>>30591998Yes it was, sorry OP. 1998-2001 was the golden age. Imagine the Pokémon GO hype but 10x as big. Basically everyone under 10 either played the games (if your parents could afford them), watched the show, collected cards, or some combination of the three. If you didn't live through it IDK what to tell you but this franchise in its current state pales in comparison to the ecstasy of its early years. It just felt boundless. Everyone thought the fad would be over in months, but it managed to survive 3 years at a blistering tempo.
I didn't get into it right away, but in early 1999 for my 6th birthday I got some cards and Blue version with a lime green GBC (my little brother got Red and a Blue GBC later on, which I was able to borrow for self-trades). It wasn't my first video game, as I'd played SMB3 on my dad's NES before that, and my parents had already bought us an N64 at my older sister's bidding. But Blue version was certainly the first video game I beat in its entirety. That year I heard about the Cinnibar Island glitch, which me and my friends used to get even more enjoyment out of the game. Nobody knew about the Mew glitch yet, but rumors abounded about its secret location.
I got Yellow later that same year, but sort of temporarily lost interest in the games. In 2000 I was mostly playing other games on N64, mostly Donkey Kong, OoT, and Turok (IK, some of these are shit looking back...). I kept avidly collecting the cards, and still have my Base set Charizard from back then, promos from the movies (all of which I saw in theatres), and many more.
In 2001 I got Crystal version and to this day it's the most fun I've had with any Pokémon game, despite gen 2's many flaws. I got Stadium 2 as well and got damn close to filling my Pokédex trading with friends.
Then 2002 rolled around and suddenly I felt like the last of a dying breed. I was 9 years old and nobody in my class was talking about it. I saw Pokémon 4Ever that year and the theatre was empty.
