I think playing Crystal on rainy car rides down to the coast from my hometown is why I find comfort in this game. Whenever it rains I can hear the music playing in the back of my mind, and the urge to buy a Gameboy Color is so strong. I hope to pass the game down to my son when he's a little older. Thank you for this retrospective, it makes me smile whenever I think about this adventure
"I personally value strong creature design far above potential strategic depth" Definitely agree right here. If I like a pokemon's design, I'm gonna use regardless of its battle capabilities.
Something I've enjoyed with the older games, and have come to appreciate even more now since it's missing in the newer games, is all of the optional areas that encourage exploration, with unique rewards (rare Pokemon, items, etc.) that you can't get anywhere else, as well as having actual level design. The initial half of Johto may be linear in terms of progression, but it never feels like it because of the optional things you can do along the way. Dark Cave is optional (all 3 sides of it), Sprout Tower is optional (not in HeartGold, mandatory), Ruins of Alph is entirely optional, Union Cave's second half is optional, Mt. Mortar is entirely optional, Whirl Islands are optional (not in HeartGold, mandatory), Battle Tower (Frontier in HG) is optional and accessable as soon as you walk up to it, and eastern Johto is optional. Then you get to Kanto, and any place that doesn't have a Gym is optional, especially the dungeons (Rock Tunnel, Seafoam Islands and Cerulean Cave in HGSS). The dungeons have actual level design and puzzles, like the strength puzzles and ice puzzles. All of that is missing in the newer games; heck even the caves stopped being multifloor, and are just single-floor hallways. As the saying goes, you never know what you have til it's gone. Gen 5 was probably the last time we had actual level design, and even then Gen 5 was the start of the decline of it; it was still decent, since it still had navigational puzzles and multi-floor caves, but it was the start of everything getting hallway-esque. Crystal has always been my favourite (with HGSS right next to it, naturally), since it's still arguably the game that provides the most ADVENTURE of Pokemon. The Johto games are also the only ones to really embrace the time of day and day of week stuff to make the worlds feel more alive, and like it's moving with or without you, instead of just being a world solely built around the player. Crystal inspired me to get into game development (along with the GBC Zelda titles), so it'll always hold a special place in my heart, and with hindsight and the state of Pokemon these days, it's only strengthened the bond.
You said it better than I could but I 100% agree and have largely fell out of love with the modern Pokemon games for the reasons you outlined so eloquently. They feel so lifeless compared to the classic era. Thanks for sharing!
Fun Fact: The idea of Baby Pokémon was that you find some Pokémon in Generation I at too high of level, meaning you find them already evolved. In fact, Elekid was originally planned to be a middle form, with it going [cut Pokémon] -> Elekid -> Electabuzz.
The obscurity of the Dex was meant to extend the life cycle of the game experience. It's a slow burn. And we weren't overexposed to the Kanto roster at that time. The fun was in learning how to locate these new, rare Pokémon.
@@Anonymous36 I agree, I found the hunt to fill out the dex super satisfying. Also, I appreciate how much of the dex can be completed within just one game. That’s something Gen 3 kinda fails at.
@@AustinAshworth It's interesting that what was a boon to the player experience back then has since been rexontextualized and is now perceived as a negative. Over time, the Kanto favoritism has soured. But back then we still loved them and thought them fresh. GSC was a slow simmer and laidback. It worked then, but not now.
For me, I always come back to the atmosphere and the colors of Johto. The stories told through the world are beautiful, the Legemdary Beasts, Whitney and her Miltank, the radio tower goons, and so much more. The idea of walking through this world 2 decades ago and it feeling so alive will just always stick with me. It's also the Gen where my second favorite pokemon got its beginning, Sneasel.
Gen 2 is INCREDIBLE, but also flawed, which is okay! I just wish some people would understand flaws (level curve, eggs taking too long to raise, Kanto not being as fleshed out, Johto pokemon not being all that available until postgame) don't ruin the whole game.
I’m so glad to hear that! Fair warning it won’t be right away, got a few other videos planned before returning to Pokemon. Your patience is appreciated!
I am a gen 2 fanboy ill admit it im biased as hell lol. But seriously Crystal is my favorite pokemon experince Ive actually been playing the game on my N64 with Stadium 2 its one of the best ways to play the original
Wow original hardware? That's dedication! I got my start in the games with Gen 3, but was first introduced to Pokemon in general with Gen 2 so they both hold a very special place in my heart.
Crystal is legitimately a great game. I won’t let anyone tell me otherwise. Playing it again on 3DS with the availability of the Celebi event was the Cherry on top.
Wangchung! Right behind yah pal! Playing silver for my first time ever using my GameCube gameboy player and I ordered stadium one and two w transfer packs off eBay to play what I missed out on as a kid
Dude i have to say you really do a great job with narration in your videos. So nany newer TH-camrs struggle with this and sound unprofessional and uneducated. Your voice and cadence are both very pleasant to listen to! Much luck to your channel! If you keep making videos like this you'll be going places!
