Heart Gold and Soul Silver: A review

Now, for all of you that read the title and thought, "Oh great. He's gonna rant on how awesome/lame the new pokemon games are," you are each sadly mistaken. I am here to deliver an unbiased review and overview of the old and new that these titles offer. Yes, I'll admit I'm somewhat of a Pokemaniac myself, but I can appreciate the games' little nuances that most other rabid fans will overlook.

The first thing, and most obvious, is that this game received a major facelift, both in body and sound.Yes, those who have played Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum already know what to expect graphic-wise, but the sound is the meat of the renovations. The soundtracks are familiar to those who know the Gameboy Color grandparents, but there is a noticeable, somewhat elegant arrangement of the classics, especially with the additional drum riff in the "Wild Pokemon" track.

The next feature that deserves note is the new "Pokewalker" accessory that comes free with the game. After you learn to capture pokemon, the option to send your pokemon to the little device is activated. Anyone remember Pokemon Pikachu? This is practically the same thing, although instead of presents you spend your watts on finding wild pokemon to capture, or rustle through grass to find different items from Potions to Technical Machines and everything in between.
From personal experience, I have even found the Big Pearl and Stardust items while dousing, both items that are virtually useless in training or battles but are worth serious coin when sold to shops.

Possibly the best benefit to using the Pokewalker is obtaining rare pokemon early in the game, as the game treats all captured Pokewalker 'mons as your own. Imagine, having a Magby before you get to Bugzy, or a heavy hitting Kangaskhan to mop up Team Rocket, even before you make it to Violet City? It's possible with this little marvel. My only complaint is that you cannot nickname your Pokewalker additions until you get to Goldenrod and meet the Name Rater.

Overall, I say it's a good addition to the family. Get it if you're feeling nostalgic, or if you're new to the games, and enjoy.