Pokémon Red Vs Blue Vs Yellow: Which To Buy

Pokémon Red Vs Blue Vs Yellow: Which To Buy

The original Pokémon games came out on the 3DS eShop this weekend for $13, and while they largely offer the same experience, there are some differences between them, too.

Each version has exclusive Pokémon which you can only capture within that game. The whole idea is to get players trading monsters with each other, which should be easier this time around, given that you can use Wi-Fi to connect with other people. Bye, cable links!

Here’s a breakdown of what critters you can find in each version.

Pictured above for Pokémon Red: Ekans, Arbok, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Mankey, Primeape, Growlithe, Arcanine, Scyther, Electabuzz.

Pictured above for Pokémon Blue: Sandshrew, Sandslash, Vulpix, Ninetails, Meowth, Persian, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Magmar, Pinsir.

Which designs do you like better?

Pokémon Yellow is a bit different. Instead of choosing an initial starter, you get Pikachu to join you on your adventure, just like in the anime. Pikachu can follow you around, and it’s real cute:

Actually, you can check in with Pikachu every once in a while, to see how it’s feeling. This is a special little quirk you can’t experience in Red or Blue:

Over the course of the game, you can however obtain all three original starters in Yellow, Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Additionally, In Yellow, your rival will also train an Eeevee into either a Jolteon, Flareon or Vaporeon, depending on how well you do in-game. Also, Yellow’s sprite set is slightly better than those in Red and Blue. Finally, Pokémon Yellow does have a slightly different roster of Pokémon you can encounter. According to Serebii, Pokémon Yellow does not have Weedle, Kakuna, Beedrill, Ekans, Arbok, Raichu, Meowth, Persian, Koffing, Weezing, Jynx, Electabuzz, or Magmar. Naturally, you can still trade and get these Pokémon via other people.

Personally, I think Pokémon Red has the better selection of version-exclusive Pokémon, but I also recognise that neither Red or Blue feels quite as special as Pokémon Yellow. If you’re looking for a closer connection with Pikachu specifically, or if you can’t decide between the three starters, Yellow might be the way to go. Anecdotally, I’ve found Red to be more popular than either of the other versions, so if you want to be a contrarian, Blue is a good pick.

And there you have it! Which game(s) will you be picking up, and why?


The Cheapest NBN 1000 Plans

Looking to bump up your internet connection and save a few bucks? Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Kotaku, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


23 responses to “Pokémon Red Vs Blue Vs Yellow: Which To Buy”