Honestly, I’ve been a Pokémon fan since red and blue in the 90s and as a veteran I can say that not only are they the best remakes but arguably the best Pokemon games ever made. On par with Black and White 2!
I love Black and White 1 and 2. I have a video im writing for next week about them and I am playing Black 1 right now! These games were so incredible and are in the talks for not only the best Pokemon Games but also the best DS games ever!
I prefer BW1 over BW2. BW2 ruined what made BW1 so special imo. I really appreciated the soft reset and only new Pokémon til post-game. For that reason I always pretend BW2 don't exist.
I definitely prefered ORAS but I had a few seperate playthroughs of HG that went well over a few thousand hours. Probably the most value I ever got out of a game.
Pokeathalon, I’m replaying the games and it’s so fun. If you were able to play them coop with other players that would’ve been something huge back in the day.
HGSS are also arguably the last time we had the best route and dungeon design as well. Not necessarily aesthetically, but gameplay wise; there were loads of optional areas, dungeons and secrets to find thanks to the way HMs affected overworld traversal. You always have a side path or dungeon to come back to later, that isn't mandated by the story, to find unique items, mon or trainers to battle. Black and White 1/2 still had HMs, but were much more linear, and didn't have too much in the way of optional dungeons like these games did. Doesn't mean they were bad games of course, but arguably the start of the decline of the level design in the series. Basically no more Strength puzzles or other HM obstacles to solve and navigate, as most areas are just relegated to being a pretty hallway. But it gets its worse once Pokemon goes 3D, as the level design has never recovered, and got even worse than what we saw in Gen 5.
I find it baffling ho w people hate strength puzzles and i agree about black and white starting a decline in level design. Admitedly black and white 2 was better than 1 You and me are probably one of those few people that see that trend in the series and value pokemon level design.
My favorite areas were the whirl islands, ruins of alph, mt, mortar. But ice path and tin tower are the best, eucruteak city is the best city in all the series. Nice aesthetic, kimono girl battles, good gym design, burned tower and tin tower, just a whole a lot of substance here
HGSS is the best remakes, especially with how they updated the Johto dex with Gen 4 evolutions and gameplay, so that means new moves and potential new buddies that work better in Gen 4. Remixed music and new story plot with the Executives. It really was the best of the best before Gen 5 arrived a year later.
Lets see exploring 2 regions, facing 16 Gym Leaders, the Red Battle, Badass Rival, Getting 3 starters from 3 regions, Battle Frontier, Pokeathalon, Safari Zone, and the Celebi Event yeah i say HGSS is the best
I absolutely loved fire red and leaf green as remakes and at that time the original Pokémon games are only six years old so I was still playing red and blue, but those remakes did everything right they expanded upon the original games by showing areas like the Sevii islands, compatible with coliseum, expanded on ruby and sapphire to help those games become better. So Heart Gold and Soul Silver had tough shoes to fill but they filled them. Honestly, both of those remakes were amazing. ORAS were good and BDSP were ok. it seemed by that point they were more focused on their current games, but I’m glad we got the original to remake the generation one and two.
What the heck is that map at 0:14? Source? On another note, HGSS and B2W2 are equally my favorite Pokémon games of all time for completely different reasons. They both fill different niches want in Pokémon games.
Just started playing these again with my 6 and 8 year old daughters who are obsessed with pokemon now and have been playing pokemon games all the way back to the gba era to switch. Right now we are playing HG and SS and they are loving the experience and the nostalgia factor is as good as it gets.
