Pokémon Red, Blue, And Yellow
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''Pokémon Red Version'' and ''Pokémon Blue Version'' are 1996
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
s (RPGs) developed by
Game Freak is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer and co-owners of the ''Pokémon (video game series), Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games. History Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' was a self- ...
and published by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
for the
Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
. They are the first installments of the ''Pokémon'' video game series, and were first released in Japan as and followed by the special edition later that year. The games were released internationally in 1998 and 1999 as ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Pokémon Blue'', while an enhanced version named was released in Japan in 1998 and in other regions in 1999 and 2000. The player controls the protagonist from an
overhead perspective A variety of Computer graphics, computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to Graphics hardware ...
and navigates the fictional region of Kanto in a quest to master Pokémon battling. The goal is to become the champion of the Indigo League by defeating the eight Gym Leaders and the top Pokémon trainers in the land, the
Elite Four In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...
. Another objective is to complete the Pokédex, an in-game encyclopedia, by obtaining all 151 Pokémon. ''Red'' and ''Blue'' use the
Game Link Cable The also known as ''Video Link'' in early versions, is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld consoles. Introduced in 1989 alongside the original Game Boy, it was revised over four generations with varying degrees of backward compatibil ...
, which connects two Game Boy systems and allows Pokémon to be traded or battled between games. Both versions feature the same plot, and while they can be played separately, players must trade between both games to obtain all of the original 151 Pokémon. ''Red'' and ''Blue'' were well-received, with critics praising the multiplayer options, especially the concept of trading. They received an aggregated score of 89% on
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
and are considered among the greatest games ever made, perennially ranked on top game lists including at least four years on ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''s "Top 100 Games of All Time". The games marked the beginning of a multibillion-dollar franchise, jointly selling over 400 million copies worldwide. The ''Red'' and ''Blue'' versions were remade for
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
as ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' (2004) while ''Yellow'' was remade for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
as ''Let's Go, Pikachu!'' and ''Let's Go, Eevee!'' (2018). The originals were rereleased on the
Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...
service for
Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
in 2016 to commemorate their twentieth anniversaries.


Gameplay

''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' are played in a
third-person view In video games, third-person (also spelled third person) is a graphical perspective rendered from a fixed distance behind and slightly above the player character. This viewpoint allows players to see a more strongly characterized avatar and is ...
,
overhead perspective A variety of Computer graphics, computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to Graphics hardware ...
and consist of three basic screens: an
overworld An overworld or a hub world is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres, such as some pla ...
, in which the player navigates the main character; a side-view battle screen; and a menu interface, in which the player may configure their Pokémon, items, or gameplay settings. The player can use their Pokémon to battle other Pokémon. When the player encounters a wild Pokémon or is challenged by a trainer, the screen switches to a
turn-based Timekeeping is relevant to many types of games, including video games, tabletop role-playing games, board games, and sports. The passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. In many games, this is don ...
battle screen that displays the two engaged Pokémon. During a battle, the player may choose to fight using one of up to four moves, use an item, switch the active Pokémon, or attempt to flee; however, fleeing is not possible in trainer battles. Pokémon have
hit points Health is a video game or tabletop game quality that determines the maximum amount of damage or fatigue something takes before leaving the main game. In role-playing games, this typically takes the form of hit points (HP), a numerical attribute ...
(HP); when a Pokémon's HP is reduced to zero, it faints and can no longer battle until it is revived. Once an enemy Pokémon faints, the player's Pokémon that were involved in the battle receive a certain number of
experience point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...
s (EXP). After accumulating enough EXP, a Pokémon will level up. A Pokémon's level controls its physical properties, such as the battle statistics acquired, and the moves it has learned. Some Pokémon may also evolve at certain levels. These evolutions affect the statistics and the levels at which new moves are learned. Pokémon at higher stages of evolution gain more statistics each time they level up, although they may not learn new moves as early, if at all, compared with the lower stages of evolution. Catching Pokémon is another essential element. While battling with a wild Pokémon, the player may throw a
Poké Ball Poke ( ; Hawaiian for 'to slice' or 'cut crosswise into pieces'; sometimes written as ''poké'' to aid pronunciation as two syllables) is a dish of diced raw fish tossed in sauce and served either as an appetizer or a main course. History Pre-c ...
at it. If the Pokémon is successfully caught, it will come under the player's ownership. Factors in the success rate of capture include the HP of the target Pokémon, whether it is under a status effect, and the type of Poké Ball used: the lower the target's HP, and the stronger the status effect and type of Poké Ball, the higher the success rate of capture. The ultimate goal is to complete the entries in the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing,
evolving Evolution is the change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, resulting in certai ...
, and trading to obtain all 151 creatures. ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' allow players to trade Pokémon between two cartridges via a
Game Link Cable The also known as ''Video Link'' in early versions, is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld consoles. Introduced in 1989 alongside the original Game Boy, it was revised over four generations with varying degrees of backward compatibil ...
. This method of trading must be done to fully complete the Pokédex since certain Pokémon will only evolve upon being traded and each of the two games have version-exclusive Pokémon. The Link Cable also makes it possible to battle another player's Pokémon team. When playing ''Red'' or ''Blue'' on a
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
or SP, the standard GBA/SP link cable will not work; players must use the Nintendo Universal Game Link Cable instead. Moreover, the English versions are incompatible with their Japanese counterparts, and such trades will corrupt the save files, as the games use different languages and therefore character sets. As well as trading with each other and ''Pokémon Yellow'', ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' can trade Pokémon with the second generation of Pokémon games: ''Pokémon Gold'', ''Silver'', and ''Crystal''. However, there are limitations: the games cannot link if one player's party contains Pokémon or moves introduced in the second generation games. Also, using the
Transfer Pak The Transfer Pak is an accessory for the Nintendo 64 (N64) controller. It features a cartridge slot compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color (GBC) games. When plugged into the controller's expansion port, it allows for the transfer of data bet ...
for the
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...
, data such as Pokémon and items from ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' can be used in the Nintendo 64 games ''
Pokémon Stadium ''Pokémon Stadium'' is a 1999 strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The gameplay revolves around a 3D turn-based battling system using the 151 Pokémon from the Game Boy games ''Pokémon Red'', ''Blu ...
'' and ''
Pokémon Stadium 2 ''Pokémon Stadium 2'', known in Japan as is a strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the third game in the ''Pokémon Stadium'' series, following prior releases '' Pocket Monsters Stadium'' and '' ...
''. ''Red'' and ''Blue'' are incompatible with the ''Pokémon'' games of the later "Advanced Generation" for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
and
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
.


