Holy crap, Pokemon

At the beginning of this week, remakes of the 2nd generation Pokemon games were released to the world at large. What's significant with these games, called Heart Gold and Soul Silver, is that there is now a Pokemon game in which over 400 different Pokemon can be captured without having to trade (much) or mess with some GBA cartridge nonsense (though you can if you'd like).

Why's that awesome? Well, I'll tell you, dear readers. Gold/Silver were the best games made with the Pokemon name attached to them, second MAYBE to Snap. The remakes are faithful in most ways possible, carrying over the mechanic adjustments made in Diamond/Pearl. Issues from the first game have been smoothed over - certain level ranges have been made more tolerable with the addition of new trainers, "dungeon" design has been amped up, and sometimes people who call you can actually say something so ridiculous that you might laugh. AND THERE'S MORE! Click on that "read more" button.

New features include a Safari Zone with modularization that lets you sorta choose which Pokemon appear during your little safari. I'm pissed at it, though, because it's as unforgiving as ever, and a shiny Spearow ran away from me. Shiny Fearows are gold! (sorta).

There's also this new minigame called Voltorb Flip, which is quite possibly the first time censorship has worked in our favor. Apparently, the European Union decided that it was inappropriate to have slot machines in a children's game, so Nintendo replaced the gambling corner's signature game with a hybridization of Picross and Minesweeper. There's a lot of luck to it, but with enough skill, it's quite satisfying, and you can be making a lot of coins without realizing where the time's gone. Look up how to play, though, because the game isn't very clear about it.

Pokemon follow you, outside of their Pokeballs. You young whippersnappers may not remember the days of Pokemon Yellow, when Pikachu's game model was redesigned so he was easier to love. Back in the day, we had a Pikachu who followed us. It was pretty cool. The same applies now to all Pokemon. There's something thoroughly awesome about having your favorite Poke-dude trailing behind you. Imagine you have a baby Eevee, just hatched, seems to have the right stuff to be a pretty powerful dude later on. But, first, you've got to train him so he's at the level of your other dudes. You bring him back to the starting area, where the creatures are weak enough for him to beat, and you run around the grass, he's chasing after you. You've been trying to raise his happiness level as well, so you had him groomed a few times. Every time you turn around to check on him, he's nipping at your feet, or just seems generally happy. Then, he gets poisoned by a wayward Weedle! Of course, out of anger you take out your powerhouse Typhlosion to deliver justice upon this Weedle. But, oh no! No antidotes! You check on Eevee, oh shit! He doesn't look too good! Time to run for the Pokecenter!

Anyway, my point is, the whole trailing behind you thing is one of those minor details that really finish the whole image. My Umbreon survived, by the way. We're best buddies now.

That's what this game is, really. You travel Johto and Kanto, exploring this world with a mix of nostalgia and discovery. And unlike the other games, it has gym leader and trainer rematches that enable you to keep playing after you've beaten the main story without feeling like a chump. With all 493 creatures now within reach, the series is at a peak.