I loved HGSS, and I agree with everything you said. Honestly I don’t understand how people love Gold and Silver, but hate HGSS. Pretty much everything you listed made the games amazing, but also things like having a portable berry pot made things so much easier, I loved the different bottom screen themes you could choose from, loved the games graphics and location designs, the game had compatibility with the Sinnoh games and Battle Revolution, the Pokeathlon was very fun especially if you had people to play with, and it was a fun way to get points to buy things, and so much more. Of all Pokemon games HGSS feels like the game you can keep coming back to play even after you beat the game. Also, a lot of people like to complain about how there was a level curve and lack of Pokemon, but people always complain how Pokemon games weren’t challenging. Also despite the level curve, it’s still playable. Everyone’s experience is different and not everyone is the same, but for a game that’s challenging, a lot of people my age seemed to have completed the elite 4 at the very least just fine, and my age at the time was like 11. The game actually makes you train your Pokemon, and of course you can rematch trainers and they come back stronger. Also at that time online was a big thing, so it was nothing to trade with someone who had DPP games to get other Pokemon. It’s sad how these games have done so much and had so much content, and yet people complain about the little things and call it a bad remake. My only critique with the game really is that there was a lack of story with the legendaries, but this game feels like it’s supposed to have a more chill vibe, and I appreciate this game being different in that there wasn’t really that big of a major threat
Totally agree with everything u said man…I lost my heartgold card tho and couldn’t find it…So i bought it from a local store for 130$ !! Used to play this game back in 2010 with my dad..Greatest pokemon game of all time💯‼️❤
I don't know why Pokémon/ Game Freak don't add another region to a mainline game again. I remember taking the first step into Kanto as a kid was freaking mind blowing and made me so excited. They need to do this again !
And it happened to be my introduction to the Pokémon world, I started noticing the anime more from boomerang and such. Weird story, but to my knowledge, I may be wrong, since I was a kid. I recall taking the copy of soulsilver from my uncle back then to play it. Therefore being engraved in my mind as me “stealing it”. Context my uncle lived with us, there’s a higher possibility he just gave it to me as a gift, but I was around 9, and I definitely wasn’t the brightest kid.
It’s a core memory to have your first Pokemon experience! That’s such a good game to start on and I am sure your uncle wouldn’t be upset if you stole it lol
@@StrawHatMidas He definitely never did seem upset, the man bought me some of the two other games that followed. He got the other copy, so I got Pokémon black and he bought Pokémon white for himself. And if I recall I bought the following game Pokémon X and so on. He did also buy me my first 3ds that saw a bunch of damage but I gave to my best friend, so I can buy a new 3ds and buy the a link to the past game before the eshop closed for good.
I love HGSS There's just so much to do in the game, it sounds great, it looks and handles so smooth. Almost anything that worked in the orginal gen 2 games they improved on. Only criticism is it was still a bit easy. Gym Leaders like Falker Bugsy, Pryce and Chuck needed a serious level boost and updated roster.
I agree with pretty much everything said, Pokemon peaked with HGSS and it's not even close I gotta say though. The way the boxarts kept crashing onto the screen every time they're mentioned was starting to get really irritating HAHA maybe ease up on too many transitions/animations!!
Yeah I gotta say HG/SS are tied for my favorite Pokémon game alongside Emerald and Black/White. Though if I absolutely *had* to chose one over the other, I'll go for HG/SS for now.
I definitely disagree at the beggining of the video. They're good games but Gen 5 are better. I mean come on HGSS had the painfully slow pace of DPP and the level curve is just not consistent
God bless pkhex, replaying these games in 2024 is a shore but infinite rare candies and turning off animations makes them faster and less grindier 👌🏻 Wish there was a 2x speed toggle
@@jsar5409 it's unnecessary and the touchscreen is unnecessary, too.. I just don't like it looking up and down just for menus. And all DS games that use both screens for cutscenes are the most stupid of all. The GBA was just perfect as it was. They just could've made a bigger 16:9 screen and more power and the perfect N64 like handheld would be born. But this just wasn't it. If they wanted to force touch they could do it on one screen, too.. it would be less annoying.
@adrenaliner91 i do think the gba was damn near perfection, but since buying a 3ds recently, I actually enjoy the second screen showing additional info or allowing me to launch attacks that don't crowd the main screen But I absolutely see your point
Actually hard disagree. I think this was a horrible remake. They didn't rebalance the level curve, so in spite of having 16 gyms, the levels are set lower for the last gym than Cynthia in Platinum, this makes it really hard to grind your Pokes up and really sink into the game. Most of Gen 2's pokemon are not only gutter trash stat wise, but a lot of them can't even be caught before the postgame (after Jhoto is done), and any that got new evolutions can't access them until post game or just before, unless you used Pokemon Battle Revolution to transfer the items.. The gym leaders teams are awful, and most use Gen 1 Pokemon as aces. Basically, The Crystal Legacy game covers everything thats wrong with Gen 2 as a whole, and HGSS did nothing to fix a lot of the major issues with the game. Kanto is also still empty.
