OK, the removal of Slot Machines and replaced. Granted, I'm eager to try out Voltorb Flip, but did they really have to remove all the Slot Machines from the Game Corner for the 'Everyone' rating? With basilisks from another world, guillotining crabs, whales bringing Sheer Cold, horrendous crime syndicates, and electric mice feeling the hurt from elephants, dinosaurs, and the like (as well as foes withstanding nearly 100,000 volts of electricity from said mice), the person resonsible for this change has much more to worry about than little kids 'gambling' with fake money. I'm surprised at times that games like Platinum still managed to earn an 'Everyone' rating, especially with that awesome basilisk on the cover that could frighten little kids (I said could).
I've wondered myself why there wasn't a 'gambling' descriptor on the boxes when the Slot Machines can be seen as an allusion to such an activity. I still don't agree that a deletion of the machines was warranted, though; a simple descriptor would have sufficed, and the Game Corner doesn't even make up 5% of the game to have it cause a rating problem like this. I do not and do not plan to gamble at casinos and the like in real life, but having this harmless and entertaining diversion was a minor feature that I liked, since Pokemon is the closest I will get to 'playing the Slot Machines'. Luckily, I still have Emerald and FireRed, where the real slots can be played.
IMO, HG/SS would have been more awesome if they had kept the Slot Machines and added Voltorb Flip, similar to how RSE incorporates the Slot Machines and Roulette. 2 different diversions could've been a minor perk from all that battling.
I dislike the omission of Contests, especially when they are in Johto in the anime (yes, anime =/= games, but still...) IMO, Contests are a minor but still entertaining diversion from repetitive battling, and could have even complemented the addition of the Pokeathlon.
And last but not least: Bell Tower. Seriously, what was wrong with Tin Tower (as it was in Generation II and mentioned in DPPt)? Alliteration and a concise name! And it furthered the Lugia-Ho-oh counterpart factor! Moreover, the golden brass and silvery tin makes much more sense... Finally, even the Brass Tower had bells at one point, so Bell Tower 1 and Bell Tower 2 would be in order, I suppose.
Arrgh...oddly enough, I lost 10-15 minutes of sleep the day I found this renaming thing out. I know the translation and pun of Suzu no To can be either Bell or Tin, but come on! A perfectly established name, ruined! One of the major low (and really annoying) points of HG/SS, IMO.
These games had so much potential, though! I know naming conventions should not be a major factor in a game's worth, but…Proton, Aprijuice, Mystri Stage, Jade Orb (Green Orb goes better with Red and Blue, and Rayquaza is from Emerald Version, not Jade Version)… Sheesh! You tend to get annoyed when names get screwed up…and this is glaringly obvious in parts of Generation IV. They may not be much, but names still mean something, and are sometimes integral to the presentation of a person, place, or thing. A positive point: HeartGold and SoulSilver are awesome names, better than even the rumored DawnGold and DuskSilver…
Finally, the really annoying point is that I have to see Bell Tower every time I go to Ho-oh's summary page, every time I go to 'Bell' (Tin) Tower itself, and every time some Trainer goes on sputtering about some 'Bell Tower' crap (and every time I go to research on Bulbapedia). :( In my mind, Bell Tower was, is, and always will be Tin Tower! :) (this is exactly like the Sears Tower incident in real life, with the strange renaming to Willis Tower. I respect the affiliation of the 'Willis' company as of now, but Sears Tower will always be Sears Tower!Sounds way cooler, too.)
