Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 91

91: Pokemon (GB)
Developer(s): Game Freak/Creatures Inc.
Year: 1996

 

There are very few cultural and social phenomenon in our history as gamers that have had as far-reaching and long-lasting an impact as Pokemon. I may get blasted for being Pro-kemon (see what I did there?) or I may get blasted for having it so far down the list as to not even breach the top 90. Fact remains, however, that the original Pokemon games are a prime example of good, clean, and simple RPG fun.

As a trainer of wild Pokemon, you spend the majority of the game simply running from town to town, battling rabid an wild birds and rats, trees and fish. This is all done in the hopes that you may some day become the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world. Of course, everyone else and their dog (some of which may be on fire or – at the very least – have magic rock-imbued lightning powers) thinks they’re going to be the best, too. This is where the game’s challenges come into play.

Taking the monsters you’ve captured and trained and pitting them against other monsters that have been trained in a blast. Each monster has its own type and, in standard RPG-style gameplay, each type has strengths and weaknesses (water damages fire, grass… hurts… rocks…?). Exploit these well and the game is a cinch. Fail to exploit these well, and you’ll never collect all the badges you need to take on the Elite Four at the game’s climax. Of course, along the way you’ll battle Team Rocket and your arch nemesis (I always thought it was unfair that you get to name him, though. Nothing, then, stops you from naming your biggest enemy in the world something like “Penis-face” or “Douche”).

All in all, the game offered a great road-trip adventure with the possibility to link-up your game with a friend’s to wage war against each others pocket monsters. Other games in the series would come and go (Silver/Gold, Pokemon Stadium, ……..Pokemon Snap) but the one’s that will always be remembered are the original set. People watched the cartoon because of these games, people bought the cards. The world, for a brief time, was on its knees, bowing down to the financial heaven that was the Pokemon franchise. All because of a finely tuned Game Boy game. And, well, that damned Pikachu being so popular.

Classic Moment:
Nothing spells utter frustration better than learning that – after climbing through the treacherous and simply awful Victory Road (a cave system filled with high level beasts and nasty trainers) and after you try and try again to get to and defeat Lance of the Elite Four – your Rival, Penis-face, bested them moments before, causing you to do battle with him to become the Pokemon League champion. All that work, then, must have been equally frustrating for Penis-face, especially so since, after you defeat him, even his own uncle rubs it in his face, practically telling the kid he’s no good at training. What a loving relationship they have in that family.

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Added September 29, 2016
I got through one of the second generation games and have tried to get through a few more but, man, I just don’t have what it takes to be the best, like no one was before.
Also, I think they’re boring.