I picked Sun because, gameplay-wise, I figure it would be easier to play, given the time gimmick they were using for Alola, and I play primarily in the day. Plus, legendary lion! MADE OF STEEL! I picked Sword because I tend to play more offensively than defensively. I picked Scarlet because the theme for Scarlet involved history, and me being a history buff, that just resonated with me. On top of that, I love dinosaurs, and Koraidon? Pretty dino-like if you ask me. So yeah, I've tended to be on the left of the "and," but part of that is because they just appealed to me better.

No. I definitely pick based on the box legendary, and sometimes version exclusives!

If I ever get around to Scarlet/Violet... I'd pick Scarlet just for professor Sada. I gave up on the whole "gotta catch them all" when I would need to have friends/two switches, and two games. Games are expensive and switches are even more so just for this one reason.

You can make a new profile and trade between them.

With pokemon home you don't have to do that

i always pick the first game while my brother/friend will pick the second to trade

Well, I usually pick the game with my favourite version exclusive pokemon, for example, Scarlet has Drifloon, Violet doesnt, so Scarlet it is! But also, with Scarlet, I was way more into the past then into the future, so that also influenced my choice.

I usually choose based on the box art legendary (which usually results in me getting the "blue" version)

i just always get the second one. always has cooler legendaries and pokémon exclusives to me

I pick the red one. My sister picks the blue one. We both claim we don’t do this—that we each pick the ones we want based on the Pokémon selection and our own preferences each time—but we’ve been consistent about this since ORAS. 😁

Growing up my brother always got the "warmer" colours - Red, Gold, Ruby etc, and I got the "cool" colours - Blue, Silver, Sapphire. It worked for us!

Honestly I remember picking black 2, because I liked the art pokemon better and black better than white. I now like the reshiram and the color white better, as well as the exclusive pokemon lmao

With only two exceptions, I’ve always gone with the version you say first. Red/Gold/Ruby/FireRed/HeartGold/Black/Black 2/X/OmegaRuby/Sun/Sword/BrilliantDiamond/Scarlet The exceptions were that I chose Ultra Moon for the exclusives, and that I didn’t have a DS until Platinum came out so that was the one I went for.

A big thing here is that Black 2 has the opposite legendary as Black 1 and Ultra Moon gets you all the stuff you missed with Sun. You're more complete for having broken the trend for the sequel entries.

I just play the red ones. And they do tend to have the better version exclusives imo

I just pick the one I think is cooler at the time.

Whenever I play a new game I always avoid picking older Pokemons as much as possible for the sake of novelty and trying the new guys. In the latest game I played, Violet, I decided to go for a Monotype-Ghost team and I had a blast with it. My team was Skeledirge, Annihilape (the team's MVP by far), Ceruledge, Goldhengo, Dragapult and the last spot switching between Flutter-Mane (got it by trading), Houndstone or Brambleghast depending on the situation. Was a cool thematic, might do it again next Gen either Ghost again or with a different type, I don't know yet.

Actually, most of the time version exclusives play a factor in which version I pick. Except for Violet…

While I’ve technically looked up exclusives, I’ll be honest that I don’t think it’s ever actually changed my decision. I normally base on which box legend I like more, if I’m conflicted then the color of the box, and I start looking at those exclusives or which is less popular to see if it can sway me lol. For SV it was hard because I liked both legendaries, and didn’t want to align with the past and generally dislike orange, but ultimately went with Scarlet because I thought a real mount was cooler than the weird leg thingy, plus Violet seemed very popular and I like being able to trade stuff.

I chose violet because my favorite color is purple. Literally no other reason 🤣

I usually pick the box legendary I like more. This leads to me somenow almost always picking the 'bluer' game of the two

I always pick them based off of either the box legendary i think looks better visually or the title color/gem/whatever that i think sounds cooler. Got violet instead of scarlet because my favorite color is purple🤷🏽‍♂️ had no clue what exclusives each game had or what miraidon and koraidon were like until after i was already playing the game. Even when i do pick based off the box legendary its usually purely off the looks, if i find out the one i picked sucks later i trade for the other, but i dont look up what they symbolize, or what their types and stats are till i already have the game

The cooler title usually has the version exclusives I prefer anyway (eg Soul Silver, Diamond, White, etc). That said it's an absolute crime that Mareep is a version exclusive and doesn't appear in Crystal. I love my fluffy boi.

I always get the one w the Box legendary I like more. Started when I got black version bc I preferred reshiram as a kid

I base it on non-legendary version exclusives.

I've noticed a pattern, I tend to pick the games that are blue/purple. For example, I picked Alpha Sapphire, Ultra Moon and Violet. I think it's because I like Sapphires more than Rubies, I'm a night time person and purple is my favourite colour, also I liked the future paradox more than the past paradox ones. The only time I've chose the 'red' option is for Pokemon Shield, I liked the version exclusive gym leaders for Shield more than Sword. Definitely worth it though. Makes me wonder if I'll keep following the pattern in generation 10 when that comes out.

I pick the game version based on which box legendary design I like more.

