Pokemon Yellow

My kids (along with too many others!) put Pokemon Yellow at the top of their holiday wish list this year. Last year it was Pokemon Red and Blue, and the children were totally engaged by the games for several months. We went to great lengths to acquire Pokemon Yellow for them (it was sold out in local stores), and were disappointed with the result. They have been playing the game but only sporadically. It has just not had the same impact as the previous two.

This should not have surprised us, if we had read reviews of the game. It is set in the same world and is very similar to the Red and Blue versions. You play as Ash, but can assign different names to the character. In Red or Blue, Professor Oak assigns the first Pokemon, which can be Charmander, Bulbosaur or Squirtle. In Pokemon Yellow, you start with Pikachu, just as in the TV show. Apparently, Jesse and James from Team Rocket show up in the Yellow version, and it also has 2 additional secret creatures - but my kids have not bumped into them yet.

Set off on an adventure to places like Cerulean City and Cinnabar Island - battle with other trainers, and catch wild Pokemon. The objective is to collect all 150 Pokemon, to beat the elite 4 trainers and become the very best! Catch a wild Pokemon by weakening it in battle with your own. Then throw a Pokeball to catch it. A rival trainer called Gary competes with you, as in Red and Blue. He has a Pokemon called Eevee in Pokemon Yellow.

This version is different in that it uses color and has better animation. The wild Pokemon also hide in different spots than they did in Blue and Red, so they can't be found by searching in their previous locations. I asked the kids what they especially liked in Pokemon Yellow. They enjoy Pikachu's companionship. He follows the Ash character in the game, and shows emotions - happy when Ash is winning and sad when he loses. This Tamagotchi-like feature, along with the color and animation, is the main advantage over the two previous versions.

You can keep playing even after succeeding at the goals of the game. It can be played on a single Gameboy and they can also be linked for trades and battles. If you own a Game Boy Printer, there is a capability to print Pokemon stickers as well. This is a fun game, if not a very innovative one. Though it disappointed parental expectations, the kids do enjoy it and are still very enthusiastic about acquiring the Silver and Gold versions when they are released!