Pokémon Crystal Version

Pokémon Crystal Version
[[File:File:Pokemoncrystal.jpg|250px]] Pokémon Crystal's boxart, depicting Suicune.
Basic info
Platform:	{{{platform}}}
Category:	RPG
Players:	2 players simultaneous
Connectivity:	None
Developer:	Game Freak
Publisher:	Nintendo
Part of:	{{{gen_series}}}
Ratings
CERO:	N/A
ESRB:	E for Everyone
ACB:	N/A
OFLC:	N/A
PEGI:	N/A
GRAC:	N/A
GSRR:	N/A
Release dates
Japan:	December 14, 2000
North America:	July 30, 2001
Australia:	September 30, 2001
Europe:	October 31, 2001
South Korea:	N/A
Hong Kong:	N/A
Taiwan:	N/A
Websites
Japanese:	Pokémon.co.jp page Nintendo.co.jp page
English:	Pokémon.com page Official US Sub-site (Wayward archive)

Pokémon Crystal Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター クリスタルバージョン Pocket Monsters Crystal Version) is the sixth Pokémon game in the main series; however, in Japan it was actually the seventh Pokémon game. It was released as a sister game of Pokémon Gold and Silver, which were released one year before. It featured various fixes and some new additions, including the short animations of Pokémon's battle sprites upon being released from their Poké Ball and the introduction of the option to play a girl character, among others. It takes place in the region of Johto (and later in the game, Kanto) and the player's starting area is New Bark Town.

Plot

The player is called to Professor Elm's lab to run an errand. He gives the player the choice of taking along one of three different Pokémon. Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile. The player, known by default as Gold or Kris, meets Kanto's own Professor Oak during an errand for Elm. Oak, convinced that the player has started his own Pokémon journey, gives him a Pokédex. On the way back, the player is attacked by a spiteful and mysterious Pokémon trainer. Upon his return to New Bark Town, the player is informed that someone has broke into Professor Elm's lab and has stolen a Pokémon, the same Pokémon that the Trainer from earlier battled with; even more so, the Trainer fits the description of the Pokémon thief. This Trainer will become the player's rival for the course of the game. The rival always chooses the Pokémon that the player's starter is weak against.

Team Rocket has returned with a new attitude, since the disappearance of their leader Giovanni, and once again tries to take over the world, starting with the Johto region. They begin with petty things (such as cutting off the tails of Slowpoke to sell as food for a high price) before becoming more devious, such as a plan to use radio frequencies to artificially induce evolution in some Pokémon, as well as trying to contact their missing leader using radio broadcasts.

Throughout the adventure, the player will also come across a man named Eusine, hopeful of catching the legendary Pokémon Suicune. To earn Suicune's respect, Eusine will challenge the player to a battle once.

As in all previous games, the goal of the player is to defeat all the Gym Leaders, win all eight badges, and take on the Elite Four and the current League's Champion. Afterwards, the player will be able to travel to the region of Kanto and get the chance to take on its Gym Leaders for their badges. After winning all eight, Professor Oak will give the player permission to go to Mount Silver and get the chance to face a very familiar and legendary trainer...

Features

Changes from Gold and Silver

• Another character, Eusine, is added to the game. He is searching for Suicune as well, and will battle players to earn its respect.
• Both Lugia and Ho-Oh can be found in this game; Lugia in the Whirl Islands, and Ho-Oh at the Tin Tower. They are both level 60 when they are caught. However, Ho-Oh cannot be caught until Raikou, Entei, and Suicune are all caught.
• Changes were made to the Ruins of Alph. This included more common Unown, as well as a new subplot – completing enough puzzles allows the player to read a secret message left behind by the Unown. It suggests that the Unown were left behind by the ancient civilization that constructed the Ruins of Alph, and that the statues that line the interior were made by the Unown.
• Extra grass was added to the route west of Violet City, and in this grass, Growlithe can be caught, allowing players to acquire a Fire-type Pokémon much earlier than in other versions (assuming they did not choose Cyndaquil), and making a large difference in the availability of Fire-types for areas like the Azalea Gym and the Sprout Tower, where Fire-types are super-effective. Areas like the Ice Path and Lance's chamber at the Indigo Plateau received alternate designs as well.