These are the biggest criticisms and I completely agree. But the level curves and most gen 2 pokemon only available post game. Doesn’t at all take away how amazing and peak Pokemon these games are.
@@Kramilinyes it definitely does. These issues are major, and the absolutely atrocious pokedex in HGSS makes it have horrible replay value. I also do not feel satisfied at all when beating the champion with my pokemon in their level 30s…. HGSS looks really nice, i love the visuals. And the following pokemon is a great feature. The gameplay just kinda sucks ass though.
HGSS are the most overrated games ever. Terrible level curve, the size isn’t the best, and Johto’s best Pokemon are locked behind the postgame. Still a good game but not as much as really good games like Emerald.
It’s a bit of a stretch to claim Johto and its starters as “fan favorites”. I agree HGSS are top 3 Pokemon games of all time, but that’s because of the amount of content present in the games compared to other entries. Johto is a “meh” region despite have a few extraordinarily beautiful routes and Chikorita is the most obsolete starter in the history of the Pokemon franchise and it’s almost unplayable in its own region.
Honestly, I’ve been a Pokémon fan since red and blue in the 90s and as a veteran I can say that not only are they the best remakes but arguably the best Pokemon games ever made. On par with Black and White 2!
I love Black and White 1 and 2. I have a video im writing for next week about them and I am playing Black 1 right now! These games were so incredible and are in the talks for not only the best Pokemon Games but also the best DS games ever!
I prefer BW1 over BW2. BW2 ruined what made BW1 so special imo. I really appreciated the soft reset and only new Pokémon til post-game. For that reason I always pretend BW2 don't exist.
Agreed you got taste!!!
As fan myself, since the start of it all, I must agree. But controversial or not, I enjoyed Pokémon Sun and Moon, aswell.
I definitely prefered ORAS but I had a few seperate playthroughs of HG that went well over a few thousand hours. Probably the most value I ever got out of a game.
I’m replaying them again, and they still hold up amazingly well
I forgot what it’s called but I love the sports tournament place you could play mini games with your Pokémon in HGSS, it was so peak.
I FORGOT ABOUT THAT IT WAS SO GOOD :D
Pokeathalon, I’m replaying the games and it’s so fun. If you were able to play them coop with other players that would’ve been something huge back in the day.
Gotta say, this video was very high quality for such a young channel, well done!
Wow thank you I appreciate your comment! I try my best on every video so I am glad you enjoyed!
God these games are fantastic. Amazing video. You've earned a sub outta me.
I appreciate it! I hope you enjoy the content and have an INCREDIBLE day!
HGSS are also arguably the last time we had the best route and dungeon design as well. Not necessarily aesthetically, but gameplay wise; there were loads of optional areas, dungeons and secrets to find thanks to the way HMs affected overworld traversal. You always have a side path or dungeon to come back to later, that isn't mandated by the story, to find unique items, mon or trainers to battle. Black and White 1/2 still had HMs, but were much more linear, and didn't have too much in the way of optional dungeons like these games did. Doesn't mean they were bad games of course, but arguably the start of the decline of the level design in the series. Basically no more Strength puzzles or other HM obstacles to solve and navigate, as most areas are just relegated to being a pretty hallway. But it gets its worse once Pokemon goes 3D, as the level design has never recovered, and got even worse than what we saw in Gen 5.
I find it baffling ho w people hate strength puzzles and i agree about black and white starting a decline in level design.
Admitedly black and white 2 was better than 1
You and me are probably one of those few people that see that trend in the series and value pokemon level design.
My favorite areas were the whirl islands, ruins of alph, mt, mortar. But ice path and tin tower are the best, eucruteak city is the best city in all the series. Nice aesthetic, kimono girl battles, good gym design, burned tower and tin tower, just a whole a lot of substance here
HGSS is the best remakes, especially with how they updated the Johto dex with Gen 4 evolutions and gameplay, so that means new moves and potential new buddies that work better in Gen 4. Remixed music and new story plot with the Executives. It really was the best of the best before Gen 5 arrived a year later.
