So it’s time to look at
this bloody thing in a bit more depth. If you missed it whenever the hell I
introduced it, Pokémon Gold Version
& Pokémon Silver Version, the
first of the Generation 2 games, were in development as early as 1996 and were
shown off at Nintendo’s Space World ’97 event, and it was radically different –
different Starter Pokémon, different town layouts,different lots. The games then went back
into development for a further three years, not coming out until 2000 and the
‘Space World Demo’ version of the games was thought lost – until it turned up
(obvious, really)! This was big news in the Pokémon fan community (and indeed
other communities too, like the Game Boy, Nintendo, Lost Media and just general
video game and retro video game fandoms), a piece of lost media uncovered and
it answered a lot of fan speculation and solved a lot of mysteries, as well as
giving us insight into the development of a set of popular games, one that we
rarely get from Game Freak who are very loath to share in-development
information. You can find an overview of the whole demo at The Cutting Room
Floor [https://tcrf.net/Proto:Pok%C3%A9mon_Gold_and_Silver] but we’re just
focussing on the Pokémon, because there was around 100 ‘mons in this that were
going to be part of the next generation and a lot of them were either early
designs, or completely new creatures we had no idea had ever existed.
Here’s how the new Pokémon (#s 152-251) break down:
Chikorita, Meganium, Mareep, Flaafy, Ampharos,
Qwilfish, Natu, Zatu, Crobat, Skarmory, Donphan, Smeargle, Slowking, Unown,
Ledyba, Miltank, Houndour, Houndoom, Steelix, Ho-Oh, Togepi and Snubbull all
appeared as they did in the final version of the game, no changes. However
Chikorita did not evolve into Baleef and
Ledyba, Togepi and Snubbull didn’t evolve at all, several ‘mons also had
different names or typing.
Hoothoot, Igglybuff, Quagsire, Spinarak, Espeon,
Umbreon and Bellossom appeared in slightly different prototype versions, Hoothoot
had different markings (which I liked), Igglybuff was missing it’s hair,
Quagsire had a different tail, Espeon was yellow, Umbeon black and purple (and
a Poison type!) while Bellossom was the same colour scheme as it’s line-mates
which matched some old official art of it we had. Nothing particularly
spectacular, again some had different names and types.
Then things got a big more
interesting: Noctowl, Mantine, Pichu,
Cleffa, Marril, Araidos, Sunflora, Phanpy, Girafarig, Politoed, Remoraid,
Octillery, Hitmontop, Hoppip, Skiploom, Jumpluff, Mime Jr, Smoochum, Elekid,
Magby, Delibird, Murkrow, Blissey, Scizor, Porygon2, Lickilicky, Kingdra,
Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Sneasel, Aipom and Leafeon all appeared in prototype forms that were different,
sometimes radically different to their final versions, in fact I do think that
a few more should have been covered individually in the previous two
generations like Porygon2 and the Legendary Beasts were. Oh, as I didn’t give a
ball rating to most of these prototype ‘mons, here they are:
Also, ah, um… the only
prototype Baby Pokémon I bothered to cover was Mime Jr (who was a Gen 4 ‘mon),
despite the fact that all of the Gen 2 Babies were all included in the demo and
were all different, some significantly so. This was due to sheer apathy, but I
have got to cover them if I’m doing this job properly and if a job’s worth
doing it’s worth putting off until you absolutely HAVE to talk about Igglybuff
and Smoochum again. If you missed my review of the prototype Mimey it was ‘it’s
creepy and a bit like a harlequin, I prefer the Jr. we got’. now for the rest:
The babies were in two
bunches in the proto-dex: Pichu, Cleffa and Igglybuff were the first set. Igglybuff
was the least changed, it simply grew a little round tuft of ‘hair’ at some
point, I actually find Proto-Iggly the more visually pleasing (though it has
clearly seen some things) but I get the change, having an extra thing on it’s
head to break up the simple shape of it’s body is a design element shared by
both Jigglpuff and Wigglytuff so it makes sense to keep it consistent across
the whole line. Cleffa, who I consider one of the best of the Baby Pokémon
design wise originally looked…well I know what it LOOKS like, it looks like it
has one of those handheld lightning rod wands things that the Legion of
Superheroes used to bring back Lighting Lad and Wally West from the dead but I
respect that virtually no one will know what the fuck I’m on about with that,
so let’s just call it a ridiculous looking antenna and be glad that Dickhead
Cleffa was redesigned shall we? Proto-Pichu is an absolutely state, it looks
like a child tried to make a Pikachu glove puppet at school with just some felt
and wood glue.
