Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition
  • 18 Playing
  • 848 Backlogs
  • 125 Replays
  • 3.5% Retired
  • 81% Rating
  • 3K Beat
Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition Box Art

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Mordefire

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70%Emulated

65h Played
It's my 1st time playing a pokemon game from start to finish. Before that I did play a few pokemon clones (Temtem, Seralim).
This feels like a skeleton of the game. No unique landscapes rly, just grassland areas, caves, water. You tell apart towns by the overall color tones and signs. The item storage is small, its annoying how you have to switch the pokemon storage boxes overwise they quickly get full. Nidoking is pretty op and broken. I liked using pikachu too. I overall found this game pretty easy although I did hit the wall towards the end with elite 4, had to grind a bit more. Having exp all on was annoying, so much text to go through after each battle. The story? Felt like no story. It kind of mirrored the ash ketchum setting, had team rocket, gary. I still enjoyed my time with it, and I dont regret picking this game up.
Updated 6.5 Days Ago
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Olympic

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80%Game Boy Color

Now very outdated, but I had a lot of fun with this as a child. First game where a pokemon visibly walked with you.
Updated 1.5 Weeks Ago
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xandaum

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50%Game Boy

Mudaram o plot de Red e Blue para adicionar a história do Anime neste jogo. Não mudou nada.
Updated 1.5 Weeks Ago
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Ibuuyk

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80%Game Boy

19h 14m PlayedReplay
I remembered Kanto being very clunky and unbalanced compared to its Gen 3 remake, but it surprisingly still holds up very well (even the starter is endgame potential, which was probably the first and only time that's happened).. except for Dragon and Ghost types, they're just completely useless
Updated 4 Weeks Ago
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wnedgar

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60%Nintendo 3DS

22h 15m Played
Esse jogo envelheceu mal demais, mas é óbvio que para a época era um jogo absurdo. Eu joguei pelo virtual console, então é a versão original do GBC, sem nenhuma melhoria. Na época meu 3DS era bloqueado e eu não tinha dinheiro para outro Pokémon, foi meu segundo Pokémon jogado num portátil, após o Pokémon Sun.
Updated 1 Month Ago
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Funda

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80%Game Boy

33h 59m PlayedReplay
This year, after revisiting all three Gen 1 variations (Yellow on GB, FireRed on GBA, and Let's Go on Switch), I have decided that FireRed is likely the definitive version of Gen 1. While everything about the first generation of Pokemon on Game Boy was an instant classic and I will forever love the Gym Leader battle theme, Pokemon has changed for the better in many ways. The original, however, has many fun quirks that are enjoyable such as Psychic being an unchecked type and Special double dipping for both Sp. Defense and Sp. Attack making items like X Special very strong. I thoroughly enjoy the original Pokemon games and I had no qualms with wanting to replay Yellow. I doubt it is the last time I revisit these classics.
Updated 1.5 Months Ago
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AP30

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100%Nintendo 3DS

61h 29m Played
They really don’t make Pokémon games like this anymore!
Updated 1.5 Months Ago
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LudwigvanMozart

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70%Game Boy

19h 4m Played
Pokémon Yellow is a fantastic game, though it doesn't differ much from its generation counterparts, Red and Blue. Following the anime series, you start with Pikachu and can collect all the other starters during your journey. You also encounter Team Rocket periodically. Despite these differences, the core gameplay remains largely the same as in Red and Blue. Nevertheless, Pokémon Yellow is a classic, evoking nostalgia despite its age and numerous bugs - It's still enjoyable to play through.
Updated 1.5 Months Ago
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Obellos

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70%Emulated

amazing, but i know all the story cause previously playing Fire Red, maybe someday gonna play it again
Updated 2.5 Months Ago
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Suryansh9

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90%Game Boy Color

27h 35m Played
This is where the story started (Not mine, Pokemon's)

Played on my BittBoy PocketGo
Updated 4 Months Ago
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EchoEcho

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65%Emulated

18h 1m Played
Pokémon Yellow has the joyful simplicity of other Gen 1 games, with improved sprites and color usage. Its visuals are such a treat from Red which I played last month, and it's more challenging than the other Pokémon games of this generation. Gym leaders and the Elite Four have some semblance of an AI working against you, and they're also plainly stronger, making it more difficult to steamroll through without grinding. For the new challenge, visuals, and novelty of Pikachu following you around, I want to say this is a better experience than Red and Blue, but it has its own unique drawbacks. Jessie and James being shoehorned in for anime fans is sometimes fun, for example, but feels shoehorned in for anime fans. But the biggest gameplay change is Pikachu.

