Note: This is a review covering my opinions on the differences between the two versions, not the game itself. If you want that, check out my Red review instead.
This was the version I played as a kid, as well as my very first PMD game. I could never beat Rayquaza, so I abandoned the game for many years. A month ago I decided to replay the game but with Red Rescue Team instead, and today I returned to Sky Tower on my old Blue save file to finally finish what I started (first try, too!). That's why it feels extremely strange for me to say that, after having beaten both versions, I prefer Red to the one I grew up with. Red was the last Pokemon game to be released on the GBA, and compared to Blue, it feels like this game was made specifically for the GBA and just got pushed onto the DS as well since the GBA was at the end of its lifespan.
I'll start with what I like about this version: having a top screen is a blessing. You have the ability to put the map and/or your team stats on top, and I can definitely say it was helpful for me to see my other team members' HP without bringing up the menu when I wanted to check. The top screen isn't terribly useful or pretty in the overworld compared to Explorers, but it's not a big deal, especially if I'm correct about the game being designed for the GBA first. I also prefer the controls of this version to Red. Mostly, it's a lot easier to aim your Pokemon in the direction you want them to face since the grid button is controlled by X instead of Select, but it's not the GBA's fault it only has A and B. There's also an option to change the controls to the GBA's scheme, if you wanted that for some reason.
That mostly covers what I like about Blue, but that doesn't change my biggest issue with this version: it doesn't feel like it was optimized for the DS. The Wikipedia article for these games says that Blue takes advantage of the DS's increased graphical and sound capabilities. Honestly, in terms of graohics, I didn't notice any improvements. I only played for about 2 hours, so maybe I just didn't pick up on it, but all I noticed was the text box's awkward screen placement and what looked like blank tiles that were supposed to get cropped off by the GBA's screen ratio during cutscenes. As for the soundtrack... it's better in terms of actual sound quality, and I think some tracks take advantage of the DS's extra sound channels/higher processing to add more instruments to tracks as well. Blue also changes a lot of instruments and samples, usually to something higher quality, but what's odd is that these changes produce an artificial sound to the songs that almost make them sound... worse than the GBA? This is most likely a matter of preference, but something I really like about the Red versions of the music is how muddy they sound. This is partly a result of the fuzzy quality, but it makes the percussion and leading melody hit harder and feels more fitting with the environment these songs play in. If you'd like an example, try comparing the two versions of Mt. Steel. I think the calmer and more emotional music of the game sounds better in Blue, since the DS produces a much cleaner sound, but I feel like the GBA's sound works a lot better with the game's tenser tracks, as well as the more "funky" music of the game.
One last thing I'd like to say about Blue, and I saved this for last because it might just be an issue with my cartridge or 3DS, but the floors load slower for some reason? It's not just the wait time, but it takes longer for the text indicating what floor you're on after you enter stairs to show up as well. In return, at least the game doesn't lag when I try to walk with more than 5 Pokemon on a floor (Monster Houses are a pain in Red for more than one reason), but I found this to be odd.
While I prefer Red to Blue, I don't think Blue is a bad version of this game. Someone could play it without even knowing Red exists and it wouldn't affect their experience of the game, and honestly, I'd still recommend Blue over Red to new players just because of the top screen. I just feel like as a different version of the same game on a stronger system, it's disappointingly weaker. Honestly, I wonder: if Pokemon didn't normally have its games as two seperate versions, would this game have just been moved to the DS? Did it even start development on the GBA in the first place? It's not uncommon for a game to start on an older console and then get moved to its successor before the game releases, but it's a bit tricky to tell what happened with these games thanks to the series's practices. Oh well, that's just speculation. As for my final thoughts on these two versions: if you've only played Blue or haven't played this at all and don't mind the limitations of the GBA, perhaps consider giving Red a try next time you want to play this game (if you have access to playing Red, of course). To me, it feels like it was supposed to be the intended way to experience the game.
This was the version I played as a kid, as well as my very first PMD game. I could never beat Rayquaza, so I abandoned the game for many years. A month ago I decided to replay the game but with Red Rescue Team instead, and today I returned to Sky Tower on my old Blue save file to finally finish what I started (first try, too!). That's why it feels extremely strange for me to say that, after having beaten both versions, I prefer Red to the one I grew up with. Red was the last Pokemon game to be released on the GBA, and compared to Blue, it feels like this game was made specifically for the GBA and just got pushed onto the DS as well since the GBA was at the end of its lifespan.
I'll start with what I like about this version: having a top screen is a blessing. You have the ability to put the map and/or your team stats on top, and I can definitely say it was helpful for me to see my other team members' HP without bringing up the menu when I wanted to check. The top screen isn't terribly useful or pretty in the overworld compared to Explorers, but it's not a big deal, especially if I'm correct about the game being designed for the GBA first. I also prefer the controls of this version to Red. Mostly, it's a lot easier to aim your Pokemon in the direction you want them to face since the grid button is controlled by X instead of Select, but it's not the GBA's fault it only has A and B. There's also an option to change the controls to the GBA's scheme, if you wanted that for some reason.
That mostly covers what I like about Blue, but that doesn't change my biggest issue with this version: it doesn't feel like it was optimized for the DS. The Wikipedia article for these games says that Blue takes advantage of the DS's increased graphical and sound capabilities. Honestly, in terms of graohics, I didn't notice any improvements. I only played for about 2 hours, so maybe I just didn't pick up on it, but all I noticed was the text box's awkward screen placement and what looked like blank tiles that were supposed to get cropped off by the GBA's screen ratio during cutscenes. As for the soundtrack... it's better in terms of actual sound quality, and I think some tracks take advantage of the DS's extra sound channels/higher processing to add more instruments to tracks as well. Blue also changes a lot of instruments and samples, usually to something higher quality, but what's odd is that these changes produce an artificial sound to the songs that almost make them sound... worse than the GBA? This is most likely a matter of preference, but something I really like about the Red versions of the music is how muddy they sound. This is partly a result of the fuzzy quality, but it makes the percussion and leading melody hit harder and feels more fitting with the environment these songs play in. If you'd like an example, try comparing the two versions of Mt. Steel. I think the calmer and more emotional music of the game sounds better in Blue, since the DS produces a much cleaner sound, but I feel like the GBA's sound works a lot better with the game's tenser tracks, as well as the more "funky" music of the game.
One last thing I'd like to say about Blue, and I saved this for last because it might just be an issue with my cartridge or 3DS, but the floors load slower for some reason? It's not just the wait time, but it takes longer for the text indicating what floor you're on after you enter stairs to show up as well. In return, at least the game doesn't lag when I try to walk with more than 5 Pokemon on a floor (Monster Houses are a pain in Red for more than one reason), but I found this to be odd.
While I prefer Red to Blue, I don't think Blue is a bad version of this game. Someone could play it without even knowing Red exists and it wouldn't affect their experience of the game, and honestly, I'd still recommend Blue over Red to new players just because of the top screen. I just feel like as a different version of the same game on a stronger system, it's disappointingly weaker. Honestly, I wonder: if Pokemon didn't normally have its games as two seperate versions, would this game have just been moved to the DS? Did it even start development on the GBA in the first place? It's not uncommon for a game to start on an older console and then get moved to its successor before the game releases, but it's a bit tricky to tell what happened with these games thanks to the series's practices. Oh well, that's just speculation. As for my final thoughts on these two versions: if you've only played Blue or haven't played this at all and don't mind the limitations of the GBA, perhaps consider giving Red a try next time you want to play this game (if you have access to playing Red, of course). To me, it feels like it was supposed to be the intended way to experience the game.