Quick menu: Changes from Gold & Silver - Pokemon - Mystery Gift - Videos - Trivia - Sales Figures - Review Scores - Media & Artwork

Pokemon Crystal is the third and final game of Generation II and follows on from Pokemon Gold and Silver. It was anticipated as the last games had four versions (Red, Green, Blue and then Terevi in Japan and Yellow in the rest of the world.)

Released in 2000 for Japan and 2001 for the rest of the world it features a multitude of bugfixes, adjustments and features some of which were exclusive to Japan such as a much greater emphasis on mobile phone linking via the Pokemon Mobile System GB using the Mobile Game Boy Adapter which is compatible with a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance.

Like Gold and Silver the player starts out in New Bark Town in the Johto region and is later able to return to Kanto. The biggest notable addition compared to the other versions is that now you can select your gender at the beginning of the game, introducing trainer Kris to the mix of main characters.

Changes from Gold and Silver versions

There were lots of changes, enhancements and new features added in Pokemon Crystal:

• Animated Pokemon: When a Pokemon enters battle a little animation will play.
• Sprite makeover: Several sprites are changed from the original ones and some others were recolored to match the official artwork.
• Cable Club: The Cable club was made simpler and it is now modern and sleek, showing off the capabilities of the Gameboy color.
• New locations: There’s a fountain on the National Park, the inside of Mt. Mortar was heavily altered.
• New words: Some trainers have their dialogue changed.
• There’s a small patch of grass on Route 36, previous to getting to Violet City. Growlithe spawn there so players can get a fire pokemon before going through the Sprout tower and the Azalea Gym.
• Legendary changes: Ho-oh can’t be caught until all the legendary dogs are caught.
• Unown changes: The Ruins of Alph now has a subplot on it, helping the player to get some nifty items and do more stuff on the endgame.
• More words: Trainers who call on the cellphone change their dialogues, sound more realistic and their Pokemon actually evolve and inform of rare Pokemonappearing.
• Golden Rod Sale Bonanza: Some weekends there are sales on the newly added rooftop area of the Goldenrod Department Store. Camper Todd will tell you about it if you have him on your Pokegear.
• Manyball: Kurt can make several balls at the same time, if you give him enough apricorns.

• New Moves: Several Pokemon have new level-up movesets. This just makes it easier for Sneasel and Magmar who can be found at different levels on the game.
• Lance's Room: When you face Lance you will notice the design of his room has been changed to a more Dragonny theme and that the statues have been replaced with Dratini's.

• And lastly, the order to get the Rising Badge is different. A couple of quizzes have to be answered now, and as a prize they get a Dratini with ExtremeSpeed, a very unique specimen.

Storyline and plot changes:
The plot and storyline are largely the same, but the legendary of this game is Suicune… Suicune?  How? Well its true, and things change so much that after visiting the Burnt Tower you will get actively stalked by one who you will come across at random points in the game. After you get a Clear Bell you will be able to capture it at the Tin Tower if you can defeat it in combat.

In addition to this Eusine; a new character was introduced. He is actively searching for Suicune and has been for a decade. Eusine notes that Suicine has taken an interest in the player and is following them. Jealous of the attention the player is getting from Suicine he will challenge the player to a battle at Cianwood City to earn the respect of Suicine and become noticed by him.

Official Description

The latest in the Gold & Silver series!
Travel back to the world of Johto as the Gold & Silver series continues with brand new features! Whether you're reading the fresh descriptions in your Pokédex, using the unique sort function to organize your Pokémon in new ways, watching the all-new battle animations, or discovering another way to capture Suicune, you'll need all of your Poké-skills to master Pokémon Crystal on your Game Boy Color!

• Unlock the mysteries of the Unown! All-new puzzles and rewards await you in the Ruins of Alph!
• Fight through the Battle Tower, a challenging tournament featuring Johto's best trainers!
• For the first time, play as a male or female trainer!
• Trade with Gold, Silver, Red, Blue, and Yellow versions to catch 'em all!
• Compatible with Pokémon Stadium 2 for the Nintendo 64!

Can I catch them all?

Several Pokemon cannot be obtained throughout the course of the game but they can be obtained from core series predecessors.

Mystery Gift

The infrared port on your Game Boy Color can be used to exchange gifts with other players using the Mystery Gift option. You can access this option by going to GoldenRod City's department store - just head to the fifth floor and talk to the girl and she'll ask if you'd like to use Mystery Gift. Just a click and you get a random item once a day from another player.

It should be noted that this feature only works on Game Boy Color, not on earlier or later versions.

Videos & Media

Check out these Pokemon Crystal related videos including TV Commercials, Trailers and Gameplay videos.
A U.S TV Commercial for Pokemon Crystal

A Japanese TV Commercial for Pokemon Crystal

Trivia

• The Japanese version of Pokemon Crystal can be hooked up to a phone to trade and battle with it.
• Thanks to this, Celebi was  distributed on this fashion making a whole event with the GS Ball and the Ilex forest where they could be caught.
• Pokemon Crystal was initially called Pokemon “X”
• The Japanese Version of pokemon Crystal has a Suicune Emblem embedded on the cartridge.
• This is the first game to actually patch an N64 game. When connected to Pokemon Stadium 2, Pokemon Crystal would initiate a patching process which will give the player access to special features like an extended mystery gift rooster and extended movesets.
• The Shiny hunting and the widespread of shiny pokemon alongside the well-known Masuda method were introduced on this game.
• This was the first version of the game to have a Mystery Gift option.
• The Pokemon Center in Goldenrod City is actually a Pokemon Communication Centre in the Japanese version of the game. This communication centre would allow the player to access the internet via a cellphone. This feature was never released to the rest of the world.
• This was the last title to include the "Gotta Catch 'Em All" tagline. The games that followed took the format of simply "Pokemon <Colour> version"
• In an early rendition of the game Kris had a different appearance. She seems to have had black hair in pigtails and her outfit was different.

Sales Figures

Crystal sold 6.39 million copies overall. Making it the least sold of this generation. Quite surprising for the game which is heralded by many hardcore Pokémon fans as the game that saved the series.

Review Scores

• IGN's Craig Harris scored the game 9 out 10 and commented “Nintendo offers up one last hurrah for the Pocket Monsters on the Game Boy Color”.
• GameRankings aggregate score is 79.86% based on 12 reviews.
• Nintendo Power scored Pokemon Crystal 4 stars out of 5. Sadly they are now defunct and I can't link you to that review.
• Frank Provo from GameSpot awarded Pokemon Crystal with a pretty sweet 8.4 out of 10 "Great" rating on the GS scale.

Media & Artwork

Official Artwork Gallery from Pokemon Crystal - A gallery featuring Pokemon & Characters
Box Art from Pokemon Crystal including numerous regional variations + editions
Screenshots from Pokemon Crystal Version