Customer Reviews

Pokemon - Red Version

5 star:		(118)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

The year was 1998. I was twelve years old, in middle school, and the Pokemon games debuted in the United States for the very first time. A game so simple and yet at the very same time: So complex. Nothing was more addictive, nothing was more fun than playing Pokemon. If you remember the craze (the REAL craze, presently it isn't nearly as strong as it was back then), then you remember what it was like to go to school back in those days. Suddenly EVERYONE had a Gameboy. Suddenly even those who didn't normally play games or even know what the hell a Gameboy was, had it. And you'd go up to your friends and you'd trade Pokemon, you'd taunt each other about who was the better champion when you battled. You got in arguments over who the best starter was. Then you learned of those glitches to get all your Pokemon to level 100 by duplicating the Rare Candies. You caught Missingno and M-Block and caught Safari Zone Pokemon by exploiting what may very well be one of the most widely known glitches in video game history. And of course, you went to catch them all, and you probably had that ONE friend who you deemed your rival and you had to catch 'em all before he did. If you remember all this, you're a true Pokemon fan. This isn't a myth, this game debuted, sold gazillions of copies and started a craze that--while it isn't as strong--still exists today. This was one of the heights of gaming period.

The Red and Blue versions may have seen stateside release in 1998, but the game was actually made in 1995. Before the television show came around. When the TV series took off in America, the games came next and as I said, they sold more copies than the latest installment of Harry Potter. I'm not kidding.

Red and Blue began almost everything you currently see in the series today. The game begins with you naming your character (you couldn't choose between a boy or a girl in this one) and then your rival. Again, if you had Pokemon fever you probably named your main character Ash and your rival was named Gary (even the strategy guides referred to them as such). It began with Professor Oak letting you have a Pokemon of your choice (between 3 starters) and then ultimately he'd send you on a journey with a Pokedex and have you document the Pokemon you'd find. Along the way, you'd have to deal with Team Rocket, the bad guys who are always causing trouble and stealing everyone's Pokemon, as well as gather eight badges so you could challenge the Elite Four and become a Pokemon League Champion. The entire formula began here, and just about everything mentioned above has been done in each and every main series Pokemon game hereafter.

What was perhaps the strangest thing about Pokemon is that the game was surprisingly deep in terms of combat. It was your traditional turn-based combat. Simple, yet it was so complex. For one, the game has a Rock/Paper/Scissors method to it. Every Pokemon has a type, and every type has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Water is strong up against fire but it is weak vs. Grass. Grass is weak vs. fire etc. etc. No Pokemon is invincible. They all have a weakness to some type. Though in these versions the psychics definitely have an unfair advantage as the type they're weak against (bug) is almost non-existent and there are hardly any bug type attacks.

In the battle menu you're given a list of commands. Fight, Item, PKMN, or Run. You can switch Pokemon you've caught in and out of battle on the fly, but it'll usually cost you a turn. It's the strategic portion of Pokemon that makes battling fun and addictive. As you go through the game you'll be challenged by trainers and you never know what they'll throw at you! It's completely unpredictable and some of them are tough. It's also interesting because with 150 different Pokemon, the amount of teams you can make are endless, and it really makes you think about what types you want in your roster. Because most of the Pokemon types are weak vs. more than just one type. It's also important that you give them a variety of moves, as the moves are also typed. On paper it doesn't seem like much, but when you actually play the game, you'll find a clog in your drain you didn't even know you had because you thought your team was perfect... but then that one Pokemon comes along and exposes your fatal flaw.

Pokemon was no short game. It was full of all sorts of side quests. From the Safari Zone, to catching the Legendary Birds, to the Unknown Dungeon. There was plenty to do, and even after the game was over there was STILL more to accomplish. Of course, your main accomplishment was getting them all. Pokemon could easily keep you busy for well over 60 hours. In 1998 this is an amazing feat seeing as how most RPGs of TODAY don't keep you busy that long. The main quest itself only took a measly 15 hours or so, but all the extra content kept you on your toes.

Even more, Pokemon was one of the few Gameboy Games that made excellent use of the link cable. Since Red and Blue versions had different Pokemon, some only appeared in certain versions. You couldn't for example, catch a Magmar in the Red version, but you could in Blue. How then, were Red players supposed to catch all 150? By trading. Until Pokemon came around, my link cable was collecting dust. Trading was usually a slow grueling process, though. Traded Pokemon also got an experience boost so they were easier to train.

Even more exciting than trading, however, was what really made Pokemon a blast to play: Battling. You and your friends could get together and battle one another! Test out your Pokemon teams against your friends. They were, more often not, far better to battle against than the games trainers. It's always interesting to see who your opponents heavy hitter is. With your friends it was always interesting. Imagine how embarrassed you were to say a certain Pokemon sucked only to discover that the trainer actually did a good job training?

