It feels like more and more companies are jumping on the old "nostalgia sells" trick, bringing back fond things from yesteryear. That being back, I've decided to jump into the wayback machine and share some of my favorite memories that are game related. I'll start things off with a certain monster franchise that came to the states in the 90's, Pokemon.
Looking back on memories of the past, you get to date yourself quite a bit so here goes, I was in the 5th grade when Pokemon came to the states. My friend that lived down the street showed me a VHS tape that talked about the Pokemon trading card game and I was hooked. I would bring my cards to school like all my friends did and we would play at lunch. I wouldn't get a chance to play the video games until Christmas that year and it killed me waiting but was worth it. My older brother and I played the video games as well as the card games and had a blast playing together. I'll end the debate now by saying Squirtle is the best!
For those who aren't aware the Pokemon trading card game had a league where you could play weekly and earn points for promotional items like badges and cards. My brother and I built my first deck just to beat the punk at the store who was a little older than everyone else and needed to be taken down a few pegs. We eventually moved on to a new store and my brother eventually worked at the store and ran tournaments/league on the weekends. During the hype of the trading card game, there used to be major tournaments held all over the country and one of the biggest ones was the Super Trainer Showdown. People from all over came to compete and was one of the coolest events around. Malls were another place where these events took place and I didn't usually attend these events but we all hopped in the car and drove a few hours. It was a tough event but I came in 2nd place and won a ton of cards. It was a thrill to place in a touney like that and the guy who beat me showed up at our local comic shop where we played and that was an awkward situation. Anyway the Pokemon trading card game as well as the video games hold great memoires for me.
There is one other memory and it pertains to the Electronics and Entertainment Expo or E3. I believe it was my first attended E3 as well as my first time flying on a plane. It was my first time on the west coast, getting to attent an event I had always wanted to get to. Pokemon X and Y was presented at the convention as well as several mini "town-hall" like events where companies talk to a group and show off stuff. During this press conference, brand new Pokemon from the Kalos region were shown off. It was great to see pokemon never revealed before.
Pokemon will always be a fun time in my life. If it wasn't going to Burger King for the toys it was preordering the games. I'm thinking of making these trips down memory lane a monthly thing as it was fun looking back. One of these days, Pokemon will have to be on the Stevetendo show; at least there isn't a certain Final Fantasy III attack I can't do in Pokemon.
