25 years ago, Pokemon Gold and Silver caught four Hoothoot with a Pokeball

Key insights

• Gen 2 of Pokemon introduced key features like 100 new Pokemon, day/night cycles, breeding, and new types like Dark and Steel.
• Breeding in Gen 2 allowed for competitive creatures, shiny Pokémon debuted, and Dark/Steel-types changed the battle dynamic.
• Hero Items in Gen 2 revolutionized the series by providing additional effects in battles and now play a large role in competitive gameplay.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the original release of Pokémon Gold and Silver in Japan, at the top of the Pokémon The series reaches new heights thanks to improved gameplay, additional features and a variety of exclusive animals from the Johto region. Second generation games were arguably a leap of improvement Pokémon Red and Blue as well as Pokémon Yellowand this is largely thanks to the addition of new elements that ultimately defined the gameplay loop of the entire franchise. Some of the biggest stars of the show were the new 100 Pokémon added to the roster, some of which were only available at certain times, such as: Pokémon Gold and Silver Introduction of a day and night cycle.

This feature alone defined some of the series' greatest moments. This can be seen by the fact that the Gen 2 Eeveelutions Espeon and Umbreon required leveling up in day and night respectively to rotating days for Mirage Island to appear in Gen 3. Time and the day and night cycle also played a big role Pokémon Games since the release of Gen 2, four additional features from Pokémon Gold and Silver completely reimagines what the series can achieve.

Pokémon like Hoothoot and Noctowl were designed with the day and night cycle in mind.

All new features in Pokémon Gold and Silver explained

Pokémon Gold and Silver added several new features. These are:

• 100 new Pokémon, including the first-ever Baby Pokémon
• In-game clock and day/night cycles
• Pokemon genders and Pokemon breeding
• Friendship levels and friendship-based developments
• Shiny Pokémon, alongside the iconic red Gyarados
• The Pokerus
• New Pokémon types – Dark and Steel
• Berries
• Retained Items

The biggest new additions are probably breeding, shiny Pokémon, Dark and Steel as new types and held items. In some way, shape or form these four characteristics became pillars of what the Pokémon Series is today.

Pokemon breeding was a godsend for the series

For a long time, breeding Pokémon was the main (if not the only) way to get competitive animals. Breeding is not just a fun mechanic with many intricacies, such as: B. the grouping of creatures into different egg groups and the fact that some items held affect IVs, but it also started in Pokémon Gold and Silver as a way to obtain baby Pokémon and Shinies. In Gen 2, if players were lucky enough to use DVs, they could get eggs with a 1 in 64 chance that the resulting Pokemon would be Shiny – something that later games didn't have, as Shiny Pokemon weren't tied to DVs or IVs.

For breeding purposes, 1st and 2nd generation games had a different concept of IVs, called DVs, with the 2nd generation converting the original four DVs into five by splitting “special” into “special attack” and “special defense”, but it was still counted as a single DV.

The red Gyarados from Pokémon Gold and Silver is still one of the most iconic shinies 25 years later

Much like breeding, Shiny Pokémon quickly became a big deal within the series, although they weren't always as easy to obtain as in modern titles, with tools like the Shiny Charm or Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's sandwich shine hunting method. Pokémon Gold and Silver were pioneers in this regard and included a fixed encounter with red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage, with the animal always being shiny, male and level 30. Even after 25 years, shiny Pokémon are still one of the most popular aspects of the series, with exclusive events even dedicated to rare shiny legendary or mythicals.

How Dark and Steel-type Pokémon changed the series forever

Another groundbreaking feature of the 2nd generation games is the addition of two brand new types – Dark and Steel. This was originally intended to balance out the fighting aspect of the series and provide more variety. Additionally, some cross-generation evolutions were added for Onyx and Scyther with the Metal Coat, making them Steel-type Pokémon. The addition of Dark and Steel also opened up new possibilities for the many then-unexplored Pokémon type combinations, and both types remain among the best in modern gaming.

Steel-type Pokémon now have 10 resistances naturally after the Fairy-type was added in Gen 6, and also immunity, making them the best defensive type in the series. On the other hand, Dark-type Pokémon are arguably weaker when it comes to attack and defense, but they can usually pack a punch with their abilities and moves, which can have additional effects to thwart opponents' strategies.

How held items took Pokémon competitive battles to the next level

Last but not least, Gen 2 made a revolutionary change 25 years ago by adding “Hero Items.” Pokémon games. These are items that players can give to Pokémon to hold and that provide additional effects in or out of battle. For example, there are items that reduce the number of wild Pokémon that appear in tall grass, increase the amount of Pokedollars you receive after defeating trainers, or deal more damage to enemy creatures.

Now more than ever, Hero Items play a major role in competitive Pokémon battles. Regardless of competition, held items can be used for a variety of purposes, including evolving Pokémon, exchanging items with opposing creatures, throwing items to deal damage, and more. There are also abilities that allow Pokémon to find and hold items, which can be used as a way to make more Pokedollars. Pokémon can also carry berries and sometimes gain bonus effects in battle, such as: B. that they take less damage from attacks of a certain type or restore HP above a certain threshold. Overall, this is still a massive addition to Gen 2 games and worth celebrating 25 years later.