Since there have been quite a few reviews of Pokemon Yellow out there, I thought I'd do one of my own, but a little bit more in depth.

If you're unfamiliar with the Pokemon series (which is hard to expect if you're looking at this), it's all about these little creatures called Pokemon. You take the role of a Pokemon Trainer and go out into the big bad Pokemon world battling them for your own fun and enjoyment.

When walking in tall grass, you have a chance of encountering a Pokemon in the wild, in which you are forced to undergo a battle with it. Each Pokemon has a set amount of HP. When attacked, the HP drops. When it hits 0, the Pokemon faints (not dies, go Nintendo). You also have the opportunity to catch a Pokemon in a tiny red and white ball called a Pokeball (very creative). What's odd is that even giant Pokemon 20 feet high can fit in these tiny balls. Anyways, that's besides the point...

As you collect Pokemon on your journey, you'll meet other trainers that are just like you. With them, you have to defeat all of their Pokemon in order to come out victorious (and milk some money from them while you're at it). Your goal is collect all 8 "badges" which you receive from "gym leaders" which are located in different cities across the region. Then you battle the "Pokemon League" where the "Champion" awaits the final battle.

Pokemon Yellow is consistent with the rest of the Pokemon series, except that your first Pokemon is a Pikachu, just like in the anime/manga. This Pikachu is a bit of a tsundere at first; it'll dislike you at the beginning of the game, but it will eventually warm up to you throughout the game (unless you keep killing it). Another fun fact about Pikachu is that unlike other Pokemon that should remain in its Pokeball until you send it into battle, Pikachu stays outside and follows you around on the map. This is a cute little twist as it lets you become closer to Pikachu as a special Pokemon. Of course, you can throw it in your box like a used rag and never touch it through the course of your game. But Pikachu won't like you then. Neither would I.

GRAPHICS-- 9

These graphics go for the whole series of Pokemon; the sprites in both the overworld and in battle are very well done. Each trainer has his or her own sprite, and each Pokemon has two sprites: a back sprite and front sprite. I can only think of a couple of back sprites that look odd (search, Charmeleon), but many of the graphics look very good for the Gameboy. Additionally, the animations for each attack are done quite well and are very fun to watch. Some of them take an unnecessarily long time, but most attacks are of a decent length. The overworld sprites are also very cute versions of the trainers, being no more than a big head and a simple body.

Specific to Pokemon Yellow is Pikachu's sprite when you talk to it. As it follows you around in the overworld, you can look back at it and talk to Pikachu and it shows you a little face depending on its mood. Most of the time, it'll be giving you a big hug and have hearts around it. <3 If you piss it off though, it can turn away and reject you.

SOUND-- 9

The noise of the Pokemon consists little more than a few random electronic noises which seem to represent what the Pokemon is saying. It hardly means anything, and they all sound the same anyways, but it gives each Pokemon a little more of a personality. The music that plays in the background is highly catchy and has spawned hundreds of remixes over the years. You'll be whistling the songs all day long, no matter where you are! The sounds during battle sound more on the primitive side, with only 4-5 actual unique sound effects making up all of the moves, just in different combinations. But that might be to be expected for the Gameboy.

One of the sounds unique to Gameboy (and an early first for the platform) is Pikachu's voice acting. When you send Pikachu out into battle, when it faints, or when you talk to it, Pikachu will say one of a few lines to express its emotion. However, what it says isn't just its standard cry, but an actual "Pikachu" that sounds like the voice actor from the anime. This nice addition adds yet another layer of realism to the game, and makes it much more like the anime.

ADDICTIVENESS-- 10

Even if Pokemon Yellow is just for the Gameboy Color, the game is virtually limitless. For the first 20-30 hours, the game keeps you engrossed as you journey to the Pokemon League. The breaks between leaders is fairly short, and can be reached in a matter of 2-3 hours each. As you pass through each area, you find new Pokemon that you'll be eager to catch and move on to the next area with.

