Games To Try Before You Die: Pokemon Red/Blue (Game Boy)

Where do you even begin with this game? I mean, c'mon....it's freakin' POKEMON! Back when this game came out, there were a few fans who read Nintendo Power and knew what it was all about, but it wasn't until you heard about it on the playground or word of mouth...and this simple game became an INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON!

What: Pokemon....a game where you play as a Pokemon Trainer and battle across the land with these creatures known as Pokemon. Face against tough Gym Leaders, go through the St. Anne, collect info on all 150 Pokemon, evolve and train your Pokemon, go through the Safari Zone and throw a rock, collect all of the Gym Badges, find the flute to move that damn Snorlax, face against your RIVEL, battle the Elite 4....YOU GOTTA CATCH EM' ALL!

Quickly said, It's an RPG where you collect monsters, gain levels, battle them, and become the greatest Pokemon Trainer of all time.

Why: This was no typical RPG, this is a game that single handedly sold Game Boy systems. I remember bringing my Game Boy Pocket (It was small and not that Pea Green screen) to trade Pokemon before class would start in middle school. Sadly, all of the other kids were WAY better than me. I really didn't care though, I was trading and battling away! The battle system was extremely easy to learn, collecting Pokemon was fun, and solving the puzzles to see what Pokemon were weak to what was challenging and intimidating. The really good sales point Nintendo had behind this game, is that there were 2 versions...Red or Blue. Red had Pokemon that Blue didn't, and vice versa. So you HAD to find kids who had Red or Blue and trade Pokemon with them. FREAKIN' GENIUS! It balanced so well, that even today...I still am playing Pokemon. Heck, even when I was in college about 4 years ago, my roommate and I broke out the Game Boys and traded and battled Pokemon (very nostalgic). When Pokemon started to gain popularity, the world became Pokemaniacs! The TV show, the manga, Burger King toys, video games, the Pikachu VW Beetle....it was EVERYWHERE!

Strange thing is....it still is. Pokemon NEVER left, and fans clamor for the next Pokemon installement (Pokemon X and Y for 3DS)

Don't forget though, it all started at Blue and Red. I was a Blue kid, then I let some kid borrow it in 8th grade, and I never saw my Blue again....little piece of *#%@ (no worries though, I got Yellow version the next year...SUCCESS!)

Here is to Pokemon, Celebrating 15 years catching them all!........wait 15 years?!?!? Holy crap....