Pokemon Week - Pokemon Blue/Red Review

When I was a young lad, Pokemon was only just starting to take over the world. I would get up at 6.30am, switch the TV on to "Cheeze TV" and make sure my VCR (Some of you wouldn't even know what that is!) was set to record. I was a closeted Pokemaniac as being open about your love for Pokemon would get you a lunchtime full of wedgies.

So one day I'm walking through a department store and I see that there's a Pokemon Gameboy game. Curious, I bought it. And when I say I bought it I was 12 so I begged my parents to get it for me day and night until they did. I turned on my Gameboy and it was that moment I knew I wanted to be the very best... Like no one ever was.

*Note in this review I will be referring to Pokemon Blue. It is essentially the same game as Red with minor differences.*

The game starts off with THE Professor Oak asking you a bit about yourself. You tell him your gender, name and your rivals name and then you can start your adventure. Your character lives in the sleepy "Pallet Town," a picturesque river side town consisting of 4 houses and Professor Oaks lab. Just like the TV series, you are tasked with filling out the Pokedex, an encyclopedia of Pokemon. Along the way you battle fellow trainers and wild Pokemon alike, on your path to being the very best Pokemon trainer (like no one ever was!)

The game is a top down RPG with random encounters. The combat system have a paper scissors rock style with different Pokemon having different elements adding some depth and strategy to your Pokemon party selection. To start with you only have one Pokemon, you use your selected started to battle and capture more. It may sound a bit odd to the uninitiated but battling Pokemon is how you bond and grow with them.

Since the title debuted on the Gameboy system, the graphics are a little plain and not in color. After the release of the Gameboy color, some improvements were made largely due to the newer enhanced screen and basic color palette. 

The beauty of Pokemon Blue was the sheer scope of it all. The world was huge for its time and the amount of areas to explore and activities to do was amazing. I remember losing many hours to this game and going through a lot of AA batteries before I beat the elite 4. You can take a cruise on the S.S Anne (just like the show) and visit the safari zone too (just like the show!) I felt like my experience with Pokemon was enhanced by the TV show as I was essentially having my own Pokemon adventure like the shows "Ash."

It's hard to put a score on the game these days. Back in it's time I would have awarded it a 10/10, but that's because of gamelust. From a critics standpoint, even in this day and age I would award this game highly...

So What's it like?

Final Fantasy + Pokemon Anime + Card Collecting = Pokemon

I give it 8/10

I can't wait for the re-release on the virtual console, until then I will reminisce!

Sarge out!