By Chase Stevens ’12
The Roundup

Many have played and loved “Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal,” keeping the good parts of “Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow” while also adding new and original content.

“Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver,” the remakes of “Gold, Silver and Crystal,” do not disappoint.

I played HeartGold, mainly because Ho-oh, the mascot of both “Pokémon Gold” and “HeartGold,” is pretty darn cool.

The differences between the two are minor — the only thing that is changed is which legendary Pokémon you encounter first, Lugia or Ho-oh, and there are about 10 different Pokémon that are exclusive to each game. Other than that, they are identical.

“Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver” are made for the DS, meaning you can play them if you have a Nintendo DS, a DS Lite, or a DSi.

The remake starts off as any other Pokémon game would – choosing between one of the three starter Pokémon. The starters are the same from Gold, Silver and Crystal. Totodile is the water type, Cyndaquil is the fire type and the grass type is Chikoritra.

I chose Chikorita and went to town.

The graphics are a major step up from the original. The style is nearly identical to “Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum” with colorful sprites, 3D characters and beautiful backgrounds.

The plot is the same as every other Pokémon game – capture and train Pokémon, then battle to beat the eight gym leaders and defeat the Elite Four.

A returning feature from the original “Gold, Silver and Crystal” is the additional eight gym leaders, bringing up the total to 16. Players defeat the eight leaders made for “Gold, Silver and Crystal” then go on to battle the other eight gym leaders from “Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow.”

One original feature that stands out is the Pokéathlon. The Pokéathlon is a collection of minigames where players can makes teams of three with their Pokémon. They can choose between five different tournaments: the speed cup, the power cup, the skill cup, the stamina cup and the jump cup.

Different Pokémon have different stats for each event, therefore choosing the right Pokémon is crucial.

When you compete in the Pokéathlon, you get points for competing, and even more for winning.

There are different rewards every day of the week for winning, ranging from potions to rare candy, which raises your Pokémon’s level.

Most of the events are fun, yet a few have bad controls, such as the “Pennant Capture” event and “Goal Roll,” which makes an otherwise fun addition somewhat frustrating.

A feature that returns from later Pokémon games is the Battle Frontier. The Battle Frontier is a place unlocked once you beat the Elite Four. There you can battle competitively against trainers who have more balanced and strategic teams of Pokémon rather than just have one type of Pokémon.

The Battle Frontier holds five different kinds of battles, ranging from one Pokémon challenges to a kind of tournament where you have to use rented Pokémon instead of the ones you have caught and raised.

If you do well enough in any of the events of the Battle Frontier, you earn points. With these points you can buy new moves for you Pokémon or items to boost their stats.

It is a nice change of pace once you’ve beaten the Elite Four a hundred times.

They also have introduced some of the newer Pokémon evolutions into the game,

The only downside is the fact that it is a remake. Even though there are some new bells and whistles, that doesn’t change the fact that this is still the same game that people have been playing for the past 10 years.

I recommend this game to people who like Pokémon games, or to newcomers of the franchise, as it is a good game. However, if you have any doubt in your mind about purchasing it, stay away.

Overall, I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5.