Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions

Pokémon Gold Version ポケットモンスター 金
File:Pokemon Gold boxart EN-US.jpg Pokémon Gold Version's boxart, depicting Ho-Oh.
Pokémon Silver Version ポケットモンスター 銀
File:Pokemonsilverbox.jpg Pokémon Silver Version's boxart, depicting Lugia.
Basic info
Platform:	Game Boy Color*
Category:	RPG
Players:	2 players simultaneous
Connectivity:	Link cable, IR*
Developer:	Game Freak
Publisher:	Nintendo
Part of:	Generation II main series
Ratings
CERO:	A
ESRB:	E
ACB:	N/A
OFLC:	G8+
PEGI:	3+
GRAC:	ALL
GSRR:	N/A
Release dates
Japan:	November 21, 1999
North America:	October 15, 2000
Australia:	October 13, 2000
Europe:	April 6, 2001
South Korea:	April 24, 2002
Hong Kong:	N/A
Taiwan:	N/A
Websites
Japanese:	Official site
English:	Official site
Japanese boxart File:GoldJapanese.jpg Boxart of Pocket Monsters Gold. File:SilverJapanese.jpg Boxart of Pocket Monsters Silver.

Pokémon Gold Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター 金 Pocket Monsters Gold) and Pokémon Silver Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター 銀 Pocket Monsters Silver) were the fifth and sixth Pokémon games to be released in Japan. They were released on November 21, 1999. Like Red and Green before them, they are paired versions, with few differences aside from available Pokémon.

As Pokémon had become an international phenomenon already with the release of Red, Blue, and Yellow in North America and other regions, the translated versions of these games were greatly expected, and arrived Stateside on October 15, 2000. Again, much like Red and Green/Blue, Gold and Silver were followed shortly by a third version with minor changes, Pokémon Crystal, as well as remakes two generations later in the form of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

Gold and Silver brought with them many changes to the Pokémon world, as the first set of sequels to the Generation I games. Unlike Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow; Gold and Silver take place in the Johto region, west of the region that the original games take place in, Kanto. However, Kanto can be traveled to later in the game. The player begins his journey in New Bark Town, which is fittingly known as "The Town Where Winds of a New Beginning Blow."

Plot

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Main game

The player begins his journey from New Bark Town, running an errand for Professor Elm to Mr. Pokémon's house to discover what he was so excited about. Elm supplies the player with one of three Pokémon, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile, for this errand. After Mr. Pokémon's discovery turns out to be an egg, the player returns to New Bark, only to find that a suspicious red-haired boy seen lurking outside of Elm's lab earlier has stolen one of Elm's Pokémon— the one that the player's choice is weak to, coincidentally. Upon defeating him and returning to New Bark, the player gives the name of the boy (the player can choose any name, provided it fits under the seven-character limit; his name defaults to Silver) to a police officer who has come to investigate the incident. Elm is amazed by the egg and insists on studying it, allowing the player to keep the Pokémon they traveled with as a starter Pokémon. From here, he encourages the player to journey across Johto and challenge the eight Gym Leaders, Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce, and Clair, and eventually the Pokémon League (though this is a long way off). With the first Gym in nearby Violet City, the player heads off on their adventure.

After defeating Falkner for the Zephyr Badge, Elm's assistant appears to give the player the egg, which will later hatch into a Togepi. Heading south towards Azalea Town by way of Route 32 and Union Cave, the player meets up with the villainous Team Rocket, formed again after it was disbanded three years prior in the neighboring Kanto region by a young Trainer. They are cutting off the tails of the Slowpoke that are legendary in Azalea, intending to sell them for a large profit. Kurt, a local maker of specialty Poké Balls, is greatly angered by this, and requests the player's help in chasing away Team Rocket and saving the Slowpoke. Though he falls into Slowpoke Well, hurting himself in the process, he begs the player to continue on to fight the organization with their Pokémon. After this has been done, and Team Rocket is chased away from Azalea, Kurt gives the player a Lure Ball and will make his specialty Poké Balls when brought any kind of Apricorn, one per day. After defeating Bugsy in the Azalea Gym for the Hive Badge and defeating the red-haired boy (Silver) once again, the player can journey into Ilex Forest to find the Charcoal maker's Farfetch'd and get HM01 (Cut). With this, Ilex Forest can be navigated through towards Route 34. On Route 34, a Pokémon Day Care is set up, however, unlike the one found in Kanto on Route 5, it is capable of raising two Pokémon at once. If these Pokémon are similar enough, and if a male and female have been put in together, a Pokémon egg can be produced.

