Fad or fantastic?

Usually, I avoid anything that smacks of being a fad. I never watched an episode of Power Rangers. I never liked Nirvana. And you still can't get me to listen to any of the bubblegum pop on the radio nowadays. But even I have my moments when I succumb. And Pokemon has me, and I don't want it to let go.

First, let me describe how I got into it. Just after Christmas of 1998, I was bored, and I needed something to do, since I was visiting my father, and he worked alot. I decided to pick up a Game Boy (hey, they're cheap) and a couple of games to go along with it. When I walked into the store, they were hyping, with a large vinyl banner, a game called Pokemon. "Hey, that looks interesting," I said. Since I was picking up a Game Boy anyways, I decided that I could give it a shot. It only set me back around $20, and I picked up a game I hadn't played but loved (Final Fantasy Adventure) just in case.

To show you how much I enjoyed the game, I didn't touch Final Fantasy Adventure during the whole trip. Pokemon is a complete game, and I still enjoy playing it, over a year later.

First off, the game revolves around an interesting concept. The world is populated by 151 (they tell you 150, but more on that later) different creatures that are called Pokemon. You, an ambitious Pokemon trainer, seek out to become the world's greatest trainer. However, as you set out, your childhood rival does as well, also out to become the world's best. Plotwise, the game is rather simplistic, but it works well for the game. The translation of the plot is fairly strong, and its simplicity keeps it from hampering the game. There are no loose threads to drive people crazy, and everything is clearly explained within the game.

The plot is important, because Pokemon is, at heart, a basic RPG. The battle engine is simplistic, but again very clean. It reminds one of the monsters from the Final Fantasy Legend games. Moreover, since only one Pokemon can be out at a time, the major story battles in the game require clear strategy, to plan out which Pokemon to use at a given time. The fact that all Pokemon have at least one weakness is excellent, as it neatly balances the Pokemon in terms of another.

Moreover, the game also acts as a scavenger hunt. While you can, if you so choose, just breeze through the game to see how quickly you can beat it, you begin to discover that there is a certain thrill in the challenge of living up to the game's catchphrase, "Gotta Catch 'Em All!" While some evolutionary lines (Yes, Darwinism is in a video game. Guess this one isn't for the reactionary right.) do appear, so that you don't have to catch each one individually. Some Pokemon you can just catch, and evolve into other Pokemon.

However, you'll notice that there are three versions of Pokemon. This is perhaps the master stroke of the game. In order to get all 150 Pokemon, you have to trade them by using a Game Link Cable to connect two Pokemon games. Not only that, but after you finish trading, you can test your team of Pokemon against a friend, and see who has a better team. Thus, it is a Game Boy game that you can enjoy with other people. There are not many you can say that about.

For a fan of the cartoon series, this might not be the version to buy. The game has a different storyline than the television show, and some of the characters from the show do not appear at all in the game, and others only appear briefly. For those who want to go through a version of the television show, Pokemon Yellow is perfect for you.

The game is excellent, but not perfect. While every type of Pokemon has its benefits and drawbacks, one type, Psychic, has too many benefits. Thus, when you go up against experienced players, you can expect to see many powerful Psychic Pokemon, such as Alakazam and Mewtwo. There are also a couple moves that can make your Pokemon nearly invincible - such as Double Team and Minimize. This leads to either absurdly impossible or absurdly long matches, unless you deal with absolute experts on the game.

Then there is the issue of the 151st Pokemon, Mew. It does exist. However, the only legitimate way to obtain one is to participate in a Nintendo sponsored contest. This isn't a problem for people in or near major cities, but someone out in Nebraska isn't going to want to go several hundred miles for the right to have one Pokemon, no matter how good it may be. This is a bit unfair, and since addiction to the game is likely, you'll probably want it.

In the end, though, I cannot express enough my happiness over Pokemon. This is more than just an addict speaking, however. I've been a fan of role-playing games for a long time. I still own my first copy of Final Fantasy for the 8-bit Nintendo. And I've always wished that role-playing games could become huge, so that more good ones could be released. Between Pokemon and Final Fantasy, they are huge now. Not only can more role-playing games be made, but now younger kids are getting into them, which means they will want to play more when they grow older. Having more RPGs around is something I've always wanted. Thus, I say to the world, long live Pokemon.

P.S. Since you may be wondering what my active team is in the game, I use Gengar, Moltres, Jolteon, Exeggutor, Starmie, and Mew.