@@MrOSUrocker Thank you so much! I’m really glad you think so because the vocal delivery doesn’t come naturally to me at all and I have to put a lot of effort into it - nice to hear people are liking it!
Austin!!! It's Dylan, the Robin main from your old URI smash crew. Just wanted to say that a few majoras mask videos eventually autoplayed to your retrospective video, so you must be doing something right to be blessed by the algorithm. Hope you're doing well!!
I think people tend to forget or ignore the fact that gen 2 was made at a time when it was assumed Pokemon was going to be a passing trend and therefore doesn't conform to the same conventions that subsequent pokemon sequels would. The marketing/hype around gen 2 was that there were new species of pokemon being discovered, so it makes sense that all the new pokemon would be mostly rare encounters/limited to the later game. In practice, especially in hindsight, it doesn't work. But I understand the logic they were going with.
I hadn't considered it from that angle but that actually makes a lot of sense. You can definitely see the intent there even if it didn't pan out as well as envisioned. Thanks for sharing!
I wish Pokemon would go back to these classic graphics. I don't care much for the new look of the games. I'm nostalgic for the simpler style of these older versions. Pokemon Yellow is the only game I play over and over.
Really delightful retrospective, I can't believe this hasn't been more seen lately! I love the derpiest creatures that gen II has to offer. Shuckle, Delibird, Dunsparce and Smeargle are all among my favorites. And Donphan? I mean come ON. Great vid dude, may you find favor with the algorithm!
I am a pokeboomer. I was born in 1993 and was playing pokemon since day 1. Gen 1 will always be a classic and I repay it often but gen 2... just... it's just got a comforting feeling. I have so many hours put into it. I still makes teams for stadium 2.
To me Gen 2 holds a very special place in my heart, not just because of what it brought to the table and improved from Gen 1, but mostly because it was the reason why i loved Pokèmon in the first place. I remember the days that i would just spend time just laying in my room playing either Gold or Crystal, wondering to myself what i would i find next. There's a lot of memories and friends that i made thanks to these game back in the day and i'm glad it did.
My first shiny was a Caterpie in Gold which I evolved into Butterfree. I was a kid and kept thinking the shiny Butterfree I had was the Pink Butterfree from the anime.
@@lucideirune1635 Butterfree may be a little weak in battle but at least the caterpie line have really distinct shiny colorations! It’s always so underwhelming when the shiny color is so close to the normal that you can barely tell the difference. Not so with Caterpie and its evolutions! Thanks for sharing!
For me it's the "attitude" of Gen 2. Slightly darker more serious tones. Also, quite a bit more detail in the towns and map, and the 'mons themselves. The Gen 2 'mons have some of the best designs, but it's a shame most of them are locked until post-game. Unlike Gen 1 (especially Japanese version) the sprites are GREAT. Astonishingly, can also be played on the original gameboy. They took risks that weren't necessary, like breeding and item holding, but added a lot of depth to the series. "Nostalgia" is a buzzzword that gets wayy overused online; Often old things were generally made better, sometimes even due to the technical limitations of the time, they had to try harder. Not just for videogames, but for anything. I think people are truly starting to realize that technology alone doesn't make a better product.
Agree 100%! The technological limitation often leads to creative solutions that make older games more deep and unique. Gen 2 does have that special vibe that really appeals to me.
I used to quite agree with you on the gym leaders of Johto but after picking up Pokemon Masters for the first time earlier this year, Clair has very quickly risen to one of my favourite gym leaders in the whole series. Giving them all just a bit more time to shine has really endeared me to the whole gang more than before, but she especially has really risen the ranks and found a place in my heart.
@AustinAshworth Even for those that don't find the actual game compelling, I think there is some value in checking out the many story events in reuploads on TH-cam or similar. It's just fun to see the many Pokemon characters I've come to love interacting with characters they wouldn't normally or living out new scenarios.
19:43 My theory is that gymleaders are intentionally bad because the devs fully intended you to seek foes IRL. The gymleaders are essentially just a "tutorial"
Perhaps but that feels like a cop out to me. Regardless, it doesn’t detract from the game too much thankfully. Thanks for sharing different perspective!
@@AustinAshworth Oh, it is a total cop out, just like all the other trainers (and for my next pokemon I choose pidgey... again... (after the previous two got one hit KO:ed) ) But I still love it too :D Loved your vid, keep at it, I just subbed :)
I remember encountering Suicune for the first time one morning when getting ready to go to school. It scared the crap out of me to see a lv.40 Pokemon I'd never seen before just in the grass north of Mahogany town. And it confused me when it ran away. It's one of the more vivid memories I have of the game. I also remember reading about some cheats on a website back in the day. Like how you could buy a charizard on route 38. I looked everywhere for it lol. Or how I read that the poster in the game corner in Celadon would have a secret switch again like it did in RBY if you touched the poster at 7am on a Wednesday. I remember getting up at 5:30 am and waiting that entire time, making sure to press A at the exact right moment lol.
