Cute doesn't always mean babyish, does it?

Mmhmm.
We all know what Pokemon is.
Love 'em or hate 'em, you have to admit that the popularity of Pokemon is staggering. Rightly so? Are they over-rated? Can one simple idea of catching monsters-which has been used in games from the past, such as Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals-generate so much interest fairly? I say.. heck yeah!

I could sit here and type for hours about Pokemon-the TV show, the video game, the comic books, the countless toys, the internet clubs and MUSHes, the food, the movies, and most importantly, the Pokemon themselves. This review is focused mainly around the object that started the entire Pokerevolution-the video game.

The game started out with two version-Blue and Red. What differenciated one from the other was the Pokemon found in each. Most of the Pokemon could be caught in Blue and Red, but a few were only in one or the other. For example, one could only catch Growlithe or Scyther in Red, and one could only get Sandshrew or Vulpix in Blue. Eventually, the idea for a new Pokemon game, a near-copy of Red and Blue, but with new animations and a thousand new gimmicks, came into play, using the world's most popular Pokemon, the intolerably cute Pikachu.

So, what makes this game so special, anyway? All it is, is an exact copy of Red and Blue with a few subtle changes, right? Not at all. Read on.

First of all, the cute little original story. Pokemon are like the animals of "Pokemon Island". Many are wild, but some are also trained for battling, or for other needs. A family may treat the Pokemon as a pet, or for work, but most trainers seem to love to battle the Pokemon against each other. Each Pokemon has it's own special personality, defenses, weaknesses, and attacks. You are Ash, a child from Pallet Town (oh yeah, and all the towns are color related-Pallet, Viridian, Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion, Lavender, Saffron, Celadon, Fuschia, Cinnabar, and Indigo), ready to become the ultimate Pokemon Master-the best trainer of Pokemon in the entire world. You can become this by catching Pokemon and defeating the Elite Four-a group of four individiauls (Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance) with some pretty powerful Pokemon. Your rival, Gary, is also out to do this same task. Given a Pikachu by Professor Oak, and Gary receiving an Eevee, you are put to the ultimate test. Have fun. ^^

Throughout your adventure, you'll do a number of fun stuff. You'll climb a tower of Ghost Pokemon to save Mr. Fuji, you'll bust into a secret Team Rocket (the bad guys) Headquarters, and fight the 8 Gym Leaders around the world in your quest for badges, which allow you to fight the Elite Four. In Yellow only, you'll be able to prove yourself worthy to certain trainers and catch Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, which was impossible in the Red/Blue version without trading.

The Pokemon are the real highlights of the game. All of them are unique, and fun. Many are based on real life animals. Growlithe, for example, is this cute little fire dog Pokemon (he's my favorite!). Zubat is a bat-type Pokemon who can't see a thing. Horsea is a sea-horse type Pokemon. In fact, most of the Pokemon are based on real-life animals in one way or another. Whether you like cute, adorable Pokemon (Jigglypuff!) or tough, powerful Pokemon (Rhydon!), you're sure to find one for you.

There are 15 different 'types' of Pokemon in the game, as follows: Fire, Grass, Water, Ice, Electric, Flying, Normal, Fighting, Rock, Ground, Dragon, Ghost, Poison, Psychic, and Bug. Some are mixtures of the types-a Paras is part bug, part grass. A Pidgey is part normal, part flying. These different types have advantages over each other. A Fire Pokemon could do great against a Grass, Bug, or Ice type Pokemon, but a Ground, Water, or Rock type Pokemon would be able to conquer one rather easily.

How do the graphics go in this game? The Pokemon all look original, and pretty good, and the Attack animations are very impressive compared to most other game Boy RPG's. The overworld animations needed work, but they're cute and fine in their own ways. It's never too difficult to see where something is on the screen.

The music? Very catchy. Don't expect to buy some Pokemon Soundtrack based on the game or anything, but it's adorable music. It would've been better if the Bicycle didn't change the music, as I use the Bicycle all the time.

Overall, is this a good game to buy? I would say yes, yes, YES, especially if you didn't catch a glimpse of Red/Blue. If you already own Red or Blue, you might only want it if you're a die hard Pokemaniac. If you want a great game and didn't catch Pokemon the first time around? Have fun with Pokemon Yellow. Piika!