As far as the game looks and sounds, it didn't really look all that great when it was released in 1998 (it was after all, a game made in 1995). On the original gameboy it was pretty grainy (but very clear on the Gameboy Pocket) and of course it was black or white (unless you played it on a Super Gameboy or Gameboy Color). For a Gameboy game, though, it actually wasn't too bad. It was annoying to watch a Pokemon simply flinch to attack, and some of the animations weren't all that great, but it was to be expected due to the Gameboy's limitations. The music, however, was fantastic. The tunes were catchy--particularly the trainer battles and gym leader battles. The only really annoying thing was the sound effects. They weren't all that great, and its a shame that Nintendo actually continues to use those exact same sound effects in Pokemon games today. Still, for what it's worth, this was the game you wanted on the Gameboy.

Pokemon is a classic. It'll always be a classic. No matter who you are, if you played Pokemon ten years ago, the craze was completely undeniable. If you got addicted like I did, chances are you're still playing today. Because in its core, the game was far deeper than you thought it was, and the series continues to use that same basic formula even today.

Let's face it. If you are a Pokemon fan, you _will_ buy this game, if you don't already have it, and it doesn't matter in the slightest what I or anyone else has to say about it.

Personally, I'm not a Pokemon fan; like most grownups, I find the TV series to be way too cloying and cutesy, and I have an overwhelming urge to flee the room whenever I'm serenaded by some child's cries of "Pika! Pika!" I expected a game filled with the little critters to be about as much fun as an all-night Barney movie marathon.

But I have to tell you that I was very pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong: Pokemon Red and Blue are still cute games, but it's cuteness at a very bearable, adult-accessible level. And you'll find yourself playing a very enjoyable, approachable game, with a surprising depth of play. There's a lot of fun involved in capturing and developing your Poke-army, and a lot of strategy in deciding the best set of techniques to obtain and develop.

You'll have a good time. And if you're not careful, you may even find yourself negotiating Pokemon trades with your next-door neighbor's kids.

The game is awesome.You get Charmander,Bulbasaur,Squirtle or sometimes Pikachu from Proffeser Oak,one of those you may choose as a first Pokemon.Now you can catch and train others.In this version and the blue version,you can link two game boys together for head-to-head competition.Not in the yellow version though!

This game is really fun! When you start off Proffesor Oak gives you the choice of three Pokemon. One of them is the fire-type Charamander which in the end evoles into the fire breathing, claw slashing Charizard. Next is the water-type Squirtle which evoles into the all powerful Blastoise. Last is the Grass/Poison type Bulbasaur which evoles into the razor leaf Venusaur. In addition to Proffesor Oak asks a small favor... to fill up an electronic encyclepida called a pokedex. Trade with friends to capture them all. I did and I have 151 types of pokemon. Also you have to beat a group called the ELITE FOUR and if you don't YOU HAVE TO START FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME. Hope you had as much fun as I did when I played this game.

I'll have to admit, for the first, say, year and a half when this game was out, I so desperately tried to hate it... I didn't want to admit that I was into a little 'kiddie' game... however, just this past year, so many of my peers have been playing the game (and I go to Junior High too, I'm talking about 13, 14, 15 year olds playing this game). So, finally, I gave in, and for Christmas, I asked for a Game Boy Color and Pokemon Red... that was about all I got for Christmas due to the cost of those two expensive items, but it was definitely worth it...

This game is so... detailed... it's just unbelievable. It has a very easy learning curve, so after about half-an-hour I was cruising along with no problems at all. Catching your first Pokemon gives you a triumphant feeling, and beating your first trainer makes you feel like you're on top of the world, and you'll most likely find yourself screaming at the game, "Oh yeah, who's the man! That's right, that's what I thought!!!" Well, at least, that's what I did...

There are 150 Pokemon in this game (actually, in the Japanese version, there are 151), and it's a lot of fun trying to catch all of them. You can also keep track of all the Pokemon you've seen/caught with the Pokedex. Without this tool, the game would be much more frustrating.

I could really go on and on and on about this game, but there's a maximum of 1000 words, and unfortunately I think I've almost reached that limit. All I can say is, even if you don't have a Game Boy, or you're not even a fan of RPG's (I'm still not a big fan of them), you owe it to yourself to pick up this game and give it a try. It's some of the most fun you'll ever have in the gaming world.

My kids and I all love the Pokemon Gameboys (the three of us each have our own Gameboy). The red Pokemon game is very similar to the blue, with the Yellow having some slight differences.

