Can we catch ‘em all?: Generation IV: Difference between revisions

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{{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pocket Monsters: HeartGold and SoulSilver}} quickly followed on the heels of {{bp|Pokémon Platinum Version|Pocket Monsters: Platinum}}, releasing to Japanese audiences in 2009.<ref>http://www.pokemon.co.jp/game/ds/hgss/</ref> These titles were packaged with a {{bp|Pokéwalker}}, a small, Pokéball-shaped pedometer that holds a Pokémon and increases its experience and {{bp|friendship}} as the player walks. Retitled {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}}, localizations were released with the {{bp|Pokéwalker}} throughout 2010 in the United States,<ref>http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-heartgold-and-soulsilver-versions/</ref> Australia,<ref>http://www.nintendo.com.au/catalogue/attr/form_name/view_product/product_id/1862</ref> and Europe.<ref>http://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-heartgold-and-soulsilver-versions/</ref> As before, South Korean localizations retained the Japanese titles for their 2010 release.<ref>http://www.nintendo.co.kr/DS/soft/pokemon_hgss/main.php </ref>
{{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pocket Monsters: HeartGold and SoulSilver}} quickly followed on the heels of {{bp|Pokémon Platinum Version|Pocket Monsters: Platinum}}, releasing to Japanese audiences in 2009.<ref>http://www.pokemon.co.jp/game/ds/hgss/</ref> These titles were packaged with a {{bp|Pokéwalker}}, a small, Pokéball-shaped pedometer that holds a Pokémon and increases its experience and {{bp|friendship}} as the player walks. Retitled {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}}, localizations were released with the {{bp|Pokéwalker}} throughout 2010 in the United States,<ref>http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-heartgold-and-soulsilver-versions/</ref> Australia,<ref>http://www.nintendo.com.au/catalogue/attr/form_name/view_product/product_id/1862</ref> and Europe.<ref>http://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-heartgold-and-soulsilver-versions/</ref> As before, South Korean localizations retained the Japanese titles for their 2010 release.<ref>http://www.nintendo.co.kr/DS/soft/pokemon_hgss/main.php </ref>
[[File:GenIVOfficialDiagram.png|thumb|Generation IV Official Version Tree]]


Official discussions of {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}} focus on the player’s perspective of the versions rather than a prescribed corporate stance. According to {{bp|Satoru Iwata}}, the titles were marketed as remakes of {{bp|Generation II}} and the popular titles {{bp|Pokémon Gold and Silver |Pokémon Gold and Silver}}, a way for fans to “be able to enjoy it all over again.” <ref name=http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html>http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html </ref> In contrast, players could approach the remakes as “entirely new Pokémon titles.” <ref name=http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html>http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html </ref>  This language suggests it is the player and their experiences that shape how {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}} are defined.
Official discussions of {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}} focus on the player’s perspective of the versions rather than a prescribed corporate stance. According to {{bp|Satoru Iwata}}, the titles were marketed as remakes of {{bp|Generation II}} and the popular titles {{bp|Pokémon Gold and Silver |Pokémon Gold and Silver}}, a way for fans to “be able to enjoy it all over again.” <ref name=http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html>http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html </ref> In contrast, players could approach the remakes as “entirely new Pokémon titles.” <ref name=http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html>http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html </ref>  This language suggests it is the player and their experiences that shape how {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}} are defined.
Therefore, from the perspective of a long-time fan of the Pokémon franchise, Nintendo’s published descriptions of versions are relatively straightforward.
Therefore, from the perspective of a long-time fan of the Pokémon franchise, Nintendo’s published descriptions of versions are relatively straightforward.


[[File:GenIVOfficialDiagram.png|thumb|Generation IV Official Version Tree]]
Media archaeology’s focus on media specificity can take on a number of factors, but in the case of {{bp|Generation IV}} the most critical factor to examine is that of platforms. Previously, in the {{bp|Game Boy}} line of systems, new handhelds replaced or usurped the position of previous platforms. <ref name = “Forster, ''Game Machines''”> Winnie Forster, ''Games Machines 1972-2012: The Encyclopedia of Consoles, Handhelds & Home Computers'' (Utting, Germany: Gameplan, 2011). </ref> This was not the case for the {{bp|Nintendo DS}}, which was marketed as a companion system to the older {{bp|Game Boy Advance}}. As such, the platform was built to use {{bp|Game Boy Advance}} cartridges as an extension of its capabilities through the {{bp|dual-slot mode}}.
 
