What is a popular game series that’s always centered around battling with animal-like creatures? There can only be one! This week’s Retro Recap comes from Generation II classics, Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal! With the upcoming release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the Pokémon hype is at an all time high. However, how can we forget the games that brought us this far?
I’ve previously written a Retro Recap on Red, Blue, Green and Yellow, but what about the sequel? Many would argue that only the first generation was the one worth remembering? Those people need to get with the times! Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal were just as much fun, if not more, than the originals! With a whole plethora of new Pokémon to choose from, as well as the old classics, Gold, Silver and Crystal were definitely games worth fighting for!
As if the enjoyment of the first Pokémon game wasn’t enough for my young mind to contend with, Nintendo decided to release the almost as successful sequel. In these games, all the starters were pretty awesome (Typhlosion being the obvious best) and the enjoyable, yet at times, frustrating gameplay had me hooked from start to finish. Even with the single most annoying Pokemon in Whitney’s Miltank, Generation II is one of my favorite generations to date. Only to be made better with the remake into Heart Gold and Soul Silver, the world of Pokemon really opened up into the ever expanding franchise it is today.
There must be hundreds of cool facts about these games! Here are a select few:
- Generation II was meant to be the last game in the Pokémon franchise according to Pokémon producer Tsunekazu Ishihara
- Red, who you can encounter at Mt. Silver, is mute for a reason. It was to accurately reflect the character from Red, Blue, Green and Yellow, who only ever answered with Yes or No when asked a question
- The gym in Goldenrod City is laid out in the shape of a Clefairy
Let’s be frank, if you loved Pokémon, you would have loved Generation II. Albeit, the different Pokémon available, old classics made an appearance and the seamless integration between Kanto and Johto was a very nice touch to say the least. We’re all craving that mega Pokémon (pun intended) game whereby we can travel across all six of the current regions. Alas, that is merely a pipe dream at this stage, but one that I would still be hopeful for. Nintendo should take note of the fact that fans want a multi-region game and make this dream a reality.
For those who are interested, my favorite Pokemon from Generation II are Azumarill, Blissey, Heracross, Scizor and Umbreon! Oddly enough, Umbreon was the only one on that list I’ve never really owned (a former friend of mine evolved my Eevee during the day…). Maybe I’ll pick one in Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire!
Did you play Pokémon as a child? Do you still play now? What do you think of the Generation II games and the upcoming Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
