Should you return to Johto?
After the successful launch of the original Pokemon games on the 3DS Virtual Console, Nintendo has released Pokemon Gold and Silver. I actually somehow missed out on the original game and even the DS remakes, so it was good to see what the sequel to Red, Blue and Yellow was finally all about…
Like with the original games, Gold and Silver are essentially the same game with a few key differences, mostly the Pokemon that you can collect and you’ll need to at least cross paths with someone who has the other version to complete your Pokedex. The story is very similar to the original games as in you travel to Pokemon Gyms to earn badges so you can take on the Elite Four and become the new Pokemon Master.
Gold and Silver were the first games in the series to have full-colour support and more detailed sprites. There was also innovation in the form of the internal clock you could set and breed your Pokemon, plus backwards compatibility with the original game.
Now does this work for the 3DS re-release? It seems that it will via the Pokemon Bank app through an upcoming update, but I don’t know if this is 100% true so cannot confirm at this point. The Virtual Console conversions of the games are well done and run smoothly on 3DS. It’s about as authentic to the original versions that you can get.
The Verdict
Gold and Silver were huge games back in the day and time has been kind to these classic games. If there’s any truth to the Pokemon Bank compatibility with the games, then even better. What are you waiting for? Those Pokemon aren’t going to catch themselves!