growing up in the 90's

Life wasn't always easy for us 90's kids. We had to deal with the sadness of Full House ending. We were there when Kurt Cobain killed himself. We also felt the pain when Ginger Spice left the Spice Girls. But what plagued our childhoods the most was a very simple, but hard hitting question -

Which starter pokemon do I pick?

"NO!" My mother would cry, "You are too young to be making these kinds of decisions! Whatever you choose will affect you for the rest of your life!"

Haunting words indeed. It's a shame that they weren't actually said. But that didn't make the choice any easier to make. Fortunately, I am here to solve the 15 year debate.

Now opening the case of Bulbasaur vs. Charmander vs. Squirtle.

First of all, Bulbasaur is eliminated from the equation. Bulbasaur is good at getting the player started, but is not a very good choice for the long run. I mean, it eventually evolves into Venusaur, and what's so great about it? It's a herbivore dinosaur with a flower on it's back. Oooh, I'm so scared! So yeah, don't pick Bulbasaur. Babies pick Bulbasaur.

So that really only leaves Squirtle and Charmander. Both of them are very good choices, but Charmander has a tiny edge over Squirtle. I mean, Squirtle is probably the best pokemon to get you through the game, but Charmander has more power. I think this is because Charmander struggles with the first couple of gym leaders in the game, therefore causing it to become super powerful later.

Let's think back to our school days. The debates would end immediately after someone said, "I have a Charizard." Believe me, you do not want to mess with a fire breathing dragon. And when it comes to the Elite Four, it was the best if Charizard was on your side. It gave you a much smaller chance of a struggle.

If you're still not convinced, think of it this way; how many other strong Fire-type Pokemon do you encounter in the game? Not many...

If you're ever playing the original games and wondering which starter to pick, think back to this post and... I know you'll make the right choice.

Yep, I just blogged about Pokemon.