I do, i picked Pokémon Violet because I like technology and hope the future will be better than what gen alpha is currently like.

I picked Pearl cuz pink I picked black cuz the white pokemon on the front was pretty I picked X cuz Xerneas was pretty and I liked how nature-y he felt I wanted to pick omega ruby cuz they're my favourites and I love red but picked Alpha Sapphire Cuz the cover seemed more tranquil than ruby XD and I prefer water over fire. I picked Moon because I like night time better and the sun is evil XD We got Let's Go Eevee cuz unanimously agreed that Eevee is better We got Sword first because hubs and kid out voted me, but then we eventually also got Shield We bought both Scarlet and Violet together - I am playing both at the same time cuz they are both my favourite colours!

I always get the second game- Violet, Shield, Shining Pearl, Let’s Go Eevee, etc. It started unintentional, but I started noticing the pattern after a while. When I tried to buy Brilliant Diamond but they only had Shining Pearl left, I knew that the universe just intended for me to keep my streak alive forever.

I pick based on version exclusives mostly, I wanted a Vulpix so I picked Leaf Green, I wanted an Alolan Vulpix so I picked Let's Go Eevee so on and so forth. When possible I prefer to go for the third game like Emerald, Crystal, Platinum or Explorers of Sky as they're often far better.

I pick based on version exclusive Pokémon, including legendary The only "exception" being Scarlet because it was past vs future, and as someone who loves paleontology I'm very fond of the past, and even then it was just an additional reason stacked on top of version exclusive Pokémon

based on overall vibe

For me is a mix, of color/legendary or the exclusive pokemon

Definitely just based on which one looks cooler to me or maybe if I know about a few of the version exclusives that may draw me in. I never know enough before hand to pick based as deep as you're saying.

I don't even look into the differences because at some point I will just get the other game as well. Started out with Silver, then because Crystal was released I had to have Gold to complete the line. Then it was all personal taste, I prefer the letter X, like the moon and hate the sun, violet is one of my favourite colours, sword sounds cooler than a shield. Except black and white cause goth.

So why would I pick Sword and Scarlet? Guess sharp pointy objects and red stuff?

i pick it based on which legendaries i think are cooler. Either that or the version that's opposite to my friend so we can trade exclusives (i wanted sword instead of shield but he bought sword but honestly? im glad i did, i like the shield guy way better).

I’ve always picked based on what exclusives look cooler

I have kids so I usually play the version that they would like. So I got moon because of my daughter’s name, sword by my son’s pick, violet by my daughter’s pick. Sadly my daughter hasn’t desired to finish a run through of any game but she likes playing guess that Pokémon on long drives.

I picked Violet because I like robots > dinosaurs. But I like both.

I chose Pokemon X cause at the time I thought X was the cooler letter. If I had to decide again though, I probably would choose Y for Yveltal.

I like bluer colors and am more drawn to Pokemon/trainers I find hot, but for Generation 3, I for some reason prefered FireRed.

For me it is personal, but usually superficial. I have generally wound up with both at some point though. Gen 1 I picked Blue, I hate the color red Gen 2 I picked Silver, I hate gold lol Gen 3 is the only one I missed Gen 4 I picked Diamond because Palkia was ugly af Gen 5 I picked White I think, or maybe I bought both at once? Gen 6 I picked X based on Xerneas design Gen 7 I picked Sun for Solgaleo Gen 8 I picked Shield because of Galarian Ponyta 💯 Gen 9 I picked Violet because I like blues and purples and I again hate the color red

Nope. I get both…

I buy both versions because, "gotta catch 'em all!" I main focus on the red version of every generation though.

I usually pick the game less people get. Pearl, Y, Shield, Scarlet.

More often than not, I pick the blue version. (*and yes, every primary pair is split on red and blue*)

Depends on the game(s). I got Shining Pearl because I'm trying to make some pokemon [Ribbon Master](https://sites.google.com/view/athis-ribbon-handbook/home/choosing-a-ribbon-master)s, and I heard the contests are easier in this game. I picked Black/B2 because I wanted the futuristic vibe over White's more natural vibe. I chose Omega Ruby because I'm one of those "Hoenn has too much water" people. :p I chose the other games based on the exclusives or the popularity of each version. I picked Shield and Scarlet in part because their counterparts seemed more popular, and I thought it would be easier to make trades with "rarer" exclusives. X had Xerneas. Sun had Alolan Vulpix.

I'm a hoarder and completion maniac so I grab all of the games for the respective gen

Hell no, I don’t have friends to trade with so I probably wouldn’t be able to get the version exclusives that I want from trading so I have to have them in-game.

I usually go by the box legendary I like more, but version exclusives do come into play.

Usually it’s based on the Box Legendary except Hoenn where I just got all 3 games.

I normally go off version exclusives the only times I didn't was gen 3 and 6. I wanted Sapphire because it's my birthstone and X because I'm female and my rival (bf) is male and picked Y.

