#5: Pokemon Red/Blue

Sure, it's a franchise geared towards kids.  We all know it.  But those who have played it also know that it's a furiously addicting RPG with a very deep elemental system to it.

There was nothing quite like being in grade/middle school when the Pokemon craze hit.  All of a sudden, everyone had a favorite Pokemon and an all powerful team.  Before it was banned, there was a 3 month span of time at school where lunchtime meant battle/trade time.  Ahhh, memories.

Behind the mania of "Gotta catch 'em all" was an expansive RPG with an incredible amount of customization.  People often label the Pokemon series as a kids game.  But when you look at all of the leveling options that are available to you, it's clear that it takes a large amount of intelligence and concentration to optimize your team.

Let's look at what you can do.

• Evolve or don't evolve, learning different moves along the way.
• Optimizing your levelling with EV points.
• Choosing a balanced team or a specialized team.
• Using 1-off TM's to change your Pokemon's abilities.
• Deciding to go with a team that's about brawling, buffs, or debuffs.

For a "kiddie game", it's pretty deep.

Pokemon Blue was also the cause of one of the most traumatic events of my life.  My Pokedex was up to a near perfect 149 out of 150.  After showing some friends at school, I forgot to take the cartridge out of my pocket at home.  My mom washed the game and I lost everything.

You don't get terrible moments like that from just any ol' game.