Pikachu is a damage sponge in this game, and for the first half and throughout the Elite Four he was fainting nonstop. I didn't want to store him in the PC and use a different Pokémon, as it would feel antithetical to playing this in the first place, so part of the challenge of this game comes from handicapping yourself with a weaker team. It isn't the most enjoyable because of that, but it's fun that a game over a decade before Heartgold and Soulsilver had another character following you around.

That being said, colliding with Pikachu can be frustrating, especially in tight spaces like the Vermilion City Gym. It doesn't tarnish the entire experience, but for a game that requires precise movement to solve top-down puzzles, Pikachu's presence can be a nuisance in and out of battle.
Updated 4 Months Ago
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SodaMazing

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80%Emulated

A classic entry in the Pokemon franchise
Updated 4 Months Ago
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Crystar500

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70%Game Boy

Most of this applies to Red and Blue as well. (I guess Green too)

The first set of Pokemon games are still the best-selling entries in the series. They released at the best possible time for the perfect console. Did they age well? Not really. If you're playing Gen 1 nowadays you might as well play FireRed, because not only is it better, it has more content. Gen 1 is really buggy and has a lot of odd issues that were fixed in later gens, like the move Wrap being a deathtrap, or Psychic-types being broken with no counters, or the numerous amount of bugs. These games were great for the time, and still are good, but very, very dated.

Score: 82
Updated 4 Months Ago
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brianna015

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70%Game Boy

Karen stole my yellow Gameboy Color and Pokemon Yellow!
Updated 4.5 Months Ago
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dry_toad

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65%Game Boy

31h 22m Played
Review
This was the first time I ever consumed anything from the Pokémon franchise, so in a sense I had an experience that was close to what the original players had in the mid- to late-1990s. Also notice that ]Pokemon Yellow is basically a reskinned (and slightly improved) version of the original Pokémon Green and Red released in Japan as the very first Pokémon product, so those original players also didn't have any reference from anime or anything.

Anyway, from this no-nostalgia perspective of mine, I'd say this game is not bad, but not good either. As most of the early-ish RPGs, this didn't age too well and here's the main issue with game really. (The biggest difference between me and the OG Pokémon players is that I am spoiled by more than 25 years of evolution in game design.)

So, in order to succeed in the game, it seems you need to either spend a lot of time grinding, or a lot of time studying wikis to figure out a "perfect," well-balanced team of Pokémon, what attacks (or "moves") they should learn, and what Pokémon is best to use against the Pokémon your opponent is using. I personally did a small-to-moderate amount of studying and lot of grinding.

I shamelessly used emulator features (chiefly fast-forward and rewind) for these grinding sessions. This is a two-edged sword: it makes grinding bearable, but it also distances me away from some of the more interesting game mechanics, which is the interplay between different types of Pokémon. I also checked walkthroughs and maps online when I was not feeling like wandering randomly to figure out what to do next.

Other, smaller annoyances are having to go to a computer to change my Pokémon lineup and having to walk long distances between places that I have already visited before. (Later on there's a form of "quick travel" in the shape of the "Fly" move that some Pokómon can learn.)

But this is all in the "didn't age well" category. Outside of that, my main gripe is with the story, or pretty much the pack thereof. I mean, alright, this is a story of coming to age, but it is a pretty plain and bland one, in my opinion.

What about the good parts? Well, this has the classic RPG loop: kill foes to get better stuff that will allow you to kill bigger foes. Well, you don't really kill Pokémon (they just "faint")... but I digress: this is a loop that works well and is quite addictive. On top of that, they added all this "monster collecting" mechanic, which is the kind of thing that also works well with many people (me included). And combat is kinda cool, too. (Though, as I said, I skipped most of the intricacies of combat by cheating with the emulator.)

So, all-in-all, it was nice to finally play a Pokémon game, even if I didn't find the experience itself that good. I sure intend to try some of the newer games someday. Not soon, but someday.

