Firstly let me just apologize for the delay in having the second Franchise Friday posted. February was a very weird month and I had also spent some time working on a couple of other projects behind the scenes as well. However, March will see two Franchise Friday blog posts and here is the first one to kick off a new month!
I will admit. I do talk about the Pokemon franchise every now and then on the blog but the franchise has played such a big part in my childhood and my journey in the gaming world over the years. Now, this has gone through a few changes since I originally wrote it due to the recent Pokemon Direct from earlier this week.
Looking back, I still clearly remember going into my local Toys R Us and getting my first ever GameBoy Advance and a copy of Pokemon Yellow. The feeling of excitement as I was about to start my own adventure in the world of Pokemon was amazing. The first playthrough was hard and full of the unknown. Not always fully knowing where to head next or what to do was sometimes a little frustrating but at the same time good fun. This was really before I knew that you could get written walkthroughs from the internet and it was definitely before the days of YouTube walkthroughs. I’m pretty sure my parents still had dial-up internet at this point.
Fast forward a few years and with several more releases including Pokemon Silver & Gold, Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire all the way up to more recently released Pokemon X & Y, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire and the newest instalment Pokemon Sun & Moon/Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. Each era brings numerous new Pokemon, features, worlds to explore and so much more.
While there have been many additions to the franchise over the last two decades, each new instalment has brought back Trainers from previous games and welcomed new Trainers along the way and with that has introduced everyone to a new world, a new story, new Pokemon and new features within the game. Of course, there is even more than just those that I’ve mentioned.
For myself personally, there are some Pokemon games that I enjoy more than others like Pokemon Silver & Gold (including HeartGold and SoulSilver) as well as Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. Both of these eras of the franchise I have put many hours into the game but I did so because I was captured by the story and everything that goes on during those games.
However, there are some that I’ve played maybe just a few hours of. Pokemon Platinum and also Pokemon Black 2 & White 2. For some reason, I just could not get into the games the same way that I did to the versions that came before them. While I do not completely dislike the games, I do hope to give them another go at some point in the future.
Going back to earlier this week and we saw the reveal of the brand new Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Sheild that is due for release later this year. This will also be the first main storyline game for the Nintendo Switch. Now I was initially unsure of the names but they have definitely grown on me. I also love how it appears to be inspired by England. I could very much be wrong about that but the overall design of the world of Galar looks beautiful and I’m sure that when experiencing it for ourselves once the game is released it will be even more incredible.
The question is, which of the three new Starter Pokemon will you choose to start your new adventure with? I think I will probably go with the Fire-type Scorbunny but I could and probably will end up changing my mind a lot between now and the release of the game.
I do feel that I will always have that connection with the Pokemon franchise that not only reminds me of my childhood but also continues just allows me to go through the game at my own pace and not worry as to how long it takes it to complete the game.
That’s it for the second Franchise Friday blog post. I’m super excited for the next Pokemon game especially since it will be the first main story game on Nintendo Switch but I am also excited to see what else is in store for the Pokemon franchise this year.
Again I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post and I hope you have an amazing weekend!
LeeksPlays 
I love how much the Pokemon franchise has been a part of people’s lives. I got into it when I got married almost 3 years ago with Moon, then I played Omega Ruby (my favorite), and I’m still working on Let’s Go Eevee. I can’t wait for this new game! The way you describe the franchise makes me even more excited for it. ❤ At the moment, without seeing the evolutions, I’d have to say Grookey even though I’m not a huge fan of monkeys. He’s really cute and the sound he makes reminds me of the monkeys in LoZ Twilight Princess. 😂 thanks for another awesome post! You write the best reviews!
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