My original copy of Pokémon Blue and Game Boy Color

Last month I began sharing my Legacy of Pokémon feature, where I take you through my story of how I became a Pokémon fan, all the way to the present day. This week’s content will share a second part, detailing generation one, and the first time I played the mainline series of games. It was fun to look back on something I experienced more than twenty years ago, and I hope that it will resonate with some other fans out there who may have had a similar experience to me.

Three notable bits of Pokémon news caught my attention within the past week that I have to express my thoughts on. The first was the announcement that Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO, will be making changes to Remote Raid gameplay, a feature that was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage people to keep playing from home. The cost of these passes is set to double, and there will now be limitations on the number which can be used in a single day.

Remote Raid passes were sold through the in-game app for players to take part in raids that they wouldn't be able to reach. As a consequence, it also allowed people who couldn’t normally engage with in-person raids, due to disabilities or their mental health, the opportunity to enjoy the game significantly more than they were able to before. Eurogamer recently sat down with Pokémon GO's vice president Ed Wu to talk about the situation, and I recommend checking out that interview.

A promotional image showing the japanese booster pack of the Pokémon 151 trading card game set

Secondly, I’m really excited by the announcement of a brand-new Pokémon card set, featuring the original 151 Pokémon, including Kadabra who hasn’t been seen in the Pokémon TCG since Skyridge by Wizards of the Coast in 2003! This 165-card set (plus secret rares) arrives in Japan on June 16th 2023. Based on the previews, the artwork is based on the art from the original sets, which is quite cool. I am highly tempted to buy and complete this one when it inevitably releases outside of Japan.

Finally, it was confirmed that Tsunekazu Ishihara (CEO) and Hirokazu Tanaka (President) have stepped down from Creatures Inc, one of the companies that make up the Pokémon Company. Yuji Kitano has been appointed President and CEO, with Tomotaka Komura as Executive Vice President.

See you all next week!

Feature: The Legacy of Pokémon (Part 2)

Generation 1

2001

My original copy of Pokémon Blue and Game Boy Color

It wouldn’t be until two years later, after the second generation of Pokémon video games released in the UK, when I finally got my hands upon my first ever mainline Pokémon game. On Friday, August 17th 2001, I went with my mum to my local Gamestation store to purchase a pre-owned copy of Pokémon Blue and a purple Game Boy Color. Due to us having very little money, I acknowledge and respect that my mum probably didn’t have very much to spend on herself that week, and I’m immensely grateful that she chose to spend it on me just so she could make me happy.

Playing Pokémon Blue after waiting so long to get a copy of my own was a satisfying experience. I loved playing it at every opportunity, whether that was in my room, on the sofa, outside with friends, or even inside my tent out in my back garden. I spent hours upon hours exploring the game! I even remember how my mum would try and take the Game Boy away to stop me from playing it so much and I would always discover where it was hidden. On one occasion, I found it in the top of her wardrobe and snuck into her room to retrieve it. I returned it back there once I was finished, all without her finding out. To my knowledge, she still doesn’t know to this day. Sorry mum!

Another fond memory of Blue was my very first Pokémon battle over Game Link Cable with a neighbour from down the street called David. He used a Mew with exceptionally high HP, which he almost certainly obtained via a cheat cartridge. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t beat him. I eventually went out and bought one for myself: an Xploder Cheat Cartridge by a company called Blaze.

My copy of Xploder Cheat Cartridge for Game Boy by Blaze

As I tried to keep up-to-date online with the latest Pokémon news, my search brought me to internet forums, where I remember reading up on rumoured secret Pokémon supposedly found in Red & Blue known as ‘Pokégods’. These invented creatures were always made out to be super powerful and required buying a cheat cartridge or utilising convoluted methods to obtain them. These websites created fake screenshots in an attempt to legitimise their claims, and they were usually only available once you had completed the game and the Pokédex.

Some of the popular ones I recall reading about at the time were Pikablu (a water type evolution of Raichu, which was eventually confirmed as Marill), Pikabud (a grass type evolution of Raichu), Dimonix (an evolution of Onix), Beepin (an evolution of Beedrill), Doomsay (a Pokémon that was likely based on Houndoom) and Mewthree (an evolution of Mewtwo). Pokégods even extended into the anime! Venustoise, a gag Pokémon from the episode ‘The Ghost of Maiden's Peak’, where a Gastly intimidated Ash’s Squirtle and Bulbasaur by summoning their evolved forms: Blastoise and Venusaur, and then combined them together to make Venustoise! Many of these made-up Pokémon were supposedly found in Bill’s Secret Garden, a place tucked away behind his home on Route 25. While there was a gap behind the house that looked like it could contain a garden of sorts, it was ultimately untrue.

One of the most famous rumours of all time was that a Mew could be discovered under the truck in Vermillion City next to the S.S Anne, something I absolutely believed and tested for myself. I used my cheat cartridge to teach a Pokémon the move Surf so I could access the specified area, and Strength so I could move the truck. As you may have guessed, it didn’t work. I have always found the Pokégods charming and creative, and they felt like a part of that generation for me. They’re something you would never see today in the age of social media, with many sources of information to debunk them.

The strip of land behind Bill's house, home to the Pokégods

I don’t have too many memories about my first playthrough of Blue. I do recall that my starter Pokémon was Charmander and I used my Master Ball to catch Moltres on Victory Road. I also made use of a popular glitch and caught a Missingno (Or ‘M) at some point. Unfortunately that corrupted my save file, messed up the Hall of Fame data, and caused the game to respond strangely.

Notably, Pokemon Blue was the start of my interest in video game music and included some of my favourite themes, such as Lavender Town, Viridian Forest, and the Road to Cerulean City: Leaving Mt. Moon. Those tracks have resonated with me for a long time. I have a lot of appreciation for Junichi Masuda’s compositions, and they were an inspiration for me in the years that followed…