2nd Gen Experiences Recount

[Guest123_x1]

I first read about the follow-up to Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow in 2000 in a Pokémon magazine that I can't remember exactly which. I had been really looking forward since then to the new games being released here in the states, especially since there was a whole new region to explore and many new Pokémon to catch, including Marill.

I got both Gold and Silver for Christmas in 2000, Gold from my aunt and cousin who gave me Yellow the previous year, and Silver from my mom. Considering some of the changes and enhancements to the gameplay mechanics, I found the new generation of games to be somewhat more challenging than Blue or Yellow. I played Silver much more than I played Gold.

Around the time that I found out about Red and Blue's Old Man Glitch, I also found out about the power switch Pokémon cloning glitch in Gold and Silver, which I, like the Old Man Glitch, exploited extensively. I especially did this to Pokémon that I had traded into the games from the Generation I entries, such as the Kanto legendary birds.

My mom bought me Crystal very shortly after it came out in the States. I was really excited about the choose-your-gender feature introduced in that version, and even chose to play as the girl player character in many of my Crystal playthroughs, just to take advantage of the feature. At first, I was kind of miffed that some of the features hyped in the Japanese version didn't make it to the US version, but hey, things are different over there.

Probably my favorite part of playing Generation II's main series games was exploring Kanto as the bonus game after winning the Pokémon League. I really enjoyed playing the first generation's region with full-color graphics and remixed music.

Over the next few years, though, I found Gold, Silver, and Crystal to be a huge step up in difficulty compared to the Generation I games that I had, and ultimately played these much less than I did Blue. In fact, I never beat Red at Mt. Silver-the furthest I got was to challenge him to battle then turn off or reset my Game Boy Color shortly after the battle began.

I traded in my Generation II and all my other Pokémon games in January 2006 wanting to get out of Pokémon. Some years after this at times, I regretted this decision, but after reading various accounts of the game cartridges' save batteries running out on various Pokémon fan sites, including here on PC, it turned out to be for the best, as I would have been upset at not being able to develop my teams on my Generation II games due to them not saving anymore. I have looked at used copies of these games on eBay a couple of times in the past few years, but then again, there's the issue of the save batteries.

With my trading in of my Pokémon games, it ultimately meant that I skipped three generations when I returned to Pokémon gaming last year with Generation VI since I never got a Game Boy Advance to play Generation II or a DS to play Generations IV or V.

 

[illumine]

First completed these games over 10 years ago, after that may have had some re-matches with Red, which were probably quite straightforward, but it didn't seem that worthwhile doing so particularly often, and also caught some of the legendaries unleashed anew, etc. So, anyway, here's a poem:

Silver Kimono May Leaves

The basic motivation of Gold and Silver?
Lance is annoying, and other than that nothing happens.
After you set off in earnest, after some
unintentionally amusing hijinks with Mr. Pokémon,
you end up in a dreary, dark world with multiple paths,
marked by some strange trainer called 'Red' who had
stopped Team Rocket once, so not Ash then,
although they have revived if you want a Gyarados.
Cyndaquil's muted evolution into Typhlosion, or
Chikorita's cynicism about belief, accompany you as you encounter
threatening ray and bird Pokémon, angry trees, and perhaps
steal a Shuckle of your own. The 'rival'
has no personal animosity - you may as well be allies -
but abhors weakness and hopes you get what
they're saying. Sages claim to test your bonds
after being defeated and still not finding them there.
Your 'rival' is about internal strength and the potential to win,
rather than chance - a dark figure at home in a dark place,
and also a red-head for some reason. If you dislike Elm -
while you are doing chores - or the gyms, then
you may well like the 'rival,' who we may canonically name
'???'. Their hostility is not to the player,
so they leave that question open. The Unown
are mysterious beings that no-one likes to use,
although they are very finnicky about move choice,
using only 'Hidden Power.' People dislike this because
apparently it is not good enough - perhaps they missed the words. Ghosts can
self-harm to give curses, which would be creepy
if Morty weren't involved - but you could catch
one early (Curse looks like the above, or this.) If Bugsy burns down, Whitney misses
or is paralysed, as a suspicious Psyduck seems to want,
and you're alright that 'officers' turn into vampires by night,
and don't let Morty use Dream Eater which is all he can do (an elaborate Whitney),
then the rest of the game becomes mostly straightforward, if
you can deal with water Pokémon showing up at random,
a highly tedious Rocket sequence, sleazy flower shops next to gyms,
and such, the Elite 4 are probably easy. Like most
dragon trainers, Clair likes wasting your time. Ice Path
is slightly memorable for how quiet it is, and yet
how unnecessary most of the puzzles are. Then Kanto
is quiet and open, you're left alone if you want, and Misty,
unfortunately, has a date with someone. Stop them,
because Pokémon battles are more important.
This is a brief message for Valentine's Day.

