After becoming the Pokémon League Champion, players can travel to Kanto, the region introduced in Generation I, and see how things have changed over the past three years:
* A key is no longer required to open the door to Lt. Surge and the garbage cans are all empty (except for trash) in the Vermilion City Gym.
* A volcano has destroyed everything but the Pokémon Center on Cinnabar Island.
* Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are no longer found in Kanto, partially because they can already be caught in Generation I. The Cerulean Cave and Mewtwo are also gone, though a man near the cave ruins does mention the dungeon, and an item called the Berserk Gene is found in the water near where the Cerulean Cave once was.
* Bill's house is still present, but Bill himself now lives in Goldenrod City in Johto. The house is now home to Bill's grandfather.
* Blaine has moved his Gym to the Seafoam Islands due to the volcano eruption on Cinnabar Island (which is why Articuno and all water Pokémon in the Seafoam Islands are no longer available).
* Blue (Green in the Japanese versions), the rival of Generation I, is now the leader of the Viridian City Gym. Giovanni is nowhere to be seen, though he is mentioned. Red, the Generation I protagonist, appears in Johto's Mt. Silver, serving as the game's true final challenge, his highest level Pokémon being a level 81 Pikachu. This is a nod to Ash Ketchum's Pikachu in the Pokémon anime; Red also has a Snorlax at level 75, a Blastoise, Venusaur, and Charizard, all level 77, and a level 73 Espeon.
* Copycat still lives in Saffron City, but has moved to another home. Her old house is now the Magnet Train station. After Copycat's house was torn down for the station, she received a free rail pass from a man at the station, which she gives to you after returning her lost doll. According to her mother this is the same doll that Red gives her in Generation I in exchange for TM30.
* Kanto Gym Leaders now use Pokémon debuted in Johto.
* Most of the music from the Generation I games are used, and have had some major remixing done to most battle themes, and minor remixing done to the remaining tunes.
* Most routes were shortened, but cities and towns remained the same size except Celadon City, which shrunk slightly.
* Pokémon seen in the wild are different: many Johto Pokémon exist in the grass. Some Pokémon that were previously restricted to the Safari Zone, can be caught in nearby wild areas, such as Rhyhorn in Victory Road and Kangaskhan in Rock Tunnel.
* Team Rocket's headquarters in the basement of the Celadon City Game Corner has been sealed, although it's alluded to by the same man in Celadon's Pokémon Center.
* The abandoned Power Plant is now in use to power the newly-opened Saffron City Magnet Train (which may have led to the departure of all the Pokémon that were infesting the plant in Generation I, among whom Zapdos).
* The bike shop in Cerulean City has been closed down, due to the owners moving to Goldenrod City in Johto.
* The "coffee man" in Viridian City has now had his coffee, and says, "Hey, kid! I just had a double shot of espresso and I am wired!" He then says that he was once good at capturing Pokémon, and asks if you believe him. However, he does not show you how to catch Pokémon regardless of whether you answer "Yes" or "No." This may be due to the Old Man Glitch in Red and Blue.
* The Fighting Dojo leader is away training, so the Fighting Dojo only provides a Focus Band item left behind, which can be held by a Pokémon. The Fighting Dojo leader is training in Mt. Mortar in Johto. He gives you a Tyrogue if you defeat him.
* The museum in Pewter City is closed for renovations.
* The other caverns and the Viridian Forest all have the same layout as they did before (with the exceptions of Mt. Moon and the Seafoam Islands), just shrunk down.
* The player can meet and battle many of the characters from the previous games, including the rival of the original games, Green. After completing the quests in Kanto, the player can access a new area in Johto, Mt. Silver, and battle Red, the protagonist of Generation I. Another quite notable difference is that Koga, Gym Leader of Fuchsia City (now an member of the Elite Four), has been replaced by his daughter, Janine.
* The Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town has been replaced by a Radio Tower, similar to the one in Goldenrod City. In turn, the Pokémon gravesites were moved into the newly added Soul House. Also, you can only go on the first floor due to added security (a safety precaution as a result of Team Rocket's takeover of Johto's Radio Tower).
* The Safari Zone is closed while the warden is "on a vacation." Instead, the Johto Bug-Catching Contest at the National Park takes its place. A portal to the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City can be found, but not used. However, players can use a GameShark or similar device to enter the unfinished Safari Zone.[1]
* The Underground Path from Celadon City to Lavender Town has been sealed indefinitely, ostensibly due to "vandalism." The game cites local complaints about battles there.
* Victory Road's length has been drastically shortened, and no longer includes the barriers, boulders, trainers, and pressure sensors, explaining why the trainers appear outside (which explains why Moltres is no longer there).
* Viridian Forest has been reduced to that of a small group of trees visible outside the forest entrance, and wild Pokémon can only be caught there on the grass of what used to be Route 2.
Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:09 am 
Also, the cave at the top is called Shuckle Cavern. It connects Cianwood to Chirron.)