Pokémon Gold Silver and Crystal (Nintendo GameBoy Color) - Retro Game Review - Tamashii Hiroka 

One thing you didn’t mention that I also love is the thematics. Johto is much more traditional in its construction than the more urban Kanto. The game communicates the idea of progression and evolution of time so well. This is especially paid off when you then get to Kanto later and you see all the ways it has changed since Gen 1. Even though you’re still playing a Pokémon game time has continued on and the world you knew before isn’t the same. The changes made in Kanto especially reflect this because they cover the Pokémon Tower being replaced with a radio tower and Copycat’s house being torn down for the Magnet Train. Gen 2 feels like a genuine commentary on our increasingly global and technologically capable world, musing on what changes in the process. It’s quite compelling!

Awesome to see a new vid from you! =)

I always LOVED the optional legendary idea. Exploring and stumbling upon a rare Pokemon was always so exciting. You could see Lugia on the box, so you know it's in there somewhere, but having to figure out how to encounter it was the best part.

As a fun fact, the reason they put Kanto into Gen 2 was because they went to Satoru Iwata because they couldn't get all of Johto onto the cartridge, and he came up with a new compression system that there was so much space left over they could fit all of Kanto in there as bonus stuff, so they didn't actually sacrifice anything to get it in there.

you must be the halley’s comet of youtube because your videos are out of this world and come once every 76 years.

This was wonderfully in-depth. I loved how you tackled the subject in multiple angles, showing Gen 2 in various lights, rather than one centered opinion

Generation II will always be my favorite. My favorite thing was the inclusion of Kanto. Kid Me thought "whoa, that's awesome!" But after replaying it now at age 27, it gave me a bittersweet feeling. This is gonna sound corny, but the fact that the "new" Kanto wasn't fully there like "old" Kanto (i.e. The Pewter City Museum gone, Safari Zone shut down, Cinnabar Island destroyed, Pokemon Tower now a Radio Tower, Veridian Forest reduced to bushes, etc.) was a somewhat somber reminder that things change and nothing lasts forever. Bitter at the thought.... but I find it sweet that a Pokemon game can induce such a feeling lol

My favorite Pokemon Game is Pokemon Crystal.

A Tamashii Video is the best birthday present ever

She’s back! And covering the gen 2!! We are living in the blessed timeline. :)

Love this review! This was my all time favorite game, I got every TM and maxed the Pokedex after 300 hours and a couple trades with some friends' shifty cartridges 😂

When I was a kid and played through it. I remember loving being able to re battle trainers and how they'd call you! It was magical to me

_It's like the opposite of when Gamefreak revisits their old work_ *AIRHORNS*

*She protec* *She attack* But most importantly... *SHE BACK!!*

9:47 Black and White did this too. In fact Surf in BW only served to open up optional areas in previous locations, you never needed it for story progression. There are several whole water-accessible routes you never need to go to, located right next to the hometown. Funny thing is, the way you talk about Pokemon doing a bad job of teaching the player its complex battle system is pretty much EXACTLY the issue with another game that I've seen brought up a lot: Kingdom Hearts 2. And I do mean EXACTLY. I only found out that KH2 has a complex, deep and rewarding battle system when I watched speedruns over a decade after I played it. And that's because the game never REQUIRES you to learn its battle system to win. Most reviews called it a mindless "mash X and occasionally triangle to win" game, and most casual players saw it that way too. And just like Red, KH2 throws an optional postgame boss at you (Sephiroth, and in the remake Lingering Will and the Data Organization) that will kick casual players' butts and force them to grind because it's the ONE fight in the game that DOES require you to have mastered the battle system. I never beat Sephiroth as a kid because the game never taught me how to use all the tools I'd need to win that fight. As much as I generally dislike X and Y, I will say they actually do kind of go out of their way to address this. Basic trainers have pretty smart moves, e.g. Black Belts with Poison Jab for Fairies, and a Kingdra with Flash Cannon, also for Fairies, and some even pack Egg Moves. ..........BUT MOST PLAYERS WILL NEVER KNOW, BECAUSE THEY'LL BE 20 LEVELS HIGHER THANKS TO THE EXP SHARE AND WILL JUST ONESHOT EVERYTHING!!!!!! (Sorry. I got carried away there. I just really don't like how XY's Exp Share means so few people know how good those games' basic trainers are. Every time I try to point this out, I get "duuuur you think XY is hard you're a filthy casual". No Exp Share Nuzlockes of XY tend to have the highest body-counts of any generation, from what I've seen.)

