Pokemon

So they're coming out with Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver soon; they're remakes of Gold and Silver (if you didn't get that right away), and I'm not entiiirely sure how I feel about em yet. In any case, I realized that we don't have anything about Pokemon here, and I know some people here HAD to have played quite a bit of the Pokey-manz in their day (I know I did).

Let's chat

The history of Doug and Pokemon:

Pokemon Red and Blue:
I got Blue. I think it was the fourth grade or something (I was nine if that's the case), and I'm pretty sure I got it during Lent when I wasn't allowed to play video games (Catholics are weird, if you didn't already know). So St. Patrick's Day comes around, so I was allowed to play -- quick lesson in Catholicism: we're stupid, and we make up days when we don't have to follow the rules we created -- and I played ALL day long. I even remember telling my friends I didn't want to play with them, because I was playing Pokemon. By the end of the day, I'd already gotten through five of the eight badges, my Bulbasaur had been a Venusaur since right after Cerulean city (the second one), and I was disgustingly addicted. The rest of Lent I snuck my brother's Gameboy into the bathroom so I could play where no one could find me

Pokemon Gold and Silver:
BEST. CHRISTMAS. EVER. I got both Gold and Silver. BOTH. I played Silver first, then started Gold, and once I beat Silver, I started it again. Holy shit, it was amazing. New Pokemon were FUCKING AWESOME, new cities were great, and the added features blew my mind. I mean, holy crap, they added day and night...and TWO NEW EEVEE EVOLUTIONS. Who woulda thunk it? It was incredible. I still get all warm and fuzzy thinking about playing those games. Easily one of my top ten favorite games of all time.

Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire:
I believe these came out when I was in high school, and while I was still playing Pokemon, most people around me were not. I remember not having a very good appreciation for them, and kinda just let them fall away. I played pretty deeply into them, but it was kinda just like, "Meh, they're cool." Or at least that's how I remembered them, because once I went back and played them again, I realized that the 3rd generation FREAKIN ROCKED. I have no idea how I managed to forget about all of the cool things they did with the Advance capabilities, but I have to say, it was a pretty cool generation. Started to see some of my lesser favorite Pokemon beginning to appear, but there were some pretty bombass ones in there too (Exploud = amazing).

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl:
Okay, so this is where I actually started to fall away from the franchise. It pissed me off. I was SOOO excited for this game to be developed on the DS platform, and I got all imaginative about what they would do. I knew it had to be something that would completely blow us out of the water. Even the coolest shit I could think of couldn't possibly match what they would have in mind. I was thinking interactive battling, innovative gyms, a bombass storyline that made me actually give a shit; stuff that would make sense after the franchise hit TEN YEARS OLD. But no, I began to play, and sure enough, the gyms were the same as before (quite literally), the story was just as stupid, and the battling was entirely the same...so much the same that you can play this game without ever taking out your DS stylus. I never finished them... And I'm sure one day I'll go back and play it again, and maybe gain an appreciation for them, but until then, Diamond and Pearl are one of the biggest reasons I can't gauge my excitement for future games...


I've had many more games in this franchise, and I guarantee I'll share those too, but until then, I wanna hear about your Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal/Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/FireRed/LeafGreen/Diamond/Pearl/Platinum stories.

Pokemon Blue and Red:

I can proudly say Pokemon is one of the only things that was ever able to form a bond between my brother and I. We don't exactly get along. Never have. He was THIS close to be expelled when he was 14 for bringing a water bottle of vodka to school and getting drunk. He had started getting suspended regularly in kindergarten. Seriously. Anyway, he came home with Pokemon Blue one day, and claimed a friend gave it to him. I found out this past Christmas he actually stole it from a store -.- Despite he was twelve. But, he used to let me play with him. If he was bored being stuck in a cave or forest or something, he'd give it to me to play, and I felt so special. For Christmas then, my parents got me my very own gameboy and Pokemon Red. My brother outgrew Pokemon shortly after, so he just gave me his game, and I used to use both our gameboys, the games, and that link cable thing to trade. I even used to battle against myself. I was a cool eight year old. Then, last year, some guys in my rez showed me how to download an emulator to play FireRed. Guess how I spent the exam period?

Pokemon Yellow:

Next Christmas rolled around, and Pokemon Yellow was first on my list. I was a hardcore addict at this time. I singlehandedly got Pokemon cards banned from both my church AND my youth group. I used to wake up at 5:30am every Saturday to watch Pokemon, DESPITE the fact the same episode was on at 10am. I wanted to watch it twice. But I remember unwrapping all my gifts and being SO upset that I didn't get the game. I didn't want to seem selfish though, so I didn't complain to my parents. Later in the day though, when I was watering the tree, I noticed a gift stuck up in the branches, and it was the game! Woot! But it took me a while to get used to it. I obviously knew about fainting and knock outs and all that stuff, but you know how Pikachu followed you around? Well, every time he fainted and disappeared, I thought he died. I didn't seem to make the connection that if he fainted, he wouldn't be waking behind me anymore. So I'd restart the game. I spent about two weeks constantly restarting it.

Pokemon Gold and Silver:

I was 10 and this point, and Pokemon started dying at my school, so I was a closet Pokemon lover. I loved the games, but I wouldn't tell anyone. My mom thought I was getting "too old" for it (despite me only playing for 2 years?) so these were the last games I played as a kid. I didn't like them as much as the originals though, so when she told me I wasn't allowed to buy newer ones (she never really approved of my love for Pokemon, lol), I accepted it.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl:

I bought Diamond like, two months ago, just because I missed Pokemon. Not as good as the old ones, but I think I'm just so used to the original 151 Pokemon, so it's been hard to get used to these new ones. But it was still totally worth the $35.

Don Douglas wrote:

I've had many more games in this franchise, and I guarantee I'll share those too

I cried last year when I found out my sister sold Pokemon Snap without asking me. I actually cried. Legit. I have so many good memories with ALL the Pokemon games...

What do you mean nothing about Pokemon??? There was a period of like 3 weeks where every post I made was about Pokemon!!! And now every game Jeremy hosts is about Pokemon, HAHAHAHAHA!!!

POKEMON!!!!!!!!!!!!

^^^ So true.

YELLOW!!! I only played Yellow and Gold because after Gen2 I thought it was just ridiculous with all the new Pokemon. Aren't there like 400+ now? These young kids better have some damn good memories to actually know them all.

My Gold stopped saving, so I couldn't play it anymore , but I still play Yellow sometimes if I get reeeeally bored, but for like 10 minutes and I'm over it.

I KNOW, RIGHT!?

I got SO confused!! I mean, they're just suddenly like "Hey! We just discovered a new piece of land with 100 new Pokemon!" And all is fine and dandy but it KEPT HAPPENING!!

Real people wouldn't have been that accepting if we discovered a new continent with all new creatures. I don't understand.

I think the weirdest part about it. Is that then they import them all over. And bring the older species to the new place, and all of that. Like. What if one of them was an Invasive Species?????

I started playing Pokemon Diamond...again.

BAD douggie. Read your 1300 pages lol.

I'm reading. It's now only about 1200, LOL. I broke just to take a shower and check new posts. Once I am clothed, I go back to reading!

Clothed??? Pussy.

I bought Pokemon SoulSilver at 3:00am the day it came out.

Remember when I wasn't sure I wanted it?

Yeah...

That's a heartwarming tale Doug.