Gotta Catch 'em All

Pokemon Heart Gold is a magical experience. Nintendo doesn’t normally show much reservation when it comes to re-releasing classic games to keep the revenue flowing, but they they and Game Freak really gave Gold and Silver (originally for the Gameboy Color) quite a work over.

One of the most noticeable improvements is the graphic’s overhaul. The environments are still very recognizable and familiar, but incredibly detailed, bright and colorful. Goldenrod looks particularly breathtaking with its new pseudo 3-D coat of paint. The layouts of many familiar locations have changed, with new surprises waiting to be discovered. The lighthouse looks spectacular. The new Gym designs are very awesome as well.

I’ve never minded the 2-D sprites in the Pokemon games, but the animations have always lacked. I can’t help but wonder how hard it would be to have fully animated 2-D sprites duke it out like in the Fire Emblem series. It would require a lot more animation than Fire Emblem does, so it would most likely require a massive DS card, but it would be really awesome to see Nintendo and Game Freak really pull out all the stops.

There is plenty of new content to keep the veterans of the series (those of us who have played the game dozens and dozens of times over again) interested. A new character lives in your hometown and travels around with a Marril. She gives you little tips on what Pokemon to let follow you in different locations to see their special reactions. Farfetch’d has an affinity for the Ilex Forrest, for example. Little gems like that are welcome additions.

One of the best things about the original versions was the phone. Registering different trainer’s phone numbers allowed them to call you with helpful tips and for rematches. However, the amount of numbers you could register was limited. Thankfully, that has been remedied. I have registered every single person’s phone number that has wanted mine so far, and my phone book shows no signs of reaching capacity. However, no one has called me for a rematch yet. They must have learned not to mess with me the first time around. Also, you no longer need to hold down the B button to use the running shoes (which you acquire very early in the game).

There was a bit of lag to the menu selection and in the battle animations in the Diamond and Pearl versions. The lag is gone now. I do prefer the menu selection in Diamond and Pearl though. The new games do allow you have two items registered and to access them very easily on the touch screen. This is a lot more useful than most of those little apps that occupied the touch screen in Diamond/Pearl. But searching for status cure items and TM’s is a pain. Only six items are displayed on a “page” and you have to scroll through several pages sometimes to find the item you just picked up. A simple list system would have been much better. I think Nintendo really pushed for the touch screen to be the primary control input system in this one.

What really makes Heart Gold so special is its near perfect blend of the best of the old and the best of the new. It is a must-buy for any fan of the Pokemon series, and a perfect game for any newcomers. Gold and Silver were the best entries in the franchise. It took a remake to dethrone them.