Wow. Just wow. Everything about this was wonderful. The script, it’s presentation. The energy throughout was fun. It was a bit drawn out at times, but overall, this video was wonderful. It’s refreshing to see a video as honest as yours. Glad to see this. Also, hope you’re doing well. I’ve been a fan of your channel for a while and I kinda fell off the planet. Catching up and rewatching some of your older content. Seems like you’ve been through a lot and doing better. Wish you a good one and continue to do what you love!

22:58 As someone that picked Chikorita in Gold Version I can confirm that not being able to beat Red is nothing but BS. Red is definitely beatable regardless of which starter you pick.

“Does Not Support Thoughtless Unplanned Team Building Style” Kid Me: Only TYPHLOSION

The sheer boost in confidence from your first review of gen2 to this one is a joy to see.

Watching this in the hospital at 3am because there's too much beeping to sleep. Thanks Tamashii

I don't understand people who complain about Chikorita. "It's weak against Falkner!" Geodude is right outside of Route 46. "It's weak against Bugsy!" Pidgey and Hoothoot are all over the place. Butterfree and Beedrill are also not hard to get. You're not supposed to just use ONE Pokemon for the whole game. Chikorita might not be a star player but it has good utility and I got plenty of use out of it in my game.

I literally teared up a few times remembering my playing everyday to do all of the events. Even now, I played again as an almost 30 year old, and still smiled at every moment. This generation has a corner of my heart for as long as I live.

I seem to be addicted to this video Also I tend to find breeding for egg moves in GSC to be more meaningful And yes, it is essentially a crime that they neglected to put Stadium 2 on the Wii U or even the Switch for 3DS VC users to replicate the experience of the transfer feature Almost every fully evolved Pokemon was at least reasonably viable last time I checked

I just watched your Ruby & Sapphire review and just had to watch this review again. Your videos are so great and informative; it's just alway a joy to watch them.

Kills the only sudowoodo available in the game" I can relate

-"Are you saying I'm playing it wrong if I don't like it?" -"Correct" Haha that made the whole video.

I really like your videos! Learning about the history and context of some of my favorite childhood games is a nostalgia bomb combined with information I never could have wrapped my head around as a kid.

Really enjoyed this video! Captured what drew me to it as a kid and why I keep coming back to it now as an adult. Great work!

I WAS JUST REWATCHING YOUR DP REVIEW. WELCOME BACK QUEEN

I had never thought I missed your videos as much as I did when I saw this video on my feed. I instantly clicked!!! Welcome back queen!

I'm 9 minutes in and so far, this is one of the most well thought out retrospectives of Pokemon I have ever seen. I'm impressed.

This was my favorite GSC review! You completely understand the magic of this game. I put so many hours into simply exploring forests, walking through and enjoying the towns, hunting for rare Pokémon, etc. Gold is special to me ❤️

As an Espeon fan from Madrid, I very much approve of your naming choices.

Jeez what's with this new Tamashii and why is she spitting fire like a Heatmor?

Just started playing silver on my bright green game boy color I got for Xmas 20yrs ago and this game feels perfect! I love that it keeps the day and time while you play, it feels like your in the world. Thanks for the video and the history it’s great.

I’m proud to say that I own HeartGold & SoulSilver.

I remember playing Heartgold not too long ago, and yeah, it was the remake, but what I'm about to talk about could also happen in the original Gen 2 games. I had just beat Bugsy and was ready to move on to Goldenrod. But then, I got a call from that Bug Catcher who gives you Berries. Also, Togepi hatched shortly after that, so I was like "oh, whatever, let's get those berries and show the Prof the baby." So backtracked all the way back to New Bark, got the Berries on the way, and even found one of the weekday siblings. I remember doing all that, and then stopping to think "huh. this feels familiar." And no, it didn't remind me of the original games. You know what it reminded me of? Breath of The Wild. Yeah, obviously it was on a much, much smaller scale, but...I had a clear goal (getting to Goldenrod), but then I was given a secondary goal (getting the Berries) which required me to go the completely opposite way, and then I got _another_ secondary goal (showing the Prof the Togepi), which required me to backtrack _even more_ and on that way, I found another quick side thing to do. And it just reminded me of playing Breath of the Wild, setting a primary goal, like doing a story quest, but then getting distracted from that goal by something like a tower, then getting distracted from _that_ by a shrine, then on the way to that shrine finding a chest or Korok seed... Really, it's the Johot games that make me think that Pokémon would not be that hard to make into an open world game. In fact, someone already did that. Look up "Pokémon Crystal Clear", a romhack that removes all the plot barriers like Sudowoodo and anything you need HMs for, lets you visit any place in both Johto and Kanto from the start (even restoring and adding some areas), and even allows you to challenge gym leaders in any order, since the strength of the trainers scales with the number of badges you have. And I think the fact that they chose the definitive Gen 2 for that was deliberate. As you said, Tamashii, the games give you interesting and fun things to do and discover almost everywhere. Honestly, if they don't go the Open World route for Pokémon Switch, I just hope they take more of an inspiration from Gen 2...

