Celebrate everything Pokémon has to offer, from the videogames to the monsters themselves and much, much more!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POKÉMON • Welcome to the world of Pokémon, a fantastic universe brimming with over a thousand unique and lovable monsters you can raise and train…
1996–1999 Kanto region • The first wave of Pokémon blew the world away. Not limited to games, this big bang for the series also ushered in a TV show, manga series, cards and more
POKÉDEX 001-151
POKÉMON RED & BLUE • Not just a gaming phenomenon but a multimedia one, Pokémon exploded in the late Nineties and is still going strong. Grab your Pokédex and get ready to document the hatching, training and evolution of the franchise
JUST THE START • “Who was your first Pokémon?” we asked Retro Gamer readers, and this is what they said…
LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS • Pokémon theme singer Jason Paige on his contribution to the series’ success
EVOLUTION TRACKER • Each new game or Generation in the Pokémon series has brought with it significant changes and improvements. We take a look at the first 20 years of innovation
A NEW DAWN • How looking to past brought the RPG design into the future…
SCIENCE OF POKÉMON • Raising the perfect Pokémon – there are myriad factors at work under the hood and true masters will need to be on top of all of them
WHO’S THAT POKÉMON? • Are you a Pokémon Professor, or just a chump? Take our test to find out…
TAKING OVER TELEVISION • For years we’ve been following the adventures of Ash Ketchum and his loyal companion Pikachu, but where did it all begin?
WHERE TO WATCH
UNMISSABLE ADVENTURES • A selection of series you definitely don’t want to miss
POKÉMON: THE TRADING CARD GAME • How the videogame was turned into one of the biggest collectible card games in the world!
WHAT’S THAT POKÉMON (CARD)? • A rundown of the different category of cards and how they’re used
WILD CARDS • Ironically, the Pokémon Trading Card Game also spawned its own videogames too…
1999–2002 Johto region • For the first time in Pokémon history, a new roster joined the cast. Meanwhile, an onslaught of new games, anime, merchandise and more confirmed that the Pocket Monsters were here to stay
POKÉDEX 151-251
POKÉMON, GOLD, SILVER & CRYSTAL • The Game Boy Color Generation of Pokémon would prove to be Game Freak’s ‘tricky second album’ but would cement the RPG brand as an international sensation. Grab your Pokégear, because we’re heading to the Johto region
NEW INNOVATIONS • What Gold & Silver added to Game Freak’s original formula
THE SPRITE STUFF • Inside the animated sprites that made their debut in Pokémon Crystal
GREETINGS FROM JOHTO • A landmark-filled, Kyoto-inspired masterpiece
POKÉMON MINI • A console dedicated to Pokémon games? No, you’re not dreaming… Nintendo really did make it
SMALL WONDERS • The Pokémon Mini had ten games to its name, but which ones were the best?
2002–2006 Hoenn region • The third era of Pokémon was an exciting time. The new games jumped onto the more powerful Game Boy Advance and GameCube, and the media machine ramped up with them
POKÉDEX 252-386
POKÉMON RUBY, SAPPHIRE & EMERALD • More Pokémon, more mechanics and more depth than ever before – Generation III seemed to have it all. So how did it almost fail?
NEW INNOVATIONS • Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald lay the foundations for plenty of long-standing Pokémon mechanics
GREETINGS FROM HOENN • A serene world inspired by the real-world Japanese island of Kyushu
POKÉMON REMAKES • Remakes are just as much a...