Everyone believes their era of gaming is the greatest and I am not here to argue in favor of my own. However, there is one extraordinarily unique experience shared by Pokémon fans during the Generation 1 (Red & Blue) era, and it relied on the existence of — and lack of access to — the Internet.
In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, no one had access to the Internet. By the early 2000s, it was present in nearly every American home. However, in the late ‘90s, only a handful of families had it. Perhaps you were one; maybe it was someone in your friend group. However, most of us had Game Boys and Pokémon Red & Blue. Pokémon gained its stride in 1998, with its first generation lasting about two years in the United States. While this may not seem like a long time, to 10-year-olds on the playground, Pokémon was life.
Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version; Image credit: Nintendo
Today, Pokémon games are released simultaneously worldwide. However, Pokémon Gold and Silver — the second-generation Pokémon games — were released in Japan in 1999, almost a full year before the United States, and while the Generation 1 craze was still at critical mass. Information about these sequels was available on the Internet, but back then, without a dedicated, bilingual community, accurate information got mixed in with mistranslations and outright lies.
Even though the reveal of Togepi in the anime was aired in Japan on June 25, 1998, it was still a surprise when the episode aired seven months later in the West. Today, there are “teraleaks,” with information on upcoming games becoming known worldwide months or sometimes years before formal announcements. Anything that manages to stay a secret is revealed to everyone in the world at once. Back in 1999, we generally only found out what Game Freak wanted us to know, so there was unprecedented excitement when your friend would print and show off pictures of Generation 2 Pokémon. There will never be an era like that again.
Many of us look to recapture our childhood. One way I accomplish this is by finding old Pokémon fan sites that haven’t been touched since that bygone era. These pages are a treasure trove of wonderment, speculation, and plenty of false information. Here are some of my favorites.
CloudX13’s Pokémon Site
CloudX13’s Pokémon website; Pokémon imagery credit: The Pokémon Company
CloudX13 certainly made a web design choice when he included a horizontal scrolling, unlinked URL for his PokéGods page, which no longer exists. The PokéGods were a schoolyard rumor about supercharged Pokémon that could only be obtained using elaborate methods. Some of these Pokémon turned out to be real, though they had misnamed designs from then-upcoming Gold & Silver. Examples:
- Pikablu (which was later revealed as Marill)
- Bruno (which was later revealed as Snubbull)
There are also several alleged PokéGods that were evolutions of existing Pokémon. Some included:
- Sapusaur (an evolved form of Venusaur)
- Charcolt (an evolved form of Charizard
- Rainer (an evolved form of Blastoise)
- Locustod (an evolved form of Butterfree)
- Beepin (an evolved form of Beedrill)
- Raticlaw (an evolved form of Raticate)
- Nidogod (an evolved form of Nidoking)
- Spooky (an evolved form of Gengar)
- Mewthree (an evolved form of Mewtwo)
Finally, there were PokéGods that had seemingly no connection to an existing evolutionary line. Some included:
- Tyranticus
- Doomsday
- Millennium
Mewtwo’s Homepage
Mewtwo’s Pokémon website; Pokémon imagery credit: The Pokémon Company
Many of Mewtwo’s pages are no longer accessible, but the page on PokéGods most certainly is. It includes yet more methods for obtaining the elusive creatures. Several of the methods are identical or similar to ones that circulated at my school. One example is the suggestion that you can use a GameShark device when a Butterfree is at the top of your party and then rename it “Locustod” to turn it into another Pokémon. Another is that a Togepi egg can be found by using the Itemfinder in Mt. Moon. The page also claims you can evolve Venusaur, Charizard, or Blastoise into Sapusaur, Charcolt, and Rainer by using a Mist Stone, an item that does not exist.
Thunder Pokémon Page
Thunder’s Pokémon website
I am using proper capitalization here to spare you. Remember how cool it was in 2000 to capitalize every other letter in a word? “Will” certainly does. Literally every link and page heading on the Thunder Pokémon Page uses that stylization. Your eyes will also love the white text on a blue background.
Enough about the web design choices, let’s talk about the content! The “New Pokémon” page includes some accurate information about Generation 2 creatures. “Honoguma” and “Kurusu” were actually revealed to have been part of the 1997 Spaceworld Demo of Pokémon Gold and Silver, but were later cut from the final game.
The best part of the website is the PokéGods codes and PokéGods pictures. There is not one or two, but ten different suggested ways for getting Pikablu. Also, Yoshi in full 3D, trying to be passed off as a Game Boy sprite, is priceless, not to mention it being Pokémon #W05.
More ‘90s Pokémon Fan Sites for Nostalgia
The Pokémon Mansion website; Pokémon imagery credit: The Pokémon Company
Rob’z Pokémon website; Pokémon imagery credit: The Pokémon Company
See more:
- The Hardest-to-Pronounce Pokémon Names (Updated)
- 10 Pokémon That Need New Forms
- Our 12 Favorite Cozy Video Games to Relax With
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