I found myself reflecting again on that pleasant morning after this week's Pokémon Direct, which fans hoped would include the original Game Boy games but mostly kept the focus on Scarlet and Violet's expected expansions (and Pokémon Sleep, which has been something of a meme since its original announcement in 2019). Pokémon Ultra Sun, 2017, which felt like a letdown at the time but as the last game to feature every single Pokémon now feels like the last vestige of the classic experience.
Pokémon Platinum, 2008, one of the first games I ever covered as a member of the media. Pokémon Emerald, 2005, a period when I was just out of college and fully invested in the competitive scene.
They were like miniature time capsules filled with artifacts that transported me to a particular time and place in my life.
Spreading a handful of GBA, DS, and 3DS games on a table, I was filled with an invigorating sense of nostalgia as I plugged them in one after the other and reunited with my old friends.