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Two blatant iPhone Pokemon clones manage to sneak through Apple's strict approval process

At least one of them is a scam

Two blatant iPhone Pokemon clones manage to sneak through Apple's strict approval process
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| Pokemon Yellow

Apple's infamous App Store approval process has come under fire numerous times in the past and it looks like the Cupertino-based company is about to take another beating.

Apple has allowed two different Pokemon clones into its App Store. What's worse, though, is that at least one - and probably both - of them is a blatant scam.

The first of these apps, Pokemon - Pocket Edition, is a bit of a swindle. Its App Store description boasts that you can "play as everyone's favorite Pokemon, Pikachu, around awesome lands" and "hook up with other Trainers and let the fast-paced fun begin".

However, all you can actually do is view a bunch of Pokemon pictures taken from Nintendo's Game Boy outings.

"This app has one mode of Gameplay; gallery. This is only a gallery of the Pokemon series," a small disclaimer under the app's description explains.

It's probably not worth the £2.99 / $4.99 asking price, then.

Thunderbolt

The second app to sneak past Apple's App Store defences is Pokemon Yellow, which claims that "your very own Pokémon legend is about to begin!"

Its App Store description features a number of dubious press quotes from unnamed sources, one of which claims that the game is "just like the original. Only better because you can play it on the most intuitive device ever - the iPhone. 5/5"

We downloaded the application and fired it up, but were promptly greeted by an image and a pesky crash that repeatedly sent us back to our iPhone's Springboard.

The extremely colourful and detailed App Store screenshots lead us to suspect with some degree of confidence that this is also a scam. The 'original' Pokemon Yellow was released for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, after all.

I choose you

It's important to note that the developer of Pokemon Yellow has posted an apology for the app's "issue" on its website.

"If you are experiencing issues with Pokemon Yellow, we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience. Thanks for your patience while we thoroughly investigate this issue," the post reads.

"We are working on a new build and we anticipate this will be completed soon, which should overcome the issue."

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Anthony Usher
Anthony Usher
Anthony is a Liverpool, UK-based writer who fell in love with gaming while playing Super Mario World on his SNES back in the early '90s. When he isn't busy grooming his beard, you can find him replaying Resident Evil or Final Fantasy VII for the umpteenth time. Aside from gaming, Anthony likes hiking, MMA, and pretending he’s a Viking.