What EXACTLY Makes Pokémon Crystal Unique? | According to Nintendo Power

Using the Official Nintendo Power Players Guide for Pokémon Crystal Version, let's take a look at what EXACTLY was added and changed for this version compared to Gold and Silver.
Viva La Gen 2!
It's Me! Your host. The man with a box on his head. I hope you enjoy the video, and please consider sharing and subscribing! :) :) :)

[@JakeRandall]

Calling Raikou “Ray Cow” was a bold choice.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Brings to mind an image of Miltank shooting lazer beams 🤣

[@PocketMedic239]

Moo

[@blob5907]

​@@boxheadbaron4655you also pronounce Pokémon wrong it isnt pokey mon poh kay mon plural poke uh mon singular The é makes an ay sound

[@sepg5084]

​@@boxheadbaron4655i pronounce Raikou as "Rye Coo". Maybe because i am an asian here in asia, though not japanese. Ray Cow is understandable if it came from a non-asian.

[@KyleJoseph94]

Better than the people that call it Ry-Coo, at least he got the last part right 🤷‍♂️

[@Crybaby-Media]

I got a GBA and Pokémon silver for Christmas one year. That was my first Pokémon game besides stadium. My sister got crystal and I was so jealous that the sprites moved.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Look on the bright side, at least you could catch mareep unlike her!

[@pablodelgado7919]

Pokèmon Crystal, my very first Pokèmon game alongside Gold Version. This game was what truly made me a fan if the series didn't already but i hold this generation dear to my heart, made a lot of friends back then because of these games and the battling and trading was something so mindblowing for me as a kid.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Hey Pablo! Sounds very similar to my story, I also got Gold version first and then upgraded to Crystal :) (I had blue version earlier though) I remember not having my gameboy handy so I actually started my first play through using the n64 gameboy adapter and pokemon stadium 2 at my step bothers house. Moving pokemon sprites on the TV!

[@pablodelgado7919]

@@boxheadbaron4655 Yeah Pokèmon Stadium 1&2 were awesome. The fact that you could battle on 3D at the time was so cool for a N64 game, but the game that truly left a mark in my childhood was Gold& Crystal. By far my favorite memory is just listening to the National Park theme while playing at night, loved that place so much and the music was just peak GBC 8-bit sound

[@blob5907]

how? Pokèmon doesnt exist Its Pokémon stupid

[@boobalooba5786]

Gen 2's soundtrack still has never been topped. The best generation of Pokemon ever made.

[@deeepdish]

rt

[@EWOODJ]

Sure

[@homersimpson90210]

A little extra info, that magneton you can trade for at the power plant will always be holding a metal coat, a handy way to get a second one for Scizor/Steelix.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Very good point, one more Crystal perk!

[@Bones1220]

My bro lost my copy of gold as a kid and I got Crystal. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade

[@yungnblessed1445]

Crystal was my very first game! Always will be my favorite Pokémon game

[@davidmarquez176]

In the downloaded crystal version in the DS Store,(which is no longer available by normal means) you can trigger the Celebi Event after beating the game and by exiting a specific tile inside the Goldenrod City Pokemon Center.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Very true, thanks for pointing this out 👍 Hopefully some day Nintendo makes this version available in some fashion on the Switch!

[@SendFoodz]

Battle Tower had every level in increments of 10 up to 100

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Yep you're right, I knew i would mess something up 🤦‍♂️

[@RobertSeeJen]

Not sure if this has been said, but the npc that tells you where your pokemon was caught is "useful" due to a pokemon gaining increased happiness if trained on that route.

[@MartyrPandaGaming]

Officially, they're The Legendary Beasts and their designs were inspired by big cats, which is reflected in their designs. Entei, stands tall and proud like the lion; Raikou stalks and ambushes its prey like the tiger and Suicune races across the land like the cheetah. Honestly, it doesn't matter if you call them dogs, beasts, cats or whatever. It's like with Arcanine being a "Legendary" Pokémon; personally, I think they should buff his base HP by 15 and both Defenses by 5 and made him a true Legendary.

