Sequels to video games have the intention to outdo the first of any series. They need to graphically update, give more content, and provide a memorable adventure. The perfect definition to a fantastic sequel from a rising franchise is Pokémon Gold & Silver. Taking place in an entirely new region called Johto, the player does what they would do in Pokémon Red & Blue: pick a starter Pokémon, catch new Pokémon, fill the Pokédex, stop an evil gang, and earn gym badges.
Gold & Silver not only gave fans of the series a wonderful gaming experience, but it provided a bigger postgame. With the first generation games, the only thing you could do is capture the powerful Mewtwo and that’s it. The second generation provides about ten times more postgame! For a game that came out on the Game Boy Color, that was a lot of content to go through.
Once the fourth generation arrived, remakes called HeartGold & SoulSilver were released in 2009 through 2010. Not only did they do the original games justice, but expanded upon some characters. These games will always be a series staple for how fantastic they are.
It has been almost twenty years since the original Gold & Silver came out and we appreciate the details that stick out in these classic titles. We wouldn’t have some of the games’ staples if it weren’t for Gold & Silver, as well as Crystal. Here are twenty-five awesome things that fans forget about Pokémon Gold & Silver!
25 Hidden Designs
A more recent entry, the fact that we are shown leaked Pokémon from the beta version of Gold & Silver, it makes us wonder how differently the games could have been with the designs. The only starter that remain the same slightly is the Chikorita line.
Some evolutions actually managed to influence the final versions.
Remember Remoraid being attached to a Mantine despite not evolving into it? Remoraid actually was planned to evolve into it until Game Freak decided to make it evolve into Octillery. Now we can sigh in relief.
24 The Type To Counter It
In the first generation games, the Psychic-types were unstoppable. Pokémon including Alakazam and Mewtwo were powerhouses that became very popular. But Game Freak couldn’t just make the Psychic-types nearly invincible, so they need to have a weakness.
Say hello to the Dark-types.
Whenever a Psychic-type would hit a Dark-type Pokémon, it would have no effect whatsoever on the latter. Tyranitar, Umbreon, and Sneasel would teach them a lesson for being a counter to the Psychic-type Pokémon. Despite their weaknesses, Dark-type Pokémon would become one of the most popular types ever.
23 Quite Similar
Whether you are on Team Lugia or Team Ho-Oh, these awesome birds are both one of the coolest legendary Pokémon. Starting up the game gives us an exciting vibe of how these legendary birds will play out in the stories of each game.
If you managed to get a good look at the background of the title screens, you will actually see that they are the same! With Ho-Oh being in the sky and Lugia being in the sea, there are some obvious differences in color, but it is an interesting feat for them to have the same background.
22 The Myth Of Who?
The internet back in the late 90s were truly something. With little information, we could get from anything, something that was to be told among people’s words spread like wildfire. While the name of this Pokémon is called Marill, the name of it was similar to Pikachu.
Fans would call Marill "Pikablu."
Fans believed Marill was going to be another evolution to Pikachu or even be related. However, since it is a Water-type, that is impossible. This adorable creature really left a big mystery before the games’ release.
21 Glitches, Gotta Love 'Em
Before Mystery Gift events were given to everyone all around the world, it was tough on how to catch secret legendary Pokémon. Mew can be achieved by doing a glitch, and Celebi is no exception. Or rather, “eggception.”
Without having to use a cheating device, players can get Celebi with the glitch. There are procedures and videos on YouTube on how to do this. It can work in Gold, Silver or Crystal. If you are interested in trying this out, check out the article from Bulbapedia.
20 He's Still Surfing
With Pikachu being the mascot of the series, he would be able to learn moves that he cannot originally learn naturally. For example, he can use Fly but instead of wings, he would use balloons. The popular move that he can learn that would make its way into the seventh generation games is Surfing Pikachu.
Despite originally appearing in Pokémon Yellow, using Surf with that Pikachu will still use the same sprite of him surfing! Just imagine the NPCs looking at the player while surfing on a Pikachu.
19 What A Name
Pokémon are aimed for the young kids demographic, but even teenagers and adults can enjoy the games just as much! Although there are some localization changes that had to be changed to be suitable for the target demographic in the west, there was one NPC in the game whose name stirred up some controversy.
Remember the infamous Firebreather?
That name alone would make an immature kid snicker. Once the remakes were released, the game had his name changed to the full version Richard. And yet, the eShop downloads for the Nintendo 3DS still kept the name!
18 Cool Poké Balls
One of the most important items in any Pokémon game are the Poké Balls. They are used to catch Pokémon so that the player can fill in the Pokédex and train up who they want to put in their party. With a new game comes new Poké Balls!
Kurt is responsible for giving us these unique balls, even if some of them are programmed incorrectly. Without Kurt, we wouldn’t have cool balls like the Moon Ball, Level Ball, or the Love Ball.
