Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Collect & battle game uses a pedometer to get kids walking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 19 parent reviews
Based on 44 kid reviews
Kids say that this game is widely regarded as one of the best in the Pokemon series, praised for its enjoyable gameplay, engaging story, and the nostalgic elements it brings from the original titles. Despite a few complaints about its difficulty level for younger players and occasional tediousness, most reviewers highlight the fun of catching Pokemon and the unique feature of having Pokemon accompany you on your journey, making it a favorite for players of all ages.
- excellent gameplay
- nostalgic elements
- suitable for all ages
- engaging story
- some difficulty
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Nintendo
- Release date : March 14, 2010
- Genre : Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : June 27, 2023
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