Pokémon

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
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JaySevenZero
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Pokémon

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Pokémon (Red / Green / Blue / Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition / Gold / Silver / Crystal) for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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RadicalDog
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by RadicalDog »

Pokemon Gold is probably still in my 5 most played games, and it was the one where I tried to finish the Pokedex. I remember very clearly hitting 243 captured, and the remaining mons needed me to beat one of the first generation games twice (for the fossils), as well as somehow get the bloody event Pokemon without any hope of an event happening locally.

From a modern perspective, it's mad how a 1MB game can store so much exploration, depth, and emotions. In a modern smartphone game, 1MB might get you to the main menu!
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markfm007
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by markfm007 »

I have fond childhood memories of getting a game boy color and copy of pokemon silver for my 10th birthday. I was a real pokemon nerd as a kid, and spent countless hours exploring every part of the world, catching pokemon, and eventually levelling my team up to level 100 without cheating (something I'm still oddly proud about).

I think the game is so appealing to kids because it gives them a simple game to explore, learn, battle and achieve in a way that is just complicated and detailed enough to challenge without overwhelming them. The creatures are also fun to learn about and play with, in the same way kids will get into dinosaurs or animals.

I definitely feel a personal connection to the game and my time with it. It's not a series I've really followed since then, and maybe that's why. I got everything I needed. Also worth mentioning the inclusion of the world of red and blue at the end of the game - I can't imagine a game surprising me in the same way again.
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JCVanDan
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by JCVanDan »

I played Pokemon Yellow in the futuristic year of 2000 as a plucky 14 year old who had just started wearing baggy jeans and listening to nu-metal & hip hop. The reason I mention that is because I must have bought Eminem's Marshall Mather's LP shortly before playing it, as my main memories of the game are being regaled with tales of murder, drug abuse, and rape while I was chilling with Pikachu. I actually played the game on my old Packard Bell via emulation, and I do have very very fond memories of sitting in my bedroom playing the game and listening to the music.

In terms of the actual game, I remember finishing the main story and then not wanting to play any more. I couldn't imagine anything more hellish or boring then (or now) than catching every single Pokemon, so the series never really got it's hooks into me. I don't really have much to say about the gameplay. Back then it was very simple, and the primary reason to play was to see what your Pokemon evolved into. Other than that it did just enough to offer children a bit of a challenge and keep them playing.

I recently picked up Let's Go Pikachu to play with my son but goddamn that game is so easy and mundane it makes my brain melt, and as a result I always discourage it in our play sessions.

Yellow was my first, Let's Go will probably be my last. That is unless they do actually make a Breath of the Wild style epic on the Switch at some point, which is probably never going to happen considering the clear stagnation in the series.
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KarlDaFrog
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by KarlDaFrog »

Congratulations to the Cane and Rinse team for tackling such a massive series in the history of gaming. Good luck to the editor :) ! I'm very happy to see one of my favorite games in this year's line up.

I was in America for the initial wave of Pokemania. As a young boy of only 5 when Red and Blue hit ( Blue for me, Red for my friend Marc ), I feel like Pokemon gave me an education as much as my early schooling did, the Rock-Paper-Scissor logic of type match ups, the block pushing/spinning Team Rocket lair puzzles, and the game giving me a great appreciation of the natural world. I have a strong appreciation of how games can make you think and learn and reflecting on it now, the early Pokemon games certainly switched my brain on as a child. I remember learning many new words playing Pokemon. One distinct memory I have is learning "Quick Attack" was not "Quack Attack" as my tiny brain had interpreted from an anxious opponent Psyduck (I just checked the moveset for Psyduck in gen 1, and it doesn't learn quick attack, so it was probably a Pidgey, don't @ me).

The music in Pokemon is a marvel, that part of the series is still going strong. I recall Marc's older brother (who is now a monk) specifically saying he bought Pokemon just so he could hear the "ba ba bada DA!" healing jingle in the Pokemon center. The old chip tunes from the Gameboy era have the fascinating effect of causing my knees to buckle and eyes to well with nostalgia. Tunes like: Pallet Town, Route 1, Pokemon Center, National Park, Goldenrod City, Azalea Town and so many others send me back to happy, adventurous times.

While I have fond memories of the initial Pokemon games, I am certainly a "gen two-er". Before the Special Atk/Def split of Gen 4, and before the item stat caps came into play, I had a Fortress that I pumped full of Iron to create a dominating wall of a Pokemon. I gave it Spikes and Toxic, and thought I was the most brilliant strategist to cross the Johto region. I'd also like to shout out the Mareep, Wooper, and Phanpy lines, and Skarmory, Steelix, and Scizor for some of my favorite Pokemon of that Gen.

