Nintendo Switch has had a pretty light lineup of games in 2020 so far, and outside ofrumoredSuper Marioremakes, there’s not a whole lot coming down the pipeline quite yet. Of the few games that have been released alongsideAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, by far the biggest surprise was the release ofPokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, a remake of the first game in thePokemon Mystery Dungeonseries that started on the GameBoy Advance and Nintendo DS back in 2006.
Across each of the installments, thePokemon Mystery Dungeonseries has sold upward of 15 million copies worldwide, with the original two games being the most popularPokemonspin-off titles ever released excluding free-to-play mobile game,Pokemon Go. While sales numbers haven’t been released, after the criticalsuccessful launch ofPokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, what other classicPokemongames could Nintendo and The Pokemon Company remake for Nintendo Switch?
Pokemon Ranger
The first thing that comes to mind after thePokemon Mystery Dungeonseries isPokemon Rangeron the Nintendo DS. Released in 2006 for Nintendo DS,Pokemon Rangeris definitely one of the more obscure spinoff games in the franchise. Set in the land of Fiore, players take on the role of a Pokemon Ranger, a cross between a park ranger and a police offer who are responsible for the protection of wild Pokemon.
With a larger goal of stopping a criminal organization called the Go-Rock Squad,the gameplay ofPokemon Rangeris what sets it apart from the mainline RPG series, requiring players to capture wild Pokemon by using the DS stylus and touchscreen to quickly draw circles around them. Selling 2.70 million copies worldwide,Pokemon Rangerwas praised for its unique gameplay, receiving two sequels,Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almiain 2008, andPokemon Ranger: Guardian Signsin 2010. Remaking the series could also just be one step to a complete reboot of it.
RELATED:Pokemon GO: Everything We Learned In This Week’s Datamines
Pokemon Snap
FromPokemon PinballtoPokemon Trozei!, thePokemonfranchise has tried its hand in a lot of strange places over the years that don’t always pay off, yet one of the most beloved spinoffs by far isPokemon Snap. Released on Nintendo 64,Pokemon Snapis an on-rails first-person shooter, only instead of using guns, the objective is for players to take the best photo they can of wild Pokemon living on Pokemon Island. Fans have been yearning for aPokemon Snapremake or sequelfor years, right up there with just about any other game in the series, and it’s about time it happens.
Pokemon Stadium
Another popular game on the Nintendo 64 that needs the remake treatment isPokemon Stadium. WherePokken Tournamentbrought thePokemonfranchise to the fighting game genre,Pokemon Stadiumtook the battles gameplay from the mainline RPG series and brought it to life in 3D for the first time. Pokemon could be selected from the original 151 and used to battle against all eight Kanto gym leaders and the Elite Four.
Pokemon Stadiumalso became immensely popular for its series of mini-games such as Clefairy Says! and Sushi-Go-Round, as well as the ability to playPokemon Red, Blue, and Yellowon a TV for the first time through built-in emulation. Ideally, a brand newPokemon Stadiumgame with every generation of Pokemon and a story mode would be the best outcome. That said, the most likely scenario is a remake of the original game on Nintendo Switch if the graphics are anywhere near as good asPokken TournamentorSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
After the release ofPokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, it’s safe to say that Nintendo is testing the waters for interest in the future of this particular spinoff series. While it was fun to revisit the firstPokemon Mystery Dungeongame to see where it all started, 2016’sPokemon Super Mystery Dungeonfor Nintendo 3DS is the favorite of many fans in the franchise.
Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeoncore dungeon-crawling gameplay is almost identical to previous games in the series; however, developer Spike Chunsoft made a number of minor changes to improve the overall experience from a more compelling story to the inclusion of all 720 Pokemon. If sales numbers forPokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DXwere decent enough, there will hopefully be more in the future, and building up toSuperis definitely a good way to go.
RELATED:Pokemon Journeys Netflix Premiere Date Announced
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have been remaking each generation of Pokemon games since 2004’sPokemon FireRedandLeafGreen,with the fourth generation,Pokemon DiamondandPearlbeing next in line.Pokemon DiamondandPearlreleased on the Nintendo DS in 2006, set in a new region called Sinnoh, and introducing a number of new features including 107 new Pokemon, an expanded day-night cycle, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for trading and battling, the Poketch Watch App, the Underground, and revamped Pokemon Contests.
While the gameplay formula hadn’t changed a whole lot from its predecessors,Pokemon DiamondandPearland subsequently the 2008 sequelPokemon Platinumproved incredibly popular to the right crowds. Sitting as the third highest-selling generation of Pokemon games,Pokemon DiamondandPearlare brilliant games, and it’s the fourth generation’s turn to get the remake treatment.
Pokemon SwordandShieldis due to receivetwo major expansions in 2020, a first for the franchise, assuming development doesn’t get delayed by COVID-19. The first expansion, The Isle of Armor is scheduled to release by the end of June, while the second, The Crown Tundra will be released in the Fall. Beyond that, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company haven’t given any indication about where the future of the franchise is headed. While fans eagerly await the next mainline extry, exploring an old classic and bringing it forward for a new generation could do wonders. After all, it has worked pretty well for the Nintendo Switch so far.
