I’m nostalgic for Pokemon games I never played

destructoid.com:

[Featured Image Source: Thibault Miniou on ArtStation]

If you’ve read any of my features in the past, you’re probably well aware that I didn’t seriously get into games until I was in college. I had some consoles when I was younger, like a PS2, a Game Boy Advance SP, a Nintendo DS, and a Wii, but pretty much all of the games I played were “girly” horse-related, Barbie, or licensed Disney Channel spin-off games.

I had a great time with those games (which have merit in their own right), but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in retrospect that I missed out on some of the all-time greats. The good news is, now I’m an adult with my own time and money, and I’m fortunate enough to have a job centered around games — which means I can go back and play any game I want.

The obvious first choice was the Pokémon series, as much like Harry Potter, the franchise was outright banned in the fundamentalist Christian circles my family ran in. I spent my entire life not getting what all the hype was about with those little pocket monsters, and eventually, I decided it was time to change that.

Luckily, my closest friends are all Pokémon fanatics, so they were kind enough to help guide me on my journey. The decision of which game to start me on was unanimous: Leaf Green. So, my best friend downloaded an emulator, and we were off to meet Professor Oak.

I’m someone who can tend to blaze through a game without paying attention sometimes, so he made it a point to stop me and let me in on what a big deal it was to choose my first starter, which is arguably one of the most important decisions one can make in a game. He made it clear that this was the kind of decision that was irreversible — it’s the kind of thing you’d talk with your