The one-two punch of Red/Blue/Yellow then the next generation's Gold/Silver/Crystal really gave me my start into video games, I had played a couple other games before, but nothing with the grand adventure, mystery, social connections, and thoughtful world building like Pokemon. While I don't necessarily like where the more recent games have gone, I will always hold a special place for the Pokemon series.
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DaMonth
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by DaMonth »

I don't really have anything to say about Gen 1. Established everything but it didn't work.

Gen 2's probably one of the best examples of a sequel in gaming. Everything improved and all that. I don't need to tell you all the details. And establishing a trend of going back to the previous region that was never actually a trend and was only in these games but people'd never shut up about it. And to be honest? The world will never get cooler than fighting Red on that mountain.
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chase210
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by chase210 »

Before I type out my very long post, are you guys just doing gen 1 and 2, or including the remakes?
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by Magical_Isopod »

I was a Pokemon fan pretty much from Day One. Still am. I was 8 when the games first came to Canada, and Pokemon Snap 2 comes out 4 days after my 31st birthday.

First game I owned myself was Pokemon Yellow, which was a Christmas gift from my dad, in a bundle with the fancy blue and yellow Pokemon GameBoy Colour. Pokemania in the 90s was absolutely crazy - I haven't seen any pop culture craze quite on that scale since.

One of my absolute worst childhood memories comes from Pokemon - I had just finished evolving a Dragonite, which is rather hard and time-consuming to do... In my excitement, I was jumping up and down, accidentally dropped my GameBoy... Saved file deleted. I presume the drop knocked the save battery out of place.

As another curio, Pokemon is also my first memory of emulation. When I saw it running on a Windows 95 for the first time, I thought, "They ported this to computer?" They did not. And on that note, I'd love to mention fanmade ROM hacks like Pokemon Crystal Clear - which allows you to catch and evolve all 251 Pokemon without trading or going to Toys R Us for Mew distribution events.
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by bixer »

I tend to associate Pokemon Red specifically as the game that really made me fall in love with video games and why I'm still playing them over 20 years later. I was at the perfect age to get swept up in 'Pokemania' as Red and Blue were released over here in the UK literally 5 days before my 9th birthday. I was instantly hooked and played through Red, Blue and eventually Yellow countless times over the next few years and still occasionally replay them today. I revisited Pokemon Yellow via the 3DS just last summer and was pleased with how well it holds up overall.

People often speak of Gold, Silver and Crystal as the peak of the series but I'd personally have to disagree. While I loved them every bit as much as Red, Blue and Yellow as a kid, having replayed Gold only a couple of Christmases ago, one of its most common praises is actually what I feel lets it down the most - the late inclusion of Kanto. While it was a miraculous feat of game development that Satoru Iwata was able to compress that second area enough to fit it into a tiny Game Boy cartridge, bigger isn't always better. The Kanto in Gold and Silver is understandably quite barren compared to the first generation, but you breeze through it with ease as by that point your squad is already a at least 10-15 levels above every trainer you'll meet and at least 5 levels above every gym leader too. Until the end of the game when you meet 'Red' and are somehow expected to be able to match his squad of Pokemon in the high 80s. Lots of the newer Pokemon also aren't obtainable at all until you get to Kanto, by which point they're still at such a low level that there's little motivation to experiment with them in your squad.

HMs are also much more of an annoyance in the second generation, as Whirlpool is one of the single worst moves in the game but is vital for progression and Flash also becomes necessary at multiple points, so you can’t really get away with having a 'HM slave' like you could in the first game, you almost need to spread all 7 HMs among your main squad as you’ll need them a lot. A frustratingly high amount of water Pokemon can’t learn all 3 of Surf, Waterfall and Whirlpool, which is a bizarre choice.
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Miririn
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by Miririn »

As bizarre as it is to say this, "Pokemon" probably had the biggest influence on the trajectory of my life of any piece of media. When I was little, I would go to my friend's house to "play" Pokemon in the garden. This led to the games (Gameboy Color for Christmas in 1999!), the anime, the cards... which then led to the inevitable Japanophile phase and choosing a local comprehensive secondary school that taught Japanese through Year 7 to Year 13 (GCSE and A-Level covered). This led to me doing a BA in Japanese at university, studying in Japan twice, working in a Japanese office in Kyushu for a number of years, and influencing my career now. So many of my formative years, closest friendships and most treasured memories came from Japanese/time spent living in Japan and it all came from... Pokemon. So even though I had left Pokemon behind by the time I got to secondary school, it has left a disproportionately large footprint in my life. And so I guess no matter how unambitious and samey each new installment inevitably is, and how ugly so many Pokemon evolutions are compared to the wonderful designs of the first few gens, it's impossible not to feel a degree of fondness towards the franchise. I still buy every new main entry in the series.

