Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver confirmed for DS in 2009

08.05.2009
The cat's out of the Poke Ball, as and have confirmed two more additions to the Nintendo DS's Pokemon lineup. Coming this year to Japan, will hit the DS in celebration of the original Gold and Silver's release on the Game Boy Color. I think we've found our next game of the year.

This is huge news for Pokemon fans, since the inclusion of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, along with the preexisting , , Ruby, , , Diamond, Pearl, and versions, will finally give players complete access to the entire lineup of Pokemon, even without the use of the GBA slot (so it's officially safe for gamers to buy the Nintendo DSi now).

A remake of Pokemon Gold and Silver has been in the works practically forever, as Nintendo practically threw clues at the fans left and right. As has often noted in their tireless Matlockery on the subject, no Hoenn region Pokemon could ever be found in recent games, while several allusions have been made to the Generation II title. Don't believe it? Well, there's apparently been more hints about it in the last three games than an entire season of Lost. Check out some more of the Bulbapedia's juicy tidbits gleaned from Diamond, Pearl and Platinum.

The Park Balls are gold and silver in color, with a light blue band across their middle that may represent the games Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

In Pokemon Platinum, the legendary birds were found roaming Sinnoh after the player has beaten the Elite Four. As a result, the legendary beasts are currently the only legendary trio not available through a Generation IV game, and could be supplied by a remake.

It should be noted that Gold and Silver never explained what became of the legendary birds. Players were left to assume that the birds fled after their respective "nests" were disturbed by Red three years earlier. As Generations II and IV are concurrent, we can now assume that the trio fled to the Sinnoh region, and therefore, their absence could be better maintained in a remade Gold and Silver.