“We are remaking an old game, but this is quite a challenge. Old fans would not want us to mess with their good memories, but there is no point in just redoing the same thing, right? We are working toward something that brings back memories, yet is also completely new!”
- The President
No, not that President. I’m talking about the President taking up residence in the Game Freak room on the third floor of the Spell Tag building in Celadon City.*
To the seven or eight of you worrying whether Pokemon HG/SS does the original game justice, rest assured. Pokemon HG/SS does more than succeed as a remake—it excels. Both games take the best of the old, the best of the new, and meld them together gloriously in what is easily one of the best remakes of all time.
For those of you not in the know, the original Pokemon Gold and Silver versions came out roughly ten years ago. One of the best games in the series (RANDOM FACT: to this day, Pokemon Silver stands as my favorite Game Boy title EVAR!), both games took the addictive formula of the first generation Pokemon games and perfected it, reshaping something great into something legendary.
Of course, perfecting perfection isn’t easy. Heck, it barely makes sense. But few games come closer than Pokemon HG/SS.
Brace yourself, children—I’m about to rave like a drooling fanboy.
As far as gameplay goes, the basic formula’s—er—identical to every other game in the series:
You’re [INSERT NAME HERE], a young [LAD/LASS] from a small town in [JAPAN-INFLUENCED LOCALE]. You grew up surrounded by Pokemon, living right next door to Professor [NAME OF TREE], a bona fide Pokemon expert. One day, [INSERT RANDOM EVENT] happens, inspiring the kind Professor to finally give you a Pokemon of your own. You pick one and raise it to fight your battles for you, winning cash and making a name for you as a hardened Pokemon trainer. While you do this, your rival, [INSERT ANY NAME HERE], gets another Pokemon and harasses you whenever it’s most inconvenient. Meanwhile, you’re building a Pokemon collection—as per the professor’s request—catching them all and storing data about each of them in a nifty little PDA-looking thing called a Pokedex.
Pokemon HG/SS runs on the same engine as Pokemon Platinum, so the core play mechanics are pretty much the same. The main difference has to do with the lack of a Poketch (I still can’t say that). Instead, Pokemon HG/SS reverts you back to good old fashioned Pokegear, the Pokequivalent of an iPhone.
While the lack of the Poketch is somewhat disappointing, you won’t miss it much. Many of the applications used on the Poketch are now key items that can be set to your touch screen or the Y button for quick and easy access. Players can register up to two key items at a time, an essential, long overdue change to the series (anyone who’s played Pokemon knows the hassle of switching between key items).
The Dowsing Machine (item finder) now works while you move as opposed to only working while stationary, and it’s actually pretty fun to use—especially considering how cumbersome the thing was in D/P. Berries are now managed using portable pots, meaning you no longer need to mark your map and fly halfway across the globe to water a couple of plants. A few other changes have been made, many of them subtle, but definitely for the better.
One of the most noteworthy changes to the game is the revamped Pokedex. Working via the touch screen, you first slide the stylus to open it like a book. Inside is a list of all the Pokemon you’ve caught and encountered, lined up like days on a calendar. I can’t say whether the new Pokedex is preferable to the old one, but it’s definitely interesting and incredibly easy to navigate.
Unlike the other Pokemon DS titles, Pokemon HG/SS makes frequent use of the touch screen. Thus, all of your menu functions are managed through—you guessed it—touch. Moving Pokemon between boxes, using items, trading, battles, and just about anything else you can think of makes good use of the DS’s touch screen, though it does take some getting used to at first.
In an unfortunate recession, Pokemon HG/SS isn’t nearly as rough and tough as its counterparts. I personally plowed through the game using only two Pokemon (Typhlosion and Ampharos), with a handful of filler Pokemon to use HM techniques so I could explore caves and sail the high seas. But Pokemon HG/SS isn’t really about challenge as much as it’s about adventure, exploration, and—most importantly—catching them all. And, when it comes down to it, Pokemon HG/SS triumphs at all three.
The soundtrack itself is absolutely fantastic, orchestrating magnificent and bouncy remixes of the tracks from the original game. Of course, Game Freak went one step beyond, adding a GB Sounds key item that reverts most of the game’s music to its 8-bit glory. Nostalgia junkies rejoice.
Other perks? I think a list is in order:
- The first Pokemon in your party almost always follows behind you as you walk. This is awesome beyond all belief.
- You can still trade with Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. Win!
- A Team Rocket skin for your Pokegear is available as soon as you boot up the game. Epic!
- The slot machine game is replaced with Sudoku/Minesweeper-inspired a card flip game. Winning is based more on luck than skill. It’s—eh, okay.
- There’s a Pokeathelon where you can play some pretty sweet mini-games for some pretty sweet prizes.
- While there’s no secret base, custom room, or underground, you do get your own Safari Zone.
Which I guess is kind of a big deal, so I better talk about it.
The Safari Zone is completely different this time around. It still depends on you rushing through a plethora of environments, bagging as many Pokemon as you can all by your lonesome. But the time limit is completely gone, and the game only ends when you quit or run out of Safari Balls.
The Safari Zone is also completely customizable, and catching certain Pokemon depends on how you set up your Safari Zone. This process is ridiculously complicated, yet incredibly simple. Read up on it, and you’ll see what I mean. One-hundred and ten days until I can catch a Bagon? You can’t be serious.
Of course, my main problem is one that only the heartiest of Pokefans will understand—there’s no Pokeradar. This means you can’t chain Pokemon for EV training, and you can’t chain to increase your odds of finding a shiny Pokemon. It’s a shame, but Pokemon HG/SS tries to make up for it with the Pokewalker.
The Pokewalker is the glorified child of a pedometer and a virtual pet. The device, included with the game, links up to the cartridge itself using a built-in IR port. You get to transfer one Pokemon into the Pokewalker, walk with it, and it finds stuff for you. It’s basically Pokemon in its simplest form, and it’s actually pretty delightful.
Again, read up on it and see what I mean.
Final Thoughts
Pokemon HG/SS is easily the best game in the franchise. Granted, the game’s lacking some components that I miss dearly (*sob* Pokeradar *sad face*), but the game more than makes up for it.
If you’re concerned about dropping $40 bones apiece for a pair of DS games, don’t be. Pokemon HG/SS more than delivers, offering at least fifty hours of gameplay. Then again, there’s no reason for anyone to go out and buy both Heart Gold and Soul Silver (aside from the most dedicated of Pokefanatics), as they’re essentially the same game. Instead, save yourself the extra coin and convince your friends and family to pick up the version of the game you lack. Pokemon’s more fun with a friend anyway.
Oh, and expect the traditional issues as far as a player’s guide goes. You’ll likely need one at some point. You can either be a cheap-o like me and skip it in lieu of a quick Google search, or buy one for $15 to $20 and admire it’s glossy cover. Mmmm…
Here’s the long and the short of it:
If you’ve played Pokemon Gold and Silver before, spoil your inner child and give Pokemon HG/SS a play. He or she will thank you for it.
Those who missed the games the first time around—well, better late than never.
Of course, if you’ve never played a Pokemon game, please click the link you’re reading as you read this.
You have a week to catch up with the rest of us.
*How do I know that?
awesome game, i need to get my hands on it asap. thanks for reviewing
Pikachu is the cutest and my favortie among the Pokemons.-,;
mudkip is the cutest pokemon ever (:3)
AAWWSOMEE game… i love heartgold and soul silver (I have HG but i dont have SS but i played on it b4)