In-Depth Stories

Red versus Blue: Analysis and Giveaway!

Learn what the difference is between the two Pokémon games Red and Blue, and have a chance to win a game too!

Just recently the Wii U game Splatoon celebrated the 20th anniversary of Pokémon with a Splatfest between the original games Pokémon Red and Blue, with Pokémon Blue declared the winner across all regions – although Red was the more popular choice. Meanwhile, a poll within the PokéCommunity forums – which you are welcome to join in – suggests that Blue is the better of the two. However, you can’t simply decide which is best with a few Splatoon matches or a popularity contest – you need to weigh up both sides of the argument! Here we’ll go through the few differences between the games. And if you let us know which of the two you prefer from our Facebook and Twitter pages, you can also win your own copy of Pokémon Red or Pokémon Blue! Meanwhile, our Youtube channel is giving away Pokémon Yellow!

Boxart

There’s also Pokémon Yellow available to us, but that’s beside the point.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but for some the main difference between Pokémon Red and Blue is the cover. It’s only aesthetic as you can choose any of the three starter Pokémon regardless of which version you pick, but some people really prefer Charizard’s design, or the cool blue colour. And you can hardly blame people for that.

Pokémon Availability

Now we’re talking – something that affects the gameplay itself! Here is where your choice may well depend on: which Pokémon can you actually catch in which game? Personal preference comes into play. Sure, both games have a mixture of strong Pokémon exclusive, but there may be some you’ll prefer over others.

The choices are as follows:

Red Only:
Ekans, Arbok, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Mankey, Primeape, Growlithe, Arcanine, Scyther, Electabuzz

Blue Only:
Sandshrew, Sandslash, Meowth, Persian, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Vulpix, Ninetales, Pinsir, Magmar

It may come down to which you prefer of say Vulpix or Growlithe, but when it comes to assembling your ultimate party of six Pokémon in order to become the Champion, you may want to do it with your favourites.

Marie takes it seriously.
Marie takes it seriously.

But that’s not the only difference! For one, how commonly Pokémon appear in the wild also matters. Take those available early on in Viridian Forest for example. Caterpie, a popular choice with its evolution in Butterfree who gains early access to the useful Confusion move, is more common in Blue than Red. While Beedrill has its fans too, we wager that for the 1st generation games, Caterpie is the one more players will want on their teams. Nidoran♂ is meanwhile easier to find in Pokémon Red.

The Game Corner

The last variance of note lies in the prize room for the Game Corner. Both the Pokémon selection and their cost differs!

The differences are as follows:

  • Clefairy costs 500 Coins in Red, but is more expensive at 750 Coins in Blue.
  • Abra meanwhile is pricer in Red (180 Coins) – it’s only 120 Coins in Blue.
  • Blue also enjoys a discount with Pinsir at 2,500 Coins, while Scyther is exclusive to Red at the price of 5,500 Coins. Both are available in the Safari Zone.
  • Red has access to Dratini outside of the Safari Zone at only 2,800 Coins; Blue players need to cough up 4,600 Coins.
  • Porygon costs 6500 Coins in Blue, but Red players get to feel ripped off with the price of 9999 Coins.

If you don’t care about completing the Pokédex it may not be a major issue, but if you do, then you may gravitate towards Blue because of the cheaper Porygon.

Choose wisely...
Choose wisely…

Competition

Considering all of the above, which game do you prefer? The PokéCommunity’s Facebook, Twitter and Youtube accounts are running their own giveaway for Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow respectively!

Edited by Astinus, Christos and Jake.