20-Year Pokémon FireRed vs. LeafGreen Debate Finally Has A Definitive Winner

I’m not sure how Pokémon still manages to get away with selling two versions of the same game 30 years later, but it’s something most fans have made their peace with by now.

Sure, you can argue it was for trading purposes during the early generations, where the only way to finish your Pokédex was by trading the exclusive Pokémon with a friend who owned the other version of the game. But thanks to later functions like the Global Terminal and Pokémon Bank effectively killing off the trading incentive, I’m delivering the widest of side-eyes towards Game Freak for still keeping up with the two versions format.

22 years after their original release, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are once again up for sale, this time on Nintendo Switch for £16.99 each. I’d figured after all this time that we might be able to just get both of these titles for the price of one, but it seems that Game Freak is still intent on keeping up with tradition and making us pay for both separately.

So, which one should you buy? Olly - our journalist who’s never finished a Pokemon game, and Sara, our editor who’s a pro Pokemon player (yes, really) - go head-to-head to settle the 20 year old debate, once and for all.

Pokemon

Olly On Why Pokemon FireRed is Better Than LeafGreen

I’ve always been a bit of a Pokémon novice, but I’ve touched a few games in the franchise. Pokémon LeafGreen and FireRed were my first games, and yet I’ve never actually managed to beat them all the way through to the end.

With these new Nintendo Switch releases, I’m keen to try and actually beat one of them this time, and I’ve settled on Pokémon FireRed.

So far, I’ve been enjoying my time replaying Pokémon FireRed. I never really touched the original Pokémon games on the Game Boy, but I always felt that the power of the hardware held back Game Freak from achieving what it wanted from Gen 1.

On the other hand, the more advanced GBA sprites and art design really allows the game to have that cartoonish appeal that draws us to the Pokémon franchise in the first place. It’s a terrific upgrade over the original, and something that still remains great to look at even 20 years later.

Picking up my boy Squirtle as a starter, I’ve made my way through the first few gyms and have been able to relive that nostalgic goodness of assembling a strong roster of Pokémon in my collection.

Since the only difference between both versions is simply the types of Pokémon which you can catch, it comes down to personal preference. Though, I will say that FireRed is simply the superior one thanks to the version-exclusive Pokémon available in this version.

Let’s start with one of my favourite Pokémon from this version, Oddish. Going off pure vibes only, Oddish’s dumb-yet-adorable design is what initially draws me to them. After replaying FireRed, I’ve also realised it’s great at sponging up damage in battles.

They’re great against water-types, and can also evolve into Vileplume which remains one of my favourites to have on my team. I’m not sure if it suits every battle, but when you bring them out, you know you mean business.

Meanwhile, you’ve also got cool Pokémon like Scyther, who can hold their own against a vast range of different types, and Electabuzz, which I’ve found cuts out on the amount of grinding for a decent Electric-type.

So I guess all this is to say: if liking Pokémon FireRed is wrong, I don’t want to be right. And that’s why I’m choosing this one as the clear winner.

Pokémon LeafGreen

Sara On Why Pokémon LeafGreen is Better Than FireRed

I like to think I’m a nice person. I’m considerate, empathetic to a fault, I hold doors open for people, making it really awkward when they’re just too far away for it to be convenient.

As it turns out, I’m tired of being ‘nice’. It has done me absolutely no good in my life. So I mean it, with my whole chest, when I say I have contempt in my heart if you’re seriously impressed by box art with a winged lizard breathing fire. We were all 10 once. But grow up, seriously.

Here’s why I think my Pokémon game is better than yours.

I’ve clocked in 1,000 hours over the last 20 years in Pokémon LeafGreen. I have seen the credits roll more times than I’ve seen my own extended family. And, after two decades of soul-searching, I’m calling it: LeafGreen is the objective, definitive, and superior way to experience Kanto, no matter what Olly said above. I don’t care that I’m GAMINGbible’s editor, I ain’t reading all that.

I fell to my knees when I saw Pokemon LeafGreen get announced for Nintendo Switch. I knew, immediately, I’d pay the £16.99 to relive my childhood again on official hardware. So far, I’ve spent 20 hours in the tall grass of Kanto since it was released on Friday.

Nostalgia aside, replaying these games has let me appreciate things I took for granted as a kid. The sheer mechanical elegance of these games and tight pacing remains in the Generation 3 remakes, and I truly believe this game design is why Pokémon as a series took off.

Modern Pokémon games have a tendency to treat the player like a toddler in a padded room. Probably because that’s the target audience, let's be real. But my argument here - I was fine getting lost and frustrated in Kanto, 20 years ago. The pacing of these games is just excellent. Nowadays, there’s an NPC constantly tugging at your sleeve, spoonfeeding you what to do, and where to go. Kids these dang days.

When people argue about these two versions, they’re usually talking about the exclusive encounters, considering that’s the only meaningful difference.

Let me play along for a moment, and then explain why I think anyone who does that is wrong.

The three main exclusive Pokémon FireRed players that actually mean anything are Cloyster, Scyther and Arcanine. The LeafGreen equivalents are Starmie, Pinsir and Ninetails. If I was going to play the ‘exclusives make a version better’ game, I’d say Starmie is a Water/Psychic powerhouse, which is absolutely busted thanks to the Gen 1 force of Psychic types, before the introduction of Dark types. Access to Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Surf, and Psychic makes Starmie a Swiss Army knife that can sweep teams. And sure, Arcanine is the best Fire type because of the pre Special/Physical split, I can’t really argue with you there

But hear me out. If that’s your only argument, you fundamentally misunderstand the core philosophy of Pokémon. These games were built on the backbone of social interaction. Game Freak invented the Link Cable so we could play with friends. You can trade for a Growlithe in five seconds, and if you’ve got no friends to trade with, you’ve got bigger problems.

The fact is, Pokémon FireRed outsold LeafGreen thanks to the aforementioned "Charizard Effect". By choosing LeafGreen, you’re positioning yourself as a rare commodity. You have the Slowpokes, the Magmar, and the Sandshrews that the Charizard-obsessed masses need to complete their Pokedex.

Should You Buy Pokémon FireRed or LeafGreen?

The answer is - it really doesn’t matter. If you care to catch the exclusive Pokémon yourself, objectively Pokémon FireRed is the better option. As twee as it may sound, the most important thing is you have fun, of which there are oodles to be had in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen for the Nintendo Switch.

Sara, fan of the franchise - 8/10

Olly, new to the franchise - 8/10

Pros: A fantastic adventure, just as engaging and exciting as it was 20 years ago. A great place to enter the franchise.

Cons: The price point is steep for a 20 year old game, which might put some people off.

For fans of: Pokemon (of course), Fire Emblem, Palworld.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen launched 28 February on Nintendo Switch (version tested). A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.