Useless comments
* As I am sure many others have already pointed out, the premise of this whole franchise is terrible: you hunt cute wild animals and then make them fight with others. And I was further shocked (and not by Pikachu!) to learn that there was a "safari' portion of the game in which you throw stones at wild Pokémon to make them easier to catch!
* I find the whole setting a bit funny, because everything there is about Pokémon. Bookshelves? "Crammed full of Pokemon books!" Shops? Only Pokémon-related items! Talk with some random person on the street? "Something, something Pokémon!" I know, I know, that's by design and, no, I don't think it would be better if it was more true to life. Still, funny.
Updated 5.5 Months Ago
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AJ2FUEGO

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100%Game Boy

63h 6m Progress
Great classic!
Updated 5.5 Months Ago
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Riuy

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85%Game Boy

Un jeu que j'avais dévoré étant petit. La première génération de Pokémon est magistrale, tout est là pour faire le succès de la licence que l'on connait aujourd'hui.
Updated 6.5 Months Ago
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Private

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50%Nintendo 3DS

49h 3m Played
Pikachu
Updated 6.5 Months Ago
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RaizenMK

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80%Game Boy

49h 6m Progress
Joguei na época que saiu, tenho o cartucho até, não peguei todos os pokemons, apenas finalizei a história.
Updated 7 Months Ago
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SasoriDlc

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100%Game Boy

O primeiro pokémon que zerei
Updated 7.5 Months Ago
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tonymagz

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90%Game Boy

30h PlayedReplay
Let me evolve Pikachu, you cowards!
Updated 10 Months Ago
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Goku14

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70%Game Boy Color

36h 38m Played
7.5 / 10
Updated 11.5 Months Ago
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Bem

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75%Game Boy Color

144h 41m Played
7.5
Updated 11.5 Months Ago
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HellaStella

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50%Game Boy

this game isnt fantastic or anything, it definitely doesnt hold up in the test of time, but big pika follows you around the entire time so that part rocks.
Updated 1 Year Ago
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ExouKage

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90%Game Boy

11h 54m Played
Nice game
Updated 1 Year Ago
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Palachu

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50%Nintendo 3DS

63h 6m Played
For its time a decent game with a nicely challenging difficulty curve, but suffers from practically all the same glitches and unbalanced mechanics as Red/Blue. Other than improving the Pokémon sprites and some small resemblances to the anime, not enough was changed from R/B.
Updated 1 Year Ago
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littlebrite's Avatar'

100%Nintendo 3DS

27h 4m PlayedReplay
9/10 Great

Pros: Great simple battle system. No grinding necessary if you play smart. Very fun for 20 minutes or 4 hours.

Cons: Very easy if you understand type effectiveness. Flash is the stupidest HM. Very simple compared to later games in the series. You have to buy multiple games to get to 100% completion. The way Poke Marts work is really annoying in the first gen.

Overall: This game is pure nostalgia. This is probably the first game I was ever obsessed with.
Updated 1 Year Ago
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SlientGamer1996

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80%Game Boy Color

18h 7m Progress
Same Rules apply as to Pokemon Red and Blue - Cannot have same team as either previous game.
Started with Pikachu (did not use in previous games for a reason) Here is the team: Pikachu Lv 60, Butterfree Lv 55, Clefable Lv 40, Prmeape Lv 35, Nidoking Lv 29 and Gariados Lv 25

This game was a little harder than I remember Red and Blue being from last year, but I am so happy it is over because the Elite 4 was beyond frustrating (Lance). Moving on to Gen 2, which I own, but I have never played so my copy of Gold is next!
Updated 1 Year Ago
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MrSnow32

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70%Nintendo 3DS

38h Played
7.5/10
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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froshes

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40%Mobile

39h Progress
boring
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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MajorFelx

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30%Game Boy

Só joguei pq gostei do Pokemon Ruby, não gostei desse.
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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victormc_00

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80%Nintendo 3DS

Story: 6'5/10
World Design: 8'5/10
Art: 8/10
Gameplay: 8'5/10
Optimization: 8/10
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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RickyButler

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90%Game Boy

36h 30m Played
I beat Red Version as a kid -- heck, I pumped 100 hours into Red Version because I believed a myth about the boat sailing away and bringing secret Pokemon or something crazy from the earliest Internet days -- but I got burned out halfway through Yellow Version and eventually grew out of Pokemon until X & Y came out years later.

There's something really special about the original games. The newer titles I've tried (X/Y, Alpha/Omega, Sun/Moon) have all felt like cakewalks where I just held down forward and pressed A for 30-40 hours without any thought or strategy, but the originals are *hard* at points. You have to strategize -- maybe sometimes it's around the gameplay's issues, but still! -- and spend your rewards carefully. Money is hard to come by. There's no (good) experience share. You have to juggle your party and choose them carefully. Going after the legendaries is brutally expensive on resourrces and taxing when it comes to getting your anxiety pumping.