Gen 2 is still one of my favorite gens. It just has something that's missing from the modern games. It's meant to be a slow game, that you play daily, different daily events, different time of day encounters, rematches. Daily NPCs. Not to mention all the optional areas. And I like the main issue people have is that they try to speed through the game instead of actually interacting with the world. The number of people that I have seen that say their starter wasn't fully evolved by the E4 just surprises me! Yeah the game has flaws, but it feels like they get blown way our of proportion do to all the updates and QOL more modern games have.
As a kid, I got stuck on the sudowoodo. I didn’t know where to get the squirt bottle. I trained my Pokémon to lvl 34 until I figured it out. Wouldn’t matter because Whitney’s Miltank would dog walk me until I got over that hump. I also had a shiny Noctowl, and I didn’t even know it was shiny. I thought the game had it because Ash had a shiny one.
I do prefer Gen 2 over Gen 1 but Gen 2 has that one problem. Gen 2 feels like 'Gen 1 if it was good' than its own thing. But Gen 2 was technological marvel. Gold/Silver are not games made for Game Boy Color but the original Game Boy and it has two regions.
I agree, Gold/Silver being playable on original GameBoy is wild! That’s a fair point, it doesn’t bother me but I see how Gen 2 could feel like it lacks its own identity.
I wouldn’t say that’s a hot take. I personally think Gen 2 has the toughest trio to pick from. Every design is amazing and the only points I’d take away is Bayleef being a superior design to Meganium.
There are a couple big design decisions that just look worse with time. 1. Lack of Johto Pokemon availability 2. Lack of Johto Pokemon representation. 3. The Level curve. These definitely look worse now than when the games came out.
Even though Crystal's better, Gold will always be my favorite out of the three versions. As someone who loved the hell out of Stadium 2, Crystal's lack of compatibility with it was a huge fatal flaw.
@@Chdonga I didn’t realize that was the case! I did some quick research and I am seeing some sites mention crystal working with Stadium 2, was it just a limited compatibility or something? I didn’t play at time of release and certainly not with Stadium 2 so I’ll have to trust your expertise here. Thanks for sharing!
@@AustinAshworth It seems like a limited compatibility thing. I googled it and Nintendo's website says it *does* work, but I also spotted a few people saying they couldn't get their Crystal to work on Stadium 2 so... ???
I never found a shiny in Crystal, but I remember thinking my normal brown Noctowl was special because at that point pre internet I had only seen Ash's gold noctowl and I thought the gold one was the normal Noctowl color 😂
Silver Version was the last Pokémon game I played all the way through. I never had a GBA or DS so I kind of naturally fell out of the fandom and have only been rediscovering the series over the last few months. Even when my cartridge's internal battery died (I'm pretty sure way sooner than it should have) and I would lose all my progress if I ever turned the game off, I would just put fresh batteries in my GBC and leave it on until it died or I made it to the end. I shudder to think how many batteries I burned through and tossed before we finally started buying rechargeable ones... I will not stand for this baby Pokémon slander, though. I agree that Smoochum can get in the trash where it belongs and Magby's on thin ice with its weird hair that looks uncomfortably like its brain to me but leave my precious Igglybuff alone! I'd also swap Miltank and Ariados on your tier list. I hate spiders but I love Ariados's colors while Miltank's sausage udders make me deeply uncomfortable. In fact, other than Miltank, Croconaw, and Granbull, I don't think there are any Gen II Pokémon I significantly dislike. I even think Dunsparce and Sunflora are pretty cute. I also disagree about only looking at final evolutions when evaluating team-building with Johto's new roster. Gen II, IMO, has some incredible middle stages and I never thought twice about preventing my Pokémon from evolving if I preferred their base or middle stage. Like whenever I chose Chikorita as my starter, I would almost never allow it to evolve the final time because I love Bayleef's design so much more than Meganium while with Totodile, I couldn't wait to fully evolve it, partially because Feraligatr is awesome but mostly because I just do not like Croconaw. Typhlosion is the only one where I don't have a problem with any of its stages, although Cyndaquil is unquestionably the best of the three and I always feel like Typhlosion is flashing me whenever it's shown from the front while standing on its hind legs. Even going back to Gen I, any Dratini I got would only ever get as far as Dragonair because I just do not like the look of Dragonite. Design has always mattered more to me than anything and I would rather massively overlevel a lower-stage Pokémon to get me through the game than allow it to evolve into a form I like far less.
