Reflecting on Pokemon Colosseum: A Game that Defined Me as a Trainer
Gosh, let me tell you, thinking about the fact that Pokemon Colosseum is 20 years old is a little bit upsetting to the soul. I’m in my mid (soon-to-be-late) twenties, so it’s not like I’m running out of time on this mortal coil, but anniversaries certainly do put things into perspective, don’t they? Especially an anniversary that indicates a game literally came out two decades ago. Occasions like this one lead you to reflect upon the past. In this particular case, I’m thinking about how Pokemon Colosseum effectively defined me as a trainer, and subsequently, maybe a little bit as a person.
A Blast from the Past: Gaming Magazines and Demo Discs
Do you remember when gaming magazines used to come with free demo discs or DVDs showing off upcoming games? I loved them as a kid, I still have a whole bunch of my PS2 demo discs, a little treasure trove of snapshots of games to come. There was one time I got (I’m pretty sure) an issue of Cube Magazine, based on a quick Google search I imagine it would be issue 28. Every issue of Cube came with a DVD of cheats, and a DVD with trailers and footage of various games. This particular copy showed off Pokemon Colosseum.
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I was, of course, incredibly excited for such a game. You had a cool bike! You could steal other people’s Pokemon, but you’re a good guy, kind of! You had an Espeon and an Umbreon! It was obviously a game that would cement those two Eeveelutions as fan favorites for many. But this DVD did one thing for me in particular: it gave me a name.
With the magazine being called Cube and all, it was a no-brainer for them to name the game’s playable trainer exactly that. Cube. Boy did seven-year-old me think that was cool as heck. So, much like Wes, as he’s canonically known, I stole that name for myself and have used it in every single Pokemon game I’ve played since.
Choosing a name like Cube for the Pokemon version of myself, you’d think I’d maybe have figured out I’m non-binary a little bit sooner than I did, but I guess when you don’t have the language for that sort of thing all you can be is a six-sided shape of a human.
A Trainer’s Journey: Pokemon Colosseum’s Influence
Since then, I’ve felt like any Pokemon trainer I play as