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I have to admit, I haven't played poke`mon since Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, and I wasn't really into many of the new poke`mon, or the games.
As a result, I stopped playing the games, and I didn't care much when I heard about the remakes.
One day, I decided to train a Magikarp in Red version (original, Game Boy color), simply because Magikarp was an "In Real Life" meme where I live. Long story short, I got addicted to the old game, and beat it within just a week, but in the process, over that week, I got an entire group of people pulled into it as well. Two kids playing Yellow, and a boy playing Blue, along with my Red was only the start. Soon, at least 10 kids in my school started playing, and when Heart Gold and Soul Silver came out, we all where ready to get to work.
So, what's so great about it? It's just a remake right? More poke`mon, some new features and slightly better graphics? No quite.
The game, does, indeed match it's previous version - after all, it's a remake - but at the same time, you could consider it a whole different game!
The female character from Crystal version was replaced with another girl, but that's only the tip of the iceburg. When you actually start, the other character of the other gender actually plays a role in the story! They do things the same way the rival from Ruby and Sappire worked, but still kept the games original rival (officially named "Silver"), who is known for his dark tone and agressive behavior towards poke`mon and people.
People and Story aren't the only things enhanced. Graphics, of course, have grown so that it's almost like 2D sprites had a weird baby with small 3D chibis.
New features have been added, thanks to the wifi, such as an international battle, and a contest features full of minigames, that is almost treated like the olympics.
Other, minor, but still new and fun features include the photographer, which lets you dress up poke`mon in costumes (silly is the way to go!) and take pictures. You can also dress like a Team Rocket member and take a group picture with your poke`mon.
Finally, what I like the most, is the connection with poke`mon. Before (Gold, Silver, Ruby and so on), it was as simply as "use healing items" to raise a poke`mon happiness. Now it's grown to a whole new level.
Whichever poke`mon is in the front of your party (the first poke`mon sent out) will follow you, and you can talk to it, simply by looking at it, similar to Pikachu in Yellow, but much more advanced. Poke`mon liturally interact, skipping and playing with you as they grow happy, and growling and scorning you as they feel abused. They will also do things that are of chance, for example, it may be holding an item, which gives you the choice to take it or not. If the poke`mon doesn't want to give you it, you could upset it. But, if you're lucky enough that your poke`mon wants you to have it, you could get something really good. The best bet is just to say "no" and let it keep the item.
Wifi play is funner than ever, since battles and trades aren't all there is. You can also choose to draw, select what your character looks like in wifi, and a few other things - though, of course, you can't expect much from a DS, the wifi play definately takes the cake, especially when you've got five people in a room, tag-team-battling and drawing silly pictures together.
Another nice change is GYM layouts. They almost completely changed poke`mon GYMs, so that they all work like a puzzle (still simply, mind you), which gives a person a good feel for the GYM. For example, Falkner, the bird poke`mon trainer, has a kind of elevator that lifts you into the air, where you face him and his men, and Bugsy (name gives it away), the bug trainer's GYM is developed like a spider web.
Because it's a remake of an early game, it still managed to the "old" feel of poke`mon, while also showing just what you have missed out on, with the new ones. This(/these) game is a must get, if you want the best of ALL worlds!
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Linear Mode
