Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver review!!

I'll admit it: after chugging through several dozen hours of Pokemon Platinum, I felt that my time in the world of Pokemon RPGs was coming to an end. There's only so much "gotta catch 'em all" one can take, and after playing through the addictive series for more than a decade, I felt maybe it might be time to pass the review gauntlet off to another editor.

But then Nintendo and Game Freak did something devious: they sucked me back in again. Curse those guys tickling my gadget fetish with the bundled Pokewalker...

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the two latest games in the Pokemon RPGseries and are remakes of Pokemon Gold and Silver that existed on the Game Boy Color. On the surface the two games are virtually identical to each other, but each houses different species of Pokemon to make them unique. Game Freak did more than give the experience a new coat of paint with the 3D engine from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum; they also added things to discover during the massive quest. Most importantly, the new Pokewalker gadget brings a welcome twist to the familiar franchise, making HeartGold and SoulSilver a bit more attractive to those who've already experienced the series several times over the last 14 years.

If you're new to Pokemon don't worry -- just like the previous games in the series, HeartGold and SoulSilver do an excellent job weaning you into the addictive gameplay that the series is known for.

HeartGold and SoulSilver follow the exact formula of the Pokemon RPG: you're on a quest to become the best Pokemon trainer around. In this world, all creatures are Pokemon, and you have the ability to catch wild Pokemon and bring them into your collection of fighters. Each Pokemon has strengths and weaknesses against other Pokemon because of their type -- water types are stronger against fire types, bug types strong against grass types, etc. -- and that's where strategy comes into play.

The game's design is rooted into the older Japanese RPG style consisting of random battles and turn-based menu-selection fights. But the game continues to be as engrossing and addictive as ever because of the sense of personal gratification. The thrill of finding rare Pokemon, the satisfying "click" of catching an elusive creature, the feeling of accomplishment when you've completed your Pokemon collection. Even with the countless clones that have attempted the same style, no other game has been able to do what the Pokemon RPG does even a decade and a half later. It definitely opens up a new avenue of things to do in the Pokemon adventure. Idle Pokemon that would normally sit in your storage box collecting dust can now have function in the real world: beam one to the Pokewalker and use it to collect items and watts. Your Pokemon can only gain a single level during a walk so it's not a good exploit for leveling up the creatures to crazy high levels, but it's fun to have the ability to drag along a rare Pokemon just as you would a Tamagotchi or a Digimon.

There are other new elements too. Along with the same ol' quest in HeartGold and SoulSilver is the Pokecathlon, a single player series of DS-focused mini-games. They're all stylus based so it's pretty clear that these were added into the mix and not a part of the original design. These mini-games are fun additions that utilize the new Pokemon sprites -- the ones that tag along behind you during the adventure -- in side games that are cool, if basic, additions.

Plus it brings back a few elements that were abandoned in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, such as the events that are tied in with the system clock and calendar. These come in place of the Poketech gadgets you collected in the previous games, so you give a little to gain a little. I love the fact that you have events on specific days and times, but I do miss the ability to pull up my Pokemon creature's status on the lower screen.

The Pokewalker isn't much more than an advanced Tamagotchi, but hey, it actually does some fun things.

But, yes, it's a remake. Just like FireRed and LeafGreen on GBA, HeartGold and SoulSilver existed already in the Pokemon canon, and obviously the design team didn't work as hard to recreate an existing game as it would have an original experience.

GameFreak did, admittedly, add a bunch of elements to make a purchase worthwhile, both for the double (or triple, or quadrupal) dippers and the newbies. The Pokewalker is the Pokemon equivalent of the free prize inside a cereal box: you might find yourself buying it for the gadget than the game itself, but it's the game itself that contains all the deliciousness.