Venturing into Goldenrod City, the player's third badge, the Plain Badge, awaits. After defeating Whitney and getting the badge, getting a Squirtbottle allows the player to move the strange tree blocking Route 36 to the north. If it is Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, the Bug-Catching Contest will be on at the National Park on Route 35, as well. In Ecruteak City, Bill, the developer of the PC Pokémon storage system is performing repairs on the Time Capsule, and as the player arrives, he will finish, asking for them to come visit him in his parents' house in Goldenrod, where he will give away an Eevee. Another Gym is in Ecruteak, where the Template:Type2 Leader Morty battles for the Fog Badge.

The player goes on through Route 38 and Route 39 to arrive in Olivine City. Once there, they learn from Silver that Jasmine, the Gym Leader, is not available at the moment, since she is taking care of the lighthouse's Ampharos and refuses to leave until the Pokémon is given a special medicine from Cianwood City. The player thus surfs their way through Route 40 and Route 41 to get to Cianwood. There, they encounter the Template:Type2 type Leader Chuck, who presents the player with the Storm Badge. They get the SecretPotion from the Cianwood Pharmacy and goes back to Olivine. Jasmine, relieved after getting her Ampharos's medicine, goes back to taking gym challenges. Her Pokémon specialty is of the Template:Type2. When the player gets their sixth badge, the Mineral Badge, they travel to Mahogany Town, through Route 42. The gym is blocked by a man and the way to Route 44 and the Ice Cave is blocked by a man trying to sell Rage Candy Bars.

The player heads north to Route 43 and the Lake of Rage. Upon entering the gate, two Rocket Grunts charge them $1000 to go through. When the player gets to the lake, they encounter the Red Gyarados. After the player defeats, catches or flees from it, they get the Red Scale. A caped man named Lance appears on the shore and reveals Team Rocket's secret hideout to the player. The player goes back to Mahogany and goes through the hideout, along with Lance. Team Rocket's plan was to emit sound waves, inducing the Magikarp in the lake to evolve into Gyarados, which caused the effect of the Red Gyarados. Once the player defeats all the Rockets and disables the wave-emitting machine, they can challenge Pryce, the town's Template:Type2 Gym Leader.

Upon defeating the Gym Leader and obtaining the Glacier Badge, the player receives a phone call from Prof. Elm about a strange radio signal emitted by Team Rocket, trying to connect with their missing leader, Giovanni. The player goes to the Goldenrod Radio Tower to investigate. Once there, they find the Tower to be taken over by Team Rocket. When the player ascends to the top floor, they find the director of the Radio Tower, only to discover that he has been impersonated by a Rocket and that the real Director is actually locked in Goldenrod's basement. Once the player enters the basement, they are once again encountered by Silver, who intends to defeat Team Rocket all by himself. He still questions the way he treats his Pokémon. Once the player gets to the very bottom of the basement, they find the Tower's real Director. He gives the player the Card Key, so that they can access the higher floors of the Radio Tower.

After clearing all of the Rockets, effectively disbanding them, the player receives either a Rainbow Wing to encounter Ho-Oh or a Silver Wing to encounter Lugia, in the Gold and Silver versions respectively. The player can either go to the Tin Tower or the Whirl Islands at this point, to challenge Ho-Oh or Lugia, respectively; or they can go straight to Route 44, now unblocked, and the Ice Cave to get to Blackthorn City. There the player can challenge Clair, the Template:Type2 Gym Leader. Before giving the player the Rising Badge, however, Clair makes the player go through a test to prove their worthiness. To complete this test, the player must enter the Dragon's Den and retrieve a Dragon Fang. When the player finds the item, they receive the Rising Badge from Clair. Having obtained all 8 badges, the player returns to New Bark Town, traveling down Route 45 and Route 46.