And Pokemon Red/Blue *is* still a joy, even after all these years. The exploration of a humorous and compact world (I love when strangers march up to you, blurt out something about their hobbies, and then attack you with their pets - imagine that happening in the real world!), the creative creature designs, the music (the PokeCenter theme music will probably be in my head forever), the simplicity and accessibility of it all. I don't think this is just nostalgia talking, although admittedly it's been many years since I last played it.

Mostly, I think the reason I still love Pokemon is it taps into how I played games as a child, when I would use the framework of games to make up my own imaginary stories. Pokemon games and characters are deliberately blank, and if you're an imaginative kid, a lot of the fun is filling in those blanks. Although some Pokemon games try to incorporate story/lore, it's pretty easy to ignore this. I loved to create my own Pokemon roster and my own backstories and personalities for my team, my own reasons for doing things. The games' anodyne simplicity, and the unchallenging combat, helps make the game accessible for kids like I was who just want to play pretend in the charming world of the game. And I guess even now, in my thirties, I still like to play pretend there.
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NoMoreSpearows
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Re: 456 - Pokémon

Post by NoMoreSpearows »

Why does everyone go left after they arrive at Ecruteak City?

Is it just because of the route numbers? They see they're on Route 42 instead of Route 38 if they go right and think to themselves "whoops, that must be the wrong way!"? I'll admit that I'm just as guilty as anyone of doing this, but I think that mindset that you have to go in the order the routes are numbered has done more harm than good in terms of the franchise's future.

It's not an uncommon complaint to see people say that modern Pokémon games are too streamlined, that you're less on an adventure as much as you're on a streamlined "point A to point B" ride where your biggest decision is less your destination as much as who's joining you on it. The first two generations allowed for things to be done "out of order"; you could get a beverage for the Saffron City guards, or you could go the long way around from Celadon to Fuchsia and back to Lavender Town, or wake up a Snorlax and find a new shortcut or a route you hadn't been on yet. Yes, there were still some limitations, like when you could open the Viridian Gym, but there was still room to go where you thought was the best destination.

But we all went left at Ecruteak, and by not taking the road less traveled by, it could have made all the difference.
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chase210
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Re: 456 - Pokémon (gens 1 and 2)

Post by chase210 »

To be fair, the game pushes you left rather than right.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: 456 - Pokémon (gens 1 and 2)

Post by Jobobonobo »

Gen 1 of Pokemon marked a very special gaming milestone for me as it was my first JRPG that I have ever played. It was from this that I got introduced to turn based battling, party management, item hoarding and the importance of character stats. And what an introduction! I was always a sucker for collecting stuff and combined with my love for animals and nature in general, there was really no way this series was not going to appeal to me. I got Pokemon Red and my starter was Squirtle as it evolving into a turtle mixed with a tank was way too cool for my 12 year old self to turn down. Eventually, I managed to get all three evolved starters on my team as I transferred them form Pokemon Stadium to my game and I was truly proud of the ragtag team of monsters I had assembled.

Gen 1 was also the only game in the series where I truly did catch them all. I still remember my last Pokemon, a mate of mine had a spare Eevee and decided to trade it to me. Once I got it I gave it the Thunderstone and evolved it into Jolteon which became a vital speedy dealer of thunderbolts in my team. Nowadays the idea of catching them all is utter madness but back when it was far more plausible, I did feel quite proud that I became a Pokemon Master.

When Gen 2 rolled around I was a teenager and suddenly found myself too “mature” to be playing such kiddy nonsense and so did not get to experience Johto until the fantastic remakes in Gen 4. Ironically I actually grew up when Gen 3 came out and unashamedly went back to fighting with these loveable cartoon monsters.

Pokemon Gen 1 has certainly not aged the best. Psychic types were way overpowered, certain stat effects did not work at all, some monster sprites are baffling in how they represent the creatures and battling was much stripped back compared to what comes later in the series. Despite that, my nostalgia for this title is too strong to not love it to pieces and it launched one of Nintendo’s most important series that truly protected them during the onslaught of the Playstation during the late 90s and early 00s. I have so many fond memories of this game for the juggernaut that it spawned and introducing me to the wonderfully diverse world of JRPGs that I will always regard it with the highest of praise.