17 Oh, The Jokes
Somebody at Game Freak loves to reference strange humor. For this entry, what we are going to talk about has to be one of the funniest moments in Pokémon history. Since double battles weren’t introduced until the third generation, HeartGold and SoulSilver would get a lovey-dovey couple named Duff and Eda, who would send out an Onix and Cloyster. You will have to think very hard as if an Onix was using Harden. We’re not sorry for that pun.
16 Bringing Back Nostalgia
Again with the Johto remakes, these games are what remakes should be: update the graphics, sound, and add more content for fans young and old to enjoy. Wouldn’t you believe it when we say that there is a treat for those who grew up with the classic games.
With the GB Sound, you can listen to the 8-bit music at all times!
For those who hold nostalgia to these games, then this is the perfect key item to bring you back to the good old days.
15 Girl Power
We can name a bunch of things the second generation games did compared to the first generation of Pokémon. Starting in Crystal, the player can choose for the first time to be a female. And for player characters, Kris has an awesome design and represents her game proudly. Sadly, she would be replaced by Lyra in HeartGold and SoulSilver, but her design fits the remakes more. Even though the first generation was going to have an option to play as a female, Kris will always stand out as the first female protagonist in the Pokémon games.
14 A Charming Rocket Grunt
Once you arrive in Kanto, you will come across a foreign Team Rocket grunt who stole a machine part from the Kanto Power Plant. Apparently, he didn’t know that Team Rocket disbanded for good, but he was still devoted to the mission.
This man would actually return in Pokémon Black & White and is revealed to actually live in the Unova region in Iccirus City. He is married and references “bye-bye a go-go” just like in the second generation games. For an Easter egg, that was really sweet.
13 From Jerk To Cool Guy
The first ever rival, Blue, was someone who we really want to beat due to his cockiness and beating you faster in gym badges. Heck, he beat the Elite 4 before us! We really showed him after defeating him when he became champion. Once we would go back to Kanto, we wondered who the Viridian gym leader would be since Giovanni disappeared.
Low and behold, it’s Blue himself.
Not only did he learn to be more humble, but his gym battle was unlike the others. With no type specialty, his battle was a breath of fresh air and fun!
12 Traveling To Memory Lane
So far, the classic games and the remakes are the only ones that actually let us go back to a familiar region. It was a huge deal for players to head back to the region where the series started. It might have been a bit different from the two-year gap, but it was still worth it to go back to Kanto. Now if we could just have a new Pokémon game where we can travel to any region. That would be the ultimate game.
11 The Remakes Are Awesome
This statement might have been sprinkled throughout this list, but there is no denying at how fantastic the remakes to Gold & Silver are. Even though there were some slight changes and some new additions to the games, Game Freak outdid themselves in these games.
The fourth generation started off with a risk with Diamond & Pearl, but then after Platinum, we were blessed with wonderful remakes from the second generation. Taking us back to simpler times became a reality thanks to Game Freak.
10 Welcome To...
First it was Pallet Town, then it was Silent Hills... we mean New Bark Town. We are not kidding; New Bark Town was originally going to be called Silent Hills before the game Silent Hill was released. While there aren’t any hills in the town, we can see it being silent since it is rather small and quiet.
Hopefully nothing too scary as well.
The name change was a good call since people would get confused from the Konami series and the town in Gold & Silver.
9 Nice Item
Mewtwo has made a name for itself ever since the first Game Boy games were released. It is a very powerful Psychic-type that acts as a final boss after defeating the Elite 4. In Gold & Silver, no traces of Mewtwo are to be found. Well, there is an item in a reference to it.
The item is called the Berserk Gene.
It is consumable and it boosts the attack stat for the Pokémon holding it, but it also causes confusion. Use it at your own risk if you’re willing to use it.
8 Battle Them Again!
Pokémon Gold & Silver managed to have a strong and long post-game despite how outdated the games are today. Still, they improved so much and are one of the best sequels for any video game. So, with the amount of post-game, what else is there for the player to do?
Battle the gym leaders again!
This feature only exists in HeartGold and SoulSilver, but having to battle the gym leaders again is awesome. They get stronger and have decent teams. What’s not to like about this feature?
7 Arguably Everyone's First Shiny
The event that involved the red Gyarados was truly something special. The Lake of Rage is where we as the players would encounter and later be able to catch the special Pokémon. If players have not caught a shiny Pokémon beforehand, then they would be surprised at how the Gyarados is red. That moment was something special for all Pokémon fans. Not only would they be able to catch a powerful Pokémon, but also have it be in a different color.
6 It Was Going To Be There?
The Safari Zone was a unique area in the first Pokémon games. With a time limit and interesting Pokémon to catch, it felt like a contest to see how many Pokémon the player can get. Once the player was able to make it to Saffron City in the post-game, we were sad to see that it was closed.
However, it was actually originally meant to be an extra feature. The reason why the Safari Zone was not implanted is because Game Freak simply did not have enough time. That is a true shame, but at least the remakes put it in!