>>40650953I joined the fanbase at around Gen 3, but I recognize what Pokémania meant to y'all. It was more than just playing the games at home. It was playing the games at the schoolyards and trading and battling with the other kids. It was watching the anime and getting mad at Gary for flexing on Ash at every opportunity he had (before he got curb-stomped at the Viridian Gym). It was every kid showing off their Pokémon card collection to every other kid. It was every rumor about PokéGods, every question about how Togepi and "Pikablu" (later revealed to be Marill) were obtainable in Red, Blue, and Yellow Versions.
However, there is a part of me that can only look at Gen 1 in retrospect, and seeing the bad with the good. The games' poor programming. Their easily exploitable AI. The chunk of moves that didn't even work as intended. Ash Ketchum entering the Indigo League Conference only to lose because Charizard refused to battle (Electric Tale of Pikachu handled that battle better, but I'll elaborate on that in a separate comment). The Team Rocket trio being unironically more interesting as characters than Ash Ketchum. The designs that were a mixed bag at best, and at worst, had shit like Seel and Dugtrio. Those who were adults even when Pokémania hit and hated the franchise as a result. The card game...didn't change that much over the years, except for the power creep and the fact that people actually play it now.
Gen 1 wasn't necessarily bad, but looking back, there's no denying that it was flawed.
