2021 marks the 25th anniversary ofPokémonand Nintendo has already revealed a lot of upcoming projects. The highly anticipated remakes of the main games from the fourth generation,Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlhave been officially announced and will releaselater this year. A sequel toPokémon Snap, calledNew Pokémon Snap, will come out at the end of the month. And, what seems to excite fans the most is a brand new title coming next year,Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
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Though all of this is great, there could be even more games coming to the Switch that Nintendo hasn’t announced. Here are ten titles throughout the franchise that should be ported to the Switch.
10Pokémon Red And Blue
ForPokémon’s 20th anniversary, the first two games in the franchise came to the 3DS' Virtual Console. Though the Switch has a subscription service rather than its own Virtual Console, the games could still come to this system, allowing fans to play them on the TV. This would be a great way to get players more excited for the bigger releases coming out later this year, and next year, as newcomers could play the original titles while hardcore fans could experience them in a new way.
9Pokémon Gold And Silver
Pokémon GoldandSilverversions were also available on the 3DS' Virtual Console and should come to the Switch for similar reasons asRedandBlue. Taking place three years after the original installments, players are able to explore Kanto, like they did in the first game, after travelling throughout Johto, making this title twice as long. With 100 more pokémon to collect, these installments improved the great things the series already had and it would be great to see them come to the Switch.
8Pokémon Ruby And Sapphire
Since the remakes of the third generation’s main titles were released on the 3DS, the originals weren’t available on the Virtual Console. Since their release on the Game Boy Advance, nothing has been done with them specifically, and the Switch could change that.
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Seeing as how the fourth generation’s remakes are coming soon, some fans want to play the other main installments while they wait and these are the hardest to get, making them the most important to rerelease.
7Pokémon Ranger: Shadows Of Almia
Now going into the spin-offs of the franchise,Pokémon Rangerwas a series on the DS that consisted of three games.Shadows of Almiais the second title and was many players' favorite. It released in 2008 and told the story of a ranger that had recently graduated from school and encounters Team Dim Sun. Their leader, Kincaid, was one of the ranger’s teachers, and now the two must battle against each other. The DS' stylus was an important part of the gameplay, and though the Switch doesn’t have a stylus, it can be used as a touch screen and the joycons could allow players to do everything they did with the stylus in a new way.
6Pokémon Colosseum
ThoughPokémon Colosseumisa turn based RPG, it is very different than the main installments. Prior toSwordandShield, the main titles only released on handheld systems, while this game came out on the GameCube in 2004. Players are able to capture pokémon that were already caught by other trainers, the battles consist of two pokémon fighting on each team, and there is a heavier focus on the story. Due to these, and other, differences, this showed how different the franchise could be while staying in the same genre.
5Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky
Last year, a remake of the originalMystery Dungeoninstallments was made calledPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. It released on the Switch in March, and in less than a month sold over a million copies. As a result, it would make sense for moreMystery Dungeongames to come to the console andExplorers of Skywas one of the best titles.
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It is a better version ofExplorers of TimeandExplorers of Darkness(which were already two of the best titles in the series), similar to whatYellowis toRedandBlueor whatPlatinumis toDiamondandPearl, and came to the DS in 2009.
4Pokémon Rumble Blast
Pokémon Rumble Blastis the second installment in theRumblespin-off series. This title released in 2011 on the 3DS and is a beat em up game. Players control toy versions of pokémon as the fight enemies and bosses. Unlike other spin-off series in the franchise,Rumblegames are still being made, with the most recent installment coming out a couple years ago. Therefore, thoughBlastwould be a good game to port to the Switch, it may be more likely that a new title in the series will be made instead.
3PokéPark: Pikachu’s Adventure
PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventurereleased in 2010 and allowed players to control the electric mouse as they collect Sky Prism parts. Unlike other games, this title doesn’t take itself seriously at all as it has a very simple story and is for those that simply want to have fun playing with pokémon as they can befriend them and play games. If this title were to come to the Switch, it would either be renamed asPokéPark Switch: Pikachu’s Adventureor take the console’s name out entirely.
2PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyondis obviously a sequel toPikachu’s Adventureand is better in many ways. It came to the Wii in 2012 and added pokémon from the fifth generation. It also introduced multiplayer to the two part spin-off, allowing friends to control Pikachu,Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepigand play together. For those that want a change from the large adventures and darker plots that fans have come to expect fromPokémongames, thePokéParktitles are the best out there, next toPokémon Snap.
1Detective Pikachu
Pokémonmovies have always been a big deal and one of the most recent isDetective Pikachu, which instantly became a success. It was based on the 2018 3DS game. After a mystery solving Pikachu got amnesia, he encountered the son, Tim, of his human partner, Harry. Harry had gone missing and the two set out on an adventure to find out what happened to him, as well as what caused the electric mouse to forget everything. A sequel has already been announced to come to the Switch but this first installment of the new series should also be ported for fans that didn’t play it.
