{"id":70009,"date":"2023-07-23T14:34:55","date_gmt":"2023-07-23T13:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/nintendo\/catching-legendary-pokemon-the-old-fashioned-way-was-so-much-better\/"},"modified":"2023-07-23T14:34:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-23T13:34:55","slug":"catching-legendary-pokemon-the-old-fashioned-way-was-so-much-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=70009","title":{"rendered":"Catching Legendary Pok\u00e9mon The Old-Fashioned Way Was So Much Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pokemon\"\/ — Image: Gemma Smith \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over.<\/em> *Today, Kevin remembers a time when getting your hands on a legendary involved going on a real-life journey…<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n*
The ’90s were a fun time, weren\u2019t they? AOL was brand new, **The Simpsons<\/strong> was still good, and Pok\u00e9mon fever had only just begun its march towards total world domination.<\/p>\n**
One of the most exciting weekends of my life took place at the tail end of the ’90s, when I was just nine years old. This may be silly to reflect back on at the ripe old age of 33, but it\u2019s true. My friends and I had a big sleepover in anticipation for an event that we had been looking forward to for months: Pok\u00e9mon Summer Training Tour 1999. There was sure to be exclusive merch on sale, booster packs to spend our allowance money on, and free swag abound. But our collective goal was the same: capturing the elusive legendary Pok\u00e9mon, Mew.<\/p>\n
**And let me tell you, if you weren\u2019t around back then, catching a legendary Pok\u00e9mon was an adventure in and of itself, and an experience that simply cannot be replicated today.<\/p>\n**
The mystery of Mew<\/h2>\n
$\"Pokemon$
Image: Gemma Smith \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
At first, there was only one way to legitimately get Mew without using a GameShark, Game Genie, or any sort of ‘cheating cartridge’. In 1998, Nintendo Power held a mail-in competition where they would award the legendary Pok\u00e9mon to 151 exclusive winners. If you were one of the lucky chosen few, you would have to mail your game cartridge in, to have it sent back weeks later with your very own Mew on it.<\/p>\n
The thought of sending the cartridge that I had poured over 150 hours into through the US postal service made me nervous, and I didn\u2019t very much like the idea of not being able to play Pok\u00e9mon for an ambiguous amount of time. Nevertheless, I entered. And nevertheless, I did *not<\/em> win. I didn\u2019t even come in as a runner-up for a free link cable.<\/p>\n*
I was devastated. I thought I missed my chance at having a complete Pok\u00e9dex. I even tried looking for Mew under the truck in Vermillion City, but alas, nothing was to be found. Eventually, however, I saw an ad for an event that all were welcome to attend, with the main draw being that everyone gets their own Mew just for showing up! I told three of my best friends at school immediately, and it was settled: we would all go to catch Mew together.<\/p>\n
Preparing for battle<\/h2>\n
After staying up late the night before, watching Toy Story<\/strong> on VHS while fighting the Elite Four over and over to grind out levels for our specially selected battle-ready teams, we set out on our Pok\u00e9mon adventure. And by adventure, I mean my dad drove us to the mall in a red minivan and dropped us off.<\/p>\n
As soon as we pulled up, I was shocked at how long the line was. It stretched outside of the building, and snaked all the way through it. I don\u2019t think I\u2019d ever seen a line this long since our family went to Disney World. Regardless, our determination was steadfast. No legendary Pok\u00e9mon would be left behind.<\/p>\n
In the belly of the beast<\/h2>\n
$\"Pokemon$
Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Well, you gotta start somewhere. So we stood at the end of the line, which immediately filled up even further behind us. TVs nearby played the Pok\u00e9mon anime on loop, Nintendo 64 consoles were set up with demos for the upcoming Pok\u00e9mon Snap, and of course the ‘Pikabug’, a Volkswagen Beetle shaped and designed to look like Pikachu, was proudly on display.<\/p>\n
Through it all, though, we were in good company. So many other kids there were Pok\u00e9mon fanatics just like us, so it was easy to strike up conversation, make new friends, and even trade and battle with fellow Pocket Monster enthusiasts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
#pikachu<\/a> #pikabug<\/a> #nintendo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7nHZ07qNHj<\/a><\/span>\u2014 Pikabug (@Pikabug) July 16, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n
Speaking of battling, my friends and I were absolutely on fire<\/em> that day. We made sure to bring extra batteries and link cables, and battled every kid who asked to play with us. I don\u2019t think any of the four of us lost a single fight the entire time, as we inched ever closer to the front of the line.<\/p>\n
All the way at the front, which we could just now barely see, was a big yellow kiosk. A Nintendo representative would take your Game Boy and hook it up via a specialized link cable. The large, brightly-colored machine housed Mew, our primary reason for attending. It truly did feel like a real adventure, to play fast-and-loose with the term once again. But as a nine-year-old who was absolutely *obsessed<\/em> with Pok\u00e9mon, and was there with three of his childhood best friends, it really felt like I was living out some kind of fantasy ripped straight out of the games or TV show.<\/p>\n*
Obtaining a legend<\/h2>\n
$\"Pokemon$
Finally! My very own Mew \u2014 Image: Kevin Podas \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
After hours of waiting, we finally reached the front. And thankfully, they hadn\u2019t run out of Mews by then, which was something I was worried about because I didn\u2019t understand how things quite worked yet. Mew was officially loaded onto my saved file in Pok\u00e9mon Red. The mission was complete \u2013 but the fun wasn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n
We celebrated by using our allowance money to buy booster packs of the trading cards, and my dad showed up and bought us all dinner in the food court. We got some free t-shirts and posters, played Pok\u00e9mon Snap for the first time, and then headed back home.<\/p>\n