Thanks for sharing! My intent behind only listing fully evolved wasn't to say players can't use not fully evolved pokemon, but to narrow down 3 pokemon (Chikorita, Bayleef, and Meganium for example) into just 1 line (represented by Meganium). Whether you stop at Bayleef or continue to Meganium, the evolutionary line still just represents one team building option. It would be extremely surprising to me if someone would actually want both Bayleef and Meganium on their team. Apologies if that's confusing, I'm probably explaining it poorly.
@@foxhoundms9051 might not be the strongest pokemon, but at least the caterpie line has a really bold recoloration for the shinies. It’s so underwhelming when you can barely tell the difference!
literally paused to screenshot and complain to a friend about qwilfish in d, then unpaused and immediately heard "apologies if i disrespected your faves" edit: oh dunsparce is down there too. you are not forgiven. death penalty /lh
Haha, one of my best friends is also a fan of those 2 in particular! To be honest, I don't get the appeal but I'm sure some of my favorites seem random to you as well
The terrible level curve is one of many reasons why I find Gen 2 highly overrated. The 2nd gym "challenge" has Blue with a lower level team even though 3 years have passed. Embarrassing. They did everything they could to shove Kanto down our throat instead of showing off the new mons. I'll never not think of Johto as just an extended Kanto
All fair points but I will say that I actually like how Johto feels like an expansion of Kanto. As I detailed in the video is makes everything feel so cohesive and unified. I appreciate the rebuttal though, always good to hear opposing views.
Heresy! Jk, I actually don't think that is too much of a minority opinion. Obviously in the comments for a Gen 2 video there will be a lot of people who love this starter set, but overall I don't see too many Pokemon fans going to bat over them.
I think playing Crystal on rainy car rides down to the coast from my hometown is why I find comfort in this game. Whenever it rains I can hear the music playing in the back of my mind, and the urge to buy a Gameboy Color is so strong. I hope to pass the game down to my son when he's a little older. Thank you for this retrospective, it makes me smile whenever I think about this adventure
You’re welcome! And thank you for sharing your memories with us!
@@AustinAshworth Wonderful in depth analysis man! Got yourself a new sub! God bless ya and Jesus loves ya!
@@espelhodasconstelacoes thank you so much!
"I personally value strong creature design far above potential strategic depth"
Definitely agree right here. If I like a pokemon's design, I'm gonna use regardless of its battle capabilities.
Exactly, you gotta win with your favorites
Something I've enjoyed with the older games, and have come to appreciate even more now since it's missing in the newer games, is all of the optional areas that encourage exploration, with unique rewards (rare Pokemon, items, etc.) that you can't get anywhere else, as well as having actual level design. The initial half of Johto may be linear in terms of progression, but it never feels like it because of the optional things you can do along the way. Dark Cave is optional (all 3 sides of it), Sprout Tower is optional (not in HeartGold, mandatory), Ruins of Alph is entirely optional, Union Cave's second half is optional, Mt. Mortar is entirely optional, Whirl Islands are optional (not in HeartGold, mandatory), Battle Tower (Frontier in HG) is optional and accessable as soon as you walk up to it, and eastern Johto is optional. Then you get to Kanto, and any place that doesn't have a Gym is optional, especially the dungeons (Rock Tunnel, Seafoam Islands and Cerulean Cave in HGSS).
The dungeons have actual level design and puzzles, like the strength puzzles and ice puzzles. All of that is missing in the newer games; heck even the caves stopped being multifloor, and are just single-floor hallways. As the saying goes, you never know what you have til it's gone. Gen 5 was probably the last time we had actual level design, and even then Gen 5 was the start of the decline of it; it was still decent, since it still had navigational puzzles and multi-floor caves, but it was the start of everything getting hallway-esque.
Crystal has always been my favourite (with HGSS right next to it, naturally), since it's still arguably the game that provides the most ADVENTURE of Pokemon. The Johto games are also the only ones to really embrace the time of day and day of week stuff to make the worlds feel more alive, and like it's moving with or without you, instead of just being a world solely built around the player. Crystal inspired me to get into game development (along with the GBC Zelda titles), so it'll always hold a special place in my heart, and with hindsight and the state of Pokemon these days, it's only strengthened the bond.
You said it better than I could but I 100% agree and have largely fell out of love with the modern Pokemon games for the reasons you outlined so eloquently. They feel so lifeless compared to the classic era. Thanks for sharing!
I love gen 2 so any new retrospective or review is a plus for me 😁.
@@Smitty_Werbenjagermanjensen111 Hope you enjoyed!
Fun Fact: The idea of Baby Pokémon was that you find some Pokémon in Generation I at too high of level, meaning you find them already evolved. In fact, Elekid was originally planned to be a middle form, with it going [cut Pokémon] -> Elekid -> Electabuzz.
I can't imagine an even more baby form of Electabuzz lol!
The obscurity of the Dex was meant to extend the life cycle of the game experience. It's a slow burn. And we weren't overexposed to the Kanto roster at that time. The fun was in learning how to locate these new, rare Pokémon.
