The original Pokémon games were released in Japan back in 1996, but for those here in the United States the storm of the first generation was brewing throughout 1998. Nintendo Power was teasing it, we had heard reports about its popularity in Japan and kids getting seizures watching the show, and the full on marketing blitz started in full force. Special tear out sections of Nintendo Power, known as Pokémon Power, were in the magazine. Promotional VHS tapes were being sent out introducing the games, animated series, Trading Card Game, and merchandise to the west. Pokémon started airing early in the morning a few weeks before the games hit, and some of us knew we were in the midst of something epic.

Pokémon Red and Blue hit the Game Boy and really set off the bomb for the highest-grossing media franchises ever. Looking back at it, as someone that lived through it, I can say that it had a good start but it seemed like everything only got bigger as word of mouth spread. I remember having no problem finding and buying first edition cards and really engrossing myself in the full multimedia landscape that was Pokémon.

The games themselves are still my favorite in the entire series. Red, Blue, and later Yellow don't bog players down with an over abundance of creatures and mechanics. There are no held items, no generation exclusive temporary battle gimmicks, and no pointless minigames like fashion contests, movie making, or cooking. The first generation of Pokémon is the series in its purest form. It's much more digestible, more fun, and easier to learn advanced play as a result.

Now, here is where I know readers are going to tell me the first generation is a broken unbalanced mess with Psychic Pokémon dominating the field. Yes, it was. But to that I say every generation of Pokémon is unbalanced in its own way. And just like today at official competitive events Nintendo implemented special rulesets to widen the competitively viable creatures. It's no different.

The original Game Boy games were also full of glitches and rumors that have become the stuff of legend. Mew hidden under a truck? MissingNo! Learning how to update your Pokémon stat calculations by putting creatures in a box and removing it. It all added to the appeal and mystique.

As the generation went on Pokémon Mania grew to massive levels. Pokémon Yellow broadened the appeal and Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Stadium brought the franchise to home consoles on Nintendo 64. There was something special about battling your trained Pokémon on the big CRT and also playing the original games at faster speeds for quicker training using the Transfer Pak.

The internet also played a role in my love for the first generation. Finding anything on the web wasn't as easy back then but the few of us that really dug found early sites that helped calculate future stat potential for our monsters in the original games. Advanced gameplay information was also found on some of these harder to find sites like Azure Heights.

Early Pokémon Mall Tours also felt special as well with badges up for grabs, meeting and battling Nintendo employees, the Pikachu Volkswagen Beetle, official Mew giveaways with certificates, and much more. The First Movie also seemed crazy as everyone went many times to collect the promo cards.

During this era I also became a Pokémon TCG Gym Leader helping run a local League for a small hobby shop. Getting paid in store credit kept my card collecting high as I walked the floor as a fierce competitor as well as an undefeated god of the Game Boy games once I managed to catch and trade for six level 100 Mewtwo, my favorite Pokémon.

Looking back, this just wasn't my peak as a player, it was the peak of everything Pokémon as the fans were at a craze level I haven't seen from the franchise since. Generation 1 set the groundwork for what was to come and gave us the most iconic characters from the series as a result. It was fresh, manic, unforgettable, and truly the greatest Pokémon generation there will ever be.

Generation 1 Game Boxes from Wikipedia/The Cover Project