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Well, with the new Pokémon remakes of Gold / Silver / (technically due to added features) Crystal, Heart Gold / Soul Silver, I got thinking about my original Pokémon games, so I figured I would share my stories with you, and see if anyone else has anything similar.
I got my very first video game when I was very young, still in elementary school, and with it came the state-of-the-art handheld device, the Gameboy. I got Pokémon Blue, and my little brother got Red. Given the colors, we each decided to go with Squirtle and Charmander respectively, waiting until our parents could afford the linker so that we could battle. Back then, Pokémon was my life; it was as if I had pets, I had a collection, and I had friends, and all of that in the palms (or as the case may be, palms, wrists, and fingers), of my hands. I remembered that I would even keep a journal about what I did in Pokémon some days, and take pictures of my gameboy's screen when a Pokémon evolved.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I knew that they were fake, of course, but they felt real. There were no walkthrough guides, or Bulbapedia to look up evolutions, or, more importantly, a tank-tree-turtle as a starter. Everything was so natural, and everything was a surprise! It took years, still playing, to find a mew, and even then it was only because of our newly-bought computer / internet.
Unfortunately, I grew up. Now, even when playing the Jap versions of HG/SS, I don't feel the same as I used to. Everything feels like a math problem, just trying to guarantee my victories, it's not about catching, raising, or anything with Pokémon anymore, it's just about doing the most damage (excluding wi-fi). Days of levelling up and rarely being able to beat gym leaders are gone, leaving nothing but nostalgia, being replaced by days of 60+ hour work weeks just to make rent, on-top of being a full-time university student. If nothing else, I would just like to thank Nintendo for giving me a Squirtle, and letting me catch my very first Caterpie, but most of all for giving me a childhood.
Anyway, does anyone have any similar stories?
I got my very first video game when I was very young, still in elementary school, and with it came the state-of-the-art handheld device, the Gameboy. I got Pokémon Blue, and my little brother got Red. Given the colors, we each decided to go with Squirtle and Charmander respectively, waiting until our parents could afford the linker so that we could battle. Back then, Pokémon was my life; it was as if I had pets, I had a collection, and I had friends, and all of that in the palms (or as the case may be, palms, wrists, and fingers), of my hands. I remembered that I would even keep a journal about what I did in Pokémon some days, and take pictures of my gameboy's screen when a Pokémon evolved.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I knew that they were fake, of course, but they felt real. There were no walkthrough guides, or Bulbapedia to look up evolutions, or, more importantly, a tank-tree-turtle as a starter. Everything was so natural, and everything was a surprise! It took years, still playing, to find a mew, and even then it was only because of our newly-bought computer / internet.
Unfortunately, I grew up. Now, even when playing the Jap versions of HG/SS, I don't feel the same as I used to. Everything feels like a math problem, just trying to guarantee my victories, it's not about catching, raising, or anything with Pokémon anymore, it's just about doing the most damage (excluding wi-fi). Days of levelling up and rarely being able to beat gym leaders are gone, leaving nothing but nostalgia, being replaced by days of 60+ hour work weeks just to make rent, on-top of being a full-time university student. If nothing else, I would just like to thank Nintendo for giving me a Squirtle, and letting me catch my very first Caterpie, but most of all for giving me a childhood.
Anyway, does anyone have any similar stories?