@@Anonymous36 I agree, I found the hunt to fill out the dex super satisfying. Also, I appreciate how much of the dex can be completed within just one game. That’s something Gen 3 kinda fails at.
@@AustinAshworth
It's interesting that what was a boon to the player experience back then has since been rexontextualized and is now perceived as a negative.
Over time, the Kanto favoritism has soured. But back then we still loved them and thought them fresh. GSC was a slow simmer and laidback. It worked then, but not now.
For me, I always come back to the atmosphere and the colors of Johto. The stories told through the world are beautiful, the Legemdary Beasts, Whitney and her Miltank, the radio tower goons, and so much more. The idea of walking through this world 2 decades ago and it feeling so alive will just always stick with me. It's also the Gen where my second favorite pokemon got its beginning, Sneasel.
Thanks for sharing your memories! Johto does have such a special vibe that it's hard to put into words. Sneasel is a great pick too!
@AustinAshworth Appreciate the time it took the make the video and relive it man!
Gen 2 is INCREDIBLE, but also flawed, which is okay! I just wish some people would understand flaws (level curve, eggs taking too long to raise, Kanto not being as fleshed out, Johto pokemon not being all that available until postgame) don't ruin the whole game.
Agreed!
Exactly, the game is still so amazing. Every game has flaws
Looking forward to gen 3!
I’m so glad to hear that! Fair warning it won’t be right away, got a few other videos planned before returning to Pokemon. Your patience is appreciated!
Altogether, a great retrospective! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it over the last few days.
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed!
I am a gen 2 fanboy ill admit it im biased as hell lol. But seriously Crystal is my favorite pokemon experince Ive actually been playing the game on my N64 with Stadium 2 its one of the best ways to play the original
Wow original hardware? That's dedication! I got my start in the games with Gen 3, but was first introduced to Pokemon in general with Gen 2 so they both hold a very special place in my heart.
Crystal is legitimately a great game. I won’t let anyone tell me otherwise. Playing it again on 3DS with the availability of the Celebi event was the Cherry on top.
It's just... Kanto 2 overrated
Wangchung! Right behind yah pal! Playing silver for my first time ever using my GameCube gameboy player and I ordered stadium one and two w transfer packs off eBay to play what I missed out on as a kid
Call it Nostalgia , or call it what ever you want, but the 2nd generation of Pokemon is Peak. I will die on that hill.
Gen 3 is my favorite (coincidently my first gen) but Gen 2 is really special no doubt about it!
Agreed, I’ll die on that hill with you.
Dude i have to say you really do a great job with narration in your videos. So nany newer TH-camrs struggle with this and sound unprofessional and uneducated. Your voice and cadence are both very pleasant to listen to! Much luck to your channel! If you keep making videos like this you'll be going places!
@@MrOSUrocker Thank you so much! I’m really glad you think so because the vocal delivery doesn’t come naturally to me at all and I have to put a lot of effort into it - nice to hear people are liking it!
I love Gen 2 so much, but I was PISSED when I found out Houndour could only be found in Kanto. Houndoom is my favorite Gen 2 pokemon.
@@gamer11011101 That one hurts for sure, such an awesome pokemon in its design! Great pick!
Austin!!! It's Dylan, the Robin main from your old URI smash crew. Just wanted to say that a few majoras mask videos eventually autoplayed to your retrospective video, so you must be doing something right to be blessed by the algorithm. Hope you're doing well!!
@@Oopliss hey Dylan! I’m good, thanks for saying “Hi”. Those smash 4 days were good times, hope you are doing well too!
Thanks for making this friend, really like your demeanor, attitude, and approach. Subbed.
@@StarsAndSticks Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed! I really appreciate the kind words, it means a lot!
I think people tend to forget or ignore the fact that gen 2 was made at a time when it was assumed Pokemon was going to be a passing trend and therefore doesn't conform to the same conventions that subsequent pokemon sequels would. The marketing/hype around gen 2 was that there were new species of pokemon being discovered, so it makes sense that all the new pokemon would be mostly rare encounters/limited to the later game. In practice, especially in hindsight, it doesn't work. But I understand the logic they were going with.
I hadn't considered it from that angle but that actually makes a lot of sense. You can definitely see the intent there even if it didn't pan out as well as envisioned. Thanks for sharing!
I wish Pokemon would go back to these classic graphics.
I don't care much for the new look of the games.
I'm nostalgic for the simpler style of these older versions.
Pokemon Yellow is the only game I play over and over.
Gen 3 is the perfect look imo, classic sprites and pixels but much more refined than gen 1/2
Really delightful retrospective, I can't believe this hasn't been more seen lately! I love the derpiest creatures that gen II has to offer. Shuckle, Delibird, Dunsparce and Smeargle are all among my favorites. And Donphan? I mean come ON. Great vid dude, may you find favor with the algorithm!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words and I'm so glad you enjoyed.
