Pokémon are a species of fictional creatures created for the
Pokémon media franchise. Developed by
Game Freak and published by
Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games
Pokémon Red and
Green for the
Game Boy, which were later released in North America as
Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items. Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon. A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.
Pokémon Ruby and
Sapphire significantly increased the number of "Dark" and "Steel"-type Pokémon in the series, as only a few Pokémon in previous generations used these typings.
Hardcore Gamer also noted that many of the new Pokémon made use of "dual typing", where Pokémon have both a primary and a secondary type. This was not nearly as common in
Red and
Blue or
Gold and
Silver. ==List of Pokémon==