Edition Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on the Nintendo Switch, this is the first time these Gen 1 remakes have been available on a console outside of the original Game Boy Advance release in 2004. While the 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 stand-alone games rather than being included in the selection of GBA games available through the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription at no additional cost. As a result, Nintendo started a new trend with the release of retro games on the Switch and Switch 2 that it cannot easily come back from.
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company rarely release ports of classics Pokemon games, with other notable examples being the Gen 1 and 2 games available for purchase on the Nintendo 3DS. Introducing the release of classic games to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers created the perfect avenue for the re-release of those games on the Switch, especially after the Game Boy Advance games were added with the Expansion Pack level. Now that Nintendo has shown that 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.
The exclusive versions of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are the clear choice of which version to buy
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to Nintendo Switch, and the exclusive versions make it obvious which one to buy.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen standalone releases for Nintendo Switch leave NSO caught between a rock and a hard place
Nintendo explains why Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are separate releases and not part of the NSO library is odd, simply stating that the company “thought it would be fun to go back to the final versions of the original Pokemon adventures in the Kanto region with these special editions.” This statement doesn't explain why the games had to be separated from the NSO collection of GBA games, but one theory suggests that Nintendo and The Pokemon Company probably didn't want players to abuse the rewind and Cloud Saves feature on NSO to duplicate or save dirty Pokemon. However, having these two Pokemon The games as the only retro games for Nintendo to be released on their own would seem odd, and now that Nintendo has given the green light for classic titles to appear outside of NSO, more games should follow suit.
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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 reasoning why FireRed and LeafGreen were released separately; other games don't put as much emphasis on trading and interacting with the community as Pokemon. However, more games would probably benefit from being released as stand-alone titles, simply because giving players the ability to permanently own a retro game would allow them access to that game even after their NSO subscription expires. Games offered to 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 now apparently possible. Pokemon relaxes FireRed and LeafGreen individually.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on the Nintendo Switch will reportedly not feature online features, but will include local co-op gameplay for trading and fighting.
Other classic Nintendo games that could get a standalone Switch release
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Other Pokemon Games like Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald
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Any currently available NSO game
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Unreleased games like mother 3
WITH FireRed and LeafGreen available separately from the NSO game library, it seems only natural that another Gen 3 Pokemon games will follow the same release style. This would also allow Switch players to complete the Gen 3 National Dex, as not every Pokemon can be obtained in FireRed and LeafGreen. 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've enjoyed playing on the subscription service.
The most interesting games that Nintendo could release as standalone titles would be games that have not previously been released outside of Japan, such as mother 3. There is already precedent for this style of release, with Nintendo offering the original before Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light as a limited edition for the anniversary of the franchise. Barring special circumstances, the wider library of classic games available on Nintendo Switch deserves to have separate purchase options separate from NSO.
- Released
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September 7, 2004
- ESRB
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E
- Publishers
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Nintendo