Professor Elm contacts the player, and awards them with a Master Ball when visited. From New Bark, the path to the Pokémon League is to the east, across Route 27 and into Kanto, then across Route 26 and through Victory Road to the Indigo Plateau. When the player reaches the exit of Victory Road, Silver appears again and battles the player.

The Elite Four awaits the player if they have collected all eight Badges. When the player enters the League, they must face all four in sequence. Will, who trains Template:Type2 Pokémon, is first, followed by Koga, whose specialty is Poison. Bruno, who uses Fighting Pokémon, follows, and finally, Karen, who specializes in the Template:Type2 type. After defeating these four, the reigning Pokémon Champion, Lance, challenges the player to a final battle. After his defeat, Oak and his co-host on Pokémon Talk, DJ Mary, arrive and congratulate the player. Lance then takes the player to a back room and tells the player that they are admitted into the Hall of Fame. The credits roll.

Postgame

After the credits roll, the player ends up back in New Bark Town in their room; however, Professor Elm calls, requesting a favor. After visiting his lab, he gives the player a S.S. Ticket that allows access to the S.S. Aqua, a ship that travels to and from Kanto, the region that Elm wishes for them to explore. On the first entry into the S.S. Aqua, a man will bump into the player, and will ask them for help as he has lost his granddaughter on the ship. After locating her in the captain's cabin and reuniting her with his grandfather, the ship will arrive in Vermilion City, where the player will take their true first steps in Kanto.

At this point, the player is given free reign to travel throughout the (scaled-down) Kanto region, and collect the eight badges from Generation I's Gym Leaders. The player can accomplish this in any order; however, certain events must be completed before some Leaders can be challenged. For example, a Team Rocket grunt has stolen a Machine Part from the Power Plant and hidden it inside Cerulean City's Gym; the grunt must be fought and the Machine Part restored to the Power Plant before Misty can be found at Cerulean Cape and persuaded to return to the gym. Giovanni, the previous Leader of Viridian City, has now left, and former Indigo Champion Blue is now its Leader; however, Blue is at the site of Cinnabar Island, musing over its destruction by the local volcano's eruption. When found there, Blue will return to Viridian Gym to be battled. Blaine was the Leader of Cinnabar Gym; when the town was destroyed, he took refuge in the Seafoam Islands and can be fought there.

When the player has earned all eight Kanto badges (and, therefore, all sixteen badges in the Indigo League), Oak allows them to venture to Route 28 and, past it, Silver Cave, a location where only the greatest of Trainers can venture. Silver Cave is a grand set of open tunnels and passages which are riddled with powerful Pokémon, but the player continues to travel through to the end of the cave, where Red, now a Pokémon Master stands alone to be fought. When Red is defeated, the credits roll again and, afterward, the player is deposited at Route 28's Pokémon Center, outside of Silver Cave.

Blurb

"Enter a whole new world, with new Pokémon to capture, train and battle! Meet Professor Elm and get the all-new Poké Gear, including map, radio, cell phone and clock. Set the clock then watch as day turns to night and events take place in real time— and be sure to keep an eye out for Pokémon that come out only at night!"

Connectivity

Pokémon Gold and Silver continued the tradition allowing players to trade Pokémon between two cartridges via a Game Boy Link cable, but also revamped it as well. Gold and Silver (as well as Crystal) introduced backwards-connectivity to the trading processes, allowing players to trade with other Generation II games, as well as Red, Blue and Yellow (and Green, in Japan). This has to be done in order to complete the Pokédex without cheating or using glitches, since each of games has version exclusive Pokémon which cannot be obtained in another version.

The games are not compatible with games released as part of later generations.

The games could also connect to a Game Boy Printer provided you have a Link Cable. Upon connectivity, one could print out pictures of Pokémon from the Pokédex or Pokémon summaries from ones party. In Pokémon Crystal , a feature was added where one could print out a translation of Unown, which helped them translate ruins easier.

