Topic: Pokemon Gold and Silver being remade for DS

[Crimm]

The second game in the Pokémon franchise is finally getting the Fire Red/Leaf Green treatment.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=18385

 During last week's Pokémon Sunday, a Japanese television show devoted to coverage of the Pokémon brand, the show ended with a note that the episode scheduled to air the next week, May 10, would have a major announcement.  It was strongly hinted that the announcement would be DS remakes of Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver.    

Today, Nintendo confirmed the upcoming remake of the Game Boy Color games.  The DS remakes are titled Pokémon Heart Gold and Pokémon Soul Silver.  Much like the Game Boy Advance remakes of the original Pokémon titles, Heart Gold and Soul Silver will feature updated graphics and new gameplay elements.    

Pokémon Gold and Silver were first released back in 1999, and sold a combined 23 million copies worldwide.    

The Japanese release for Heart Gold and Soul Silver is scheduled for early fall.

[TJ Spyke]

It was FireRed and LeafGreen, not Fire Red and Leaf Green.

About damn time, most people seem to agree Gold/Silver/Crystal were the best games in the series. I hope they keep all the great features that they removed from later games (like the 7-day week) and also the improvements that made for Crystal.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

So Nintendo is spending resources to NOT make brand new games?  Where have I seen this before?

This spells NO GOOD for E3 announcements.

[Stratos]

I wonder if they will add any DSi specific content. Having DSi exclusive features in a Pokemon game is a surefire way to ensure major sales of the DSi.

[Mop it up]

Now why am I not surprised? I hope this isn't an indication of what to expect from E3... get the lame announcements out of the way now.

most people seem to agree Gold/Silver/Crystal were the best games in the series.

That may be because they had the biggest improvements out of all of the iterations, and at that point Pokémon was still relatively fresh and everyone hadn't gotten sick of it.

This is like the yearly sports game really... roster update and not much else.

[Enner]

But Pokemon main line games have never been yearly, I think. Though, with all the spin offs it must feel that way.

Regardless, I'm excited for this if only to see how complete Kanto will be. I would be so bad if Game Freak decided to cut off Kanto (not much of a remake at that point). Ooh, it would be great bonus to have the rainbow islands or Battle Frontier for twice the gym leaders!

[TJ Spyke]

Exactly, we are only in the 4th generation of Pokemon games, the main games have only been released once per handheld gen (Red/Blue/Yellow on the Game Boy, Gold/Silver/Crystal on the Game Boy Color, Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald on the Game Boy Advance, Diamond/Pearl/Platinum on the Nintendo DS).

I hardly consider this a "lame" announcement. This is actually a pretty huge announcement. I know I will get the Silver re-make. A re-make of 2 of the best handeld games ever is great, especially after the job they did with the previous Pokemon re-makes. These will also sell millions (and deserve to).

I don't see them taking out a huge chunk of the game by removing Kanto, especially since FireRed and LeafGreen showed that they will probably just add more stuff. I don't see them including the Sevii Islands, just sticking to basic Kanto.

[Mop it up]

A re-make of 2 of the best handeld games ever is great, especially after the job they did with the previous Pokemon re-makes. These will also sell millions (and deserve to).

They have already been remade twice now: Ruby and Sapphire were the first remakes, then Diamond and Pearl were the second remakes. The further lazy exploitation of this epitome-of-a-cash-in franchise definitely does not deserve to sell.

I hardly consider this a "lame" announcement. This is actually a pretty huge announcement.

If you think that a remake of a remake which itself had remakes is a huge announcement, it must take very little to get you excited. A huge announcement would have been a Wii Pokémon RPG. A huge announcement would have been a Smash Brothers-style Pokémon fighting game. A huge announcement never involves a remake. A huge announcement is usually something surprising, but this couldn't have been more expected. This is lameness through-and-through.

