I feel like I'm the only one who is not into Pokemon

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pacman000
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Re: I feel like I'm the only one who is not into Pokemon

Postby pacman000 » February 28th, 2019, 11:14 am

If you like Pokemon you're not alone; I like it too.

When they were new I enjoyed the games & anime, but I was within the franchise's targeted demographic. I still enjoy it to some extent, but it's been a long while since I've seen an episode or played a game.

The monsters fighting for you bit is odd, & I've historicaly found it difficult to justify. It may make sense in the context of the series; you're given a monster to protect you; training would follow from that, etc. Having said that the earliest materials on the franchise gave you very little context, & some of it was contradictory. Comics & marketing materials implied the Pokemon league was an evil organization you needed to defeat; the games & TV show implied it was an organizational body ran by the best trainers, etc.

I will admit the 1st games feel thrown together. They have a lot of good ideas, but the plot points never feel like a cohesive whole; they're just a collection of episodes, some of which are loosely connected. The 2nd generation games had a slightly more cohesive story. Never played anything newer.

So why was it popular? It appealed to a childhood desire to escape, to have an adventure on your own, without too many adults to get in the way. Basically it's the same stuff Huckleberry Finn & Harry Potter tapped into. Pokemon can still provide an escape for folk who grew up with it, but without that childhood introduction there's not enough there. The series has a lot of imagination, but it's child-like imaginings. And that's ok. Would most people like The Wizard of OZ if they hadn't seen it as a child?

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Retro STrife
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Re: I feel like I'm the only one who is not into Pokemon

Postby Retro STrife » February 28th, 2019, 11:29 am

I read recently that Pokemon has grossed more revenue than any other media franchise in history, at around $90 billion -- that's more than Star Wars, Mickey Mouse, Batman, Mario, etc. And most of that revenue is from the merchandise, not the games. Pretty interesting.

But I'm with you on this too. I've never played any of the Pokemon games, except 5 or so hours with Pokemon Blue like 15 years ago. Although I like RPGs, Pokemon never seemed like my thing. However, I have bought several Pokemon games over the years (like 5 or so), with the intention of playing one eventually -- I just want to be able to say I've tried it, since it's such an important series.

That said -- regardless of how you feel about the Pokemon RPG games, I highly recommend Pokemon Snap on N64. Now there's a great game no matter who you are.

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Matchstick
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Re: I feel like I'm the only one who is not into Pokemon

Postby Matchstick » February 28th, 2019, 5:28 pm

Retro STrife wrote:That said -- regardless of how you feel about the Pokemon RPG games, I highly recommend Pokemon Snap on N64. Now there's a great game no matter who you are.


Can't disagree. One of the most "I don't want to like this, I don't know why I like this, but I like this" videogames I have ever played!

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pacman000
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Re: I feel like I'm the only one who is not into Pokemon

Postby pacman000 » March 2nd, 2019, 10:57 am

Never had a chance to play Pokemon Snap! I want to, but I'd need an N64.

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: I feel like I'm the only one who is not into Pokemon

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » March 22nd, 2019, 12:01 pm

On the other hand, I consider myself a bit of a conservationist and an animal rights advocate, and as I've gotten older, Pokemon has always struck an odd nerve with me. Kids raising monsters, just so they can battle other monsters, or battle groups of other monsters in tournaments so that their owner / master can win a prize? Sounds like some sort of G-rated Michael Vick simulator, if you ask me...


I don't know, it seems slightly more ethical than all the games where we genocide every form of monster we meet, and the corpses conveniently vanish from the scenic landscape.

Besides, Pokemon's just a simple answer to: "What would really happen if every animal on the planet is a violent monster, and every little kid is secretly the invincible God half of them seem to think they are?"

It's not a good answer, but that's understandable, because parents would get upset if Pokemon covered the parts that are way more Castlevania. (Everyone knows the cautionary tale of Dracula, the very first obsessive monster collector/anti-social shut-in.)


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