Features

Gyms

There are eight Pokémon Gyms in Johto, each with their own type affiliation. The Gym Leaders are Falkner (Flying), Bugsy (Bug), Whitney (Normal), Morty (Ghost), Chuck (Fighting), Jasmine (Steel), Pryce (Ice) and Clair (Dragon). These Gyms notably feature the types not accounted for by Kanto Gyms, with the exception of the Template:Type2. Since Kanto is accessible after defeating the Elite Four, players can visit the eight Pokémon Gyms in the region, even though there have been some changes. The Gym Leaders are Brock (Rock), Misty (Water), Lt. Surge (Electric), Erika (Grass), Janine (Poison), Sabrina (Psychic), Blaine (Fire) and Blue (various).

Elite Four

Gold and Silver introduce a new Elite Four syndicate, though it is found at the same location as it previously was in the Red and Blue versions: the Indigo Plateau. The Elite Trainers are Will (Psychic), Koga (Poison), Bruno (Fighting), and Karen (Dark); the Champion is Lance, who uses Template:Type2 Pokémon. Lorelei and Agatha, who were part of the Elite Four in Generation I, do not appear in Generation II, nor are they mentioned.

Pokémon

Each game features 100 new Pokémon species, and pre-recorded data each of them, plus the 151 Pokémon of Generation I. Despite this, not all Pokémon are available to the player, regardless of version; trades must occur between players in order to complete their Pokédex without the use of cheats or glitches. Celebi is the only Pokémon in Gold and Silver that must be acquired through the use of attending either a Nintendo sponsored event, or cheating.

Version exclusives

Gold 0056 Mankey Fighting 0057 Primeape Fighting 0058 Growlithe Fire 0059 Arcanine Fire 0167 Spinarak Bug Poison 0168 Ariados Bug Poison 0207 Gligar Ground Flying 0216 Teddiursa Normal 1 0217 Ursaring Normal 1 0226 Mantine Water Flying

Silver 0037 Vulpix Fire 0038 Ninetales Fire 0052 Meowth Normal 0053 Persian Normal 0165 Ledyba Bug Flying 0166 Ledian Bug Flying 0225 Delibird Ice Flying 0227 Skarmory Steel Flying 0231 Phanpy Ground 2 0232 Donphan Ground 2

• 1: Exclusive to Silver in the Japanese versions.
• 2: Exclusive to Gold in the Japanese versions.

Pokégear

The Pokégear is received at the beginning of the game from the protagonist's mother. It has several functions, some of which will need to be unlocked during the game by receiving special expansion cards. The Pokégear displays the day of the week and the time of day, entered at the beginning of the game, a map of Johto (and later Kanto) once the Map Card is obtained, a cellphone, allowing the user to make calls to people that they've traded phone numbers with, and a radio which allows the player to get tips from Professor Oak and DJ Mary on Oak's Pokémon Talk, affect how active wild Pokémon are by playing Pokémon March or Pokémon Lullaby on the Pokémon Music station, or listen to the Lucky Channel to keep track of the Radio Tower's lottery promotion.

Apricorns

More specialized Poké Balls were introduced in these games. A Lure Ball is more effective if used against a Pokémon caught with a fishing rod, a Heavy Ball is used to catch large, heavy Pokémon like Snorlax, and a Friend Ball will make a Pokémon more comfortable and friendly to its Trainer much more quickly. To obtain these balls, Apricorns must be picked from special plants found throughout Johto, and Kurt in Azalea Town will fashion these into the different balls based on their color. However, Kurt can only make one ball at a time, and players must wait until the next day for Kurt to finish the ball.

Cloning glitch

Gold and Silver also introduced the first readily-accessible cloning glitch in the Pokémon franchise. Unlike the hard-to-use glitch in Generation I, this glitch would not harm the game's save file. It allowed the player to make a perfect copy of one Pokémon and any held item it was carrying. Numerous tricks could be utilized with this glitch, such as having multiple one-time-only items, like Master Balls. This glitch would be repeated in later generations.

