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Differences: Pokemon Gold & Pokemon Silver

IGN's Craig Harris awarded "Pokemon Silver" and "Pokemon Gold" a 10.0/10 rating because of its originality and compelling lengthy gameplay. The two 2000 Game Boy Color games -- also playable on the Game Boy Advance and eventually remade into Nintendo DS versions -- feature virtually the same gameplay. However, in true "Pokemon" fashion, there are a few key differences between the two.

Some Different Pokemon
- While the majority of Pokemon you encounter in either version of the game are the same, you'll find some Pokemon in "Gold" that you don't find in "Silver" and vice versa. The "Gold" exclusive Pokemon are Arcanine, Ariados, Gligar, Growlithe, Mankey, Mantine, Primeape, Sandshrew, Sandslash, Spinarak, Teddiursa and Ursaring. The "Silver" exclusive Pokemon are Arbok, Delibird, Donphan, Ekans, Meowth, Ninetales, Ledian, Ledyba, Persian, Phanpy, Skarmory and Vulpix.
Different Pokedex Entries
- Each version of the game featuring exclusive Pokemon does not prohibit you from collecting all of the Pokemon. You can gain Pokemon exclusive to the other version by trading with another player. (If you purchase both "Gold" and "Silver" yourself, you will need two game systems in order to trade.) Many Pokemon, including the exclusive ones, feature different Pokedex descriptions depending on whether you're playing "Gold" or "Silver." You can learn a new fact about the Pokemon by reading about it in both versions.
Different Locations
- Even the Pokemon that are available for capture in both "Gold" and "Silver" may not appear in the same location in both games. For example, you can capture the Butterfree on Route 2 in "Gold," but you can only win the Butterfree in the National Park's Bug Catching Contest in "Silver." However, the Beedrill is just the opposite; catch it on Route 2 in "Silver" and in the Bug Catching Contest in "Gold."
Different Animated Sprites
- When you possess a Pokemon in "Gold," your friend with whom you trade that Pokemon for another may notice that the Pokemon looks different in "Silver." "Gold" and "Silver" feature different animated sprites for all of the Pokemon. The difference in animation has no effect on gameplay.
Special Pokemon Levels
- You can catch the special Pokemon Lugia and Ho-oh in both versions of the game. However, in "Silver" you first catch Lugia at Level 40 and Ho-oh at Level 70. "Gold" features the opposite: Lugia is Level 70 and Ho-oh is Level 40. Ho-oh is a fire, flying type of Pokemon and Lugia is a psychic, flying type. Whichever Pokemon you choose to capture at a lower level will require much more training.

Game Boy