Three word review: Caught them all.
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matten zwei
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Re: 456 - Pokémon (gens 1 and 2)

Post by matten zwei »

I remember being 9 at a birthday-party of some of my friends. All the other guests were his schoolmates and I knew none of them. But everyone was talking about Pokemon and their Gameboys, which made me feel more mature and less childish playing Crash Bandicoot in 3D on a PlayStation.

But at the end of the party, I was curious what the fuzz was all about, so my friend borrowed me his blue-edition while he was playing his birthday gift: pokemon red. I wonder if his parents knew how similar these games were, some might even say, they're the same.

It was definitely the first RPG and the only JRPG besides Earthbound I've ever played. The encouters in the beginning were quite tough, so I spent most of the time grinding, just to make sure, that would win every fight. Because losing wasn't fun when I was 10. My Pokemonsters ended up being widely overpowered which took the challenge and gave me the impression, that winning all the time wasn't fun either.

I get why people are nostalgic about the series and the first game was a fun experience for me. But as the 2nd generation arrived, I just grew out of it. As if 151 of these animals weren't enough to memorize. Most of them looked even cheesier and giving them a gender didn't really add anything interesting, in my opinion. To this day, I still like the first one, but I don't think, that I'll ever play this grindfest again.
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Truk_Kurt
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Re: 456 - Pokémon (gens 1 and 2)

Post by Truk_Kurt »

I have fond memories of this generation of Pokemon games as Pokemon Blue was my first experience of handheld gaming on a lime green Gameboy Colour that I had to share with my sister, but thankfully the only game she ever wanted to play on it was a Mary Kate and Ashley Olson game.

I played this game around the age of junior school and I think one of the things the series did well back then was being really accessible whilst also being really deep, but that has only been something I have discovered in hindsight because at the time I didn't really how deep it could be. I had no concept back then of what an RPG was, let alone a turn based JRPG, so my battles were never very tactical or thought out, it was more often than not a case of me always choosing the attack moves and using potions to increase my health when need be, so I probably made some encounters harder than I needed to. I'm currently playing Yakuza Like a Dragon, the first JRPG I've played since Pokemon Black and it's making me appreciate just how tactical you have to be with these games.

I don't really remember much about the story other than that Team Rocket were bad and I wanted to become Pokemon champion. The big appeal to me of the game was the collecting of all the Pokemon which I had got attached to via the cards and TV show, I really cared for each of my party.

I did go on to buy Yellow when that was released but didn't know it would basically be the same as Blue/Red but with a couple of additions, I was expecting a totally new game! So that was slightly disappointing, but I always remember loving that Pikachu could follow you around, that was cool.
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chase210
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Re: Our next podcast recording (13.2.21): 456 - Pokémon gens 1 and 2

Post by chase210 »

I was only 6 when pokemon launched in the UK (1999 right?) and I don't think I was immediately aware of it, until I was given some pokemon cards when I received a bad injury in the school playground. Got me interested, as a result of my injury I was able to wangle a gameboy colour and a copy of pokemon yellow off my mum. Hooked instantly. I still have my original cartridge, and have played through it hundreds of times. I know those games inside out. Are they glitchy, the psychic type unbalanced? Absolutely. I love them all the same. What I like most now as an adult is realising just how open ended that design is, it's entirely possible to do gyms way out of order, aside from HM usage. I had no idea until I was an adult how Pokemon red and green were the original, and the pokemon red and blue we got are based off the JP release of Pokemon blue. I just love it. I was always aware of the cartoon, but I've never watched it in much detail, don't know why. I'm currently practising my glitch-less speed runs on these games.

Being only 8 in 2001, it was before I used the internet or read gaming mags, so I didn't know Pokemon Gold and Silver were a thing until I saw them on the shelf, I don't remember when that was, but at some point before the end of 2001. If only I'd known Pokemon Crystal would be released only 7 months later, I would have waited, but I saved up my pocket money and was able to buy Gold maybe 6 weeks later? And of course, I loved that just as much, if not more. Perhaps thats the reason I've soured a little on GSC compared to RBY. I still love them, but I see the cracks and flaws in them much more easily now. Flawed level curve. Johto really lacking a personality of its own. Kanto being made an empty shell to fit it into an gameboy cartridge. Maybe it's because they got such a superior remake.

Overall, gen 1 and 2 definitely lay a foundation for better to come, and they've aged quite a lot. But I love them both, and believe the experience is really timeless. Just release them on Switch Nintendo!