I like the way the Pokemon game challenges kids. I suggest also buying one of the books which shows the various routes and places. This allows kids to work at the tasks without getting frustrated.

The idea is to start at Prof. Oak's house, get your first Pokemon from him, and then journey all around the land of Pokemon, collecting various wild pokemon (which you catch by battling them until they faint), and doing battle with other trainers along the way.

In the process, kids learn to manuever through mazes of increasing complexity (which is why the manuals are a help), to gather and use items, and to develop strategies for fighting various types of Pokemon. My five year-old even started to read while using her Gameboy, from needing to know which items she had with her (in her Item List)!

All in all these are great games which can be played over and over (although only one game at a time can be saved), and which will provide your kids with hundreds of hours of fun.

One word: PLAYBACK. My sister first owned this game in 1998, and since then I have owned MANY Pokémon games for both Game Boy Color and N64. And let me tell you, the original is always the best! Pokémon Red and Blue are the best games ever created for Game Boy Color! I still love these games, trading Pokémon, and battling other people with the Link Cable!

First of all, people of any age can enjoy this game. It is cute and innocent enough to entertain children, but the strategy and the level of gameplay make it a worthwhile game for adults. Everyone will love this game.

You start out as a trainer named Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Your mission is to become a Pokémon Master by catching 150 Pokémon (151 if you count Mew) and becoming the champion of the Elite Four. To do this, you must train and catch Pokémon, raise them, and even trade them between Red and Blue versions using your Link Cable or the infrared port on your Game Boy Color. This is both fun and time-consuming, which is great when you are at home sick or bored on a stormy day. Pokémon are raised by winning battles and/or using Rare Candy. Raising Pokémon may sound tedious, but you will change your mind about that when you actually play for yourself. Pokémon is addictive from the moment you start your game all the way through. You will meet many new people on the way, become a hero, and win new items and abilities as you go along.

As Ash, you travel through the world of Kanto, which is divided into a number of cities and towns. A map will be your guide as you make your way through the vast world of Pokémon. Explore caves, oceans, tall grass, and rocky paths on your way. Each town or city usually has its own Pokémon Gym, with a Gym Leader which is something like a Boss. Each time you beat a Gym Leader you receive a badge. You need eight badges to battle the Elite Four and the current Elite Four Champion. There are different diversions in each city and town, for example, Celadon City's department store and casino, and one of my personal favorites, Fuschia City's Safari Zone.

Trainers can be found everywhere, good and bad, from Team Rocket invading the radio station, to the gyms, in the water, on the road, and pretty much anywhere you go. Random Pokémon appear and battle you if you are in a cave, tall grass, or in the water. The wild Pokémon you come across are the ones that you can catch if you have Pokéballs with you. Items such as the bike and repel can help prevent you from running into too many Pokémon if you are trying to get somewhere. If your Pokémon are tired or injured, you can stop at a Pokémon center and heal them for free! You can also store Pokémon via a computer terminal located within every Pokémon Center.

The music is so cute! And there is a lot of different music, so it doesn't get repetitive.

If you are lucky enough to own Pokémon Stadium, you can play Red or Blue on your TV screen using a Transfer Pak! You can also use the Pokémon you raised on your Red or Blue game to battle in Pokémon Stadium.

Overall, this is one of the best games I have ever played. It is still fun after years of gameplay, as you never fully run out of stuff to do. If you want to get into Pokémon, or if you're an old fan that never quite got around to getting the game, this is the game for you! Pokémaniacs rule!

In this game, you play a ten year old boy on a quest to become a master of those all too familiar Pokémon. Some people make it their goal to raise their pokemon to level 100, some just want to beat the elite four and some make it there goal to collect all 151. But it is important that not one Pokemon can do it all, they all have strangths and weeknesses angainst other types unlike other rpg's where if you have a level 50 fighter you're all set. I'd recomend this game to anyone who likes any kind of RPG.

I gave my kids this game along with the blue version for Christmas in 1999 and they always pick the Pokemon games over all the rest when we take a long car ride. My two girls ages 8 and 10 have never played so well together in the backseat of the car. I don't know everything about the game but my kids are comparing pokemon they catch, telling each other what level their Pokemon grew to, and trading Pokemon they catch. They're constantly interacting with each other. I wouldn't want them playing it all the time because reading is much more important, but it sure is nice on a long car ride. A must for parents who enjoy peace in the car.

Pokemon starts off pretty fun but later it really annoys you. You have to pick between 3 Pokemon Bulbasuar, Charmander and Squirtle at the start. If you pick Charmander Gary picks the better one. Some pokemon you can't get in your version. I have 147 Pokemon. I have mew somehow because i surfed to get missingno who wreaks your game and found him. I think its a great game overall. P.S. Its very very additive.