Retronomicon 02.08.11: Pokémon Gold/Silver

Posted by Lee Price on 02.08.2012

The Retronomicon is sticking with the Gameboy this month as it takes a look at one of the titles that helped to define the short-lived GBC era. Join 411’s Lee Price as he examines Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Hello lads, ladies and everybody in between and welcome to yet another edition of the column that managed to not get stuck in the recent snow here in England. I speak, of course, about the one and only Retronomicon and I am your ever-present host Lee Price. I've had a fairly decent week this week, having spent my time generally chilling out and not doing much of anything other than working. I have continued on my play-through of Grandia 2 and I estimate that I am probably just past the half way point of the game. I also caught the new Sherlock Holmes film, which I must admit I enjoyed greatly. I even preferred it to the original, though this doesn't seem to be a widely held view. I capped my week off by spending a weekend with some of the family down in lovely wet Wales. Generally a good time all around so I can't really have any complaints. With that being said, I reckon that it's about time that we got to the…





Comments

There was much love shown for Kirby last week, as the little pink fluff-ball seems able to inspire some very fond memories amongst some people.

We kick things off with Justin Weinblatt, who highlights a couple of points;

I first played Kirby's Dream Land when I was 6, and it was the first game I was able to beat without using my trusty game genie. Perfect game for beginners that still holds up surprisingly well.

Just have to clarify a couple of points though. First of all, you don't have to beat Kirby's Dream Land each time to play on hard mode. Once you know the button combination, you can input the code anytime on the title screen whether you've beaten the game or not. You can even enter the code the very first time you boot up the game if you wanted.

Also, it hasn't been confirmed that Kirby's name is taken from a vacuum cleaner. That's just one theory. The other theory is that he's named after John Kirby, a lawyer who represented Nintendo in a copyright infringement case with Universal studios regarding Donkey Kong. Neither Sakurai, the series creator, nor anyone else at Nintendo has ever clearly stated how Kirby got his name, but I choose to believe the lawyer version, because it makes for a far better story.

I had absolutely no recollection of such a code, however a quick check of Gamefaqs does indeed reveal that pressing Up, Select and the B button together on the title screen provides a quick and easy route to the harder mode.

As for the alternate story about the origin of Kirby, I had heard of that one but I always found the vacuum story to be the more plausible one given Kirby's abilities. Having said that it wouldn't surprise me if the name was a shout-out to John Kirby, it just seems a touch more unlikely given that the game was produced by HAL and it would seem a bit odd to me to have them pay tribute to somebody who had done Nintendo a service, regardless of how closely HAL worked with the company.

G-Walla remains entirely more diplomatic;

I suppose Kirby could be named after both the lawyer and the vacuum.

You know, it wasn't until I read this that I realized I've never played another Kirby game besides this one.

I would definitely recommend some of the later titles as they were big improvements over Dream Land. Kirby's Dream Land was really the launching pad for a series that would become much better with time.

BR reminisces;

Aaah Kirby, what a great game. It was this game, Kirby Dream Land 2, and some other game for SNES (had like 10 Kirby games on one cartridge) that made me love Kirby just as much as Mario, if not more, and made me believe he was just as important to the gaming industry. He never gets enough appreciation as he should. You should definitely cover Dream Land 2, that was the Super Mario 3 of Kirby games imo. Awesome gameplay, incredible soundtrack, fun worlds, animals to use like Mario with Yoshi, etc.. Still have my gameboy and those two Kirby games, may have to go play one of them later.

I would agree that Kirby doesn't quite have the reputation that he deserves, though I wouldn't place him up on Mario's level in terms of influence or quality.

As for Dream Land 2, I will look at it…eventually.

As always the Retronomicon regular AG Awesome returns;

Kirby is one of the few series that really hasn't had a bad game. However I hated Epic Yard and the Mirror game is kinda annoying.

I'm trying to finish the N64 one at some point (have it as a VC download). It is really fun, I spent a while just sucking in different power combos to see what I could make.

I thought Id add that the first thing that blew me away about Kirby was the ability to fly. Up until that point I was always hindered by gravity in platformers. Kirby felt like playing as someone invincible at first.

The comment drew a retort from Mr Weinblatt;

You didn't really just insult Epic Yarn AND Kirby and the Amazing Mirror in one comment did you? If a group of assassins shows up at your door in the near future, you'll know why........

A slightly heavy-handed response in truth, but I'll leave it up to you to decide if it is justified. If AG Awesome fails to show up in this week's column we can assume that Justin Weinblatt will be busy constructing his alibi.

I think that about wraps us up for the talking so we had better get to the column. Strap on those rose-tinted specs because this week the Retronomicon takes a look at Pokémon Gold and Silver.



Music to Read Your Retro to

How can you not love the Pokémon theme? Now mix it with the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest winners Lordi and this is your result;



Fun Facts

• The Pokémon Gold and Silver cartridges have a dual mode setting that allows them to be played on older Gameboys as well as Gameboy Colors.


