If you're in your mid 20s than you can probably guess how hard it is for me to write about Pokemon. When I became a teenager was almost the same time the Pokemon cartoon started playing in America, and Pokemania was born. To so many people, Pokemon was a kid's franchise with annoying characters that gave people seizures. I think it's still hard for people my age to look past this today. Of course, people who have been able to get over the kid factor probably already know that Pokemon is the perfect franchise for handheld gaming.
Pokemon is the type of game that lasts seemingly forever, but can be played in short bursts. This makes it ideal for both traveling and staying at home. In the early days of Game Boy, they figured the way to deal with gamers on the go was to make very short games. This way they could be completed during a short car ride. Of course, the smaller cart size didn't help either. This made for a very shallow gaming experience. Pokemon, however, figured out a way to make a very long quest while still making the game a perfect portable. One of the most important features is the ability to save anywhere. This allows you to quickly end your game if you have to stop abruptly. Also, the gameplay is fairly simple, so if you do have to stop it is easy to pick up again. The games can take 100s of hours if you chose, so it can be played on very long trips, or when you're just sitting around your house. I seriously can't think of a game that fits the Game Boy better.
Pokemon Gold is one of the three games that make up generation 2. There are always multiple versions of each Pokemon game with slight variations, so even though there are three Pokemon games before it Pokemon Gold is the second actual game in the series. If you've played Pokemon before than you already know how it works. You travel from town to town, you battle and catch Pokemon, you raise them up by fighting some more, you fight gym leaders and collect badges, you encounter your rival and other villains, and you collect a bunch of items that will quickly fill up your inventory screen. It is truly glorious.
It is also important to note that this game has a second quest. I didn't know this initially, so I actually thought I had beaten the game before it actually happened. This was actually a little infuriating to me because I had spent so much time with this game and was ready to move on. Luckily, it doesn't take too long. However, it is a bit anticlimactic. At least I finally got to go to Mt. Silver.
Oh yeah, and my one gripe about this game is how it's always making you get off your bicycle. Was this for realism? They do realize this is a game where a giant egg can fight a tree. Would having someone ride their bike indoors make the games too implausible? Why didn't it put you automatically back on your bike after you leave these places? It seems like if you're automatically taken off you can just as easily be put back on. Having to select the bike from the menu screen so many times really slows things down.
All griping aside though I love those Pokemon games. I don't think they're usually thought of as RPGs, but I think they're some of the best RPGs out there. At least the first two are. I'm still far behind and have never played any of the newer ones. Hopefully I can correct this the next time I have 100 extra hours or start taking a passenger plane to work.
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