Love your videos, man. Pokemon Silver/Gold will always be one of my favourites of the franchise. Brings me back to much simpler times in my life
I think we all yearn for those simpler times! Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed!
I am a pokeboomer. I was born in 1993 and was playing pokemon since day 1. Gen 1 will always be a classic and I repay it often but gen 2... just... it's just got a comforting feeling. I have so many hours put into it. I still makes teams for stadium 2.
I didn't play it until I was older but it still puts me in such a warm, cozy, nostalgic mood. I'm sure you have the same feelings but even stronger!
Favorite generation and a fantastic video! Thanks for the upload, just subbed and looking forward to seeing what you put out in the future. Take care!
Thank you so much! Happy to have you on board!
To me Gen 2 holds a very special place in my heart, not just because of what it brought to the table and improved from Gen 1, but mostly because it was the reason why i loved Pokèmon in the first place. I remember the days that i would just spend time just laying in my room playing either Gold or Crystal, wondering to myself what i would i find next. There's a lot of memories and friends that i made thanks to these game back in the day and i'm glad it did.
I have those same feelings towards Gen 3, which were my first games. Thanks for sharing your memories!
My first shiny was a Caterpie in Gold which I evolved into Butterfree. I was a kid and kept thinking the shiny Butterfree I had was the Pink Butterfree from the anime.
@@lucideirune1635 Butterfree may be a little weak in battle but at least the caterpie line have really distinct shiny colorations! It’s always so underwhelming when the shiny color is so close to the normal that you can barely tell the difference. Not so with Caterpie and its evolutions! Thanks for sharing!
I truly think crystal is one of the best games ever made
For me it's the "attitude" of Gen 2. Slightly darker more serious tones. Also, quite a bit more detail in the towns and map, and the 'mons themselves. The Gen 2 'mons have some of the best designs, but it's a shame most of them are locked until post-game. Unlike Gen 1 (especially Japanese version) the sprites are GREAT. Astonishingly, can also be played on the original gameboy. They took risks that weren't necessary, like breeding and item holding, but added a lot of depth to the series.
"Nostalgia" is a buzzzword that gets wayy overused online; Often old things were generally made better, sometimes even due to the technical limitations of the time, they had to try harder. Not just for videogames, but for anything. I think people are truly starting to realize that technology alone doesn't make a better product.
Agree 100%! The technological limitation often leads to creative solutions that make older games more deep and unique. Gen 2 does have that special vibe that really appeals to me.
Exactly, less is more!
Gen 2 has always been my favourite, every time I play a Johto game, I always start with my favourite Chikorita
It’s a shame poor Chikorita has such a poor matchup against the gyms. Feels like GameFreak wanted to give the guy a hard time for some reason.
yeah, but I still pick Chikorita every time lol
I used to quite agree with you on the gym leaders of Johto but after picking up Pokemon Masters for the first time earlier this year, Clair has very quickly risen to one of my favourite gym leaders in the whole series. Giving them all just a bit more time to shine has really endeared me to the whole gang more than before, but she especially has really risen the ranks and found a place in my heart.
I'm completely unfamiliar with Pokemon Masters but it's cool that it made you reevaluate! I'll have to look into it!
@AustinAshworth Even for those that don't find the actual game compelling, I think there is some value in checking out the many story events in reuploads on TH-cam or similar. It's just fun to see the many Pokemon characters I've come to love interacting with characters they wouldn't normally or living out new scenarios.
@@kirbynom-alt yeah that does sound really cool!
19:43 My theory is that gymleaders are intentionally bad because the devs fully intended you to seek foes IRL. The gymleaders are essentially just a "tutorial"
Perhaps but that feels like a cop out to me. Regardless, it doesn’t detract from the game too much thankfully. Thanks for sharing different perspective!
@@AustinAshworth Oh, it is a total cop out, just like all the other trainers (and for my next pokemon I choose pidgey... again... (after the previous two got one hit KO:ed) ) But I still love it too :D
Loved your vid, keep at it, I just subbed :)
@ thank you so much!
I remember encountering Suicune for the first time one morning when getting ready to go to school. It scared the crap out of me to see a lv.40 Pokemon I'd never seen before just in the grass north of Mahogany town. And it confused me when it ran away. It's one of the more vivid memories I have of the game.
I also remember reading about some cheats on a website back in the day. Like how you could buy a charizard on route 38. I looked everywhere for it lol. Or how I read that the poster in the game corner in Celadon would have a secret switch again like it did in RBY if you touched the poster at 7am on a Wednesday. I remember getting up at 5:30 am and waiting that entire time, making sure to press A at the exact right moment lol.
Haha those crazy playground rumors persisted into Gen 2 I see, hadn't heard that one before!
Wrong about the post-game but neat video nonetheless.
Gen 2 is still one of my favorite gens. It just has something that's missing from the modern games.
