SoldierHawk wrote:

Notched ear? So it escaped from a laboratory, or is being tracked by scientists or something?

Just one of those variants, like female Pikachu tails looks like a heart or that male Scythers have larger abdomens.

Some Tech notes:

The PokeGear returns, not having changed functions at all. However, its functions are handled by the touch screen. The include Phone, Map Card (upgraded to allow you to write in notes be it Pokemon locations, spots you need an HM for, etc. furthermore the map card will now show you the current locations of wandering pokemon like Entei, Raikou, and Suicune), and Radio Card (though it's not clear as of yet how it tunes in to stations, it is confirmed the method will be different from Silver and Gold).

So a bit more on the PokeWalker hardware these games will be coming with:
* Communicating with the walker lets you see how many steps you've taken and how many watts you've earned.
* An in-game menu is used to send boxed pokemon to the walker. When you send a pokemon over to the PokeWalker, you have to choose an area to send it to. Initially only two areas (Refreshing Field and Noisy Forest) will be availible with more unlocked as you acquire watts.
* You can spend 10 watts to "battle" inside the Walker, you're given 4 patchs of grass and you select one. If that patch contains a pokemon, you then battle, but are limited to "Attack" and "Defend" for options. Furthermore, if you defeat pokemon in this way, you can capture them and send up to 3 per session back into your boxes on the game card.
* Itemfinder. 3 watts per use. You're given a choice of 6 patches of grass and can find rare items this way. You can store up to 10 items on the PokeWalker.
* Infrared transfer. If you meet a friend who has their PokeWalker with them, you can trade items through InfraRed (fond memories of Pocket Pikachu and Mystery Gift anyone?)
* Diary. Not something that means much to me, but when you transfer a pokemon back to your game card, you'll be given a diary entry of what that pokemon did.

Disgaearulz12 wrote:

I just wish they would change the basic story premise about it. Always having that one bad team you have to fight to save the world.

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald had 2 of them heh. I'm rather curious about the game myself, since I completely skipped the 2nd Generation games.

After almost a month, another set of scans from CoroCoro was released. The scans reveal new features to be introduced in HeartGold and SoulSilver, as well as the return of several features from Gold and Silver.

* Apricorns will return in their Generation IV remakes. Much like before, the Apricorns can be given to Kurt in Azalea Town so that he can make some special Poké Balls (Fast Ball, Friend Ball, Heavy Ball, Lure Ball, Love Ball, Level Ball, and Moon Ball). None of these balls have been seen since Gold and Silver, although their effects have been replicated in some of the newer Poké Balls. A new container called the Apricorn Case will allow the growth of Apricorns while moving about. Watering Apricorns there will also be visible now.

* The Mystery Egg given players at the beginning of the game will also make a return. The Pokémon inside the egg, however, has yet to be confirmed.

* The Bug-Catching Contest at the National Park is also confirmed to reappear. There will also be a Safari Zone west of Cianwood City.

The scans also show that a Battle Frontier will be included to the west of Olivine City. No information on facilities or Frontier Brains is currently available.

Kanto (the region from the first games) will be in the games. Players may use the Magnet Train or the S.S. Aqua to go between the regions Kanto and Johto.

2 other minor points:

1. Apparently you can edit how the Safari Zone is laid out, making it easier to capture certain pokemon.

2.) The Pokedex entries have different numbers, strongly implying that the Hoenndex isn't the same as it was in Silver and Gold (for the larger).

BlazingGlory wrote:

The best games in the series finally are coming back! I don't know about the rest you, but this is the first pokemon games where I actually tried to "catch em all" (ugh), if only becaue it had so many improvements over the first and totadile was so awesome. I only hope that the didto breeding exploit remains in the game.

By exploit you mean having a Ditto and any other pokemon at the day care will hatch an egg of the non-Ditto pokemon, then yes. It's been around as long as breeding has, but you miss out on the eggmoves. Furthermore, giving a female or Ditto an Everstone while breeding exnsures a 50% chance the pokemon egg will hatch with the Everstone holder's nature.

The games will come out over here this Spring.

Famitsu, a Japanese video game magazine famous for rating games, has reviewed Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the remakes of Second Generation games Gold and Silver. Four reviewers gave out individual scores of 9, 10, 9 and 9, resulting in a total of 37 out of 40. The reviewers praised the game for retaining the quality that drew them into the original Gold and Silver, even though little has changed regarding the main story.

By comparison, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the games that started the Fourth Generation, received a 35 out of 40 while Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, remakes of the original Red and Green, scored 33 out of 40.

Ba'al wrote:

This might sound dumb, but have any pics been released of the in-game pokemon battles? Because I can only excuse the 3D in the overworld, if they have the in-game battles like Pokemon Stadium.

The battles basically look like they way they do in the other 4th generation games. You can go to www.serebii.net for pictures.

So here is the list of the 69 pokemon you CANNOT catch in Heart Gold or Soul Silver:

* Mew
* Celebi (ASS!!!!!)
* Nosepass/Probopass
* Torkoal
* Trapinch through Cacturne
* Seviper
* Solrock
* Corphish and Crawdaunt
* Shuppet and Banette
* Tropius
* Spheal family
* Bagon family
* The Regi Trio
* Jirachi all the way up to Empoleon
* The Sinnoh fossil pokemon
* Drifloon/Drifblim
* Glameow/Purugly
* Stunky/Skuntank
* Gible family
* Riolu/Lucario
* Croagunk/Toxicroak
* Magnezone
* Leafeon/Glaceon
* Rotom
* The 3 Sinnoh Elves
* Heatran
* Regigigas
* And Cresselia through Arceus

Toys R Us will be distributing Arceus November 7th-15th. This is the last pokemon (#493). Furthermore, when you transfer it over to Heart Gold/Soul Silver, you will be able to unlock a special area and then choose between a Level 1 Dialga, Palkia or Giratina.

Also, the Pal Park (if any of you still have pokemon on GBA cartridges), no longer has the 24 hour waiting period to import pokemon. You can do as many as you want, though no more than 6 at a time.

Justs a heads up that HG/SS are due for release on March 14th

Also, Pokemon.com has announced that the distribution of Shiny Pichu, which are also known as Pikachu-colored Pichu, to players of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum will be held at GameStop stores in the United States from Jan. 30 to Feb. 14. The Shiny Pichu will be level 30 and male only, and they will come in a Cherish Ball. They will be holding an Everstone and a Classic Ribbon, and they will have the Jolly nature. Lastly, they will know the moves Charge, Volt Tackle, Endeavor and Endure. These Pichu, when traded to Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and taken to the Ilex Forest shrine, will allow players to obtain the Spiky-eared Pichu featured in the most recent movie, Arceus and the Jewel of Life. The Spiky-eared Pichu will be female only and will be holding a Zap Plate. It will know the moves Volt Tackle, Helping Hand, Swagger and Pain Split. Spiky-eared Pichu cannot be traded from HeartGold and SoulSilver. Shiny Pichu were initially given to players of the Japanese games who pre-ordered tickets to the aforementioned movie.