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Pokémon is now 18 years old!

CassSept

Member
18 years of being a fad! Omedeto!

Been playing the series (with a longer break between Platinum and Gen VI) since it came to Poland, 13.5 year ago. It basically got me into the Internet proper, as in message boards and stuff, when I was playing through RuSa after popularity waned and playground gossip stopped being helpful in progressing in the game.
 

Trago

Member
I remember seeing promos for the TV show when I was 5 and thinking that Charizard was coolest thing ever. So when I found out that there was a game, I begged my parents for a Gameboy color and we picked up this beast with it.

Pok%C3%A9mon_box_art_-_Red_Version.jpg
 

dc89

Member
I feel SO old.

I'll remain eternally grateful to my uncle who bought me Pokemon Blue as a Christmas gift. He got my brother Pokemon Red.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
What do you guys think of the series?

I love it too death, Pokémon is probably my most replayed game and is the real reason why I brought my DS and 3DS.

Any favourite Pokémon?

Charmander

Favourite games?

Don't have one as each have their strength and weakness that affect the game.

Cool memories?

Ducking Whitey's Miltank and Misty Starmie, fuuuuuu I hate them so much.
 
This is the series that got me into gaming. Thanks for all the years fun!

Favorite Pokemon: Gliscor
Favorite Game: Platinum

Hopefully this thread will stay civil for a few pages before the shitty genwars inevitably start.
 

KLonso

Member
I grew up on Pokemon, and there's no way I would be so interested in video games if I hadn't played Pokemon.
 

Zebra

Member
Happy Birthday, Pokémon!
*Letters to an absent father*

Oh god.

These hit me every time.

I remember seeing promos for the TV show when I was 5 and thinking that Charizard was coolest thing ever. So when I found out that there was a game, I begged my parents for a Gameboy color and we picked up this beast with it.

Pok%C3%A9mon_box_art_-_Red_Version.jpg

I remember unwrapping this on Christmas day.
I remember absorbing every single bit of the instruction booklet.
 

Chindogg

Member
I remember picking up Blue (Green) in middle school.

Wow has it really been 18 years?

Came back to the series with X. Glad I took that distance away from the franchise, it feels really fresh now.
 

Toxi

Banned
Wow. In two years we'll almost certainly get RBY remakes to celebrate the 20th anniversary.

Or rather, FRLG remakes. Remakes of remakes. And then we'll get updated rereleases of those remakes five years later for the 25th anniversary. The circle back to Kanto never ends; we'll always be on the road to Viridian City. I used to listen to that song so much when my parents bought the CD.

I just want a sequel to this game.
198311_42710_front.jpg


Favorite Pokemon: Magnemite
Favorite game: Platinum
 
I was about 7 years old when Pokemon hit its peak in the west. I feel so lucky for that. Kids these days are growing up with Ben 10 and Skylanders. Poor bastards.
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
I also remember when they got me Gold for my birthday. I played it on the demo station at Zellers and I needed it. They packed it in a small box and I did absolutely nothing but play it for the rest of the night. I still have the cartridge and my save file.
Pics needed. I refuse to believe this.
 
Played and beat Blue, Gold, LeafGreen, Colosseum, Mystery Dungeon and Pearl. Took a break and now about to start X. Great series and very fond memories.
 

Toxi

Banned
I remember seeing promos for the TV show when I was 5 and thinking that Charizard was coolest thing ever. So when I found out that there was a game, I begged my parents for a Gameboy color and we picked up this beast with it.

Pok%C3%A9mon_box_art_-_Red_Version.jpg
I got Red after I got obsessed with one of those comprehensive guides for it; it had the old Sugimori art for every Pokemon, extensive maps and movesets, etc. I kinda had an unfair advantage out the gate. I remember how frustrating it was catching Moltres even with the guide; stupid Fire Spin. My current copy of Red is the same one I had all those years ago; I replaced the batteries after they died.

I also remember this commercial.
 
I also remember when they got me Gold for my birthday. I played it on the demo station at Zellers and I needed it. They packed it in a small box and I did absolutely nothing but play it for the rest of the night. I still have the cartridge and my save file.