Kanto

After defeating Lance, and becoming the Pokémon Champion, players can travel to Kanto, the region introduced in Generation I, and see how things have changed over the past three years:

• Due to a power outage, a key is no longer required to open the door to Lt. Surge, and the garbage cans in his Gym are all empty (save for trash).
• A volcano has destroyed everything but the Pokémon Center on Cinnabar Island, leaving a rain-filled crater behind.
• Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are no longer found in Kanto, logically because they have already been caught in Generation I. The Cerulean Cave and Mewtwo are also gone, though a man near the cave ruins does mention the dungeon, and a hidden item called the Berserk Gene can be found in the water near its former entrance.
• Bill's house is still present at the Cerulean Cape, but Bill is currently visiting his family in Johto's Goldenrod City. The house is being watched over by his grandfather.
• Blaine has moved his Gym to one of the Seafoam Islands due to Cinnabar's volcanic eruption. As a result, no wild Pokémon can be found in the Seafoam Islands.
• Blue (Green in the Japanese versions), the rival of Generation I, is now the leader of the Viridian City Gym. Giovanni is nowhere to be seen, though he is clearly mentioned many times, as Team Rocket aims to find him.
• Red, the Generation I protagonist, appears in Johto's Mt. Silver, serving as the game's true final challenge. His highest level Pokémon is a level 81 Pikachu. Red also has a Snorlax at level 75, a Blastoise, Venusaur, and Charizard, each at level 77, and a level 73 Espeon. The first five Pokémon are specially obtainable in Pokémon Yellow.
• The Copycat still lives in Saffron City, but has moved to another area of town. Her old house was demolished to make way for the Magnet Train station. As compensation, she received a free rail pass from a man at the station, which she gives away to the player after the return of her lost doll. According to her mother, this is the same doll that Red exchanged for TM31 (Mimic) in Generation I.
• Kanto Gym Leaders use Generation II Pokémon in addition to Generation I Pokémon.
• Remixes of most of the overworld and battle music from the Generation I games are used. Some notable exceptions include Cinnabar Island's music and the music from various Team Rocket hideouts.
• Most routes were shortened, but cities and towns generally remained the same size except Celadon City, which shrank slightly.
• Pokémon seen in the wild are different: many Generation II Pokémon can be found. Some Pokémon that were previously restricted to the Safari Zone can be caught in wild areas, such as Rhyhorn in Victory Road and Kangaskhan in Rock Tunnel.
• The entrance to Team Rocket's headquarters in the basement of the Celadon City Game Corner has been removed, although a man in Celadon's Pokémon Center alludes to it.
• The formerly-abandoned Power Plant is now used to power the new Magnet Train (which may have led to the departure of the Pokémon that once infested the plant in Generation I).
• The bike shop in Cerulean City is closed, and the owners have moved to Goldenrod City in Johto.
• The "coffee man" in Viridian City has now had his coffee, and says, "Hey, kid! I just had a double shot of espresso and I am wired!" He references the fact that in Generation I he taught the player how to catch Pokémon, and asks if the player believes him, but does not attempt to teach this time around.
• The Fighting Dojo's master is away training, so the Fighting Dojo only provides a Focus Band left behind. The master is training in Mt. Mortar in Johto. When found and defeated, he will give away a Tyrogue.
• The museum in Pewter City is closed for renovations.
• The other caverns and Viridian Forest all have the same layout as they did before (with the exceptions of Mt. Moon and the Seafoam Islands), but reduced in size.
• Koga, the former Gym Leader of Fuchsia City and now a member of the Elite Four, has been replaced by his daughter Janine.
• The Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town has been replaced by a Radio Tower, similar to the one in Goldenrod City. In turn, the Pokémon grave sites were moved into the newly added Soul House. Access to the upper floors of this Radio Tower is restricted, a safety precaution taken as a result of Team Rocket's takeover of Johto's Radio Tower.
• The Safari Zone is closed while the warden is on a vacation. Instead, the Bug-Catching Contest at the National Park takes its place. Through external game manipulation, an unused portal to the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City can be found. Players can use a cheating device to enter the unfinished Safari Zone.
• The Underground Path from Celadon City to Lavender Town has been sealed indefinitely, ostensibly due to vandalism. A sign cites local complaints about battles there and a local Biker Gang complains about it closing down because it was their base.
• Victory Road's length has been drastically shortened, and no longer includes the barriers, boulders, Trainers, and pressure sensors. Trainers can be found outside, but no longer in Victory Road itself.
• Viridian Forest has been reduced to shrubs, and wild Pokémon can only be caught in the grass of what used to be Route 2.
• Route 23 has been reduced to a short path leading between Victory Road's exit and the Indigo Plateau.
• The Pokémon Center on Route 4, outside Mt. Moon, is no longer there, leaving the player to trek all the way to Pewter City to heal their Pokémon.

