Game Boy

Pokémon Red

Pokémon really is worthy of being one of the Game Boy system's greatest games ¿ it's not just a fad, a craze, or trend. If you don't have this game in your library, pick one up ¿ it doesn't matter if you pick Blue or Red, they're both the same game. You'll just have to make sure you've got a friend with the other version if you want to catch 'em all.

This is a good game, which is worth a purchase, though you may have heard of it, and don't wanna get sucked into darkness, but follow the crowd, man! If you're not sure, there's no shame in renting, just that there isn't a file transfer or anything, and you only get one file at a time, which can be a pain. Of course, you'll be too busy playing to let anyone else touch the Game Boy. This has proven to result in the condition known as Game Boy thumb. Add hours upon hours at your own risk. Most of which is in the battles, which should go at least twice as fast, but don't. Oh well. Still a fun game.

Pokémon is one of the most replayable games of all time, bar none. Smash Bros.? Halo? The Sims? Bwahaha, they pale in comparison. 151 Pokémon? Making the most awesome team and kicking your friends' cans around? It may not have as much to do as later games, but there was so much awesome stuff. Overall, Pokémon Red and Blue are one of the best games on the Game Boy handheld, and easily the best pure RPGs for it. It may have been made obsolete, but it's still great for nostalgia's sake.

Pokémon Rojo/Azul significó un antes y un después en aquella época por sus increíbles gráficos, por sus grandes dosis de diversión y por las horas y horas que te pasabas frente a la máquina portátil. Además, tenía un planteamiento de juego tan fresco e innovador que consiguió cautivar a muchísimos jugadores que hoy siguen fielmente la inmensa serie de animación. En definitiva, un imprescindible con mayúsculas que no puede faltar en vuestra colección.

Det som är lite snyd med spelet är att det iblan känns lite enformigt. Man måste hela tiden göra samma sak och att fånga ett monster går nästan alltid till på samma sätt. Dessutom är det tråkigt att man inte kan välja att ha en tjej som tränare. Konstigt att inte Nintendo har tänkt på det eftersom de hoppas på att även tjejer ska vilja spela Pokémon. Det är dock en detalj som inte påverkar det originella spelupplägget. För när man väl har börjat att spela ger man inte upp förrän man har fångat alla monster.

The original Game Boy's finest moment, almost cooked to perfection, with the raw sides being grilled to flawlessness in the sequels on the Game Boy Colour. If you think this game is for kids, play it and guess again; it fits into the Nintendo philosophy of 'anybody can play', and everybody should play this. Impeccable.

I was totally engrossed in the complex dynamics of the Pokémon microcosm. While the game on the outside is visually primitive (sporting 8-bit sprite-based graphics), the gameplay inside is fully realized and rich in depth. There is an endless amount of specifics to be learned and remembered about the 150-plus Pokémon and the world in which they reside. Fortunately, the game's intelligent execution doesn't allow too much to be thrown at the player at once. The adventure proceeds progressively, allowing the player to naturally absorb the game in its entirety. What stands out most about the design is the amount of freedom and customization given to the user. It allows players to essentially fight, train, and develop favored Pokémon while discarding and trading others. This is what makes the game truly engrossing. Pokémon stands as a testament to those who believe in gameplay over graphics; a 2D oasis in a 3D desert of video games.

Under its cuddly exterior, Pokemon is a serious and unique RPG with lots of depth and excellent multiplayer extensions. As an RPG, the game is accessible enough for newcomers to the genre to enjoy, but it will entertain hard-core fans as well. It's easily one of the best Game Boy games to date.

However, you need all this additional play, because in addition to being short, the game is overly easy. Although you have many options to customize a team, the Red and Blue version don't make you use any of them. More than once I've been able to muscle my way through the entire game with a single Pokemon, and indeed it was actually easier than doing so with a full team of six. It doesn't cost the game much addictiveness, but it definitely caused me to think less of it.

Pokémon ne souffre que de deux défauts : une réalisation technique déjà en retard au moment de sa sortie et qui a depuis encore un peu vieillie, et un système de jeu diablement répétitif. Le titre ressemble beaucoup trop à ces Dungeon RPG dont les japonais sont si friands, à ces successions de couloirs et de monstres qu'un personnage faible doit parcourir en tout sens pour monter en puissance... Le principe est connu mais se révèle ici particulièrement accrocheur, indépendamment de toute campagne marketing.