Bugs and glitches

''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' are notable for a large quantity of
glitch A glitch is a short-lived technical fault, such as a transient one that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among pl ...
es, possibly due to their scope in comparison to Game Freak's development experience at the time. One of the most popular glitches in ''Red'' and ''Blue'' involves encountering
MissingNo. MissingNo. (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a glitch and an unofficial Pokémon species found in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. Due to the programming of certain in-game events, players can encounter MissingNo. via a glitch. It is ...
(short for "Missing Number"), a glitch Pokémon with multiple forms that arise when different glitches are performed. Additionally, several other Pokémon can be encountered using glitches, such as the otherwise-unobtainable Mythical Pokémon Mew. Another glitch, dubbed the "EXP underflow glitch", allows players to manipulate
unsigned integer In computer science, an integer is a datum of integral data type, a data type that represents some range of mathematical integers. Integral data types may be of different sizes and may or may not be allowed to contain negative values. Integers are ...
s in the game's code for Pokémon in the "medium slow" experience group in order to max out the level of any such Pokémon.


Plot


Story

The player begins in their hometown of Pallet Town in the Kanto region. After venturing alone into the tall grass, the player is stopped by Professor Samuel Oak, a famous Pokémon Researcher. Professor Oak explains to the player that wild Pokémon may be living there and encountering them alone can be very dangerous. He takes the player to his laboratory where the player meets Oak's grandson, a rival aspiring Pokémon Trainer. The player and the rival are both instructed to select a starter Pokémon for their travels out of
Bulbasaur Bulbasaur (), known as in Japan, is a fictional Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' franchise. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko Nishida with the design final ...
,
Squirtle Squirtle (), known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' franchise. It was designed by Atsuko Nishida. Its name was changed from Zenigame to Squirtle during the English localization of the series in orde ...
and Charmander. Oak's grandson will always choose the Pokémon which is stronger against the player's starting Pokémon. He will then challenge the player to a Pokémon battle with their newly obtained Pokémon and will continue to battle the player at certain points. 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 the badges are acquired, the player is given permission to enter the Kanto League in the Indigo Plateau, which consists of the best Pokémon Trainers in the region. There the player will battle the
Elite Four In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...
and finally the new Kanto League Champion: the player's rival. Throughout, the player battles
Team Rocket is a fictional crime syndicate in the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Team Rocket is a primary antagonist in the original ''Pokémon'' video games ''Red'', ''Green'', and ''Blue'', as well as in the long-running ''Pokémon'' anime TV-series. In the ...
, a criminal organization that uses the Pokémon for various crimes. They devise numerous plans for stealing rare Pokémon, which the player must foil.


Setting

''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' take place in the region of Kanto, which is based on the real-life
Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...
in Japan. This is one distinct region, as shown in later games, with different geographical habitats for the 151 existing Pokémon species, along with human-populated towns and cities and Routes connecting locations with one another. Some areas are only accessible once the player learns a special ability or gains a special item. Kanto has multiple settlements: Pallet Town, Viridian City, Pewter City, Cerulean City, Vermillion City, Lavender Town, Celadon City, Fuchsia City, Saffron City, Cinnabar Island, and the Indigo Plateau. All of these other than Pallet Town, Lavender Town, and Indigo Plateau have a gym with a leader who serves as a boss, and the battles against the Elite Four and final rival battle occur at Indigo Plateau. Areas in which the player can catch Pokémon range from caves (such as Mt. Moon, Rock Tunnel, Seafoam Islands, and Cerulean Cave) to the sea, where the kinds of Pokémon available to catch varies. For example, Tentacool can only be caught either through fishing or when the player is in a body of water, while Zubat can only be caught in a cave.