[@lloydirving6209]

Suicune's design was actually inspired by a Leopard

[@lloydirving6209]

this dude saw Raikou and said "yep that's a dog"

[@GoboyLolmubutt]

The answer to your question; was pokemon crystal worth it in 2001 when it came out? Yes, as I was 11 when it came out, it was the BEST game I had played up to that point that wasn't related to final fantasy, it was MORE than worth it if you werent there for first Gen release, you can't appreciate pokemon the way it should be... just saying lol

[@Rambling-Thomas]

I thought I knew everything about these games. I did not know about the post champ tutor. You have earned my sub!

[@boxheadbaron4655]

I think it was possible the first tutor in any pokemon game unless I'm forgotten one somewhere else? Thanks for subscribing Mr. Rambling Thomas!

[@devinlowe5505]

I must say the gal in Cianwood that tells you where you caught your pokemon IS useful. If you go back to the same route you caught said pokemon at and train it there, it's happiness will increase more quickly than if you trained it on a different route. This is especially useful for Pokemon that only evolve based on happiness or if you want to heighten TM returns effectiveness.

[@dannigro8794]

I have both guide books because I had both games and I loved Crystal’s improvements gold and silver is one of my favorite game series but I love how they gave Crystal a storyline and they really enhanced Johto.

[@CarlYoungII]

The generation two major flaw I hated the worst was new Pokémon weren't available until you reached Kanto. It was so stupid to me. I wanted Houndour, Murkrow, and Misdreavous during my Johto run. Depending on when it learned the move Perish Song it would've taken down Whitney's Miltank in no time. Plus Lugia & Ho-Oh lose their signature moves. Guess this was an incentive to get you to buy all three games as the mascot box-art versions featured the respective attacks. But all in all at the time, the game was absolutely worth it!! A good improvement over G/S. OAN I usually don't like monotone deep voices that sound so uninteresting but your voice is somehow unique and fitting and it works. Plus that bit at the end "Was it really worth it?... Umm IDK!" was so funny to me!! Good job!!! 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks for watching Carl! Yeah not sure why GameFreak made the decision they did and then when they made Crystal they largely choose to keep it the same with a few exceptions (Sneasel). A missed opportunity for some obvious improvements. Unfortunately the dry slightly sarcastic monotone is what I naturally do. I've been trying to be more expressive in my videos because I definitely understand how it can put someone to sleep otherwise. Definitely somethings I'm trying to improve!

[@cmbaz1140]

Try crystal legacy... Its a romhack of crystal with the intention to make it the crystal version we all wanted back than...there are videos on youtube check it out

[@leonardofarias8843]

Houndour would’ve been overpowered

[@CarlYoungII]

@@boxheadbaron4655 Well actually now that I think about it you could get quite a few Gen 2 mons in the Johto run. Like Phanphy/Teddiursa which were both exclusives to either G/S as well as Gligar/Skarmory which were also version exclusives. Natu, Smeargle, Yanma, Delibird, Miltank, Stantler, Aipom & Heracross along with Sentret & Hoppip. Those are some I can think off the top of my head. But if you didn't choose Cyndaquil or go find a Growlithe or catch Entei your options for fire types on your team were sparsely limited. Unless that odd egg from the daycare man hatched into Magby. Slugma, Houndour and even Magmar were locked until you reached Kanto.

[@kristind5641]

I loved Crystal! I was so jealous of my friend who had it since I wanted to play as the girl, but all I had was silver (which is still amazing) Lugia forever and always! Lol

[@cypher686]

I love the fact I can play as a girl but I don’t get why so many guys want to play as a girl too. Seems really weird

[@Miss_Claire]

It's because guys can indulge in their feminine side and interests when playing as a girl in video games without the harsh scrutiny and judgement of society telling them they shouldn't act like girls. You only think it's weird because society said it is, thing is, society has said lots of things over the course of humanity that has changed or turned out to be terrible thinking. Or as in my case, they actually are girls who had the misfortune of being born with a penis. Lol. All the more reason why gender norms are whack@@cypher686

[@Felix.Dragon.]

