Pokemon Red

Pokemon 

It started out pretty badly for Pokemon, especially because of Pikachu's Pika Bolt which apparently did struck some of the children who were watching when the show was first shown. But look at it today, about 15 years after it was born, Pikachu is still traveling with Ash! And Nintendo has ever since released countless number of games. Among the first, was Pokemon Red and Blue.

Pokemon Red and Blue seems to be the most classic, primitive game of Pokemon. It was black and white, played on the super gigantic heavy Gameboy which is now a fossil. Graphic wise, it was by grids, even each of the monster, characters, etc. Compared to today, the game is coloured, and even 3D if you play it in Dreamcast or Nintendo Wii. 

What makes Pokemon game is so interesting. For me, it is the idea of collecting the pokemon. The first batch of Pokemon was numbered up to 356, if Im not mistaken and yes, you have to catch all those monsters in order to 'perfect' the game. Of course it is almost impossible to do so, as the last Pokemon was only available through direct trading with the Pokemon Centre in Tokyo and New York. But nonetheless, 'collecting' seems to spark a lot of interest in gaming. Look at gensoSuikoden and even MMORPG like Ragnarok. Collecting characters and rare items is among the main reasons why people play those games. If we see at Harvest Moon, Final Fantasy series and even Plants Vs Zombies, the concept of collecting whatever it is drives players to pay it more and more.

It is not surprising that there are still people who prefer to play the original Pokemon Red and Blue compared to the more advanced one like Silver which turned into Platinum and I think they are coming out with some weird stones for the title. It gives the indie feel also the recollection players will have when they replay these games. Likewise, people too often prefer the squared Mario Bros. compared to the new 3D version.

Back to Pokemon Red, gameplay is very very long and it did get boring in the middle. However, the ending was very much nicely done, with the peak of fighting the Big 5. (and yeah, no matter how fast you play the game, Gary will still be fighting you towards the end). Narrative-wise, this game has definitely a lot of potential, which proved to be correct as the following sequels followed the main story line but added MILLIONS of additional features. 

There are a lot of consideration in creating the game. For example, in the game, you will get a bicycle which is very very helpful as your character tends to walk very slowly. You will also get teleportation devices which will teleport you out of some deep unescapable dark caves with monsters which are 20levels higher than you roaming around. And the points where these items are awarded by the CPU is very much suits the timing when you need it. So Nintendo must have did a lot of trial and consideration. These are minor items and you might not see it as significant, but the truth is, it is, and these items surely help your gameplay easier.

This game also has the best instruction that any other games have ever provided to players. Maybe because it is aimed to suit the young, the instruction is made very very clear. The game also divides the instructions and rules accordingly, not given to players in one big slap. It creates a pacing for the game. However again, the 60% spot of the game seems to be a bit draggy. Many would remember Broke and Misty and maybe Erica, but not many do of Blaine and Sabrina. 

But in overall, I think Pokemon Red especially is among the greatest cutesy RPG game that Nintendo has ever created. For me personally, I would still prefer the more advanced version like Sapphire and Emerald as they have more features and additional side-quests. But still, Pokemon Red is a game not to be forgotten.

kelvin