As someone with thousands of hours in HG id say they are better than b2w2 but oras were better remakes.
Lets see exploring 2 regions, facing 16 Gym Leaders, the Red Battle, Badass Rival, Getting 3 starters from 3 regions, Battle Frontier, Pokeathalon, Safari Zone, and the Celebi Event yeah i say HGSS is the best
It had a WEALTH of content to keep me busy :D
I absolutely loved fire red and leaf green as remakes and at that time the original Pokémon games are only six years old so I was still playing red and blue, but those remakes did everything right they expanded upon the original games by showing areas like the Sevii islands, compatible with coliseum, expanded on ruby and sapphire to help those games become better. So Heart Gold and Soul Silver had tough shoes to fill but they filled them. Honestly, both of those remakes were amazing. ORAS were good and BDSP were ok. it seemed by that point they were more focused on their current games, but I’m glad we got the original to remake the generation one and two.
Another banger video, glad to see the channel is growing
What the heck is that map at 0:14? Source?
On another note, HGSS and B2W2 are equally my favorite Pokémon games of all time for completely different reasons.
They both fill different niches want in Pokémon games.
Both games are incredible and I found the map online on google images. It had the highest quality to show the map from what I could find.
I really want to play whatever rom hack that's from
They're literally my favorite Pokemon games! HGSS is the best game for me with B2W2 being close second!
Great video! I have a feeling your channel is gonna grow eheh
I really hope so! I appreciate your comment it made my day!
Thank you For Making this Video I had to send it to a Friend that has Not Played these Two Games Yet
Thank YOU for sending it to a friend! I hope you both have a great day and possibly enjoy these games!
You deserve more subs bro
Wow I appreciate that! I just started so hopefully someday i will get there
100%
Great Vid and Great Games!!! My only issue Badge 5,6 and 7 level cap is basically the same. One feature taken from original Gold/Silver
Just started playing these again with my 6 and 8 year old daughters who are obsessed with pokemon now and have been playing pokemon games all the way back to the gba era to switch. Right now we are playing HG and SS and they are loving the experience and the nostalgia factor is as good as it gets.
wow thats really cool, in my opinion these old games are much cooler than newer pokemon games. keep these okd games alive !
What if HGSS had mega evolution
I loved HGSS, and I agree with everything you said. Honestly I don’t understand how people love Gold and Silver, but hate HGSS. Pretty much everything you listed made the games amazing, but also things like having a portable berry pot made things so much easier, I loved the different bottom screen themes you could choose from, loved the games graphics and location designs, the game had compatibility with the Sinnoh games and Battle Revolution, the Pokeathlon was very fun especially if you had people to play with, and it was a fun way to get points to buy things, and so much more. Of all Pokemon games HGSS feels like the game you can keep coming back to play even after you beat the game. Also, a lot of people like to complain about how there was a level curve and lack of Pokemon, but people always complain how Pokemon games weren’t challenging. Also despite the level curve, it’s still playable. Everyone’s experience is different and not everyone is the same, but for a game that’s challenging, a lot of people my age seemed to have completed the elite 4 at the very least just fine, and my age at the time was like 11. The game actually makes you train your Pokemon, and of course you can rematch trainers and they come back stronger. Also at that time online was a big thing, so it was nothing to trade with someone who had DPP games to get other Pokemon. It’s sad how these games have done so much and had so much content, and yet people complain about the little things and call it a bad remake. My only critique with the game really is that there was a lack of story with the legendaries, but this game feels like it’s supposed to have a more chill vibe, and I appreciate this game being different in that there wasn’t really that big of a major threat
Totally agree with everything u said man…I lost my heartgold card tho and couldn’t find it…So i bought it from a local store for 130$ !! Used to play this game back in 2010 with my dad..Greatest pokemon game of all time💯‼️❤
Another banger video and opinion! HeartGold is still my favorite Pokemon game, as someone whose first game was the original Gold version.
Solid video with great points, playing HG right now. Subscribed!
Why did Prof. Elm catch a stray while you were talking about the starters, that was hilarious.