(And your victory sleeps toe to toe with her date's loss.)

After the red Gyarados,
Red was a more conventional rival,
with an Espeon to fire attack as if it were Sabrina's,
and the dialogue of trainers near Silence Bridge.

Some would say he was a ghost, others
that he only used Pokémon given to him,
but after his Pikachu was weak and generic, there were only some others
to take down, which was more or less straightforward
as he was basically just Blue from Red and Blue,
but now haunting a place far away.

Yet are you there for Red, or for Misdreavus,
the first pure Ghost type, introduced here,
in a strange remnant of Cerulean cave?
The red Gyarados fought like the Berserk Gene,
the changed Pokémon of the lake, and the search for Red,
Mewtwo-less for all of his exertions,
the bitter Gyarados formed after the Magikarp scam of old,
seemed to tell of a haunting far from hence,
in the blacked-out, dark land of Kanto.

Which by then did not seem to have any other ghosts.
Gym leaders could be bypassed as you would.

That Violet City's Gym leader, for all of the
romantic potential of the name - before Red -, is 'Falkner,' must give one pause.
You use this pause to fight Bellsprout, which is straightforward.
People tell you that others are having fun with battling, ahead of a
skippable battle - so you skip it. For all of my life this was understood.
You go to Kanto on a ship, although you are not May.

The dark lights of a place where you are homeless
await you with no promise of shelter, and trainers
immediately talking about how difficult you'll find Lt. Surge,
this is not a friendly environment. You lose your 'rival,' or
companion, in this League - and you are alone. Still, you
find your way from place to place, passing the occasional Noctowl, having
little time to spare for new Pokémon, and find your way through
this desolate place, cut off from those who still hopefully phone you
for battles. The Safari Zone is closed. Lost, you wander
as if you had nothing to direct you but you and your team, on your search onwards.

Trainers are often too similar. Entire sequences
can be spent just using 'Flame Wheel,' a move
as under-pronounced as the game itself. Lance jumps in
when you need no help. Kanto is like a ghost,
but its ghosts have left to Mt. Silver.
While you wander, Entei, Suicune, and Raikou may be roaming
in Johto, where they were left unencumbered.

You find that, after Red, you may
only return to find a place
with the occasional Entei, a few trainers still
hoping to talk, or battle, but the tired
corpse of Kanto was like a shadow, and Johto like
the shadow cast by that shadow.

 

[Alex]

Mom and dad knew how much I loved my Blue version when I first got it. So come Christmas, they and my grandparents got me Gold and Silver versions. I was ecstatic. I loved the region, the night & day feature, the colour, the new Pokedex. I also found it had a little bit more of a fleshed-out plot, for which I was just the right age to appreciate. Had Red & Blue had a plot like this, I probably would've ignored it. It was all about training and evolving Pokemon in those games.

A couple memories from the Gold & Silver generations: having Whitney wipe the floor with me several times. The bug-catching contest that actually had me interested in the bug type for once. The entire sequence from entering Ecruteak city until Blackthorn city. Probably the most fun sequence of events ever programmed into a Pokemon game. Gah, the single moment I realized that this game was not over after the Elite Four. There's an entire other region to be played and it's the one that had me fall in love with the series in the first place. Such a joy that was to discover.

While Gamefreak was able to improve on the games consistently by adding new regions, new Pokemon, different types of villains and events to go along with them, and even adding themes and morals to the games, none hold a place in my heart quite like the Gold and Silver versions. They were simply perfect. So much replayability. And, without them, I would've never joined PC after searching "Pokemon gold remake" in Google to find zel's project. :P

 

[curiousnathan]

Pokemon Gold was the very first Pokemon game I ever played (aside from collecting the cards), so it holds a really special place in my childhood. I remember my cousin lending me her Gold and from that point forward I became obsessed with the series. I suppose that's why I love Heart Gold so much; it takes me back to where it all began for me as a young Pokemon trainer.