Development

The game developer,
Satoshi Tajiri is a Japanese video game designer and Creative director, director who is the creator of the ''Pokémon'' franchise and the co-founder and president of video game developer Game Freak. A fan of arcade games in his youth, Tajiri wrote for and ed ...
, pitched the concept of Pokémon to
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
's staff in 1990 and was met with skepticism. They believed his ideas were too ambitious and found it difficult to see the appeal. However,
Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, video game producer, producer and Creative director#Video games, game director at Nintendo, where he has served as one of its representative directors as an executive since 2002. Widely regarded as one o ...
saw great potential in the idea and convinced the company to go ahead with the project. The initial concept for ''Pokémon'' stemmed from the hobby of
insect collecting Insect collecting refers to the collection of insects and other arthropods for scientific study or as a hobby.Manoj K., Ranjan R., Sinha M. P., Dhan A., Naaz F., Khanum G., Rani K. A., Sharma S., Raipat B. S. (2022). A Review on Insect Collecti ...
, a popular pastime which Tajiri enjoyed as a child. While growing up, however, he observed more urbanization taking place in the town where he lived and as a result, the insect population declined. Tajiri noticed that kids now played in their homes instead of outside and he came up with the idea of a video game, containing creatures that resembled insects, called Pokémon. He thought kids could relate with the Pokémon by individually naming them, and then controlling them to represent fear or anger as a good way of relieving stress. However, Pokémon never bleed nor die in battle, only faint – this was a very touchy subject to Tajiri, as he did not want to further fill the gaming world with "pointless violence". The concept of trading Pokémon was inspired by a frustrating experience Tajiri had while playing '' Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line''. Tajiri was attempting to obtain an item that could only be obtained by a rare drop from an enemy, but he was not able to acquire it. Ken Sugimori was also playing ''Dragon Quest II'' at the time and was able to acquire two of the rare item. Wishing to obtain Sugimori's extra copy, Tajiri attempted to figure out if it was possible to trade items between games, but realized this was not possible on the Famicom. When the
Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
was released, Tajiri thought the system was perfect for his idea, especially because of the link cable, which he envisioned would allow players to trade Pokémon with each other. This concept of trading information was new to the video game industry because previously connection cables were only being used for competition. "I imagined a chunk of information being transferred by connecting two Game Boys with special cables, and I went wow, that's really going to be something!" said Tajiri. Upon hearing of the ''Pokémon'' concept, Shigeru Miyamoto suggested creating multiple cartridges with different Pokémon in each, noting it would assist the trading aspect. Tajiri was also influenced by
Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
's Game Boy game ''
The Final Fantasy Legend ''The Final Fantasy Legend'', originally released in Japan as is a 1989 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Game Boy. It was originally released in Japan in December 1989 and North America in September 1990. It is ...
'', which he said gave him the idea that more than just action games could be developed for Game Boy. The main characters were named after Tajiri himself as Satoshi, who is described as Tajiri in his youth, and his long-time friend, role model, mentor, and fellow
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
developer,
Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, video game producer, producer and Creative director#Video games, game director at Nintendo, where he has served as one of its representative directors as an executive since 2002. Widely regarded as one o ...
, as Shigeru.
Ken Sugimori is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, mangaka, manga artist, and Video game director (disambiguation), director. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Sugimori is also credi ...
, an artist and longtime friend of Tajiri, headed the development of drawings and designs of the Pokémon, working with a team of fewer than ten people who conceived the various designs for all 151 Pokémon.
Atsuko Nishida is a Japanese graphic artist who previously worked at Game Freak and TOYBOX Inc. She designed a number of creatures for the ''Pokémon'' franchise, including one of the most well-known Pokémon species, the franchise's mascot Pikachu. Career N ...
created the designs for
Pikachu Pikachu (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko N ...
,
Bulbasaur Bulbasaur (), known as in Japan, is a fictional Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' franchise. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko Nishida with the design final ...
, Charmander,
Squirtle Squirtle (), known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' franchise. It was designed by Atsuko Nishida. Its name was changed from Zenigame to Squirtle during the English localization of the series in orde ...
, and many others. Sugimori, in turn, finalized each design, drawing the Pokémon from various angles in order to assist Game Freak's graphics department in properly rendering the creature. Originally called ''Capsule Monsters'', the title went through several transitions due to trademark problems, becoming ''CapuMon'' and ''KapuMon'' before eventually settling upon ''Pocket Monsters''. Tajiri always thought that Nintendo would reject his game, as the company did not really understand the concept at first. However, the games turned out to be a success, something Tajiri and Nintendo never expected, especially because of the declining popularity of the Game Boy. Tajiri said that the
Poké Ball Poke ( ; Hawaiian for 'to slice' or 'cut crosswise into pieces'; sometimes written as ''poké'' to aid pronunciation as two syllables) is a dish of diced raw fish tossed in sauce and served either as an appetizer or a main course. History Pre-c ...
concept was inspired by
Ultraseven is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the second entry (third overall) in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya ...
's Capsule Monsters from the
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
television series ''
Ultraseven is a List of Japanese television series, Japanese ''tokusatsu'' Science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya. It is the second entry (third overall) in the Ultra Series and was produced by Tsuburaya ...
'' (1967–1968). Nintendo spent $13 million marketing Pokémon Red and Blue in the United States.