They're also incredibly simple and straightforward despite that. All you do is fight everyone else and try to win. That's it. I love it.
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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sroche

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100%Nintendo 3DS

30h 8m Played
Still holds up as an incredible game!
Updated 2 Years Ago
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Eleth

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90%Nintendo 3DS

63h 7m PlayedReplay
I thoroughly enjoyed playing through this again. This was the 2nd GBC game I ever owned, and it was a real treat playing it on a nice illuminated screen all these years later with my 2DS XL. I used my old 3DS to trade with myself to complete the Pokedex. I recommend this for anyone who is a fan of retro Pokemon games!
Updated 2 Years Ago
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NakedSam's Avatar'

60%Game Boy Color

The game is decent despite the story not being anything more than an excuse to make a game.
Updated 3 Years Ago
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Fingerz

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30%Nintendo 3DS

12h Progress
Sure, it's a better way to experience Kanto than Red or Blue but it's still not great. Maybe play Let's Go, Pikachu or Eevee if you have a craving.
Updated 3 Years Ago
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kaylawayla1993's Avatar'

90%Nintendo 3DS

20h 56m PlayedReplay
Can't beat the original Pokemon games and Its so cute that Pikachu follows you around.
Updated 3 Years Ago
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Grahamtams

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100%Game Boy

Just a great version of a great game. They fixed every single pokemon battle sprite to better match the anime.
Updated 3 Years Ago
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MrObvious

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100%Game Boy Advance

First and favorite pokemon game.
Updated 3 Years Ago
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AoiYozora

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90%Game Boy Advance

22h Played
Pikachu love....
Updated 3 Years Ago
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Illusera

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90%Game Boy

92h 37m Played
Yellow is mostly the same as Red and Blue, but some changes were made so it would be closer to the anime series. A Pikachu you can interact with follows you around on screen, Jessie and James from Team Rocket show up periodically to battle you, etc. Still, these little additions made the game a little more memorable. Pikachu also changes throughout the game in the sense of how attached it is to you. When the game starts it will be indifferent, but by the end it will be very happy with you. Of course you can also make it mad, but it'll cool off soon enough.
Updated 3 Years Ago
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hellokittygamer07

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80%Nintendo 3DS

32h Progress
One of the best if not the best pokemon game. Plus all 3 starters.
Updated 3 Years Ago
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cid

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100%Nintendo 3DS

88h PlayedReplay
One of the greatest game of my live, If you ask me. It´s been a long since I play this game and now, with 21 years I played again. It´s such a nostalgic feeling, playing with the 8-bits music, the sound of the pokemon´s sprite and everything. Yeah, I could say Pokemon change my life a little bit and I have some good memories of my childhood playing this videogame. Now I´ve had a second chance to enjoy this game on my 3DS and I can not be more gratefull!
Updated 3.5 Years Ago
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thethor1231

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70%Game Boy Advance

40h Played
This one is an OK game right now imo, and mainly for those who have nostalgia for the GB/GBC pokemon games. Otherwise you're better of getting the 3rd gen remakes.
Updated 3.5 Years Ago
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fazzitron

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70%Game Boy

What can I say? It's Pokemon Yellow. Nostalgia definitely puts the higher than it should, but I can't deny that this game can be a glitchy mess with mechanics that haven't aged well. Switching boxes to catch Pokemon? No thank you.
Updated 4 Years Ago
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80%Game Boy

-
Updated 4.5 Years Ago
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j0nnynoname

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70%Emulated

25h Played
Gen 1 remains pleasant upon revisit if a bit grindy without the Missingno glitch
Updated 4.5 Years Ago
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nickalleye

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70%Emulated

48h 47m Played
It would be 9/10 if it wasn't for some REALLY annoying interface shortcomings due to GameBoy's technical limitations.
Updated 4.5 Years Ago
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Sientjuhna

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70%Nintendo 3DS

38h 48m Played
Pokémon is always a good time. What I didn't like about this version is that the running shoes haven't been invented yet, and that I had to grind for seven hours(!!!) after finishing the last cave before I could even attempt to beat the elite four. I took a year-long break before clearing the last cave (because I HATE caves in the Pokémon games, for no reason). Other than that, I loved that Pikachu follows you around.
Updated 5 Years Ago
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