I can vividly remember getting thwarted by Whitney numerous times to the point where I stopped playing the game for a month or so. I also remember defeating Red with a team of 5 Golducks and my Feraligatr who's signature move was cut. (Yeah...I don't know what I was thinking). I remember using the sneaky clone glitch to duplicate my Ho-oh, and obtain all three starters.

Gold will forever be one of my favourite Pokemon games. No doubt about it.

 

[FireSnow]

Oh the memories. I was only 5 years old when i received my first game. It was Christmas morning and I was opening my gifts. I remember mentioning something about wanting Pokemon for Christmas that year having just gotten into the anime and falling in love with it all. I had opened most of my gifts but hadn't received the game yet. There was one final gift left though under the tree. It was square shaped and my eyes widened as i good sense what i was about to get. I tore off the wrapping and there in my hands was Pokemon Crystal. I was so excited as i quickly got my Game Boy, thanked my mom and went on to play the game for hours (though i did spend twenty minutes just trying to get out of New Bark Town).

My first starter was Totodile and that little guy got me through every challenge I faced. Its one of the many Pokemon I've bonded with through the games but it will always hold a special place in my heart for being the one that started it all.

Though the rest of my first playthrough is a blur (I couldn't even tell you which other Pokemon I caught) it will always be my favorite one. This game got me hooked after I had been nibbling for awhile on the anime and I can proudly say I am much happier as a result than I would've been otherwise i believe. This game was so amazing in so many ways and opened my eyes to the all the other amazing things Pokemon has to offer.

 

[Imperator161]

I received Gold as a birthday gift from a friend. At the time, it was brand new and quite difficult to find, and consequently, I was the first of my friends to own it. I had put a couple hundred hours into Red, training my Blastoise to level 100 and exploring all that Kanto had to offer (with the exception of completing my Pokedex), and I was ready for a new, hopefully glitch-free adventure. I fired up my GameBoy Pocket, started the game, and picked Totodile as my starter, cementing my preference for beginning my adventures with water types. Soon after, on that fateful Sunday night, I caught a Hoothoot, my first introduction to the day/night system and to the new Pokemon outside of the starters. I'm not sure how much I knew about the game before starting it, but I was surprised to discover that the clock kept time while I was away. I had assumed that it would resume where I left off, so when I came back the next day during daylight hours, I was amazed that the game had shifted from night to day all by itself.

I played through the main quest over the next few months, catching Pokemon, but never really training a team outside of Totodile (who I refused to evolve, because I thought Croconaw and Feraligatr were ugly). I didn't have major issues with Whitney or any of the other gym leaders, but I got somewhat stuck on the ice puzzles on my way to Blackthorn, which slowed my progress until December or so (I started the game in October). Over New Year's, a few family friends and I muddled through together, continuing to what I assumed was our eighth and final badge.

My Totodile struggled with the Elite Four at first, but eventually overcame the challenge. And then a phone call came, and next thing I knew, I was on my way to Kanto. I was disappointed by how short Kanto was, but I loved the return to my first region, and enjoyed seeing how the various cities had changed over the past three years. It added some degree of progression in the Pokemon world, just like my real life had changed.

At some point between the Elite Four and Mt. Silver, I filled out my team. I added a Quagsire, Pikachu, and Blastoise (imported all the way from a new file on my friend's Blue version), and started to train my Hoothoot (my designated flyer). My team of five (Totodile, Quagsire, Noctowl, Pikachu, and Blastoise) stuck with me for the rest of my Gold days (with a sixth rotation spot for training).

I expected to struggle with Red, but ultimately found him far easier than I had anticipated. After that, I spent countless hours training my team and completing my Pokedex. At some point along the way, I transformed from a kid who had no real idea what I was doing to a more seasoned Pokemon veteran. Although my team was not exactly balanced, Gold got me started on breeding, learning about egg moves, and thinking more about teams than just about my starter. I finished up my Pokedex, trained my team to level 100, and made each team member complete certain objectives I laid out (like beating the Elite Four on their own with no items--slamming multiple Onix to death with my Pikachu was more annoying than I expected).

