Favorite Video Games #4

Between 2006 and 2010, I spent most of my time looking for jobs. And not the kind off job hunting memed in young professional memes and reels. Not looking for something better if not just looking for something. I spent this time not necessarily always unemployed but under employed. PT hours and gig jobs. I got paid in a 100 Target gift card once. 

But, when at home, I played ROMS of Gameboy games. ROMS being bootleg rips of games you could play on an emulator program on your machine. Your laptop could be a Gameboy (or anything if you have the right specs) and play for free any and all games. 

Here I played Pokémon: Crystal which was the second Pokémon game but this was years after its release.

Now, original Pokémon? Red and Blue. Oh yeah I played the hell out of that and lived the schoolyard memes (Missingo hack, etc) but just stopped playing once I went to college. Pokémon went on. And on and on.

Those games in 2008 (now some one firmly in kid 20s) were a return and hint at everything new. The new starters. The goofy look of Wooper and how adorable Mareep evolves into beady eye Ampharos. Here I got wrecked by Whitney's Miltank, a brutal battle in games now known for ease of access.* It made me love the franchise all over again even, almost 30 years from the first, it hasn't moved much beyond animated gifs slamming into one another.

I used to work at a school and my knowledge of most Pokémon from generations 1 through 6** was always impressive to the children. I have this art nouveau styled Umbreon shirt that I would sometimes wear on Fridays, which is when the already casual dress code rules*** were even slacker, and be the envy of all the middle schoolers

"What is this shirt that is making all the seventh grade girls go crazy!?" asked a teacher pulling me aside in the hallway. I felt truly small and pathetic hearing that exact phrasing. 

I'm talking less about the game itself and more the experience. This is an intergenerational franchise with manic adult fans and kids. It makes oodles of money because of that as compared to say a Power Rangers fandom, which is for kids but is held up by adults. But, yeah, we knew the Team Rocket anime saying by heart and I spent a vacation trip to the USVI desperately hunting for batteries for Red and Blue games on the OG Gameboy. The seeds for this were already laid when I downloaded those roms and reconnected in Johto, Generation 2/Pokémon Crystal's home continent. Crystal got re made in the mid 2010s onto the Nintendo DS as Heart Gold/Soul Sliver and damn those games are amazing. In color and popping with a neat gimmick of the Poke Meter. It was a pedometer shaped like a white and red Poke Ball that could take to the game via likely RFID or some infrared connection. So drop your Pokémon in the Pokemeter and go for a walk and it gains levels, finds gear, even other Pokémon! I worked a warehouse job then so getting 12K steps a day was nothing. My pokes were yoked!****

I have bought every Nintendo handheld (The DS allowed for cross play from older Gameboy Advanced games so that helped me with Ruby and Sapphire) so I can play these games and its my turn with the Switch when Scarlet came out! Out of the way kids. 

The franchise for sure needs a refresh. We have Pokémon dogs based on cinnamon rolls right now and how many more horrible fish Pokémon can we get? But, it allows for a conversation with young and old and scratches that itch of cheerfully grinding for incremental advantage. 

And, my top ten, fwiw

1) Vaporeon (Poke Mermaid!)

2) Crobat (Lighting Bat!)

3) Litten (Fire Kitty!)

4) Mudkip (MUDKIP MUDKIP MUDKIP!)

5) Annihilape (Spooky King Kong)

6) Sandslash (BA Dirt Porcupine)

7) Raichu (Alolan) (Trippy Surfing Thunder Mouse, Go!)

8) Luxray (Lighting Kitty!)

9) Rockruff (Rock Puppy!)

10) Breloom (Punching Mushroom!)

*Gen 1 is brutal. The way stats were set up meant the psychic type gym was near impossible. Counter it with bug type moves? Well they all suck. Counter with ghost moves? Well all the ghost typed are also poison which psychic wrecks and Shadow Ball runs off attack Stat. Why?! Gen 2 was ok save for Milbank and Gen 3 is where we get a nice balance of hard the quality of life improvements. This isn't me being some Poke boomer. I appreciate not needing HM slaves and not keeping boxes free and sharing experience but damn did an all level 60 team feel great back in the day.

** Each game is a generation setting the tone for the show and Manga, etc. 30 years of Pokémon and nine generations so far.

***I once had a co worker bemoan that we allowed the Assistant Principal to wear ripped jeans. Could I do something about it? No, I had no business talking about the AP's pants.

****I promise to never say that again.