Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Speculation Thread
Even though the Japanese release is months away and there has been no info released so far other
than the titles, let's use this thread to speculate on what we think could possibly be in these games.
Confirmed Information
latest info in italics (July 15th Update)
(Small update on Aug 3)
Here are the things that
have been confirmed so far (some of them are obvious).
- Remakes of Gold and Silver
- Generation IV game (same graphic style as DPP)
- Release Date in Japan: Sept 12, 2009
- Ken Sugimori has made new artwork for the Pokémon featured in GS
Characters
- Original boy character received a slight redesign, and there is a new girl character (possibly loosely based on the Crystal girl character)
- The character not chosen fills a support role in the game (similar to DPP)
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The Rival reappears in the remakes and has also received a slight redesign
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Prof. Elm is the main Professor of this game who gives you your starting Pokémon.
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Team Rocket is the main antagonist team.
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Eusine from Pokémon Crystal appears in HGSS and is searching for Suicine.
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Your mother will buy items for you from time to time if you choose the option to send her a small portion of what you earn in battles. When she has bought something, she'll call you on the PokéGear phone.
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The Kimono girls are present and you will encounter them a few times in your journey. They will encounter Team Rocket at at least one point. They also seem to have some kind of secret... (so it says)
System and Tools
- The PokéGear received a redesign and more closely resembles a cell phone
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The PokéGear comes in two colors: Blue for boys, pink for girls.
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The PokéGear has a phone, radio, and the map, which you can add memos to.
- Most menus (at least Pokémon, Bag, and Pokémon Boxes) can be operated by the touch screen, or by using the X and A buttons.
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Your running shoes have a toggle button on the touch screen and two key items can be registered in addtion.
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The ItemFinder looks a lot more like an actual radar.
- At least some locations will feature an introduction screen (similar to FRLG) but done in 3D graphics.
- The machine from which you you choose your starting Pokémon is done in 3D graphics.
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Many Pokémon Gyms have been redesigned with new features.
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After defeating the Elite Four, you can travel to the Kanto region by boat. Later in the game it is possible to travel between Kanto and Johto via Magnet train (which bears a striking resemblance to Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains.
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A new area called the Pokéthlon Dome (Poké-athalon, essentially) will be present. The Pokéthlon is a collection of touch-screen based mini games which are based on a new set of stats including Speed, Power, Technique, Stamina, and Jump.
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Confirmed Pokéthlon games so far are called: Dash Battle (Hurdles), Ring-out Fight (Sumo?), Shooting Snow (snowball fight), and Bound Field. There are six more "Coming soon" slots in this section on the main site.
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A guy named Kejime shows you the ropes.
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You get Thlon Points (not kidding) for winning events. You can use these points to buy items, including one called a Data Card which can record various things (not sure what, just yet).
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You can also play the Pokéthlon games in 4-player Local Wireless.
Pokémon
- Starting Pokémon are the Johto starters: Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile
- The games feature the legendary Pokémon, Lugia and Ho-oh, which can be caught at level 45.
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The games also feature the legendary roaming trio of Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, which can be caught at level 40.
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The Red Gyarados does still appear at the Lake of Rage at level 30.
- Any Pokémon can follow you around as you walk around. You can check their happiness and they will sometimes pick up items.
- Kyogre can be caught in HeartGold, and Groudon can be caught in SoulSilver (after the Elite Four). If both are present on the same game, Rayquaza can be caught.
In-Game Events
- If one trades the event Pikachu-colored Pichu from DPP to HGSS it will activate an in-game event featuring the Jagged-ear Pichu from the anime and it will join your party.
Jagged-ear Pichu does not evolve and cannot be traded.
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If one trades the event Movie Arceus from DPP to HGSS and takes it to the Ruins of Alph, a path will open to the Shinto Ruins (not Shinto as in Japanese religion, but Shinto as in Shinno + Johto... it's possible it will be translated to Sinto Ruins to match the English translation of Sinnoh). At the Shinto Ruins you will meet Cynthia and can choose to receive a level 1 Dialga, Palkia, or Giratina. Dialga will know Metal Burst, Palkia will know Hydro Pump, and Giratina will know Shadow Sneak.
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If one trades the Night Sky Jirachi to HGSS, it will unlock a new route on the PokéWalker, The Edge of the Night Sky.
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Mystery Gift will be in HGSS, similar to how it is in DPP.
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The first HGSS Mystery Gift event will be via wi-fi distribution. From Sept. 18th to Nov. 10th, players can download a Course Map for the Yellow Forest which will unlock this new course on the PokéWalker. This course features Pikachu as the encounterable Pokémon and some may possible know special moves (a Pikachu with balloons is seen in the official site's image of this event, so it's possible that Fly could be a special move). See below for more info on the PokéWalker.
PokéWalker
- An external pedometer device called the PokéWalker will be released with the games. You can transfer one Pokémon at a time (via infrared built into the cartridge) to the PokéWalker and it will receive experience points (similar to the Day Care Center) as well as happiness while you walk (or shake it).
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As you walk, you build up "watts" which can be used to play mini games such as Poketch (where you battle and catch wild Pokémon), or ItemFinder (where you try to find items). You can send these Pokémon and items to your HGSS game, but the Walker can only hold up to a maximum of three Pokémon and three items at a time. The Pokémon and items you encounter vary by the route you choose to walk on. New courses can be unlocked by achieving different things like walking a certain number of steps.
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Pokémon caught with the Walker will have the location memo "met at level whatever at the PokéWalker."
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GSC Mystery Gift returns on the PokéWalker: If you communicate by infrared with another friend's PokéWalker, your Pokémon meet each other and exchange items. You can only do this with the same friend once per day. The Walker can hold up to 10 Mystery Gift items before you have to send them to the HGSS game.
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The game records a record of your activity on the PokéWalker (like encounters and steps, etc) in a diary when you send your Pokémon back to the HGSS game.
- This device is similar to the Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS device that was released with the original Gold and Silver games.
Regarding Pokémon availability:
The game will most likely use the Johto Pokédex which included all 251 known Pokémon at that time. However, not all of them were available to be caught in the games.
Unobtainable Pokémon in Pokémon Gold
Unobtainable Pokémon in Pokémon Silver
It's also possible that the Pokemon included in the Johto Dex who now have new evolutions from Gen 3 or 4 could see those evolutions present in the new games and possibly a newer version of the Johto Dex. Or perhaps they won't be, like FR/LG? What do you think?
Pokemon that have been introduced in Gen III or IV that evolve from or into a Johto Dex Pokemon:
Despite being able to travel to Kanto, these Pokemon were unavailable:
Out of these listed Kanto Pokemon, the fossil Pokemon are able to be found in the Underground in DPP, the three legendary birds are found in Platinum, but the starters are only obtainable by migration from FRLG and Mewtwo/Mew are not available in a 4th Gen game yet.
Also, Celebi was obtainable through an item-activated event in the Japanese version, but not American. Therefore, it could be possible that a Celebi event could be in the new games. Perhaps with a GS Ball event similar to the Member's Card or Oak's Letter.
What do you think about the Kanto starters and Mew/Mewtwo? Do you think there could be something similar to Birch giving you a Johto starter in Emerald? Or perhaps an item-activated event for Mewtwo in the Cerulean Cave?
Legendary Pokemon in GS:
I think it's safe to say that the Regi-trio Pokemon will not be included in these versions since they were already in Platinum (as well as obviously being in RSE).
Obtainable Pokemon through in-game gifts
Rumors:
* N/A ATM