• The game was the first to feature the Pokémon breeding mechanic that would become integral to completing the Pokedex in later games.


• Some believe that Nintendo used an earthquake in Taiwan as an excuse to limit the amount of cartridges that were originally made available, thus keeping demand high.


• There is a bug in the game that allows you to duplicate your Pokémon. Credit www.gamefaqs.com for the method;
  
  NOTE: This requires at least two Pokémon, and access to a PC.
  
  First, take the Pokémon you want to duplicate, put it into your group. Make sure you have a box with at least one free slot. Save your game in front of your PC. Then, go to the box, and deposit the Pokémon. Exit the box, go to ''Change Box,'' select any box, and while it's saving, turn off the Gameboy.
  
  NOTE: Make sure that you do it while the message ''Saving, do not turn off the power'' is still there. Otherwise it will not work.
  
  Turn on the Gameboy, the box should be the one that you deposited the Pokémon in. You should have the Pokémon in your group and have the same Pokémon in your group.

The Background

By the time the year 2000 had arrived, Pokémon was firmly entrenched as a worldwide phenomenon. What had started as one developer's interest in bug collecting had expanded into one of the greatest and most popular handheld videogames of all time.

From there the little pocket monsters had been brought to television screens and the whole brand exploded. Suddenly it seemed that damned near everything had a Pokémon variant that existed solely to make money from the success of the games. At times it appeared that the games themselves would be lost in the mix as Pokémon became the latest fad to engulf youngsters the world over.

Nintendo themselves capitalized on the success of the TV series with the strategically released Pokémon Yellow, which followed the events of the show more accurately and allowed the player to have Pikachu as a starter Pokémon. However the game, though popular, did little to quench the increasing thirst amongst gamers to have a brand new entry into the series.

Luckily Game Freak had not been idly sitting around twiddling their thumbs whilst the Pokémon brand took off. They had instead been hard at work on a title that would improve on every single aspect of the originals, offering gamers a pair of games that would go on to become one of the defining moments of the series when they released Pokémon Gold and Silver.



The Game

For me the perfect formula for a successful sequel usually boils down to simply making everything that made the original game popular even bigger and better and then adding some new features that don't override the existing formula but still add to the gameplay experience. Pokémon Gold and Silver appeared to have followed this policy to the letter and, as a result, is one of the best Pokémon games ever created.

The story doesn't deviate too far from the story in that of Blue and Red for the most part. You take control of a young trainer who is just starting out in the world of Pokémon training. Your quest, upon receiving your starter Pokémon, is to capture and catalog as many Pokémon as you can during your travels, in addition to defeating the Elite Four of the Johto region.

Similarly to the previous titles, you also have a rival who is looking to reach the same goals. In this occasion the rival is also a thief, having stolen one of the three starter Pokémon after you have made your choice. You will encounter him at various points throughout the game, battling him not only with your Pokémon but also with your philosophy as he sees and treats Pokémon as merely a means to his ends rather than as beloved companions.

The story doesn't stop with the defeat of the Elite Four however. Upon apparent completion of the game, Gold and Silver throw out their trump card and unveil the region of Kanto from the first game. Players are then afforded the opportunity to explore this region and capture even more Pokémon, with the eventual aim being to defeat the protagonist from the original set of games to be crowned the ultimate Pokémon champion.

Along the way the player will also have to defeat the gym leaders in each of the towns that that arrive in, whilst also foiling the plans of the ever-villainous Team Rocket in the process. So there's plenty for a gamer to get their teeth into, but none of it is complicated enough to discourage people who are new to the series.

The core mechanics of the gameplay remain the same as they were in the original games. There are a whole bunch of Pokémon in the game that are available for capture. You use your own Pokémon to weaken this before lobbing Pokeballs at them to capture them, recording the details of any Pokémon you attain along the way.

You will also spend a lot of time simply battling to raise the experience levels of your Pokémon, both with wild Pokémon and against other trainers. As your Pokémon get stronger they learn brand new moves and some may even evolve into different Pokémon, often with a noted improvement on their statistics. Each Pokémon also has a type, such as Grass or Ground, with certain types being strong against others and vice-versa. Mastery of this system is extremely important when it comes to making progress in the game and can be used by the experienced player to utterly devastate a team of much more powerful beasties.

So far so standard for a Pokémon game and that is no bad thing. However Gold and Silver weren't simply satisfied with offering a slightly bigger version of the original. That being said, they did do that as well. The game features 100 brand new Pokémon, bumping the potential capacity of the Pokedex up to an astonishing 251. The game is also twice the size of the original, ensuring that there is plenty to get your teeth into besides simply collecting Pokémon.



As for new features, the game contains plenty. Most importantly is the fact that game time actually progresses now, meaning that you can explore by both night and day. This is important for a number of reasons as different Pokémon will appear at different times of the day. Other mechanics, such as growing berries, also make use of the feature.

