Pokemon Games

The name "Pokemon" is actually a simplified form of the official name "Pokémon", a contraction of "Pocket Monsters", which is essentially what the creatures are: small animals that are captured, befriended and trained by the player. The franchise has spawned movies, anime shows, comics, trading cards, merchandise of many types and of course, the popular Pokemon games. Although the series seems to be aimed at children (who also seem to be the biggest fans), gamers of all ages enjoy the captivating gameplay.

Overview

At its core, the Pokemon games are RPG-like in nature. Players explore a world inhabited by the small creatures called Pokemon. Using Pokeballs you can capture Pokemon to name, train and release in battle against other Pokemon.

You also meet other trainers (characters who like to capture and train Pokemon), gain items and battle tough opponents with your Pokemon to gain the title of Master Trainer. There are over one hundred Pokemon in each game with a grand total of over 385 throughout the series. Each Pokemon has unique abilities and can be trained to grow even stronger in battle.

The Pokemon games also popularized releasing different versions of the same game. Each wave of titles features two or three versions with identical gameplay that feature different Pokemon for players to capture. Players can usually connect with their friends who own other versions of the game and trade Pokemon to more quickly complete their collection. Nintendogs continued this tradition of multiple versions in 2005 with the simultaneous release of three games, each featuring a different set of puppies to own.

The Games

Fans of Pokemon commonly refer to the games in several waves or series. The majority of Pokemon games are for Nintendo's Game Boy systems. However, a few exceptions are listed and noted below.

Note: All games are for the specified system unless otherwise stated. Dates correspond to thhe U.S. release.

First Wave ~1998-1999 (Game Boy)

• Pokemon Blue
• Pokemon Red
• Pokemon Yellow
• Pokemon Stadium (Nintendo 64)

Second Wave ~1999-2001 (Game Boy Color)

• Pokemon Crystal
• Pokemon Gold
• Pokemon Silver
• Pokemon Stadium 2 (Nintendo 64)

Third Wave ~2002-2005 (Game Boy Advance)

• Pokemon Ruby
• Pokemon Sapphire
• Pokemon Colosseum (GameCube)
• Pokemon Fire Red
• Pokemon Leaf Green
• Pokemon Emerald
• Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (GameCube)
• Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Red Ranger
• Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon: Blue Ranger (Nintendo DS)

Other Games

• Pokemon Dash (Nintendo DS)
• Pokemon Pinball (Game Boy)
• Pokemon Puzzle League (Nintendo 64)
• Pokemon Snap (Nintendo 64)
• Pokemon Trading Card Game (Game Boy)