Pokémon Green
| Pokémon Green | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Game Freak |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Computer role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green were the first Pokémon games released for the Game Boy in Japan. Both are independent games and feature the same story, the only difference is in which wild Pokémon species are present in the game. While both games can be played independently, gamers must trade between the versions if they wish to collect all of the Pokémon.
In Japan, Pokémon was first released in Red and Green version while Red and Blue was released in the U.S. In Japan, Pokémon Blue was released after the original Red and Green. It contained Pokémon that could be found in places not originally in the Red and Green versions. An example is that Ditto is added to the Rock Tunnel and Lickitung could be caught in the wild. Also, the Unknown Dungeon was totally remade, which is used by the English Red and Blue versions.
Although it seems like Pokémon Green was never released outside of Japan, the English version of Pokémon Blue is based on the Japanese Pokémon Blue's engine and graphics, with the Japanese Pokémon Green's wild and trade Pokémon. Similarly for the English version of Pokémon Red: it was based on Japanese Pokémon Blue's engine and graphics, with the Japanese Pokémon Red's wild and trade Pokémon.
Gameplay
In Pokémon Red and Green, the player can choose Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle as their starter Pokémon from Professor Oak. After that choice, they cannot catch the other two starters or their evolutions in the wild or by trading with in-game NPCs, so, to complete the Pokédex, the player must trade with other players in the real world. The basic story is to become the best trainer in all of Kanto; this is done by raising Pokémon up, defeating gym leaders for badges, and eventually challenging the Elite Four, the greatest trainers in the land.
The player has a childhood rival, the grandson of Professor Oak. This character's default name is the color of the version owned. Also, the rival's default name is the opposite. If one plays Red, the Rival is Green (In the U.S, it will be Blue). In the first season anime, he is known as "Gary" in the U.S. He will repeatedly battle the player at certain points in the game to see if the player's team is good or not; being defeated is an indication for the player to level up his or her team. He will always choose a Pokémon with a type advantage over the Pokémon you chose.
Bugs and glitches
The Pokémon Red and Green versions have become notorious for having many bugs and glitches. The most well-known of these is the Glitch City trick. There is a form of Pokémon Cloning in Pokémon Red and Green, though it is error-prone and can result in the saved game being erased. There are also several less notable glitches, like standing on a bush, seeing a man on top of the Cinnabar gym (which is also in the US Blue and Red versions), opening up an invisible PC in Celadon City, and fishing on statues (again, also in the US Blue and Red versions). There might be more bugs and glitches in pokemon green, but there are sadly few know game hacker codes, like the Gameshark for instance, know for this perticullar game.
Link-up capabilities
These two games introduced the concept of trading Pokémon between cartridges via the Game Boy Link Cable. This had to be done in order to complete the game without cheating, since each of the two games held version-specific Pokémon which were unavailiable for catching in the other version.
The Link Cable also made it possible to battle another player's squad - this meant that experienced players could pit their Pokémon against equals, something they were unable to do in the game world without cheating.
As well as trading with each other, Pokémon Red and Green can trade Pokémon between the 2nd generation of Pokémon games (Gold, Silver and Crystal). However, there were some limitations; Pokémon introduced in the new games could not be traded to Red, Blue, or Yellow (including those of the new types Steel and Dark), nor could Pokémon with "illegal moves" (nonexistent moves) be traded. Also, the English versions of the games were not compatible with the their Japanese counterparts, and trades resulted in corruption of the Pokémon that were traded.
Much to the dismay of many fans, none of these games are compatible with the Pokémon games of the later 'Advanced Generation' for the GBA & Gamecube.