Feeling old yet? Pokemon celebrates 20th Anniversary

Pokemon fans will be rejoicing a lot this 2016, as this year not only commemorates the 20th anniversary of the popular monster collecting franchise, but also offers a chance for collectors to grab those “hard to find” mythical creatures from days past.

Via a new video that was released to announce plans for “Pokemon 20”, Nintendo revealed that they would be distributing legendary Pokemon that are considered rare species not normally found by users, with hitters like Mew, Manaphy, Victini, Genesect, and Meloetta being among those listed. These “event exclusive” Pokemon are available starting February from the 1st to the 24th of their respective months, running all the way to December and can be obtained in the games Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire.

Additionally, the video also advertises that The Pokemon Company will be releasing expansions to their Pokemon card games with “Pokemon TCG: Generations” and “Pokemon TCG: Mythical Pokemon Collections”. A new 3DS Bundle has also been announced, as well a remastered editions of the Pokemon anime movies “Pokemon the First Movie”, “Pokemon the Movie 2000”, and “Pokemon 3: The Movie” which will be available digitally through iTunes and Google Play.

Standing for “Pocket Monsters” in Japan, Pokemon was created by Satoshi Tajiri and began life with the release of the first game, “Pocket Monsters: Red & Green” which was released in February 27, 1996 for the original Gameboy in Japan. A special edition called “Blue” was released later that year, and when it was ported to America in September 28, 1998 it became known as “Pokemon: Red & Blue”. That era started a chain of events that turned “Pokemon” into a beloved media franchise, with a well known animated series of the same and an influential mascot in the form of an electric tiny cute creature named “Pikachu”. The series continues to be popular, with the latest release Pokemon: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS, only drawing more fans and would be Pokemon Trainers to “Catch Them All”. — TJD, GMA News