Game:
Pokemon Gold &
Pokemon Silver
Developer:
Game Freak
Platform:
Gameboy
Release Year:
1999
Stephen's Rating:
7/10
Real men play Pokemon.
Basic Plot
As with every other Pokemon game ever created, you start as a young boy who lives in a small town with your mum. You then get given a Pokemon by a professor, and then (with the blessing of your mother) you venture out alone into the world with your Pokemon.
You find, battle, catch and train Pokemon, battle other trainers, and uncover an evil plot by an organisation with the prefix "Team".
Eventually you battle the Elite Four and become Champion.
In this particular generation (Gold/Silver) the game includes the new area of Johto as well as the original Kanto from
Pokemon Blue and
Pokemon Red. There are 109 new species of Pokemon to catch. The player starts in New Bark Town, and the villains are Team Rocket.
Gameplay
Pokemon is a blend of a role playing game with a collection game (like the card equivalent). The world is inhabited by hundreds of species of Pokemon who each have different types and moves. Pokemon can be caught in the wild, or traded with other trainers.
The game pans out in two main views. There is a top town exploration view which most of the game is played out in, and then a special face to face view for battling other Pokemon and trainers.
A Pokemon battle.
A player can carry around a team of up to six Pokemon at a time. They use this team to engage in Pokemon battles, or to battle wild Pokemon (usually to try and catch them). They can also store a vast number of additional Pokemon in their computer system. That's one of the things about the game - Pokemon can be stored in little balls called Pokeballs, and can also be stored in a computer system. It doesn't really make sense and it breaks the laws of space and time but just go with it.
Pokemon have one or two "types". This essentially makes a Pokemon battle like a vastly complicated games of paper/scissors/rock. For example; a
water type Pokemon takes less damage from a
fire type attack, but will incur extra damage if a
grass type move is use against them. There are many types including water, fire, grass, electric, ghost, psychic, rock, ground, bug, fighting, normal, dark to name a few. On top of that, some Pokemon have two types. For example;
Bulbasaur is a dual type
grass/
poison Pokemon. The strengths and weaknesses are melded together.
It's not as simple as that, however. A Pokemon who tries to use a move which is
not their type (for example a
water Pokemon using a
fire move) does normal damage. But a Pokemon using a move of their type (for example a
fire Pokemon using a
fire move) does 50% additional damage.
Pokemon types are not all equal either. For example, the
grass type is renowned for being impracticle and weak in the game as it is weak against a lot of types (
fire, rock, ice, bug, flying...). In comparison the
dragon type is only weak against
ice type moves.
Not all Pokemon are equal either. Pokemon have a certain number of attributes they can obtain by reaching level 100, and some Pokemon can attain much higher levels of these than others. This depends primarily on the species, but there is some random variation based on their "nature" and other effects which are decided when the Pokemon is first encountered (or bred).
Berries became quite a big mechanic in other games. I have always hated them.
Another important mechanic in the game is evolution. Many species of Pokemon have one or more evolutions, while some do not. For example; when
Bulbasaur reaches level 16 he will evolve into
Ivysaur who is like an ugly but stronger version of the original. Again when
Ivysaur reaches level 32 he will evolve into
Venusaur which is uglier but stronger again. You can stop a Pokemon from evolving if you want.
One of the things that makes the game addictive is the collection aspects. You are given a "Pokedex" which is a list of all the Pokemon you've found in the world. It's human nature to want to complete the list... to catch them all. Doing so, however, is exceptionally difficult, particularly due to the next point.
Another important thing is the concept of "event" and "legendary" Pokemon. Legendary Pokemon are one of a kind Pokemon that are often part of the game's story. You can catch them, but they're difficult to do and often require breeding special Pokemon who have moves that assist you in the catch (moves that put other Pokemon to sleep, paralyse them, stop them escaping, etc). They are usually extraordinarily powerful and hard to find. Another kind of Pokemon is an "event" Pokemon, which you can't find in the game, but you can obtain by attending a Nintendo event. That is, going in person to a place where a staff member from Nintendo will transfer you the Pokemon. Nowdays they do events over wifi, but at the time of this game it was all in person.
Another really interesting mechanic is the idea of "shiny" pokemon. They are Pokemon who are an unusual colour compared to most in the species. There is a very, very low chance of finding one, but if you do they can be a collector's dream come true.
Part of the story involves waking up this Snorlax. You can catch him too.
Positives
The game is addictive. It has a good multiplayer aspect where you can trade and battle with your friends. The collection aspect keeps you playing well after the main story is finished.
The mystery of both event and shiny Pokemon is also a real winner for me. It's kind of cruel, to make this almost unattainable thing, but it also makes you want it so much more.
Negatives
The story is arse. It's cliche and childish, and repetitive. I literally skip past every conversation in every Pokemon game I've ever played. The first thing I do is put text speed to max.
The game itself becomes very repetitive. Training up Pokemon is just like grinding dungeons in
World of Warcraft: it's not enjoyable at all, but you do it to obtain something, which is actually just part of a game, so it's pointless.
Memorable Moments
My brother and I both had Gameboy Colour's. I had
Pokemon Gold, he had
Pokemon Silver. We traded, battled, and had a grand time.
My favourite Pokemon was my
Kabutops.
