Bulbapedia Article (All images borrowed from Bulbapedia)
Overview
We meet all of our key players here. Red (or Ash or Satoshi) begins in his room for a quick chance to play his SNES and then is given his mother's blessing to go off on a journey (because Stand By Me is playing on television, and those boys don't encounter any horror whatsoever). Next door, at the Oak residence, young Daisy (or May or Nanami) is checking out the Town Map while her brother Blue/Green (or Gary or Shigeru) is off at Professor Oak's lab awaiting his first Pokémon. But Oak (or Orchid or Okido) won't show up until you try to leave town.
Where was he before this moment? Since the only other way in/out of town is the south beach, I'll assume he just rode in on a Lapras, despite arranging to meet Red and Blue at the lab. At any rate, you wind up at the lab (after Oak catches a Pikachu in the Yellow version) and from there you can select your first Pokémon.
But who shall you choose? Let's weigh our options:
Bulbasaur - Lv. 5 - Red/Green/Blue
Bulbasaur presents one of the easiest options of the four choices, since it can easily handle Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym early on. It does have trouble in Viridian Forest, however. But, as with all of the RBY starters, Bulbasaur and its evolutions will become a strong main fighter throughout the game filling the grass slot on the team nicely. And a Leech Seed/PoisonPowder combo is always great.
Charmander - Lv. 5 - Red/Green/Blue
Charmander is a popular choice, due to it's ability to become Charizard, but it will encounter the hardest obstacles in the early game. Viridian Forest will be fine, but Petwer Gym, Mt. Moon, and Cerulean Gym will give it hassle. But all of that persistence will pay off once Charizard is able to crush nearly anything in its path later on. Plus, Fire types are rarer to come by.
Squirtle - Lv. 5 - Red/Green/Blue
Squirtle is the other popular choice for players. It's more reliable that Bulbasaur as it's not only strong during the beginning, but it continues to be strong up until the final gyms as well. In speed runs, Squirtle/Wartortle/Blastoise is often the sole Pokémon that gets the player through the game. When I first got the Blue version of the game, Squirtle was my first choice.
Pikachu - Lv. 5 - YellowIf you're playing the Yellow version, you are stuck with a Pikachu that doesn't evolve, which isn't great in terms of strategy. The kid in me loves this choice though, and I recently tracked down a used copy of Yellow just so I could have him as my main team partner. Although the unevolved Pikachu won't get stronger until Generation II, it still is a fun choice. But Pewter Gym will give you trouble.
After making your selection, your adorable jerk of a rival challenges you to your first fight. It shouldn't be too difficult, but it is a great way to suddenly learn the basics of this new world.
And with that, you're off! Eventually you'll return to deliver a package, pick up your Pokédex and grab the Town Map from Daisy, but basically everything that needs to be done in Pallet Town is done. Why you are in charge of chronicling all the species in the world is anybody's guess, but it's going to be a fun challenge!
Other Thoughts
- The grassy areas on the sides of Pallet Town have become the stuff of legends. They are tantalizingly close and look as if they hold many secrets. I would have liked to have seen some of the rumors become true, as an unlockable bonus after beating the game. We could finally have a field to catch an extra Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle or even a Mew!
- When the Yellow version was made, it mades some changes to reflect the anime's storyline, but I would have liked to have seen some additions from the mangas as well. Instead of only having a Pikachu to start with, I would have liked a choice that featured a Clefairy and Jigglypuff as well (like in Pokémon Pocket Monsters and Magical Pokémon Journey). Those three characters always go together in my mind. Also, Nidoran and their secondary evolved forms seem to roam around Pallet Town in the manga versions.
- Oak's lab in the anime serves as a Pokémon sanctuary for his proteges' extra Pokémon It would have been nice to expand the area beside the building to visit those other Pokémon which were not being carried in the player's party.
- Overall, Pallet Town is a lovely beginning to the game and entire franchise. It's simple. It's quaint. And it fills me with great joy every time I return.
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