you've just unwrapped pokemon red version

Even though I was into Pokemon back in kindergarten, I didn't have a Game Boy until 2003, mere months after I stopped caring.(If I had gotten it 6 months earlier, I probably never would have gotten out of Pokemon.)
I didn't get back into Pokemon until 2009 when, due to a combination of nostalgia and recommendations from friends, I decided to get Pokemon Platinum. That was my first game. I picked Chimchar (female on first try without knowing how awesome that is). I was hooked from then on.
 

aurora

GODQUAZA
is a Contributor to Smogonis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
my first pokemon game was firered
and because i was just another dumbass six-year old, i picked charmander
i then started hoarding all the other generation 3 games
good times
 
oh god I am awash in nostalgia right now ...

I started out with Pokemon only in fifth grade, after one of my friends gave me the Official Pokemon Handbook on the day our exams ended. I remember coming home and reading through the whole thing, and like any other 10-year old, I Googled "play pokemon."

I then stumbled on Pokemon Crater 0_0, but I obviously got bored of it quickly. It was then that I learnt of playing the game on the PC from another friend of mine. I begged my parents for permission to play the game (seeing I was grounded at the time rofl), and with my dad's help, I finally managed to play Pokemon Ruby.

What a feeling that was, seeing the game for the first time! I continued to play Ruby for hours everyday in the summer hols, and when I finally beat the E4 with my awesome team of Blaziken / Groudon / Hariyama / Crobat, I was so happy. I then moved on to the other mainstream RPGs, but I noly got my DS and Platinum in Nov. 2009. I then discovered about EVs, IVs, and RNG, and that was when I found Smogon :D
 
I was watching old home videos with my mom a couple weekends ago and I remember that Christmas unwrapping red version and seeing the video of me having unwrapped the best present of all time. I was ligit jumping up and down hahah.
 
I came into Pokemon a little older than most. It wasn't my first game by far, and it wasn't even my first RPG. I actually hadn't dusted off my Game Boy Pocket in some time by 1998 (it usually sat in my closet unless my family went on a roadtrip somewhere and I needed something to stave off the boredom), but I went out one weekend and picked up the Blue version pretty much on hype alone. It was in just about every game magazine at the time, not to mention the commercials, TV show, toys, and whatever else they had going on then. I remember KFC even had some plush toys at one point (still have my Vulpix BTW), which was so odd at the time. I had a subscription to GamePro back then, and they built the thing up pretty heavily up until its release. The whole concept of catching, battling, and trading really got me interested, since up until then most RPGs were played mostly for the story, not gameplay, and certainly weren't billed as a social endeavor.

Suffice to say, I was hooked pretty early. My first starter was Squirtle, since I was absolutely enamored with anything blue at the time, and though I didn't get to participate in as many battles or trades as I wanted to, the whole team-building/move selection process was more than enough to keep me satisfied. I ended up buying the strategy guide a short time later and looking over learnsets and tips constantly. For a meticulous person, Pokemon was like putting a blonde in a circular room and telling her to stand in the corner - it kept me busy for many an hour.
 
My first Pokemon games were both Gold and Silver, but I played Gold the most. I don't remember much playing the games except for two things: I reset the game due to me not knowing how how to deposit pokemon, so I couldn't get past Violet City *fail* and the Ecruteak City music. I really have never understood nostalgia and I don't really get why people go all crazy over the feeling, until this certain moment.

I remember when I got the gba sounds in Heartgold and going through all the towns listening to the 8-bit music. I remember when I entered Ecruteak City, the music from the original G/S started playing and I just started crying. I just got this nostalgic trip of me sitting on my couch as a 11 year old kid just playing my Pokemon game without a care in the world. I remember things like naming my rival ??? because I actually thought that was his name, trying to figure out how to pronounce Feraligatr, using my master ball on a Dunsparce, and coming home to find out my dog decided to make my Silver his chew toy, but than the relief of when it still worked. When I came back to my 21 year old self at the time, I closed my eyes and just wished I could go back and be a kid again.

Stay young forever my friends, stay young.
 

Solace

royal flush
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
My first Pokemon game was Pokemon Yellow, and it was a copy my cousins had already owned. I was way too young to appreciate it at the time, since my limited video game experience pretty much just left me confused an unable to pass through Viridian City, and later Team Rocket's HQ in Celadon.

I guess the first time I really became a fan of the video games was after sitting on a bus for a field trip with a friend. She whipped out her GBA SP and a copy of Leaf Green, and I watched her take down unsuspecting trainers and her jerk of a rival and the notorious Team Rocket, along with a gym leader or two. I knew that I had to play these games again at some point, because if it was that cool to watch, it must be even better to play. So like any 10 year old, I harassed my parents until they bought me my own copy of Leaf Green. I loved it, and I made sure to get Fire Red, Sapphire, and Emerald as gifts, and later the DS games. I have to say, Pokemon is probably one of the most timeless games, and it really shows. It never really loses its fun, even after all the years it has been around.
 