Music

The game's music was composed by
Junichi Masuda is a Japanese video game composer, director, designer, producer, singer, programmer and trombonist, best known for his work in the ''Pokémon'' franchise. He was a member of Game Freak where he was an employee and executive at the company s ...
, who used the four sound channels of the Game Boy to create both the melodies and the sound effects and Pokémon "cries" heard upon encountering them. He composed the opening theme, with battle scenes in mind, using
white noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used with this or similar meanings in many scientific and technical disciplines, i ...
to sound like marching music and imitate a
snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...
. Masuda wrote the music at his home on a
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
computer, which only features
PCM Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to Digital signal (signal processing), digitally represent analog signals. It is the standard form of digital audio in computers, compact discs, digital telephony and other digital audio application ...
sample playback and converted to the Game Boy with a program he had written.


Release

In Japan, ''Pocket Monsters Red'' and ''Green'' were the first versions released. Development was completed by October 1995 and release was originally planned for December 21, 1995, but was delayed until February 27, 1996 because the derivative products were not yet ready for sale. After a slow start they continued to sell well. Several months later, ''Pocket Monsters Blue'' was released in Japan as a mail-order-only special edition to subscribers of ''
CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese children's manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It was established in 1977 and several of its properties, like ''Doraemon'' and the ''Pokémon'' series of games, have gone on to be cultural phenomena in Japan. The name comes fr ...
'' on October 15, 1996. It was later released to general
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
on October 10, 1999. It features updated in-game artwork and new dialogue. Using Blastoise as its mascot, the code, script, and artwork for ''Blue'' were used for the international releases of ''Red'' and ''Green'', which were renamed to ''Red'' and ''Blue''. The Japanese ''Blue'' edition features all but a handful of Pokémon available in ''Red'' and ''Green'', making certain Pokémon exclusive to the original editions. To create more interest, Tajiri revealed an extra Pokémon called Mew hidden within them, which he believed "created a lot of rumors and myths about the game" and "kept the interest alive". The creature was originally added by Shigeki Morimoto as an internal prank and was not intended to be exposed to consumers. It was not until later that Nintendo decided to distribute Mew through a Nintendo promotional event. However, in 2003 a glitch was discovered which allowed players to obtain Mew without relying on official Nintendo events. During the North American localization of ''Pokémon'', a small team led by Hiro Nakamura went through the individual Pokémon, renaming them for western audiences based on their appearance and characteristics after approval from Nintendo. In addition, during this process, Nintendo trademarked the 151 Pokémon names in order to ensure they would be unique to the franchise. During the translation process, it became apparent that simply altering the text from Japanese to English was impossible; the games had to be entirely reprogrammed from scratch due to the fragile state of their
source code In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer. Since a computer, at base, only ...
, a side effect of the unusually lengthy development time. Therefore, the games were based on the more modern Japanese version of ''Blue''; modeling its programming and artwork after ''Blue'', but keeping the same distribution of Pokémon found in the Japanese ''Red'' and ''Green'' cartridges. As the finished ''Red'' and ''Blue'' versions were being prepared for release, Nintendo allegedly spent over 50 million dollars on promotion, fearing the series would not be appealing to American children. The western localization team warned that the "cute monsters" may not be accepted by American audiences, and instead recommended they be redesigned and "beefed-up". Then-president of Nintendo
Hiroshi Yamauchi Hiroshi Yamauchi (; 7 November 192719 September 2013) was a Japanese businessman and the third president of Nintendo, joining the company on 25 April 1949 until stepping down on 24 May 2002, being succeeded by Satoru Iwata. During his 53-year t ...
refused and instead viewed the games' possible reception in America as a challenge to face. Despite these setbacks, the reprogrammed ''Red'' and ''Blue'' versions with their original creature designs were eventually released in North America on September 28, 1998, over two and a half years after ''Red'' and ''Green'' debuted in Japan. The games were received extremely well by the foreign audiences and ''Pokémon'' went on to become a lucrative franchise in America. The same versions were later released in Australia sometime later in 1998 and in Europe on October 5, 1999 being the second-to-last video game released for the original Game Boy in Europe with ''Pokemon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition'' being the last.


