Pokemon Yellow
Pokemon Yellow is a RPG that was developed by Game Freak and released for the Nintendo GameBoy on October 23, 1999.
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Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: October 25, 1999 Platforms: GBC JustRPG Score: 77% Pros: +Addictive gameplay. +Unique features to the franchise. +Countless hours of gameplay. Cons: -Repetitive. -Dated visuals. -Very easy for adult gamers. |
Pokemon Yellow Overview
Pokemon Yellow version is a highly addictive role playing game that puts the player in the shoes of a new Pokemon trainer who sets out into the world to collect all the gym badges and Pokemon. This game was the third installment in the franchise and focuses around Pikachu, the main monster in the series. Overall the game is still very fun but does not have many new features compared to the previous two games.
Pokemon Yellow Screenshots
Pokemon Yellow Featured Video
Pokemon Yellow Review
| Before the insufferably cute critters known as Pokemon became the sole property of anyone under 10, they were found in some very simple RPGs. Like other things, in Pokemon’s case ‘simple’ also translated to ‘inexplicably addictive’. |
| For the sanity of the uninitiated, the Yellow version of Pokemon is basically a sort of ‘director’s cut’ of Pokemon One. But, I personally played this one first, so my opinions of other Poke-critter games are derived from this one. |
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Pokemon looks like many other Game Boy games- washed out and pixilated. The only positive remark I can make of the game visually is that the various critters have some nice design to them. The sound has about the same situation. Even if the effects and music weren’t limited by the system, they aren’t that great anyway. The music vaguely fits the mood of the various areas, but even then there are perhaps four or five ‘classes’ of areas, and therefore that many simple background tunes. The game attempts to have unique ‘calls’ for each Pokemon, but honestly, it’s pretty hard to tell them apart. |
| The game’s story is infinitely simple. The protagonist wants to be a great Pokemon trainer. Becoming one involves traveling from town to town, defeating respected trainers called Gym Leaders. Aside from the occasional run-in with various less wholesome trainers, all you do is make sure the little guy makes it. |
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There are also no real characters besides the ones mentioned in the last paragraph. And don’t expect any feats of characterization… these are purely functional characters, with no real personality. Having basically mocked the game to this point, we come to gameplay. Walking around the map is pretty simple, and though you find the occasional roadblock, they are removed by teaching your critters certain kinds of abilities that are steadily gained as the game progresses. There are also a couple of somewhat maze-like dungeons, and two or three with puzzles of the boulder pushing variety. Nothing special. Your path is littered with long grass and caves, where you can meet wild Pokemon. If you sufficiently damage them without making them faint, you can chuck items called Pokeballs to try and capture them for your team. Also, every few paces you’ll find other trainers who would love to pit their team against yours. |
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| This is where the fun begins. You start the game with an electric-type Pikachu. You may be tempted to just level Pikachu very high so he can beat any opposition by himself, but it won’t work. Instead, you’ll have to assemble a team (of up to six members) of critters to meet the opposition. There are 15 types (much like elements) that a Pokemon or move can belong to. A Pokemon can learn only four moves at a time, and each Pokemon learns certain moves naturally, can learn certain moves from special items, but none can learn any move it wants. The 15 types are arranged in an intricate system of effectiveness, meaning that you have to learn what types are good against which. An example: your opening Pikachu is an electric-type. Electric-types resist electric moves but are weak against earth moves, so Pikachu would be hard to hurt for another Pikachu, but an easy victory for the earth-type Graveller. Pikachu, as an electric type, is best at using electric moves. Water and Flying types are weak against electric, so if Pikachu used an electric move against a dual-type Water/Flying, it would do many times normal damage. However, ground-types are immune to electric attacks, so Pikachu would be helpless against one if it knew only electric moves. Thus, you should either switch to a more advantageous Pokemon, or use a move of another type against the enemy. |
| Beyond the game itself, you can also find any convenient buddies with the game to have a battle against they’re team, which is also highly addictive. The Yellow version, I believe, forces the player to make more use of the potential strategy, and therefore is a somewhat better game than other versions. |
| Final Grade: 77% |
Pokemon Yellow Screenshots
Pokemon Yellow Videos
Pokemon Yellow Trailer