Pokémon Yellow/New features: Difference between revisions

Pokémon Yellow, the Special Pikachu Edition, was the next addition to the Pokémon line-up after the Red and Blue versions became available. While Red and Blue differ only in the wild Pokémon they contain, Yellow has a number of significant new features, most of which were designed to make the game follow the plot of the TV series. Here are the main differences.

While [[Pokémon Red and Blue|Red and Blue]] can pick {{bp|Bulbasaur}}, {{bp|Charmander}}, or {{bp|Squirtle}} as their starting Pokémon, Yellow players always begin with {{bp|Pikachu}}. If you had your heart set on that Squirtle, don't worry: Yellow is the only version in which you can catch the other three starters in the course of your quest.

The one downside is that Pikachu, as in the TV show, refuses to evolve, so he'll be a Pikachu forever (although they did change his mix of skills to make him more effective than Pikachu was in Red/Blue). If you still want a {{bp|Raichu}}, you'll have to talk to a Red or Blue player about making a trade.

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As in the TV show, Pikachu refuses to get into his Poké Ball. He doesn't sit on Ash's head, choosing instead to always follow one step behind. As long as Pikachu is with you (you can get rid of him by leaving him in a box at any Pokémon Center), you can "talk" with him and see a different animation depending on his mood. Pikachu's mood changes throughout the game, depending on how you treat him.

There are a few events in the game where Pikachu's mood will be important. For example, you'll never get a {{bp|Bulbasaur}} if you can't prove to its current owner that you've taken good care of your Pikachu, so treat it right! Fortunately, all of these events are early in the game, so if you choose to leave Pikachu in a box later in the game when he's much less useful, you won't be punished for it.

The bumbling fools from the TV show, Jessie & James, make plenty of surprise appearances in the Yellow version, and they've brought their trademark trio of Pokémon, {{bp|Ekans}}, {{bp|Koffing}}, and {{bp|Meowth}}. Fortunately, they're not any more talented as trainers in the game than they are in the show, but they can still be somewhat dangerous: unlike normal trainers, who you can always see ahead of time and try to avoid, Jessie and James ambush you when least wanted and last expected. So as you near the end of dungeons always try to keep your Pokémon in fighting shape. You never know when an encounter with Jessie and James is around the corner.

A number of Pokémon have been subtly changed to enhance the game balance in Pokémon Yellow. Previously mediocre Pokémon like {{bp|Mankey}} and {{bp|Butterfree}} will now be key members of your party early in the game, and both have new techniques and gain skills quicker. Many of the changes fix apparent oversights in the previous version: Ever wonder why even though {{bp|Charizard}} is part Flying, it couldn't learn Fly? In Yellow, it can. {{bp|Scyther}} can finally learn a Flying attack (Wing Attack), {{bp|Pinsir}} can finally pinch (well, Bind), and Pikachu's new early attacks make it a much better fighter. {{bp|Vaporeon}} now learns a few new attacks, although it's still probably not as good as Jolteon and Flareon.

If you have a Game Boy Printer, you can print a ton of cool things. At various points in the game you can print out the contents of your boxes (allowing you to finally get things organized in there!), profiles of your favorite Pokémon, and even your Pokémon Diploma when you catch all 150! You can also print out your scores from [[Pokémon Red and Blue/Route 19-20|Pikachu's Beach]] (see [[#Surfing Pikachu|Surfing Pikachu]] below).

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When playing against your friends, you can now select a second set of Colosseum battles, designed to ensure fair fights against your friends. The Petit Cup is especially interesting, eliminating virtually all of the evolved forms by banning Pokémon who are taller than 6'8" or weigh more than 44 lbs. This tournament format makes contenders out of {{bp|Pikachu}}, {{bp|Farfetch'd}}, {{bp|Diglett}}, and other beloved Pokémon that didn't used to be viable for competitive play!