New features

Gold and Silver introduced a number of features to the Pokémon video game franchise, many of which set a new standard for every game in the series that followed. Gold and Silver introduced the concept of storing items such as healing items, Poké Balls, and key items in separate compartments in the bag. The updated battle screen showed both how much experience points a Pokémon had until its next level and whether an encountered wild Pokémon's species has already been captured. Also, held items raised the bar for strategy, allowing players to outspeed opponents, heal ailments, restore HP in battle, boost the power of moves of a specific type, or increase the Pokémon's happiness, among other uses. All Trainers battled by the player had their own unique name, and some would be available for rematches later in the game.

A time system was also introduced. Throughout the game, Pokémon appearances are influenced by time of day: morning, day, and night. Hoothoot, for example, only appears at night (since it's an owl-like Pokémon). Certain events are also determined by the day of the week, like the Bug-Catching Contest which is held in Johto's National Park on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Depending on the day of the week, either "Pokémon March" or "Pokémon Lullaby" can be heard on the PokéGear radio. Pokémon March raises the chance of a Pokémon appearing when the player walks into the grass, while Pokémon Lullaby decreases that chance.

Breeding

With the introduction of breeding, all Pokémon belong to one or two egg groups. It is important to note that legendary Pokémon cannot be bred; they are genderless, and will not breed, even with a Ditto (which can breed with any Pokémon capable of breeding).

A baby Pokémon will be born when a male Pokémon and a female Pokémon that share at least one egg group are left at the Pokémon Day Care. In the case of Pokémon that are always male (Hitmontop, Nidoking, Tauros, etc.), or Pokémon who can breed but whose gender is unknown (Magnemite, Voltorb), the only way to produce a baby from these species is by breeding them with a Ditto.

A baby Pokémon will inherit the species of its mother (or non-Ditto parent in the case of a Ditto breeding) and inheritable moves from its father (when it's not a Ditto). Fathers always pass down TM moves that the baby's species could learn, which are valuable (since some are only obtainable one time). If both parents know a move that the baby's species learns by leveling up, the baby is born knowing that move as well. Fathers may also pass down special moves called "egg moves" to the baby that it would not normally be able to learn by leveling up or evolving.

Shiny Pokémon

The game introduces Shiny Pokémon, Pokémon which have a different coloring than their species has normally, and which appear very rarely (a 1 in 8,192 chance). In these games, shiny Pokémon often have better stats than regular Pokémon, but can never achieve maximum stats for that species (as shininess is based on the Pokémon's IVs in this generation). There is one exception to the shiny Pokémon system: a Red Gyarados can be found at the Lake of Rage. Since it is part of the storyline, it is impossible not to encounter this Pokémon as shiny.

Pokérus

Pokérus (a portmanteau of "Pokémon" and "virus") was introduced. Encountering a Pokémon with the virus is even rarer than encountering a shiny Pokémon, with the odds estimated to be somewhere around a 1 in 21,845 chance. Pokérus doubles the special experience (a concept adapted to later installments as effort values) that the player's Pokémon gain each time the infected Pokémon participates in battle (provided the battle is won and the infected Pokémon does not faint).

