Pokémon Gold and Silver are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to Australia and North America in 2000 and Europe in 2001. Pokémon Crystal , a special edition version, was released for the Game Boy Color roughly a year later in each region. Nintendo has announced that Gold and Silver will be remade for the Nintendo DS as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver , which were released in Japan on September 12, 2009.
The games are set in the fictional Johto region, which introduces 100 new species of Pokémon, and follow the progress of the central character, whose name the player may choose, in his quest to master Pokémon battling. Both games are independent of each other but feature largely the same plot and, while both can be played separately, it is necessary to trade between them and their backward compatible predecessors in order to fully complete the games' Pokédexes. The Johto Saga of the Pokémon anime is based on the new region introduced in the games.
Pokémon Gold and Silver continued the enormous success of its predecessors as the Pokémon franchise began to form into a multi-billion dollar company. The games almost matched the sales Pokémon Red and Blue and went on to jointly sell millions of copies worldwide.
Gameplay
Main article: Gameplay of PokémonLike Pokémon Red , Blue , Yellow , and other console role-playing games, Pokémon Gold and Silver are played from a top-down perspective, with players directly navigating the protagonist around the fictional universe, interacting with objects and people. As the player explores this world he or she will encounter different terrains, such as grassy fields, forests, caves, and seas; in which different Pokémon species reside. As the player randomly encounters one of these creatures, the field switches to a turn-based "battle scene", where the Pokémon will fight.
There are two main goals within the games: following through the main storyline and defeating the Elite Four and Lance to become the new Champion, and completing the Pokédex by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain all 251 creatures. A major aspect of this is developing and raising the player's Pokémon by battling other Pokémon, which can be found in the wild or owned by other Trainers. This system of accumulating experience points and leveling up, characteristic and integral to all Pokémon video games, controls the physical properties of the Pokémon, such as the battle statistics acquired, and the moves learned.
New features
While Pokémon Gold and Silver retain the basic mechanics of capturing, battling, and evolving introduced in Pokémon Red and Blue , new features were added. A time system was introduced using a real-time internal clock that keeps track of the current time and day of the week. Certain events, including Pokémon appearances, are influenced by this feature. New items were added, with some designed to exploit a new mechanic; Pokémon being able to hold items. A new type of item able to be held was the berry, which comes in varieties and can restore health or cure status effects. Other held items can give boosts to the Pokémon during battle. More specialized Poké Balls were introduced, which make Pokémon catching easier in certain situations. A new item called the Pokégear was introduced, functioning as a watch, map, radio, and phone, allowing the player to call other characters who offer their phone number. Trainers will call for a rematch and others will call about rare Pokémon that can be caught in a certain area.
The games introduce Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, a new type of legendary Pokémon that wander around Johto, changing locations frequently. They can be tracked by the Pokédex once encountered, and will always attempt to flee, but will retain HP loss and status effects. In addition there is the possibility of encountering a shiny Pokémon, which have a different coloration than normal Pokémon of their species, and appear very rarely. Two new Pokémon types were added, the Steel-type and the Dark-type. Steel-type Pokémon have very high defense and resistance to other types, while Dark-type Pokémon are immune to Psychic-type moves and are strong against Psychic-type Pokémon. In Gold and Silver , new moves were added, but Pokémon knowing new moves are not allowed to be traded to the first generation games. To solve this, a move deleter was introduced, capable of erasing moves known by the Pokémon. Another major change was the splitting of the Special stat into Special Attack and Special Defense , which increased aspects of strategy.
With the introduction of Pokémon breeding, Pokémon are assigned to one or two breeding groups. When a male and female Pokémon that share at least one breeding group are left at a Pokémon Daycare, they may produce an egg, which will hatch into a young Pokémon. The young Pokémon will inherit the species of its mother, and moves from its father. However, legendary Pokémon, among certain other species, cannot breed.
Setting and plot
Pokémon Gold and Silver take place in Johto three years after the events of the games' predecessors. Johto is a fictional region modeled after the Kansai and Tokai regions of Japan. This is one distinct region shown in the various Pokémon video games. It features a total of seven cities and three towns, along with different geographical locations and Routes connecting most locations to one another. Some areas are only accessible once the player learns a special ability or gains a special item; for instance, the player must acquire the HM Surf , which allows the character to ride certain Pokémon across the sea, in order to reach Cianwood City.
The silent protagonist of Pokémon Gold and Silver is a young boy who lives in New Bark Town. At the beginning of the games, players may choose either Cyndaquil, Totodile, or Chikorita as their starter Pokémon from Professor Elm. In addition, his rival will steal a Pokémon from Professor Elm and become the protagonist's rival, battling the player at certain points in the game to test the player's Pokémon.
