Pokemon played a major role in my childhood, and ten years later I can still appreciate the original game.
As far as an RPG goes, the story was not the best, but there were many stories happening throughout. Each mini-story brought the user closer to his goal. A boy named Ash (or whatever you wanted to call him) met with Professor Oak and obtained his first Pokemon. With that Pokemon, his journey had the final objective of meeting and defeating the Masters of Pokemon at Indigo Plateau. The gym battles in between the beginning and end were equally challenging as the Final Four. A user always had to make sure his or her team was well balanced -- otherwise the gym leader would usually have the type advantage.
Anyway, this game provided hours and years of entertainment, and I value the experiences Pokemon has given me. If you have not played the original Pokemon games, then you are missing out.