Train On - 20 Years of Pokemon

On February 27, 1996, the first Pokémon video games launched in Japan, kicking off a global Pokémon phenomenon that continues to this day. Exactly 20 years later, Pokémon will celebrate the historic milestone with events across the globe. The Pokémon series began with the release of Pocket Monsters Red and Green created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy in Japan. When these games proved extremely popular, an enhanced Blue version was released sometime after, and the Blue version was reprogrammed as Red & Blue for international release.



The player controls the main character from an overhead perspective and navigates him throughout the fictional region of Kanto in a quest to become a Pokemon master. 

The main staple of the Pokémon video game series revolves around the catching and battling of Pokémon. Starting with a starter Pokémon, the player can catch wild Pokémon by weakening them and catching them with Poké Balls. Conversely, they can choose to defeat them in battle in order to gain experience for their Pokémon, raising their levels and teaching them new moves. Certain Pokémon can evolve into more powerful forms by raising their levels or using certain items. Throughout the game, players will have to battle other trainers in order to progress, with the main goal to defeat various Gym Leaders and earn the right to become a tournament champion. 

  
By defeating the eight Gym Leaders, the player them the top four Pokémon trainers in the land known as the Elite Four who are said to be the toughest opponents in their respective region,the nefarious Team Rocket who provide an antagonistic force, along with the player's childhood rival.


Another objective is to complete the Pokedex, an in-game encyclopedia, by obtaining the 150 available Pokémon. Red and Blue utilize the Gaming Link Cable which connects two games together and allows Pokémon to be traded or battled between games. Both titles are independent of each other but feature the same plot and, while they can be played separately, it is necessary for players to trade among the two in order to obtain all of the first 150 Pokémon.



Ever since it's debut, Pokémon become a globally popular franchise that has left a significant mark on today's pop culture. The games' releases marked the beginning of what would become a multibillion-dollar franchise, jointly selling millions of copies worldwide.  It has even went on to becoming the second best selling video game franchise worldwide, next to Nintendo's own Super Mario franchise.

May we enjoy many more games in the years to come. Until then, Train on!