Pokemon: The Origins (Pokemon Blue and Red Versions (GB))

Member Name: Grave-Joy

Product:	Pokemon Blue and Red Versions (GB)
Date:	15/07/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the best handheld RPGs to date

Disadvantages: Dated, Need somone else with another game to fully complete.

Now everyone pretty much knows what Pokémon are, even if they do not know of the games they have seen an episode of the TV show, played with the cards or at least seen some merchandise. What is now a huge cash cow was once something new and interesting. Originally getting sent the game around the time it was released in the states by a friend I had no idea what Pokémon was. Still since it was a gift I gave it a go and became addicted fast.

The game itself mixes the standard turn based role-playing game with a collectable card game feel. Not only does the mixture work well but it is also a great RPG for players of all ages and experience levels and a highly addictive one at that.

In the game (if you do not already know the premise) you take the role of a lone youngster who has just left home. His aim: To become the world's greatest Pokémon master and beat all of the elite Pokémon trainers in the land. To do this he must first gain Pokémon that trust him and beat the large number of Pokémon trainers blocking the way to his goal. This includes the regions Pokémon champions and the underground criminal organisation Team Rocket.

The key to the game is searching far and wide for different Pokémon to capture with Poke balls. After they are caught with this device they can be chosen to go into your party of six and fight other Pokémon. The Pokémon gain experience through combat and level up like your standard RPG character would. As they grow, the Pokémon gain abilities and moves with some even evolving into stronger, more efficient Pokémon.

You can only carry six Pokémon at once but a large amount can be stored on the Pokémon storage system that can be found in every town. The six Pokémon that you have with you are the ones that you have to use in combat to fight both other trainers and wild Pokémon. The strategy of this combat revolves not only around the move types and the standard attack and defence values but also around the Pokémon's type. All Pokémon are assigned a type, kind of like an element. There are fifteen types of Pokémon in the game and each Pokémon is assigned one or two types, which each possess strengths and weaknesses to other types of Pokémon. For example, a rock Pokémon is very strong against electric Pokémon but weak against water and grass types. This adds a rock, paper, scissors element to combat as well as the standard RPG, meaning the most successful Pokémon teams will be a balanced mix of Pokémon.

The aspect of the game that draws the most attention is the large customisation levels. The party you can create has a huge amount of possibilities. The game boasts an amazing 150 Pokémon all of which have fifteen types. The Pokémon also learn a ton of moves but can only have four at one time, meaning that no two games will ever be identical even if you tried to make it the same.

Another aspect that makes Pokémon so popular is it encourages you to find other people with the game, before the days of the internet, meaning that you had to actually locate other people in person. The reason this was necessary is that both Pokémon red and blue only had 139 Pokémon, this meant that in order to get them all you had to trade with your partner. At the start of the game you can only choose one out of three Pokémon, meaning that you also have to find someone else that has the other two. The benefit of this is that each Pokémon that gets traded levels up fifty percent faster than a Pokémon you catch in the wild and some only evolve when traded.

Despite its childish appearance, Pokémon is a worthwhile game for all ages, as it is serious and fun at the same time. It is a challenging game in many places and has a great amount of replay value and possesses a good multiplayer incentive. This is still one of the best handheld games out there and stands strong as a great RPG even by today's standards.

Summary: A great and fun game for all ages with lots of depth.