Intro
Now we get to the second generation of the Pokemon series. The games Gold, Silver, and Crystal continue from Gen 1 and gives us a new world to explore along with a revisit of an old world. People think this is the high point of the series and it went downhill from here. Is this really the case, is there nothing wrong with the games that I can't point out anything that might bug me... lets look.
Graphics
For the overworld graphics much as been recycled for these versions. While there some new sprites like the old towers and the headbutting trees, it isn't enough they could have done.
Pokemon sprites do far better than the Gen 1 sprites but even some of them have their mistakes, like Raikou if you check those out.
Like Yellow before it Crystal has some better graphics done than in Gold and Silver. Plus the first time animation is used on Pokemon sprites, simple yet is expanded on in later generations.
Plot
A squeal to the Gen 1 games set 3 years after the events of those games. Mainly the same as a boy in the same town as the Pokemon Lab is sent out on a quest to become a trainer at the age of ten. Though a bit more compelling than before. The rival has stolen a starter Pokemon on his own and is determined to become the strongest, even to have a grudge against Team Rocket though that plot doesn't go into dept until the Gen 1 remakes and leading to an event to the Gen 2 remakes. But this gives the rival a backstory as to why he is a jerk unlike the Gen 1 rival who was a prick for no real reason other than he's the rival so he has to be.
Team Rocket has rebuilt themselves and hold a better place than the last generation. While the fact that the leaders now are nameless and just a better looking grunts, it doesn't bug me that much. Team Rocket has gone through some get rich schemes by selling Slowpoke tails, devices to force Pokemon to evolve, and taking over a whole city to call back Giovanni. This ups the stakes but ends quickly in the game.
Another thing appealing about the Johto region is it's history. Ho-oh and Lugia are given much backstory to them and even the birth of the legendary beasts of the Johto region, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Better than Gen 1 since there isn't much history there with no tales of the legendary birds and Mewtwo is more of a modern legend in the games as to something in the far past as the Gen 2 Pokemon are.
For Pokemon Crystal the only thing added to the plot is the subplot with Suicune. Instead of it Roaming around like the other two beasts it can be spotted at certain points and is followed by the strange man named, Eusine. While not like the rival in the games he becomes your rival in obtaining the legendary Pokemon Suicune.
Gameplay
Types have been fixed up for this generation. Along with how some moves affect other types two new types have been added to the battle, Dark and Steel, to balance out the Psychic types more. This resulted in Magnemite and Magneton being Steel and Electric. Ghost and Bug types have been given some new moves, Shadow Ball and Fury Cutter. There is also Megahorn but in this gen it's Heracross's signature move.
It is in this generation that there is now Special Attack and Special Defence for the special moves. Giving a defence for those kinds of moves is better than what was confusing in the first generation. And honestly I still don't what to know how that worked, it's not important anymore.
Now there is more possibilities with items as Pokemon can hold them and when held the items can have powers over the battle. Like the Quick Claw giving a Pokemon a chance to attack first, or items that can increase the power of certain move types. That also leads to the first of berries in the games though their names are pretty unoriginal, only named for what they heal instead of being interesting. There are also new kinds of pokeballs in Gen 2. The new pokeballs are made by Kurt of Azalea Town from apricorns. In Gold and Silver Kurt can only make one a day, while in Crystal he can make multiple of one color apricorns he his given.
Pokegear, the first in a line of devices that the main character can get on their journey to help them. One function of it is to tell time, a new thing to the games. Certain Pokemon can be found in the morning, day, or night, along with some Pokemon evolving during a certain time as well, along with some events happening too. A map that works like the Town Map item. Another is a phone that keeps a few numbers which people can call you or you call them. Some might tell you of swarms or even rebattle you. In Crystal some might give you items. Only downside of the phone is that it can only have 10 numbers. The last function of the Pokegear is the Radio. Which does exactly what you think, having different channels which has information about Pokemon, music, the pokeflute even, and on Crystal a password channel that you can get prizes from.
The big steps to this game is breeding. Certain Pokemon of certain groups called Egg Groups can breed to have a baby Pokemon. The baby is always the form of the mother, but if Ditto is involved it could become the father instead. Some Pokemon can only be obtained by breeding, like Magby and Elekid. Pokemon can even gain moves too, called egg moves that they get from the father. They also can get level up moves if both parents know the move. Now scientifically this just wouldn't happen, since a child gaining more from the mother isn't how DNA works but I've seen worse fictional ways it works. It isn't a bad thing it's just that ridiculous. Anyways once you breed a Pokemon you get an egg that you have to hatch by walking, and Pokemon all have different number of steps before that is possible. But with breeding comes gender, as this time most Pokemon are given genders to make it possible and some Pokemon only have one gender or even no gender at all.