''Pokémon Yellow''

Two years after ''Red'' and ''Green'', Nintendo released ''Pokémon Yellow'', an enhanced version of ''Red'' and ''Blue'', in Japan in 1998, and in North America and Europe in 1999 and 2000. The game was designed to resemble the ''Pokémon'' anime series, with the player receiving a
Pikachu Pikachu (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', it was created by Atsuko N ...
as their starter Pokémon and their rival starting with an
Eevee Eevee (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Created by Satoshi Tajiri and designed by Motofumi Fujiwara, it first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. It later appeared in a vari ...
. Some non-player characters resemble those from the anime, including
Team Rocket is a fictional crime syndicate in the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Team Rocket is a primary antagonist in the original ''Pokémon'' video games ''Red'', ''Green'', and ''Blue'', as well as in the long-running ''Pokémon'' anime TV-series. In the ...
's Jessie and James. ''Pokémon Yellow'' changes and enhances several aspects of the original games. Pikachu is provided as the player's only starter Pokémon and has a voice and a personality unique from other Pokémon. It follows the player on the overworld, and the player can speak to it. Pikachu can grow to love or hate the player based on their actions; leveling up will keep Pikachu happy, while fainting frequently will make it unhappy. This feature was used again in ''Pokémon HeartGold'' and ''SoulSilver'', the
remakes A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
of ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'', and ''Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!'' and ''Let's Go, Eevee!'', the remakes of ''Pokémon Yellow''. ''Yellow'' includes a "Pikachu's Beach" minigame that is only accessible to players who either won a Nintendo contest or complete a challenge in another game, ''
Pokémon Stadium ''Pokémon Stadium'' is a 1999 strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The gameplay revolves around a 3D turn-based battling system using the 151 Pokémon from the Game Boy games ''Pokémon Red'', ''Blu ...
'', and exchange data between the games using the
Transfer Pak The Transfer Pak is an accessory for the Nintendo 64 (N64) controller. It features a cartridge slot compatible with Game Boy or Game Boy Color (GBC) games. When plugged into the controller's expansion port, it allows for the transfer of data bet ...
. ''Yellow'' has slightly improved graphics and can print Pokédex entries onto stickers using the
Game Boy Printer The Game Boy Printer, known as the in Japan, is a thermal printer accessory released by Nintendo in 1998 which ceased production in early 2003. The Game Boy Printer is compatible with all the Game Boy systems except the Game Boy Micro and is d ...
. ''Pokémon Yellow'' was developed by
Game Freak is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer and co-owners of the ''Pokémon (video game series), Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games. History Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' was a self- ...
and entered development after the completion of the Japanese version of ''Pokémon Blue''. Nintendo may have been considering a "Pokémon Pink" version of ''Yellow'', based on
source code leak An internet leak is the unauthorized release of information over the internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, a ...
ed from Nintendo. ''Pokémon Yellow''s release coincided with the release of '' Pokémon: The First Movie'' and was first announced as in Japan. Future Nintendo president
Satoru Iwata Satoru Iwata (; December6, 1959July11, 2015) was a Japanese businessman, video game programmer and producer. Beginning in 2002, he was the fourth president of Nintendo, as well as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Nintendo of America from ...
later said that people likely felt ''Yellow'' would be unnecessary due to the release of ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'' later that year. It was released in Japan on September 12, 1998, in Australia on September 3, 1999, in North America on October 19, 1999, and in Europe on June 16, 2000. A Pikachu-themed Game Boy Color bundle was released in North America in October 1999. To promote the release of ''Pokémon Yellow'',
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
and Nintendo created a yellow
Volkswagen New Beetle The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car introduced by Volkswagen in 1997, drawing heavy inspiration from the exterior design of the original Beetle. Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front, driving the front ...
with features inspired by Pikachu. ''Nintendo World Report'' listed ''Pokémon Yellow'' as one of the notable handheld releases in 1999.


Re-releases

On the 20th anniversary of the first generation ''Pokémon'' games' Japanese release, in February 2016, Nintendo re-released ''Red'', ''Blue'', and ''Yellow'' for their
Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on past ...
service. The games include a first for the Virtual Console: simulated Link Cable functionality to allow trading and battling between games. As was the case with its original release, ''Green'' is exclusive to Japanese consumers. These versions can transfer Pokémon to ''Pokémon Sun'' and ''Moon'' via the '' Pokémon Bank'' application. A special
Nintendo 2DS The Nintendo 2DS is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in August 2013, the device was released in North America, Europe and Australia on October 12, 2013. The Nintendo 2DS is an entry-level version of the Nintendo 3DS which ...
bundle was released in Japan, Europe, and Australia on February 27, 2016, with each console matching the corresponding color of the game version. North America received a special
New Nintendo 3DS The is a clamshell design dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo, originally released on October 11, 2014 in Japan and rolled out to all major global markets by September 25, 2015. It is the fourth system in the Nintendo 3DS fam ...
bundle with cover plates styled after ''Red'' and ''Blue''s box art. By March 31, 2016, combined sales of the re-releases reached 1.5 million copies, with more than half sold in North America.


