Pokemon Red & Blue Sitll The Best. 10 Reasons Why.

Despite being nearly 30 years old Pokemon Red & Blue are still the best in the series and here are 10 resons why.

10: Kanto is a wonderful place.

While Pokémon fans don’t agree on much these days, one thing I think most of us can agree on is that no region has managed to match Kanto either in functionality or charm. Locations like Pallet Town where the series began to the hustle and bustle of Saffron City make Kanto not only a joy to explore, but the route designs in between add to the sense of scale and feel to the region. Kanto not only feels like a place that could exist in real life, but one any Pokémon fan would wish to visit.

9: Professor Oak Is Just Great.

Like a great old grandfather or your favorite teacher, Professor Oak nailed the role as your guide and mentor back in Red & Blue so well, a Professor Oak wannabe has appeared in just about every Pokémon game since the originals. However, none have managed to recreate the charm or appeal of the greatest professor himself. Some have even doubled up on jobs because Game Freak knows these later professors are so underwhelming in Oak’s role, they need more to achieve less. Professor Oak is not only the best Professor of Pokémon ever created but as we move further and further away from Red & Blue, attempts at recreating or recapturing Oak’s essence are actually devaluing the role of the Professor character in general.

8: Shiny Hunting Wasn’t A Thing.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love shiny Pokémon. Sure, some of the alternative colors are just downright ugly (Mewtwo, I’m looking at you) or not different enough to bother with, but overall, a shiny Pokémon is a very desirable pocket monster indeed. That said, shiny hunting has become such an obsession among many Pokémon fans that it can sometimes feel like the be-all and end-all when it comes to the modern Pokémon games. Catching a shiny is great when it just happens, but I can’t help but feel that this trend, which is largely built around luck and hard resets, goes against the spirit of catching them all, one of the cornerstones established in Red & Blue when all Pokémon came without shininess.

7: A Soundtrack To Remember.

While not renowned for its music scores, the Pokémon franchise does contain some excellent tracks. In fact, nearly every game has at least one piece of music worth listening to away from the game itself. However, Red & Blue again outdoes its many sequels by featuring hummable tune after tune from beginning almost to end. Most critically of all, Red & Blue features the most popular battle theme of any Pokémon title ever, and for good reason. It’s just so damn catchy.

6: Level 100 Meant Something.

Back in the old days, having a level 100 Pokémon was a sign to all potential rival trainers that you meant business. See, to have a level 100 Pokémon meant you’d either traded something of equal value to get it or, more likely, you’d ground your little butt off to level it all the way up (you might have used an Action Replay or the Missingno glitch too, but that would make you a dirty little cheater). There were no large experience shares, there was no experience shared across your party. A level 100 Pokémon was a badge of honor that showed you took Pokémon seriously. Nowadays, everyone has at least a box full of level 100 Pokémon, and if you don’t, it won’t take you more than an hour to get a few.

5: No One Likes Losing To A Kid.

In modern Pokémon games, no one seems to mind all that much when you, the MC, a child, comes along and wrecks their entire team. In fact, a lot of the NPCs actually seem to enjoy watching as a child obliterates everything they throw at him or her. This is in stark contrast to Red & Blue where just about every NPC was left stunned that a kid had managed to one-up them. Some were even reduced to tears, making the player’s victory all the sweeter. Someone needs to remind Game Freak that the world is full of sore losers, and making them upset is one of life’s great pleasures.

4: Your Rival Is Not Your Best Friend And Never Will Be.

Much like the modern NPCs, the rivals in Pokémon titles today seem far more interested in telling you, the MC, how great you are at every given opportunity before immediately thereafter losing to you as if to prove their point and open up yet another opportunity to tell you again how great you are. Honestly, back in the early days of Pokémon, your rival would never have done this. They wanted to beat you at every aspect of Pokémon, be that catching Pokémon, filling in the Pokédex, or of course battling. Trust me, they hated it whenever you beat them, and that’s what a rivalry should be.

3: Team Rocket Are Actually Villainous.

Again, much like rivals in Pokémon titles today, villains are not villainous. They are instead misunderstood individuals forced into their current circumstance or people who were trying to do good but lost sight of their honest goals and fell into their evil ways. Remember Team Rocket, remember Giovanni? These were just bad people out for themselves. They broke into houses, stole Pokémon, intimidated trainers of all ages, misused Pokémon in all manner of ways, and did it all for power and money. And we Pokémon fans loved it. Back in Red & Blue, when you took on Team Rocket, you knew you were taking on the bad guys, and they needed to be taken on. Today, the “Teams” we face off against are just misfits and losers barely worth our time.

2: Red & Blue Are Actually Challenging Games.

Pokémon games have become too easy, it’s a fact. And yes, I understand that Pokémon games are primarily created for a younger demographic, but that doesn’t mean the games can’t be challenging for us grown-ups too, right? Red & Blue were exclusively targeting kids. There was no established user base at the time of release, no long-term fans who had grown up alongside the series like myself. So, clearly, Red & Blue were trying to catch the attention of children, but the games were not easy because of that fact. No, Red & Blue, to this day, are still a serious challenge. They’re not too difficult for younger gamers, but in no way a walkover for older ones either. Red & Blue struck a wonderful balance and proved Game Freak can make games for everyone if they truly want to. Hell, with DLC, Game Freak could, in theory, make a base game a little more on the easy side before ramping things up in the DLC, but they probably won’t, so Red & Blue will remain the best games in the series.

1: The Original 151 Pokémon Are the Best.

The header says it all. Pokemon Red & Blue boasted the best designed set of Pokemon ever brought together. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are the perfect starters, Pikachu is iconic, Mew is still sought after the world over, and Mewtwo will forever be the first Pokemon deserving of a Master Ball.

I began this article by stating that Pokemon fans don’t agree on much these days. However, much like the design of Kanto, most will agree that the original 151 were nearly all brilliant in their designs. It’s not Game Freak’s fault that they haven’t outdone the original 151; they simply outdid themselves right out of the gate with Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow.