It sounds like the Tamagotchis you've experienced have been the vintage (before 2004) and connection era (before 2010). I'd suggest that if you want to collect Tamagotchis again you should get used to the standard interface. To do that I'd recommend starting up an English or Japanese connections and I'd recommend the V3 for English connections. I've currently only experienced the
Keitai branch of Tamagotchis so I can only recommend one of them (they all have the same gameplay).
Tamagotchis are rather intuitive once you understand the basic interface. But if you want to skip that, you can definitely find a guide for navigating the menus of various colour models. Here's is a run down of most of the colour models from
this topic:
iD L
Pros:
-Lots of features
--Includes my two favourite features of any of my Tamagotchis; growing seeds in the garden and visiting previous Tamas.
-Best built in games
-A good mix of characters
-Doesn’t need downloads, but the downloads available are great
Cons:
-Japanese language/expensive to buy English version
iD L E(nglish)
Pros:
-As above
-English language
Cons:
-As above
-Difficult to get hold of/extremely expensive
iD L 15th Anniversary
Pros:
-Challenging and fun new built in games
-Lots of nostalgic characters to raise
-Fun foods/clothing
Cons:
-Built in wallpapers are not as nice as the iD L
-Expensive (but cheaper than the iD L E)
-Japanese language
P’s
Pros:
-English patch (cheaper than an English iD L)
-Pierces are fun and bring new things to the Tamagotchi
-VDPs (Virtual Deco Pierces); downloads that allow you to raise old Tamas for that nostalgic feeling
-Doesn’t need downloads
Cons:
-Some of the ‘better’ pierces are now difficult to find and/or expensive
4U+
Pros:
-Interchangeable faceplates and range of colours mean you don’t have to have a ‘girly’ looking Tamagotchi unless you want to/allows for personalisation
-More features than the 4U
-One of the cheaper colour Tamagotchis
-Some fun features such as bingo, the farm and school
-Easier to get downloads onto that either the iD L or P’s
Cons:
-Quite confusing, takes a little getting used to (but this may be because it’s so different to the iD L/P’s; if you’re new to colour Tamas this may not be a problem)
-Japanese language
-Relies on DLC/not a huge amount of in built content
-Some features require NFC (phone or another 4U/+)
Overall, I'd say that the iD L E is my favourite version, but that's now quite difficult to find and very expensive. I generally think the iD L is the best model, but if you don't want a Japanese language Tamagotchi (and, for me, it does take away some of the fun not being able to read everything), then I'd recommend the P's. =)
Missing from this is the Plus Colour, ID, and the M!X. I've only experienced the ID, which I can say is a bit like a connection model with more features (mostly stores and items, with a few new features). Most of the shops have English names, which makes them quite easy to understand. One con with the ID is that because it has two built-in games, it can become a bit tedious earning money but happiness can be filled with items instead of playing games.
The Plus Colour appear to be more feature-filled than the ID and I hear it is also basic, so it would be a good introductory colour model. But I have noticed it is quite expensive compared to the ID, which can sell for as low as $30.The premise of the M!X is basically mixing genetic traits to form new Tamagotchis. There are quite a few versions of this, but I'd recommend you start with a basic colour Tamagotchi to get used to the interface.
There is also the Tamagotchi Friends which has two versions: the regular version and the Dream Town version. The Friends is a modern Tamagotchi but without a colour screen and has a mix of new and old characters. It is just like a connection model except items have been replaced with collecting jewelry, which can unlock games. I'd recommend the Dream Town version over the original as the two are 90% the same but the Dream Town version has more content. You will find this version quite cheaply compared to the others, but it is really no better than a connection model save for the Dream Town having allot of games.
The Tama-Go is another modern model without a colour screen that seems to mix traits of connections and colour Tamagotchis. It also has special add-ons that give some extra content, but apparently it is fine without them. It is the bulkiest Tamagotchi version, so it might be difficult to transport it discreetly. I don't have one but I think it has around the same quality of a Dream Town.
So here are my recommendations:
*V3 or Keitai/Keitai Akai - Simple connection models that serve as an introduction to the Tamagotchi interface. The Keitai's interface is a more standard of Japanese Tamagotchis
*Tamagotchi Friends Dream Town - More cheaply available and mixes old and new characters; also good for introducing the interface
*ID/ID L - Simple models that will be a good introduction to colour versions
*Plus Colour - A good introductory model to colour Tamagotchis and more feature-filled than the above, but is more pricey to compensate.
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