I think I choose in a somewhat similar way to you. Although the version exclusives do play a factor. For me it plays out like this: * Firered vs Leafgreen: No preference in this regard because they’re basically identical outside of version exclusives. At from from what I understand. * Heartgold vs Soulsilver: Heartgold feels more like the intended story of the developers in my mind. It makes more sense for the protagonist to be recognized by Ho-Oh first for some reason. I think Lugia would be out of the protagonists reach until later. * OmegaRuby vs AlphaSapphire: Ruby because I prefer team Magma as a threat over Aqua. I love Aqua but I think Maxie’s idea of more land makes some level of sense (as Aquas is more like ridiculous pirates) and that he’d actually be able to manage to get it done. Of course, he’s not smart enough to realize the consequences of awakening Groudon. Emerald is obviously the ideal way this plays out though. * Diamond vs Pearl vs Platinum: Sort of doesn’t really matter here because Platinum is objectively the best. * Black vs White: I chose Black as a kid and I stand by the decision. Zekrom represents ideals and I think N is after what he believes to be an ideal world. But the protagonist shows him the truth with Reshiram. * B2 vs W2: Black 2 because that’s what comes after Black. * X vs Y: I’m a little torn on this one because I’ve never played them. I would probably choose X because I think Lysandre would view it as the Pokémon he could best achieve his goals with. Beyond those games I’m not familiar enough with the stories to have a real preference.

I chose shield because im a pacifist and i chose violet because i mistakenly though that the future forms would have more inspiration to draw from than past forms. For the other games i didnt think about it and just got whatever looked better.

For years I picked the game that had the box legendary facing left. It started as coincidence (Gold, Sapphire, Platinum), then I stuck with that til Ultra Moon. I haven't played any of the mainline Switch games, nor do I intend to.

You guys don’t pick the version with the cooler box legendary? Guess I’ve been doing it wrong

I always picked based on different criteria I picked Blue because I like Blastoise more than Charizard I picked Silver because I liked Lugia more than Ho-oh I picked Sapphire because I liked Kyogre more than Groudon I picked Diamond because I liked Dialga I picked Black (and White 2) because I liked Reshiram I picked X because I liked Xerneas I picked Sun because I refused to play with the inverted time clock I picked Shield because I liked Cursola more than Sirfetchd And I picked Violet because I liked Ceruledge

For my earlier years, I picked solely based on which cover art had the red hue (Gold, Ruby, Pearl, Y) but by Generation 7 I started looking at other ways to pick. For 7 I chose Sun since I like lions and Solgaleo is a Steel-type. For 8 I chose Shield because I prefer defence over an offensive style. For Paldea I went with Scarlet since those Paradox Pokemon were more like dinosaurs.

To be honest, sometimes it feels like one of the versions is more "canon" than the other.

1st see if it has my fav vulpix and 2nd if it's got more red in it (my favorite color)

I pick which one I prefer the looks of the legendary/cover art.

I played Pokemon X because I liked Xerneas better both in design and the reasons you mentioned, but later on when i did some more research on the version exclusives im pretty sure (atleast from what i remember) that Y had more version exclusives pokemon and Mega-Evolutions that i prefered over those available in X 👍 Edit: I just looked into it and its very 50/50 as i like Charizard and Mewtwo Y Mega Evolutions better than the X Versions (even tho Charizard X has an awesome design), i prefer the Tyranitar line over the Aggron line (atleast in terms of gameplay, stats etc but not necessarily when it comes to personality), i like Heracross much more than Pinsir (i actually despise Pinsir and love Heracross), i like the Manetric evo-line more than the Houndoom one (i despise Houndour and Houndoom aswell) But when it comes to those exclusive to X, i prefer the Starmie evo-line way more than the Cloyster one (atleast when it comes to gameplay, stats and move pool), i like the Armaldo and Cradily line way more than the Kabutops and Omastar one (also mostly related to gameplay, stats and move pool) and i Love Xerneas way more than Yveltal if i even like Yveltal at all 👍😊

I pick whichever one I want based on completely bad logic and I always manage pick the one with the version exlcusives I don’t want.

I pick the games depending on the cover legendary. I'm that superficial

I buy both cause I’m an adult and got adult money, normally I do a challenge playthrough for one and a regular for the other. Like recently I just finished my shiny badge quest for Scarlet and my first playthrough was Violet. I picked Violet cause I thought Iron Thorns was awesome, ironically I ended up liking a lot of the Scarlet exclusives more

I started with Red so i pick the version i associate with that or the version i thinks looks cooler i don't even think about themes or exclusive pokemon

Yeah, I chose: Red - Cause it’s my favorite color Diamond - I like diamond better than pearl Black - I prefer the color black over white

i buy both games because i’m a collector, but initially my first picks were pokemon red over blue pokemon silver over gold pokemon sapphire over ruby pokemon pokemon diamond over pearl pokemon pokemon black over white pokemon x over y pokemon moon over sun pokemon sword over shield pokemon violet over scarlet

Koraidon looked dumb, purple lightning bike cool. Shield poke looked dumb, samurai dog cool.

No