I started playing Sapphire, and then LeafGreen (in addition to Silver, Crystal, and Yellow), before Gold ultimately succumbed in early August of 2006. I enjoyed the newer games, but something was lacking. No one talked about Pokemon at school anymore. There were no more family friends to solve puzzles with over holidays. I had one friend who still played Pokemon, but other than that, Pokemon in the post-Gold era was a lonely endeavor and guilty pleasure rather than a mainstream social hobby.

Fancier graphics. Wifi trading. Online Pokemon communities. More complicated plots. Hundreds of new Pokemon. Natures, physical/special split, new moves, new types, new kinds of battles, and so much more. Sure, Pokemon has changed a lot over the years, and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy modern Pokemon games immensely. I do. But despite the thousands of hours clocked on newer games (around 470 and rising on X alone, at the moment), they don't elicit the strong emotional response that Gold did. I first began Pokemon as a clueless trainer from Pallet, stumbling around Kanto with my Blastoise. But in my "reincarnation" as a kid from New Bark Town, where winds of a new beginning blow, I really spread my wings as a trainer and took flight. It's been an incredible journey.

RIP Gold, 10/15/00 - 8/4/06

 

[Rivvon]

My Pokémon journey begins with a friend in, hmm, maybe first grade, at the school playground. This friend, let's call him "P," was one of those kids who was made fun of a lot. I'm not really sure why. He was a nice kid, and friendly, but I guess those first graders thought he was weird. Whatever. Although, I had many of the same interests as him, and they seemed to be friendly towards me. But again, whatever. During recess, P would bring out his Game Boy--or was it a Game Boy Color? He had a Pokémon game; it was generation two. He showed me how to play. He didn't let me name my rival ("Just press Start and it does it for you," he said, pressing Start for me. Silver it is, then!).

Besides that, though, he was a great help. He let me borrow his game and the system. I brought them both home, but when my parents saw, they weren't pleased. They were the types who didn't like when I borrowed things from people, especially if they were expensive things. Not because I wasn't careful with them--it was more due to some idea they held. "You shouldn't have to borrow other peoples' things, just use your own." At least, that's what I think it was.

After being told to return the game and system to P, my dad took me to a nearby toy store (which is no longer there--I don't think the company even exists any more) to pick up my own game, and my own system. A few days prior, I saw a commercial on TV. Pokémon Crystal Version. Play as a girl--neat! I'm a girl. New plot featuring Suicune--neat! I like Suicune, it looks cool. New mysteries of the Unown--neat! That seems like fun. This commercial really grabbed at my sense of wonder, and when it came time to pick up my very first video game, I knew exactly what to tell the man behind the counter: "Pokémon Crystal." And before anything else could be said, my eye caught glimpse of what would be my very first video game console.

The reason why this in particular is so important to me is because, as much as it pains me to say it, I don't have too many varied interests. I love playing video games. I love creating art and crafting stories. When it came time to start solidifying where I wanted to focus on my career path, I had a hard time deciding what to do. Comics and animation didn't feel right for me; for some reason I never stuck with novel writing. But what if I could turn my passion for creating and video games into something? I decided to move forward with that and went to college to study video game design, conceptual illustration, and sequential art. I'm currently working on some personal projects as I search for more established jobs. But it gives me a purpose. I've met most of my best friends because of video games, and I'm doing what I love because of video games. If it wasn't for video games, my life would be a whole lot different, and I'm not sure how happy I would be if that was the case. And if it wasn't for Pokémon, I wouldn't have video games.

Crystal may not be the best game in the series to me (I personally feel HeartGold and SoulSilver do it and the rest of generation two ample amounts of justice), but there's no denying that it's one of the most, if not the most, important video game to me.

Thank you, Pokémon. From the bottom of my heart and entirety of my soul.

 

[Vindra]

Pokemon Gold holds a special place in my heart and remains my favorite Pokemon game, even though I started with Blue. I received it as a birthday present from my two best friends in 2000, a few weeks after it came out. I was so excited because one of the friends was really into Pokemon as well and already had Silver and I remember being so jealous that she had a new game and I didn't. XD I never got to play it in color because I only had a Gameboy Pocket, but I don't remember that ever really bothering me. I was just so excited about finally having a new land to explore and new Pokemon to find. I loved all the new features, like the daycare and picking Apricorns to be made into Pokeballs.

I don't remember how far I got into end game stuff because I was always restarting my game to try out different starters and see the story again. I really wish I had one of my original saves but over the years my nostalgia would always get the better of me and I'd end up resetting my game. :P