It's meant to be a slow game, that you play daily, different daily events, different time of day encounters, rematches. Daily NPCs. Not to mention all the optional areas. And I like the main issue people have is that they try to speed through the game instead of actually interacting with the world.
The number of people that I have seen that say their starter wasn't fully evolved by the E4 just surprises me!
Yeah the game has flaws, but it feels like they get blown way our of proportion do to all the updates and QOL more modern games have.
Yes! The relaxed pace and more immersive elements (mostly surrounding the real-time clock) are my favorite parts of these games!
Oh? What has the algorithm delivered to me tonight?
@@golgarisoul something good I hope!
@AustinAshworth I must agree! Very good, my fine sir.
As a kid, I got stuck on the sudowoodo. I didn’t know where to get the squirt bottle. I trained my Pokémon to lvl 34 until I figured it out. Wouldn’t matter because Whitney’s Miltank would dog walk me until I got over that hump. I also had a shiny Noctowl, and I didn’t even know it was shiny. I thought the game had it because Ash had a shiny one.
That’s a fun shiny! It’s so funny how pretty much every player has PTSD from that miltank lol
I do prefer Gen 2 over Gen 1 but Gen 2 has that one problem. Gen 2 feels like 'Gen 1 if it was good' than its own thing. But Gen 2 was technological marvel. Gold/Silver are not games made for Game Boy Color but the original Game Boy and it has two regions.
I agree, Gold/Silver being playable on original GameBoy is wild! That’s a fair point, it doesn’t bother me but I see how Gen 2 could feel like it lacks its own identity.
Literally Kanto 2
@@AkamexAris1023 in more ways then most think. The game literal lylooks and plays like a Gen 1 game. This is glorified expansion pack.
I wouldn’t say that’s a hot take. I personally think Gen 2 has the toughest trio to pick from. Every design is amazing and the only points I’d take away is Bayleef being a superior design to Meganium.
Glad to hear I’m not alone but I think we’re in a small minority here!
There are a couple big design decisions that just look worse with time.
1. Lack of Johto Pokemon availability
2. Lack of Johto Pokemon representation.
3. The Level curve.
These definitely look worse now than when the games came out.
Agreed that these issues probably wouldn't stand out as much if we didn't have so many future games to compare them to
A retrospective well worth the wait. Can't disagree with Gligar, you did Delibird dirty though >:(
Glad you enjoyed! Gligar's my boy haha
When i played silver back in the day. I refused to let my quilava evolve.
@@newtable2580 You were already too late if you were trying to preserve the best evolution! Cyndaquil is peak and the evolutions are a step down imo
pokemon crystal is my fav main series installment even after all these years idc
@@stonedimmaculate2942 it’s a good choice!
will then gen 3 retrospective have the remakes?
No sorry, sticking to original games with these with a focus on the enhanced third version as it applies. No ORAS.
Even though Crystal's better, Gold will always be my favorite out of the three versions. As someone who loved the hell out of Stadium 2, Crystal's lack of compatibility with it was a huge fatal flaw.
@@Chdonga I didn’t realize that was the case! I did some quick research and I am seeing some sites mention crystal working with Stadium 2, was it just a limited compatibility or something? I didn’t play at time of release and certainly not with Stadium 2 so I’ll have to trust your expertise here. Thanks for sharing!
@@AustinAshworth It seems like a limited compatibility thing. I googled it and Nintendo's website says it *does* work, but I also spotted a few people saying they couldn't get their Crystal to work on Stadium 2 so... ???
I never found a shiny in Crystal, but I remember thinking my normal brown Noctowl was special because at that point pre internet I had only seen Ash's gold noctowl and I thought the gold one was the normal Noctowl color 😂
That's a hilarious story haha. Thanks for sharing!
I had Silver, never played Crystal. This makes me wonder how much I missed
Not too much in the grand scheme, but the little additions are nice. Moving sprites is the big one for me but the Battle Tower is pretty cool too!
One does not simply walk in to Mortar.
Now I want some Balrog inspired Pokemon! Groudon's probably the closest we've got
39:26 ambidextrous tail?!?! WTF XD
@@ChinoWantan whoops… meant to say prehensile! Now I’ve gotta delete the whole video and redo it lol
@@AustinAshworth Looking forward for gen 3
Ps. Kingdra is peak desing for expanding a ev line
Remembered gen 2 gold and silver can be played on GBC and Original GB you didnt even have to upgrade tocatch them all
@@gumpyflyale2542that is easy to forget! Crazy what they were able to accomplish on their older (even at the time) hardware!
Silver Version was the last Pokémon game I played all the way through. I never had a GBA or DS so I kind of naturally fell out of the fandom and have only been rediscovering the series over the last few months. Even when my cartridge's internal battery died (I'm pretty sure way sooner than it should have) and I would lose all my progress if I ever turned the game off, I would just put fresh batteries in my GBC and leave it on until it died or I made it to the end. I shudder to think how many batteries I burned through and tossed before we finally started buying rechargeable ones...
