This weekThe Pokemon Company announcedNew Pokemon Snap, the long-awaited sequel to the 1999 original on the Nintendo 64. Having a second entry in the franchise was arguably the most wanted request from thePokemoncommunity for years, especially during the time of the Wii U where players could have used the Wii U Gamepad as the camera; quite a missed opportunity if I do say so myself.
Nevertheless, with this announcement fans (like myself) have been clamoring for the revival of many otherPokemonspin-offs which may now actually see the light of day. Just likePokemon Snap,there are many otherPokemontitles that deserve a second chance, including the ones you’ll find below.
Pokemon Pinball
ThePokemon Pinballseries is my most belovedPokemonspin-off. It is in my opinion the definitive version of pinball as we know it. When playing pinball, the objective is relatively simple–get the highest score–but there isn’t much more motivation than that. InPokemon Pinball, however, you have a more engaging objective: catch all the Pokemon. The first entry of the series released on Game Boy Color in 1999, the same year asPokemon Snap. Based on the Kanto region ofPokemon Red & Blue, the player’s objective was to catch the original 151 Pokemon. The Pokemon that you could catch would depend on which table you are playing on (Red or Blue) and which location you were at in Kanto, starting from Pallet Town all the way to the Indigo Plateau.
A followup to the original came out in 2003 calledPokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, which had a similar structure by allowing you to catch the entire Hoenn Pokedex along with Aerodactyl and the Johto starters Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita. With currently almost 900 Pokemon in existence, now would be more than an opportune time to have a new entry in the series.
Pokemon Stadium
Similarly toPokemon Snap,Pokemon Stadiumis one of the more belovedPokemonside series that only got two games before never being seen again. Both games released on the Nintendo 64, but the originalStadiumwas the most beloved of the two. While it had its own single-player mode where you battled the gym leaders of Kanto, it also had a ton of addictive multiplayer mini-games, like eating different food as Lickitung or copying Clefairy’s directions in the classroom.
Stadiumindirectly became the best party game on the N64 (sorryMario PartyandMario Kart). The sequel, however, just didn’t seem to have as huge of a pull as the first one and sold less than half the units the original did, despite still being a great follow-up. The closest thing to a third title wasPokemon: Battle Revolution, but it was mainly just used for battling trainers with yourDiamond,Pearl, orPlatinumteam in 3D. It would be so great seeing a traditional new game in theStadiumlineup.
Pokemon Conquest
Pokemon Conquestwas the franchise’s attempt at creating a tactical-RPG title in its universe. Despite that, it didn’t really grab the attention of Western players due to its strategic nature, to the point where not even the charm ofPokemoncould sell it for everyone.
However, after the major success ofFire Emblem: Awakeningand even more recentlyFire Emblem: Three Houses, I feel like players are more open to the idea now that if aConquest 2were to ever come out, that it would do much better than its predecessor. Realistically though, I doubt it will ever come to fruition.
Pokemon Colosseum/XD: Gale of Darkness
Back on the GameCube, The Pokemon Company released the first two 3D Pokemon adventures inColosseumandXD: Gale of Darkness. Taking place in the Orre Region,Colosseumfollows a trainer named Wes (or whatever you decide to call him) who is trying to stop an organization named Team Cipher who are using “Shadow Pokemon.” These Pokemon are identified by Rui, a girl who joins Wes on his adventure where he can “snag” these Pokemon from trainers. After using them in battle, the creatures can be purified which returns them to their natural state.
XD: Gale of Darknessis technically a sequel where you play as a new trainer named Michael, who uses a newly created “Snag Machine” that allows him to identify the Shadow Pokemon. A cool feature about these games as well is that your Pokemon could be transferred toPokemon RubyorSapphire. This series of games was such a breath of fresh air that once Nintendo released the Switch, I thought that we would finally get a newPokemonadventure that isn’t of the mainline orLet’s Goseries. I doubt at this point that if there was a new title that it would be a continuation ofColosseumandXD: Gale of Darkness, but I would love a new addition that is similar.
Of course, there are plenty of other known spin-off games that I’m sure thatPokemonfans would love a new game for likePokemon Puzzle League,Ranger, andTrading Card Gamejust to name a few, but I feel like the titles I talked about throughout are more popular and beloved than others by fans. There is so much opportunity for The Pokemon Company to bring these different series back from the dead. I hope that we see them do so sometime soon.