In contrast the second set
– Mime Jr, Smoochum, Elekid and Magby – are all pretty decent. As creepy as
Proto-Mime is, being creepy and pink is Mr. Mime’s whole schtick so as a design
for a prevo it makes sense. Elekid is…well it’s weird isn’t it? But I do like
it, it almost looks like Elekid’s baby form which I assume is why it was
redesigned, it just doesn’t look enough like a younger Electabuzz, what are e
calling it? An alien mixed with a bee’s arse? It looks like a dog toy, I’m still
not critiquing it by the way. Elekid is better but Proto-Elekid is funky and
fun. Proto-Magma’s head is different, that’s the main difference, I like the
proto-head it looks like an explosion and that’s very fiery, something that
would be explored better with the Cyndaquil line, but it’s not quite as weird
as the bubbly bonce we eventually got and when it comes to making something
that evolves into or from Magmar, the weirder the head the better. Smoochum is
the only Baby I’d’ve preferred to have had the beta version of, Smoochum is a
jumbled mess, but Proto-Smoochum is a lot more ‘complete as a design, it looks
like a little old lady which is a bit off for a baby (and it particularly looks
like Generation 1 Elite Four member Agatha, which is double odd as she was
Ghost Type trainer wasn’t she?) but it also doesn’t look as bird-like as the
Smoochum we got, and as Jynx betrays no influence of any animal this seems like
a far more fitting design for a baby form of it, of course it still has, um,
that face, that could have done with being reworked by release.
The rest of the Pokémon
were unique to this demo.
Of these, 18 were connected
to other evolutionary lines; mostly Babies and Cross-Generation evolutions for
Gen 1 but a few were ‘mons planned to be part of Gen 2 evolutionary lines that
were cut or replaced for the final Gold & Silver. These were Hanamogura, Mikon, Monja, Jaranra,
Shibirefugu, Gyopin, Para, Animon, Hinaazu, Tsuinzu, Koonya, Puchikoon, Taaban,
Betobebii, Gongu, Pudi, Tsubomitto, Nameeru and Purakkusu and were all covered after the lines they were planned to
be a part of in our Generation 1 and 2 segments,
But that still leaves 19
‘mons left! These were all totally unique Pokémon completely unconnected to the
Gen 1 ‘mons we’d had or the Gen 2 ‘mons we’d get, many of whom had never been
so much as hinted at before. That’s what this section is primarily for,
covering these lost lines, so I should really get to it shouldn’t I?
PIKAFLARE!
*hugs*
*burn self*
Ow! You’re not going in the
‘ones I’d like to own’ bit, stupid deceptively cuddly little shit
The Space World Demo
revealed that Gold & Silver (or Pokémon 2 as it was called then) was going
to have a vey different line-up of Starters, Chikorita was there but with it’s
weird flowermole midvolution and Cyndaquil and Totodile were nowhere to be
found, instead their places were taken by the Honooguma and Kurusu lines.
Honooguma’s just great, it’s a bearcub, on fire, reminiscent of Pikachu and
just as cute, I also have a lot of attachment to it thanks to it being one of
the great ‘lost’ Pokémon we’ve known about for years and for it being a
PokéGod, so I’m attached. Don’t’ mess with my bonfire bearcub.
Borubeaa is your basic
midvolution, it looks kind of cheeky, like a child in a 70s American TV series,
but I don’t think the design team spent much time on it so we shan’t either and
anyway Dynabea is, well, dynamite. Everything about this guy is so cool, it’s
far from just a cartoon bear (which is really all Ursaring is, sorry Ursaring)
and very much a bear-like Pokémon. It has so much fur! It’s so shaggy! And it
has this wiseness to it, and a powerfulness to it, feeling like an old warrior –
or more likely an old sorcerer, I think it’s the fire markings on its head – who
could utterly destroy your ass in battle
would contemplate it first and only do it if absolutely necessary. Basically I
want to marry Dynabea, ok?
I don’t get why these were
cut, I really don’t. Even if you didn’t want them as Starters – and I will
concede that the Cyndquil Line is far more original – why not just keep these
around as a standard set of Pokémon? There’s no ban on there being a three-stage
line of the same elemental type as a Starter line – Generation 1 had the Oddish
and Bellsprout families after all – these could have just been ‘the bears’ for
the generation, they’re far better than Teddyursa and Ursaring who are, while
lovable, just a teddy bear and a bear, this line offered elemental elements
(ha) and a big shaggy look BEFORE those two were concocted, they had a better
idea and the threw it away for a more generic one, why?
Damn it Game Freak.
You had the chance to
completely change my mind my on Gen 1’s starters and you threw it away for
crocodiles. You had a line of Loch Ness Monster Starters and you kept them from
us? You bastards.
Ok I’m being a bit over the
top but…but…but THESE GUYS! They’re even a complimentary set of designs to
Chikorita and pals (probably why they were scrapped? Chikorita is a better use
of a long-neck I’ll give it that, using the neck to imply the growth of a
flower). We had this adorable Kurusu that mixes the elements of Lapras,
Clefairy and Dratinit into this pudgy
lil’ dino that you just want to cuddle, we had Akua – and actually decently
designed midvoultion sealosaur that’s has none of the problems of Croconaw
while, admittingly, still being a bit boring but it has that ‘character’ that
Ivysaur and Charmeleon have don’t’ you think? (Croconaw had character TOO mind
you, it just had a horrible design elements) and then we had Akueria, the angry
mother of Pokémon, a big plesiosaur to bear down on unfortunate NPC’s Hoothoot
and Teddyursa.
I can understand why they
might shelve these, they feel a little too close to previously existing ‘mons
(Lapras and Dratinni/Dragonair) for a generation that was mostly avoiding that
but…well I just like ‘em more than Totodile, Croconaw and Feraligatr.
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