Pokémon Gold/Silver hailed as 'pinnacle of franchise' by fans

I would ask, ‘Who has fond memories of Pokémon Gold/Silver?’ but that feels like a silly question. Clearly, the answer is going to be all of us. After all, fans are in agreement that this era was the ‘pinnacle of the franchise’. I will ask who your starter was though? I’m team Chikorita.

Pokémon Gold/Silver introduced some iconic ‘mons. Togepi, Wooper, and Celebi were a couple of my Gen 2 favourites. In fact, I’m pretty confident I had a Togepi plush at one point, who lived happily alongside my Snorlax and Pikachu. Sigh, this is making me nostalgic. In fact, it’s been quite a nostalgic couple of weeks for Pokémon fans. Ash and Pikachu have finally been replaced as the franchise’s protagonists after Ash became the world champion. The duo's final scene actually left some fans feeling a little underwhelmed but all in all, I think we’ve all shed a tear or two. Let’s hop back on over to Pokémon Gold/Silver though. Happier days.

How incredible is all of this merch?

Reddit user eru777 declared “Pokémon Gen 1-2 were the pinnacle of the franchise”, garnering a whopping 26.1K upvotes. Clearly, plenty of people agreed. Betcher73 wrote, “Unlocking Kanto in Gold/Silver as a child without knowing it was there was MIND F**KING BLOWING,” while windyandbreezy added, “Pokémon Gold. Go town to town. Get badges. Defeat elite four. That unlocks the entire region from the first game. Do it all in that region again all leading up to an epic boss battle on top of a steep snowy mountain with the protagonist from the first game. Cause that's how you make a f**cking sequel.” Too right.

In fact, fans declared this to be “one of the best gaming moments”. Mcduxxel said, “Gen 2 was peak gaming. The whole night/day thing blew my mind. The remake was even better with the special/physical split.” Bamninoquinn commented, “I wish I could go back and play Silver for the first time. Finding out there was another bunch of gyms after I thought I'd completed it was such an amazing moment as a kid.” Us too, my guy.

Speaking of Gen 2, GAMINGbible’s very own Catherine recently explored why Pokémon Crystal is the series’ ultimate game - and points were made.