Great Games: Pokemon
I can’t remember when exactly I first encountered the phenomenon of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Perhaps it was watching a high energy television show with creative creatures that attacked using the natural elements and evolved into more powerful forms. Maybe it was the card game, which allowed me to collect these creatures and use them against my opponents. Yet, more than anything else, I am strongly inclined towards the video games. My first exposure to these games was in the backyard of my babysitter’s house, where I looked on with intrigue as the older kids showed off, what was then Pokemon Red, on their Game Boys. At the time, the Game Boy was a huge deal. While it probably wasn’t the first portable gaming device, it was easily one of the most accessible and popular, as it carried various Nintendo titles. It was in the womb of this console that Pokemon was born.
Pokemon was created by Satoshi Tajiri. In an interview with TIME magazine entitled “The Ultimate Game Freak”, Tajiri recounts how his interest in gaming grew out of an interest in anime and manga. Video games being a recent addition to an already sprawling popular culture in Japan at the time. He was a big fan of the influential Space Invaders and started his own video game magazine, Game Freak, which had techniques on how to win at various games, like Donkey Kong. Tajiri’s Game Freak sold many copies, and turned the 18 year old into a small businessman, but the more he and his crew learned about games, the more frustrated he became with them. “I could tell a good game from a bad game,” he said. “My conclusion was: let’s make our own games,” (Yokota).
The ideas for Pokemon came from Tajiri’s own fascination with insect collecting. Luke Plunkett of Kotaku compares this development to that of Shigeru Miyamoto’s Legend of Zelda,
“Like another Nintendo legend, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Tajiri’s most popular work has been directly inspired by his childhood experiences and hobbies. While Miyamoto’s Zelda was the product of boyhood explorations, however, Tajiri’s role-playing juggernaut is the product of, as you may expect, boyhood insect collections.
Indeed, Miyamoto and Tajiri were good friends. Plunkett observes that Miyamoto, who already had established himself as a visionary, backed the Pokemon project, which took six years to release. Tajiri saw Miyamoto as a mentor of sorts, so two characters in the Pokemon anime, who many of us know as Ash and Gary, were named Satoshi and Shigeru ( Kotaku).
Tajiri says that when the Game Boy came out, the idea for Pokemon seemed to click in his head. He was very fascinated by the cable that could connect two Game Boys together,
“It was a profound image to me. It has a communication cable. In Tetris, its first game, the cable transmitted information about moving blocks. That cable really got me interested. I thought of actual living organisms moving back and forth across the cable,” (Yokota).
The designs for each of the Pokemon were done by Ken Sugimori, a good friend of Tajiri’s. His art for the Pokemon series is exactly what it needed to be: colorful, imaginative, cute, intimidating, appealing, and none too scary for the kids. Sugimori still designs for Pokemon (as far as I know) and in an interview, reflected on his time fondly, but not without some reservation over what could have been,
“While it is a thing of joy, I’ve also had feeling of occlusion. If I were to continue drawing for Pokémon, I’m sure it’d bring a sense of peace and security, but I also wonder what would happen if I were to do something completely different.” (Siliconera)
The first of these Pokemon games were Red and Green (released in the US as Red and Blue). Released in Japan in 1996 and in North America in 1998, the games became a far greater success than Taijiri ever anticipated. According to the US Platinum Video Game Chart, Red and Blue combined sold $9.85 million in the States (“The Magic Box”). That’s a lot, especially when you consider that the Game Boy was nearing the end of its market lifespan.
Pokemon is a fantastical world populated by creatures that can be captured in “Poke Balls” and fit into your pocket. Hence why they are called “Pocket Monsters” in Japanese. Pokemon often have elemental attributes, so Pikachu can shoot electric bolts, Blastoise can fire off water cannons, and Charizard can breathe towers of flame. Pokemon is addicting for two reasons: it’s easy to play and there are so many Pokemon to collect. I started playing Pokemon before I even knew my times tables. Pokemon is a turn-based RPG, so you are free to take your time, and the attacks are all on a simple menu. It isn’t too difficult to figure out. Another one of Pokemon’s strengths is variety. Chances are, there exist Pokemon that you don’t like, but given the sheer number of them out there, you’ll almost certainly come across some you do. These colorful monsters have so many different designs and abilities, that the oft repeated cliche of catching them all becomes an aspiration. I know there are many Pokemon games I could cover, given that it’s been around for twenty years, but for brevity’s sake, I’d like to focus on my first and only Pokemon game, Silver.
Silver is virtually identical to Gold, and even the later Crystal. Much of what I write about it could apply to those games as well. Before Silver, I had never owned a video game. I simply watched others play. So Silver meant something special. At the time they were released, Gold and Silver were the first Pokemon games in full color. For a portable system, this was quite a leap. There’s a famous commercial advertising this point, in which Pokemon are crowded into a bus and crushed into a Game Boy Color. While Nintendo certainly didn’t invent portable systems, they were an undeniable innovator, proving that you could carry high quality games in your back pocket. All these years later, Nintendo is still the undisputed leader of portable gaming. In addition to the color, the game also added 100 more Pokemon to the already heavy roster of 151. Even so, the old phrase “Gotta catch em all”, was still relatively feasible. As opposed to now, where the number of Pokemon is nearing 1000, and the search for designs is so thin as to make garbage an inspiration.