12:01 Randy Snutz approves this nickname.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

🤣

[@tjq15]

$30 in 2001 is worth $52.17 today

[@fingertapper88]

$150 for the game itself tho

[@Queazii]

Instantly subbed, good shit. Thanks for making more Pokémon content for me to binge on.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Happy to be of service :) thanks for watching and subbing!

[@RuralSquirrelJuror]

Loved your evaluation at the end of

[@BrattySuccuboi]

This channel deserves more subscribers. This was a really cool video and very insightful.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks for the kind words Bratty! I'm glad you liked the video! 😀

[@danstrikker6465]

Got crystal and a gba sp for my birthday in gradeschool and it was the best

[@binsteez8881]

Special game in my heart I still have my copy from when I was a kid

[@GoonieLord]

I still have the original Pokémon Crystal guide book I stole it from some rich kid so long ago in my 5th grade currently 33 now still have the aging guide book held up by tape and a prayer still useful to this day also I play gen 1-2 on virtual console. That guide book was my go to for everything

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Was the rich kids name Winston!? I also loved the guide book, most of the pictures in the video are actually from my copy, I managed to preserve it fairly okay :), unlike the cardboard box Crystal Version came in :(

[@GoonieLord]

@@boxheadbaron4655 your version ain't nearly worn as mine. Still its nice we still have our books especially in an age where books are never read anymore

[@deltarayz5045]

im on the seven islands on fire red,the song of 2nd gen touch the heart 🥹❤️

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Jealous! I have been meaning to play the gen 1 remakes again, but just haven't made the time. I have a lot of nostalgia for the Sevii islands and thought they were a great addition to the games.

[@deltarayz5045]

@@boxheadbaron4655 🫡🏆✨

[@TaroLoaf]

Imo gen 2 was peak design. Looks like an animal that you can befriend and go on adventures with. Excellent balance of friend shaped, wild looking, and for some cuteness. Idk most of them look like they can hang out with u and do amazing feats of strength and ability

[@johnsondo552]

very great video! love the humor!! suprised your channel doesn't have hundreds of thousands of followers!

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks for the kind words Johnsondo, I appreciate the support :)

[@MettaFTW]

you forgot the most important suicune fact Splippyfop

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

The seer tells you where and at what time of day. That might be relevant in friendship evolutions like umbreon and espeon.

[@marhawkman303]

Oh here's a fun one: Unlike Fire Red/Leaf Green, Gold/Silver had in Heart Gold Soul Silver their female trainer be a totally new design... Kris is only a player character in CRYSTAL. despite there being a gen 2 remake.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

You're right, I never thought about it before... I wonder why they did that? I liked the Crystal female trainer design more honestly.

[@ThomatoSauce]

They’re cats, not dogs. The designer said so.

[@TreyFergg]

Dude, It is criminal that you don't have hundreds of thousands of subs. The passion you put into this is tangible. You definitely earned my sub, brother.😊

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks Trey! I appreciate the positive vibes :)

[@satyrsatyr2957]

Crystal was my first pokemon game, never got to see that sick ken sugimori artwork tho, cause i was playing it on some now-defunct gaming website from like 2012... Lol

[@boxheadbaron4655]

LOL sounds slightly shady. Glad you got to experience it though. The Nintendo Power Crystal Version players guide was FULL of Ken's official art. Of course now it's super easy to find it all by just searching around on the internet.

[@scottnito2640]

The odd egg has a 14% chance of being a shiny baby. Also you don’t have to catch the dogs to get Ho Oh. You can just KO them (I prefer to catch too but figured if anyone wants the correct info)

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Good info Scott, I didn't know killing off the legendary beasts (dogs) was a valid method to obtain the Rainbow Wing.

