Pokémon Yellow

Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition is the fourth game in the Pokémon video game series in Japan, and the third in North America and Europe. It was released on the Nintendo Game Boy and features Super Game Boy and Game Boy Color enhancements. The game follows Pokémon Red, Blue and Green. Yellow, like other 8-bit Pokémon games (Red, Blue, Gold, Silver, and Crystal), is not compatible with the newer Advance generation games.

The game was released in Japan on September 12, 1998 and was simply known as Pocket Monsters Pikachu. It was released in North America on October 1, 1999 and was called Pokémon: Special Pikachu Edition by Nintendo. In both regions, the games are often referred to by fans as simply Pokémon Yellow, Pokémon Yellow Version, or Pokémon Pikachu (though the latter name is ambiguous with the Pokémon Pikachu pedometer).

The name (and Pikachu on the cover) is due to the fact that Trainers get Pikachu as their starter Pokémon (like Ash Ketchum did) instead of being able to choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, although you can receive all three during the course of this game.

Pokémon Yellow was originally designed to be tradeable with the Red and Blue versions, though players can also trade with Pokémon Gold, Pokémon Silver, and Pokémon Crystal. However, any of the 100 Pokémon introduced in those versions cannot be traded into Pokémon Yellow, just like they can’t be traded into the Red or Blue versions.

The graphics are improved over the original Red and Blue games. Although it was released in Japan as a monochrome Game Boy game prior to the Game Boy Color, Yellow was colorized to a limited extent when it was released elsewhere. For example, the Pokémon’s art is colored a single color for each Pokémon, and each city shades everything in its own particular tint. Because of the additional coloring beyond the usual single palettes of GB games when played on a GBC, this title actually acts as a dual mode Game Boy Color title (i.e., the default palette can’t be changed at start-up), even though it was packaged as a monochrome Game Boy title.

Pokémon Yellow can be played on any of the handheld Game Boy units, as well as the Super Game Boy (the Super Game Boy and Game Boy Color palettes are nearly identical) and the Game Boy Player. On the Nintendo 64, Pokémon Yellow could be played on the television through Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2 with the use of Nintendo 64 Transfer Pack.

Both Pokémon Stadium games offer support Pokémon Yellow, allowing for the Pokémon in the game to be uploaded into the Nintendo 64 for three-dimensional battles and new features. Using the Yellow Pikachu in the Stadium games makes it sound like Pikachu from the Pokémon anime.

Pokémon Yellow was followed by Pokémon Gold and Silver for the Game Boy Color. Along with the release of Pokémon Yellow, a special edition Pokémon Game Boy Color was also released.