[Deguello]

They have already been remade twice now: Ruby and Sapphire were the first remakes, then Diamond and Pearl were the second remakes. The further lazy exploitation of this epitome-of-a-cash-in franchise definitely does not deserve to sell.

I'm not sure where the "exploitation" part of Pokemon is.  Other than the remade games there has only been 4 real installments of the series.  And how are Ruby/Sapphire and Diamond/Pearl Remakes?  I'd love to hear it, and please be detailed, if only because the entire joke needs to be told before people can laugh at it properly.

A huge announcement never involves a remake.

Which standard of remake did you mean?  Your standard where even sequels can be considered remakes, or another set of standards?  Because a lot of sequels can be big deals.

[TJ Spyke]

They have already been remade twice now: Ruby and Sapphire were the first remakes, then Diamond and Pearl were the second remakes. The further lazy exploitation of this epitome-of-a-cash-in franchise definitely does not deserve to sell.

You obviously don't have a clue what a re-make is. The ONLY re-makes in the Pokemon series were FireRed and LeafGreen. Do you think Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a re-make of Grand Theft Auto III? Or that Super Mario World is a re-make of Super Mario Bros.? Because that is EXACTLY the same thing you are claiming.

If you think that a remake of a remake which itself had remakes is a huge announcement, it must take very little to get you excited. A huge announcement would have been a Wii Pokémon RPG. A huge announcement would have been a Smash Brothers-style Pokémon fighting game. A huge announcement never involves a remake. A huge announcement is usually something surprising, but this couldn't have been more expected. This is lameness through-and-through.

Considering Gold and Silver were NOT re-makes, that is the first flaw with your argument. You may not care for this announcement, but that doesn't mean it isn't a big announcements. Considering you don't understand the difference between a sequel and a re-make though, I have a feeling you won't be able to recognize this.

[nickmitch]

The best part about the 2nd gen of Pokemon was the Day/Night cycle if only because it was never truly duplicated.  If you look at D/P/Pl (what?) the cycle is a complete joke.  The frequency of the running in to certain wild pokemon was slightly different, but in G/S/C, I couldn't catch a hoothoot with the sun out.

And Mop, I feel like you really need to justify your argument.

[Mop it up]

If there were only one thing in this world which I simply cannot stand, it would be dirt. Unfortunately, there are several other things which I cannot stand, such as dust and grime and grease and stains and so on. High up on this list is Pokémon, of which I long to cleanse the world of this plague that takes no prisoners. I've managed to remain relatively pure, but it seems I stand alone in my resistance.

I'm not sure where the "exploitation" part of Pokemon is.

It's all around us. Two versions of the exact same game, plus a "special edition" which follows a year or so later. So basically three versions of each game. The last two "generations" of the mainline games were barely improved over their predecessors, and actually removed some features. Remakes of the older games when the newer games are barely different; now it's not so much a wonder that Gold/Silver's features hadn't returned. Gotta give people a reason to purchase the remakes. The stadium-style games, which take the most boring aspect of the series and creates an entire game of it. Countless spin-offs, which even they have multiple versions such as the Mystery Dungeon games.

When I call the mainline series a "remake", it is being used here as a derogatory term.

Which standard of remake did you mean?  Your standard where even sequels can be considered remakes, or another set of standards?  Because a lot of sequels can be big deals.

The remake kind of remake. These aren't sequels, they are remakes. If this is a big deal, then so are the New Play Control! games. So is every piece of shovelware on Wii. Show some consistency in your standards here, people!

And Mop, I feel like you really need to justify your argument.

Which argument? I shouldn't try to justify anything because I can get really scary when my true hatred of Pokémon shines through. You think this is bad? You haven't seen anything yet.

[Deguello]

Which argument? I shouldn't try to justify anything because I can get really scary when my true hatred of Pokémon shines through. You think this is bad? You haven't seen anything yet.

Do you any actual, legitimate criticisms at all, or are you just somehow voicing irrational hate?  I mean, if this is your frame of reference is there really any hope of you convincing anybody about the truth of your positions?

