I don’t get off on being a curmudgeon about popular things. I have eclectic tastes, but they overlap plenty with the mainstream. So when I say that “Pokémon” does nothing for me whatsoever, know that I’d prefer that it did.

As you’ve probably intuited, the rest of the team here at Video Game Town love those pocket monsters. There’s been a decent amount of excitement over the release of “Pokémon Legends: Z-A,” and I feel like the odd man out. In spite of being roughly the right age, I never caught the PokéBug.

I knew people who played it in the ’90s, and I definitely had a Game Boy at the time, but nothing about the my-first-RPG collect-a-thons resonated with me. There’s a decent chance that the fact cards were involved put me off entirely, and there’s nothing that can be done about that now. Putting stats on a rectangle is like brain poison to me for some reason.

Upwards of a decade ago, I was convinced by a friend to give “Black and White” a go well after its initial release. I had an okay time with it, but I fell off after a few hours. I’m driven by narrative and interpersonal relationships in my RPGs, but that just isn’t what “Pokémon” games trade on. You’re supposed to do battle in tall grass over and over again until you CATCH THEM ALL.

I have no doubt that if you got hooked on “Pokémon” when you were young, there are dozens of hours of enjoyment to be had with many of the modern releases as an adult. I understand the pull of nostalgia — believe me.

But for me, I just see a bunch of people having a great time with something I know won’t deliver any of that sweet, sweet dopamine. I have plenty of games to play, worry not, but I feel left out nonetheless. I wish I didn’t miss the Poké Boat.

While not as reliant on the yearning for a misspent youth as “Pokémon” is, Soulslikes and Roguelikes generate similar feelings for me. Everyone around me is having a great time, but I’m left shrugging my shoulders every time I try to join in on the fun.

I’m a huge grump, but I’d rather be happily playing along. Not everything has to be for me, but that doesn’t mean I have to smile about it.

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“Pokémon Legends: Z-A” is available now on Switch & Switch 2.

Image credit: “Pokémon Legends: Z-A,” Game Freak