Pokémon Red and Blue Versions

This article is about the North American releases. For the original Japanese releases, see Pokémon Red and Green Versions and Pokémon Blue Version (Japanese).

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Pokémon Red and Blue Versions

Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version were the first Pokémon games to be released in North America, on September 1, 1998. Pokémon Red and Blue were followed a year later by a sister game with minor gameplay changes, titled Pokémon Yellow. The Japanese version equivalents, Pokémon Red and Green Versions had been released in Japan for over two years by this time. They take place in the region of Kanto (although the region's name was only stated once in this generation) and the player's starting area is Pallet Town.

The games demonstrate the original Pokémon gameplay concepts. Players travel across the region and battle against Gym Leaders in eight Pokémon Gyms to win badges. Once the eight regional badges are collected, the player may enter the Pokémon League.

The relationship between Pokémon Red and Blue with their Japanese counterparts Pocket Monsters Red and Green is more complex than the relationships of later translations. Originally, only Red and Green were released in Japan, in early 1996, with a Blue Version being released later as a third version in the second half of the year. Despite Pocket Monsters Green never being physically released outside of Japan, its English version equivalent, Pokémon Blue, utilizes the original Blue Version's engine and graphics, as well as Green's wild and Version-exclusive Pokémon. Similarly, the English version of Pokémon Red utilizes the original Blue engine and graphics, as well as Pocket Monsters Red's wild and version exclusive Pokémon.

Plot

At the beginning of the games, players can choose Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle as their starter Pokémon from Professor Oak. They cannot catch any of the starters or their evolutions in the wild or by trading with in-game non-player characters; therefore, to complete the Pokédex with all 151 featured Pokémon, the player must link games and trade with other players, as well as attend Nintendo Events. The basic idea of each game is to become the best trainer in all of Kanto; this is done by raising Pokémon, defeating the eight Gym Leaders for Gym Badges, and eventually challenging the Elite Four and 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 uses Pokémon for evil, and will eventually face off against their leader, Giovanni.

The player, known by default as Red, has a childhood rival, who happens to be the grandson of Professor Oak. This character's default name is Blue. He will battle the player at certain points in the game to test the player's Pokémon; being defeated is an indication for the player to level up his or her team. He will always choose for his starter a Pokémon that has a type advantage over the player's chosen one. For example, if the player chooses Charmander, a Template:Type2 Pokémon, he will choose Squirtle, a Template:Type2 Pokémon, giving it an advantage over the Fire-type Charmander.

Blurb

"You've finally been granted your Pokémon trainer's license. Now, it's time to head out to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer. It's going to take all you've got to collect 150 Pokémon in this enormous world. Catch and train monsters like the shockingly-cute Pikachu. Face off against Blastoise's torrential water cannons. Stand strong when facing Pidgeot's stormy Gust. Trade with friends and watch your Pokémon evolve. Important—no single Pokémon can win at all. Can you develop the ultimate Pokémon strategy to defeat the eight Gym Leaders and become the greatest Pokémon Master of all time?"

Features

Gyms

As English editions of the Japanese Red and Green Versions, the same eight Pokémon Gyms in Kanto, each with their own type affiliation, make a return in Red and Blue. Gym Leaders Brock (Rock), Misty (Water), Lt. Surge (Electric), Erika (Grass), Koga (Poison), Sabrina (Psychic), Blaine (Fire) and Giovanni (Ground) also make a return.

Elite Four

As it was in Red and Green, the Elite Four is located at the Indigo Plateau. The Elite trainers remain Lorelei (Ice), Bruno (Fighting), Agatha (Ghost) and Lance (Dragon); the Champion is Blue, who has Pokémon of mixed types.

Pokémon

Each game again contains pre-recorded data on all 151 Pokémon of this generation (including Mew). Despite this, not all Pokémon are available to the player, regardless of version; trades must occur between players in order to complete their Pokédex without the use of cheats or glitches. Mew is the only Pokémon in Red and Blue that must be acquired through the use of attending either a Nintendo sponsored event, or glitching, though that particular glitch is only successful in the Red and Blue, as well as the Japanese Red and Green versions.

Version exclusives

Nintendo Event exclusives

The following Pokémon are available only after having been transferred to a player's cartridge at a Nintendo sponsored event. Several methods of exploiting glitches made sponsored events obsolete in obtaining the game's exclusive Pokémon however.

Criticism

While continuing the legacy started by Pocket Monsters Red and Green, and introducing the franchise to North American audiences, Pokémon Red and Blue has been met with much criticism, especially when compared to its follow-ups. Aside from Red and Blue's number of glitches, many Pokémon did not look as they did in the anime or in the future installments of the video game series. This problem was not overlooked in the development of Pokémon Yellow.

Red and Blue are notorious for their several drastic glitches, among them Missingno., Glitch City and the Mew glitch. Missingno. is well-known because it duplicates the player's sixth item, increasing its quantity to 128. One method of the Mew glitch can even be used to catch any Pokémon in the game, including many hard-to-obtain glitched Pokémon. However, the games' glitches are arguably minimal points of criticism due to the reward value of certain glitches in Red and Blue.

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