ReallyIsaac

I can’t believe it’s been over ten (10) years since Pokemon Red and Blue were first released. I wanna say I got Red Version first, but it’s been so long, I really don’t remember. I just know at some point I owned both copies. At the time, I really didn’t know much about the series or what I was getting myself involved in. The animated show had been out for several months before the game was released, but I never saw it. 

So when I got the game, I was amazed by how open world it was for a fixed RPG. When I realized that the game continued after you completed the main story arc, I couldn’t put it down. There was one phrase that just stayed with me through every battle and every new quest: Gotta Catch’em All. For me, the game didn’t end ‘til I caught all one hundred and fifty one (151) Pokemon. 

Now because there were two versions of the game, it required the gamer to seek out other Pokemon players with the opposite game to trade and even battle. Looking back, I don’t think I ever got all 151 Pokemon. There was that last one you could only get through special out of game events. 

Then about year later, another version of the game was released titled: Pokemon Yellow. This version of the game was a copy of Red and Blue only it mirrored the show more, allowing the player to get Pikachu as his or her first Pokemon. Also Pikachu followed along with you outside his Pokeball through the entire journey. 

Let’s now fast-forward 10 years to March 6th 2011: Pokemon had expanded to 12 different versions taking place in 5 different regions, each with their own story arc and the discovery of over 649 different Pokemon. And now the latest version of the series: Pokemon Black and White. Not the most clever of names, but it was kind of overdue. They had gone from Red, Blue, Yellow, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Silver, Gold and even Crystal, just to name a few. 

When I heard Black and White was coming to the states, I went to the local Gamestop and pre-ordered a copy of Black, while a friend of mine got White. When you turn on the game, you are greeted with amazingly new graphics, but that same nostalgic feeling. The environments are simply stunning and the game play is very similar to its predecessors. They’ve added new in game features that make it easier for gamers to communicate with others over wifi and wireless connections. The story is pretty interesting, but familiar to the others. Now even though this isn’t a bad thing, it does feel like the same’ol games. 

I’m about half way through and from what I’ve seen it’s getting very interesting. For the two days that I’ve had the game, I’ve hardly put it down. In fact, I’m playing as I’m writing this post. For those old Pokemon fans, I say this is a great game to pick up and dive right back in. For the people who want to see what all the talk is about, I recommend visiting the official site. Pokemon isn’t for everyone, but for me, I won’t stop ‘til I Catch’em all.

…see what I did there. I’m a nerd.