Pokémon is a role playing game (RPG). You play a boy trainer named Ash. The world in this game is inhabited by Pokémon. That means Pocket Monsters in Japanese.

The pokémon are used for all battles in this game, and the player may collect up to 151 different kinds(There's 1 secret one called Mew who I have no clue how to acquire without cheating) of the Pokémon. In fact, one of the goals of the game is to collect them all (the game makes good use of the game boys linking capabilities) Now, that the basic concept of the game is down, there is much more we can go into detail about. First of all, as mentioned above, there are the pokémon. Many of them can be caught, but others can only be received during special events. (Where usually you have a choice between two different pokémon. And therefore must trade for the other one.) When the pokémon gain a certain level or are given a special item, they evolve, which means they change into a completely different pokémon. Some of the pokémon can only be received in this fashion. Also, there are rare Pokémon that can only be caught once. If that wasn't enough to make it hard to catch them all, (at the moment) the game comes in two versions: Blue and Red. Each has 11 unique Pokémon that can only be caught in that version. This means you'll have to get out your game link and trade those pokémon! And there are also some minute changes as to where pokémon in each version, and the quantity of them. One such example is that there are more Noriodan females in the blue version than males and vice versa in the other game. With all this, catching all of the pokémon is quite a chore.

However, this game is an RPG. So how is the RPG itself ? Well.. It took me about 40 hours to beat this game, however one could easily beat it in 30. The flow of the game generally works out that the player goes to each town's gym so you can battle the gym leader for a badge. There are 8 such badges and then you can go to the Pokémon league and fight the elite four. Along the way you'll encounter other trainers that want to battle, wild Pokémon and your rival, Gary, who appears frequently throughout the game. There are a decent about of subplots to side track you (But rather small), and then of course you need to take time to catch Pokémon to give yourself a better chance of winning. Do not expect a mind blowing story. The main plot line is Ash striving to be a trainer, with Gary always one step ahead of you. One side plot is the infamous team rocket, who treat Pokémon badly in their attempts to take over the world. There are a few puzzles that might stump you. These are the kinds of puzzles where you'll hit yourself when you find the answer.

First off - There is no just attack as in most other RPG's. In fact the battle system setup is rather different than most RPG's, because it's based on abilities the pokémon have. They can have up to 4 at a time, which they learn as they go up in level. Some examples are scratch, ember, lightningshock, agility, rest, etc. The abilities cover a wide range of attacks.(And what would be considered in most RPG's as magic) It should also be noted that each ability has a number of power points (PP) and when they run out, you can't use that ability anymore unless you replenish them with an item or by going to a pokémon center. There are also items to teach abilities, namely TM's and HM's. Each of the pokémon develops differently and also has a type. Thereare fire, water, ice, grass, rock, ground, normal, and ghost to name a few. The battles are like a large scale of paper-rock-scissors. For example, Water hurts fire, but fire doesn't hurt water, but fire hurts grass and bugs. This means that no pokémon is the ultimate one, they all have an Achilles heel. And since all the Pokémon can have different combinations of moves, you can't always be sure what to expect. Who knows when that cute little electric Pikachu might whip out a bone-crunching, jaw-breaking seismic toss of the heavy hitting fighters. As for the pokémon themselves, their pictures are different, unique, and each one has something special about it that the game will tell you about. But don't expect any animation from the pokémon in battle. (However there is animation that doesn't involve the pokémon's pictures, such as sword slashes, gusts of wind, and lightning.) They just move up, down, left, right, etc.. This is largely because it'd be hard to do a different picture of these pokémon doing all their possible abilities. And what do you do with you butt-whooping pokémon? You battle against your friends using the link cable! This gives the game a lot of added enjoyment.

After all is said in done is it fun? Well, that depends if you like the idea of collecting these Pokémon. People who like trading cards and such (like me) will love it. People who like competition with their friends will love it. People who like RPG's will like it. But serious RPGers might be disappointed at the lack of story. Although this is an RPG it doesn't fit in with most other RPG's because the main focus is on collecting, training, then showing off pokémon. The game can be a little slow paced at times and battles can be a bit slower than some would wish, however it makes you pay attention more. The music is great for a gameboy game and so are the graphics. As for originality, this is the one that started the monster training collecting rash of games. (EX: Monster Rancher, Digimon) Also, since the game continues on after you finish it (which adds your winning pokémon to a hall of fame as well as opening some place to hunt pokémon that's a trainer's dream), it will take you a while to get bored of it. (I would also like to add that a number of glitches have been discovered in the game. However most of these are the kind where one can capitalize on it to help catch the pokémon easier.)

When you get it, try very hard to find people who play this game also. You'll probably find a couple in Anime (Japanese Animation) groups, and you can most likely get a friend or two to buy it. Also, if you like this, there is a Green version in Japan (however it flopped), a Pikachu version (called yellow sometimes) which is actually different with improved art that is more like the show. There is also a Pokémon 2 in Japan (gold and Silver version) and a Pocket Pikachu virtual pet (which from what I've read by some people who own one is very, very, very good as virtual pets go.) If you like Pokémon, you should know there is also a television show on now, and soon to be a collectible card game released in the US by the Wizards of the West coast, makers of Magic: The Gathering (The Pokémon game will not, however, be like Magic with a Pokémon theme. But will focus on something more like the game's battles.) Also look for Pokémon merchandise such as Pokémon toys and other items.

Your lovely reviewer (And hopefully will write more reviews if you like this) -Ruby