Which reminds me…
I recently went on a small eBay hunt for some original Japanese cartridges. I now have the complete set of Red, Green, Blue and Yellow, all boxed and working. I have done battery changes on two out of four so far.
The big thing for me is that I’ve been playing Pokemon Red now for two weeks. And it still holds up. It’s not nostalgia goggles though, it’s because I am an older gamer and I am now playing very differently to how I used to. Badge boost glitch? I am taking advantage at every opportunity. Using Dodrio instead of Pidgeot or Fearow? Easy win, until I get aerodacytl. Buying the magikarp early doors to take advantage of gyrados throughout? Yes. Mew glitch to have at least one Mew before Misty? Absolutely.
I’m also making sure I catch everything in every area. Before I would have returned to each area, this time I am trying to be a completionist. Articuno and Zapdos both caught as early as possible. No longer using ultra balls but using great balls and only 2/3rds health down with paralysis.
Noticing the different tile sets used throughout the game, including grass and sea tiles and “shop” instead of “mart”. Wondering why some of Pokemon Red and Green’s good sprites - see Blastoise - were replaced in favour of truly awful ones later on. Realising Mew really does have fetal qualities in its very first form, as does Mewtwo (see Earthbound’s final boss Giygas which was the inspiration).
The games in their very original Japanese form might have a lot of glitches (which are not noticeable, actually, you really have to know your stuff to find them or take advantage of them - see mew glitch) but the thing that really shines out for me is the polish on making the over world feel real. It’s a tiny game really and yet they squeezed so much in. 151 monsters when there could have been up to 190 (see Helix Chamber for details) doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the game.
I now realise on playing through the game in my 30s, long after my teens, that the appeal of Pokemon was never the battling either. It’s the creatures themselves. They feel more real and more like old friends than any of the Dragon Quest monsters, for example. The design of the battle screens, status screens and Pokédex entries all add to this. The creatures are dots on a screen, but you feel emotionally attached to them.
This was carefully designed, lovingly thought out, and on reflection of the various leaks that have shown us beta Kanto and cut Pokemon and art, I do feel strongly that the design team got the balance right in Pokemon Red and Green. The games are masterpieces from a playability and aesthetic level.
I don’t think this was flash in a pan either, I have played every generation and they do always get the monsters right, even if other parts of the games might be less than stellar (see graphics/sky battles/etc).
I feel though they need to do something special for the upcoming 30th anniversary. Crazy how close it is now! We need a fresh take on the original games, on switch. Something nostalgic but also blowing everything else out of the water.
Oh and FYI the first Pokemon I caught this time around? No.25. I walked into Viridian forest, and there was Pikachu. Who wouldn’t immediately catch it, despite having to fight Brock shortly? It was useful for Misty…!!!