Pokémon
Pokémon is a highly successful Japanese franchise that was introduced in the 1990s. Owned by Nintendo, it has risen to become the second most successful video game franchise, behind Nintendo's own Mario. It spread to several other countries in a short time.
The series focuses on capturing, training, battling, collecting and trading various monster species, known as Pokémon. While the mechanics vary from incarnation to incarnation, the player generally takes on the role of a Pokémon trainer, seeking to capture wild monsters, raise them, and defeat other trainers in duels using the captured monsters in order to become a champion.
Video Games
Pokémon was originally released in Japan in 1996 as a pair of cartridges, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, for the original Game Boy system. Three years later, the games were released as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue in the United States and worldwide. The games feature similar gameplay, differing primarily in what monsters are available in each version. New versions of the game are released periodically, normally in pairs, to introduce new monsters and to take advantage of improving hardware technology. As of the release of Pokémon Platinum in 2009, there are over 490 Pokémon species available.
Players take the role of a Pokémon trainer, seeking to capture wild Pokémon with "Pokéballs", small spheres in which captured creatures live. The player travels across the region challenging other trainers while raising their own Pokémon and capturing new ones. The games normally feature a sub-plot where the player, with the help of their Pokémon, foil the schemes of a criminal organization. The player must challenge eight advanced trainers known as "gym leaders" before they can challenge the "Elite Four" and the "League Champion", five of the strongest trainers in the region. The games also challenge the player to see and capture as many species as possible.
In a battle with a wild Pokémon or a match against a trainer, the player's Pokémon and the foe alternate using learned attack and support techniques, attempting to knock out their opponent. If the player encounters a wild Pokémon, they can elect to attempt to capture it, rather than knocking it out. A captured Pokémon joins the player, who may then raise it or trade it away.
Many Pokémon, with sufficient training, will spontaneously change form, developing into a larger, stronger form of their species. This process is called "evolution", though it more closely resembles maturation. Some Pokémon species can evolve multiple times, and some species can only be obtained by evolving more basic species. Players may also breed their Pokémon with each other by leaving them with the Day Care man, who will inform the player when the Pokémon lay an egg. Eggs eventually hatch into Pokémon, giving the player another option for acquiring new Pokémon.
Additionally, other video games featuring the Pokémon characters have been released, including Pokémon Pinball and the Pokémon Ranger series.[1]
Other Media
The Pokémon video game franchise has been adapted into various other media. In 1997, it was adapted into a cartoon show for children which follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum and his friends, as well as their Pokémon. The program is notable for an episode aired only in Japan in which flashing lights caused by one monster's attack induced seizures in hundreds of viewers. Several films based on the series have been produced and released worldwide.[2] [3]
The franchise also spawned a collectible "trading card game", where players dual using special decks consisting of cards representing different Pokémon species, as well as energy cards, which allow Pokémon to use their battle techniques, and trainer cards, which have special effects that influence the flow of battle. The game uses mechanics adapted from the video game, and features characters from the video game and from the cartoon.[4]
References
- ↑ Pokemon.com (English) (HTML). The Official Pokémon Website.
- ↑ Pokemon.com, The Official Pokémon Website [1]
- ↑ The New York Times; TV Cartoon's Flashes Send 700 Japanese Into Seizures
- ↑ Go-Pokemon.com (English) (HTML). The Official Pokémon TCG and OP Website.
