Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver are the Nintendo DS remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver. Here is their fact sheet.
| French title | Pokémon Version Or HeartGold and Pokémon Version Argent SoulSilver |
|---|---|
| English title | Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version |
| Platforms | Nintendo DS; playable on DSi and 3DS |
| Generation | Fourth (remakes of the second) |
| Announcement | 8 May 2009 |
| Release in Japan | 12 September 2009 |
| Release in France | 26 March 2010 |
| Developer | GAME FREAK |
| Publishers | The Pokémon Company and Nintendo |
| Genre | Role-playing game |
| Accessory | Pokéwalker (included) |
| Johto Pokédex | 256 Pokémon |
| Sales | 12.72 million as of 31 March 2014 (Nintendo) |
Announcement and release
Hoped for since the release of Diamond and Pearl, the remakes were officially announced on 8 May 2009. Two days later, the Japanese show Pokémon Sunday showed the first images: Ethan followed by a Chikorita in New Bark Town. The Pokéwalker was announced shortly afterwards, and the presence of Kanto was confirmed on 2 August 2009. The games came out on 12 September 2009 in Japan and on 26 March 2010 in France.
The French title
Before their release, many French-speaking sites, Pokémon France among them, referred to the games as Cœur d’Or and Âme d’Argent, literal translations of HeartGold and SoulSilver. The official titles, Or HeartGold and Argent SoulSilver, came as a surprise and sparked debate among fans. Until Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, they were the only mainline series games whose French title contained words from another language.
Promotion
In France, pre-ordering HeartGold earned a Ho-Oh figurine, pre-ordering SoulSilver a Lugia figurine, and pre-ordering both an Arceus figurine as well. The figurines were made by Kaiyodo.
Reception and sales
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic (average) | 87/100 |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 17/20 |
| IGN | 8.5/10 |
| Famitsu | 37/40 |
| Pokémon France | 18/20 |
According to Nintendo, the two versions sold 12.72 million copies as of 31 March 2014.
Differences between the versions
Ho-Oh is the mascot of HeartGold, Lugia that of SoulSilver; each is caught at Level 45 in its own version and at Level 70 in the other. Several Pokémon are exclusive: for example Mankey, Growlithe, Kyogre and Latias in HeartGold, Meowth, Vulpix, Groudon and Latios in SoulSilver. See Version-exclusive Pokémon.
