Reader Review: Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver

Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Jenn does, as she gives her heart and soul in training.

Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.

And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.

This review was submitted by Jenn Christodoulou. If you’ve played Pokémon Heart Gold or Soul Silver, or just want to ask Jenn more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver (DS)

With the release of Nintendo’s Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver back in March, my world is a-buzz with Pokémon fever. Every person I see, I play ‘Who’s that Pokémon’ with inside my head; every hospital is a Pokécentre to be explored; every body of water begs me to surf on it. Sure, you might call me addicted, but I prefer to think of myself as victim to the pure awesome that is this well-made remake.

Loved

Graphics: The world is bright, colourful, and each town looks different than the last. Unlike some game remakes, Nintendo hasn’t gone and ripped our familiar world apart to make it “better”. Instead they’ve kept it just as we left it in Gold and Silver. Sure, there have been some minute alterations, but change is good, right?

Voltorb Flip: Game Corner games have always been a fun and addictive way to earn coins and obtain new Pokémon, but Voltorb Flip redefines addiction. Unlike the previous games, this one requires more than chance to win your coins; you’ve actually gotta think. You play the game by flipping over cards. A x2 card will double your coin total, and a x3 card will triple it. Flip over a Voltorb card however, and you lose everything. Be wary: Pokémon may begin to feel neglected after you spend seven consecutive hours flipping Voltorbs instead of beating gym leaders

Pokéathlon: Think Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, but with Pokémon. The mini-games are fun, highly addictive and there’s nothing better than that satisfied feeling you get when you beat the pants off your opponents.

Never Boring: With the wide variety of daily and weekly events, there is always something to do when you load up Pokémon Heart Gold or Soul Silver. Whether you feel like filling up your Pokédex, training your Pokémon or having a bit of a gamble, Pokémon will offer you something to satiate that boredom.

Hated

HMs: There’s nothing worse than spending 20 minutes wandering through a cave only to discover you need to use ‘Strength’ to get to the exit, and not having a single Pokémon that’s able to learn it. They’re just aggravating, especially when they take up a slot that could be occupied by one of the much cooler and newer TMs.

Pokégear Phone: Receiving phone calls is fun. Receiving five phone calls every three minutes begins to verge on annoying. Receiving five phone calls every three minutes from your mother telling you she’s spent your money on yet another useless batch of berries you will never ever use is just bad parenting.

Whether you’ve watched Pokémon evolve from the very beginning in 1996, or if you’ve just picked your first starter Pokémon today, the remakes of Gold and Silver are going to offer you hours upon hours of enjoyment. Nintendo has achieved the perfect balance of new and old, nostalgia and intrigue, ensuring you’ll fork out the money for their games and never look back.

Reviewed by: Jenn Christodoulou

You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 500 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.

Comments


25 responses to “Reader Review: Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *