Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version is a 1996 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy.  They are the first installments of the Pokemon series and follows the player who controls the protagonist and navigates him throughout the fictional region of Kanto in a quest to master Pokemon battling.

Positives:

• Lots of replayability
• Extensive gameplay
• Fun gameplay
• Great soundtrack

Negatives;

• Dated graphics
• Lacks content
• Lacks a story

Campaign: The main campaign consists of players going into the world of Kanto to catch Pokemon, train them, and compete against other trainers and completing the Pokedex by capturing, evolving, and trading Pokemon. Despite the interesting premise the game does lack an actual story. Now there is this rivalry with Gary but it isn’t like is actually a story. Also, players will engage Team Rocket and again as much as they are in the game it isn’t like it’s an actual story. (3 out of 5)

Gameplay:  Played from a top-down perspective players navigate the protagonist around interacting with objects and people. As the player explores this world, he or she will encounter different terrains, such as grassy fields, forests, caves, and seas in which different Pokémon species reside. As the player randomly encounters one of these creatures, the field switches to a turn-based “battle scene”, where the Pokémon will battle. Players catch, train, and evolve Pokemon to battle other trainers.

To catch Pokemon, players utilize items called Poke Balls to capture them. The lower the target’s HP and the stronger the Poké Ball, the higher the success rate of capture. Winning battles results in gaining experience points in which Pokemon level up increasing their stats.  Also, Pokemon at certain levels will either gain new moves or evolve.  (3 out of 5)

Graphics: For its time Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version were good but the visuals in the game are crappy, dated from an era that has since evolved into 3D and near life-like visuals. The animation are stale and provide really no depth. (2 out of 5)

Score: The soundtrack is actually really good thanks to composure Junichi Masuda. Battles have a very fast paced and energetic feel to them. The music when it comes to the various settings is actually pretty good. Unfortunately the game doesn’t feature any voice acting. The Pokemon have their own unique sound but it doesn’t feel important since it doesn’t actually sound like the Pokemon. Pikachu does not come on the screen and say pika pika. Most of the Pokemon sound like nails on a chalkboard with weird screeching noises.  The sound effects when it comes to the attacks are actually pretty good too. (3 out of 5)

Replayability: With the large roster of different Pokemon for players to attempt to catch and train there is a lot of replayability as game play style can change with the different Pokemon. However, the gameplay will largely be the same with little to no deviation depending on how the players explore, train, capture, and battle. Now the Kanto region is fast and it does allow for a lot of exploration in which players can hunt for specific Pokemon or attempt to find hidden items. Players who have the capability of trading Pokemon with other players and to some extent this is a great idea. The problem is this isn’t unlocked until the player actually beats the Elite Four in which point the player has pretty much gone through most of the game.

This is definitely a grinding game so plan to enjoy leveling up and doing very tedious side missions. One thing that could have been added is the ability to re-battle trainers whether they be common trainers, gym leaders, or any specialty characters. Battling the Elite Four is fun and being able to re-fight them is good but it can become repetitive. This also becomes an issue as after beating the Elite Four there is the point of continuously training your Pokemon. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version are pretty sweet games.  Traveling across Kanto, collecting Pokemon, training them to become stronger, and battling other trainers is pretty fun it doesn’t stop the fact that the game does lack the intimacy of a story, no stand out characters, and a limited world. However, the gameplay is fun and addictive and the music is actually pretty fun and upbeat and the replayability pretty good. Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Blue Version gets 3 out of 5.