Pokémon Gold and Silver: Difference between revisions

Set [[Time Skip|three years after]] the events of ''Pokémon Red and Blue Versions'', [[Hello, Insert Name Here|a young trainer]] sets out to collect the eight badges of Johto (based on the Kansai region of Japan as well as the western part of the Chubu region) and challenge the Elite Four so that they can earn their own place in the hall of fame. Along the way, however, they have to contend with [[The Rival|a callous thief]] and the reemerging threat of Team Rocket.

 

 

One year later, an [[Updated Rerelease]] appeared: ''Crystal''. On top of a new subplot revolving around Suicune, a slight graphics bump, and other minor differences, ''Crystal'' marked the debut of the [[Purely Aesthetic Gender]] option in the series, by offering players the choice of a male ''or'' female player, instead of simply giving them a male character to assign a masculine or feminine name to (thereby bypassing the unintentional [[Les Yay]] that could've resulted -- now it's the result of lines written for the male player character being read to the female one).

* [[An Interior Designer Is You]]: You could decorate your room with various dolls and such, thanks to Mystery Gifts. Your mother would also buy things with the money you sent home after battles.

* [[Have a Gay Old Time]]: One of the Trainers in the Burned Tower (removed in ''Crystal'') is named Dick. A trainer in the "Firebreather" class, no less. Now there's a mental image that nobody wanted. It's probably not a coincidence that his name was changed to Richard in HGSS.

* [[Intentional Engrish for Funny]]: Earl speaks entirely in broken English, though in his ''Pokémon Stadium 2'' appearance, he speaks normally so people could understand him, as he gave hints and advice that were imperative to competitive battling.

* [[Numbered Sequels]]: Subverted; the [[Working Title]] of the games was ''Pocket Monsters 2: Gold and Silver''.

* [[The Artifact]]: Subversion. A guy in the first PokéMart claims his Pokémon nearly fainted on the field because of poison, as in Generation IV, Poison will automatically wear off after the Pokémon's HP reaches 1.

** Lampshaded when you get to Indigo Plateau. In the original games there was a nice man who would have his Abra teleport you home, since you couldn't fly between Kanto and Johto and thus your only other way back until you beat the Elite Four was walking back. In the remakes you can now use Fly to get back, but the old man is still there offering his services... only to note that because of Fly most trainers turn him down. (In fact, the game doesn't even ''let'' you take him up on his offer, not offering a Yes/No choice after he's finished talking.)

* [[But Thou Must!]]: As of Crystal and continuing into Generation III and Generation IV, you're required to face the version mascot due to the plot. The remakes ''force'' you to do the same before you can set out for the Indigo Plateau, though there's no real reason why you can't put it off.

** The Hoenn and Sinnoh games at least had some justification for this, but the Johto remakes don't even bother. Ethan or Lyra will just block your way to Kanto until you go meet with the Kimono Girls and battle Ho-oh/Lugia.

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: The random candy bar you got in Mahogany Town in Johto can be traded to a Kanto NPC for the TM for [[Action Bomb|Explosion]], the most powerful (albeit suicidal) move in the game.

** In addition, in the Gen V games, this otherwise useless candy bar is used to wake up a Zen Mode Darmanitan. However, the item cannot be transferred from HGSS.

** In the minigames, the player's Pokémon get circling Psyduck when stunned.

** In the PokéWalker, the player's one Pokémon gets circling stars when KOed by a wild Pokémon.

* [[Chiptune]]: While the original games had this by definition, here in Generation IV, after acquiring all 8 Kanto Gym badges, an NPC in Game Freak HQ will reward you with the "GB Sounds" item that allows you to switch to remakes of the original chiptunes at will while exploring Kanto or Johto. (It even includes chiptune renditions for areas that were added since the originals, like the Johto Safari Zone and Global Trade Station.)

* [[Copy Protection]]: ROMs randomly freeze up within minutes of beginning gameplay, making progress in the game nearly impossible for would-be pirates.

* [[Disc One Nuke]]

** Many Pokéwalker Pokes can become this, easily allowing the player to obtain a good variety of Pokémon with great moves early in the game. if you're lucky, you can get a powerful Kangaskhan on your very first stroll.

* [[Feelies]]: The Pokéwalker.

* [[Forced Tutorial]]: Just like in the originals, your mother insists on telling you how to use the phone. Just like in every ''Pokémon'' game, someone has to show you how to catch Pokémon. This gets very tedious, because your pseudo-rival will show you how to catch Pokémon, realize that you weren't in battle mode and therefore "didn't see it", and then you have to stand around some more while he/she shows you ''again''.