Reception

The games received mostly positive reviews, holding an aggregate score of 88% on
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
. Special praise was given to its
multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
features: the ability to trade and battle Pokémon with one another. Craig Harris of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave the games a "masterful" 10 out of 10, noting that: "Even if you finish the quest, you still might not have all the Pokémon in the game. The challenge to catch 'em all is truly the game's biggest draw." He also commented on the popularity, especially among children, describing it as a "craze". ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s Peter Bartholow, who gave the games a "great" 8.8 out of 10, cited the graphics and audio as somewhat primitive but stated that these were the only drawbacks. He praised the replay value due to their customization and variety and commented upon their universal appeal: "Under its cuddly exterior, ''Pokémon'' is a serious and unique RPG with lots of depth and excellent multiplayer extensions. As an RPG, the game is accessible enough for newcomers to the genre to enjoy, but it will entertain hard-core fans as well. It's easily one of the best Game Boy games to date". The success of these games has been attributed to their innovative gaming experience rather than audiovisual effects. Papers published until 1999 by the
Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and one of ...
indicate both American and Japanese children prefer the actual gameplay of a game over special audio or visual effects. In ''Pokémon'' games, the lack of these artificial effects has actually been said to promote the child's imagination and creativity. "With all the talk of
game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games which generally includes relevant libraries and support programs such as a level editor. The "engine" terminology is akin to the term " software engine" u ...
s and
texture mapping Texture mapping is a term used in computer graphics to describe how 2D images are projected onto 3D models. The most common variant is the UV unwrap, which can be described as an inverse paper cutout, where the surfaces of a 3D model are cut ap ...
and so on, there is something refreshing about this superlative gameplay which makes you ignore the cutesy 8-bit graphics" commented ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. During the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
'
2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 2nd edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry within the last nine months of 1998 and the first three mon ...
, ''Pokémon Red and Blue'' won the award for " Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development", along with receiving nominations for "Console Game of the Year", " Console Role-Playing Game of the Year", and " Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design".


''Pokémon Yellow''

''Pokémon Yellow'' has been well received by critics, holding an aggregate score of 85% from
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
as their fifth highest-rated Game Boy game of all time. The ''
Sarasota Herald-Tribune The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, United States, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''. History The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by ...
'' recommended ''Yellow'' as a good game for children. RPGFan called it "so revoltingly addictive that any player of it has no choice but to 'catch 'em all'". They also called ''Yellow'' "insulting" in how limited the additions from ''Red'' and ''Blue'' were. Giving the game a perfect score, ''IGN''s Craig Harris praised the mechanics, commenting that ''Yellow'' was the best game of the three to start with. ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s Cameron Davis called it a "stopgap" to appease players until the release of ''Gold'' and ''Silver'', commenting that "the new challenges are enough to fill the hole – but only just". ''
GameDaily GameDaily (GD) was a video game journalism website based in the United States. It was launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads. The site changed its business model from a flat fee ...
''s Chris Buffa listed it as one of the best ''Pokémon'' games, commenting that while it was a rehash, there was enough that was new to warrant playing. ''
Allgame RhythmOne , a subsidiary of Nexxen, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went public on the Alternative Investment Market, ...
''s Brad Cook commented that for those who did not play ''Red'' and ''Blue'', ''Yellow'' was good; but otherwise, he advised that they wait until ''Gold'' and ''Silver''. ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
''s Steve Boxer commented that while it had good gameplay mechanics, it was held back by the lack of features. He described Nintendo's actions as avaricious, commenting that ''Yellow'' "marks the point where Pokémon ceases to become a game and becomes a marketing exercise/obsession-satisfier". ''Pokémon Yellow'' received two nominations, "
Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given to a video game by various award events and media publications that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...
" and "Console Game of the Year", during the
3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 3rd edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry within the last nine months of 1999 and the first two month ...
.


Sales

''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' set the precedent for what has become a blockbuster, multibillion-dollar franchise. In Japan ''Red'', ''Green'', and ''Blue'' sold 1.04 million units combined during 1996, and another 3.65 million in 1997. The latter performance made ''Pokémon'', collectively, the country's best-selling game of the year, surpassing ''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation. The seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released in Japan by Square and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first ...
''. By 1997, about units had been sold in Japan. In 1998, ''Red'', ''Green'' and ''Blue'' sold 1,739,391 units in Japan. By 1998, units had been sold in Japan. ''Pokémon Red'', ''Green'' and ''Blue'' ultimately sold 10.23 million copies in Japan, and until November 2022, was the country's best-selling video games. The video games were accompanied by the
Pokémon Trading Card Game The , abbreviated as ''PTCG'' or ''Pokémon TCG'', is a tabletop and collectible card game developed by Creatures Inc. based on the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Originally published in Japan by Media Factory in 1996, publishing worldwide is curre ...
; both the video games and card game grossed combined sales revenue of more than in Japan, . In the United States, it became the fastest-selling Game Boy game, having sold 200,000 copies within two weeks and units by the end of 1998. It went on to become the best-selling video game of 1999 in the United States, where copies were sold that year. By 2007, it had total combined sales of 9.85 million in the United States. In Europe, the games had grossed € or in 1999. In France, over copies were sold within a year. In Germany, they became the first video games to receive two Special Prize awards from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) for sales above copies by early 2001. In the United Kingdom, ''Red'' and ''Blue'' received two Platinum awards for sales above 600,000 copies. Worldwide sales reached over 31 million copies sold. It was "the most successful computer game of all time" according to Joseph Tobin in 2004. In 2009, ''IGN'' referred to ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' as the " Best-selling RPG on the Game Boy" and " Best-selling RPG of all time", while in 2017, ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
'' declared the games the "Best-selling videogame (excluding bundle sales)."


