Celebrate #Pokemon20

[FireSnow]

20 years...Amazing... Hard to believe its been that long! I personally started playing when Pokemon Crystal came out, so about 15ish years ago, and though it did take me 20 minutes to figure out how to get out of New Bark Town, (yes, 20 minutes) once i was out, I never looked back.

Pokemon has been the one game that has stood the test of time and been with me through the highs and lows in my life. Every Pokemon I've ever caught I feel a special connection to and feel like they are all part of who I am. From my very first Pokemon, Totodile, down to my my most recent, Amaura, to the ones in between, (I'm looking at you Buizel and Delcatty) I cherish each and every one of them.

Being part of this community has only strengthened my love for the series, the game, the spin-offs and the endless chatter about the franchise. I know Pokemon will always be there with me. Now excuse me as I go continue my most recent run on X and continue the memory making :)

 

[Guest123_x1]

One of my best memories about Pokémon was starting the Yellow version that I got for Christmas in 1999 (which got me into Pokémon for the first time after I resisted for quite awhile before being talked into believing that I'd like it), and getting hooked on it almost instantly as I started my first new game. Hours on end I spent with that game. Then I expanded by getting Blue and later the Generation II games for Christmas in 2000.
I also fondly remember watching and taping the anime episodes that aired on Kids' WB.
Lots of fun times back in the day...

Even though I tried to mostly get out of Pokémon in early 2006 by trading in my Game Boy games that I had at the time, I still can't forget the fun times I had with them, and am looking forward to Generation I's main series entries being re-released to 3DS Virtual Console. (I only got back into Pokémon gaming on actual Nintendo hardware just a year ago this month with Alpha Sapphire, and then Y.)

What I'm really looking forward to for #Pokemon20, also, is the digitally remastered versions of the first three Pokémon movies being released to Blu-ray/DVD. I hope I can get these movies when they come out to disc, and finally be able to have a copy of each of the first three in widescreen (as opposed to the pan-and-scan that Warner Bros. forced us to accept when they still held the rights to these films directly). I had been hoping for a physical disc release of these remastered movies since they were featured for a couple of weeks each on Pokémon TV last summer (which was the first time I saw any of these films in their proper widescreen form, as I never bothered to see these when they were in theaters).

 

[Nothing Is Real]

I was there in the late 90s when Pokémon kicked off. I was 7 in 1999, the perfect age for an impressionable youngster to be engrossed in the greatest franchise of all time.

I was lucky enough to experience Gen I at full throttle. Gen II seemed unreal after the almost euphoric experience of Gen I. I kept with the franchise through Gens III, IV, V, and IV, despite it's slight decline in popularity.

The franchise has shaped my life. I remember retaining every note of Pokémon melody, and often incorporate a hint of Pokémon's musical flavours into my own music.

That's all I have to say really, without writing an essay. Truly a highlight of my early life.

 

[Adam Levine]

My greatest memories about Pokémon were playing Gen III in my GameBoy, especially Red Rescue Team, Emerald, and Ruby. Those were great experiences I'd love to experience again, but can't. Even more disappointingly, I don't have a 3DS.

Anyway, I then continued playing Pokémon games on my brother's DS (who didn't like Pokémon anymore because it was all about the metagame) like Platinum, HeartGold, and White, and soon the DS also broke, so you can say we have bad luck when it comes to consoles. XD

Anyway, happy 20th anniversary, Pokémon. We'll never forget those great memories we had with you, and we hope you never stop surprising us.

(Fun fact: Gold and Silver were supposed to be the last Pokémon games, which you probably already knew)

 

[Y2A_Alkis]

Holy fluff, it's been a long time.
First thing I remember was 10/11 year old me buying the weekly groceries with my mother when I saw the first Pokémon plush line in the store - having no idea what those things were. I picked Eevee, and when we got home, I spammed my older brother (+8 years) with "Pokémon! Pokémon! Pokémon!". After a while he gave in and we started playing Red and Blue together.
To this day, we're both huge fans of the core series games and play them all.

 

[destinedjagold]

Happy 20th Anniversary, Pokémon!

I can hardly believe Pokémon is 20 years old now. Damn, it feels like I became hooked by this franchise merely a few days ago. :3

Anyway, have some awesome video tribute of our beloved franchise's anniversary. Note that the video doesn't belong to me.

 

[Hikamaru]

It's already the 27th over here. That said, happy 20th birthday Pokemon! I will always feel proud for being a Pokemon fan throughout a good chunk of my life and seeing how the franchise has evolved.

 

[Mawa]

I was 5 years old when Pokemon came here. I don't even remember being presented the the universe of Pokemon. It have always been in my life. At first, my brother downloaded some Rom Hacks online (yeah my first Pokemon games were hacks). Pokemon is 20, I will be 23. Do the math. Pokemon is literally a part of me (well, you know what I mean).

 

[Jessie]

Better late than never. I'm so thankful for this franchise and the awesome people that I share it with.

Growing up, Pokemon was ALWAYS by my side. I used to carry a little stuffed Pikachu with me to school every day and dreamed of having real-life Pokemon. I used to pretend my pony was a Ponyta (or a Rapidash!). Heck, sometimes I still pretend my horse now is a Rapidash.

I am not always currently playing the games or watching the anime. Sometimes I put them down for a few months when life gets busy and I'm not always as up to date as I'd like to be, but Pokemon is always something I know I can go back to no matter what. It feels safe, comfortable, it feels like home!

Pokemon is intertwined with some of my most cherished life memories.