Imagine a modern Pokemon game making you pick up an invisible train part in a gym you've already been in

I love the additional scope this video gives, such as the background going on in Game Freak and tying back table-top roleplaying to the experience of Gold and Silver. Connecting it all back is so neat.

Thank you Tamashii for the years of stellar content on RU-vid. I have always appreciated your knowledge of anything Pokémon and always get excited to see new videos!

YESSSS I've been waiting for this video! :D So excited!

omg you look fantastic

Thoroughly enjoyed this in-depth review of one of my favorite games growing up.

I'm so happy to see you upload again, I've been a long time watcher and your videos have always served to bring a smile to my face. Thanks for this one

Tamashii only shows up once in a blue moon these days, but it’s always exciting to see a new video from her.

I was still Playing Yellow Version when Gold and Silver Came out. However, when Crystal rolled around. I got it that day with money I earned by Mowing lawns. It was worth it. It was better than expected. I even skipped school one day, just to play it! My only gripe with Crystal? NO MAREEP!!! Ugh... Anyways... Thank you for this amazing video. Subscribed!

Well done review, you’ve basically summed a lot of my feelings of Pokémon as a whole, the fun isn’t about grinding to me but always going on that adventure and problem solving it your way with your team, I always loved Pokémon for how you’re journey was unique to everyone else’s journey and how you’re able to fill in The gaps as the story progresses I truly hope someday they return to the nonlinear

It has been some years since the last time I've watched one of your videos. Man, I'm glad YT recommended this one to me. Simply wonderful.

Gen II is still my favorite generation

You managed to articulate what I love about Gen 2 in a way I didn’t even know myself. You’re so right, the immersion is genuine. When I was a kid I felt like I was actually in the Pokémon world. I would listen to the radio for Oak’s show and spend hours giving my Pokémon vitamins and haircuts to make them love me more. There are still aspects of the new games that emulate this experience but Gen 2 is still the peak, and being able to find unique ways to face the challenges it presents is always a great time.

So much nostalgia. This review was spot on!

Video was beautifully done! I'm happy your back in the saddle doing videos again. Keep up the amazing videos please!

As someone who has watched your videos for 8 years, I’m so excited to see you continue to create the content you love!

You have evolved too, unlike a lot of RU-vidr reviewers that just press B. Great review. Very well thought out and you brought out a lot of great points. Didn't realize that Colosseum 2 would have been part of the core Gen 2 experience. Makes me kind a wanna find a copy of it and and reset my cart of Gold with that game in mind.

It's rare that I'll watch a 34 minute video from start to finish on a youtube channel that I've never seen before, but you managed to keep me interested the whole 34 minutes and for that I subscribe. Looks like you just came back recently too so I look forward to whatever else you produce in the near future. :) P.S. Gold, Silver, and Crystal was by far my favourite gen of Pokemon

Wow, I wasn’t aware of this video until now. I really enjoyed it! Thank you! I even let the ads run and all.

