Pokemon Gold adds in some nice additions to the formula, but is just as addictive as its predecessor.
The formula from Red hasn't changed. You're a lone trainer looking to become the very best there ever was and is being guided by the Pokedex and Professor Elm. This time, you start in a different world, Johto, with different towns. This is a game that is just as accessible as the last one so new players can easily jump in and not feel lost at all.
Pokemon Gold makes some interesting additions. The most noticeable is the clock. There's nighttime now. Beyond giving the game darker visuals, some Pokemon only appear at night which is interesting. Some events also take place by the clock. A lot of the other additions are just tweaks. For example, you can now select a particular item and just use the select button instead of going back into your inventory. Speaking of inventory, it's now split up into different categories. TM's/HM's, key items, balls, and general items which makes sorting items much easier. When you approach a situation which requires a HM move such as cut or surf, you can press A and the game automatically ask you if you want to perform the required. It's the small things that make Gold a more refined game than Red.
The gameplay is just as addicting as in Red. There are some new pokemon as well as new types: dark and steel pokemon. There are also tons of new moves including Sunny Day, fury cutter, waterfall, and many others. The game is very absorbing with possibly more than 30 hours of gameplay and that's before heading back to Kanto. That's right, Gold allows you to go back to Kanto and collect all the badges from the Gym leaders. It's nice to see the old world in the new colorful visuals.
Speaking of visuals, Pokemon Gold was released on the Game Boy Color which means the game actually has color! Everything looks great with loads of color. The music is very catchy as well.
Just like Pokemon Red before it, Pokemon Gold will be remembered for how addictive is, not how it looked.There are enough additions to keep the formula fresh without breaking things that didn't need fixing. It's just so easy to get hooked and lost in the worlds of the Pokemon universe and it's a great way to remind ourselves how great that classic games can be.
Overall- 8.5