In view of the launch of detective pikachu returnsI had planned to write about what other Pokemon spinoffs I would like to see return to the Nintendo Switch, such as pokemon snap Did. There are a lot of fun ideas that the franchise’s older spinoffs played with that I’d like to see revived. Instead, a recent announcement from Nintendo has made the poor preservation of older mainline Pokémon games a more pressing matter.
On Wednesday, Nintendo announced it will shut down online Wii U and 3DS services in April 2024 poke transporter And pokemon bank While that will still work, we’ve got a hint that those apps won’t be around forever, which would pretty much spoil one of the best aspects of most modern versions of the classic Pokémon titles. This announcement alone put aside the feeling of deprivation for me. I initially thought it would be cool to have some of these Pokemon games come to the Nintendo Switch. Now, with the announcement of the closure of 3DS online services, I see it as a necessity.
3DS is no longer a suitable home
pokemon red, blue, yellow, gold, silverAnd crystal For a long time they were only available on the Game Boy or Game Boy Color. To celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary in 2016, The Pokémon Company brought red blue, And Yellow For the 3DS Virtual Console program. gold SilverAnd crystal Added to 3DS within two years. These fully featured rereleases let players trade and battle wirelessly and send captured Pokémon to them Pokemon Bank.
Thanks to these re-releases, it is possible to obtain Pokémon from every main game in the series. pokemon home, Although this used to be the best way to play these games without illegally emulating, the last few years have made the 3DS a poor home for these games. First of all, it is now impossible for anyone new to purchase these ports, as the 3DS eShop shuts down in March 2023.
We recently learned that online 3DS and Wii U services will be shutting down in April 2024. While the Virtual Console versions of these classic Pokémon games technically won’t lose any features if online services are shut down, the writing is on the wall only becoming more obvious. Whereas poke transporter And pokemon bank There are exceptions to the impending closure, with even Nintendo’s support website defending that these apps “may also end at some point in the future.”
As someone who still loves using his 3DS, I’ve never had a problem with the Game Boy Pokémon games not being available on other Nintendo systems, until now. Still, it’s clear that the 3DS will soon be a complete shell of what it used to be, and that poke transporter And pokemon bank days are numbered. It’s time for The Pokemon Company and Nintendo to repeat what they did in 2016.
nintendo switch would be a good home
While this isn’t a unique demand – a certain segment of the Pokémon fanbase has been begging for these Switch rereleases for years – we’re at a point where it’s not just a case of the 3DS no longer being a viable home red, blue, yellow, gold, silverAnd crystal, The Nintendo Switch’s online infrastructure is also finally ready for emulated versions of older games.
Nintendo Switch Online has enabled its customers to play classic Nintendo games online with friends. The service was long limited to NES and SNES games, but the number of systems supported has expanded. In February 2023, Nintendo also began adding Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles to the service, with online multiplayer and all. In fact, it is possible to play Pokemon spinoffs stadium 2 And this trading Card Game Online now on Nintendo Switch.
Importantly, Nintendo has promised that its current version of Nintendo Switch Online will continue on future platforms. If it lives up to that promise, we won’t have to worry about an imminent repeat of the situation that’s currently happening on the 3DS. For all those reasons, it feels like a natural evolution for Pokémon’s oldest entries to finally make the jump to Switch Online.
Since the Game Boy Advance is also supported, Nintendo may also re-release pokemon firered, leafgreen, ruby, sapphireAnd emerald That too for the first time. Now all it takes is fan interest and patronage-driven need for that to happen. These are some of the most influential RPGs ever made, and should be preserved and made properly available.
Whether they’re included in a subscription or sold separately, we need an easier way to buy and play these older Pokémon games legally on modern platforms. The next year of Nintendo games is already filled with remakes, remasters, and rereleases, so it wouldn’t seem unreasonable to do one sooner.
While it’s fun to enjoy new Pokémon games and theorize about what strange ideas The Pokémon Company and Nintendo should explore next, it’s important that the series’ base titles don’t fade away over time. Nintendo Switch Online Pokémon gives the company all the proper tools to preserve those games, so I’m hoping it’s just a matter of if, not when, that happens. Don’t let Pokémon history die out with the 3DS.