Do I have to catch em all? : Pokémon Online TCG soft launches

I need to ask my 9 year-old what the hell is going on here. [Image via TouchArcade]

Of all the things in my head I wish I could extract and never remember it would be Pokémon junk. Of course, I have 3 boys at home all under the age of 12 [ It's all legal. We checked. - ed.] so Pokémon is simply a way of life, and isn’t going away any time soon. That said, I’ve never actually played the game, so while I can tell a Bouffalant from a Bulbasaur, that’s about as into the game as I’ve ever been. I’ve even been told by some “adult” sources that Pokémon isn’t actually that bad of a game, and it appears to have an adult following based on all the bearded men I see playing it at my FLGS.

Last week, Pokémon for iPad soft launched in Canada which means its world-wide release is imminent. The game is already available for PC and Mac, so chances are the soft launch period will be short. Toucharcade is reporting that any progress made during the soft launch will carry over when the app launches world-wide, as well.

Not familiar with Pokémon? It’s a basic CCG in the Magic mold, where you summon creatures (the Pokémon)  that battle each other, trying to capture each other’s prize cards. Or something. I’ve watched my kids play and, I swear, the rules change every time they play based on who’s winning or losing. I don’t want to crush Pokémon too badly here. I’ve never played and I’ve been told the game itself is pretty good. Hell, it’s the only CCG that Magic can’t seem to kill, so there must be something there. Plus, it’s cute.