Pokemon demands a surprising amount of strategy for a game with so low a barrier of entry. In fact, understanding what elements or types to use could make or break a match. Water types are good against Fire types. Rock types can defend against Electric types. Water and Electric are both equally pernicious to one another, so it depends on who hits first. Pokemon’s music is also surprisingly sophisticated for so simple a premise. The composer, Junichi Masuda, stands alongside Mario and Zelda’s Koji Kondo, and Final Fantasy’s Nobuo Uematsu, as one who’s music has helped shaped the sounds of the video game format. Who can forget the pleasant themes of each town, the high paced energy of each battle, and the bliss of each surf?
Silver is set in the Johto region, which draws upon ancient Japanese culture for its look, this is particularly evident in Ecruteak City. You challenge Team Rocket a total of three times: at the Slowpoke Well, the Lake of Rage, and Goldrenrod’s Radio Tower. The caves can be regular labyrinths, some have floors of ice, while others need a Flash ability to explored. The Gym Leaders are challenging and unique, the waif Jasmine has a fearsome Steelix and the emotional Whitney has a damaging Miltank. The Elite Four make the Gym Leaders look like practice, whose champion is the Dragon Master, Lance. There are also sidequests to keep one entertained, catching Insect types in the National Park or scouring the Ruins of Alph for the Unknown.
The twist in Silver is that after defeating the Elite Four, you get to explore the Kanto region from Red, Blue, and Yellow. The catch is that you can’t catch any of Kanto’s legendary Pokemon, but that’s fine, as there are plenty of legendaries to be had in Johto region. There are six: the three elemental dogs: Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, and the two divine birds: Ho-oh and Lugia. The two divine birds can be caught at Tin Tower and the Whirl Islands with some patience and a steady supply of Ultra Balls. As far as the three dogs go, you’re probably expected to use your one Master Ball to catch whichever one you run into next, as random encounters with these speeding beasts can be frustratingly difficult. It isn’t worth your time to go running around after all three, as in those days, a legendary Pokemon often meant a near impossible to acquire Pokemon.
The cleverness of Silver’s second half is that it plays upon the memories of Red and Blue veterans. You relive the journey through Kanto, but in reverse, challenging Lt. Surge before Sabrina. Those familiar with the anime will recognize Brock and Misty, though their ages are notably different. Your walk down memory lane comes to a halt, however, when you realize that the final bosses are Red and Blue, now Pokemon Masters. Blue is a Gym Leader in Viridian City while Red stands alone on the summit of Mt. Silver. The implication here is clear. Yesterdays trainers become tomorrows masters. These things go in cycles. The masters of yesterday must always concede to the next batch of trainers. Pokemon itself goes in cycles. A new game for every generation. Silver has a lot of sentimental value to me, but others may prefer Sapphire, Diamond, or Emerald. To each his own.
It’s common to joke about the concept of Pokemon as “glorified cock fighting.” To an extent, this is true, but it misses a larger point. PETA is one such organization that takes the “cock fighting” meme too far and routinely smears Pokemon with its shock stunts. Much like the smiling cow in A Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, whose purpose is to be eaten, the purpose of a Pokemon is to fight. There are even types of Pokemon who specialize in fighting (e.x. Hitmonlee, Machamp). Unlike real cock fighting, Pokemon aren’t expected to fight to the death, they faint. Indeed, for a Pokemon to die in the middle of a battle, would be as shocking as if a boxer were to fall dead in the rush of a match. Throughout the game, clear distinctions are made between treating your Pokemon well and treating them poorly. Why do you think Team Rocket exists? To show that there are those who will abuse and exploit Pokemon without scruples. Why do you think your Rival is so sour? To show that there are trainers who believe that Pokemon is all about power, but the game’s message is to say that compassion for your Pokemon is just as important as its attack moves. Players are taught to care for their Pokemon, in one instance, you surf all the way to Cianwood City to bring medicine for a sick Ampharos at the Olivine City lighthouse. The message of Pokemon is far broader than raising good fighters, but also raising good partners. PETA would’ve done well to recall what Karen of the Elite Four said, “Strong Pokemon. Weak Pokemon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites.”
I’ve also learned, all these years later, that rapidly mashing the B button isn’t necessary to catching a Pokemon. In fact, it doesn’t even help. For all these years, I believed my failure to catch a Pokemon was a result of slow thumbs. Eh.
Bibliography
“From Manga Artist To Game Designer: Ken Sugimori’s Work Before Pokemon.” Siliconera, June 5, 2014. Web. http://www.siliconera.com/2014/06/05/manga-artist-game-designer-ken-sugimoris-work-pokmon/
“Karen.” Bulbapedia. Web. http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Karen
Plunkett, Luke. “How Pokemon Was Born From Bug Collecting And Asperger’s Syndrome.” Kotaku, May 30, 2011. Web. http://kotaku.com/5806664/how-pokemon-was-born-from-bug-collecting-and-aspergers-syndrome
Tajiri, Satoshi. “The Ultimate Game Freak.” Interview by Takashi Yokota and Tim Larimer. TIME, November 22, 1999. Web. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2040095,00.html
“US Platinum Videogame Chart.” The Magic Box, December 27, 2007. Web. http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml
Originally published at http://sansuthecat.blogspot.com.
