The start of a legend (Pokemon Blue and Red Versions (GB))

Member Name: DavidG91

Product:	Pokemon Blue and Red Versions (GB)
Date:	17/06/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The idea, the lasting value, the music

Disadvantages: The glitches

These games were the start of something amazing. Pokemon Red and Blue revolusionized the Game Boy.

Pokemon Red and Blue were released in the US in 1998 and a year later in Europe. This was some time after Pokemon Red and Green were released in Japan in 1996. Designed by Satoshi Tajiri and develped by Game Freak, the game would go on to sell billions of copies and later become the best selling RPG game on the Game Boy and the best selling RPG game of all time.

The reason for this is simple, the game is pure genius. The world in which you could roam around in was massive for a Game Boy game, and the lasting value was massive. What kid wouldn't want to become "A Pokemon Master"? Even after you surpass the stage of which you dream of being the best, the game is still massively addictive to play for anyone of any age given the chance. The game was original, a new idea, and the idea was exciting for anyone who first played it.

What you have to do is simple, you've "Gotta catch 'em all", the all being 151 Pokemon that you need to fill up your Pokedex, which can be gotten by trading, catching or evolving all over the Pokemon World. It sounds incredibly simple, however, it is quite simply one of the funnest things you can do on a game boy, or any console really.

The other objective throughout the game is to defeat the Pokemon League and therefore become the Pokemon League Champion. To do this you must defeat all 8 gyms in the game, thus collecting their badges, and then go to the "Indigo Plateau" to battle the Elite Four, and then the Champion. Being prepared for this takes a lot of training, which can boost up a lot of hours spent playing. However, at the end of the game, you feel it's worth the effort, it feels very rewarding to finish.

There are different types of Pokemon, such as fire, water, grass, electric and flying to name a few. You will need to build a team that compliments eachother, and it's always useful to have different types in each team slot. You can carry up to 6 Pokemon at one time, with the rest being transferred to your PC to be withdrawn whenever you feel like. One good reason to have different types or Pokemon is the inclusion of Hidden Machines, or "HM's". These are necessary for you to progress in the game and include; HM 01 - Cut, HM 02 - Fly, HM 03 - Surf, HM 04 - Strength, HM 05 - Flash. The use of HM's is somewhat flawed, as learning them means a Pokemon cannot learn another move in it's place, so you must be careful when choosing.

The variety of locations in the game are brilliant, you could be in Pallet Town, a small and peaceful place where your journey begins, Lavender Town, a creepy and dark place which hosts a Pokemon graveyard, or even Cinnabar Island, an Island in the middle of the sea, away from most other places.

The audio in the game is fantastic, most of the towns or cities have their own unique music, and each one fits in perfectly and is very well composed. You may find yourself repeating music in your head after hearing it, it is very addictive. The in-battle music is also good, but not as memorable.

The main down side with the game is the games rather high amount of glitches. Since this was the first installment in the Pokemon Series, the game was by no means perfect. The most infamous glitch is the "Missingno. glitch", where Missingno. stands for "Missing number", which represents all the slots in the Pokedex that were never filled up. This always has to be in the programming of the somewhere, however in Pokemon Red and Blue, it was not hidden properly, and thus availaible to find as a wild Pokemon. Catching it can cause issues with the game and is not recommended. The other more famous glitches are the glitch which enables you to get to "Glitch City", an incorrectly built up place which consists of numbers, cave entrances and parts of houses in random places, and the "Mew glitch", which enables you to catch Mew, despite it being unavailable without obtaining it via a Nintendo event. There are quite a few others, although they are mostly minor.

The glitches however, do not take away the sheer brilliance of the game and the fact it will one day go down as legendary. It is, without doubt one of the best games ever made.

Summary: Definitely one of the best games of the last 20 years.