I'm not getting Black/White 2 and i didn't buy any 3rd and 4th gen game.

IMO the best thing about pokemon is how is a game for all levels of gaming experience, unlike any other JRPG I know. One can play with absolutely no experience and perfectly enjoy the game. However, at the same time, one can craft their team to a detail not found in any other game, I'm talking about IVs and EVs and of course the 649 different pokemon. The sheer variety of teams also give the games incredible replay value, more than any game I can think of.

Because it's not only the best rpg ever made, but it's the most addicting game ever made!

pokemon is great....iit has a very addictive formula..it appeals to all kind of gamers (casual or harcore) it has a very good metagame that can keep you playing for hundrends of hours and last but not least it is a game with great multiplayer feautures that brings you close with your friends (battle and trade with them).i remeber when we battle for hours with my friends..i still love pokemon and i think i will never lose the interest for them.. im very interested to see how the 3ds will improve the franschise...!!!

Unless you're 12 or under, don't watch the cartoon. Out of the entire franchise that is the only thing that is definetely for kids.

The main series of Pokemon games contains several elements that are common to RPGs, such as exploring a large, open world and you contolling your characters journey. There can be a lot of fun in building and training your squad of Pokemon in order to beat the Gym Leaders as well as chasing the antagonist organisation (Team Rocket, Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Plasma) and watching their plans unfold. I've never known many people who have the games since the first Generation of games, but back with Red and Blue using the link cable to battle and trade was another extremely engaging element of the games.

If you're thinking of trying them and have a DS you have a few options. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum have been out for a few years so will likely have a greatly reduced price in most places. HearthGold/SoulSilver are remakes of the second generation games and have a larger area to explore, and are based on the pre-GBA games that many will describe as Pokemon's golden age. Black/White are the latest set of games, with which the developers tried to evoke the experience of the first generation of games and did a pretty good job. Black 2/White 2 are the third game of the fifth generation and will have slight enhancements over their predecessors but ultimately will be more or less the same to Black/White.

As you're new to series, I'd recommend HeartGold/SoulSilver before moving on to Black/White if you enjoy them.

I don't get that. I'm 25 myself and I still watch the cartoon. Heck, me, my GF and a couple of my friends had a marathon watching the very first season last summer because of nostalgia and we still loved it. Yeah it may be a heavily kid focused cartoon, but that doesn't mean anyone else can't enjoy it.

As for me, I always loved pokemon since I first played Blue. The games got all you can desire from a RPG/Collecting game plus the addition of very detailed strategy patterns if you wish to take the games more seriously. Also, there's few other games in existance that offer such a vast array of replayability and end-game content, especially the newer gens (IV and V) in terms of team building, challenges and fun. Basically, i'm just adding to what other people have already said, mostly because what they all said is true. 

The best advice I can give you is to try it out for yourself. As much as we can explain Pokemon to you, the best experience you can get is to get the games and try them out first hand. 

It's a simple RPG with lots and lots of depth. It's kind of a wonder that no one else attempts this strategy.

They have more satisfying endings than Mass Effect 3 would be one of the reason I'd assume is one of the reason...

Seriously though, I have no idea.

Well for the people of my age (early 90's) it has a legendary status simply because pokemon was THE thing everyone used to play/watch or consume in any imaginable form. The old games (blue/red/yellow) are still good today, though it has kinda lost it's gloss as with everything that gets recycled over and over again. If i take a look at the new pokemon that got released i think of them more as digimon than pokemon since they've lost their charm completely. Not saying that they are bad, i've played Pokemon White and enjoyed it as a game but nothing more.

I'd say its impossible to start watching the cartoon unless you're under 12 as you won't have the nostalgia feeling. The first series maybe, but after the Orange Islands and definetely once it reaches Hoenn it comes undone. I was over about 15/16 when Is topped watching it, mostly because the main characters had me facepalming for the entir 30 minutes.