Full Review of Pokemon Red for GameBoy
Other Reviews for this game

Pokemon Red, what to say...
Well, I'll just run over a couple of bonus' and minus' that make the game a good one. Firstly, I just want to down the people who say Pokemon is rubbish or childish. This in itself is infantile, as you don't tend to see parents encourage the violence in most games. I don't mean Pokemon is violent, and to prove my point, most parents seem to think poking is a form of violence, so... Pokemon isn't just fighting either, for all who say it is. While the story does involve fighting, the argument is you don't actually kill anything, while things like Grand Theft Auto (although a good game) involves shooting people and stealing things. While GTA is fiction, it could also be copied. At least with Pokemon you can't then try and catch a Pokemon, and therefore, the fact it is fiction is stamped well onto the player.

Graphics

When speaking of the graphics, we must remember that these were the days when GBA was a mere illusion, not yet invented or made. You cannot achieve computer or playstation graphics with many handheld consoles. Therefore, you must think about the graphics in the year these games were released, and to my standards, it was pretty good. Just because Pokemon graphics were completely revamped later, it doesn't mean you compare those made in 2004/2005 on an improved console than those made in 19 whenever designed for simple graphics, but an indebth storyline.

Sound

Now this I'm not too sure of. The tunes themselves suited the game quite well, and obviously are easily remembered and liked. Look at how many times the Pokemon Center music was redone and used, In EVERY single game! I don't hear many people go: 'oh, it's that ruddy music again'. Besides, you can always turn the volume off if it annoys you, you aren't forced to listen to it.

Gameplay

I find the gameplay very good, although slightly too slow (which explains the nine instead of ten). The battles are good, and the fact every Pokemon is limited to a certain area. You cannot find Spearows EVERYWHERE, while they are common nonetheless. The fact you need to obtain and aquire items to continue makes gameplay interesting and occaisionally challenging. While the later versions are better, or simply more improved, nothing beats the feeling of playing Pokemon for the first time, unless your starving and are about to be fed lunch.

Lastability

The storyline is a let down after a while. You get to play the game and beat the elite four in less than an hour, and even then you've beaten everybody else. What's left to do but catch and trade a few Pokemon? No, I just wish it was a longer game, or you could then get extras after the elite four, much like silver, gold and crystal, where you have to visit kanto to beat the elite four, and then you can go to silver cave!

Overall

Overall, the game is good to play, has mildly good graphics and the sound is liveable. The other games get bigger and better, yet we must remember:
The mistakes made in Red, Blue and Yellow were corrected and the later games improved to make Pokemon even better. I've got every game (except emerald) and therefore, feel that my statement is true. However, the first Pokemon games weren't a big letdown, and I seem to keep going back to playing them, which is a sure sign that the games are good.