The remake kind of remake. These aren't sequels, they are remakes. If this is a big deal, then so are the New Play Control! games. So is every piece of shovelware on Wii. Show some consistency in your standards here, people!

You aren't really convincing anybody by just repeating it over and over.  Why. Are. They. Remakes?  That's what nickmitch is really asking you.  You haven't justified this rather strong opinion with anything other than you saying so.

If there were only one thing in this world which I simply cannot stand, it would be dirt. Unfortunately, there are several other things which I cannot stand, such as dust and grime and grease and stains and so on. High up on this list is Pokémon, of which I long to cleanse the world of this plague that takes no prisoners. I've managed to remain relatively pure, but it seems I stand alone in my resistance.

See, it's things like this that make taking your opinion seriously difficult.  It seems like you are just trolling.  You hate Pokemon.  Yay.  Great.  But that doesn't make your argument true, nor does it serve as the basis for one either.  Pokemon is THE most popular RPG of all time, much, much, much more than any under it.  Pokemon Gold/Silver is the 2nd best selling RPG of all time.  A remake of it is a pretty big deal, if only to the Pokemon fans, which seem to out number any other fanbase, period.  Note how even the possibility of an FFVII remake for the PS3 was reported as huge news, and that has a much smaller fanbase in comparison.

And as a side note, they only split games into two "versions" specifically to encourage trading to complete the Pokedex.  They never intended people to buy both for one person.

[Dasmos]

Mop, your Birdo-addled arguments could be used for absolutely any sequel in the history of gaming.

[Mop it up]

Do you think Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a re-make of Grand Theft Auto III?

Considering that the next game was titled "Grand Theft Auto IV", the games in between that and GTAIII are spin-offs at best. Also, I never said that Pokémon was the only series with remake-style sequels.

Do you have any actual, legitimate criticisms at all, or are you just somehow voicing irrational hate?

A little from column A, a little from column B. I definitely have a deep-rooted hatred for Pokémon, and I've already discussed it to death before and am trying really hard not to go there again by hoping my rants would have been ignored. Though I wouldn't call the hatred irrational... I'd say everyone else is irrational for buying the games. Of course, that in and of itself is probably irrational...

Why. Are. They. Remakes?

Because Nintendo called them remakes in this announcement. Do I really have to explain it beyond that?

And as a side note, they only split games into two "versions" specifically to encourage trading to complete the Pokedex.  They never intended people to buy both for one person.

That's what happened with the original pair, but they definitely continue with the two-game thing because they know people buy them both. And the third "special edition" of the game is definitely targeting people who bought the original version(s).

It seems like you are just trolling.  You hate Pokemon.  Yay.  Great.

Finally somebody gets it. In the past, people haven't cared for my rational arguments against Pokémon, so now I've resorted to trolling. It's just as non-effective and a lot more fun! 

Pokemon is THE most popular RPG of all time, much, much, much more than any under it.

I know, and it truly sickens me. I guess it is yet another thing in this world which I am not to understand.

[Deguello]

Because Nintendo called them remakes in this announcement. Do I really have to explain it beyond that?

*deep sigh*  Ok.  This is the quote in question:

They have already been remade twice now: Ruby and Sapphire were the first remakes, then Diamond and Pearl were the second remakes.

Why are Ruby/Sapphire and Diamond/Pearl remakes?  That's a sort of crazy assertion.

That's what happened with the original pair, but they definitely continue with the two-game thing because they know people buy them both.

Your evidence for all of this is?  Are you simply specuating with psychic powers?

And the third "special edition" of the game is definitely targeting people who bought the original version(s).

Yeah Pokemon games tend to appeal to Pokemon fans.  Film at 11  Besides the third game is usually a testing ground for the new features that crawl into the next full version.  So even if you could vaguely call it a "remake" instead of a "Special edition" it's not like the additions do not warrant another version.  (Let it be known that I've never bought one of these special editions.)  There's nothing wrong with releasing a special edition, so long as there is actually something "special" about it, which in Pokemon's case, it usually is.  (Pokemon Crystal even had online play in Japan.)