''Pokémon Yellow''

In Japan, the game sold 1,549,000 units in 1998, making it the third-best-selling video game of 1998 in Japan. Before its release in North America, Nintendo anticipated that it would make them $75 million in the 1999 holiday season. The ''Pokémon Yellow''
Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...
bundle was predicted to be the second-most popular toy of the holiday season. In North America the game received roughly 150,000
pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
s. The bundle debuted at #2 in video game sales and claimed the #1 spot a week later. The standard cartridge sold over 600,000 units in its first week and one million copies within ten days, becoming the fastest-selling handheld game of all time when it was released. '' Pokémon: The First Movie'', a film released around the same time as ''Yellow'', was expected to give it a sales boost. A Nintendo spokesman attributed the high demand for the
Game Boy Color The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...
during the Christmas season of 1999 to ''Yellow''. For the month of December, ''Donkey Kong 64'' led ''Pokémon Yellow'' and ''
Gran Turismo 2 ''Gran Turismo 2'' is a 1999 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to '' Gran Turismo'', the second installment of the '' Gran Turismo'' series, a ...
'' on the monthly chart. Gwenn Friss of the ''
Cape Cod Times The ''Cape Cod Times'' is a broadsheet daily newspaper serving Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, which encompasses 15 towns on Cape Cod with a year-round population of about 230,000 and a circulation of about 20,000. It is owned ...
'' called it one of the hottest items of the 1999 Christmas season, comparing it to popular Christmas toys from previous years such as
Furby Furby is an American electronic robotic toy by Tiger Electronics. Originally released in 1998, it resembles a hamster or owl-like creature and went through a period of being a " must-have" toy following its holiday season launch. Over 40 mill ...
and
Tickle me Elmo Tickle Me Elmo is a children's plush toy from Tyco Preschool, a division of Tyco Toys, of the Muppet character Elmo from the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. When squeezed, Elmo recites his trademark giggle. When squeezed three ti ...
. Thomas Content of ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' reiterated the comparison, commenting that it was "poised to stomp" them. He added that it, along with ''Red'' and ''Blue'', were responsible for the boost of Game Boy sales from 3.5 million in 1998 to 8 million in 1999. ''
The Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynold ...
'' called it the "hottest new title for the Game Boy Color". ''Yellow'' was the third best-selling video game in North America in 1999, with the other four top spots occupied by other ''Pokémon'' games. The demand for ''Yellow'' resulted in
Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...
to issue an apology for not being able to meet the "unprecedented demand". CNET-surveyed stores sold out of ''Yellow''. A spokesperson for
FuncoLand FuncoLand was an American video game retailer based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, that specialized in selling new and used video game software. It is considered the first major video game retailer to allow consumers to sell and trade used video gam ...
attributed a drop in sales to shortages of both the Game Boy Color and ''Pokémon Yellow''. For its European launch, units were shipped across the continent during June 2000, including 500,000 in the United Kingdom. ''Yellow'' became the fastest-selling ''Pokémon'' games in the United Kingdom, where it received a Double Platinum award from
ELSPA The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) is a non-profit trade association for the video game industry in the United Kingdom (UK). Ukie was founded in 1989 as the European Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), then chang ...
for more than 600,000 sales and grossed more than or . In Germany, ''Yellow'' received a Double Platinum award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) for sales above 400,000 copies by early 2001.


