An incredible launch games for Nintendo Switch 2, which include Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World.

When it comes to Pokémon games on Switch 2, Nintendo has confirmed that Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be released with an enhanced version for the console. The title will boast improved graphics and performance on the Switch 2 when compared to the previous generation of consoles – something that is true for other games, too, such as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and even The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After that, it’s expected that the long-rumored Pokémon Gen 10 games will be released for the console, though the publisher hasn’t teased anything about them just yet.

Classic Pokémon Games Could Improve Nintendo Switch Online's Catalog

Rumors Indicate That Certain Titles May Enter The Subscription Service

While new titles in the franchise are always a revolution for the community, it may make more sense for Nintendo to look back toward older generations – at least, for the time being. Older Pokémon games, particularly those from the DS and 3DS consoles, should become playable on Nintendo Switch 2. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver and Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, for example, haven’t been playable in many years, and a comeback for them is well overdue. Even their original versions, before the remakes, would be pleasant. This goes hand-in-hand with the rumored Pokémon Classic Collection for Nintendo consoles.

I’d also argue that Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, X & Y, and Sun & Moon deserve to be on the Nintendo Switch 2.

According to the rumors, players may get access to Pokémon Red, Blue, Gold, Silver, Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, and LeafGreen via the Nintendo Switch Online catalog. If they are true, then the subscription service’s value will grow significantly, especially if these are exclusive to the service on Nintendo Switch 2. As a die-hard fan myself, I’d continue subscribing to the service, merely to play these older games on my newest Nintendo console. This will give newer Nintendo players a chance to play the games that laid the foundation for the franchise and understand how it’s evolved.

Pokémon Remakes Aren't Always The Best Decision

Not All Remakes Have Succeeded

One of the worst problems with the franchise is how hard it is to keep its legacy available. Nintendo has a history of releasing games with little to no retrocompatibility between its consoles, making it impossible to play these older games. One solution that it has leaned on for decades now is remakes. FireRed & LeafGreen are the series’ first remakes, and they work particularly well because they don’t change the formula that worked in the original entries. Over the years, several successful remakes were released, such as the Gen 2 and Gen 3 Pokémon remakes.

These titles understood what worked with the original releases and improved them in remarkable ways, making them titles of their own. Later on, however, Pokémon remakes started losing a bit of their flair and power. Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! were remakes of the Gen 1 entries. Even though they were well-made and delivered a revamped experience of the adventures in Kanto, they seemed simplified to an annoying degree. Overall, these remakes were positive, but they didn’t really need to be released. However, a subsequent set of remakes did terribly.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, released in 2021, were the remakes of the Gen 4 games. While the Generation did need something to make its titles playable once again, the remakes didn’t achieve what was expected of them. From awkward design choices that made them feel less like Pokémon to a simplistic approach in how the game was expanded (and a generally strange new Grand Underground), Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl were considerably worse than the original titles that needed improvement. Considering the cost to create these remakes, it could’ve been better for Nintendo to release the original games.

The Gen 4 remakes could’ve been better if they integrated the magnificent changes from Pokémon Platinum, too, such as the Distortion World or revamped Gym puzzles.

I’m hoping that Nintendo has learned its lesson and, instead of investing in high-cost remakes that don’t live up to players’ expectations, simply attend to the community’s pleas for the original games on Nintendo Switch 2. Adding these older games through Nintendo Switch Online would be a great move, but also adding them to the store seems like a viable solution toward keeping the legacy alive and available to its fans. While giving these older games a connection to Pokémon HOME would be great, that isn’t completely necessary. Fans like me just want to revisit these games.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A & Gen 10 Won't Bring Back Classic Games' Standards

The Franchise Has Evolved & Changed Forever

It’s worth noting that I’m also looking forward to future releases. I had a great time with Legends: Arceus and Scarlet & Violet, so I am thrilled for Legends: Z-A and the rumored Gen 10 games, too. Even so, the gameplay experience that they provide is astonishingly different from what the older games did. From the current investment in open-world map areas to real-time combat, the franchise has changed a lot. I appreciate most of these changes, but I also like to dwell in the feeling provided by the older, more linear games in the Pokémon franchise.

I missed Gens 5, 6, and 7, for example, and would also like to revisit them in their original form without having to purchase an old console. If they were, at some point, also made available for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, for example, I’d happily buy them, knowing what sort of experience they provide. This is one of the reasons why I’m so thrilled about the rumors concerning the Pokémon Classic Collection. If these are truly released and are successful, there are chances for other older Pokémon games to be added to the Nintendo Switch 2’s catalog.