GENRE
	RPG
	DEVELOPER
	Game Freak
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Quite possibly the two most addicting games ever – I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone I know who wasn’t at one point in time obsessed with these games. They really are quite fun. You can certainly tell a lot went into the making of this game, and it also seems natural that with an extraordinary game such as this, that the Shigeru Miyamoto was involved. Naturally, there is so much more to do once you actually beat the final opponents, this game seems to never be over, which adds infinitely to its replay value. You have to catch all the one hundred and fifty one little pocket monsters and assemble a dream team of six, with 15 different types of them to choose from. Then you think you’re the master, till one evil friend of yours beats you, then you rethink your strategy and challenge them again only to lose once more. But hey, that’s what’s in a great game.

visuals

This game is very similar to every other RPG out there. It uses sprites, with overly large heads. The environment looks very nice, with good textures. You can tell what everything is. It’s easy to find your way around towns, since buildings have signs on them describing what they are. In forests and paths leading to your next town or big place, it’s easy to tell what you’re doing, which is kind of vital. The battles look all right -- nothing special.

An improvement over some RPG’s, like Earthbound for example, lies where you can actually see your Pokémon and the other opposing one. Unfortunately, the only real problem with the graphics is that your Pokémon’s moves make you wonder how this can be classified as a fight at all, but eventually this problem is overlooked, and you just get used to it. The battle is more on the numbers, so pay attention to them.

There is also an option to turn off the battle animations, which speeds up the battle an incredible amount. After you’ve seen all of your main Pokémon’s animations a hundred times, this is a very welcome option. And since your Pokémon can only learn four moves, this is likely to happen fast. The trainers, who appear before they’re Pokémon are put out, look great, and there are many different trainer pictures. The graphics of this game are quite good.

audio

Though the Game Boy can’t handle complex music, the developers still manage to make fitting music most of the time. Game Freaks did just that, and each song fits the mood perfectly. Say, for inside a mountain, the music is a little creepier. While outside, it sounds like travel music, cause that’s what you’re doing. When you’re in a basic trainer battle, the music supports that, and when you’re in a gym leader battle, it’s do-or-die music. Though in this game, it’s do-or-faint.

While the songs in this game are good, I can’t say the same for ANY of the Pokémon cries. True, with all the other good stuff packed in, you really can’t blame them, but after hearing it time after time after time, ugh! The TV show improved on this, though I won’t get into that. As bad as some of the audio is, there are worse games out there. The audio by all means isn’t this game’s high point, but it’s acceptable enough.

gameplay

With the options of trading, collecting, and training, this game really has no end. Of course, you will eventually get all your Pokémon to level 100, have your fights rule your life, then go into a state of deep, deep depression when you finally lose. You’ll be shut away in your room for a year or so.

It’s hard to tell if there is replay value, it’s more a question of dedication for this game. If you figure screw it, this takes to much effort to think up good strategies, there is little replay value. But if you must absolutely win, you’ll find plenty of it.

multiplayer

Battle and trade with your friends using a link-cable.

overall

This is a good game, which is worth a purchase, though you may have heard of it, and don’t wanna get sucked into darkness, but follow the crowd, man! If you’re not sure, there’s no shame in renting, just that there isn’t a file transfer or anything, and you only get one file at a time, which can be a pain. Of course, you’ll be too busy playing to let anyone else touch the Game Boy. This has proven to result in the condition known as Game Boy thumb. Add hours upon hours at your own risk. Most of which is in the battles, which should go at least twice as fast, but don’t. Oh well. Still a fun game.

9.8/10