Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition

Product description

Like its predecessors, it is a third-person, overhead perspective and consists of three basic screens: an overworld, in which the player navigates the main character; a side-view battle screen; and a menu interface, in which the player configures his or her Pokémon, items, or gameplay settings. The player can use his or her Pokémon to battle other Pokémon. When the player encounters a wild Pokémon or is challenged by a trainer, the screen switches to a turn-based battle screen that displays the engaged Pokémon. During battle, the player may select a maneuver for his or her Pokémon to fight using one of four moves, use an item, switch his or her active Pokémon, or attempt to flee. Pokémon have hit points (HP); when a Pokémon's HP is reduced to zero, it faints and can no longer battle until it is revived.

.co.uk Review

While it's basically the same game as the previously released Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition features enhancements that make it the best version yet. In all three versions, the player is on a quest to become the World's Greatest Pokémon Trainer, with exploration and Pokémon battles (think advanced paper-scissors-rock) factoring heavily into the gameplay. While the game world is the same in all three versions, the Pokémon you encounter vary from version to version; the underlying goal of collecting all 151 Pokémon can only be met by trading Pokémon via Link Cable with another player with a different Pokémon version. (Players can also battle against one another using the Link Cable setup.) Pokémon Yellow follows the TV cartoon series more closely than the other versions. Your first Pokémon in Yellow is Pikachu, and he travels alongside you as sed to inside a Pokéball (like most Pokémon). Pikachu's mood can be displayed virtual-pet style: keeping him happy is important, as his mood affects certain events in the game. In addition to the inclusion of other TV-show elements, like Team Rocket, new battle modes between players are available as well as a secret game called Pikachu's Beach.

If you haven't played any of the Pokémon games before, Pokémon Yellow is the best place to start. But while Pokémaniacs will go gaga over Yellow's new features, less enthusiastic veterans of Red and Blue may not find the extras to be quite so special. --Joe Hon

• Best version yet of the highly addictive Pokémon game.
• Pikachu's moods raise the game's cuteness bar to an all-new level.
• Features new battle modes between players.
• Includes Pikachu's Beach secret game.