17 Years Later, The Nintendo DS Is Still Home To The Greatest Remake Ever Made

The Nintendo DS is still the home of one of the best remakes ever made, even after 17 years since the remake’s official release. The seventh-generation Nintendo handheld console was a revolution in the industry, making touch-screen surfaces and brand-new ways of interacting with games a reality. Even by today’s standards, the Nintendo DS is highly revolutionary, and while its technology has been significantly improved, it laid down a foundation for the future – take the Nintendo Switch’s touch screen, for instance.

Apart from all the new features the Nintendo DS brought, especially when compared as an evolution to the Game Boy Advance, the console was a huge stage for remarkable titles. Some of the very best games for Nintendo DS were also some of the best games ever made. For example, the Chrono Trigger port for the DS is the best version of the classic Square Enix RPG. We also got tons of Pokémon games, Mario titles, and the outstandingly creative Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Among all of those titles is also the most perfect remake.

As Far As Remakes Go, This Has Yet To Be Beat

Ho-oh and Lugia over Johto from Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are a duo of remakes of the Generation 2 titles for Game Boy Color. They are not only the best turn-based RPG on Nintendo DS, but also, arguably, the very best games on the platform. Nintendo had already experimented with remakes of its own IPs, including Pokémon. On the Game Boy Advance, Game Freak released Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, remakes of the Gen 1 titles.

However, HeartGold and SoulSilver had an ace in the hole: they were remakes of the best Pokémon games so far. Gold and Silver (and Crystal) were impressive evolutions on the formula laid down by Red and Blue (and Green and Yellow). They not only brought the best Pokémon Generation to life, but they also featured what could be considered the original adventure in what was a surprise 2-for-1 launch. After beating Johto, Trainers could head on over to Kanto to challenge the entire region, as they did in Red and Blue.

Pokémon HeartGold And SoulSilver Remain The Pinnacle Of Remakes

The big thing about Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver is that they replicated the experience of the original Gen 2 titles with updated graphics and systems. While it may be a small detail, all Pokémon in the remakes could follow players freely across the entire game, which was a huge fan request at the time. The sheer amount of content in HeartGold and SoulSilver was also impressive, because it not only included Johto and Kanto, but players could even hunt down Hoenn Legendaries in the endgame.

There are rumors of a potential HeartGold and SoulSilver release for Nintendo Switch, which would be an incredible experience for both players who checked them out back in 2010, as well as those who have only had contact with the most recent Pokémon Gens. These two games are the best lesson in remakes the industry can have, and it was only possible because of the Nintendo DS.