Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (DS) are remakes of the 1999 Game Boy Color role-playing video games Pokémon Gold and Silver, which also include elements from Pokémon Crystal. The games were developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS as part of the fourth generation of the Pokémon video game series. The games were released in Japan on September 12, 2009, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Gold and Silver, and were later released in other regions in March 2010.

HeartGold and SoulSilver take place in the Johto and Kanto regions of the franchise's fictional universe, which features special creatures known as Pokémon. The basic goal of the game is to become the best Pokémon trainer in both the Johto and Kanto regions, which is accomplished by raising and cataloging Pokémon and defeating other trainers.

Shigeki Morimoto, the game's director, aimed to respect the feelings of those who had previously played the games while also making it feel like a new game to those who had been introduced to the series in recent years. The games received positive reviews from critics, and as of March 2014, the combined sales of the two games had reached 12.72 million, making the two games the eighth best-selling DS video games of all time.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: Adventure, RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/ds/pokemon_heartgold_and_soulsilver

Pokémon Platinum (DS) is a role-playing video game released in 2008 by Game Freak for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. It is an improved version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and is part of the Pokémon video game series' fourth generation. It was first released in Japan on September 13, 2008, and then in the United States, Australia, and Europe in 2009. Platinum was created with the intention of being a stronger version of Diamond and Pearl, which they described as the "ultimate" Pokémon titles.

In Platinum, players take control of either a male or female character and begin with one of three Pokémon provided by Professor Rowan. Giratina, the game's mascot Pokémon, plays an important role in the plot. While it only had one form in Diamond and Pearl, it now has a new alternate form (called "Origin Forme") as well as a new area called the Distortion World, which has different physics than the normal Sinnoh land where the game takes place. The gameplay adheres to classic Pokémon game mechanics. Players travel across a vast landscape that includes mountains, bodies of water, grasslands, populated areas, and snowy expanses. Players control their Pokémon in turn-based battles against other Pokémon, as in previous titles.

Pokémon Platinum has received generally positive reviews, with Metacritic and GameRankings giving it aggregate scores of 84 and 83.14 percent, respectively. It was praised as one of the best games in the Pokémon series and for the additions and changes made to Diamond and Pearl by publications such as IGN, Nintendo Power, and GamePro.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: 4

Genre: RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/ds/pokemon_platinum

Your adventure takes place in the vast natural beauty of the Hisui region, at a time when it was uncommon for people and Pokémon to coexist. This Hisui land will eventually be known as Sinnoh, a region you may be familiar with.

Mount Coronet rises from the heart of the Hisui region, surrounded by distinct environments on all sides. Each area has its own natural features and is home to various Pokémon ecosystems. The Obsidian Fieldlands is one such area, which is brimming with beautiful flowers and lush vegetation—more, what's it appears to be teeming with Pokémon that prefer meadows and forests.

You've been tasked with researching Pokémon in order to complete the region's first Pokédex. To accomplish this, you must sneak up on wild Pokémon and throw a well-aimed Poké BallTM. You can also toss your ally Pokémon's Poké Ball near a wild Pokémon to enter battle seamlessly.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: 2

Genre: Action, RPG

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Pokémon Emerald (GBA) is a 2004 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was first released in Japan in 2004, and then internationally in 2005. It is an improved version of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and the final game in the third generation of the Pokémon video game series.

The gameplay and controls are similar to previous games in the series, with players controlling a Pokémon trainer from an overhead perspective. The player's general goal, as with Ruby and Sapphire, is to explore the Hoenn region and conquer a series of eight Pokémon Gyms in order to challenge the Elite Four and its Champion, while the main subplot is to defeat two criminal organizations attempting to harness the power of a legendary Pokémon for their own purposes. Along with Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire, the game includes Pokémon from Pokémon Gold and Silver that were not in Ruby and Sapphire. Emerald received generally positive reviews upon its initial release.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/gba/pokemon_emerald

Pokémon Gold and Silver (GBC) are role-playing video games created by Game Freak and released by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color in 1999. They are the first installments in the Pokémon video game series' second generation. They were first released in Japan in 1999, then in Australia and North America in 2000, and finally in Europe in 2001. A year later, an improved version, Pokémon Crystal, was released in each region. On the tenth anniversary of Gold and Silver, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes for the Nintendo DS were released in 2009.

The games introduce 100 new Pokémon species and follow the player character's progress in their quest to master Pokémon battling. Both games are independent of one another but share a similar plot. While both can be played independently, trading between these games and their predecessors is required to fully complete each game's Pokédex. The Pokémon anime's Johto Saga is based on the new region introduced in the games.