Once you pass through the Champion, the game isn't over there! There are still many many post-game activities that you can do. For one, you can continue to complete your Pokedex and attempt to capture all 151 Pokemon. You can work on creating the best competitive team possible, catch the elusive Mewtwo, or challenge the Pokemon League again. Having friends to compete with greatly increases the replay value of this game, as you can try and catch Pokemon that you can't find in the other games and trade them. Or you can battle your friends to see who has the best team. You can easily log in hundreds of hours on Pokemon Yellow, all while traveling across Kanto with your little yellow electric friend.

STORY-- 7

If there is any drawback to any Pokemon game, it's the lack of a deep story. Besides your quest to become the best Pokemon trainer, the game also features the story of Team Rocket, an evil organization dedicated to capturing Pokemon and using them for evil. Sadly, this is all you really get. Don't expect it to be deep like your average RPG, or even as deep as recent Pokemon games. It's more of a distracting plot point rather than a full-fledged story. It diverts your attention for a while, but nothing interesting enough to hook you and want to know more.

DEPTH-- 9

There is much more to Pokemon Yellow than what meets the eye at first, especially in the areas of battle. Every Pokemon has its unique set of stats, moves, and type. The way that you combine those three aspects can greatly affect your odds in battle. Most people pay attention only to type, but the most advanced players will look at all three.

Besides that, there is the after story of the game, as I mentioned earlier, which provides a completely new level of depth to the game.

DIFFICULTY-- 8

Pokemon Yellow starts out slightly more challenging than your average Pokemon game because you have Pikachu, an Electric-type Pokemon, as your first Pokemon. The first gym leader handles Pokemon that are ground and rock type, both which are resistant to electric types and their moves. So what you have to do is use moves and typings well in order to increase your chances of winning. Don't consider Yellow if you're new to the Pokemon series; I would start with Red or Blue. Move on to Yellow after you've had some experience with those games, and you'll appreciate it a lot more.

OVERALL-- 9.0

Like every game in the series, Pokemon Yellow is a standout from other RPG's because the traits that make it up are so different, but they all come together in an amazing balance to create a game that's not only smooth but deep. Yellow itself is quite the exception to the series because you get your own Pikachu and can call it your own. If you're a huge fan of the anime/manga, then you should definitely give this game a go. If you're an average Pokemon fan, then there's no stopping you from this game either. If you've never played Pokemon at all, then I suggest picking up Red or Blue and then trying Yellow.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my electric mouse out for a walk and make it shoot electricity in order to fry small forest creatures by relentlessly shouting commands at it in English, which it somehow understands.

Ahh. My very first game on the gameboy. If only I still had it then. I used to play this game non stop. I even sneaked it to school with me and play the game during recess. Now that I've played it again here even for a brief moment. It gave me a nostalgic feeling playing that game. I had so much fun with Pokemon Yellow. 

Though, very nice review you've made on the game. I enjoyed reading it. Very detailed. I look forward to more of your reviews. This one made me want to play the game again.

Very detailed review, I love it.
What I enjoyed about this game was the new color and the fact that you get not only a Pikachu with emotions, but you can also get the three starters.
After I finish Pokemon Red, I will play Yellow.

Epic review Someone.

Very good review, it depth and emphasis.

But I don't think its graphics are a 9, more like a 6 or a 7 at most.

Thanks, guys. You really do encourage me to write reviews that are in depth like this because I love when people enjoy reading them.

I gave the graphics a 9 because, for a Gameboy game, Yellow actually has some very nice graphics. If you look at titles like Super Mario Land, Dr. Mario, and Kirby's Dream Land (to name a few), the sprites on Yellow exceed those of past games. Remember that Yellow is for the original Gameboy and not Gameboy Color, which was a more powerful system.

um, I've never played yellow. sad, right? might go play it.

Wow that was one of the best reviews ive ever seen if not THE best, very in depth, very good.
I remember when this came out or at least when it was new at the time it was brilliant, you know as kids when you get sooo over excited lol, now though i think the graphics, looking back on it were pretty bad but i agree that it waspretty decent at the time, and i actually thought the pokemons blue red and yellow were for colour because ive got a pokemon blue for colour but yeah brilliant review, be proud :p