Chou Toshio

Over9000
is an Artist Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
I can't believe there are so many of you who have never played R/B, or for whom R/B was not your first game... I feel so old...
 
i cant believe there are people who still play R/B. i like them but many of the mechanics are awful, such as the bag, the pc issue, etc.

i dont remember ever opening pokemon red or blue but i had both of them as a child...however i vividly recall opening pokemon gold at my grandmothers house and freaking out. i didnt even know there was a new pokemon game, my family just knew i loved pokemon so much that they got me the next one. im sure theres a video somewhere in my house of me getting pokemon red and blue but im also sure the reason i wasnt hyped is cuz i didnt know about it

but i knew what i was getting with gold and then i got everything and more..now that shit IS replayable even today
 
i remember getting red and a turqoise gbc on christmas day. apparently all the gbcs were sold out around london so my dad had to drive somewhere up north to get it. im certain i chose bulbasaur, and i remember getting my fire blast/thunder/blizzard/psychic mewtwo to level 100, my first level 100. i loved articuno too. i remember also not long after i started the game, i was around my friends house and he asked to play and i said 'yeah but dont save' of course, he saved over, and even though i wasnt far into the game i started crying and saying 'this is just a dream' over and over again. it wasnt

hmm, what else.... ah yeah i remember being in cerulean (mistys gym) and not knowing how to exit. so i just battled pokemon in the grass until my mons were almost into their mid 20s, before i think a friend mentioned that theres a hole in a house which i could exit through.

might have to play red again when i go home
 
I got my green Game Boy Pocket and Pokemon Red at the same time and immediatly started playing. I rushed through the game until the Rock Tunnel where I entered without knowing I needed Flash. I was stuck there for a week or so and managed to get out with a Charizard above lv 40 and pratically no items because I insisted in defeating every wild Pokemon I found. Thanks to this I had no troubles the rest of the game xD
 
I consider my first Pokemon game to be Diamond, actually, in about eighth grade.
I had dabbled in RBY, Gold and Silver, and trading cards as a kid, but never really became hooked.
In Diamond, though, I found both an intriguing game and a journey through nostalgia.
I remember using my entire team (okay, a Shinx, Chimchar, and Starly) to barely manage to catch an Onix, a poke I remembered from my childhood, who went on to be the MVP for about ten minutes. (In my defense, Monferno is awesome)
Later, I struggled through the Elite Four, desperately switch-healing and using every last revive in my bag, only to face the champion. Somehow, we pulled through.

I played via FC for awhile, journeyed through Hoenn in Emerald and raised a team of pokes.
Then, I discovered Smogon, and learned that every last poke I had was horrible. (Though I probably should have seen it coming with Ledian...)

Since then I've been struggling to shake off n00bishness, discovered new tiers (WOO LC), Nuzlocked, Scrambled, ragequit Nuzlockes, joined CAP ASB, and generally become one of the largest closet nerds in the world.

It's been fun, and it continues...
 
My first was Yellow. The one thing I remember from it was catching Mewtwo with a normal Pokeball on my first try, without even damaging him first. This has to be my greatest poke achievement ever ;p

My pokemania started with Gold. I was playing that with my brother. At that time I had no access to outside sources (believe it or not, internet was a luxury back then in my country, and especially in a backwater village where I live) so I kind of had to improvise. I was catching every single pokemon, playing around with them, checking if they evolve, and how. I was a complete noob back then, and I remember that the only reason why I managed to beat the game was Ho-Oh abuse :P Good times.
 
My first was Sapphire. I was 8 and in third grade, for years I had begged my parents to get me a gameboy. But they kept refusing, something about how it would make me antisocial (oh how right they were), but I kept insisting. Finally that Christmas they broke down. I opened up a blue Gameboy SP and along with it came a Power Rangers Game, The Incredibles, and Pokemon Sapphire. I immediately played the Power Rangers game, but when I got stuck on a level I turned to Sapphire. I turned it on and there came the opening sequence. I was hooked. I picked a Torchic, and we fought through the region until we became champions. From then on I have set out collecting a Pokemon game from every generation. Thank you mom and dad for getting me hooked on such a great game.
 
My brother broke his thumb when I was about 4. Since he was then unable to play sports, my parents bought him a Game Boy Color and Pokemon Red. I remember sitting on the couch for hours, watching him play on that Game Boy. I also remember when my cousin let me play on his Game Boy Color, in his Yellow file. I thought it was so awesome when I evolved his Caterpie. It was so cool that he later lent me that Yellow version. I held onto it for years, and he eventually let me keep it.
 
So much nostalgia... I was around 10 when I got into Pokemon. I had to work off the cost of the game by moving buckets of rocks from one part of my yard to another, but when I did, we went to the nearest Meijer's which was 30 minutes away (I live in the middle of nowhere) and bought it. I picked Red because Charizard looked cooler. I eagerly jammed the cartridge into my Game Boy Color, read the instructions, and picked Squirtle because the guide said it was easier, but I wanted a bit of a challenge and didn't pick Bulbasaur. I made it to Viridian Forest when after a battle I noticed the screen was spazzing out every once in a while. I thought it was some sort of glitch or something, and ignored it. Then Squirtle died.
 
