Pokemon Red / Blue

2024-12-08
What can I say? This is where it all began. This was my first RPG when I was 7 years old in 1998. I still remember the joy of trying to get a team off the ground with just like Charmander and a Geodude and getting reamed by Brock--the absolute chad--until I restarted with Squirtle or Bulbasaur and found the rest of the game to be a joke. I must have replayed through the entire game so many times with each starter.

This was also the first Pokemon game where I caught all the Pokemon. I made a couple choice trades with a friend who had Blue and then I did everything myself. And looking back, having played every Pokemon since, it's only one of two (three if you include Arceus) games in the series where it's reasonable to be able to catch all of them without cheating.

Oh man I remember how much I enjoyed the Safari or getting Dratini at the Arcade. Seeing Scyther or Kangaskhan for the first time and being totally blown away "What the hell is that?! So cool!". And then when you finally put in the time and got lucky and caught one with your safari ball.

And you look back and you know there ain't no way the game holds up. The trite and stupid puzzles. The tediousness of HMs being permanent, which in turn taught me the concept of slavery at a young age through HM slaves. Ahh inequity through bad game design. But who gives a shit? This is where it started, man.

Oh the memories. I dunno if I'll replay it ever because it was for sure superseded by Silver but what a classic.

???
What can I say? This is where it all began. This was my first RPG. I still remember the joy of trying to get a team off the ground with just like Charmander and a Geodude and getting reamed by Brock until I restarted with Squirtle or Bulbasaur and found the rest of the game to be a joke. I must have played through so many times with each starter.

Of course Charmander was still my favorite. Venasaur might actually be second fav. I mean really all the starters were great in this.

This was also the first Pokemon game where I caught all the Pokemon. I made a couple choice trades with a friend who had Blue and then I did everything myself.

Oh man I remember how much I enjoyed the Safari or getting Dratini at the Arcade. Seeing Scyther or Kangaskhan for the first time and being totally blown away "What the hell is that?! So cool!". And then when you finally put in the time and got lucky and caught on with your safari ball or whatever.

Sure I could ding it for having kind of trite or stupid puzzles. The tediousness of HMs being permament and having to have shitty HM Pokemon. But who gives a shit? This is where it started, man.

Oh the memories. I dunno if I'll replay it ever because it was for sure superseded by Silver but what a classic.