I don't know why Pokémon/ Game Freak don't add another region to a mainline game again. I remember taking the first step into Kanto as a kid was freaking mind blowing and made me so excited. They need to do this again !
0:20 proceeds to show 3rd gen games instead of 1st gen, but still a great vid!
They murdered the Goldenrod theme.
Just got Lugia in my replay of soul silver. Still one of my favorite games of all time.
That is HUGE! I love these games and i am glad that you are enjoying it too :D
very nice video!
Thank you very much!
And it happened to be my introduction to the Pokémon world, I started noticing the anime more from boomerang and such. Weird story, but to my knowledge, I may be wrong, since I was a kid. I recall taking the copy of soulsilver from my uncle back then to play it. Therefore being engraved in my mind as me “stealing it”. Context my uncle lived with us, there’s a higher possibility he just gave it to me as a gift, but I was around 9, and I definitely wasn’t the brightest kid.
It’s a core memory to have your first Pokemon experience! That’s such a good game to start on and I am sure your uncle wouldn’t be upset if you stole it lol
@@StrawHatMidas He definitely never did seem upset, the man bought me some of the two other games that followed. He got the other copy, so I got Pokémon black and he bought Pokémon white for himself. And if I recall I bought the following game Pokémon X and so on. He did also buy me my first 3ds that saw a bunch of damage but I gave to my best friend, so I can buy a new 3ds and buy the a link to the past game before the eshop closed for good.
I love HGSS
There's just so much to do in the game, it sounds great, it looks and handles so smooth. Almost anything that worked in the orginal gen 2 games they improved on.
Only criticism is it was still a bit easy. Gym Leaders like Falker Bugsy, Pryce and Chuck needed a serious level boost and updated roster.
I agree with pretty much everything said, Pokemon peaked with HGSS and it's not even close
I gotta say though. The way the boxarts kept crashing onto the screen every time they're mentioned was starting to get really irritating HAHA maybe ease up on too many transitions/animations!!
And yet the original sulver and gold are the third best selling games behind sword/shield and RBY
which version should i play for a definitive take on gen 4 johto
what kinda question is this? they are both the same and it literally boils down to "do i want lugia early or ho-oh"
@@MultiDarkII clearly haven’t played them before, what kinda randomly rude response is that? Why don’t u kindly fuck off
Also I thought u can take on like johto hoenn and kanto so 24 gyms all in 1 in emerald or am I trippin
Yeah I gotta say HG/SS are tied for my favorite Pokémon game alongside Emerald and Black/White. Though if I absolutely *had* to chose one over the other, I'll go for HG/SS for now.
I just found your channel awesome video you just got a Sub out of me 👏🏾
I’m playing rn literally about to beat last gym and go to elite 4 in johto ive like the game
I definitely disagree at the beggining of the video. They're good games but Gen 5 are better.
I mean come on HGSS had the painfully slow pace of DPP and the level curve is just not consistent
As far as remakes go I think they are almost the best, but I will say that I think Gen 5 is my favorite overall generation :D
God bless pkhex, replaying these games in 2024 is a shore but infinite rare candies and turning off animations makes them faster and less grindier 👌🏻
Wish there was a 2x speed toggle
Yep this was so good it actually ruined my ability to enjoy any entry past the Black and White saga. Okay, this combined with Gen 5 also being peak
Look into polished crystal
I absolutely will! I love gen 2 games so it seems my speed!
Yea that’s true, I wish other & future rivals were more mean spirited so you’re more interested in taking them down.
While I do agree HGSS are fantastic Remakes. I think ORAS is still a better remake outside of the fact that it doesn’t have the battle frontier
The red kid is the best ever rival
Keep posting bro
I will! Thank you for the kind comment! I hope you check out some of the other videos :)
This isn't about Ocarina of Time 3DS.
I may or may not be working on a video about that rn!
I lost my DS a few weeks ago and I’m still looking for it but I had an amazing team on it.
I really hope you find it
Did you find it?
@@anthonyt425 yes I found it last week
@@StrawHatMidas I found it man thank you
Unpopular opinion- I think HGSS are not a great game, the level curve is awful
that is one true flaw my friend. i can agree. but other wise the games are awsome.
