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‘Pokemon’ Gotta Catch ‘Em All!

‘Pokemon’ Gotta Catch ‘Em All!

pokemon-yellow-screenshot-5

Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow
Game Freak
Nintendo
GB/GBC

My wife handed me a heavy, neatly wrapped box and said something to the effect of, “You’ll never guess in a million years what I got you.”  She was absolutely right.  I had no idea what was in it, and gaped in awe as I opened the rectangular package.  Inside, eloquently displayed, were three old game cartridges below three Game Boys of matching color.  This year for my birthday, my wife got me a glass case exhibiting Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow with matching Game Boy Pockets.  It perfectly represented me and my evolution (intentional word choice) as a gamer, cascading me with that sensation known as nostalgia.

I used to have a blue Game Boy Pocket on which I can remember playing Pokemon Blue and Red when they first came out.  Flipping through the game manual, I used to love to look at the colorful portrayals of these fantastic beasts the world is now so familiar with. Pokemon was not my first game, and perhaps not even my favorite, but it was the first time I can recall being completely captured by (there is that intentional word choice again) and immersed in the world of a game.  In short, Pokemon Blue was my gateway not only in to the magical world of Pokemon, but my induction into the glorious world of gaming.

Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow

There is a reason I still play Pokemon games to this day.  The age old formula is a winning one, remarkable by present standards, but particularly so in 1998 when the series debuted Stateside.  In many ways a standard, turn-based JRPG (Japanese role playing game), Pokemon raised the stakes by preying on our desire to collect, train, and win.

With 150 or more to see in the original generation, players had the challenge to complete the Pokedex given them by the sagely Professor Oak who also provided them their first Pokemon and entry in the Pokedex.  The rest was up to the player, to encounter and to catch if desired a region’s worth of unique creatures of assorted elements.  The perfect place for achievement hunters of today, to capture every Pokemon, one would have to link Pokemon Red and Blue to obtain each respective games exclusives.  Countless young players, including myself, were up to the challenge.

To be able to capture any Pokemon, a player would have to train up a strong team of six to sometimes literally tackle anything that stood in their way.  The game spoke of the unique and mysterious bond between Pokemon trainers and their Pokemon, a bond that I felt between my little digital party.  Taking a cute little Pokemon and raising it to its fierce final form is an immense pleasure to this day, and the excitement of watching a Pokemon evolve has hardly subsided in sixteen years.  Pokemon has a fascinating way of endearing its titular beings to the player, and I always find myself particularly taken with my starter.  Consequently, I recall training my Charmander, later Charizard, all the way to level 100 to see my Pokemon at its pinnacle potential.  Few games if any have done such a bang up job of encouraging myself and other trainers to keep training all the way and see these magnificent monsters at their maximum.

chasing me

Finally, Pokemon encouraged players to be their very best like no one before them.  Seeing and catching every Pokemon was only part of the fun, watching them grow and evolve, but there was also the thrill of taking down trainers and gym leaders to eventually reach the elite four.  Strategically prepping a party to best cover all bases is a blast, but it is a credit to designers Gamefreak that you can also run in with Pokemon that you simply love as long as they are strong enough.  Aiming to maim foes with super effective hits or defending with resistance is all part of the wonderful design of Pokemon, further enhanced by items, conditions, and several other mechanics.  Fun right from waking up at home to leveling up, the gameplay is addictive and astonishing and keeps the series as enthralling today as it was at the time of its release.

Each of these elements (so much wordplay!) in some measure marks what makes Pokemon such a remarkable franchise.  Capturing and training Pokemon has captured the hearts of millions, and its no wonder that the franchise also has several offshoots including trading cards, a show, and books.  Appropriately primary colored cartridges represent my primary entry into a world of gaming that still includes these mystical pocket monsters.  The seven-year-old version of myself and the me of today still have the same goals and aspirations, we’ve still gotta catch ’em all.

[wpchatai]