File:CrystalBattle.gif

Pokémon sprites are now animated

• Players can now catch certain Pokémon that were exclusive to either Gold or Silver. For example, Gligar and Skarmory are both catchable in this game but were exclusive to only a certain version previously.
• Sneasel appears in the Ice Path, whereas in Gold and Silver it did not appear until reaching Mt. Silver.
• Magmar no longer appears in Burned Tower, instead appearing exclusively in Mt. Silver.
• Previously, Trainers who called on the cell phone all said the same thing with only the names of the Pokémon they reference changing. Trainers are now given distinct personalities (one talks about shopping, another about grooming), and call for reasons other than battling, such as giving the player items or informing them of a rare Pokémon appearing (Wade gives the player Berries, Alan gives them a Fire Stone, etc).
• Raikou, Entei, and Suicune have their own special battle music when the player encounters them in the wild, making Crystal the first game to sport special legendary Pokémon battle music.
• Some Trainers were repositioned on the map.
• Suicune, instead of being a side legendary Pokémon, has a prominent role in the game's storyline. The player will constantly find Suicune in various locations throughout Johto. After receiving a Clear Bell (where in Gold and Silver the Rainbow or Silver Wing would be obtained instead), the player will have a chance to battle and capture it in the Tin Tower, and it will not run away.
• The Buena's Password radio show was added, which players can listen to on their Pokégear and receive points in order to redeem prizes.
• The chain of events to obtain the Rising Badge is altered. Where previously, it involved a trip to the Dragon's Den to retrieve the Dragon Fang, it now involves entering the Dragon Shrine within the Den. There, Clair's grandfather and leader of the dragon-user clan quizzes the player on their style of battling. Clair arrives and still refuses to hand over her badge after the player passes. In response, her grandfather threatens to tell Lance, of whom Clair is terrified. If all the questions are answered correctly, the player will receive a Dratini that knows ExtremeSpeed upon returning and speaking with Clair's grandfather.
• The Pokémon Daycare folk will give a free Pokémon egg to the player.
• The function to reset the clock from Pokémon Gold and Silver was removed.
• Pokémon sprites are now animated, a feature that would not be seen again until Pokémon Emerald.
• Certain trainers have their dialogues changed.

Changes from the Japanese version of Crystal

File:CrystalJapanese.png

Japanese version box art.

The English version of Crystal, while improving on the mechanics of Gold and Silver, did not reprise a number of newer features that the Japanese version had received:

• In the Japanese version, Celebi may be caught in the Ilex Forest after completing a short side-mission. A special mobile event allowed players to obtain, via mobile phone link-up, the GS Ball. This item, given by a nurse in the Pokémon Communication Center in Goldenrod City, may be taken to Kurt in Azalea Town to investigate. After a day passes, taking the GS Ball to the shrine in Ilex Forest summons a level 30 Celebi to battle. Despite the fact that the GS Ball was unavailable without the use of a cheating device like GameShark, the event was translated, indicating that it was intended for the English releases to include the event, but was later scrapped.
• Goldenrod City's Pokémon Center was replaced by a much larger building, the aforementioned Pokémon Communication Center.
• Players could link to trade or battle through the use of a mobile phone adapter.
• Players could leave a Pokémon and a request the Pokémon species that it be traded for at the Pokémon Communication Center's Trade Corner. A player could also view Pokémon up for trade from other players, and trade with them. This feature was later used for the Global Trade Station in Generation IV.
• The News Machine at the Pokémon Communication Center updated over the Mobile Adapter. Pokémon News was compiled from the save data of players across Japan, allowing players to read about other players' adventures.
• The old man at the Pokémon Daycare south of Goldenrod City gave an Egg Ticket which, when taken to the Trade Center at the Pokémon Communication Center, could be traded for an Odd Egg which carried a rare Template:Shiny2 baby Pokémon knowing Dizzy Punch. In the English version the old man instead gives away the egg itself.

Gyms

As in Pokémon Gold and Silver, 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). Once again, as in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Kanto is accessible after defeating the Elite Four, allowing players to 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

The Elite Four, located at the Indigo Plateau, also remained unchanged. The Elite trainers are Will (Psychic), Koga (Poison), Bruno (Fighting), and Karen (Dark); the Champion is Lance, who uses Template:Type2 Pokémon.

Pokémon

Each game contains pre-recorded data on all 251 Pokémon of this and the previous generation (including Mew and Celebi). 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. Mew (the Nintendo exclusive of Generation I) and Celebi are the only Pokémon in Gold and Silver that must be acquired through the attending of a Nintendo sponsored event.

Pokémon not found in Crystal

These Pokémon must be traded from the other games of Generation I and II, as they cannot be found in Pokémon Crystal.

Found in Gold and Silver 0037 Vulpix Fire GBS 0038 Ninetales Fire GBS 0056 Mankey Fighting RYG 0057 Primeape Fighting RYG 0179 Mareep Electric GS 0180 Flaaffy Electric GS 0181 Ampharos Electric GS 0203 Girafarig Normal Psychic GS 0223 Remoraid Water GS 0224 Octillery Water GS

Only in Generation I 0001 Bulbasaur Grass Poison 0002 Ivysaur Grass Poison 0003 Venusaur Grass Poison 0004 Charmander Fire 0005 Charmeleon Fire 0006 Charizard Fire Flying 0007 Squirtle Water 0008 Wartortle Water 0009 Blastoise Water 0138 Omanyte Rock Water 0139 Omastar Rock Water 0140 Kabuto Rock Water 0141 Kabutops Rock Water 0144 Articuno Ice Flying 0145 Zapdos Electric Flying 0146 Moltres Fire Flying 0150 Mewtwo Psychic 0151 Mew Psychic

Pokégear

The Pokégear is received in the same way and its functionality remains the same as Gold and Silver. However, there is a new radio show, Buena's Password, where players can tune in and receive points in order to redeem prizes.

