POKEMON GENERATION TWO REVIEW As it stands right now, the Pokemon franchise is
huge. With over 20 games in the main series and more than 50 spinoffs, it's safe to say it's a very popular franchise. But is it any good? Well hopefully, I can give you enough of my own opinions on the series so you can come to your own conclusion. Starting with the first generation I will be reviewing each generation of Pokemon, listing the positives, negatives and my own personal thoughts on each game. There are lots of things I like and lots of things I don't, and that's what I'm here to tell you. Let's get on with the review.
Overview and historyWith the very first episode the Pokemon anime, fans got a glimpse of what was to come in the future of the series. The protagonist Ash looked up in wonder at a dazzling sight soaring above him in the sky, a then-unknown flying Pokemon, shimmering in gold high above him. Speculation was rampant, people had no idea what it was. Fortunately, with the release of the second generation of Pokemon in 1999 (2000 in areas outside of Japan) people got their answer. With 100 new Pokemon added for players to discover and battle, fans were eager to jump feet-first right back into the colourful world of Pokemon and get stuck into a new adventure. With lots of new features and sights to see, the game was quite a big leap forward at the time of its release. Was it any good? Let's find out.
GameplayThe gameplay is pretty much identical to the previous games and has remained that way ever since. Battles are still turn-based with each trainer sending out a Pokemon to fight their opponent. Using Generation 1 as a stepping stone, it was in Generation 2 that Gamefreak began to build on the basics and refine the gameplay into something a bit deeper with more features. For starters, Pokemon could now hold items during battle. From stat-boosting items to status-healing berries, held items could tip the balance in the player's favor if they chose the right ones. Another change was that Pokemon now had genders. Most Pokemon could be either a male or a female and while this didn't have a major overall impact on the gameplay, it still made the creatures seem just a bit more personalized. The addition of genders was necessary due to another new feature; breeding. In the game is a day care center where the player can leave two Pokemon of opposing genders with the hope that they will produce an egg. The player can have the egg in their party where it will take up one slot, until the player takes enough in-game steps which will result in the egg hatching into a low-levelled version of the parents. Through breeding, players can pass special moves and abilities down to Pokemon that they would not usually be able to learn. It was during this Generation that Gamefreak planted the seeds that would eventually grow into the competitive aspect of Pokemon years later. A friendship feature was also added, causing Pokemon to like or dislike you more based on how much you used them and how well you treated them.
A day/night cycle was implemented in the game, with certain Pokemon only being available in the day and vice versa.
In addition to the existing Pokemon types, Generation 2 would add two new types: Dark and Steel. Because the Psychic type was so overwhelming in Generation 1, these new types were introduced as a way of countering it. No longer would Pokemon like Mewtwo dominate every single battle. Alongside the new types, 100 entirely new Pokemon were added, bringing new attacks and abilities to battle.
Due to the advancement in technology the games were able to be a lot more colourful than the previous generation. Due to the Gameboy Colour's better graphic capabilities, a new minor, if memorable feature was added: Shiny Pokemon. Starting with this generation, each Pokemon encountered had a very slim chance of having a different colour palette to its usual one. For example Gyarados was commonly blue, whereas its shiny form was red. The difference was purely cosmetic but since the chance of encountering one was incredibly rare, successfully catching one was a special occasion that was sure to instill some self pride.
The game's narrative is again driven by a plot involving the player stopping Team Rocket while they try to enact their nefarious schemes. The events of this game take place three years after those of the previous game, and after their crushing defeat at the hands of Red, Team Rocket moved to the region of Johto and attempted to return to their former evil glory. It's up to you to stop them once and for all. Along the way you will again challenge and defeat 8 gym leaders before taking on the Pokemon League. Near the start of the game you must pick from one of three starter Pokemon to accompany you on your adventure and like the previous game, there's a nice variation between the three.
There is a new antagonist in the game who will appear at inopportune times to challenge you to a fight. Starting off as a real jerk of a character, your rival will mellow out over the course of the game before realizing that he needs to change and even becomes friendly towards the player. Out of all the games I still think he was the best rival.
Differences between gamesLike the previous generation, there is little difference between the two games apart from exclusive Pokemon that you can encounter. A third edition of the game titled Crystal was later released, featuring some new additions such as the inclusion of a female playable character for the first time and a new subplot featuring the legendary Pokemon, Suicune.
Pros and ConsPros-The bag is now split into multiple sections for Pokeballs, Berries, Moves and Key Items. This makes sorting through it for items much, much easier and smoother. You will no longer have to worry about getting rid of Pokeballs because you had too many TMs.
-The new features such as breeding and happiness were a welcome addition that added more options for players to customize their teams. They would later play an important part in the competitive aspect of the game.
-The addition of Dark and Steel types brought some much needed balance to the game. Both types resisted Psychic attacks so players could stand a chance against other trainers who used such types.
-Some awesome new Pokemon designs were added. While some seem a bit forgettable, there were a lot of really good new ones. My personal favorites are Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Lugia, Tyranitar and Scizor.
-The game had an expansive postgame that allowed the player to return to the Kanto region from the previous games and take on an extra 8 gyms. Having the entire region available to explore added hours of extra gameplay and players must have been shocked to arrive there!
-Again, the music is memorable. Tracks such as Goldenrod City, Violet City and the Lance battle really stand out.
Cons-The day/night cycle came with an addition to the game cartridges that will cause it to no longer work due to a problem with the internal battery. This makes it difficult to play a working copy properly.
-Though the addition of Kanto was a fantastic and unexpected addition, it does feel quite bare compared to what it used to be. Some areas are shortened and more condensed, while others are completely closed off and inaccessible. While the inclusion of Kanto was nice, I wish there was more to do there.
-The breeding system added new Pokemon to the Pokedex that I feel are quite pointless. Baby Pokemon such as Smoochum and Pichu just exist as Pokedex filler and I don't think they needed to be added. I love Elekid's design though.
ConclusionA much-needed improvement over the previous games, Generation 2 was a positive step forward for the Pokemon series. Like the first Generation, Gen 2 introduced new features that would lay the groundwork for familiar features further down the line that we are used to today. While it is definitely an improvement over Generation 1, the game might still feel a little awkward to play to fans who are more used to the newer games. Generation 2 was everything a sequel should be. They could have easily dropped the ball and created a new Pokemon game filled with forgettable creatures and poorly implemented features, but they succeeded in crafting yet another enjoyable RPG that you could sink hours and hours into.
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