As you may have noticed by now, I love Pokemon Diamond.  I also have quite a few gripes with it.  Unfortunately, I had problems with every single one of the GBA Pokemon games too (which I'll try not to go far into).  That's because none have yet to live up to the reputation set by three of the best games ever created: Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

Here's a quick history lesson on Pokemon.  First was Red and Blue in the US, and they were good.  Not perfect, but most certainly good.  I had Red, and loved the game beyond anything else.  Then came Yellow, which enhanced the original two and provided a link to the sweet first season of the anime.  I got it, played it, and again was hooked.  Next was Gold and Silver, which introduced a huge amount of new features, enhanced graphics, two playable regions, 16 gyms, and the legendary battle against Red atop Mount Silver.  In my mind, they immediately became the best portable games ever made, and therefore two of the best games ever made.  Crystal hooked everyone else who hadn't gotten it yet, and even charmed experienced players with the new version of the storyline, the introduction of the Battle Tower, and the ability to play as either a girl or a guy.

So then came Ruby and Sapphire, which were prettier, had new Pokemon, and introduced contests and double battles.  Now, it was in no way a bad game, but it didn't have the same charm that GSC did.  Fire Red and Leaf Green did little to help with its reimagining of the original pair, though the introduction of some of the missing Johto Pokemon as well as wireless had me coming back for more.  Emerald seemed like an unnecesary rehash of Ruby and Sapphire, and didn't offer nearly as cool features as the third games of the previous two generations.  As for Diamond and Pearl, I've said what I need to by this point.

Why was the Gameboy Color generation so darn good?  Maybe it was the creative gyms, as Johto is the only region to not start with a Rock gym and the only one so far to have Normal and Dragon gyms.  Maybe it was the radio system that allowed you to change the local tunes and even help progress in the game.  Maybe it was that the time of day really felt like it mattered to the world, unlike D/P where it seems like it only matters for evolution and certain catches.  Maybe it was the two regions, showing a future self of Kanto while allowing you to fight through 16 gyms.  Maybe it was the battle with Red, whose incredibly powerful Pokemon made the entire journey completely worth it.

No, the true reason is that they did all of this and much more, allowing you to do more then any other Pokemon game ever.  So now that we know that remaking games isn't out of the question, we need another iteration of Gold and Silver.  After all, with today's technology and the near perfect gameplay of these fantastic games, it's both a sure moneymaker for Nintendo and a treat for addicted fans like myself.  Heck, they could go the extra mile and make an extra large 3-4 region battle royale, with the ultimate prize being a return appearance by Ash/Red.  It seems like Pokemon is capable of adding more of everything else, so it hardly seems like this is out of the question.  I'm eagerly looking forward to the future of Pokemon, and with luck such a future will involve a long look at the series' brilliant past.