Type and stat changes

Two new types were introduced, Steel and Dark. These two types serve to balance the Psychic type, which previously was only weak to Bug-type moves. In addition, the Steel and Dark types also balanced the Fighting type, which was only super effective against Normal-, Ice-, and Rock-type Pokémon (all of which were rarely used in competitive battling); Steel and Dark are both weak to Fighting-type moves. Steel-type Pokémon are known for their very high defense; they are highly resistant to many types and their moves are strong against Ice- and Rock-type Pokémon. Dark-type Pokémon are immune to Psychic-type moves and have moves with malicious-sounding names, such as Bite (previously Normal-type) and Thief, which are super-effective against Psychic-type Pokémon. Dark-type Pokémon are also strong against Ghost-type Pokémon, thus being the only type that has an attack advantage over Ghost-type Pokémon besides Ghost-type moves themselves. Dark-type Pokémon are also weak to Bug-type attacks.

Some type match-ups were changed as well. In Generation I Ghost-type moves had no effect on Psychic-type Pokémon; this was changed to super-effective as it was in the anime. Poison-type moves were previously super effective against Bug-type Pokémon, and Bug-type moves were super effective against Poison-type Pokémon; this was changed to Poison doing normal damage to Bug and Bug becoming not very effective against Poison, seriously limiting the effectiveness and usage of both types. Ice-type moves were also made not very effective against Fire-type Pokémon (previously doing normal damage). Three moves had their types changed: Gust, previously Normal-type, became a Flying-type move; Bite, previously Normal-type, became a Dark-type move; Karate Chop, previously Normal-type, became a Fighting-type move. Two Pokémon, Magnemite and Magneton, changed from being Electric-type to being Electric/Steel.

Another major change from the original games was the splitting of the Special stat into Special Attack and Special Defense. Again, this increased aspects of strategy, for Pokémon were now more specialized. Some were good special attackers, while others were better physical attackers; the same now held true for Defense and Special Defense. For example, Cloyster has a decent Special stat in Generation I, but in all later games, has a decent Special Attack, but low Special Defense.

Reception

The games were generally well received and in-turn received a "Masterful" 10/10 by IGN. Craig Harris of that site states "after playing the game dozens of hours, I really can't think of a bad point to make about Pokémon Gold and Silver."

Battery life

Copies of Pokémon Gold and Silver typically lose the ability to save after a period of about seven years, due to the internal battery running dry (this is due to the constantly-running clock). However, the battery is replaceable with another one of the same kind, although replacing it will reset the game's data. The problem appears less often with Pokémon Crystal.

One sign that the battery will soon lose the ability to save is that the game will not keep track of the time correctly while the game is not being played.

Trivia

• The games also started the trend of having legendary Pokémon as mascots and the trend of using types of precious stones or metals as names.
• Pokémon Gold and Silver are the only paired versions where Pokémon sprite designs differ between the two games.
• None of the in-game trades in Gold and Silver feature the player trading away or receiving a Generation II Pokémon, making them the only games in which a player must link up with another player to trade Pokémon of that generation.
• Pokémon Gold and Silver are the only games so far to have differences between the version-exclusive Pokémon in the Japanese and international releases, with the Teddiursa and Phanpy families getting swapped in the localizations; the Teddiursa family is in the Japanese Silver and non-Japanese Gold, while the Phanpy family is the opposite. In all versions of the remakes, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Teddiursa family is in SoulSilver while the Phanpy family is in HeartGold, like the original Japanese Gold and Silver.
• These are the only games before Generation IV to be released in South Korea.
• Gold and Silver, as well as their remakes, have the most types that have been specialized in by Gym Leaders, adding up to 15.
  • If one includes the Elite Four, the Ground-type is the only type that is not specialized in by an important Trainer in these games.
• Pokémon Gold and Silver are the only main series games that have not had an official soundtrack album released.
• Due to a possible oversight in the international versions, the Japanese quotation marks are used in certain parts of the dialogue, like in radio stations. This was corrected in Crystal.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese ポケットモンスター 金・銀 European French Pokémon Version Or et Version Argent German Pokémon Goldene Edition und Silberne Edition Italian Pokémon Versione Oro e Versione Argento Korean 포켓몬스터 금·은 European Spanish Pokémon Edición Oro y Edición Plata

References

Template:Main series

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.