For the most part trading remains the same as the last generations, with some new ways of evolution by trading a Pokemon with an item on them. For example an Onix traded while holding onto a Metal Coat will evolve into Steelix. Trading is possible even with the Gen 1 games. With a Time Machine one can trade to 3 years ago. An impressive feet to the series and while connections between the generations can happen they have yet to live up to the standards here. Since Gen 1 doesn't have certain Pokemon and certain moves no new Pokemon can be sent to the Gen 1 games, same with old Pokemon with new moves. That is where the move deleter comes in to get ride of moves that shouldn't be there for the player. But with this and breeding one can send Pokemon one can't get get normally through the Gen 1 games, like a level 5 Cubone.
Happiness is also added in the game. Originally from Yellow with interactions with Pikachu, Gen 2 really gives the idea of a Pokemon being happy much more care. Many Pokemon now relay on happiness to evolve or to use the full power of Return. There is also the move Frustration that relays on the opposite of happiness to use full power. But evolution is the main detail of happiness.
The biggest thing added in terms of gameplay in Crystal is the Battle Tower a staple of all the games to come. Though in order to go through you needed your Pokemon at the exact level, if it's over then it will not enter. Minor additions include the Mover Tutor and the ability to be either male for female. The ability to pick gender was to be in Gen 1 but got rid of the idea until Crystal and was in every game since then.
Pokemon
The Pokemon of this Generation has been hinted at all the way back from the start of the anime with Ho-oh flying at the end of the first episode and Togepi coming along half way through the first region.
This has been the first time starters of a generation of Pokemon to have a pure type evolution sets, Gen 5 came close to that too... but we'll get to that down the line. Well seeing fully evolved starters as a single type was good and they are good Pokemon.
If there are any flaws it would be the number intruded and number of the new Pokemon types. This generation as yield the smallest number of new Pokemon at 100. Dark and Steel types both only had 6 Pokemon of that type during the generation. Technically 4 for the Steel types since Magnemite and Magneton were Gen 1 Pokemon and only Steel types after Gen 2 came out. Dragons and Ghost types also get the short end of the stick again with only one new Pokemon of those types added.
Since these games had more color than the last games they added the famous Red Gyarados and shiny Pokemon. Named for the sparkles and sound effects that happen when one appears. Gyarados is a given and while a Gen 1 Pokemon, Gen 2 made the Red Gyarados a mascot for all shiny Pokemon to future generations to come.
Pokemon Stadium 2
The last of the Stadium games, it had the basics the last game had with some updates. Giving people who liked the first Stadium or any of the games out on the Game Boy at the time to get this game. It had its moments that out did even the original.
Things have returned like the GB Tower, Gym Leader Castle, and Mini Games. Nothing has changed much as far as the Tower is concerned, aside from playing Gen 1 and Gen 2 games. The Gym Leader Castle is like a castle version of the gyms in the game like the first, though you get Team Rocket to drop by to wreck up your good time. And the Mini Games.... big improvements with these, aside from playing as Pokemon you can use your own from the Game Boy games, and doing good pockets some coins for the game corner. A new addition to Stadium 2 is the Academy and Room locations. Modeled from Earl's Pokemon Academy in Violet City, trainers can learn a lot here and even have test both multiple choice and battle. The Academy even has a Library with all kinds of information that one can get on the internet nowadays, but I would really like to see this kind of thing in other games at some point. And the Room I noted is a 3D rendering of how the hero's room looks like in Gold, Silver, or Crystal. Stadium 2 also has a Mystery Gift section that lets you get an item once as day without the use of another game like normal.
In terms of prizes there isn't much. To start with a pro there is the Move Relearner that can teach a forgotten move to a Pokemon you MUST have on the team when facing the Johto Elite 4. So yes the first of the move relearner that returns for many games, great since Pokemon that you can ONLY get at higher levels learn moves at lower ones. The cons are only 2 prize Pokemon, a Farfetch'd with Baton Pass and a Gligar with Earthquake. Though one can guess that the prizes from the last Stadium game doesn't matter that much with breeding involved in the game.
Replayability
Slightly better than Gen 1. Once you defeat the Elite 4 and Champion of Johto you are able to complete against the Kanto region Gym Leaders, and travel through the Kanto land. This is the main reason a lot of people regard Gen 2 as the best as it not only continues the story of Gen 1 but allows one to travel to the region as well. This is a feat that hasn't been repeated in any games later in the series (not counting the Gen 2 remakes). So with the inclusion of breeding, a few rematches, and the battle with Red at Mt Silver there is a good amount of extra stuff to keep you busy for a time.
Final Thoughts
Regarded as the best of the series this offered many changes to the series and it lives up to a good amount of that. But it hasn't reached that point that I could honestly call it perfect for the reasons stated in the blog. If anything the remakes that I'll get into the Gen 4 blog are far better than the old games.