Considering how long it's been, you probably don't anymore.
 
Yeah, 18 years old in Japan. It will be 16 years old this September in North America.

Now, 16 sounds a lot better than 18, right? :p
 

Griss

Member
What a series. Amazing for me now to look back and think that I learned of Pokemon through Super Smash Bros, which I had been hugely hyped for for ages.

I loved the Saffron City stage, and the pokeballs that monsters would fly out of. I called Goldeen 'Google' because that's what it sounded like, Google wasn't yet known and it was utterly useless. But the coolness of all these monsters made me get the game, and a copy for my younger brother. I got Red and he got Blue. I lived in a tiny isolated town, so I had no idea that the games were becoming hugely popular. I just thought they'd be fun RPGs.

I'll never forget the experience of playing Red that summer, or yellow while on holidays. It was like my ultimate dream game in every way. Like 90% of idiots, I pretty much soloed the game with Charizard. Mewtwo was the coolest 'final boss' you could hope for. Then I got into trading and filling out the pokedex with my brother, and ended up with an awesome team. Unfortunately he was too young to be decent at battling.

And the hype I felt for Silver was intense. I'd dream about that game, and how good it could be. When I got it it was everything I'd ever imagined.

The negative part of pokemon for me was that I came to it at an older age (around 14) so I had no friends who were interested and I had to hide my interest in it for almost my entire teenage years. I had no internet at the boarding school I went to so all I had were the games themselves. Still, being stuck in boarding school on a rainy evening with nothing to do makes you appreciate a good RPG even more.

When I went off to uni I fell out of love with the games. Picked up emerald years later and didn't like it. Played through Diamond and thought it was okay but disappointing. But Black was very good, and X was fantastic. I'm back into it in a big way, I just wish it was more challenging for older gamers like myself.

Still remember my first proper team from Red
Charizard
Alakazam
Jolteon
Flareon
Pidgeot
Mewtwo

Still holds up okay today!
 
7th grade is very memorable for me because of Pokemon Red/Blue. Making trades and doing battle over a link cable every chance we got during school. Lunch was like a tournament every day. That was when I knew... single player games with multiplayer aspects. Muah.
 

Ilúvatar

Member
I've played every generation of Pokemon, plus tons of the spin-offs - even Hey You, Pikachu. One of the saddest moments in my life to this day is having a DS Lite stolen that had Pokemon Diamond and FF Tactics Advance slotted in, with about 400 combined hours between the two.

Happy birthday to one of the most significant cultural phenomenons started during my lifetime.
 

Pop

Member
Time sure flies by. I remember going to my local Toys R Us to buy Blue. Getting my parents to buy booster packs almost every time we went to the store. Such great feelings when I was collecting different cards, trading with people at school. Pokémon brought me a lot of happiness over the years. Hell, I can still remember very clearly when I got my first holographic Charizard haha. Haven't played this new X and Y. Maybe I should get on that.
 
Haha, I don't actually. Is there a specific reason everyone wants to see a Gold file? Are they known to die after a couple of years or something?

Yes. Game saves are kept with a small battery in the cart keeping a charge through a small piece of RAM, but the GSC games also used the battery to keep the clock running, so it burned through the battery fast.
 

Griss

Member
Time sure flies by. I remember going to my local Toys R Us to buy Blue. Getting my parents to buy booster packs almost every time we went to the store. Such great feelings when I was collecting different cards, trading with people at school. Pokémon brought me a lot of happiness over the years. Hell, I can still remember very clearly when I got my first holographic Charizard haha. Haven't played this new X and Y. Maybe I should get on that.

Those cards were great. The first two sets or so had really charming artwork. What came later wasn't as great. Always wanted a Charizard, but refused to spend any money on extra packs. Even back then I was anti nickel and diming consumers!

I remember downloading images for each card since I'd never get to see them myself, and I'd leave the room to do something else while the image was downloading - that was the state of internet access at the time. One image, 5 or more minutes. Thinking back on it now, I can remember the exact smell that would come through the back window of grass and pine and forest stuff... Damn, time moves fast. Wish I could be young again.
 
