I remember being excited to play Pokemon even before the game came out in North America. Nintendo Power really hyped the game up with comics and features, and I'm not sure but I think the TV show even came out before the game? It's all kind of a blur.
My relationship with the games were off and on after the first generation, though it's pretty much just been "on" since Pokemon Pearl. So, when the opportunity came to visit a Pokemon Center while traveling around Japan, I was... well, not as excited as I expected to be.