Pokémon Games On The Switch 2 Should Learn From The GameCube, Not The Switch

The Pokémon franchise has had numerous spin-off games that have featured on various consoles over the decades. Each one stands out in their own way mainly due to the gameplay, taking the core concept of the mainline Pokémon games and turning it on its head. With the Switch 2 and Generation 10 currently on the horizon, there are two spin-off titles that future Pokémon games can learn from if they want to be incredibly memorable.

Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale Of Darkness are two games that were released on the GameCube back in the early 2000s. These two games mainly stand out due to their interesting stories, how much there was to explore, and especially how they altered the typical Pokémon battle mechanics. All of these combine to create immensely fun and challenging experiences for players that future Pokémon games should definitely learn from.

Pokémon Colosseum & XD Were Great Console Entries

Intriguing New Protagonists And 3D Environments

At the time of Colosseum‘s and Gale Of Darkness‘ releases, there was a lot that made them unique, and their environments are an immediate standout. These games allow players to explore Pokémon‘s previously unknown Orre region, traveling through massive deserts, cities, and even a volcanic island in a 3D environment, spending time not only battling and catching Pokémon, but also solving various puzzles during exploration segments. With how much the Pokémon games encourage exploration, they should continue to provide players with intriguing new locations with a lot of worldbuilding and discoveries to keep them coming back.

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On top of this, the games’ protagonists were also unique, allowing players to experience the role of someone other than a typical Pokémon trainer that is starting out their journey to become their region’s champion. Between the two games, Wes from Pokémon Colosseum stands out the most, as he is actually a former member of the game’s evil team, Team Snagem. This immediately makes him leagues more interesting than many of the other protagonists in the franchise, and future Pokémon games should consider giving more of their protagonists some engaging backstories to potentially add to their intrigue.

GameCube Pokémon Games Had Challenging Battles

New Challenges That Test Players’ Skills

Although both Colosseum and Gale Of Darkness featured battles that were mechanically very similar to the mainline games, they had numerous ways to provide players with more of a challenge. Both games have a primary focus on double battles, which require facing two Pokémon at once, adding an extra layer of complexity that is absent from single battles. This means that players constantly have to account for fighting multiple opponents at once, thereby requiring them to figure out how to utilize both carefully thought-out strategies alongside their individual Pokemon’s strengths to win.

On top of this, these two games also introduced the concept of Shadow Pokémon. These corrupted versions of Pokémon are a major threat to the player, especially since Shadow moves are super effective against any non-Shadow Pokémon, regardless of their typing. This unique spin on Pokémon battles provides players with an interesting challenge by introducing a brand-new type to challenge their previous knowledge of Pokémon, providing an experience that is both fun and more difficult without the need for extra items or flashy spectacles.

Pokémon Needs To Bring Back Actual Evil Teams

These Games Need More Teams That Are Actually Threatening

One of the biggest complaints that many have stated about the recent Pokémon games on the Switch concerns the lack of iconic evil teams. Although enemy teams like Sword and Shield‘s Team Yell and Scarlet and Violet‘s Team Star do exist, they are not that evil compared to Team Rocket, Plasma, or Galactic. If future Pokémon titles on the Switch 2 want to recapture the terrifying threat that many previous evil teams posed towards the player, then they should learn from how threatening Colosseum and XD‘s Team Snagem and Cipher were, who utilized terrifying Shadow Pokémon and stole Pokémon from other trainers.

Overall, future additions to this iconic monster-catching franchise have a lot to learn before they can be released on the Switch 2. By adding more challenging battle mechanics, unique environments to explore, and bringing back enemies that are truly threatening, many players will find something they can enjoy. Ultimately, both Colosseum and XD Gale Of Darkness are two titles in the Pokémon franchise that should be referred to more when figuring out how to make a great new game.

Pokemon

Created by

Satoshi Taijiri , Ken Sugimori , Junichi Masuda

Summary

Spanning over twenty-five years, Pokemon, known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, is the multimedia franchise created jointly by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. Conceptualized by Satoshi Tajiri in association with Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda, Pokemon is set in fictional worlds where people live together with tamable creatures known as Pokemon. Humans who catch, raise, and battle the creatures are known as Pokemon Trainers. They head out on extensive journeys across their continents to raise their Pokemon with the ultimate goal of competing in tournaments to become the champion. Pokemon spans several massive properties, from a long-running animated series to a successful trading card game, to the medium that started it all, video games. In addition, Pokemon began the “two-game” trend where two versions of a game would release and include different Pokemon/features between the versions, encouraging players to meet up with others and trade so they could “catch ’em all.”

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