Pokémon SoulSilver hits that perfect sweet spot—it’s the classic Johto adventure you remember, but polished up with smoother sprites, a snappier UI, and little quality-of-life tweaks that make grinding way less painful. You start off picking your usual starter trio (Cyndaquil forever, fight me), but the first real surprise is your Pokémon walking behind you—it’s such a small touch that somehow makes everything feel more alive.

The remixed soundtrack slaps, by the way. That wild battle theme still gets me hyped. And yeah, you’re still chasing gym badges and dealing with Team Rocket’s nonsense, but the post-game? Ho-Oh’s just the beginning—there’s a whole Kanto revisit waiting once you “finish.” Lugia’s stormy debut scene holds up surprisingly well for a DS game, too.

If you’ve got a soft spot for Gen 2 or just want a Pokémon game with actual pacing, this is the one.