Most of my experience with generation 2 was with Silver, so it's nice to play this somewhat more complete version. The animations for enemy Pokemon are particularly welcome and do much more than you'd think toward making the world feel more lively and detailed.

This is one of the high points of the series when it comes to mystery, hidden depth, and of course postgame bulk. These are major upsides for children with extremely active imaginations (especially those playing at the time) and while I certainly still appreciate those elements, it's not quite the same as an adult. It's not really possible to get lost in things in the way kids do so effortlessly. I prefer the straightforward and excellently paced nature of generation 1 to the bursting at the seams clumsy open-endedness of 2, but I'm sure I wouldn't feel that way if I encountered both at the same time as a child.

It was my feeling before that HG/SS pretty much made generation 2 irrelevant. While I still much prefer the remakes, I think that's unfair. There's such absurd ambition here and while these games are much rougher around the edges and lack the little flourishes that make HG/SS so special, there is an undeniable soul to GSC that I can't ignore.