Finally somebody gets it. In the past, people haven't cared for my rational arguments against Pokémon, so now I've resorted to trolling. It's just as non-effective and a lot more fun!

Yeah and it's also against the rules.  So quit it.

I know, and it truly sickens me. I guess it is yet another thing in this world which I am not to understand.

Yeah.  We got it.  You don't like Pokemon.  Whatever.  That fact is registered.  Now beat it.  Seriously.

[jakeOSX]

actually i see this as a GOOD indication for E3. this means that this was not to be an E3 announcement. so instead of this being a big announcement there will be something else.

and +1 to DSi version. it would be nice to see what DSi specific features you could pack into a pokemon game. (my pokemon ranch dsi? downloadable gyms? pokemon CALCULATOR!! ahahahaha.)

[Spinnzilla]

Let's make the online really awesome for this game, kay nintendo?

Possibly you could maybe have an online Diamond vs. HeartGold match?

LET'S HOPE BARRY WHITE IS A NEW LEGENDARY.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

actually i see this as a GOOD indication for E3. this means that this was not to be an E3 announcement. so instead of this being a big announcement there will be something else.

and +1 to DSi version. it would be nice to see what DSi specific features you could pack into a pokemon game. (my pokemon ranch dsi? downloadable gyms? pokemon CALCULATOR!! ahahahaha.)

You know, that is a good take on it.  Nothing like Mario Kart Double Dash being a big surprise for E3 2003.

[broodwars]

Would it be bad for me to wish that this entire release completely bombed and caused the Pokemon license to go into a Metroid-style hibernation for 8-10 years or so?  Yeah I know, maybe while that's going on Satan can set up an Ice Cream stand in Hell. 

I used to be a huge fan of the franchise (Blue, Yellow, LeafGreen, Pearl) and I did enjoy my time with Pokemon Pearl, but the core gameplay and presentation was still pretty much identical to that in the original game on the GameBoy, just with dual battles and equipable items.  This is Nintendo's version of Dragon Quest, and do we really need another series of Pokemon remakes when the series core gameplay and presentation has barely changed much since the original games?

As long as people keep buying this crap, Nintendo is never going to advance this series forward into something new and interesting.  Really, when you strip away the excess minigames and whatnot, what part of these games not only couldn't be done on the original GameBoy but WASN'T done on the original GameBoy?  These will probably be good games, as they've all been good if basic RPGs.  They're just completely unnecessary, and only further my extreme disinterest in the license.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

And I thought you were a J-RPG fan...

Are your feelings speaking from a global perspective of gaming or just within your perspective of the genre?

[broodwars]

And I thought you were a J-RPG fan...

Are your feelings speaking from a global perspective of gaming or just within your perspective of the genre?

For all the flak the J-RPG genre (fairly) gets for its stories and writing, the genre gameplay has changed radically over the years.  I'm playing FF9 right now (it's been in my backlog for years), and it's amazing just looking at where the genre was just 10 years ago compared to the more action-oriented, cinematic style it is right now.  I don't see a great deal of traditional turn-based battle systems with simple menus; low-frame animations; and low-grade music/sound effects anymore.  Unless you're talking about Dragon Quest and Pokemon, which irritatingly still play like their original incarnations and don't really take advantage of the platforms they're on.

[KDR_11k]

Why would you want MORE movie style?

[broodwars]

Why would you want MORE movie style?

Whether you like this style or not is not the issue.  The issue was whether the genre had changed over the years, and it has.

[ReverendNoahWhateley]

Gold and Silver were fantastic for their time, but I'm not really excited about this.  It'll take something more complex than the standard Pokemon formula to get me into the series again...a "Pokemon Tactics," if you will.