Hey spamurai! Welcome to TamaTalk - getting back into Tamagotchis is a lot of fun, especially when you start learning how much is actually out there. I also started getting back into Tamas after discovering my long-lost P2. There's nothing quite like a vintage and I'm sure a lot of other members will agree with me on that one!
The best Tamagotchi you ask? Well, the answer to that is definitely subjective, but I'd be more than happy to give you some info on the latest (and somewhat greatest!) releases of the Tamagotchi. The most recent release of North American Tamagotchis is the TamaTown Tama-Go.
You can read all about it here if you like. It's a lot larger than the original P1/P2 releases, but also incorporates a lot of new features. The Tama-Go has been sort of hit & miss with a lot of fans, but I'm sure if you search around the site and check out
logs, you're bound to get a better impression of what its like.
The Tama-Go is rarely seen in stores anymore since its release in the summer of 2010. eBay would be your best bet if you still want to get your hands on one. Some party stores and obscure retail outlets have been selling them at very low prices - I think I saw a user post something about getting one for $5!
Japan has released many versions of the Tamagotchi since its release in 1996. The most current version is the Tamagotchi ID L 15th Anniversary edition which comes from the the original ID L series launched in the Spring of 2011 I believe. The Princess Spacey ID L is supposed be released next month. The ID L is a color-screen Japanese language Tamagotchi that is capable of receiving downloads (backgrounds, clothing items, etc.) from the web via IR report from a mobile phone. One has to live in Japan to access the site, but some clever users over at
Tama-Zone are distributing the downloads to us English users.
There are a lot of great resources and knowledgable members here who can point you in the right direction if you have a specific question about any version of Tamagotchi. There are many releases, both English and Japanese, so get ready to learn a lot!
Cya around