Like most everything else in my life, I was very late for the Pokemon party. I was "invited to the party" by the release of Gameboy Advance which renewed my childhood addiction to Gameboy and Gameboy's expansive library of games.

The first game I bought for my GA was Pokemon Gold. For those of you unfamiliar with Pokemon, let me fill you in. First, you play a little boy (A junior Pokemon trainer) who lives in a world inhabited by these fascinating creatures called Pokemon (short for Pocket Monsters). Each Pokemon has their own qualities and traits (i.e. A Pikachu is an Electric Pokemon who resembles a mouse and has the ability to shock other Pokemon in battle)which they use to battle other Pokemon. In this world people and Pokemon live together. Some people collect Pokemon as pets, others use them to battle, earn money, and build their Pokemon's experience points (which they earn when they win battles. The more experience points your Pokemon have, the harder they are to beat). Your character's goal is multi-fold: you want to collect as many Pokemon as you can (using an object called a PokeBall)so that you can add their information and qualities to something called a PokeDex , and you want to become a PokeMaster which is done by going to different town gyms (places where the strongest Pokemon trainers in that town battle passersby)and collecting badges which allow you to battle at other town gyms. Obviously you want to have your Pokemon as strong as possible when you visit these gyms, so you can beat the gym master and earn the badge. Along your journey you encounter many wild Pokemon who you can either run away from, battle and beat to win experience points, or capture so you can train them yourself. You also encounter many people in towns who will either help you or want to battle. When you battle other people, your Pokemon will earn experience points and you will earn money that you can use to buy objects like Potion (which helps sustain your Pokemon's life in battle), Pokeballs,TMs and HMs (things that will advance your Pokemon without having to battle), and other objects that will affect game play.

I, myself, had heard so much about Pokemon and decided that for a cartoony-game lover like myself, I had to give it a whirl. Sixty pulse-racing, hair-tearing hours (combined game play -- not consecutively -- I do have a life) later, I finally "beat" the game by becoming a PokeMaster, and was thirsty to go on a new Pokemon adventure.

Enter Pokemon Yellow. After reading several Epinions reviews on this game, I decided to fork the 18 bucks over. After all, having Pikachu by my side all the time (instead of carrying him in his Pokeball as I did in Pokemon Gold) sounded much more interesting. And the fact that I read that this game played more like the cartoon show, appealed to me as well.

I should have kept the 18 bucks.

First of all, having cut my teeth on Pokemon Gold, the graphics in Yellow were so disappointing. Not that Pokemon Gold has bowl-you-over graphics to begin with, but the character definition in Gold blows away the mealy lines in Yellow. The Pokemon in Yellow don't even look cute! They just look like blobs of color plopped on the screen in some semblance of a creature. Not to mention the color difference! Now granted I am playing this older game on a Gameboy Advance which boasts its color pixelation, but still! The towns in Yellow are differentiated by different shades of the same color...so one area is all one color (houses, bushes -- all one color). At least in Gold, you have a yellow ground dotted with green bushes and the houses have roofs with colors in them.

As for sound, let's just say that in both Gold and Yellow, my cellphone can do more audio-wise.

Next gripe: The game interface.

With Pokemon Gold, I took for granted the fact that right below my Pokemon was a little gauge that showed me with a quick glance of the eye how close the Pokemon was to growing to the next level. In Yellow, I have to highlight the Pokemon, go to their Stats section, and then hit "B" to get to the second page of their stats and read how many points.

Also, in Gold, Ash comes equipped with a "pack" (which is a menu option) that puts your TMs and HMs on one page, your potions and antidotes and related items on another page and your pokeballs and related items on another page. It's all separated and very easy to access. In Yellow, the only menu option you have is marked "Item" and then all your items are put onto one page. It's frustrating and slows down game play.

Another factor I took for granted in Gold was that when I won a battle and some money, a portion of the money could (it's your option) go to my mother who would save it up for me (like a bank). It really bothers me to not have that in Yellow. It's not as though in Gold you accrue interest by handing it over to your mother, it's more like having a savings account which definitely comes in handy when your down to your last $150 and are desperate for some cash.

Plus, in Gold you have a clock and a day-minder. You know what time of day it is and what day of the week it is. This makes the game much more interesting because different things happen and different Pokemon appear at different times and on different days. It adds more mystery to the game. In Yellow, there's a timer which tells you how much time has elapsed....yawn.

Even the menu where you enter your name or your Pokemon's nickname is more complicated in Yellow than it is in Gold. In Yellow, I still haven't figured out how to delete a letter...

And I must take issue with the fact that in the beginning of the game, I am forced by Professor Oak (your guide and mentor who gives you advice throughout the game. Like Yoda to Luke Skywalker) to take this Pikachu. You see, in the beginning of every other Pokemon game, you are given a choice by Professor Oak to choose from three pokeballs. Yes, I understand that the game is "Pokemon Yellow: the Pikachu version" but I I would just like to at least have the choices, instead of being forced.

When I played Gold, I noticed that when I accessed the PokeDex, it gave me the options of scrolling through using the Old PokeDex mode, the New PokeDex mode, or A through Z. I always wondered what the Old PokeDex mode was, and then I found out when I played Yellow. The Old mode forces you to search using Pokemon's ID numbers. Which, of course, is one big pain in the Pikachu.

What do I like about Yellow?

The game play for Yellow (even though hindered by my gripes about interface) still has the same premise that made me so addicted to Gold. The battles are just as fierce, the mysteries are still as intriguing, and the Pokemon are still enigmas wrapped in riddles. Even after beating Gold and Yellow, I still played the game trying to find new Pokemon. This is why even though I was frustrated with the games interface, I still gave this game four stars.I mean, how many games do you know that you can still play after "beating" the game? It's an extremely involved, detailed, yet still fun and silly, role-playing game.

I think what makes people so addicted to this game is that there are so many plots and sub-plots to keep gamers occupied for hours. Not only do you want to beat all of the gym leaders, but you find yourself wanting to hunt and find as many different Pokemon as possible by exploring every nook and cranny of every town you travel to. The game creators also threw in the element of good versus evil because each Pokemon game has an indivdiual who, in the beginning of the game steals one of Professor Oak's pokemon and becomes your arch rival who will show up randomly in game play and want to battle you. You, being the good, find yourself wanting to vindicate your mentor, Professor Oak, and consistently beat your arch rival who obviously represents evil.

I also like that in Yellow you get to square off against Team Rocket's Jesse and James who are the bad guys on the cartoon show. It makes me feel like I'm in the television program. Whereas, in Gold, you meet and battle Team Rocket, but not specifically, Jesse and James.

I also like having Pikachu walk beside me.In every other Pokemon game, you don't actually see your Pokemon until you take them out to battle. In Yellow, you always see Pikachu walking at your side. At first that was annoying, but it's nice and doesn't make me feel as intimidated when I explore virgin territory --sounds silly, but it's true. Plus, being able to ask Pikachu how he's doing and get a reaction from him, adds a different -- if only momentarily amusing-- dimension to the game.

And, of course, as I mentioned above, I love the game itself. Despite the fact that it's, in my mind, antiquated in its interface compared to Gold, Yellow still possesses the same goal and object of all the Pokemon games: to become a Pokemon master and to collect all Pokemon. And if that mere premise was enough to make me devote 60 hours of my life to it, then you have to believe it's at least worth taking a look at.

So if you haven't yet tried any of the Pokemon games, cut your teeth on Yellow. It's the same addictive game, and will make you appreciate all of the conveniences that Gold grants you once you try it.

But if you're like me, and started on Gold or Silver...don't look back. Party onward to Crystal!








Recommended: Yes