The basic goal of the game is to become the best trainer in Johto and Kanto; which is done by raising Pokémon, completing the Pokédex, defeating the eight Gym Leaders in Johto for Gym Badges, and challenging the Elite Four and the Champion, and then defeating the eight Gym Leaders in Kanto. Finally, the player may face off against Red atop of Mt. Silver. Throughout the game, the player will have to battle against the forces of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that abuses Pokémon.
Development and release
Gold and Silver were first publicly showcased at the 1999 Nintendo SpaceWorld Expo in Japan, becoming the most popular exhibit at the program. Unlike the last game of the series, Pokémon Yellow , the new titles were announced to be more than a small upgrade to Pokémon Red and Blue . Instead, they would feature a new storyline, a new world, and new species of Pokémon. Gold and Silver were designed for the Game Boy Color, allowing them full color support and more detailed sprites. Other additions that were shown included Pokémon breeding, held items, an in-game gadget known as the PokéGear, a real-time internal clock, and backward compatibility with the previous games in the series.
During an ABC News interview, president of Creatures Inc. Tsunekazu Ishihara gave insight into the brainstorming process for developing new Pokémon species. He explained, "hese ideas for each of these monsters came from the imagination of the software developers at Game Freak who get these ideas from their childhood experiences, including from reading Manga, the name for Japanese comic books. Ideas come from scary experiences they had as kids, catching insects, and so forth. So from these experiences in childhood, these ideas for Pokemon came out." In the same vein as the Pokémon Mew of the Red and Blue versions, the exclusive Pokémon Celebi was implemented in the Gold and Silver games but is only accessible after attending a Nintendo promotional event. The first official event offering Celebi was Nintendo Space World 2000 in Japan, in which 100,000 attendees would be awarded the rare Pokémon. In order to be selected, players had to send in a postcard to enter a lottery for one of 100,000 certificates of Celebi, allowing them to enter the event and obtain it.
The games were announced for release in Japan in November 1999 and at the same time a U.S. release date was estimated for September 2000. Nintendo announced the release of the Pocket Pikachu Color, a full-color portable digital pet similar to the one released the year before. The unit was made compatible with Gold and Silver , allowing the transfer of in-game currency known as "watt points." Pocket Pikachu Color was slated for release in Japan on November 21, 1999, the same day as the release of Gold and Silver . In addition, an officially-licensed Pikachu-themed Game Link Cable developed by Kemco was set for release in Japan on November 18, 1999. The product functions like a normal Game Link C
Pokemon Blue Version Guide (Guides), Pokemon Blue Version Walkthrough ...
This strategy guide is not only designed to help you when you're stuck in ... Pokemon Stadium Gold/Silver and Crystal Coverage on IGN64; Pokemon Puzzle League Coverage on ...
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time - ds - Walkthrough ...
In this Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time strategy guide, you'll find: ... Pokemon Platinum Version Guide Pokemon Diamond Version Guide New Super ...
Pokémon Crystal — StrategyWiki, the free strategy guide and ...
Pokémon Crystal is a title in the Pokémon series of RPGs for the Game Boy Color. An enhanced remake of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Crystal was released December 14, 2000 in Japan ...
Pokemon Crystal Version FAQs, Walkthroughs, and Guides for Game Boy ...
Strategy Guide: 02/26/03: RJones: 1.9955: 588K: TM/HM List: 04/16/03: Omega DragoonX: 1.01 ... Visit Game Rankings for 11 reviews and previews for Pokemon Crystal Version from around the ...
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - ds - Walkthrough and ...
In this Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates strategy guide, you'll find: ... Pokemon Platinum Version Guide Pokemon Diamond Version Guide New Super ...
Amazon.com: Pokemon Crystal Version (Strategy Guide) (9781930206120 ...
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
Pokemon Gold and Silver Strategy Guide - IGNguides
This strategy guide is not only designed to help you when you're stuck in the game's ... Pokemon Crystal Silver Coverage on IGNpocket Pokemon Yellow Coverage on ...
Amazon.com: Pokemon: Crystal Version (Prima's Official Strategy Guide ...
Amazon.com: Pokemon: Crystal Version (Prima's Official Strategy Guide) (0086874536661): Elizabeth M. Hollinger: Books
Prima's Official Strategy Guides - Bulbapedia, the community-driven ...
Prima has written all the strategy guides for the Pokémon series. ... is also a section with information about the Pokémon Pikachu 2. Pokémon Crystal. This guide had a ...
Pokemon Strategy Guide - IGNguides
Pokemon Strategy Guide - Register to access many detailed strategy guides ... Pokemon Stadium Gold/Silver and Crystal Coverage on IGN64; Pokemon Puzzle League Coverage on ...