Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
This is an ambitious thread I've wanted to do for awhile, and I don't know if it will catch on, or people will care for it exactly, but I wanted to talk about Pokemon.
The Pokemon series right now could perhaps be said to be going through some growing pains...the move to 3D, while something a lot of folks wanted, came with it a lot of discussion about Pokemon's viability in the modern industry. Pokemon is still popular, that cannot be argued, but its popularity at this point seems to rely on mainly classic fans who are unable to let the series go, and some would point out, their devotion to the series has led to Game Freak resting on their laurels too often. Furthermore, there's been a lot of controversy concerning the relationship between The Pokemon Company and Nintendo, with the former seemingly turning into a major heel among the gaming community for their overprotective nature of the IP.
However, that's not really what I want to discuss. I want to talk about the Pokemon themselves, the reason many of us got into the franchise in the first place, and the reason while we still remain loyal despite the sins the franchise has committed in recent years. And not just my favorite Pokemon, I wanted to seriously look at each and every one of the Pokemon and really talk about them, what the inspiration was behind them, how they've fared across the years in terms of popularity and viability, and just analyze the creatures I've come to adore and served as a major part of my childhood, and still remain almost "sacred" to me in my adult years. I don't know how much longer I'll enjoy Pokemon---these days I wonder when a main game will come out that I'll straight-up skip---but at the moment, I'm still willing to give the series a chance.
A big part of that is I honestly love Game Freak's designs. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand why people don't like certain Pokemon, and I think there are valid design decisions that can be criticized, but I don't think any Pokemon should be completely dropped from the franchise. There are Pokemon I dislike, but I realize others like, and the best part of Pokemon is none of them are ever completely dropped---Game Freak always brings them back for the next games, sometimes with a new move, ability, evolution or, yes, Mega Evolution. That joy---seeing an old favorite long forgotten about finally get its due---is a great feeling, and the reason I think Pokemon has longer legs compared to some of its contemporaries. Each Pokemon is treated with "respect" by Game Freak, there are no lesser Pokemon. Alright, that's not true---there are Pokemon Game Freak loves, and Pokemon they ignore, but the point is, each of them are given a shot at least each Generation to appeal to new players, and hopefully find players who love them.
My plan is to give a decent write-up concerning each "Evolutionary Family" that offers my insight into them, such as their inspiration, what they mean to the franchise as a whole, personal memories concerning them, and the pros and cons and how "worthy" they are of the Pokemon name. Exploration of the battling side of things---something I've never been skilled at despite playing the games for years---won't factor into my analysis too much, so I'd love to see others offer their opinions when it comes to that category. I hope to do at least one family a day, going through the PokeDex (cross-gen evolutions of course placed alongside their earliest relative in terms of Dex Order), and have a good-sized post for each Pokemon, no matter how forgettable.
Anyway, I hope this thread is alright---I thought about doing a blog, but then I realized doing this on NeoGAF would perhaps be a better option as it'd provide a better sense of community to discuss each Pokemon, and get some insight from fellow fans and compare their feelings on each Pokemon compared to mine. Plus people seemed to enjoy my Banjo-Kazooie write-ups a few years back and, well, I wanted to try a project like that again, but this time actually finish it.
LINKS TO INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES
#001 Bulbasaur
#004 Charmander
#007 Squirtle
#010 Caterpie
#013 Weedle
#016 Pidgey
#019 Rattata
#021 Spearow
#023 Ekans
#025 Pikachu
#027 Sandshrew
#029 & #032 Nidoran
#035 Clefairy
#037 Vulpix
#039 Jigglypuff
#041 Zubat
#043 Oddish
#046 Paras
#048 Venonat
#050 Diglett
#052 Meowth
#054 Psyduck
#056 Mankey
#058 Growlithe
#060 Poliwag
#063 Abra
#066 Machop
#069 Bellsprout
#072 Tentacool
#074 Geodude
#077 Ponyta
#079 Slowpoke
#081 Magnemite
#083 Farfetch'd
#084 Doduo
#086 Seel
#088 Grimer
#090 Shellder
#092 Gastly
#095 Onix
#096 Drowzee
#098 Krabby
#100 Voltorb
#102 Exeggcute
#104 Cubone
#106 Hitmonlee & #107 Hitmonchan
#108 Lickitung
#109 Koffing
#111 Rhydon
#113 Chansey
#114 Tangela
#115 Kangaskhan
#116 Horsea
#118 Goldeen
#120 Staryu
#122 Mr. Mine
#123 Scyther
#124 Jynx
#125 Electabuzz
#126 Magmar
#127 Pinsir
#128 Tauros
#129 Magikarp
#131 Lapras
#132 Ditto
#133 Eevee | Gen II | Gen IV | Gen VI
#137 Porygon
#138 Omanyte
#140 Kabuto
#142 Aerodactyl
#143 Snorlax
#144 Articuno, #145 Zapdos & #146 Moltres
#147 Dratini
#150 Mewtwo
#151 Mew
Intro to Generation II
#152 Chikorita
#155 Cyndaquil
#158 Totodile
#161 Sentret
#163 Hoothoot
#165 Ledyba
#167 Spinarak
#170 Chinchou
#175 Togepi
#177 Natu
#179 Mareep
#182 Marill
#184 Sudowoodo
#187 Hoppip
#190 Aipom
#191 Sunkern
#193 Yanma
#194 Wooper
#198 Murkrow
#200 Misdreavus
#201 Unown
#202 Wobbuffet
#203 Girafarig
#204 Pineco
#206 Dunsparce
#207 Gligar
#209 Snubbull
#211 Qwilfish
#213 Shuckle