Gold, Silver and Crystal Playthrough

Pokémon Silver is the first Pokémon game I've ever played, and looking out to the sea in Cherrygrove City is one of my first Pokémon memories (and the inspiration behind the name for this website).

I didn't own many Pokémon games as a child, Pokémon Silver and Pokémon FireRed being the only ones I had from the Game Boy era. The rest I borrowed from kind friends, who let me play their Sapphire version while I watched in awe as they used Espeon and Umbreon to make their way through Pokémon Colosseum on the GameCube.

I was too young for Pokémon Red and Blue when they came out and I don't remember ever completing Pokémon Silver when I eventually got it for Christmas, years after it was released. I remember the shock from a random encounter with Entei on Route 39, attempting to navigate Dark Cave without Flash (terrible idea), and being forever stuck on the Radio Tower door puzzle. I may have got to the Hall of Fame at some point, but I doubt I ever caught Lugia or beat Red.

Then, many years later, as soon as I had access to a little disposable income, I got a Nintendo 2DS with Pokémon Ultra Sun and a virtual copy of Pokémon Silver. Despite my dislike for the console, I completed Silver – and, a few years later, Crystal, as well. The Virtual Console games were particularly attractive because they could (and still can, as of 2024) connect to Pokémon Bank, so I had never had a strong desire to go back to the Game Boy Color, a console I never owned.

Following AbsolBlogsPokemon's inspiring Professor Oak challenge, the Generation 2 itch came back. In the past, it was quickly quashed by the idea of having to play on the 2DS Virtual Console. However, this time, I had recently purchased a modded Game Boy Advance (backlit and rechargeable) and there was suddenly an option to get a modded Game Boy Color and re-live the OG Johto experience – minus the eye strain and battery waste. So the eBay hunt began and, in Autumn 2024, I started two brand-new playthroughs of Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver.

The exciting premise of this new adventure is that because these Pokémon will likely never leave these games (as there is no direct connection to Generation 3, Pokémon Bank, or HOME), I will ignore many of my usual self-imposed restrictions around legendary or one-time encounter Pokémon. Often I will either not catch them (what if I want to shiny hunt them later!) or catch them and transfer them up to train them "properly" in later generations. With this playthrough, I instead plan to catch them and (sacrilege!) add them to my team.

There are multiple reasons why I started two games at once – I want to take advantage of the bonus EXP from traded Pokémon, ensure access to a wider pool of version exclusive Pokémon I wouldn't normally use, and have the option to get trade evolutions.

While this is a pretty vanilla run – the only restriction being to stick to Generation 2 Pokémon – my aim is to revisit this generation and all it has to offer rather than set myself a particular challenge.

A rolling list of things I would like to go back and do eventually:

• Go back and collect important Pokégear numbers (frustratingly, the Pokégear has very limited memory when it comes to numbers)

• Collect all the TMs and teach them to key team members before important battles