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And to end the look at this generation we look at the best and worst of designs of Pokemon. Now a few things to note. Not all will be about appearance alone but how they are presented in the series. Also no Pokemon on the worst list can be explained through species of real life animals, take Beautifly for example, it is a butterfly like Butterfree but based on two different kinds. Also this list is hard to make, while some of my favorites are on the best list it goes by design. Last rule is that Pokemon may be grouped in one spot by family, or if they are part of a group (Ex: legendary trio thing), and of unrelated Pokemon might be together if they have something similar that bugs/fascinates me. Finally any Pokemon on my worst design list is not a Pokemon I hate.
Top 5 Worst and Best Pokemon Designs of Generation 2
Worst
5 Pupitar
A cocoon stage between Larvitar and Tyranitar. My question is why? Sure Larvitar has "larva" in its name but it isn't a larva exactly. But does Pupitar have to be some new looking Metapod for this to work?
4 Remoraid and Octillery
Not themselves but the fact that Remoraid evolving into Octillery is a a big design flaw. A fish evolving into an octopus is all kinds of WTF and makes no sense. There is no connection to them. At least for Pokemon like Magikarp evolving into Gyarados made some logic since it relates to a tale of a carp becoming a dragon, not true in any way but it's something. These two... what got into the creators' heads to think that a fish becoming an octopus was at all a smart idea?
3 Shuckle
One of the best when it comes to defense, sporting a 230 base stat for both defense and special defense. While usable in battle it isn't that great of a design. Heck it is called the Mold Pokemon, and why? It is most likely based off of mold, kind of a disgusting thought. It also has some style based off turtles as to why it behaves in a similar way. And if it does have that as a base as well it is kind of unappealing compared to the other turtle based Pokemon in the series.
2 Unown
To making the alphabet of the Pokemon world is one thing, but to make the letters alive for no real reason? And they only know one move? So not only does Unown not get a good source for their design but also given low stats and a poor move pool. If it had anything interesting for it in terms of moves maybe it wouldn't be so high on the list.
1 Wobbuffet
A cool Pokemon that I like even the design, but I will not deny that the design is terrible, possibly in a so bad it's good kind of way. Thinking about it, Wobbuffet could make the number 1 of all Pokemon in bad design. Researching on Bulbapedia, this Pokemon seems to be based on a Japanese comedian named Sapei Hayashiya who is known for putting his hand to his head, much like our friend here. Heck even it's Japanese name comes from the guy's trademark phrase, "That's the way it is." And it's ability to take hits might come from the other basis for Wobbuffet, a punching bag. So mixing a comedian with a punching bag yields a blueish blob with a black tail with eyes. Wow, imagine what would happen if they combine Abe Lincoln with a motorcycle!
Best
5 Girafarig
4 Heracross
Built to be tough though in its eyes make it kind of cute to me. Based on a rhinoceros beetle and the insect fights we get this one. Not a fan of the bug types Heracross comes off as a kind of Pokemon that is a badass with a heart of gold. Look into those eyes and tell me you don't feel the same.
3 Hoothoot and Noctowl
I think it's how these two have a sense of dignity to them. Owls have usually been a sign of intelligence, and you can see it well in the two. With Hoothoot being the first stage it is given a cute appearance but has a look of a thinker. When evolving into Noctowl it is almost given an air of nobility even though it isn't based around anything like that. While not a psychic type themselves they can do psychic type moves and look brighter than many psychic type Pokemon. Dare I say that Noctowl looks smarter than Mewtwo.
2 Raikou, Entei, and Suicune
It's the history of the legendary beasts that gets them here. Once Pokemon died in a fire of the tower, and Ho-oh with its power gave them new life as the first roaming Pokemon in the series. This story of rebirth for them is simple and great. Plus the order of them on the Pokedex also tells the story of the day they died and was reborn with Raikou being the lightning that started the fire of the tower, Entei being the fire that burned the tower to the ground, and Suicune as the northern winds that carried the rain that stopped the fire.
1 Smeargle
A beagle with an artist look to it, and it is the Jack of all Trades. And as someone who enjoys drawing and stuff, even make my own title cards the artist looks speaks to me. Yeah Mew can learn all TMs but Smeargle can learn all TMs and then some. While not having the best of stats anyone can work around that for a Pokemon that can pack a punch that you can't get with any other Pokemon. From being a One-Hit KO wonder to the perfect Pokemon to catch others this Pokemon is the one of the best. Also it can learn any move just by drawing it, so it can draw flames that become real or even draw up some wings to use fly.
Pokemon Art (c) Ken Sugimori
Information Source Bulbapedia
Great work as always, and great coverage on the generation that possibly did more to shape how the games are today than any other, with the only possible exception obviously being the original.
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