Yeah, I would suggest FR/LG, then Emerald, then HG/SS, then Platinum, and finally B/W and B/W2.
This is probably the best order for a new player. As great as they were for their time, the oldest Pokemon games (R/B/Y) had some glaring flaws, and the best Poke's were pretty obvious. Just grab a Psychic type of your choice (which should be Alakazam, but hey, to each their own) and devastate.
Each game mentioned at least somewhat holds true to modern mechanics, I believe, like Physical/Special rules and such. Gen 3 at least tried at this, anyway. Besides that, another reason to go in this order is that you're technically still experiencing each generation: 1 -> 3 -> 2 -> 4 -> 5, and they're definitely the best way to experience each generation.
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Xbox GT/PSN name: TatteredUniform
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