At first I was a bit conflicted that this review wasn't very traditional (As in, you didn't go through the aspects of the game, like Pokemon, characters, story, region, etc.) but rather focused on the aspect you thought made these games unique, but honestly, it was very fresh, somehow nostalgic, and eye opening. But it did confirm my "bias" that Pokemon really is extremely dynamic and everybody has a completely different reason for playing. For example, I play Pokemon for the Pokemon themselves, the way they are integrated into the world and the bonds I form with my team, and even the characters. Gen 7 simply seemed to do that for me more than any other gen. All the Pokemon had some sort of lore, you encounter them in the over world in appealing and immersive ways (like Totem Pokemon) and USUM were without a doubt the most difficult Pokemon games I've ever played (in terms of straight up battling) so when my Pokemon defeated a totem or Ultra Necrozma, it felt satisfying af. On the other hand, the fact that in Johto, most of the Pokemon are from Kanto and the team building isn't very dynamic AND a good amount of new Pokemon are only accessible during the post game isn't very appealing to me. Kids simply wouldn't play a Pokemon game like Gold and Silver where the gratification isn't instant, and why would they when all the other games are available... for free? Even I can't rack up 300 hours on a Pokemon game in my adult life. I wish I could, but I can't. I definitely don't think tutorials and hand-holding is the way to go, but it just doesn't impede my experience cause the reason I've played Pokemon for so long, the Pokemon, has never gone away. Like you said, we westerners weren't introduced to Pokemon through the RPG aspects, but rather the Anime. I loved the Pokemon I saw, so being the trainer I've always wanted to be was why I played. Not the over world obstacles. I wanted the RPG elements, which are still present in the game. Not the JRPG elements. (although I'm not apposed to them, just explaining why I'm still a fan of the newest Gen) I'm still connecting with my team. Still role playing. Even in Let's Go Pikachu. While it's far from my favorite Pokemon game, I actually bonded with my Pokemon in that game, more than any other. I'm very optimistic when it comes to Gen 8.

Tamashii uploaded a video? I've never closed the bible so fast

so happy to see you again!! you are truly one of my favorite youtubers ever and ive watched your videos for YEARS! great video like always!!🖤🖤

This is absolutely amazing, great work. I never saw the games in this light before, but it's really changed the way I think of Pokemon as a series.

Ur bacccccccccccccc Like legit that sinnoh review immortalized ur content for me

I'm deployed overseas and this made my day 😭 so happy to see you another video from you again

This opened my mind more about Johto and the Pokemon series, in general. This is fantastic. Good job!

This is probably one of the most thoughtful video game reviews on RU-vid. I have often thought about a lot of these things, and wonder why nobody talks about them. Great video.

You mentioned the internal clock playing a role but never had to emphasize how Gen 2 introduced new mechanics that are integral to competitive play to this day, such as hold items and gender/breeding. The games introduced new Types, Shinies, rebattles, and made some quality of life changes like the bag and PC improvements, move deleter, select shortcuts. It's a huge leap from Gen 1 even if it visually doesn't look so. It's part of why I love this Gen's games and their remakes. You managed to tell a new perspective on Gen 2 I never thought of before and I appreciate that.

I’m so glad you created another really in depth review of a Pokémon game. Your analysis is well thought out and researched, and while there is a bit of bias, it never takes away from the points you make. Great job! :)

Thank you, your video has truly inspired me to change my mindset with playing my most beloved pokemon game. Love you and your videos 😁

Been watching since the draw my life video, really love this new format of video it's nice to see one of the OG Pokemon channels still alive

man as someone who started with gen 3 this video was really enlightening and made me appreciate the older games way more, thanks tamashii!

Every second of this review was perfectly executed painting a very clear picture of what these games really are past the fan base. Wow well done.

Thankyou, thankyou so much for putting this out in the most beautiful way possible this is exactly what i think about pokemon generation 2 but never been able to put in words and such a cohesive narrative that is both objective, straightforward and enjoyable to listen and watch thankyou

When I saw the duration of this video I said Wow! But, honestly, I could talk hours about this generation. Johto is my favorite region in the pokemon world. Pokemon gold/silver was my gift for my 11th birthday. Colors, the history, beautiful sprites, 2 regions in 1 game, Game Freak really made a fantastic job. Thanks for the video 💕

Exactly! These were the games that REALLY got me into Pokémon because of how much effort and time you had to put into it. I remember I had a friend who had Silver and I had Gold. We would see each other in school and see how much we had advanced since you had to do it little by little to actually enjoy it. Like you said, like a MMO.

YOUR ALIVE!😭 I LOVE YOU AND YOUR CHANNEL SO MUCH SO IM VERY HAPPY YOUR HERE!👍

i can taste the effort you put into this video and i appreciate it.

Good to see you have new content after quietly eyeing your channel for months.

