As cool as some of these things were back in their day, let's face facts...they were nerdy. Sure it's cool when you're at a convention strutting around with a miniature Pokeball strapped to your belt, but conventions weren't much of a widespread thing as they are now, and as geeky as I was I damn sure wasn't wearing that thing to the mall! Even if I was it was highly unlikely that I had another friend or stranger who was doing the same.

Now we have smartphones that may or may not have Pokemon on them and the world is none the wiser. This, I think, has been the key to Pokemon Go's success. The trick wasn't to make something we would want to carry around, but rather develop for something we already carry around. Even in 2009 this technology wasn't feasible in the smartphone world so I can understand the delay, but it's safe to say without smart phones this phenomenon would have never happened.

That said, there could be some things added from past incarnations to improve Pokemon Go. Battling a wild Pokemon, even in the rudimentary style the game allows would definitely raise the stakes for me personally and give me a greater sense of accomplishment. I want that feeling of anxiety where catching a Pokemon involves more than throwing enough Pokeballs and you risk missing out on catching because you accidentally hurt them too much!

Additionally, I really think Pokemon Go is missing the boat in not letting me connect with my friends in person or otherwise. A lot of chatter about the game has revolved around it's social aspect, and if Niantic is smart, they'll work to increase that as much as possible.

Overall I do think this app is a good "experience". Comparing it to past incarnations I can't really call it a "game", but it's getting there. With a few tweaks it will be, and possibly will be the greatest "Pokewalker" yet.