Pokemon: HeartGold Version

GAME: Pokemon HeartGold

DEVELOPER: Gamefreak

PUBLISHERS: Nintendo, The Pokemon Company

PLATFORM: Nintendo DS

RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2009 (JP), Spring 2010 (US/PAL)

GENRE: Role-Playing Game (RPG)

 

SHORT REVIEW

Well, it's Pokemon. What do you expect? ...Not to say that it isn't good. It's good. It's REALLY good.\

 

LONG REVIEW

Flash back to February 27, 1996. A pair of games, Pocket Monsters: Red and Green Versions, are released in Japan for their handheld system, the Game Boy. The games become quite popular, especially with the younger crowds. They also spark a product line and even an anime that still continues to this day. On September 1, 1998, these games are released in America for the Game Boy Pocket in the form of Pokemon: Red and Blue Versions, thus effectively turning Pokemon into the world phenomenon we recognize it as today.

 

Of course, if there's one thing Nintendo does well, it's recognize potential and make money off of it. On October 14, 2000, the sequels to the best-selling Red & Blue, Pokemon Gold and Silver Versions, are released in the US for the Game Boy Color. Of course, since Pokemon made quite a name for itself, these games sell even more than their predecessors.

 

Four more years pass. After the release of the less-successful Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Gamefreak releases Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen versions (remakes of the original Red and Green) on September 9, 2004, for the Game Boy Advance. Appealing to both old and new Pokemon fans, and even bringing back some fans that were lost during Ruby & Sapphire (myself included), these two games broke previous sales records and put Pokemon games back on the map. However, with the remake of Red and Green, people began to wonder... would there be remakes of Gold and Silver?

 

After Pokemon FireRed, LeafGreen, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were found to be packed with references to Gold and Silver, people began to see remakes of Gold and Silver as more of an inevitability than a possibility. Then in May of 2009, Nintendo leaks the following names: Pocket Monsters HeartGold and SoulSilver versions. It was confirmed on the following Sunday, in a Japanese Pokemon-based show called "Pokemon Sunday", causing older Pokemon fans infinite amounts of joy. And so, after four long months of waiting, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are finally released in Japan... and imported by thousands of European and American gamers.

 

 

REAL REVIEW STARTS HERE

 

What's there to say about this one? It's Pokemon. Take a Pokemon, train it, battle other trainers, catch more Pokemon, become stronger. It's worked since 1996, it works now. Okay, you want some elaboration? Well, this game improves on nearly every aspect of previous games. 3D graphics are finally fully utilized, nearly everything is touch-screen controlled, and the fact that it's based off of what is arguably the two (three, if you count Crystal) greatest Pokemon games in Pokemon history. As far as minor changes go, your lead Pokemon will now follow you around outside of battle. Just a nice little aesthetic appeal. Also you can talk to your lead Pokemon and get a general idea of how much it likes you. Multiplayer works the same way as well; battle or trade with a friend. Like in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, you can also battle and trade via Wi-Fi.

 

So, pretty much all I've done so far is talk about how similar it is to other Pokemon games... so, why is this one so good? Well, let's focus on the differences in the story mode for now. This time around, you travel through the Johto and Kanto regions, training Pokemon that are indigenous to those areas, and attempting to gather the eight Gym Badges from each area, and topple the Pokemon League, thus becoming the Pokemon Champion. Through your travels, you'll encounter a neat cast of supporting characters, meet some new friends, and deal with the organized crime group, Team Rocket. You'll also encounter the legendary Pokemon Lugia and Ho-oh before taking on the Pokemon League. Hm... in retrospect, that last paragraph seems more like an ad than a review. But Pokemon is a hard game to explain, so you'll understand.

 

But one unique feature of the game is the fact that it comes bundled with a small, Pokeball-shaped pedometer known as the "Pokewalker". Clip it onto your shoe, pocket, or anywhere on the lower half of your body, and it will keep track of the number of steps you take in any given day. You can also store one of your Pokemon from the game in the Pokewalker, and as you walk, your Pokemon will gain happiness and experience. As you walk, you will also randomly gain a currency known as "watts". Watts can be used to unlock new areas in the Pokewalker, encounter (and hopefully catch) wild Pokemon, and look for (and hopefully find) items. The items and Pokemon you can find depend on the area you are in on the Pokewalker. If you don't have any Pokemon in the Pokewalker, you can sometimes just find wild Pokemon simply by walking, then put them wirelessly into your HG/SS game.

 

FINAL SCORE: 10/10

Okay, LAST 10. I swear. *thinks of upcoming Halo 3: ODST review* ...Maybe one more.