Starting with Red when I was six, I have played my way through every single generation of Pokémon. Pokémon will always have a special place in my heart, and it is a game that keeps getting better. I’ve spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours playing these games. Feel free to read my Pokémon games ranked best-to-worst article on the subject too. I love this franchise so much that I just had to list some of my favorite things about it.

Pokémon character

Legends and Lore

For me, lore has an enormous impact on making a video game worthwhile. Pokémon is notorious for its lore. Lore amplifies the experience of video games and reaches deep into the world each character is a part of. One of my favorite stories is of the three legendary dogs, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune in Pokémon Gold and Silver. 150 years ago, there was a crisis in Ecruteak City. During a rainstorm, an ancient tower was struck by lightning and consumed by fire. In the tower perished three nameless Pokémon.

After the destruction, a bright rainbow came from the sky, and the Ho-oh appeared to revive the three lost souls. It is said that Ho-oh’s restoration gave these three Pokémon great powers.

Pokémon poke ball

The Battle Mechanics

The games are great for those people who are horrible at first-person shooters. Each battle in the Pokémon games have four different categories: Fight, Run, Bag, and Switch Team Member. Each fighting Pokémon has unique stats that influence the speed of their attacks, health points, damage taken, and damage dealt. It is easy enough to understand, but not so easy that it isn’t a challenge.

Character Development

Pokémon games have some of the greatest characters. Throughout the games, those characters change and develop quite a bit. One of my favorite characters in the franchise is N. N grew up among abused Pokémon, which led him to become resentful towards humans. Because of this tragedy, N decides to fight against humans and free all Pokémon from captivity.

Throughout Black and White, your character runs into N and engages in battles. Each time N loses, he starts to see how trainers connect with their Pokémon. Near the end of the game, N realizes that Pokémon shouldn’t be separated from humans and that the two can live together in harmony.

Bad Guys with Bad Motives

This franchise has some of the greatest villains! Team Rocket, Team Skull, and Team Plasma are just a few of the best. The mindless goons are fun to defeat, their motives are border-line insane, and their bosses are incredible characters. My favorite villain is Maxie from Team Magma, who believes the world would be better off without the sea. Maxie and his group of thugs set out to awaken the legendary Groudon, who has the power to get rid of entire oceans. Sounds crazy, right?

Pokémon game play

This Game Makes Me Cry

I love a game that brings tears to my eyes. The creators of the franchise Game Freak really know how to pull on my heartstrings. Take the Mystery Dungeon series, for example. In this game, you awake one day and find yourself inside a Pokémon’s body. You meet friends along the way, start a Pokémon rescuing business, and travel from dungeon to dungeon searching for Pokémon who are lost. If you want a real tear-jerker, I recommend playing Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue Rescue Team. I’ve played it through at least a hundred times and finish the game in tears.

Bookmans buys, sells, and trades video games and consoles and we also host events like Super Smash Bros Tournaments and Pokémon in each of our stores. We’ll see you there, trainers!