Getting a proper taste of Kanto
I've been pretty critical of Generation 1 my whole life, since a lot of my childhood experiences include internet genwunners dunking on my starter region of Hoenn and people my age in school dunking on the concept of playing Pokémon at all. I fiddled with my older siblings' copies of Blue, Yellow, and Gold when I was REALLY little but I wasn't exactly a conscious human being until the third generation was in full swing.
Now, in my adulthood, I'm attempting a challenge where I finally complete the National Dex in Pokémon Emerald, my first-ever game. I'm committing to an actual full playthrough of LeafGreen, and so far, I'm having a good time! I'm currently grinding my team up to 10-16 at the foot of Mt. Moon before I move on. It feels pretty generic in the "early JRPG, series that hasn't established its identity yet" kind of way, but that's normal coming from the first game in a franchise that would later become a definitive part of the console landscape. I'm trying to forgive it for that and listen more for its inspiration (Earthbound and Tajiri's childhood nostalgia for late 20th century Japan). It really does have a fundamentally different vibe from the rest of the Pokémon main series.
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I don't think it is fair to judge something by the behaviour of its fans. Even if the hyperbole and vitriol of internet communities makes it very hard sometimes. Good on you for looking beyond that and giving the games a fair shake.
I know it won't help your gen 3 national dex quest, but at some point I recommend giving the original Game Boy versions another playthrough at some point. I think many of the changes in FRLG to the game mechanics make it a very different experience, even if the core story is the same.
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