Additionally the basic Pokedex has been expanded into the Pokegear. In addition to the usual item storage capability and the map, the player will also have the option to take the phone numbers of a range of characters throughout the game. Every so often the player will receive a phone call using the system, with the most useful being from the trainers who have given you their numbers offering up a rematch.

Gold and Silver were also the first Pokémon games to feature the breeding mechanic that would become an integral part of the series in later installments The game contained breeding facilities where you could leave a male and female in the hopes they would get down to business and produce an egg that could later hatch into another Pokémon. There were a few Pokémon in the game that were only available using this method and more serious gamers used it to boost the stats of Pokémon for use in battles.

The concept of battling and trading makes a return in a big way with Gold and Silver as well. The Pokémon series was originally envisioned partially as a means to connect gamers through the link cable system on offer with the Gameboy and Gold and Silver managed this with aplomb. Gamers now had an even wider range of Pokémon to trade and do battle with and an in-depth meta-game ensured that there was plenty for even the most dedicated of Pokémon fanatics to get their heads around.

The game also didn't disappoint with the quality of the new Pokémon it introduced, which is something that not all of the later games could claim. Game Freak obviously still had a huge amount of ideas for Pokémon at this stage in the series' life and it shows with the quality of the newcomers.

Additionally the developers also implemented ‘Shiny' Pokémon, which were special versions of the regular Pokémon with a different color scheme and a little sparkle that marked their entrance (used to allow owners of the monochrome Gameboy to identify them). There was literally no reason to own a Shiny beyond the rarity and they had a ridiculously low encounter rate. The kicker is that any Pokémon in the game could be encountered as a Shiny, right through to the legendaries if you were lucky enough, thus many a gamer sunk hundreds of hours into the title just to get their hands on some.

Graphically the game also received a bit of touching up. Color was more prominently used, seeing as the game was developed for a color system this time around, meaning that the Pokémon could be seen as they were meant to be seen for the first time on a handheld. Additionally the Pokémon themselves have new designs that served to give them a little bit more life. However it can't be said that the game experienced a truly massive graphical overhaul, which isn't surprising seeing as the GBC didn't have any notable additional power beyond the ability to display color

If there is one aspect of the Pokémon games that I've never really been enamored with, it would be the soundtrack. I'm sure there are plenty of people who will defend the soundtrack to the hilt, and more power to them, but I'm more than happy to just mute the game and play it without any sound at all. After all it saves battery life… I think.

All in all, Pokémon Gold and Silver were more than worthy follow-ups to the original set of games. Everything is bigger and better, with a host of new features that serve only to enhance the game as proven by the fact that most of them have become series mainstays ever since. For my money Pokémon Gold and Silver are the best Pokémon games ever released and that's a pretty big pile of games to wind up on top of.



The Aftermath

Do I really need to tell you how much of a success Gold and Silver were? The titles sold millions of copies all over the world and truly established the Pokémon brand as something that would encompass the lives of millions of children for years to come. Reviews were extremely positive as well and it is pretty difficult to find anyone who has a truly bad word to say about the games who didn't already dislike the series to begin with.

Gold and Silver were eventually followed up by Crystal, in the same way that Yellow followed Red and Blue. The game added a new sub-story and a couple of minor cosmetic improvements but was only really worth a purchase for those who didn't get Gold or Silver.

The Pokémon series has had far too many games for me to recount here since the release of these titles. Needless to say that they have made an appearance on practically everything and anything that is even slightly Nintendo related, leading to the market perhaps being slightly over-saturated at one point. After all there are about ten movies and a long running TV show in addition to card games and merchandise. The brand is still massively popular as well, despite being a little more under the radar these days, and each new iteration of the series sells millions of copies and inspires masses of debate and tournament play.

It appears the series is as strong as it has ever been, as demonstrated by the impressive sales of the fifth generation Black and White games, and it seems likely that Pokémon is one of those series that will remain with us for as long as Nintendo does.

Conversion Corner

Gold and Silver in their original forms were never converted to any other consoles, however a couple of years ago Nintendo decided to remake the games for release on the Nintendo DS.

The titles were renamed HeartGold and SoulSilver respectively and are actually well worth getting your hands on. Not only do they offer everything that made Gold and Silver great on a much newer console, but they also allow for much easier trading and battling thanks to the online capabilities of the DS.

Additionally the ability to link the games to the GBA and DS Pokémon games provides even more ways to get your hands on new Pokémon, with the in-game Pokedex being upgraded to handle all of the newcomers that have arrived since Gold and Silver were released.

The Guy Who Can do it Better than You

Apparently there was a glitch in the game that would allow you to get your hands on all three starter Pokémon. I'm not sure if it actually worked or not as I never tried it, but here's a video tutorial for how you're meant to do it:



Enjoy and see you next week!