Interesting, judging by your age you'd been right around 8 or 9 when Pokemon started getting really popular over in the States (btw I don't know where you're from, sorry if I'm generalizing here). I guess you just never got into the Pokemon craze back in the late 90s.
So a lot of it's definitely nostalgia factor. I never was able to play any of the games until Emerald (just because of the way things worked - my brother and sister would always hog Blue and I never got a chance to play it) but I was really into the cards back then. Articuno was my first legendary card I got, so that's why he's my favorite Pokemon. And I got pretty good, never did complete the original 151 but I got quite a large percentage of them. Actually, hold on... yep, they're still underneath my bed. Man, I'm a nerd. Anyway...
It was a way for other kids who would otherwise have nothing in common to get together and just hang out and have fun. There's definitely an emphasis on group playing with Pokemon, so if you never got into that crowd back then I guess you wouldn't really know what the big deal was.
As for the show, I also watched that all the time as a kid. Just something else to watch. It was a lot of fun, and I think Misty was my first crush...
I don't really know how it is nowadays, but it seems to be more of the same, so seems interesting.
For newcomers to the games, it's a very inviting series. On the outset it's a very basic game mechanic that utilizes an easy-to-memorize strengths/weakness system that's more interesting than the fire-water-earth-air system everybody else uses. You go out, catch Pokemon in the wild, and keep them on your team as you take on the gyms, growing along with you all the while. There's a plethora of Pokemon to choose from (649 now) so there's no shortage of choice. You can go about it any way you like, customizing your team as you see fit. And it's not that hard or frustrating either, and as long as you keep your defenses covered you shouldn't have to worry about dying too much (until you get to the Champion, then all bets are off).
Also, as with any RPG, there are long stretches where you kind of need to grind to get the levels up. Most RPG's I've played get really boring after a while, but thankfully since Pokemon games are portable, it's actually a blessing to have something else to do while you're waiting on the metro or in line for the doctor or watching tv or any other activity that doesn't require a lot of attention. It's how I zone out and avoid letting other people annoy me, instead of getting worked up over why that person on the seat next to me won't stop talking on the phone I just pull out my ds and all the stress just floats away.
There's also the fact that the games are always split into different versions. This encourages players to connect with other people and trade and/or battle. A nice way of getting to meet new people with similar interests, if I do say so myself.
Underneath the simplistic surface, though, lies an incredibly deep and complex game. It's the only game series I get really hardcore about (well, besides Zelda obviously), always coming up with new teams to take on challengers, researching EV/IV yields, determining what moves would suit which Pokemon best in a given situation, all that good stuff. It's a really good mental exercise for me. Sure you can just play for the story (which is getting much better as of late, I'll commend GameFreak for that) but if you want you can go the extra mile and train up a truly devastating team. Beyond the simplistic strengths/weakness system, there's so many other factors that play into how matches end up; stats for attack, defense, special attack, special defense, speed, hp; what items you're holding; EV/IV gains; natures; what moves you teach your Pokemon; that winning a match against other players goes far beyond a simple rock-paper-scizzors match like what some people think and instead becomes a true test of wit and tactics.
And for those of us who are crazy enough to try it, there's always the Nuzlocke Challenge. You can only catch the first Pokemon you meet in a new area, if you kill it or it runs off too bad, and if any of your Pokemon faint they die and must immediately be released. Extremely challenging, I've yet to pull off a successful run yet.
So yeah, Pokemon, it's a lot of fun, whether it's newcomers just wanting a fun game to play or for veterans wanting a challenge. Go check it out sometime.