[@oneautumnleaff2119]

actually rebuying gameboys and old pokemon games to replay them all after all these years, havent touched them since i beat them back when they came out. im going to complete gen1 and 2s dex. ill also get a sp for emerald, maybe... idk but i really do want 1 for Boktai, i do love emerald too but Boktai is my main focus if i get another sp. i could emulate but i just prefer the real thing. i also got a gamecube lol for mario strikers, double dash, paper mario, digimon rumble arena 2, twilight princess

[@yaasinm]

2:23 "raykaow" hahahahahahahha

[@boxheadbaron4655]

haha now I can't NOT notice when I re-watch the video *facepalm*

[@IronCodyAlan]

Really in depth guide from my childhood thank you

[@boxheadbaron4655]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@Machoke.]

Im actually more partial to gold version over crystal. Mainly because the biggest reason I like gsc is nostalgia being gold was my first pokemon game. So the sprites in gold are the ones I remember as a kid. Crystal added to the experiance, but not enough for me personally to remember it as better. I can definitely see why people seem to like it the most, but gold is where my allegance lies.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Hey Machoke! Nothing wrong with that, I'm the same way with Gen 1. Even though Yellow had more stuff, Blue will always be my favorite from that generation mostly because it was my first Pokemon game.

[@Machoke.]

@boxheadbaron4655 same here. Blue is my favorite. I like the older messed-up looking sprites 😆

[@lloydirving6209]

Gold is better than silver and crystal for a number of reasons. One of them being that it's the only one of the three where you don't have to catch Raikou Entei and Suicune in order to catch Ho-Oh

[@BlackFlash09]

Will you do a sequel video... or prequel video... with the changes in Yellow Version?

[@boxheadbaron4655]

I may have something in the works 😉 It won't be the next video, but I definitely have something resembling what you are requesting in the pipeline!

[@MobileBass]

I like to imagine the red guy from smiling friends made this

[@Hyperagua]

Dugtrio - Tri Attack also can be like so you can remember the attack?

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Doing some looking it appears there was no formal way to re-learn moves in the Gen-2 games, but there was a method in Pokemon Stadium 2. So it was technically possible but just a pain in the butt it sounds like. From Bulbapedia: "While Generation II has no formal Move Reminder, in Pokémon Stadium 2, after defeating the Elite Four and Champion at the Gym Leader Castle, the player can re-teach a move to one of the Pokémon that was involved in the battle."

[@Tanya.Pillay]

I've been playing the game on Visual Boy Advance emulatoron my laptop. For some reason all my pokemon disappeared from my boxes but they still appear in the pokedex. please help me I don't know what to do 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 also it wont let me battle in battle tower

[@Cylonknight]

When you brought up Miltank and Rollout. Just stop there. That was a childhood nightmare. lol

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Collective trauma for a generation :)

[@Topdoggie7]

Gets A rank just for Tru Attack on Magneton.

[@duelistalliance1071]

Literally the peak of my childhood. Played red blue yellow and silver. My sister had gold. I got crystal and this game has fond memories for me.

[@bengalboypaco3140]

Same bro i had blue gold then crystal i wish i could remember what i did with the game and why i stopped playing

[@lerdog]

Not RayCow 😭

[@boxheadbaron4655]

The scourge of the Poke-verse 🤣

[@UVAmatsuo]

First game to record Capture Location.

[@SanthiagoHH]

Awesome video!

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thank you!

[@OneAfterMidnight]

Great video man

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks for watching!

[@harlequinhunter5914]

Buying pokemon Crystal is worth it because of the rare value for reselling.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

🤑🤑🤑

[@harlequinhunter5914]

@boxheadbaron4655 bro I have the digital and physical copy. It's fun

[@SuspiciousLiquid]

He really said "Ray Cow" 😂

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Just a few times lol

[@SuspiciousLiquid]

😂 it's all good. Loved the video btw. I'm officially subbed.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

:) :) :)

[@genogarcia7878]

Ahh man 30 bucks...the good old days

[@boxheadbaron4655]

They even included an instruction booklet and card board box! What a deal!

