Red and Blue Review
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This review is about the very first Pokémon games in the United States; Red and Blue. Keep in mind that this is all my opinion, and you are free to agree or disagree. ^^
Graphics
The graphics in Red and Blue are very basic and bland. There is detail, but not much, and they are a very low quality. The graphics get the job done, but they're far from amazingly beautiful. The Pokémon and trainer sprites aren't good at all, with very awkward shapes and weird shading.
However, since the games were done in black and white, if you're playing them on a Gameboy Color or Advanced, you can give the colors a different tint by pressing one of the arrow keys combined with A or B at the Gameboy title screen. This is a feature I like.
Music and Sound
The music in Red and Blue has a lot of short, quick notes, making it sound upbeat and happy. There's really only one or two parts to the music, which unfortunately doesn't give it a lot of depth and richness. Despite this, I like the music, though it's not the best and some songs can be annoying.
As far as sound effects go, the Pokémon cries are very original and interesting to hear and recognize, but most of the other sound effects are harsh and annoying.
Gameplay
Red and Blue's gameplay is, for the most part, excellent. The battle system is wonderful, as it still is in the newer games. However, in the field and menus, there are a few inconveniences that make the game a little less enjoyable. For example, you can't just press A by surfable water to Surf; you have to open up the Pokémon menu and select the Pokémon and ability you want to use. Navigating through menus isn't very flexible, as you can't flip back and forth between pages very easily. The item bag clumps all items of every kind into the same pocket, making things harder to find. Overall, the gameplay is very nice, except for a few flexibility issues.
Plot
There really isn't much of a plot in the Pokémon games, which is what makes them so amazingly flexible. There's plenty of places to explore in Red and Blue, and you can always collect and raise Pokémon, but once you've beaten the Elite Four, you've pretty much explored everything there is to explore. Sure, the Cerulean Cave is accessible once you defeat the Elite Four, but it's only one place, and chances are you won't go back to it after you've been there to capture Mewtwo. But still, raising Pokémon and collecting gym badges is excellent on its own.
Glitches and Easter Eggs
There really aren't any Easter eggs in this game, except for the truck that's sitting near the SS Anne. (And no, there isn't a Mew under it, sorry. =P) The lack of Easter eggs is disappointing, but the glitches make up for it.
There are tons of glitches in this game. Perhaps the most well known, Missingno. and the other bizarre Pokémon in that single strip of water alongside Cinnibar Island are endlessly fascinating. They can mess your game up, but that makes it all the more exciting to me. There's also the ever-changing Glitch City, which can provide hours of fun. And of course, there is the Mew Glitch, which with some experimentation can provide more Pokémon than just Mew. Personally, I love all the glitches in this game.
Recommendation
If you're not a big fan of exploring glitches, these games really aren't worth your money anymore. You would probably be better off buying a newer game, with improved graphics and sound, more places to go and more things to do.
However, if you are a glitch hunter, go for it. Look around Ebay and used game stores for them- they're not expensive anymore. I bought both Red and Blue off of Ebay for maybe 15 dollars including shipping. They might be harder to find now, but they're still out there, and if you're a fan of glitches, they're worth it.
