Menu

The menu or commonly known as the start menu is a side bar used in the main series of the Pokémon games that allows the player to select what they wish to do. The menu's contents have changed through generations, and also change depending on the player's progression through the game. In every game the menu is accessed by pressing the start button, except in Generation IV in which it can be accessed by pressing the X button.

Menu commands

Pokédex

The Pokédex command displays the player's Pokédex. Information is recorded here about Pokémon the player has seen and caught. The Pokédex command is usually found at the top of the menu and can't be obtained at the start of the game and must be obtained as the player progresses through the game. The Pokédex will display information such as description, cry, location, size, and weight of the Pokémon. On the Pokédex interface, a list of Pokémon will be displayed in numerical order and can be scrolled up and down through. Pokémon that haven't been seen by the player is marked with a ? and Pokémon that haven't been caught by the player, information isn't displayed. Once the player selects a Pokémon, the Pokémon's information is displayed in sections including description, area the Pokémon is found in, the Pokémon's cry, the Pokémon's size and weight, and the Pokémon's different forms.

Pokémon

The Pokémon command displays the player's current party where stats, move and summaries. Once opened, it will display the six slot and the Pokémon in the player's party. The Pokémon order and line-up can be changed along with displaying the Pokémon's summary. The Pokémon's summary will display the status of each of the player's Pokémon, such as basic information like current levels and experience points, stats, nature and preference of taste, conditions, moves with their battle and contest information and ribbons.

Bag

The Bag or Pack command displays the player's bag and the items inside. By opening the bag, the player can change and arrange items in the bag, along with registering and delete items. Registering a key item allows the player to easily activate and use the item using the select button, or Y button in Generation IV.

In Generation I, any item placed in the bag were in the same pocket. Ninety-nine of any item could fit inside, with only twenty different items allowed in the bag in total. When the bag was full, the player's PC could be used for any kind of item storage.

In the second generation of games came along a major change in the bag's design: Items could now be separated into four different pockets depending on what they are: Healing items, including berries, Poké Balls, TMs and HMs, and Key items.

In Generation III, the player could get a visual of the bag as he or she searched through it, with different designs of the bag for the unique characters. The amount of a single item that a player could carry was also expanded to 999, though if this limit is reached, they can still carry more of that item as it simply takes up a second slot in the bag. This generation also expanded the Pocket System from Generation II, with five pockets instead of four: Items, Berries, Poké Balls, TMs and HMs, Key items. In FireRed and LeafGreen, the bag is only divided into Items, Key Items, and Poké Balls. There are two sub-pockets, TM Case and Berry Pouch which holds TMs and HMs and Berries respectively.

Generation IV revolutionized the Pocket System even more, dividing the bag up further:

• Items
• Medicine
• Poké Balls
• TMs and HMs
• Berries
• Mails
• Battle Items
• Key Items

The player can navigate the bag by either using the face buttons on the DS or using the Touch Screen to scroll through the bag and items.

Unlike previous Generations, the bag has an infinite amount of space within it, meaning that the PC Item Storage system is obsolete and not present in the 4th Generation. It is replaced within the PC menu with an option for decorating Poké Balls with Seals instead.

PokéGear

The PokéGear command displays the player's PokéGear. The PokéGear command is only available in the Generation II were it displays the map of the region, names of previously fought trainers, the current time, and be able to call registered trainers. The main character of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal receives a PokéGear from their mother at the start of their journey. It has several functions, some of which will need to be unlocked during the game by receiving special expansion cards. The functions of the PokéGear include:

• Time - The PokéGear displays the day of the week and the time of day, entered at the beginning of the game.
• Map - The PokéGear displays a map of Johto and later Kanto.
• Phone - The PokéGear will function like a cellphone, allowing the user to make calls to people that they've traded phone numbers with.
• Radio - The PokéGear functions as a radio. This allows the player to listen to radio shows and music.

PokéNav

The PokéNav command displays the player's PokéNav. The PokéGear command is only available in the Generation III were it displays the map of the region, names of previously fought trainers, conditions of Pokémon, and check ribbons on Pokémon. Mr. Stone gives it to the the player of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald for recovering the Devon Goods from Team Aqua or Team Magma. It has several new functions, all already programmed on when received:

• Map - The PokéNav displays a map of Hoenn, along with the current location of its owner.
• Condition - The PokéNav checks the conditions of Pokémon in detail. It can be set to search only through party Pokémon, or all Pokémon owned combined.
• Trainer's Eyes - The PokéNav will keep track of trainers and alert the user when they want a rematch. This function appears only in Ruby and Sapphire.
• Match Call - An upgraded version of the Trainer's Eyes only available in Emerald, it allows its user to call anyone who has had their PokéNav registered with theirs, similar to the cell phone feature of the PokéGear.
• Ribbons - The PokéNav will display the Ribbons the Pokémon have acquired, either via Contests or special events.

Player's name

The Player's name command allows the player to displays their Trainer card. Several things are shared among the trainer cards, including displaying the trainer's name, their trainer ID number, how much money they have on them, how many Pokémon they have in their Pokédex, and the amount of time they have been playing their game. In Generation III, a back side was introduced that displayed such data as how many times a player had played in link battles, won and lost, traded, and even how long they had been playing when they first defeated the Elite Four and Champion to enter the Hall of Fame. The trainer card also changes colors after meeting certain conditions, such as defeating the Elite four. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen , a trainer's party could be photographed in the Rocket Game Corner in Celadon City and put on the back as well.

Save

The Save command saves the player's current progress. The player can save their game at any time, when on the field. In Generation IV, sometimes the game will be "Saving a lot of data...", usually when the game has been played for an prolonged amount of time or when the PC is used. When the player selects "Continue" on the main menu, the player can continue playing the game from the last placed saved.

Options

The Options command allows the player to change various in-game features. In Generation IV, the player can use the options to change:

• Text Speed - changes text speed to slow, mid, or fast.
• Battle Scene - changes battle scene to on or off.
• Battle Style - changes battle style to shift or set.
• Sound - changes sound to stereo or mono.
• Button mode - changes button mode to normal, start=X, or L=A.
• Frame type - change frame type to 20 different schemes.

Exit

The Exit command closes the menu and returns to the game. The player can also press the start button (or the X button in Generation IV) or the B button to close the menu.

Trivia

• In Generation I, the menu screen would be darker than usual if the menu was opened in a cave or other place that was very dark and Flash had not yet been used.