A&E, Opinion, Point vs. Counterpoint

PCP: Pokémon – Catching ‘Em All in 2020

Should you still be playing Pokémon in this day and age? Sure, there are other more graphically and mechanics-intense video games now, but here’s why I think you should continue the tradition.

After almost a quarter-century, Pokémon has become a household brand in 2020. It’s not that hard to believe—the idea of capturing wild monsters to duel against each other has an odd sort of charm to it. I’ve been collecting the cards since the 2000s, and I finally got a hold of one of the games on my 3DS. I’m not talking about the weird spin-offs like My Pokémon Ranch or other horrors I wish I could forget. I mean the classic ‘defeat monsters, tame them, level up and be the best’ type games. From start to finish, I was addicted.

Reason 1: Upgrades people, upgrades.

First of all, the graphics and controls of the Pokémon games have vastly improved. Far from being the pixelated Game Boy versions they used to be, they are now equipped with more features than ever. Not only are there new Pokémon to be captured, there are also a variety of mini-games that can be accessed, making the quest to catch ‘em all that much more satisfying.

On the 3DS, you have the option to play the entire game in 3D. There are also deviations from the original game where you can equip your Pokémon with special abilities and animated attacks. The diversity of the gameplay available now can suit more gamers, from those obsessed with their Pokémons’ looks to others dedicated to battle.

Reason 2: There are endless possibilities.

Speaking of diversity, there are many more routes to explore in the newer Pokémon games, not to mention more Pokémon. There are a total of 807 in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. You can train all your Pokémon to level 100, capture all 807 of them, train them with different TMs (Pokémon skills), et cetera. There’s no right way to train your Pokémon, so you can feel free to do what you see fit.

Want to fly across to another island? Done. Want to surf to an aquatic land to catch water-type Pokémon? Easy. Plan to defeat the forces of evil and help out in the world of Pokémon? Welcome to the plot of most Pokémon games.

Reason 3: It’s fun.

What more reason do you need? It isn’t too hard anymore to grab an emulator, find a copy of a game, and get straight to playing. Not even hardware can limit you from pursuing your goals of becoming a Pokémon master. If you have time, you can’t go wrong spending it on Pokémon.

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