Pokémon First Generation
From Data Crystal
| Pokémon Red and Blue | |
 
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| Name | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| System | Nintendo Game Boy |
| Genre | RPG/Adventure |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Developer | Game Freak |
| ROM Size | 16MB |
| Players | Up to 2 |
| Click here for Hacking Information | |
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Pokémon Red and Blue Version were the first Pokémon games to see release outside of Japan, becoming available in North America on September 1, 1998, and thus being the first Pokémon media to hit the international market. A third version, Pokémon Yellow, was released soon after.
Unlike later generations, Red and Blue were not the same as they were in their Japanese releases. Japan had gotten their first pair of Pokémon games as Red and Green, which in all aspects were the same as Red and Blue with the exception of sprite design and differing maps.
When preparing the games for their English release, it was decided that Pokémon Red and Green would be merged with Japan's already-released third version, Blue, for its improved graphics and sound.
Contents |
[edit] Pokémon Red and Blue
[edit] Story
The silent protagonist of Pokémon Red and Blue is a young boy that lives in Pallet Town. After venturing alone into deep grass, a voice warns the player to stop. Professor Oak, a famous Pokémon researcher, explains to the player that wild Pokémon may be living there, and encountering them alone can be very dangerous. He then takes the player to his laboratory where the player meets Oak's grandson, another aspiring Pokémon Trainer. The player and the rival are both instructed to select a starter Pokémon for their travels. The rival will then challenge the player to a Pokémon battle with their newly obtained Pokémon, and will continue to battle the player at certain points throughout the games.
While visiting the region's cities, the player will encounter special establishments called Gyms. Inside these buildings are Gym Leaders, each of whom the player must defeat in a Pokémon battle to obtain a total of eight Gym Badges. Once all of the badges are acquired, the player is given permission to enter the Pokémon League, which consists of the best Pokémon trainers in the region. There the player will battle the Elite Four and finally the Champion: the player's rival. Also throughout the game, the player will have to battle against the forces of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that abuses Pokémon. They devise numerous plans for stealing rare Pokémon, all of which the player must foil.
[edit] Features
Pokémon Red and Blue Version introduced the many gameplay mechanics and standards carried over to the various sequels. Because they were the first generation, nothing can truly be called a "feature"; the game is simply what it is, and without previous games you cannot compare it and know what counts.
However, because it is the first generation, there are many aspects of the game that can be re-imagined and tweaked in new ways, thus transforming simple event coding into spectacular differences. A great example of this would be the follow-me code used to make Pikachu follow you in Yellow Version, which was a possibility in the two earlier games.
Simply put: find features by creating them.
Pokémon Yellow
| Pokémon Yellow | |
| |
| Name | Pokémon Yellow |
| System | Nintendo Game Boy |
| Genre | RPG/Adventure |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Developer | Game Freak |
| ROM Size | 16MB |
| Players | Up to 2 |
| Click here for Hacking Information | |
|---|---|
Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition is the fourth game of the Pokémon series in Japan, and the third in North America, Europe, and Australia. The game is a slightly updated version of the previous two games, Pokémon Red and Blue, and features Pikachu as its mascot. It was released for the Game Boy in Japan on September 12, 1998, in North America on October 1, 1999, in Europe on June 16, 2000, and in Australia in 2000. Along with the release, a special-edition, yellow, Pokémon-themed Game Boy Color was also available for purchase.
[edit] Story
Unlike other games, Yellow was inspired by the anime, and thus, instead of having a choice between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, players are forced to start off with a Pikachu that Professor Oak caught on Route 1. With the rival beginning with an Eevee, the player now journeys from Pallet to go through an all-new experience—with no Grass-, Fire-, or Water-types to fall back on until each member of the Kanto starter trio is obtained later on, about a quarter of the way through the game. Many Pokemon learn moves at different levels, such as Pikachu learns Thunderbolt at level 24 instead of teaching it to it as a TM.
Much like before, players journey across Kanto from their hometown of Pallet, defeating the eight Gym Leaders and eventually the Elite Four.
Team Rocket battles feature yet another special, anime-based surprise, as Jessie and James show up, along with their Pokémon, Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth. Beyond these changes, the plot of Yellow is very similar to that of Red, Blue, and Green.
[edit] Changes from Red and Blue
As the third game in the first generation, and one influenced by another medium, Pokémon Yellow understandably came with many differences and upgrades from its companions.
[edit] Gameplay
- Pikachu is the only starter Pokémon the player can have, and travels with the player on-screen, outside of a Poké Ball like Ash's. The rival starts with Eevee, and the three normal Kanto starters can be obtained later in the game.
- In-game trades are changed to different Pokémon.
- Level-up and TM compatibility altered slightly.
- Gym Leaders have different teams, some based on those that appear in the anime.
- Some Trainer sprites were also redone. The main player now resembles Ash Ketchum from the anime, the player's rival closely resembles Gary Oak, and Brock and Misty resemble their anime counterparts, too.
- Cerulean Cave, the game's final dungeon, is redesigned a second time.
[edit] Features
- A "follow-me" script is enabled for your starter, Pikachu.
- The front Pokémon sprites have all been updated to resemble how they appear in their then-current Ken Sugimori artwork usually used in promotional images and strategy guides for Pokémon Red and Blue, as well as some of them resembling how they appear in the anime. The back sprites are the same as the previous game.
- A minimal happiness system is implemented to track how Pikachu feels about the player, and Pikachu will refuse to evolve.
- Enhanced compatibility with the Game Boy Color (outside of Japan) and the ability to print out Pokédex entries using the Game Boy Printer.
- A majority of glitches were disabled, and many glitch Pokémon were altered into different, stranger forms.
- A Surfing Pikachu minigame, Pikachu's Beach, is included.
- Yellow debuted a new link battle mode, Colosseum 2, which introduced several regulations. Battle modes introduced include the Pika Cup (for Pokémon between levels 15 to 20 only; their combined level limit is 50), Petit Cup (for Pokémon between levels 15 to 20, heights under 6'8", and weights less than 44 pounds only) and Poké Cup (for Pokémon between levels 50 to 55 only, and the sum of all entered Pokémon's levels cannot exceed 155. Mew is not allowed).
[edit] Hacking
[edit] Red and Blue Hacking
Being the first generation and such integrated parts of many people's young lives, Pokémon Red and Blue were at the fore-front of ROM hacking. Though working through the unorganized coding without any references was a difficult task, breakthroughs eventually occurred and this became one of the most widely-hacked games on the Internet with many influential hacks appearing in time.
[edit] Yellow Hacking
Although a part of the first generation of Pokémon, Yellow Version has not been as extensively hacked as the other games in series. However, many features found in this game were recreated in later hacks, so there is a minimal understanding of the coding present.
[edit] External Links
| Pokémon GB |
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Pokémon Red and Blue — Pokémon Yellow — Pokémon Gold and Silver — Pokémon Crystal |
| Pokémon GBA |
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Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire — Pokémon Emerald — Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
