Pokemon Virtual Console Wish List November 16, 2015

Last week, during a Nintendo Direct, Nintendo officially confirmed that they would be re-releasing the three Pokémon titles originally developed for the Nintendo Game Boy, Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Yellow, as a digital download for the Nintendo 3DS.  This is the news I have been waiting over four years to announce on this site and I couldn’t be happier to report it to all of you.  As you may know, I have been asking Nintendo to re-release the first generation (GEN1) Pokémon games on the 3DS Virtual Console for the past four years, and before then I had been hoping Nintendo would re-release the games digitally on the Wii for the past seven.  It sure took them long enough, but I’m glad they finally delivered on this request.

Sadly, Nintendo had very little information to provide alongside this announcement.  We know all three GEN1 titles will be re-released and all of them will support two-player trading using the 3DS system’s wireless communication features, but that’s all we know.  Since the games won’t be coming out until February 2016, we still have to wait a few months until their digital re-release, and I have a few questions and requests I’d like to make before the game comes out.

Offer all Three Games as a Bundled Download at a Reduced Price –   I’m not saying that Nintendo should require players should have to purchase all three games together as a single download, but it would be nice to see Nintendo offer players who want to purchase all three titles the option to do so at a reduced price.  When Nintendo re-released two classic Game Boy Color games,  The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages, on the 3DS Virtual Console they offered players interested in purchasing both games the option to buy both titles together at a reduced price for a limited time.  This was a really nice deal to convince early adopters to buy the game digitally, as a sale is always welcome.  It would be nice to see Nintendo offer early adopters a financial incentive to get the games as soon as possible.

Distribute Mew – You thought the original Pokémon games only had 150 Pokémon, well that’s not true, there was actually 151.  The problem was you could not capture Pokémon number 151, Mew, through normal means.  Years before console DLC would be as popular as it has become, Nintendo hosted a special Mew distribution, where they offered players the chance to obtain the exclusive Pokémon at select locations across the world.  Many of Pokémon’s original developers credit the Mew distribution as a huge incentive that pushed sales of the game during the game’s initial release period, and contributed to the game’s massive sales.  Since Nintendo has already confirmed that the game can support wireless trading, theoretically, Nintendo could offer Mew through a limited distribution period.  It would give players a great incentive to buy the game as soon as it is released, and promote whatever method Nintendo chose to distribute the Pokémon.  Currently, Nintendo offers exclusive Pokémon through online distribution methods, and they could offer Mew in a similar way.  At the end of the month, they’ll be distributing the legendary Pokémon Hoopa through McDonald’s restaurants equipped with wireless Nintendo Zone locations, I would love the chance to download Mew the same way.

Allow Color Swap Between Game Boy and Game Boy Color Graphics – While the original Game Boy was only designed to display games in traditional Black and White, Pokémon’s GEN1 titles included a limited color palate for players who wanted to play the games on their Super Nintendo consoles using the Super Game Boy adapter.  A limited color scheme was also included for players who played them on Game Boy Color systems, because Game Boy Color was backwards compatible with original Game Boy titles, and many Pokémon players, myself included, used the Game Boy Color to play the GEN1 games, and fondly remember the game’s color scheme.  While I admit playing GEN1 in B&W would appeal to gaming purists, I would love to at least get the option to choose which color palate I would like to play the game in.  I know Nintendo has offered a color swap option for Virtual Console games in the past, and it would be nice to see that option here.

And finally…

Make the Games Future Compatible With Generation 2 (GEN2) – Let’s face it, if these games sell well, Nintendo will likely offer the GEN2 Games Pokémon Gold, Pokémon Silver, and Pokémon Crystal, which were originally made for the Game Boy Color, on the 3DS Virtual Console.  While neither GEN1 nor GEN2 titles are compatible with the later Pokémon games (Pokémon Bank is only compatible with GEN3 Pokémon at the earliest), the original GEN1 games could trade with GEN2’s games provided that the GEN2 player met some proper prerequisites.  I hope that feature returns when Nintendo eventually re-releases Pokémon’s Game Boy Color titles on the 3DS Virtual Console.

Those are just some of my ideas, but I would like to hear all of yours as well.  What do you think Nintendo should include with their Virtual Console Pokémon titles?  Please post a comment below.  This is a major moment in the history of the 3DS, and I’m sure Nintendo will do us proud, we sure waited long enough to see this day.