Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions
By Christopher Healy,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Collect & battle game uses a pedometer to get kids walking.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
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Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions
Community Reviews
Based on 20 parent reviews
Enhanced Remake of Generation II Pokémon games in the Generation IV format
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One of The Best Pokémon Games to Date!
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What’s It About?
Whether you play POKEMON SOULSILVER or POKEMON HEARTGOLD, your story will center around a young Pokemon trainer exploring his (or her) world to help a scientist find new species of Pokemon. At the same time, the young trainer will enter into Pokemon fighting leagues and battle tournaments. Players can transfer one of their captured Pokemon into the accompanying Pokewalker peripheral (a pedometer that connects to your DS) to take with them and continue to train even when not playing with the main DS game. Pokemon can earn experience points from going on a walk with the player in the real world.
Is It Any Good?
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are just as good as any previous titles from the main line of Pokemon games. They look, sound, and play almost exactly the same way those earlier incarnations did. Yet, while there's not much in the way of startlingly new gameplay, Pokemon fans will certainly get a whole lot more of what they're looking for and love about playing these games. Kids who have only a passing interest in Pokemon and who have played any of the last few years' Pokemon titles might find these new ones a bit repetitive, but they do make excellent jumping on points for kids who are new to the Pokemon world. Also, kudos are due for the inclusion of the Pokewalker, which adds an interesting -- and healthy! -- new level to Pokemon gaming.
Online interaction: Kids can trade captured Pokemon. This encourages interaction between friends.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the benefits of using the Pokewalker add-on. The Pokewalker is not necessary for playing these games, so why use it? Does it actually encourage kids to walk more? Instead of driving, will your children walk or ride a bike to, say, a friend's house if they know they could increase their Pokemon's power by doing so?
Families can also talk about how to limit the time kids can play this game so that a reasonable amount is the norm.
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release date: March 14, 2010
- Genre: Adventure
- ESRB rating: E for Mild Cartoon Violence
- Last updated: August 31, 2016
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