It's a travesty that Gen 2 is not as well-recognized and appreciated as Gen I was. For example, everyone "Pokemon fan" wears shirts with Pikachu or the three Kanto starters (Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle). It's almost the "forgotten" gen, as it was the followup to what many still believe is the best gen.
Take in the gorgeous Game Boy Color Pallette for this game. (Dragon's Den came to mind. Look at that glorious detail!)
And the new designs:
Not to mention, the music in G/S/C is arguably the best of any Pokemon game.
Some of my favorite themes are the Surf Theme, The End Credits, New Bark Town and the Bike Theme. Always nostalgic to replay, and isn't in black and white like their previous gen. It's a shame that Gen 2 did not have forwards compatibility, because if we did, they could have been in our X and Y carts today.
Gen 2 did a lot more for the Pokemon series than it is credited for, because if Gen 2 was a flop, Game Freak would have pulled the plug on Pokemon. We can all be thankful that they did not!