Crystal means so much to me for a variety of reasons, and for years it was my favorite Pokémon game, only till HG/SS came out duh. What a pleasant video to watch and remember all the good memories I had with the game. I re-bought it recently (despite owning SS) and it's one of the best nostalgia trips I could ever have :D I actually never realized how important Stadium 2 was for the experience. Makes me wanna go do some funky emulation stuff and try the whole experience as an adult now.

Wow. The amount of love in this video is insane. As someone who doesn’t find long RPGs appealing, this makes me want to try this game. Everything in this video was masterfully created and elaborated on to a point where there’s so much content here, that I feel like I should have been taking notes! I wish there was an abridged version of this video called “How to play Generation 2 Pokémon” since this video has so much advice to follow, that I’d never remember it all.

Your reviews are just so awesome! I'm going to replay through Crystal now!!!

Great video, it's good to see another upload from you

SHE EMERGES

Man I'm only 11 minutes in and I'm already moved. I miss when I played Pokemon relegiously and watched videos like yours and others who were so dedicated to sharing what made these games so fun and captivating. I really appreciate the time and dedication you put into making this video so well thought out and provoking.

This was a phenomenal review! You have grown so much, and your videos display this progress! Improvement is always welcome and in this case... this video was amazing! So informative and funny!

I'll always have a soft spot for this game, mainly because of that one time I caught Raikou when he was at full health with just a Pokeball. Still one of my favorite gaming moments.

I’ve always cherished Gen 2 for nostalgia, but never really understood why other older fans loved it so much. This genuinely opened my eyes to a game I’ve been “playing wrong” for a good 20 years. I’m definitely more of a story-driven, long-play kind of RPG fan, so it being designed for shorter, daily bursts makes a LOT more sense now. Not sure why I didn’t connect the dots sooner. Amazing video, super insightful, well-constructed and edited, and very funny! (I laughed out loud at “nice”).

Dude your shelves are awesome.

"Polished" *laughs in PC cloning glitch* But seriously, cloning the Master Ball was helpful for those blasted roaming dogs. 😂

Yay! Good to have you back

The White Treehollow and Black Tower of BW2 I think did the job of teaching the player how to play strategically very well, with them having well thought out trainers that initially were much lower levels than yours and could thus be brute-forced, but soon shot up levelwise and forced you to strategize as well (and better) than they did. That said, it was in the post game, but considering the battle train, online features and otherwise massive post game of BW2 it still built up and guided the player into this more advanced playing style, and learning to optimize. It's sad this has been replaced by the single Battle Maison/Battle Tree in the later games, that have a much higher entry point and where it isn't even demonstrated that being over-leveled isn't the best strategy.

This is one of the finest and most enlightening videos on one of my most treasured games ever. Thank you for this magnificent work of art.

Excellent review, Tamashii. I agree entirely. You've helped me better understand just why I love these games so much, so thank you. Here's hoping they take more inspiration from Gen 2 for Gen 8 and onward.

This is the best summary of Gen 2 I’ve ever seen @Tama Hiroka

I'm excited for everyone to get to watch this and see their reactions!! Also, something to note for anyone paying close attention to the music, in the "Under the Hood" section, a remix of "My Favorite Things" plays in the background. It's a really nice touch and exemplifies that those RPG mechanics are the driving force behind all that I love about this game as well! All around, a wonderful video~!

held items introduced berries introduced internal clock and time based evolution mechanics introduces breeding introduced 16 gym 2 regions in one cartridge roaming Pokemon introduced 28 versions of one pokemon introduced (unown) Crystal introduces pokemon animations when a pokemon comes out of its ball Gold Silver Crystal are the GREATEST ADVANVEMENT in the development in Pokemon

it´s so awesome the way you explain Gen2, i startet with pokemon yellow when it first came out and never had a chance to play Gold, Silver or Crystal, until a few months ago. Your review took me back when you had to play under a lamp.

Wow, I completely agree with this video, as I played the remakes like this and it felt so much more rewarding than a lot of people tend to describe the experience. Heck, I loved running around so much that I still haven't beaten it and I have over 400+ hours. It's really nice to see appreciation for these games in this way

I think I'm going to have to pickup a copy of Pokemon Stadium 2, so I can get the full experience.

You are also not kidding. As someone who played crystal this year, it holds up so well.

Great video! I haven’t played silver since it first came out. May have to go back and revisit. Thank you for being so passionate about Pokémon.

Love everything you had to say about gen 2. I was totally looking for some reasons why I love the game so much and I got them.