Product Description

It's the game that started a revolution, but it's not just the fad that convinced gamers to "catch 'em all." This deceptively simple and child-friendly roleplaying game design is a far deeper game design than it looks. Pokemon features way more strategy and gameplay than it leads on, offering gamers almost infinite gaming possibilities even after the main adventure ends. Pocket Monsters Red was released in Japan in 1996 by mail-order only (the two launch titles were Green and Blue). The franchise arrived in the west in 1998 as Pokemon Blue and Red (Roald Dahl holds the copyright for "Pocket Monsters" in the west, so the title was changed to the Japanese colloquial name). The games could be linked up with each other and with the N64's Pokemon Stadium titles for creature trading.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1418 in Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Released on: 1999-02-15
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Game Boy

Features

• Collect up to 139 Pokémon with this game
• both Red and Blue versions are required to capture all 150
• use the optional Game Link cable to trade Pokémon and play against a friend;
• for one to two players

Editorial Review
Welcome to the world of Pokémon, one filled with wild Pokémon and the people who attempt to tame them. You are Ash Ketchum, a boy on a quest to become the best Pokémon trainer in the world. Professor Oak, the leading authority on Pokémon, has given you your choice of three tame Pokémon in exchange for your helping him catalog and document every Pokémon in the world.

But to catalog a Pokémon, you have to capture it, by first beating it up with one of your trained Pokémon, and then hitting it with an empty Poké Ball. As your tame Pokémon gain experience in battle, their abilities improve and they earn access to new attacks. Sometimes they even evolve into more advanced Pokémon.

Aside from capturing wild Pokémon and evolving your own, you can catalog new Pokémon--the only way to gather some Pokémon--by trading with another Pokémon player using either a link cable or the Game Boy Color's infrared system. Pokémon gained through trades learn and evolve faster, and trading is the only way to capture all 151 Pokémon, since each Pokémon game (Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, andPokémon Yellow) has certain Pokémon missing. So if you own Red and want to have a complete set of Pokémon, you must find a friendly Blue or Yellow owner and arrange a trade.

Pokémon Red is packed with interesting characters, an ingenious story hook, intriguing strategy, and of course plenty of cute Pokemon, and it's easy to see how it started the Pokémania that is sweeping the world. --Michael Fehlauer

Pros:

• Gameplay and strategy that are fun for all ages
• Fantastic replay value
• Brilliant game design encourages players to meet and trade

• Hours of looking at the Game Boy's little screen may hurt neck
• Only 1 saved game per cartridge--2 people can't share a single game
• No difference between Red and Blue except for distribution of Pokémon

Customer Reviews

All we are saaayiiiing, is give Pokemon a chaaaance...
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.

A good game that rocks tons!
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!

Enter the World Of Pokemon
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.