Gold, Silver, and Crystal are the PERFECT Pokémon sequels
As fans wait eagerly for the next chapter in the Pokémon franchise with Sword and Shield, there has always been the grand argument on which game was the best from Generation I, Generation II and onward.
Between the original players since 1996 and the new players introduced through Pokémon GO, it is always hard to pick a favorite. It is in my best interest to shed light on the fact that Generation II with Gold, Silver, and Crystal were the best games in the Pokémon franchise. Here are some of the reasons why:
It is the perfect sequel to Red, Blue, and Yellow
The introduction of the first set of games with Red, Blue, and Yellow were more than revolutionary in the world of handheld gaming. However, the left over features that the original creators had in store for the first generation of games led to a development for a story line for Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Generation II introduced a new country that neighbored Kanto with the Johto region.
Image Credit: PokemonGoLive | ©2018 Niantic | ©2018 Pokémon | ©1995-2018 Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK
It fulfilled eight new gyms that acknowledged the types that were not recognized as gyms in the first game. What made the game more special was returning to Kanto to face the original gym leaders to earn their gym badges; no other Pokémon game has displayed that feature since.
Additionally introducing two new types with steel and dark made Pokémon a more thrilling experience. Generation II even carries on the story line from the prior generation, including a new motive by the villainous Pokémon gangsters Team Rocket, all the way to challenging the original protagonist from the first series; Red! Generation III took the storyline into a different direction in Pokémon lore, but it is Gold, Silver, and Crystal that take the original concept of Red, Blue, and Yellow and perfect it to Pokémon’s highest potential.
Baby Pokémon, happiness evolutions, and shinnies!
The first task you are given in the game is to hold an egg for Professor Elm as he instructs you to do so.
Every fan had that heartwarming experience hatching their first Togepi, just like Misty did in the original anime. Raising baby Pokémon was a fun and new experience that became essential in raising Pokémon in Inherit Values (IV) training. How else were you going to get your prized Charizard from your Red version to have baby Charmander with the same great stats? You were even more impressed with your friends that held the patience to raise the hatchling into a full-grown Togetic.
High friendship became a valued strategy in Pokémon training and effectively completing the Pokédex for new species that evolved into their next evolutionary form due to happiness. For any of the trainers that had an Espeon or Umbreon by the time they got to the Lake of Rage, trainers were in great shock seeing a Red Gyrados for the first time. The introduction to shiny Pokémon became a new method of experienced collecting, and trainers spent hours in their game files finding extremely rare Pokémon that became a trend for every game for the future of the franchise.
Image Credit: PokemonGoLive | ©2018 Niantic | ©2018 Pokémon | ©1995-2018 Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK
Is that a berry or an appricorn?
By the time you get to Azalea Town, you come across the town hero Kurt who thanks you after your first encounter with Team Rocket.
As a reward, he grants you the privilege of having access to unlimited custom Pokéballs made by him, but you have to explore and pick the trees around Johto for appricorns. Based on the colored appricorn you brought Kurt, he would turn it into a different kind of ball for the player to help you catch certain Pokémon.
Using the Fast Ball would be essential when trying to catch the Legendary Beasts that you were tracking! The same trees in the game also would be fruit bearing trees that also provided berries. The introduction for berries were brief in Generation II, but the future for berries were critical in the following games. Berries not only addressed the health of certain Pokémon, but also could unlock some potential in training and even made the best of trainers into Berry Masters!
Image Credit: PokemonGoLive | ©2018 Niantic | ©2018 Pokémon | ©1995-2018 Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK
Kris, the first playable female character
Pokémon Crystal was the special edition game for Generation II, as was Pokémon Yellow for Generation I. Crystal allowed the player to select at the start of the game from being the male character, Ethan, or the female counterpart character, Kris. She was the first introduction of female playable character in the Pokémon franchise and reached to a brand new audience of players that were interested in playing the perfected special edition of the game.
Inspiration for the character was always in consideration of the creators. At one point, the original concept was for Kris to be named Dawn, the female character in Generation IV. For the remastered version of the same generation, Kris was replaced by Lyra in HeartGold and SoulSilver as the female character of the game. However, fir the upcoming release of the new app Pokémon Masters, Kris is supposed to make a return for a character in the game.
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These are some of the greatest features of Gold, Silver, and Crystal that were explored even further as the Pokémon franchise carried on over the years. The series continues to evolve into something new each generation, but it is the vintage value of Generation II that makes it a perfect sequel in every way.