u/Visual-Pay-655

Really great game to start off the whole franchise, so many traces of passion and innovation across all of Gen 1. I dont have much to complain about apart from the usual stuff people say about Gen 1, most of which is excused due to technological and conceptual constraints of the time. Not my first time playing kanto (I played gen 3 ALOT), and so I didnt go for the dex this time since I already finished a living dex in FireRed like 2 years ago, but I caught as many as I could before catching the birds and Mewtwo, to feel like I had earned those legendaries. I really loved the aesthetic of this game, that retro feel, which was only bolstered by changing my emulator settings to match the original Gameboy screen palette as best it could. The sprite work is also really charming as a whole. The limited bag space, which was a small factor of the gameplay, was not as annoying as I thought It'd be, in fact...I kinda liked it? I will always of course orefer the convenience of unlimited bag space, but feeling like Ihad limited space and resources to work with and couldnt just fit 10000000 items into my small travel bag gave it a real adventure feel. If I was too far from a town/PC, Id have to search through and throw away useless items and TMs, and speaking of the PC. This was the first time I have EVER used the PC item storage system, so there's that too I guess. Overall- 8/10, solid game!

What a fantastic game. I finally get why people hype this game up so much, it really is amazing, from the story, the lore, the region design, the Pokemon and the characters. Not to mention the music is absolutely gorgeous all around. The difficulty curve of the game was gradual, and even though it was never really that hard, I really felt it in the League, especially with Bertha and ofc, Cynthia (took me 3 tries to beat her). Top tier battles and build up for sure.

I was especially surprised on how much I loved Cyrus and the the whole antagonistic group. Team Galactic really came off as naive and devout, and not incompetent and weak, even if I beat them super easily. And Cyrus, oh boy Cyrus. After the One-Dementionality of Giovanni and Team Rocket, and the goofiness of Team Aqua and Magma, Cyrus was a Mamoswine sized breath of fresh air, the way he spoke his monologues, his genuine and unflinching belief that he IS right was so ominous; there was this quiet, calm insanity about him, layered on something that felt like...sorrow? Maybe Im reading into it, but it was so well done either way.

I finally get why Cynthia is so beloved, well, not finally since I knew for a while. But finally experiening it for myself was just so great. She's a guiding presence, and has this unique ''power-nerd'' charisma about her at all times. I like that she has quite the plentiful appearances and importance in the story: helping with the Psyducks, giving you TWO pokemon eggs, and helping navigate The Distortion Realm. I love how she's used as the mechanism to deliver exposition of Sinnoh's lore and history in an interesting, and even poetic way; it was really enchanting and added to the world building alot. Cause of her, I actually read the entire Canalave Library book selection. I also love how her story mirrors us, and how much we actually learn about her throughout the game, especially meeting her family in Clestic. She was also just a young kid sent out to explore the world with a Pokedex and head full of dreams (not said, but is heavily implied though dialogue).

I found Barry to be a funny, and strangely familiar kind of guy. He wasnt an outright asshole like Blue or Silver (I <3 Silver tho), or just a percieved seconf thought like May. He actually felt like a ''childhood best friend'' type character, a perfect blend of companionship and rivalry. He even had a mini-character arc. 10/10 characters all around. Loved the team I used, and im thinking of going for the Pokedex, and completing it over time on the side, since ive already made quite a bit of progress. Banger game! Heading to Unova next!

Been rewatching XY/Z and found something to ponder over...