** A double battle with a young couple on route 47 is a rather tongue in cheek version. The girl sends out an [[Freud Was Right|Onix]], while the guy sends out a Cloyster. Unfortunately, the infamous one from the original version (i.e. Juggler Irwin saying he dropped his balls) is no longer present (see the ''Gold'' and ''Silver'' section above).

** It's probably no coincidence that a Firebreather (of all things!) in the Burned Tower named Dick in Gold and Silver had his name changed to Richard.

** Gym Leader rematches. Before you can request another fight, you have to get them registered in your Pokégear. To do that, you have to talk to them after meeting certain criteria. Problem is, you have to meet them at certain locations (some of which are rather obscure) at a certain time on a certain day of the week, instead of simply talking to them at their respective Gym. There's even a couple that are gotten from an NPC other than the Gym Leader. Good luck finding all of them without a guide, even with the NPC that will randomly call you to give info about a random Leader. A good example of this is Jasmine, who appears at the Olivine City Diner between 13:00-14:00. Said diner is not important in the least outside of this one time and looks like a normal house, so you may not have just overlooked it every time you were in town.

** Want to find a specific Pokémon in the Johto Safari Zone? Unlike previous generations, your Pokedex area listing doesn't include the Safari Zone, so you're on your own. After acquiring the National Pokedex, you can customize the Safari Zone using "blocks" to attract different species (mostly Hoenn or Sinnoh region Mons) that wouldn't normally appear at all, but again, good luck trying to attract a specific one without consulting a strategy guide for help.

** The starting favor from Elm is changed from the player fetching an object that turns out to be an egg from Mr. Pokémon for Elm, to Elm asking the player to walk a Pokémon for him. When contacted by Mr. Pokémon in the scene, Elm thinks he is just bugging him about "another egg" (as Pokémon eggs are common knowledge since Generation II-III). This is a holdover from the ''Crystal'' version, where Elm asks a similar favor before he gets Mr. Pokémon's email.

** The man before the Elite Four offers to teleport you back to New Bark Town, but notes no one takes him up on his offer because everyone wanting to go there just flew there. Completely true. It doesn't help (or, for the player character, hurt) that the Indigo Plateau seems to be the one place in the entire game from which a person can fly to ''any region in Johto'' '''or''' ''Kanto.'' Sorry, {{spoiler|Goldenrod City-Saffron City mass transit}}!

* [[Lost Forever]]: Mr. Pokémon gives you the Exp. Share if you trade him a Red Scale obtained from battling the Red Gyarados. If you happen to NOT talk to him in between the time you battle the Red Gyarados and receive a Kanto Starter Pokemon from Professor Oak, he'll give you the orb needed to catch Kyogre/Groudon instead, leaving the Exp. share unobtainable. However, another Exp. Share can be obtained from Goldenrod Radio Tower Lottery if the player can match 3 digits.

* [[Luck-Based Mission]]: Voltorb Flip, bring something of a cross between Picross and Minesweeper, can become this. A little logical deduction can improve your chances of avoiding the Voltorb, but clearing the board (which is required to earn higher payouts) almost always ends up requiring a guess between two or three cards, and hoping you pick right.

** The Gym Leaders are noticeably more difficult than they were in the second generation, thanks to abilities (Bugsy's Scyther has "Technician", increasing its Quick Attack by 50%, and Whitney's Miltank has "Scrappy" ([[The Scrappy|how fitting]]), enabling it to hit Ghosts who would otherwise be immune to Normal attacks) and better AI tactics (like the "Spore Punch" combo, where Chuck's Poliwrath puts your Pokemon to sleep so they can't disrupt its powerful Focus Punches) or simply because the elemental types are better balanced than originally, and this works out in the AI's favor quite often. Even the physical/special split introduced in Generation IV seems to favor the AI (for example, "Flame Wheel" now relies on Cyndaquil's physical Attack, which is lower than its Special Attack).

** Kanto received a ''huge'' difficulty spike in the remakes, compared to the original where everyone was level 30 or so: All trainers are now in the Lv.45-50 range, and the Gym Leaders are in the 50-60 range. {{spoiler|Red's}} Pokemon are in the 80's, with his Pikachu being level 88, the highest level Pokemon used by a non-player Trainer in the entire main series!