Silver cave (instead of the Mewtwo you would’ve found there last time), at the very end of the game, it feels like you’ve come full circle in the most exciting way. And when you come face to face with Red in the Mt.
This is another example of how, even when these games take you to the familiar locations of Kanto, Gold and Silveralways find ways to make things feel fresh. This is the icing on the cake of the game, allowing gamers to head back to the land of nostalgia to challenge its gyms once again. Speaking of revisiting places, anyone who’s played the Gold and Silvergames will remember the thrill of finishing the main adventure in Johto and finding out that the original Kanto region from Red and Blue is now open to you. But when you’ve got a tough gym to face – like the brutal Milktank-touting tactics that you’ll find in Whitney’s gym in Goldenrod City – journeying back to previous locations to battle trainers again, as a way to power up your party, can start to feel a lot more appealing. Admittedly, though, until you’ve got the Fly ability, popping back past several times to take on the same Picknicker again isn’t always very appealing. The world feels winningly densely populated, with things to do in each locale (whether it’s healing a sick Pokémon, putting an end to Team Rocket’s grim Slowpoke-maiming plans, or investigating a pond of unruly Gyarados) and heaps of trainers to take on.Īnd thanks to the phone feature in the Poké-gear, they can even ring you up for a rematch or let you know when rare creatures have popped up in their area, which adds a whole new level of replayability to the routes and areas you’ve already completed. Walking around the world of Johto feels both familiar and fresh, with a mix of classic and new Pokémon popping up at very regular intervals to challenge you (especially if you don’t like using Repel). Arguably, Pokémon Goldand Silverdo exactly that same thing, moving on from a kid-friendly first installment and forcing the franchise to grow. The Empire Strikes Backis often cited as the gold standard for sequels in geeky media, earning praise for the way it stayed true to the first film’s spirit of adventure while also splicing in unfamiliar planets, unpredictable new characters, and an enhanced sense of darkness.
Professor Oak is still the first character that speaks to you, for example, even though it turns out that he’s more of a radio star now and it’s actually Professor Elm that’s going to kick off your journey.Įvery time there’s a familiar beat, it comes with a little twist: there are still three starter Pokémon, but the originals have been replaced by new faces you’ve still got a rival, but he’s a bonafide criminal now (who steals his first critter) instead of a mildly annoying acquaintance your mum still packs you off, but now she’s saving money and buying items as well as kitting you out with a snazzy Poké-Gear instead of a traditional rucksack Team Rocket are still around, but they’re now involved in darker plans (like chopping off Slowpoke Tails and selling them off) there are still eight gyms, but you’re in a whole new region with 100 fresh Pokémon and totally different gym leaders (each with a hitherto-unseen specialty to challenge gamers anew). It’s a mixture of old and new, from the very first seconds of the game.
We've updated the ranking, moving some Pokemon around, adding some info for their placements, and improved the overall structure for readability.From the first moment you pick up Gold or Silver, it’s immediately obvious that directors Satoshi Tajiri and Junichi Masuda (both of whom worked on Red and Blue) were keen to revitalize and upgrade upon the original games in the franchise without losing sight of what made them great. Updated October 21, 2021, by Michael Christopher: It's been a while since we initially published this ranking, and we thought it was time for a bit of a refresh.
Note: The primary focus of this ranking is competitive viability, but we've also considered designs, roles in the anime, and more! To celebrate Gold & Silver, then, let’s rank all 100 Pokemon that were introduced in Generation II, working from the bottom of the barrel upwards. Where would we be without the Johto region? Well, Ditto wouldn’t be getting all that action, for one. RELATED: How Many Pokemon Are There? A Full Analysis And Breakdown Along with the new mechanics, the second generation also introduced 100 new Pokemon, bringing the total up to 251 at the time. Pokemon Gold & Silver were released only two years after the original Kanto entries, but they introduced all manner of vital new mechanics, such as baby Pokemon, breeding, and held items. It’s easy to underappreciate the impact that the second generation of Pokemon had on the franchise.