One burning obsession

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Zenszulu

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Edited By Zenszulu

As gamers there is always that one game that we will play that will take more time out of our lives than any other and we will play it and play it, as for everyone there is always a game out there that has the depth and length to keep us going.


For me that one game series that has kept me going for many years since it's release is the one Nintendo game series that has more depth and strategy than any other and not just on a Nintendo console, on just about a platform around such is the level of depth of the game mechanics, which is tweaked and improved with every passing generation of the series.


I am of course talking about Pokemon, now I am sure a few people who may read this may just turn their nose up at the mere mention of any Pokemon game, seeing it as a game that is aimed solely at young children and not being complicated in any way at all. But if you can get past the basics there is such a level of strategy and diversity that one trained up super Pokemon may be amazing in one fight but totally useless in the next, and that could be down to a lot of different factors, the Pokemons type, the opponents Pokemon having the right moves, held item or simply being able to absorb anything that can be thrown at it and counter with ease.


Many devoted trainers will breed for hours at a time to get the desired Pokemon they are after having the certain move they want that can only be obtained through breeding too, with the nature they desire so the Pokemons stats cant be trained how they want so they can execute the strategy they need with that particular Pokemon, with every passing generation it is also getting easier to breed for that desired nature and even pass on the best possible stat in one area for that Pokemon. Even training up those stats can be done in next to no time with the right item and status condition.


That is just one part of the game that keeps me completely hooked, the other being that “Gotta catch 'em all” tag line, not only can it be a challenge to get all the in game Pokemon as standard, but getting those one that are unattainable in the game you are playing involves trading or transferring from older games, in newer games trading can also be done anonymously online, but only if you have at least seen that Pokemon and it is in your Pokedex or you cant try and trade for it. Then there is collecting after the game is pretty much complete and you have them all, some people will trade for certain event only Pokemon given away around the world as special gifts, as there rarity is seen as valuable and often come with exclusive moves or ribbons attached and can be identified with their trained id name and numbers. Then there are shiny Pokemon with are very rare to come across and to randomly come across one takes a lot of luck, I have only came across five or six myself, but the lure is there for me to catch more or trade for more, in more recent games though there have been slightly easier ways of coming across them, through wild encounters and breeding, but they are still seen in my eyes at least as trophies and collectable, just adding to the collectablity in the game.


So there is my one big obsession and I plan on continuing it regardless of how old I get as I know the games will just keep getting better and better such is the way they improve and tweak the games with every passing generation, and before the question is asked I am 28 and that does not effect my love of the games, and after over a decade of playing the games I know it will take a lot to stop me loving them.

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Zenszulu

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#1  Edited By Zenszulu

As gamers there is always that one game that we will play that will take more time out of our lives than any other and we will play it and play it, as for everyone there is always a game out there that has the depth and length to keep us going.


For me that one game series that has kept me going for many years since it's release is the one Nintendo game series that has more depth and strategy than any other and not just on a Nintendo console, on just about a platform around such is the level of depth of the game mechanics, which is tweaked and improved with every passing generation of the series.


I am of course talking about Pokemon, now I am sure a few people who may read this may just turn their nose up at the mere mention of any Pokemon game, seeing it as a game that is aimed solely at young children and not being complicated in any way at all. But if you can get past the basics there is such a level of strategy and diversity that one trained up super Pokemon may be amazing in one fight but totally useless in the next, and that could be down to a lot of different factors, the Pokemons type, the opponents Pokemon having the right moves, held item or simply being able to absorb anything that can be thrown at it and counter with ease.


Many devoted trainers will breed for hours at a time to get the desired Pokemon they are after having the certain move they want that can only be obtained through breeding too, with the nature they desire so the Pokemons stats cant be trained how they want so they can execute the strategy they need with that particular Pokemon, with every passing generation it is also getting easier to breed for that desired nature and even pass on the best possible stat in one area for that Pokemon. Even training up those stats can be done in next to no time with the right item and status condition.


That is just one part of the game that keeps me completely hooked, the other being that “Gotta catch 'em all” tag line, not only can it be a challenge to get all the in game Pokemon as standard, but getting those one that are unattainable in the game you are playing involves trading or transferring from older games, in newer games trading can also be done anonymously online, but only if you have at least seen that Pokemon and it is in your Pokedex or you cant try and trade for it. Then there is collecting after the game is pretty much complete and you have them all, some people will trade for certain event only Pokemon given away around the world as special gifts, as there rarity is seen as valuable and often come with exclusive moves or ribbons attached and can be identified with their trained id name and numbers. Then there are shiny Pokemon with are very rare to come across and to randomly come across one takes a lot of luck, I have only came across five or six myself, but the lure is there for me to catch more or trade for more, in more recent games though there have been slightly easier ways of coming across them, through wild encounters and breeding, but they are still seen in my eyes at least as trophies and collectable, just adding to the collectablity in the game.


So there is my one big obsession and I plan on continuing it regardless of how old I get as I know the games will just keep getting better and better such is the way they improve and tweak the games with every passing generation, and before the question is asked I am 28 and that does not effect my love of the games, and after over a decade of playing the games I know it will take a lot to stop me loving them.

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Darth Paul

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#2  Edited By Darth Paul

I wholeheartedly agree. I'm 32 and I got into Pokemon in my freshman year of college because my brother got into the first red & blue games back when they were basically new at that time. Even though I'm far beyond what a lot of people consider the "normal age range" for these games, I just point to the obvious strategy involved in them that appeals to me and makes it much more than just a "game series for little kids." Plus, with every new generation in the series, my brother and I get one of each title so that we can both have a version and trade easily with each other. Being younger than me, though he's a lot more into it than I am and does a lot of the "effort value" leveling and breeding tricks, but I just like to go for teams of raw power to beat opponents.