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The functionality of Soapbox allows our individual editors to express their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that are not necessarily the voice of the site. In this piece, Ryan explores the idea of a Pokémon TCG video game reboot and why now might be a perfect time for such a release …
Considering the number of Pokémon games available and The Pokémon Company’s ability to grab every penny from its worldwide army of fans, it is quite surprising to realize that the official Pokémon trading card game has never been adapted in form. video games twice – and even then one of those was exclusive to Japan.
While ideas aren’t always mine, I’ll always appreciate seeing Pokémon used in new and interesting ways – like an app that helps kids brush their teeth – but we’re talking about a series that hasn’t afraid to recycle old ideas, whether fans care or not. There was a huge Eleven The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, for example, and between main series entries, remakes, spin-offs and mobile titles, fans of the franchise have grown accustomed to seeing a small handful of new Pokémon experiences launch each year. .
So how is it that the format of the collectible card game – an already established game in its own right that has moved 30.4 billion cards over the past twenty-five years – has been used so little? Would a new video game based on the card game make sense? Would it generate the insane revenue levels the business would expect and help change further more physical cards? The answers to these latter questions are “probably” and “very likely,” but I’d say there’s never been a better time for the Pokémon Gods to take the plunge.
As you’ll likely hear countless times over the next few months, as new products hit store shelves, this year marks Pokémon’s 25th anniversary. A “very special” year of celebrations has been teased (Katy Perry is already on board, for newbies) and knowing how much The Pokémon Company loves to revisit the past, you can be sure there will be some nods to it. to where the series began. thrown into the mixture. Indeed, on an appropriate topical note, some iconic Pokémon cards are reissued as part of the fun.
Suddenly, a whole community of players who would find themselves in clubs or game stores to play and exchange can no longer do so.
That’s reason enough for a TCG video game reboot on its own, but of course the anniversary falls at an odd time with the COVID pandemic raging; While video games have actually flourished thanks to people staying indoors, the trading card game is a different story. Aside from a potential drop in sales, collectible card games shine the most in social settings – the one thing that currently cannot exist. Suddenly a whole community of gamers who used to gather in clubs or game stores to play and trade can no longer do so, and going to a store to pick up boosters isn’t exactly the same happy journey as before. .
Now TCG Online – an official and ever-expanding digital version of the game playable on smart devices – almost tick all the boxes. In TCG Online, you can take on opponents with digital decks that you have created yourself, buy new cards to add to your digital collection, and even redeem codes from real physical card packs to add even more. It’s a wonderfully accurate recreation of the game and definitely works as a substitute for the real thing, but something is missing, and that something is video game magic.
Let me jump in a quick line or two on what inspired me to write this song in the first place: Pokémon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy. One of two TCG-based video games to appear on console, it was released in 1998-2000 depending on your region and players were building their own card games made up of the first three card decks of the real collectible card game. From there, you go up against eight clubs to defeat their masters and earn medals, before embarking on a version of Pokémon’s classic Elite Four setup. Once you are certified the best (like no one has ever been), you can continue to fight and trade with friends who also have a copy of the game on their Game Boy.
I’ve played it again over the past couple of weeks, and while the nostalgia helps, I really fell in love with it and the collectible card game itself. Completing the objectives to receive in-game boosters – no purchase necessary – is super fun, and pulling a digital version of the shiny Blastoise card that I still have in a folder at home today made me happier than a few lines of game code. should. It has a decent storyline, NPCs to talk to, a full collection of cards to unlock through skill and gameplay rather than additional purchases, and it’s all playable on a Nintendo console. He feels right.
So, let me come up with the idea of a new Pokémon Trading Card Game for Switch. Much like the main games, players can start off as newbies, but this time with just one deck of cards as they embark on a journey to become the best card player the world has ever seen. The past cards of the series are all correct and present – can you imagine getting that Shiny Charizard that everyone wanted but now in 2021? – and once you’ve completed the game’s story, you can play against all of your Switch friends online.
Now you have something that feels like a 25th anniversary celebration, helps gamers enjoy safe online gaming, would attract new players to physical gaming, and could happily jump in for a console that seems to re-energize any franchise. which appears. above. Now it really is Is tick all the boxes and I’m excited about the whole idea of the idea.
Usually I would conclude by saying something like “you know that will never happen, so don’t get too excited”, but that’s really not out of the question. For one thing, Yu Gi Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution – a Switch game that lets you collect over 9,000 history cards from this series and play out scenes from its anime – does pretty much everything I have talked about here except the card game collectible from Konami. And if New Pokémon Snap can finally Bringing back a series that last saw the light of day twenty years ago, why couldn’t a “new Pokémon trading card game” follow suit?
Please, Pokémon Lords. Never mind!
Are you a fan of the Pokémon Trading Card Game? Would you like to see a new updated game for Switch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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