>>40750745Okay, I really loved HGSS and all the content it added. BW2 was also great, but for slightly different reasons. The difficulty settings and key systems were a clever way to make the game more challenging or easier for people, but unfortunately could've been handled better; still, it was nice to be able to gift the easy key for people who aren't that experienced with the game or simply wanted less exp.
HGSS's Pokeathlon is easily one of the best side content in the series, adding a ton of fun minigames to play that also add bonuses to your main adventure. Want a Dusk Stone for your Mukrow? Easy, win a few medals and it's yours. Similarly, the Safari Zone added a lot of ways to get a few mons earlier. You can get Murkrow and Houndour before Kanto, for one, and with a bit of planning can get all sorts of Hoenn and Sinnoh mons too, which are placed throughout the two regions in nice ways like swarms and radio music.
The Battle Frontier offers a great way to make your Pokemon shine, as it's simple enough for one to get through with their favorites, but complex enough to make it a challenge for them to keep a long streak going.
Following Pokemon was a wonderful mechanic, even if it didn't offer any gameplay advantages, having a buddy travel around with you and experience the same things really made the game feel livelier.