Legacy

The video game website ''
1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conte ...
'' composed a list of the "Top 5 'Late to the Party' Games" showing selected games that "prove a gaming platform's untapped potential" and were one of the last games released for their respective
console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...
. ''Red'' and ''Blue'' were ranked first and called
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
's "secret weapon" when they were released for the Game Boy in the late 1990s. The success revitalized the Game Boy in the late 1990s. ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...
'' listed the ''Red'' and ''Blue'' versions together as the third best video game for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, stating that something kept them playing until they caught every Pokémon. ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
''s Ben Reeves called them (along with ''Pokémon Yellow'', ''Gold'', ''Silver'', and ''Crystal'') the second best Game Boy games and stated that it had more depth than it appeared. ''
Official Nintendo Magazine ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British Video game journalism, video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally p ...
'' named them one of the best Nintendo games of all time, placing 52nd on their list of the top 100 games. ''Red'' and ''Blue'' made number 72 on ''IGN''s "Top 100 Games of All Time" in 2003, in which the reviewers noted that the pair of games "started a revolution" and praised the deep game design and complex strategy, as well the option to trade between other games. Two years later, it climbed to number 70 in the updated list, with the games' legacy again noted to have inspired multiple video game sequels, movies, television shows, and other merchandise, strongly rooting it in
popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art
f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...
or mass art, sometimes contraste ...
. In 2019,
PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and continues . Overview ''PC Mag ...
included the games on their "The 10 Best Game Boy Games". In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their "Best JRPGs of All Time" list. In 2007, ''Red'' and ''Blue'' were ranked at number 37 on the list, and the reviewers remarked on their longevity: The games are widely credited with starting and helping pave the way for the successful multibillion-dollar series. Five years after ''Red'' and ''Blues initial release, Nintendo celebrated its "Pokémonniversary". George Harrison, the senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications of Nintendo of America, stated that "those precious gems 'Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''have evolved into ''Ruby'' and ''Sapphire''. The release of '' Pokémon Pinball'' kicks off a line of great new Pokémon adventures that will be introduced in the coming months". The series has since sold over 300 million games, all accredited to the enormous success of the original ''Red'' and ''Blue'' versions. On February 12, 2014, an anonymous Australian programmer launched Twitch Plays ''Pokémon'', a "social experiment" on the video streaming website
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
. The project was a
crowdsourced Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digit ...
attempt to play a modified version of ''Pokémon Red'' by typing commands into the channel's chat log, with an average of 50,000 viewers participating at the same time. The result was compared to "watching a
car crash A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...
in slow motion". The game was completed on March 1, 2014, boasting 390 hours of multi-user controlled non-stop gameplay. In 2017,
The Strong National Museum of Play The Strong National Museum of Play (also known as just The Strong Museum or simply the Strong) is part of The Strong in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1969 and initially based on the personal collection of Rochester native Ma ...
inducted ''Pokémon Red and Green'' to its
World Video Game Hall of Fame The World Video Game Hall of Fame is an international hall of fame for video games. The hall's administration is overseen by The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games, and is located at The Strong National Mus ...
. In October 2021, the
Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...
formed a partnership with
The Pokémon Company , simply known as Pokémon is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, which consists of video games, a trading card game, anime television series, f ...
to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ''Pokémon Red and Blue'' and (professional sumo referee) were seen wearing Poké Ball-themed kimono during the January 2022
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
.


Remakes

and are
enhanced remake A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software sh ...
s of ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. The new games were developed by
Game Freak is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer and co-owners of the ''Pokémon (video game series), Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games. History Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' was a self- ...
and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and have compatibility with the
Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter The is a Wireless game adapter, wireless adapter video game accessory, accessory for the Game Boy Advance, released by Nintendo in 2004. It provides an alternative to the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable but is only supported by a small number ...
, which originally came bundled with the games. However, due to the new variables added to ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' (such as changing the single, "Special" stat into two separate "Special Attack" and "Special Defense" stats), these games are not compatible with older versions outside of the third generation of Pokémon. ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' were first released in Japan on January 29, 2004, and released in North America and Europe on September 9 and October 1, 2004 respectively. Nearly two years after their original release, Nintendo re-marketed them as ''
Player's Choice ''Nintendo Selects'' (and its predecessor; ''Player's Choice'') was a marketing label previously used by Nintendo to promote best-selling video games on Nintendo game consoles. ''Nintendo Selects'' titles were sold at a lower price point (usually ...
'' games. The games received critical acclaim, obtaining an aggregate score of 81 percent on
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. Most critics praised the fact that they introduced new features while still maintaining the traditional gameplay of the series. Reception of the graphics and audio was more mixed, with some reviewers complaining that they were too simplistic and not much of an improvement over the previous games, ''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire''. ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' were commercial successes, selling a total of around 12 million copies worldwide. and are enhanced remakes of ''Pokémon Yellow Version'', released in November 2018 for the
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
. They were aimed at newcomers to the ''Pokémon'' series, and incorporate mechanics from ''
Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game originally developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices. It uses mobile devic ...
''. The games take place in the Kanto region and include only the original 151 Pokémon from the first generation of ''Pokémon''. The ability for Pokémon to accompany the protagonist in the overworld returns, a feature last seen in ''Pokémon HeartGold'' and ''SoulSilver'' on the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
. However, whereas only one Pokémon could be chosen to follow the protagonist previously, they will additionally be accompanied by the starter Pikachu or Eevee in ''Let's Go, Pikachu!'' or ''Let's Go, Eevee!'', respectively. They have combined global sales of over 13 million copies.


Related games

A
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...
game, ''
Pokémon Stadium ''Pokémon Stadium'' is a 1999 strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The gameplay revolves around a 3D turn-based battling system using the 151 Pokémon from the Game Boy games ''Pokémon Red'', ''Blu ...
'', was released by Nintendo in 1999. It revolves around a 3D turn-based battle system with the 151 Pokémon featured in ''Red, Blue, and Yellow''.


Notes


References


External links

* (US) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pokemon Red and Blue 1996 video games Game Boy games Game Freak games Games with Transfer Pak support Japanese role-playing video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Red and Blue Role-playing video games Video games about genetic engineering Video games developed in Japan Video games set in Japan Video games set on fictional islands Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS Virtual pet video games Video games scored by Junichi Masuda Video games produced by Shigeru Miyamoto World Video Game Hall of Fame BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award for Best Games winners Video games directed by Satoshi Tajiri Video games designed by Satoshi Tajiri Video games written by Satoshi Tajiri