It's 2010. Gold and Silver came out 10 years ago, which is the last time most people played it. Platinum came out last year, and DP 3 years ago. At this point, most players don't even have RSE carts anymore despite DPP bonuses. Even fewer people had GSC anymore: Battery replacement hassle, coupled with owning a third handheld. Most people had only memories of Gold and Silver, but after FRLG, were hoping to eventually play GS DS. People wanted to go to Johto again. It was a big dream for literally anybody: Old players with nostalgia, and new players who hadn't played one of the most lauded games in the series. Given all this, I understand the demand and excitement and lasting value. It's a hassle to own 10 handhelds and replace batteries, and HGSS is convenient to fire up.
For me, the moment I walked through New Bark town, it felt off. Part of it was the music as
>>54978120said. The music is a soulless degraded echo, which attached itself to nobody's memory. Nobody is celebrating HGSS's soundtrack.
But I kept going to Cherrygrove and Violet and lo: Of course it's a modern Pokemon game. NPCs stopping you in your tracks, not allowed to explore anymore. I'm already very turned off. As I keep going through the game I realize this isn't Johto anymore. It's a nostalgia amusement park with large doses of extraneous recent Pokemon game elements that have nothing to do with Johto. Playing it today, it feels very weird and the extra elements do not fit. For me, even the Sugimori art detracts from value of HGSS. The characters don't even belong to the culture of Johto, they looks like Sinnoh people cosplaying as Johto people.
