Developer: Gamefreak
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release Year: 2009
Stephen's Rating: 5/10
Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver (terrible names) were generation 4 remakes of the original Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver released in generation 2.
Basic Plot
The story is the same as any Pokémon game. You play the role of a young person who goes out into the world to explore the world of Pokémon. On the way they help thwart the evil Team Rocket and eventually become Pokémon Master.
Gameplay
In its essence all Pokémon games are role playing games with elements of turn based combat and strategy. Rather than re-hashing the mechanics of the game here go and check out my entry for Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver here.
Differences from the Original
The graphics have been revamped for the Nintendo DS. This platform also provides the game with wifi and wireless multiplayer support including wifi events. There was also interactivity with other generation 4 games so you could trade Pokemon with owners of Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl and Pokémon Platinum. There was even some interactivity with generation 3 games if you had a Nintendo DS original or DS Lite as you could put the GBA game into the 2nd slot, and it would change the kinds of Pokémon you could find in game.
There were a number of functional and aesthetic differences including the layout of the Pokégear and the Pokédex but essentially the story and experience was designed to be the same but with modern technology.
At the end of the game there were advanced quests and areas which could be explored in order to unlock and obtain a lot of additional legendary Pokémon and items including obtaining all of the starter Pokemon from generation 3 (including the generation 1 remakes).
Positives
Well polished and built game and an accurate representation of the original for a modern audience. Good multiplayer support. I liked the ability to obtain the starter Pokémon prior to generation 4, as anyone with a DSi or DSi XL was unable to transfer them across any other way (because of the lack of a GBA slot).
Negatives
In terms of multiplayer the game only supported WEP authentication over wifi which was frustrating. This was fixed in Pokémon Black and Pokémon White.
Compared to Pokémon Platinum which was the other game I played from generation 4 there were some major flaws in the game which to me made it quite frustrating.
Firstly, there was no easy way to un-do EV's. This meant that the party of Pokémon you took with you through the whole game would more than likely end up with random EV's and therefore be quite weak. If you wanted to EV train this generally meant breeding or catching a fresh Pokémon after completing the game, which took many hours of effort and a lot of dedication and concentration.
Secondly, there was no easy way to re-battle trainers you'd already fought. The Vs. Seeker in Pokémon Platinum was ideal for this situation and greatly helped in gaining experience and EV training. In these games you had to wait for an NPC trainer to call you on your Pokégear, and then travel to them and re-battle them. You had no control over who or when you could re-battle so it became worthless as a method of EV training.
All in all the interface from the original games was clunky and unintuitive compared to the other generation 4 games. I didn't really enjoy playing the game much, it felt like I was fighting against it all the time. It greatly reduced the replayability after becoming champion as well.
Memorable Moments
I pretty much bought HeartGold just so I could get Mew on an wifi event.
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