[@pimpingkek4947]

mom bought me silver one year, and crytsal the next. as a kid, i was disappointed. i was expecting a completely brand new game. thanks for making this video, and pointing out what was special about it.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Yeah I would be too. I never considered how confusing the "third" game per generation pattern was for parents. I'm sure your parents saw how much you liked Silver version and thought they were doing you a solid by getting you another game in the series. Little did they know they got you basically the same game with a few tweaks :(

[@Gingerlion777]

Thanks youtube algoritme for suggesting an actual good channel for once😅 nice video!

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks I appreciate it! I am glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@walker4322]

Just to blow your mind. The 3 legendary dogs are actually cats! And most likely evee's to boot. (Vaporeon, jolteon, flareon)

[@boxheadbaron4655]

I remember hearing that rumor before now that you mention it. If true it's actually a super cool piece of random trivia\lore and would make a lot of sense since they're types match up and everything. It kinda feels like Dark Souls style lore where it isn't explicitly told, but rather inferred and left open for interpretation! Thanks for watching walker, I like the profile picture btw. It's always nice seeing Metroid getting some attention drawn to it.

[@walker4322]

@boxheadbaron4655 it is a really cool rumor however I think the cat part was actually confirmed by one of the devs. Don't think the eevee part was confirmed, though, but yeah it's incredible how souls game storytelling borrows a lot from retro games And of course it was a fun watch! And yep the world needs more metroid, arguably my favorite franchise

[@Tom-lf7zw]

As a kid I thought they let you have suicune as a starter pokemon, so I bought this and was disappointed.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Haha I had a good laugh at this. Based on the gen 1 box covers I could see why you would think that!

[@paugarciabcn]

Is there any place to download this guide in pdf?

[@boxheadbaron4655]

I won't send a direct link but there is a website called "the internet archive" where you can view old websites, but they also have lots of old magazine scans (and guidebooks for video games). Just do a search for nintendo power pokemon crystal :)

[@paugarciabcn]

@@boxheadbaron4655 thank you!

[@boxheadbaron4655]

😀

[@oneautumnleaff2119]

lmfao looking at these trades now in hindsight im starting to believe they wanted to rub the trade evolutions in our faces lmfao, they shouldve been the other way around to gives players the chance at that succulent trade evo.

[@jamiebrown1732]

Ray cow is crazy

[@boxheadbaron4655]

The craziest of crazy... 😜

[@jonniefast]

one of the best GB games ever made

[@torrent3481]

calling them a dog or cat are both correct technically. created to be an ambiguous mixture. the legendary beasts. i always saw them as cats as child personally.

[@Samurai-no4wu]

I always wondered what's the deal with people who don't like the nickname feature in pokemon. Do they call there pets by their animal name?

[@TheBrotherGrim]

As a dumbass kid my mom brought home an unboxed copy of Crystal she got from a friend whose kid didn't play it anymore. I was familiar with Gold and Silver, but saw crystal and was just assumed it was some kind of bootleg or spinoff, so it sat in a junk drawer for years 😂 I've still never played it. Would have loved it back then too.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

😆😆😆

[@zarbaboiarchive1680]

here at 140 subs. also raycow lol

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Haha I'm never going to live down this "raycow" thing

[@TrvisXXIII]

The only good thing about this video was seeing the classic art and vintage footage

[@Redeyeclipse]

As a 10 year old im 01 it was worth it

[@Dancer.shaolin]

I couldn’t heard you because the music was too loud

[@irvinjramos]

It’s fucked up that my parents didn’t have $30 to buy me this I had to start playing it with the delta app 🤣🤣

[@chris1229sonic]

Can you remember me when you’re famous I’m subbed

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks for the sub chris! or should I call you sonic? :P Not sure about becoming famous, but thanks for the vote of confidence! I'm just happy making videos about stuff I like and glad others find it good enough to watch.

