Game Information

Arcade Quote: "one of the biggest game crazes in years."
Arcade Score: 4/5 stars

Version: Red & Blue
No of Players: 1/2
Price: £24.99
Released:
1999
Extras:
Link cable
compatiable

The game takes a load of the best bits from other games, and mixes them together to produce something quite tasty. The fighting sections from Final Fantasy, the Tamagotchi style nurturing, the boulder moving of Zelda, and even some of the elements from a game which appeared long ago on the C64 named Chips! These are just a few of the concepts behind the game, yet it's the way in which these ideas have been implemented together, seemingly fine tuned, which makes this game simply un-put-down-able!

You know the saying by now, once you start you just can't stop, well...get ready to have a few late nights, and plenty of batteries, for Pokémon will simply zap away at your life, taking every spare second you have, and some, as you battle to catch all 151 Pokémon and become the Pokémon master. You see it's a simple idea, to find and catch all the Pokémon, yet your life simple doesn't seem complete until you have a full set of Pokémon saved on your cart, and then the fun really starts.

"the fact is that your life won't be complete, until you can go to sleep at night in the knowledge of having all 151 Pokémon!"

It's a bit like collecting stickers when you was a kid, you simply have to have a full set, why? Who knows, but the fact is that your life won't be complete, until you can go to sleep at night in the knowledge of having all 151 Pokémon!

Each Pokémon has different attacking abilites, some can use fire attacks, some ice, wind, plant, rock you know the score right! Well, the thing is, as well as these attacking abilities, there are also various other 'moves' which can not only be used in battle, but also out in the Pokémon world.

If there's a tree blocking your path, simply use the 'cut' command and say goodbye to the tree, boulders in the way, then use the 'strengh' command to push them out of the way, or what about the ability to fly to any city you've already been to, thus saving you from having to walk back and forth as in Zelda on the N64, these are just some of the moves which you will have to learn in order to continue on your quest.

The puzzles are never going to have you pulling your hair out, yet they do require you to think about what you need to do. In some cases the boulders not only have to be pushed around, but they also have to be moved over certain sensors, thus opening paths up ahead. Crazy hey...

The plot revolves around a few key aspects, firstly theres the baddies named team rocket, who use their pokémon agaisnt the people of Pokémon world for evil things, which you then have to put right, isn't it nice being the good guy! Then there's your main rival, you name him at the start of your adventure, I happened to name him Bad-Boy! He keeps cropping up thoughout the game to pit his Pokémon agaisnt yours...its all good fun!

"his on his own mission to become the Pokémon master, only you can stop him."

The main objective however lies in the badges, there are 8 in total, each one earned after you succesfully beat a gym leader. These badges then improve your pokémon skills, and also allow you to get one step closer to the ultimate challenege, the Pokémon league.

This is where you have to face 4(or is that 5) leaders on the trot, to show your the ultimate pokémon master! This challenege can only be attempted once you have all 8 badges. Bad-Boy shows his face now and again, and his always one step ahead of you...his on his own mission to become the Pokémon master, only you can stop him.

The Pokémon have to be caught, you can't simply pick them up as and when you find them. You have to first weaken the Pokémon, and then throw a PokéBall, of which there are various types and then just hope the Pokémon doesn't escape! Obviously, the better Pokémon are harder to catch in that if they are not weak enough they will always escape the ball. The other technique to use, is to weaken them then send them to sleep, then throw the ball. This way the Pokémon can't escape, however, the trouble lies in that all too often you end up beating the enemy Pokémon, or he will run away, meaning you have to go and search for him again. Some Pokémon can only be caught first time, thus meaning you have to make sure you don't beat the Pokémon, and making sure you use the right PokéBall.

It's a hard task at times, but you should get the hang of it, and when you catch that Kangaskhan after the 100th time of trying, the satisfaction is there for all to see, proof that the best does indeed come to those who wait, or those who are patience!

What are the visuals and sound like then, for the GameBoy Colour they are very nice indeed. I have played both the red and blue versions, and on both GameBoy colour and on the original GameBoy, both versions play the same as one another, the only difference is the type of Pokémon you come across, and how often they appear! The main idea of this is based around trading Pokémon with your mates via the Link cable, more on this a little later!

"when you catch that Kangaskhan after the 100th time of trying, the satisfaction is there for all to see"

The actual visuals are pretty solid throughout, and there isn't really much difference between the original GameBoy and the GameBoy Colour, apart from a hint of blue or red depending on which version you have. The main difference, and this is where it matters, is in the Frame rate. The game is very slow on the original gameBoy, and it almost makes the game unplayable, almost...you sort of get used to it after a while. The thing runs very smoothly on the GameBoy Colour, as you would expect, and together with some fantastic sounds you have a nice looking GameBoy Colour game. To be honest, this game isn't so much about the visuals, but more about the GamePlay...just like it should be!

This is certainly one of the most addictive games to appear on any system, including the Playstation, for a very long time. Theres literally hours of play in here, and it's one of them games that even once finished theres still plenty for you to do. You can, I kid you not, go fishing for water type Pokémon, there are even a selection of fishing rods, oh and there's also a little sub game, in the form of a jackpot machine. Here you can win money to buy some very rare Pokémon indeed...plus theres the safari zone...then theres the...

One of the only problems with the game, is that it can get a little annoying at times, much in the same way as the Final Fantasy series, you are trying to get to a certain location and you keep getting attacked every 5 seconds, it would have been nice to have had the option to turn off the chance of you getting attacked. This is only a very very very small grumble, but it is a grumble none the less.

The trading of Pokémon then, an area which has to used if you are to get all 151 of the little monsters. You see, each version of the game has 139 Pokémon, meaning there are 11 (without the mystical 151st) shared between the two versions. The idea is to find a blue only Pokémon, and then swap it with your mate who has a copy of the red version, plus a red only Pokémon! You can even use the link cable to battle your best Pokémon team agaisnt your mates, wahoo!

"If it's a fun, challenging, rewarding, good looking addictive game, then look no further."

To add to all this excitment, Pokémon stadium has also been released for the N64, which allows you to see your lovly Pokémon from the GameBoy in stunning, and I mean stunning, 3D. This is done via the use of the transfer pac, not only that, but you can also fight your Pokémon agaisnt your mates Pokémon via the transfer pac, and you can also play the actual GameBoy game on your N64, again using the transfer pac. This all means you really need to have, not only a GameBoy, but also an N64 to experience the true joy of Pokémon, meaning lots of money for Nintendo, and...maybe, just maybe, the N64 has been saved again.

This game is actually fun, challenging and very very rewarding, the satisfaction from not only capturing the Pokémon, but also seeing them evolve into new more powerful Pokémon is a joy to behold, and the feeling you get from seeing each of your little 'friends' move up levels, become more powerful and learn new abilities should also not be over looked.

One of the main things you have to think about, is what Pokémon move to delete, for as your Pokémon learn new moves, so you have to overwrite older ones, as each Pokémon can only hold 4 abilities. Sometimes you get it wrong, but it's just a case of thinking about the moves you don't use much, and seeing what the new move allows you to do.

This game, it has to be said, has been advertised at kids, however, there is enough here to reward not only the kiddies...but also any true gamesplayer whatever their age! Everything you have ever looked for in a game, can be found within Pokémon, that's for sure. If it's a fun, challenging, rewarding, good looking addictive game, then look no further. Some may over look the title thinking it's a kid thing, all I can say is, thay don't know what they're missing!

Kevin Preston

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