My first game was Sapphire when I was about...5 I think? I still remember the night where I stayed up until 11 (FYI:that's really late for a 5 year old) trying to beat that bastard Drake. After my brother grew out of pokemon, he gave me all of his old games: Red, Blue, 2 Yellows, Pinball, Stadium, Snap, Gold, 2 Crystals, 2 Rubies, Pinball 2, Box, Emerald, Coliseum, Fire Red, and 2 Leaf Greens.

Still glad I tricked my brother into giving me Sapphire.
 
Oh man. Like many others this thread is making me... feel things :'(

I have no idea how I go "into" Pokemon. I was obsessed with it from the age of 9, when I got Red for Christmas of '99, but I have no idea how I got introduced to it, or how my obsession went from "oh what's this?" to "DEAR GOD I MUST HAVE IT ALL".

However, it pretty much shaped those years of my life for me. I talked about it with my friends, went on adventures pretending to be Pokemon, got in fights over it (I punched another kid in the face when he threatened to beat me up cause I wouldn't tell him how I caught "Pikablu"... I lied).

We played the TGC even though we had no idea how to play it right, we traded toys and stickers. Talked about all the crazy rumours surrounding those glorious, glitchy games. If you were around the same age as I was then, you'll remember how it really was EVERYTHING at one point in time.

Like others, I slowly drifted away from it. I got Gold and played it for a year or so after it came out. I downloaded a ROM for Sapphire a few years later but I hated it. The graphics were really, really ugly (GF went a bit crazy with the colour upgrade with the GB Advance), few of my beloved older Pokemon were in it, the new Pokemon were mostly a collection of ugly designs, or concepts, or both. Gen 3 remains my least favourite gen to this day.

I got into competitive battling simply because it appealed to me. I feel like its a great way to enjoy Pokemon in an "adult" way (not that I still don't enjoy playing the games in the traditional way).

Pokemon will always be a big comfort and I'll never forget what a huge part of my childhood it was. I'm just happy I can continue to enjoy it so many years later.
 
I actually got my first Pokemon games this year(Diamond and Emerald), but I had wanted them for about 3 years. Unfortunately, I know about competitive battling, so I never experienced being a newbie to the Pokemon games. (Actually, I remember borrowing a friend's Soulsilver for 3 days a couple years ago. I chose Totodile, and I only used that. It had something like Crunch/Surf/Ice Fang/random. I couldn't beat Jasmine because I thought Steel-types resisted Water-type moves.)
 
I know that feel man. I first got gold version from my cousin and Caught Ho-oh with a plain poke ball after wasting 74 ultra balls. I was mad as hell but satisfied. I'd have a lvl 100 typhlosion by now but the cartridge went missing a couple years ago.
 

Chou Toshio

Over9000
is an Artist Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Still astounding to think about how many people have NOT played the original Red/Blue, or for whom it wasn't their first game.

I mean, I've played every version and I can't even remember the names of most of the characters/towns in GS, let alone any proceeding generation.

Red/Blue though? It's crazy to think that even now I remember where all the hidden items are and pretty much every aspect of the in-game. Remember most of the important stuff for GS in-game. Everything else... erhm... hmm...

edit:

So if you're talking to me about in-game in any version besides RBY, try to refer to things as "the X'th down that has Y-type gym" or "The Psychic-type elite four" member, and not mention names of characters or towns-- b/c I won't know what the fuck you're talking about :P
 

Carl

or Varl
is a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
I never unwrapped Pokemon Red version. Or Blue version. First played the game using a friend's cartridge and Gameboy Pocket after school. I was pretty hooked, though, and eventually wanted a game of my own. However, my parents weren't too keen on video games back then and I had to go buy my own (and a Gameboy) when I was younger. I mowed my neighbor's lawn all summer to be able to buy Blue version and a blue Gameboy Pocket to match. To this day the smell of grass clippings reminds me of Prof Oak. "Wild POKEMON live in tall grass!" always resonated with me a little more than it should, lol..
 

cant say

twitch.tv/jakecantsay
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
I never got to open up red version. I had a gameboy with that camera game. All the other kids at school had red and blue so I was super jealous. A friend ended up lending me his red version and eventually let me keep it (!). That was it, I was hooked. I would play through and smash Gary oak (I actually named him that most of the time) then start again. Then when we figured out how to link battle I kept a save file and raised my charizard to level 100 which helped me win many a playground battle.
I've played every gen since and it just keeps getting better IMO. Sure the nostalgia is great but the adventures keep getting more interesting, and the tactics more complex. Imagine where I'd be if my friend wasn't cool (or foolish) enough to lend me his game..
..probably playing nba but whatever cool alternative
 
My first was Yellow. I remember those days when Cezanne the Dewgong shone for me. Made Pikachu jealous of him. And I still have that file, complete with a full Pokédex (minus Dragonite which I've been working on).
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top