The second generation of Pokemon games is being remade – as Heart Gold and Soul Silver – to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their original release.
There had been hints to the effect earlier this week, but now it’s official (if you can read the crazy moon language of the Japanese). It’s not exactly a surprise – the original Gold and Silver sold a staggering 23 million copies worldwide, and the GBA remakes of the first-generation games (Fire Red and Leaf Green) certainly did well in their own right.
Many fans consider the second generation of the series to be the best, and to be fair, G/S/Crystal did things that no other game in the franchise had done before, or has done since – notably, once you beat the game, you were allowed to return to the Kanto region from Red & Blue, where you had eight more gym badges to vie for on your journey to Catch ‘Em All.
Presumably, Heart Gold and Soul Silver will contain updated mechanics to match the current fourth generation of Pearl, Diamond, and Platinum, as Fire Red and Leaf Green matched the then-current third generation when they were released. Presumably, there will also be some brand-new elements in the game, but we can only speculate for now.
Still, it should be a welcome nostalgia trip for those of us who sunk hours into the G/S/C games back in the day – a nostalgia trip ten years in the making, that we’ve certainly earned. Well, at least those of us who aren’t heathens who don’t like Eevee.
(CVG)