I will not stand for this baby Pokémon slander, though. I agree that Smoochum can get in the trash where it belongs and Magby's on thin ice with its weird hair that looks uncomfortably like its brain to me but leave my precious Igglybuff alone! I'd also swap Miltank and Ariados on your tier list. I hate spiders but I love Ariados's colors while Miltank's sausage udders make me deeply uncomfortable. In fact, other than Miltank, Croconaw, and Granbull, I don't think there are any Gen II Pokémon I significantly dislike. I even think Dunsparce and Sunflora are pretty cute.
I also disagree about only looking at final evolutions when evaluating team-building with Johto's new roster. Gen II, IMO, has some incredible middle stages and I never thought twice about preventing my Pokémon from evolving if I preferred their base or middle stage. Like whenever I chose Chikorita as my starter, I would almost never allow it to evolve the final time because I love Bayleef's design so much more than Meganium while with Totodile, I couldn't wait to fully evolve it, partially because Feraligatr is awesome but mostly because I just do not like Croconaw. Typhlosion is the only one where I don't have a problem with any of its stages, although Cyndaquil is unquestionably the best of the three and I always feel like Typhlosion is flashing me whenever it's shown from the front while standing on its hind legs.
Even going back to Gen I, any Dratini I got would only ever get as far as Dragonair because I just do not like the look of Dragonite. Design has always mattered more to me than anything and I would rather massively overlevel a lower-stage Pokémon to get me through the game than allow it to evolve into a form I like far less.
Thanks for sharing! My intent behind only listing fully evolved wasn't to say players can't use not fully evolved pokemon, but to narrow down 3 pokemon (Chikorita, Bayleef, and Meganium for example) into just 1 line (represented by Meganium). Whether you stop at Bayleef or continue to Meganium, the evolutionary line still just represents one team building option. It would be extremely surprising to me if someone would actually want both Bayleef and Meganium on their team. Apologies if that's confusing, I'm probably explaining it poorly.
Great retrospective! I hope the one covering Zelda Wind Waker is also coming at some point. :)
Wind Waker is definitely in the works! I appreciate your patience, sorry to keep you waiting but these take a long time for me to put together
@AustinAshworth Take your time, friend! No hurry!
My only shiny claim to fame besides the red Gyarados was a shiny Caterpie I caught and evolved into a Butterfree. Super awesome! 😂
@@foxhoundms9051 might not be the strongest pokemon, but at least the caterpie line has a really bold recoloration for the shinies. It’s so underwhelming when you can barely tell the difference!
Partner polemon can't and won't catch on
GameFreak has my family hostage, I had no choice but to use their terminology haha
"Far superior Slowbro"
what?
@@inktendo I stand by it! Slowbro looks so much more appealing and like a natural progression for Slowpoke to me.
@@AustinAshworth I get it! Maybe the Movie 2000 just made me thing Slowking was some sort of monk
literally paused to screenshot and complain to a friend about qwilfish in d, then unpaused and immediately heard "apologies if i disrespected your faves"
edit: oh dunsparce is down there too. you are not forgiven. death penalty /lh
Haha, one of my best friends is also a fan of those 2 in particular! To be honest, I don't get the appeal but I'm sure some of my favorites seem random to you as well
@AustinAshworth they just have the absolute most "funny little fella" energy and are also related to some inside jokes
Pokemon Crystal is gen 2 hard mode
@@Murphdog405 how so? Cant think of any major differences that would effect the difficulty.
Which part is hard?
@@AustinAshworth restrictions of staples such as Mareep and Magmar
The terrible level curve is one of many reasons why I find Gen 2 highly overrated. The 2nd gym "challenge" has Blue with a lower level team even though 3 years have passed. Embarrassing. They did everything they could to shove Kanto down our throat instead of showing off the new mons. I'll never not think of Johto as just an extended Kanto
All fair points but I will say that I actually like how Johto feels like an expansion of Kanto. As I detailed in the video is makes everything feel so cohesive and unified. I appreciate the rebuttal though, always good to hear opposing views.
Now make a retrospective on Gens 6+ but you're only allowed to say nice things. I dare you.
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" haha
I’m probably in the minority here but I was never a fan of the Gen 2 starters.
Heresy! Jk, I actually don't think that is too much of a minority opinion. Obviously in the comments for a Gen 2 video there will be a lot of people who love this starter set, but overall I don't see too many Pokemon fans going to bat over them.
I'm gay and even I like pokemon lol
yet a millionth hour-long review of a videogame.
TH-cam, please stop recommending me this mind-numbing drivel.
Yet a 10 millionth mind-numbing troll comment. You should make your own amazing review. I bet it would be great!
Or just stop clicking on them