I was never the biggest Pokemon fan before getting this, but I did grow up with the franchise (practically surrounded by it during its extreme early popularity phase), and did have distinct memories and soft spots for it. Lugia, the swan-orca mother of oceans, was one such distinct memory, specifically with the debut through the movie. You know the one.

It took me many, many years, nearly 10 after the release of this game, for me to finally play it, and it was due to the very generous gift from a close friend of mine.

All I can really say is that I'm so glad this is where I started. Nearly 500 available creatures to find. An entire two regions to explore. Lead Pokemon follow and interact with you. A massive, MASSIVE plethora of side and end game content. It looks both classic yet fresh all at once, giving it a timeless aesthetic. The whole game utterly oozes with this happy-go-lucky, charming personality that makes it feel like the purest Pokemon experience you could ever get.

I have since played three other Pokemon games, and while I do like them for the things they do, they never hit the same levels of enjoyment for me like this one, and I don't know if other entries will get any closer. SoulSilver, by and large, is my favorite Pokemon game, and one of my favorite games in general, period. (#26, I believe)

As many hours as I sunk into it, I don't think I'll ever really "master" it. My battle technique is sloppy and very RPG centric rather than Pokemon centric, I haven't found everything in the game (and am somewhat locked off from certain things at the moment), and I have never completed the Battle Frontier. That won't stop me from loving every minute of it, or wanting another round.

Once I get some things set up, I'll be transferring my beloved mons to later games, and re-setting the game, so I can re-experience it all over again.

Full love and bias for this game. Thank you Joey for pushing me to start this journey. Hope to finally get a chance to battle you one day!