One Of My Faves #4 Pokemon Blue

Growing up I played tons of video games, but I was never the kid on the bus playing on a handheld. I always envied those kids, playing their Tetris or Sonic the Hedgehog, but neither Gameboy or Game Gear appealed much to me. One was way too big, and the other was way too green. That all changed in 1997. There was a cool new cartoon to watch, and apparently it was based off of a game. This was the start of the phenom called Pokemon.

It was so unique, in that it appealed to everyone young and old, male or female. Whats makes it even more special is that it wasn't just a fad, and is still popular today. It is now 2014 and I still play it to this day, maybe not with the same enthusiasm as I once did, but I still find it extremely enjoyable.

There is nothing else that has had such lasting appeal. Not Digimon. Not Pogs. Not Tamagotchi. Not Yugioh. Nothing. The Pokemon craze is still alive and well, and that's awesome.

On line? What's on line?

I still remember that Christmas; my brother and I both got Gameboy Colors, and each got a Pokemon game with it. I thankfully got Blue. Its my favorite color after all. I was immediately hooked. They weren't kidding when they said "Gotta Catch'em All". Honestly, Pokemon Blue introduced me to grinding in video games, and without it I would have continued to suck at rpgs. I still remember searching Viridian Forest for what seemed like hours trying to catch a damn Pikachu. The first few times I encountered it I either killed it or scared it off, but it was all worth it when I finally caught that sucker.

Old School.

Pokemon was just super fun to play. The game is made to be addictive, and that is exactly what it is. Collecting every badge and every Pokemon became a tiny obsession of mine. Thankfully, it seemed as though everyone played a version of this game, and it made trading and collecting enjoyable. Yes, we had these dumb cables to lug around everywhere, but it really wasn't all that bad. Trading Pokemon at home, outside, and even at school. There wasn't a spot that was off limits for trading if it meant getting a rare Pokemon you needed. I'm still waiting for the day when Nintendo finally gives us a console Pokemon game, but in the meantime I keep playing on my 3DS. The Pokemon franchise opened up the world of handheld gaming to me, and I will always be grateful for that. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to earning my Feather badge in Pokemon Alpha Sapphire.