Yet, unlike many turn-based role-playing games from Japan, the game has found favour overseas, winning over a worldwide audience with a traditional approach allied to some genuinely forward-thinking ideas.Įven so, its creators have decided it's time for a new beginning. The formula, which sees a young trainer set out on an adventure to befriend and battle with the eponymous 'pocket monsters' hasn't changed a great deal since the series' inception, even as the menagerie has swelled rapidly in size, with a whopping 493 different varieties to be collected.
Celebrating its 15th birthday this year, developer Game Freak is bringing over new titles Pokémon Black Version and White Version to the west and hoping a fresh start can encourage a new generation to, as the game's motto suggests, 'catch 'em all'.Īs with the creatures that inhabit its world, the series has evolved slowly over the years. A s the second-biggest videogame-based media franchise in the world – topped only by Nintendo's Mario series – Pokémon has become more than just a game.