Receiving Mew in-game revitalized my interest in playing Pok\u00e9mon yet again, due in large part to having gone through such a unique and thrilling experience. If I recall correctly, Mew started out at level 5. So naturally, I spent hours once again grinding through the Elite Four to get Mew up to level 100 with the rest of my team. Probably just so I could show off to my friends or something.<\/p>\n
And also so I could write about it in an article almost 25 years later. Booyah!<\/p>\n
Evolving over time<\/h2>\n
$\"Pokemon$
Image: Kevin Podas \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Eventually, as technology advanced further, there was less and less of a need for large, in-person events to take place like the Pok\u00e9mon Summer Training Tour of 1999. And let\u2019s be honest: as fun of a memory as it was, having to go through that for every single legendary Pok\u00e9mon *would<\/em> be fatiguing. It all comes at a cost though, as the magic and exclusivity of it all has definitely been diluted over time.<\/p>\n*
A little while after the release of Gold and Silver, I fell out of Pok\u00e9mon for several years, likely trying to convince myself that I had to move past it as a hobby, and grow as a person. That didn\u2019t last for long, however. In English class in my junior year of high school, many of my classmates and friends had started picking up Pok\u00e9mon FireRed and LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance. I tried it out and was immediately transported back to those childhood days (along with some much-needed quality-of-life enhancements). This was also just before the release of Pok\u00e9mon Diamond and Pearl on Nintendo DS, which I was excited to get in on the ground floor of.<\/p>\n
The more things change\u2026<\/h2>\n
I eventually sunk a lot of hours into Diamond and Pearl, perhaps more than any other Pok\u00e9mon game aside from my Red Version. I missed out on a chunk of Pok\u00e9mon history, but caught up on the fact that there were of course more legendary Pok\u00e9mon to obtain now. Lots<\/em> more. I was relieved, however, to find out that I didn\u2019t have to stand in line for six hours to get them this time. Still, this involved me driving to Toys R Us with my Nintendo DS in hand (as a teenager\u2026) to connect to their Wi-Fi in order to receive whatever legendary Pok\u00e9mon was being peddled out at the time.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"youtube-caption\">We now know of <em>other<\/em> ways we could have gotten ol’ 151…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The process was of course more streamlined and convenient, but still felt like I could have just gotten this at home, which is exactly what it would become later on. But let\u2019s be honest: punching in a code to receive a ‘Mystery Gift’ while sitting on your couch just isn\u2019t as fun! There are also so many legendary Pok\u00e9mon now that it takes away from the thrill of it all.<\/p>\n<p>The closest thing we ever got to the Pok\u00e9mon Summer Training Tour of 1999 was the release of Pok\u00e9mon GO in 2016. It really showed the magic of the series and why it has so much staying power: Pok\u00e9mon brings people together. Whether you\u2019re a child, a teenager, or an adult who has reverence for simpler times and memories with close friends, the results are just the same.<\/p>\n<p>As I type this all out, I feel like I\u2019m in the ending scene from the movie <strong>Stand By Me<\/strong>. But somehow, that feels appropriate. After all, the very first Pok\u00e9mon game opens up with a reference to four boys walking on train tracks together. It\u2019s like they knew all along.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/pokemon\/related-articles:148761 @ 2023-07-23T14:00:04+01:00 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"block object-related\">\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p><!-- cache: html:nintendolife.com\/ssl\/pokemon\/related-info\/c1a4a27b9ff3b9b0dd73e3449df7b766 @ 2023-07-23T14:10:33+01:00 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"see-also\">\n<dl>\n<dt>See Also<\/dt>\n<dd class=\"first\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\" first\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon Red and Blue<\/strong> Review<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pok\u00e9mon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition<\/strong> Review<\/li>\n<li>Guide: <strong>Pok\u00e9mon GO Mega Evolutions List – How Get Mega Energy<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Guide: <strong>Pok\u00e9mon GO Special Evolutions \u2013 How To Get Pangoro, Sylveon, Glaceon, Aromatisse, Slurpuff, Sirfetch\u2019d, Galarian Cofagrigus And More<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Guide: <strong>Pok\u00e9mon GO Eevee Evolutions Ranked – How To Get Sylveon, Leafeon, Glaceon, Umbreon, Espeon, Vaporeon, Jolteon And Flareon<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Guide: <strong>Pok\u00e9mon GO \u2013 The Rarest Pok\u00e9mon Including Wild, Shiny, Mythical And Regional Catches<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\" last\">Guide: <strong>Pok\u00e9mon Sword And Shield: Pok\u00e9dex Galar Region<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/dd>\n<dt>Related Games<\/dt>\n<dd class=\"first\">\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-content\">\n<div class=\"optional\">\n<section class=\"block author\">\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img lazy\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA4MCA4MCI+PC9zdmc+\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/features\/soapbox-catching-legendary-pokemon-the-old-fashioned-way-was-so-much-better\/avatar.jpg?v=1685131337\" alt=\"Kevin Podas\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<p>Kevin Podas is a writer and comedian living in Chicago, IL. In addition to writing for Nintendo Life, Kevin also writes for Hard Drive, and hosts the weekly comedy podcast Thought Cops.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script type=\"a68a82a567c52cbfadc9a3ed-text\/javascript\">dgpConsent.can('targeting',function () { !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init', '2325732614399478'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); });<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/soapbox-catching-legendary-pokemon-the-old-fashioned-way-was-so-much-better\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image: Gemma Smith \/ Nintendo Life Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. 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