Three word review - charmander best starter.
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psychohype
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Re: Our next podcast recording (13.2.21): 456 - Pokémon gens 1 and 2

Post by psychohype »

I was in high school when I picked up Pokémon Red. I knew nothing about it, other than that it was recommended by some friends who insisted it was worth playing (despite the fact we were older than the target demographic). I must have played it nonstop over a long Thanksgiving weekend. I was just hooked on it. I’d never played anything like it. I loved the idea that you could assemble your all-star team with an endless variety of creatures. I think my final team consisted of a Charizard, Articuno, Dugtrio, Haunter, Hypno, and a ... Pidgeot? Or maybe it was a Hitmonchan. Either way, it was a blast, and I seem to remember those final battles being quite the challenge, strategy-wise.

It was a pure solo experience for me. I never had a chance to trade or battle until years later when I got to battle, one time, with a college buddy via Pokémon Stadium on N64.

Anyway, as much as I loved that long weekend, it didn’t turn me into a lifelong Pokémon fan. I’ve never played another Pokémon game since, not even GO.

If I ever do try and revisit the series, I might just go back to Red, since I still have the cartridge.

On a side note: My only regret with Pokémon Red was that after I’d beaten the game legit, I took advantage of a weird glitch I’d heard about that allowed you to clone any item in your inventory, such as the Master Pokéball. I was fascinated it worked, but I never would have done it had I realized it would corrupt my save file.
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Re: Our next podcast recording (13.2.21): 456 - Pokémon gens 1 and 2

Post by duskvstweak »

Pokemon hit at exactly the right time for me, I was around 12 when a friend lent me Pokemon Red. My first JRPG too! When I contemplate why it was such a big deal for me as a kid, besides the colorful monsters and strategy that goes along with it, I often come back to the innocent and wish fulling sense of adventure it gave me (and I'm sure many others). As a kid, playing as a kid, travelling through caves and forests and cities felt exciting. Growing up in a city myself, the chances of being able to explore the wilderness and nature was very limited. But Pokemon let me explore and team up with the natural world! That sense of freedom and exploration is what has stuck with me the most, I think. And it's something, that, as a 9-5 adult, I wouldn't mind finding again.
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ChocoboStampede
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Re: Our next podcast recording (13.2.21): 456 - Pokémon gens 1 and 2

Post by ChocoboStampede »

I've got two quick questions and two quick stories.
1.) What starters do every one pick?
Personally, I'm a Water Starter for life.
2.) How does everyone feel about the MissingNo cheat/glitch?

Christmas morning, the year Yellow came out. I remember being super excited about being the first one of my siblings to start their's. I ran through all the way to Pewter City. Then, disaster struck my batteries died.
When I asked my mom to get more she said next week. My siblings threw their heads and laughed maniacally as they flew past me on the game.

I used the MissingNo cheat for infinite rare candies and Master Balls. However I had a rude awakening about rare candies. I had a level 99 rare candy team. (Blastoise, Pidgeot, Raichu, Golem, Alakazam, Flareron.)
My opponent had one naturally trained level 99 Charizard. He mollywhopped my entire party with one shots. Moral of this story is to this day roughly 20 years later, I still never use rare candies on my main team.
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DeadbeatpunK
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Re: Our next podcast recording (13.2.21): 456 - Pokémon gens 1 and 2

Post by DeadbeatpunK »

So I went Red and had access to Blue via my darling baby brother. Which was essential in my quest to catch all 150 of the pocket sized beasties. The coverage before release had me agonising over my first Starter: Squirtle. I was caught hook, line and sinker with all forms of media and collectibles surrounding the series. The games were the eye of the obsession, blending JRPGs with Virtual Pets. As a Baby Punk that forever wanted a puppy. I filled the void with my favourite Pocket Monster, as it remains to this day: Poliwag.

With my trusty Transparent Purple Gameboy Colour; most of my time that was out of sight from parents or teachers were spent becoming the Best there ever was to be!

I followed up with Gold once again aided by my sibling as he went for Silver. Johto was a delight to explore, feeling new yet familiar at the same time. The mechanic of Breeding and Eggs were a welcome addition. Especially after playing Dragon Warrior Monsters. Unlocking the previous region was such a novelty, exploring the familiar land and seeing how time had affected Kanto felt like a real technical feat at the time.

Both of my cartridges have the true Gameboy seal of approval, you can check this by looking at the cartridge. Where the sticker on the game peeks out from the slot, your hands would melt away the exposed print on the sticker over time. You can still see this mark on second hand copies, the tell-tale signs of an old Pokemon Master’s edition.
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