The Japanese version is better for the slots. Even then, Kris and the roulette card flip are still gone.
Let me GAMBLE Pokémon
@@StrawHatMidasMain reason I still have my Japanese copy of SoulSilver.
If they wouldn't be on stupid 2 screens, they would be the best.
Whats your issue with using both screens?
@@jsar5409 it's unnecessary and the touchscreen is unnecessary, too.. I just don't like it looking up and down just for menus. And all DS games that use both screens for cutscenes are the most stupid of all. The GBA was just perfect as it was. They just could've made a bigger 16:9 screen and more power and the perfect N64 like handheld would be born. But this just wasn't it. If they wanted to force touch they could do it on one screen, too.. it would be less annoying.
@adrenaliner91 i do think the gba was damn near perfection, but since buying a 3ds recently, I actually enjoy the second screen showing additional info or allowing me to launch attacks that don't crowd the main screen
But I absolutely see your point
Cool but the gen 2 starters are nowhere near the best 😂
I think Gen 4 is the best and Gen 3 is the second. What are your favorites?
Gen 2 starters are pretty iconic.
Agreed
Should of done crystal
I Hope Generation 10 Has All 10 Regions On The Nintendo Switch 2 In 2026, Please.
I would literally cry tears of joy!
You must out of your damn mind if you believe that would be possible.
Ahhh yes. Remkes.
Lol I noticed that earlier and I hoped nobody saw it until I got home to fix it :)
Best game of all time still playing it till today
Actually hard disagree. I think this was a horrible remake. They didn't rebalance the level curve, so in spite of having 16 gyms, the levels are set lower for the last gym than Cynthia in Platinum, this makes it really hard to grind your Pokes up and really sink into the game. Most of Gen 2's pokemon are not only gutter trash stat wise, but a lot of them can't even be caught before the postgame (after Jhoto is done), and any that got new evolutions can't access them until post game or just before, unless you used Pokemon Battle Revolution to transfer the items.. The gym leaders teams are awful, and most use Gen 1 Pokemon as aces. Basically, The Crystal Legacy game covers everything thats wrong with Gen 2 as a whole, and HGSS did nothing to fix a lot of the major issues with the game. Kanto is also still empty.
These are the biggest criticisms and I completely agree. But the level curves and most gen 2 pokemon only available post game. Doesn’t at all take away how amazing and peak Pokemon these games are.
@@Kramilinyes it definitely does. These issues are major, and the absolutely atrocious pokedex in HGSS makes it have horrible replay value. I also do not feel satisfied at all when beating the champion with my pokemon in their level 30s….
HGSS looks really nice, i love the visuals. And the following pokemon is a great feature. The gameplay just kinda sucks ass though.
Is to expensive
Lets say you pay 100 bucks for it , guess what , your game is still wroth 100 bucks if any wish to sell its like trading money for gold haha
Emulate
Playing on an Emulator with any modern Flagship phone is the best way to go.
To me this is the end all be all of pokemon games
B2W2 better
Fuck no
Emerald and Fire Red over Platinum and Heart Gold
HGSS is mid. Barely does anything to improve upon Johto and the remixed music tracks sound terrible
play ur switch games then redditor
HGSS are the most overrated games ever. Terrible level curve, the size isn’t the best, and Johto’s best Pokemon are locked behind the postgame. Still a good game but not as much as really good games like Emerald.
Nah the Unova games are the most overrated
unpopular opinion: hgss was ass. oras>hgss
Yeah, I can't really enjoy HGSS nowadays since Kanto is boring and Johto's difficulty is very low.
That is a valid opinion! I like it personally but ORAS is up there with the best games in the series!
Opinions aren't facts. It's just your point of view
@joshkyei3105 it's boring for you not for most😅
@KnightSoulsG I promise you, there are plenty of people that feel the same way.
It’s a bit of a stretch to claim Johto and its starters as “fan favorites”. I agree HGSS are top 3 Pokemon games of all time, but that’s because of the amount of content present in the games compared to other entries. Johto is a “meh” region despite have a few extraordinarily beautiful routes and Chikorita is the most obsolete starter in the history of the Pokemon franchise and it’s almost unplayable in its own region.