(Gold Version Begining)
 
                                                  Information About the Games

 
                All you Pokémaniacs out there 
                 are going to have to accept it –
                the Pokémon priority is in
                Japan. They've had Pokémon
                Red, Blue and Green (not
                released here) for a few years
                now, and Pokémon Yellow
                since last October. And just
                after we get Pokémon Yellow
                this October, they're going to
                get Pokémon Gold and Silver,
                a whole new Pokémon
                adventure -- and the first
                Pokémon sequel to have new
                Pokémon to capture and trade.

                Features

                    .More than 100 new
                    Pokemon unique to the
                    series
 
                   .New items including the
                    Pokegear
 
                    .Real-time RPG using
                    internal clock
 
                    .Game Boy Printer support
                    For Game Boy and Game
                    Boy Color

                The game starts off very similar
                to Red, Blue and Yellow, with
                the only exception that you enter
                the current time when you
                switch the game on for the first
                time. From here, you're taken
                through the usual intro
                sequences where you enter your
                name and meet up with
                Professor Oak (Okido, in the
                Japanese version) in his lab.
                Like in Red and Blue, you are
                asked to pick one of three
                Pokéballs that contain three
                completely new Pokémon:
                Waninoko, a crocodile-like
                water creature, Chicoreeta, a
                grass Pokémon who seems to
                have borrowed Marge
                Simpson's necklace and
                Hinoarashi, a fire Pokémon (the
                one on the picture at the top). I picked Hinoarashi, #155,
                by the way. Hinoarashi is best translated as "Firestorm",
                but expect the US version of #155 to have a more
                trademarkable name.

                After going through the game basics and picking up
                medicine, you leave the lab and explore the town. The
                first thing you will notice is how much more vibrant the
                colors are in this game, despite the fact that it's
                backwards compatible with the regular Game Boy.
                Everything here looks a lot prettier than in the only
                partially colored Pokémon Yellow. A quick look at the
                world map confirms that this game is not a rehash of the
                original Pokémon titles. It's a new game, with new
                characters, new Pokémon and a completely new quest.

                The story is the usual "you're a Pokémon trainer bound
                for glory" stuff, but there are numerous surprises and
                side quests that make this game stand out from its
                predecessors. For example, you can now get fruit from
                strange-looking plants that will heal your Pokemon,
                serve as antidote to poison, and so on. After a brief
                encounter with your new adversary (the default name in
                Pokémon Gold is "Silver" -- although he doesn't tell you
                his name when you first bump into him) you will also
                find a Pokémon egg. Once you bring it to Professor
                Utsugi, another local Pokémon expert, he will freak out
                and call it the greatest discovery in Pokémon history.
                You already know what this little find is all about, right?
                That's right, Pokémon breeding.

                Although the game contains all of the original Pokémon
                from the last game, it doesn't take long before you run
                into new creatures. Some of the Pokémon we
                encountered include Otachi (#161), a badger-like
                fuzzball with bunny ears, Usokki, a walking tree, Eipam,
                a monkey with a hand attached to its tail, Hanekko, a
                turnip thingy, Marill, Donfar and Togepi -- which you
                may have seen in the Pokémon movie, and a little yellow
                something that's sure to rival Marill and Pikachu as the
                new favorite. Its name is Pichu -- a pre-Pikachu-type
                electric Pokemon.

                Like in the previous games, you will encounter Pokémon
                in high grass and dungeons. Battles start with a similar
                "wipe" screen effect as before, but the actual battle
                graphics are much improved. Attack and capture
                animations now look a lot better and your Pokémon no
                longer looks pixelated when it appears in the lower left
                corner. The music is likewise new. Another
                improvement is the addition of an on-screen experience
                bar in the lower right corner of the screen. When you
                gain experience points, the bar will fill up until it's full.
                Once that happens, your Pokémon gains a level and the
                bar will clear and fill with the rest of the points you
                gained.

                But that's not the only upgrade. Once you press the Start
                Menu, you get this impressive list:

                    Pokédex: Similar to the old one, but with better
                    graphics and more colors. You don't have it when
                    you start off, but it's a cinch to get.
                    Pokémon: Your six own Pokémon. This is where
                    you arrange and organize them for battle, just like
                    the original.
                    Rucksack: Cool. You keep all your items and
                    goodies in a new backpack with four compartments.
                    You can switch between the different compartments
                    by pressing left or right.
                    Pokégear: This is another awesome new addition.
                    This gadget doesn't do much in the beginning, but
                    once you progress through the game, you can access
                    the map here and even use a cell phone to call up
                    Prof. Oak, your mother or friends you have met on
                    your quest.
                    Status: Your trainer's status, including badges you
                    have won, etc.
                    Report: Save your game. You can save anywhere
                    you like.
                    Settings: Adjust everything from message speed to
                    the battle animations. You can even set the audio to
                    stereo.

                Pokémon Gold/Silver is not just a tweaked version of
                Pokémon Red and Blue with new creatures – there are
                new features to this adventure. All Pokémon in the game
                will be assigned a gender, either male or female. When
                you breed a male and female Pokémon, it will net an egg
                -- which Pokémon you've bred will affect how the
                Pokémon grows, as well as what abilities and attacks it
                will have as it gains experience in battle. Pokémon can
                also utilize weapons and items that you've acquired
                during the adventure.

                One of the coolest features, though, is the fact that the
                game will be real-time. As you play the game, the day
                will turn to night and night into day at the appropriate
                times, thanks to the "time" option you set at the beginning
                of the game. The game will also have real-time events
                based on the battery-backed clock – meaning you'll have
                to complete the event before the specified time. Some
                Pokémon will only come out at night – like the owl
                Hoo-Hoo. So if you want to catch them all, you have to
                stay up late to do it.

                Like Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Gold and Silver
                will restrict which Pokémon you can capture – Pokémon
                Gold will have creatures that you cannot capture in
                Pokémon Silver, and vice versa. The only way you'll
                catch them all is if you trade between the two versions.
                You can also trade with players with Red, Green, Blue,
                and Yellow, but those gamers cannot trade for the newer
                creatures in Pokémon Gold and Silver.

                Sadly, Pokémon Gold and Silver won't be released in
                the US until September 2000, but in Japan you'll be able
                to get your hands on them in November '99. Check out
                the great video and screenshots below.

                Note: If you're planning to buy the Japanese import
                release of Gold/Silver which came out on November 21,
                be warned that this game contains a lot of Japanese text.
                Although kanji are not used, you should at least be able
                to read hiragana and katakana and have basic
                understanding of the Japanese language to enjoy it.