PTE 5: Still Not Caught 'Em All

[Neon Ignition]

Sunday 27 February 2011

Yes, we are mere days away from the frightening prospect of Pokemon being 15 years old. I can't even fathom the idea that it's been around for just over half of my lifetime. In that time we've seen it revive the original Game Boy in its twilight years, break record after record, amass a merchandising empire and create randomer and randomer variants of its creatures of each iteration.

With the recent DS releases we're in the 5th generation of the series with its future on the 3DS assured. What are your memories and thoughts on Nintendo's other, other, other, other, other, other, other major franchise?

[nakamura]

I must admit I have never played a single Pokemon game!

[speedlolita]

What are your memories and thoughts on Nintendo's other, other, other, other, other, other, other major franchise?

The feature in GamesTMs retro section this month bought great memories to mind for sure. It might have lost it's way a little bit now, but it's still a great franchise imo.

Only problem is I have to buy another DS so I can complete black and white..

I have fondest memories of Red, Blue and Yellow personally, just amazing.

I've completed my Pokédex in R/B/Y about 4 times, in G/S/C once and once again in R/S/E. I don't really like the DS generation games for some reason.. It might just be that I don't like the console, the game doesn't really suit two screens imo.

As I've grown up and learned more about the battling mechanics I've just come to appreciate the games more, before I only cared about the Pokémon I owned per game - not their abilities - or even the fact that I could manipulate their stats according to what I desired.

Funnily enough the reason I got a GBC, GBA and DS.

[Neon Ignition]

The first Pokemon I played through was Yellow and after hearing so much about it I was not expecting much as the hype seemed so strong it wasn't likely to meet expectations. It was strangely compelling. Ultimately it's 'My First RPG' but they've always seemed to pitch it just right to tap into the touch of OCD in us all. Though cosmetic, the further it moves from Ash and Team Rocket the less appealing I find it though.

[toythatkills]

Been there from the start, but I can't remember if I had red or blue now

Black and White will actually be the first generation I don't get involved in at all

[Neon Ignition]

I can kind of understand with previous hardware releases but given the modern online enabled console market it's criminal that there's never been a proper console based Pokemon title. The impact it would have on the Wii's sales figures would be staggering.

[kernow]

Too old for pokemon, never played one.

[Bassman]

How can you be too old for Pokemon games I wonder...

I never really got into console gaming until I was in my 40's!! Admittedly I did the Spectrum/ST/Amiga thing before that. Taking Early retirement in 2006 has given me much more time for games!

My first experience of Pokemon was on the GBA I think, though I did manage to pick up all the earlier games on Ebay. I discovered a few months ago that my Fire Red had never been unsealed!

I have pre-ordered Black so that is something to look forward to!

[Wools]

As heroes of my youth pass away and Pokémon becomes 15 years old, I realise how much time has gone by in my lifetime!

As a child, I used to adore Pokémon but it was a brief affair. I managed to scrounge and save my way to buy a Game Boy Colour with a copy of Pokémon Red on the weekend of its release. I played it religiously for the summer but it petered off a bit, only reigniting as my younger brother got a Game Boy Colour as well. I liked the game but was always disappointed by how simple and brief the fights and adventuring were; as a kid who had a Mega Drive & PlayStation, it looked a bit barren. After a year or so, I stopped playing the game but still watched the cartoon with my little brother as I was hitting my teenage years.

I have revisited the series in later times, I picked up the respective Pokémon games on the GBA and the DS, but I never really played them for more than a few hours apiece. The games are still charming and great for younger players, but for my older hands, they're very simple and rely on a collecting mechanic that is not gripping enough for me anymore.

What's hard to describe to people who did not grow up with Pokémon was how widespread the brand was. There was magazines and flyers on the tills of WH Smith's, a cartoon on the Saturday morning show SMTV: Live, toys were everywhere and every single kid in my primary school either had the game or talked about it. The phase reached in zenith when the game and toys were outlawed in schools across the country, although I'm glad to say St. Marks Primary School in Surrey was not affected!

It's amazing that it's been going for this long and considering how well regarded and handled other Nintendo franchises are, I imagine that Game Freaks creation will be around for some time to come.

[Rep]

Heh, I used to leave my school dinner money at home before I left in the morning, in order to save up for Pokemon Red. I walked into the local Argos after 3 weeks with about £30 in pound coins

[speedlolita]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who played as a kid. Unlike now, I used to be pretty sociable and Pokemon was a staple game we played as kids. Obviously as I'm a competitive bastard I only really cared about link battles. Many a friend defeated... With the occasional sore loser tugging out the cable..

[Decider-VT]

I ordered Blue on US import back in 1998. Distinctly remember getting jibes about it from my classmates in sixth-form but I was sucked in. I got bored of collecting the monsters after completing the main quest, though. I've only tried Crystal since but I've been meaning to get back into the series since it moved to DS.

[Bassman]

Although I have all of the normal Pokemon games and some of the offshoots (including N64 and GC games) I have yet to actually fully complete one. I think I did actually get all the badges and become the Champion on one. Mind you it is actually rare for me to finish any game, though recently I seem to have been a little more dilligent (or should that be a little less distracted I wonder!).

I will be very interested to see the Gen 5 game when it comes out next month to see how the series has progressed.

[Dogg Thang]

I remember walking into Game in Dublin and seeing Pokemon Red and Blue on the shelf. And being pretty sure they weren't supposed to be there. Sure enough, even Game's release date was quite a bit away. Nevertheless, there they were.

So I bought both.

Not sure how that happened exactly. A few days later, they were gone and didn't reappear until the release date.

I played them and absolutely loved them. A fantastic mix of RPG and collecting. I loved the character and the Pokemon themselves were great. There was a real feeling of novelty that came with finding a new one, and then catching it. A sense of achievement. I didn't quite catch them all but, as I got Yellow after it and played through that and then traded with a kid who came into work on work experience, I came pretty close.

That Yellow integrated elements from the cartoon was a great touch.

Then Gold and Silver came out. I think they are the absolute pinnacle of the series. They had everything that made the originals so great, plus a whole lot more. The day/night cycles were excellent and so were the events that would happen on different days.

But, after that, I felt they got a bit too complicated. The draw - gotta catch em all - got next to impossible. And, without that, well, it lost the draw for me. I played through Ruby or Sapphire but it had lost some of the great features of Gold/Silver and, at the same time, overcomplicated many elements for me.

I bought Soul Silver remake when it came out and played it a bit. It's a good remake. But the shine is gone for me. The thing that once drew me to the game is unachievable.

I may yet again go for Black/White but I probably won't. Still, I think Pokemon was a stroke of genius and so much gaming (and TV) greatness has come from it. I'd still count myself as a fan.

[nakamura]

I remember walking into Game in Dublin and seeing Pokemon Red and Blue on the shelf. And being pretty sure they weren't supposed to be there. Sure enough, even Game's release date was quite a bit away. Nevertheless, there they were.

I worked for game then and we were ordered to take them off the shelves. Same with the Final Fantasy Adventure games. They were all US versions in our store.