Media archaeology’s focus on media specificity can take on a number of factors, but in the case of {{bp|Generation IV}} the most critical factor to examine is that of platforms. Previously, in the {{bp|Game Boy}} line of systems, new handhelds replaced or usurped the position of previous platforms. <ref name = “Forster, ''Game Machines''”> Winnie Forster, ''Games Machines 1972-2012: The Encyclopedia of Consoles, Handhelds & Home Computers'' (Utting, Germany: Gameplan, 2011). </ref> This was not the case for the {{bp|Nintendo DS}], which was marketed as a companion system to the older {{bp|Game Boy Advance}}. As such, the platform was built to use {{bp|Game Boy Advance}} cartridges as an extension of its capabilities through the {{bp|dual-slot mode}}.


[[File:Game-Boy-Nintendo-DS-Slots.jpg|thumb|Nintendo DS Dual Slot in Action]]
[[File:Game-Boy-Nintendo-DS-Slots.jpg|thumb|Nintendo DS Dual Slot in Action]]
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Three years passed between the start of development for the {{bp|Nintendo DSi}} and the release of {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}}. If media archaeology asks us to examine the technical reasons behind choices in cultural content, an argument can be made for using these remakes as a way to modernize older Pokémon {{bp|core series}} franchise games and distance the franchise from its older technological roots. Once again, older titles must work both as video games as well as media objects. In this case, a quote by {{bp|Satoru Iwata}} supports this dual existence as object and content:
Three years passed between the start of development for the {{bp|Nintendo DSi}} and the release of {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}}. If media archaeology asks us to examine the technical reasons behind choices in cultural content, an argument can be made for using these remakes as a way to modernize older Pokémon {{bp|core series}} franchise games and distance the franchise from its older technological roots. Once again, older titles must work both as video games as well as media objects. In this case, a quote by {{bp|Satoru Iwata}} supports this dual existence as object and content:
“I think it would be incredibly exciting to see Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver acting as methods of communication between the new generation of Pokémon players and those who played Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver ten years ago…I’ve got the feeling that, for the first time in a long time, this is a game that can bridge that generation gap.”
“I think it would be incredibly exciting to see Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver acting as methods of communication between the new generation of Pokémon players and those who played Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver ten years ago…I’ve got the feeling that, for the first time in a long time, this is a game that can bridge that generation gap.”<ref name=http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html>http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/Iwata-Asks-Pokemon-HeartGold-Version-SoulSilver-Version/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train/1-Just-Making-The-Last-Train-225842.html </ref>


Examining content alterations from {{bp|Pokémon Gold and Silver |Pokémon Gold and Silver}} to {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}} expands upon this theme of bridging the gap. After all, bridges rarely go one way, and teaching is not always one-directional. For example, audiovisual content is always improved in core series franchise remakes. What makes these remakes interesting is the inclusion of a key item that gives players the option to switch from the original soundtrack to the new, enhanced soundtrack. New events are included immediately prior to encountering a version mascot, which is a feature first introduced in {{bp|Generation III}} but absent from {{bp|Generation II}}. Animated battle sprites and battle introductions, a feature first introduced in {{bp|Pokémon Platinum Version|Pokémon Platinum}}, also makes an appearance. Even small aspects such as fonts from {{bp|Generation III}} are included, shifting these remakes into hybrid objects that contain a multitude of audiovisual influences from prior core series franchise games.
Examining content alterations from {{bp|Pokémon Gold and Silver |Pokémon Gold and Silver}} to {{bp|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver}} expands upon this theme of bridging the gap. After all, bridges rarely go one way, and teaching is not always one-directional. For example, audiovisual content is always improved in core series franchise remakes. What makes these remakes interesting is the inclusion of a key item that gives players the option to switch from the original soundtrack to the new, enhanced soundtrack. New events are included immediately prior to encountering a version mascot, which is a feature first introduced in {{bp|Generation III}} but absent from {{bp|Generation II}}. Animated battle sprites and battle introductions, a feature first introduced in {{bp|Pokémon Platinum Version|Pokémon Platinum}}, also makes an appearance. Even small aspects such as fonts from {{bp|Generation III}} are included, shifting these remakes into hybrid objects that contain a multitude of audiovisual influences from prior core series franchise games.