Yes. Game saves are kept with a small battery in the cart keeping a charge through a small piece of RAM, but the GSC games also used the battery to keep the clock running, so it burned through the battery fast.
Ah, that makes sense with the clock. Would explain why I still have my Blue file, but the Gold one is lost. I actually wondered if I accidentally deleted it or not. Thanks for the explanation :)

EDIT: Small bummer actually. Spend the most time with Gold and had a really good save. Shame.
 

Espada

Member
Damn, it's been 18 years? Well, I've been enjoying them since I got Pokemon Blue close to launch day WAY back when. I just love the large roster of monsters (I have a ton of favorites I rotate in and out of my teams) and the depth of the mechanics and battle. It's certainly not as simple as it looks once you scratch the surface.

Few series have kept their quality as high and consistent as pokemon, hats off to Nintendo and Gamefreak for all the years of fun. I'm going to flip through the old pokemon cards I have in a few minutes.
 

SgtCobra

Member
Opened my old box just for you :p
I'm not going to make a that's what she said joke now... Must...not ruin...the...moment..
Anyway, it personally makes me very nostalgic when I see an old save file, especially from Pokémon.

OT: Joe, thanks for your work on Serebii, I love that site and it made me appreciate the Pokémon games even more.
 
I pretty much grew up with this series and I doubt I'd be anywhere near as interested in video games as I am today. It's had its hiccups, but I think the main series are still good fun to play, X and Y recently turning out to be one of my favorite generations. But one thing I've always loved is how unique and fun most of the spinoff games have been, especially in the early days when the developers could put Pokemon on any weird thing and it would sell.

I just want a sequel to this game.
198311_42710_front.jpg

The Wii U and 3DS gyroscopic controls feel like they were made for this. Seriously, get on that sequel Nintendo!
 
Pokemon will always have a special place in my heart. One of my favorite game series ever.


Here's how I'd rank the gens:

1) Red/Blue, Fire Red/Leaf Green
2) Yellow
3) Gold/Silver/Crystal, Fire Gold/Soul Silver
4) Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
5) Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
6) X/Y
7) Black/White, Black/White 2
 
I'm not going to make a that's what she said joke now... Must...not ruin...the...moment..
Anyway, it personally makes me very nostalgic when I see an old save file, especially from Pokémon.

OT: Joe, thanks for your work on Serebii, I love that site and it made me appreciate the Pokémon games even more.
Yeah, I was delighted to see when my GBC turned on without a problem and my Blue file was still there :)
 

Trago

Member
I got Red after I got obsessed with one of those comprehensive guides for it; it had the old Sugimori art for every Pokemon, extensive maps and movesets, etc. I kinda had an unfair advantage out the gate. I remember how frustrating it was catching Moltres even with the guide; stupid Fire Spin. My current copy of Red is the same one I had all those years ago; I replaced the batteries after they died.

I also remember this commercial.



Sweet god! I remember seeing that on TV!

I'm not even in my 20's yet and I feel old lol.
 
I lost all my pokemans on my last business trip in January. Even my first and only shiny. Aegislash. Perfect IVs.

:(

Had my SD card loose in my jacket pocket getting on a plane, as I had switched it to use for my camera that day.
Pretty sure it just slipped out mid-flight while my coat was in the bin.

I have been so bummed out I can't even restart X/Y yet. I've fallen to just living vicariously through Twitch now.

EDIT: Oh the moral of the story is to never buy digital only for Pokemon! NEVER!
 
surprised the core formula hasn't changed much post gold silver. I totally thought it would have transitioned to more of an action turned based rpg kinda thing by now a la megaman battle network.

Because Pokemon competitive battling is actually really large and dependent on the turnbased system and predicting your opponent's moves. The battle system really shines there
 

Kouriozan

Member
Meh, it's just a fad
:lol

I played every Pokémon games gens + remake to date and never kept my old Pokémon (will maybe change with Pokémon Bank), and enjoy them more now than when I was a child.

Happy birthday! <3
 

Daemul

Member
I'm thinking of getting back into the series but I don't have a 3DS yet, so I'll get the B/W games since I've never played them. I can't decide which ones to pick though, Black 1 and 2 or White 1 and 2. Which ones do you guys think are better?
 
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