[@dr.trousers6101]

It was definitely worth the downl- uhh buying it yes. Aside from my boi mareep not being present;-;

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Mareep is probably one of the biggest casualties in crystal ☹ a Johto icon not catchable in a johto game... madness

[@StrayTato]

Yeah wth was up with that?

[@kmrskates]

Uhhh, pretty sure you do not need all three legendary beasts caught before being able to catch Ho-Oh or Lugia.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Hey KMRskates, thanks for watching! In Crystal Version you do need to catch all three legendary beasts before you can obtain the Rainbow Wing which is needed to capture Ho-Oh. The requirements were different in Gold and Silver. In the case of Lugia in Crystal Version you only need the Silver Wing which is obtained by talking to an old man in Pewter City which is in the post game (Kanto).

[@kmrskates]

@@boxheadbaron4655 That's strange, as I recall playing Crystal and never had to catch those three before being able to catch Lugia or Ho-Oh. Unless, I am mixing it up with Gold/Silver playthroughs. I guess I stand corrected on my memory

[@curtiswfranks]

I had to behave myself and get my photos taken for seemingly no reason in order to earn this game.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

School photos?

[@curtiswfranks]

@@boxheadbaron4655: No! I was in some department store like JCPenney or something! Maybe my mom just thought that I looked especially cute that day or something.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Well at least you got a good reward for it, regardless of your moms reason@@curtiswfranks 😅

[@jiggling86]

your fursona reminds me of my poop-eating uncle Henry

[@bradenkelly1879]

Gear-afar-igg???

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

The time reset doesn't work for Crystal, which is probably a good thing.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Interesting, Gold and Silver had a way to reset the time? Was it intentional functionality created by GameFreak or a bug that someone found and exploited?

[@Ash6777]

I honestly loved Crystal. It offered a lot more than Gold and Silver did. And coming from a female, I honestly liked having the option to actually choose the gender of the trainer than just being forced to play as a boy.

[@philipmurphy2]

KZbin Algorithm suggested this video, Thought the video was great 👍

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks philip, I appreciate it!

[@alec_2112]

Ray Cow

[@randymarshislorde]

Err, it's pronounced a little differently (Righ-Koo), but I kinda like the way you say it lol

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Ray-Cow is the way I always pronounced it as a kid, old habits die hard I suppose. The comments section has made it very clear I'm pretty much the only one who pronounced it that way haha. I do like the unintentional comedic effect it gives to the video though. Thanks for watching Randy!

[@BigJoe2.0]

Gen 2 was the best thanks to Crystal

[@jamesrodney951]

Damn it jimmy why do you keep purposely mispronouncing “Raikou” 🤨

[@jonnieb4]

It's pronounced RIE-COO

[@MadCowDiseased]

Gear uh far ig

[@justinbrown8914]

Tyrogue

[@boxheadbaron4655]

So forgotten, poor fellah

[@iRazenrak]

WHY DO YOU PRONOUNCE EVERYTHING LIKE THAT

[@nidohime6233]

While it made many good changes, they also made the worse change ever: NO MAREEP!!!???

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Yep, its easily one of the biggest flaws ☹, such a travesty

[@Nocturne22]

Literally all I cared about was being able to play as a girl.

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Nothing wrong with that!

[@jamesomara8036]

Liked the video, but you butcher pokemon names 😂

[@randomedgygamer2191]

Crystal girl for ever, Lyra sucks so much

[@boxheadbaron4655]

I agree, the Heart Gold / Soul Silver female protagonist isn't my favorite. They had a really good design in Crystal not sure why they didn't keep the design and modernize it slightly like they did with the male character design.

[@Down_to_clown]

wgat is wrong with you

[@shikouji]

dis do be good video

[@boxheadbaron4655]

Thanks!