Apricorns

More specialized Poké Balls were introduced in this game. A Lure Ball is more effective if used against a Pokémon caught with a fishing rod, 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. In Pokémon Gold and Silver, only one Poké Ball can be created at once; in Crystal this changed so that the player could create multiple balls simultaneously, provided the Apricorns were of the same color. Players must wait until the next day for Kurt to finish the ball. In Generation III, other specialized balls were made and the Apricorn balls were not included. However, they returned in the Generation IV remakes of Gold and Silver.

Kanto

The Generation II incarnation of Kanto remained the same as in Pokémon Gold and Silver, though some of the wild Pokémon that appeared were altered.

New features

While Gold and Silver introduced the majority of Generation II's contributions to the game mechanics, Crystal also featured several additions to the franchise that would continue even into Generation IV. Crystal introduced the option to play as a female. The game also featured the first move tutor of the series, as well as the first Battle Tower. The Japanese version of Crystal also introduced the ability to link to a wireless connection and interact with other characters (via cell phone). The Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter also enabled this ability in Generation III, and the Wi-Fi capabilities of the Nintendo DS completely optimized the concept in Generation IV games.

Reception

Pokémon Crystal received good reviews, although they were not quite as positive as those of Pokémon Gold and Silver. Like Pokémon Yellow before it, and subsequently Pokémon Emerald, it was criticized for being too similar to its sister games, with IGN commenting, "there's not much in this edition that makes it a 'must buy' for folks who already own a copy or two of the previous editions". IGN still gave the game an "Outstanding" rating of 9/10. The game received an average score of near 80% from GameRankings, about 10% lower than Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Trivia

• People buying a Game Boy Color during the release of this game were given the option of buying a Game Boy Advance that came with Pokémon Crystal in the package.
• Due to the female character not being in Gold or Silver, the sprite of the character will automatically change to the male character's sprite when trading or battling with another game.
• Why the GS Ball-related events are not available in the English version has never been officially revealed; Nintendo says that they had FCC issues, but it is more likely a result of children with cell phones being not nearly as common outside of Japan in 2001, and to the plethora of different styles of phones in use in North America. While the mobile adapter system did not make the cut, the maps and text for the system can still be found in the English version, indicating that it was initially intended for the English release.
• Pokémon Crystal is the only third version to have its version mascot come before the version mascots of the other two games of its generation in the National Pokédex.
• Pokémon Crystal is also the only third version in a generation with three legendary version mascots to have its version mascot not in a legendary trio with the other two.
• Although Pokémon Gold and Silver are compatible with all Game Boy models (original up to the Game Boy Advance SP), Crystal will not work on models prior to the Game Boy Color. This is due to the cartridges being of different models.
• Pokémon Crystal was the first game to include animated sprites for Pokémon, though this only applies to front sprites (back sprites remain still as they did in previous games). This feature was absent in later games until it was reintroduced in Pokémon Emerald, after which it became standard. Back sprites did not become fully animated until Pokémon Platinum, which also added animations for important Trainers such as Gym Leaders.
• Pokémon Crystal is the only version in Japanese to have the term "Version" in its name. This may be because it is the first game whose name is completely in katakana, rather than kanji, that uses an English word (クリスタル Crystal) instead of the Japanese equivalent 結晶 (けっしょう Kessho). All later games, whose names are in katakana (including the remakes of Red and Green and Gold and Silver) do not have バージョン Version added to the end, despite all using English words.
  • It should be noted, however, that the first game to have its name fully in katakana was Pokémon Yellow. The difference is that Yellow used a Japanese word (in this case, Pikachu's Japanese name) while Crystal used the English word for its name.
• Pokémon Crystal is the last main series game to use the slogan Gotta catch 'em all!.
• In the English versions, whenever an ellipsis appears in the dialogues of battles, it is aligned slightly higher than usual. This is rather a lapse on the part of Nintendo, which likely forgot to change this alignment from the Japanese script. This is similar to the English versions of Gold and Silver accidentally using Japanese quotation marks on certain occasions such as radio stations.

In other languages

Language Title Japanese ポケットモンスター クリスタルバージョン French Pokémon Version Cristal German Pokémon - Crystal Edition Italian Pokémon Versione Cristallo Spanish Pokémon Edición Cristal

References

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