When Pokémon Gold and Silver were released, they received widespread praise. Some consider them the best games in the series, as well as some of the most important games of the fifth generation of video game consoles. They built on the enormous success of Pokémon Red and Blue, establishing Pokémon as a multibillion-dollar franchise. The games nearly matched the sales of Red and Blue, and by 2010, they had sold over 23 million units, making them the best-selling games for the Game Boy Color and the third-best-selling games for the entire Game Boy family of systems.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: Adventure, RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/gbc/pokemon_gold_and_silver

Pokémon Crystal (GBC) is a 2000 role-playing video game for the Game Boy Color developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. It is an improved version of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and it is the final game in the Pokémon video game series second generation. It was the last Pokémon game released for the Game Boy Color system. It was first released in Japan on December 14, 2000, and then worldwide in 2001. On January 26, 2018, Pokémon Crystal was released worldwide on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

Pokémon Crystal is the series' final Game Boy Color entry and the perfect swan song to what many fans consider the best generation of Pokémon games. It added a slew of new features over the base games, including the ability to play as a female character for the first time, as well as more things to do, tweaked graphics and UI, and a slight increase in challenge.

Crystal took what Pokémon Gold and Silver did so well and made Johto – and Kanto – worth revisiting – for the umpteenth time. It truly demonstrates that nostalgia is far from the only factor that makes this game so enjoyable to play again.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: Action, RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/gbc/pokemon_crystal1

Pokémon Black and White 2 (DS) are role-playing video games released in 2012 for the Nintendo DS by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. The games are direct sequels to Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, the series' first sequels, and are part of the fifth generation of the Pokémon video game series. They were released as the system's final first-party games in Japan in June 2012, with a worldwide release following in October 2012. The games feature the legendary Pokémon Black Kyurem and White Kyurem, as identified by Junichi Masuda.

Two years after the events of Black and White, Black 2 and White 2 follow a Pokémon trainer's journey to becoming Unova's Pokémon Champion. Following the events of its predecessors, the criminal organization Team Plasma has returned as Neo Team Plasma, and the player must thwart their plans throughout the story to prevent them from ruling the world. The games also include new features such as the Key System, Hidden Grottoes, new cities, and newly available Pokémon. To complete the Pokédex, players must trade between versions, just like in other core series Pokémon games.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/ds/pokemon_black_and_white_2

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (GBA) are remakes of the 1996 Game Boy RPG games Pokémon Red and Blue. They were created by Game Freak and released for the Game Boy Advance by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. The games are part of the third generation of the Pokémon video game series and are the first improved remakes of previous games in the franchise.

As in previous games, the player controls the player character from above and engages in turn-based battles. The player captures and raises Pokémon for use in battle throughout the games. A contextual help menu and a new region accessible after a certain point in the story are among the new features. The games work with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which was originally included with the games.

The games received mostly positive feedback, with a Metacritic score of 81 percent. Most critics praised the games for introducing new features while maintaining the series' traditional gameplay. The graphics and audio received mixed reviews, with some critics claiming that they were too simplistic and lacked improvement over the previous games, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. FireRed and LeafGreen were commercial successes, with around 12 million copies sold worldwide. Nintendo re-released them as Player's Choice titles nearly two years after their initial release.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/gba/pokemon_firered_and_leafgreen

Pikachu takes center stage as your starter Pokémon in this enhanced version of the original games, as he follows you around outside his pokéball and cannot be traded or evolved. Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys were substituted for the nurses and police officers around Kanto, some Pokémon locations and appearances were changed, and various sprites and world elements were reworked to better reflect the overall brand as it had been established since Red & Blue launched.

Although this was not a full GBC game, the western version of Pokémon Yellow received a minor palette enhancement that works well if you're playing on a Game Boy Color. The changes add an extra layer of charm (and the surfing Pikachu minigame is a lot of fun), but the original Pokémon titles remain an enjoyable gaming experience regardless of which version you choose. They are simple in appearance and lack the bells and whistles of later games, but they captivate from start to finish.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: Adventure, RPG

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/gameboy/pokemon_yellow_version_special_pikachu_edition

Pokémon Black and White (DS) are role-playing video games released in 2010 for the Nintendo DS by Game Freak and The Pokémon Company. They are the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon video game series.

The two games, like previous installments in the series, follow the journey of a young Pokémon trainer through the region of Unova, as they train Pokémon to compete against other trainers while thwarting the schemes of the criminal organization Team Plasma. Black and White introduced 156 new Pokémon to the franchise, 5 more than the previous record-holder Pokémon Red and Blue, as well as many new features such as a seasonal cycle, rotation battles, and fully animated Pokémon sprites, and triple battles. Both games are separate but share a similar plot, and while they can be played separately, trading Pokémon between the games is required to complete the games' Pokédex.

Detailed information:

Number of Players: Single Player

Genre: Adventure

View Details: nintendolife.com/games/ds/pokemon_black_and_white