The release of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on the Nintendo Switch marks the first time these Gen 1 remakes have been available on a console outside their original Game Boy Advance release back in 2004. While newer Pokemon fans will finally have an accessible version of these classic titles, some longtime fans are questioning why these games are being released as standalone games, rather than being included in the selection of GBA games available via a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription at no extra cost. As a result, Nintendo has started a new trend with its retro game releases on the Switch and Switch 2 that it can’t easily walk back from.
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company rarely release ports of classic Pokemon games, with the other notable examples being the Gen 1 and 2 games being made available for purchase on the Nintendo 3DS. The introduction of classic game releases for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers created the perfect avenue for these games to be re-released on the Switch, especially after Game Boy Advance games were added with the Expansion Pack tier. Now that Nintendo has shown it’s possible for retro games to get Switch releases that aren’t tied to an NSO subscription, the door is open for even more classics to have a one-time purchase option.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Version Exclusives Make Which Version to Buy an Obvious Choice
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to the Nintendo Switch, and the version exclusives make it obvious which one to buy.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen’s Separate Nintendo Switch Releases Leave NSO Trapped Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Nintendo’s explanation for why Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are standalone releases and not part of the NSO library is odd, simply stating that the company “thought it would be fun to return to the ultimate versions of the original Pokemon adventures in the Kanto region with these special releases.” This statement doesn’t clarify why the games had to be separate from the NSO collection of GBA games, but one theory suggests that Nintendo and The Pokemon Company likely didn’t want players to abuse the rewind function and Cloud Saves on NSO to duplicate or save scum Pokemon encounters. However, having these two Pokemon games be the only retro Nintendo games to get standalone releases would feel odd, and now that Nintendo has given the green light for classic titles to appear outside of NSO, more games should follow suit.
Who’s That Character?
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If Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Can Be Released Separately from NSO, Other Classic Games Should Have the Same Option
Obviously, this is a special case in terms of the justification for why FireRed and LeafGreen were released separately; other games don’t have the same emphasis on trading and community interaction as Pokemon. However, more games would likely benefit from being released as standalone titles, simply because giving players the option to permanently own a retro game would allow them to access that game even if their NSO subscription lapses. The games on offer for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers act as a way to entice players to pay for the online service, but offering one-time purchases for specific games is clearly possible now that Pokemon is releasing FireRed and LeafGreen individually.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Nintendo Switch reportedly won’t feature online functionality, but will include local co-op play for trading and battling.
Other Classic Nintendo Games That Could Get Standalone Switch Releases
- Other Pokemon Games like Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
- Any Currently Available NSO Game
- Unreleased Games like Mother 3
With FireRed and LeafGreen available separately from the NSO game library, it seems natural that the other Gen 3 Pokemon games would follow this same release style. Doing so would also allow Switch players to complete the Gen 3 National Dex, since not every Pokemon can be obtained in FireRed and LeafGreen. The other retro Nintendo and Sega games available on the NSO service are also obvious candidates for standalone releases, giving players the option to permanently purchase any title they may have enjoyed playing on the subscription service.
The most exciting games Nintendo could release as standalone titles would be games not previously released outside of Japan, such as Mother 3. There is already a precedent for this style of release, with Nintendo having previously offered the original Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light as a limited release for the franchise’s anniversary. Special circumstances aside, the broader library of classic games available on Nintendo Switch deserves to have standalone purchase options separate from NSO.
- Released
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September 7, 2004
- ESRB
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e
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
