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The Former Pokémaniac by Michael Contino
Pokémon took over the gaming part of my life more than anything else on a Nintendo platform. At the age of ten, Kanto was my second home even with Hyrule on my television screen. From my yellow Game Boy to my atomic purple Game Boy Color, Pokémon ruled the roost. I owned Pokémon Blue, Yellow, Gold, and briefly, Diamond, along with a couple of side games. Over a decade has passed since I could call myself a Pokémaniac but there is still some life in this trainer.
Before I revisit my Pokémon glory days, let me just say that I gave the series another go with 2007’s Diamond but soon after my purchase, I let handhelds go for a bit. Blue and Yellow had so much for players to do. From training 151 Pokémon to facing gym leaders and the Elite Four, these games were addictive. HMs were a favorite of mine, allowing further and faster exploration. My top pick for starter Pokémon was Charmander and this led to me later choosing Cyndaquil. To fill out my Pokédex, I do not regret having used GameShark sometimes, for I was young enough not to care about obtaining Pokémon without earning them. Also, surfing for Missingno off Cinnabar Island was a fun glitch.
My fondest memory of the series was in 2000 when I received Gold from my grandparents on Christmas Eve. I remember lying on the couch with Grandma’s dim lights, comfortably playing my GBC. I was taken away by the game’s real time mechanic, which until this day, sits at the top of my list of best game features for any game. Gold, and Silver, added a new coat of paint to the series and paved the way for the future of Pokémon.
The night is a beautiful thing.
Unfortunately, subsequent Pokémon adventures did not come for me as I drifted away before I could find myself once again, knee-deep in pocket monsters. High school was coming and Pokémon was seen as childish. I find it funny how a guy playing Mario in his teens/twenties is alright but Pikachu and company are likened to Power Rangers and WWE, the latter of which I still enjoy. Although I would feel embarrassed to have my Dad walk in on me playing Pokémon on a Friday or Saturday night, these RPGs are truly for people of all generations.
The Pokémon phenomenon may have taken its hold on me with the games but the cards were most important to me. I still enjoy watching the show at times with my brother, as a nod to the past, but in the end, the card craze is long gone and the show probably will not outlive the games. They, on the other hand, will keep coming, and while I can see myself throwing more Poké Balls in the future, it’s far more likely that I’ll take the nostalgia tour and buy FireRed and/or HeartGold instead.
There you have it, readers. Three distinct accounts from three very different Poké-enthusiasts. The only question remains is where your experience lies. Are you a Pokémaniac, Pokénovice or somewhere in between? Let us know about your Pokémon journey in the comments below!
Me i started with the first and second gen games but technical limitations kept me from doing much outside completeing the game. then came the 4th gen. with wifi i was able to enjoy the whole pokemon experince and platnum gave me great new trading options. with 5th gen the pokemon game was the best of all but i was unable to get into the greater pokemon comunity hopefuly i can find a group with black and white 2
I find myself in an odd position on the series – on one hand, I love all generations across all platforms, I’m neutral, though my favorite is, by far, Sapphire/Ruby/Emerald.
Diamond and Pearl represent a crossing-over, round, boring generation. Yes, it looks better, yes, it is advanced, yes, I am neutral, but Diamond and Pearl have more new Pokemon that evolve from previous Pokemon and one-part-of-a-line Pokemon then any actual new evolution lines.
Red, Blue, and Yellow – the American releases of Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow – leave me in a conundrum, due to conditioning by modern technology.
The Pokemon system back then was simpler with less Pokemon. At the same time, somehow, due to lack of color and lack of size of screen, performing – using the system is infinitely harder and more complex. It is easy in Black to use the system, yet I find it difficult to use it in Red.
It’s a consequence of modern times.
As a mostly-neutral Pokemon fan (I do recognize the existance of Generation III/IV/V, yet am also a fan of I/II) I look forward to the next generation of Pokemon.
Though, as a final note, I began using the Pokemon series with Gold. It introduced me to Pokemon. Before Pokemon, I wasn’t in to video games at all. Now, I wonder how I made it by without them for nearly five/seven/eight years. Pokemon Gold will always have a soft spot in my heart – I still have the original cartridge of it, though the save file is not the one from all those years ago.
Basically, I can’t side with any fan – some only say there’s 251, while others say they hate Red and Gold.
I’ve always recognized each generation by what I call “the main game” of the “dominating color.”
In Generation I, Red is the ‘main game.’
In Generation II, Gold is the ‘main game.’
In Generation III, Sapphire and Emerald are the ‘main game/s.’ I didn’t like FireRed and LeafGreen.
In Generation IV, Diamond/HeartGold is the ‘main game.’ I still don’t like it, though.
In Generation V, Black/Black 2 are the ‘main games.’
Despite my personal preferences, it is impossible to deny every Pokemon game is fun.