Nintendo's Remaking Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire on 3DS

"If your sales numbers aren't looking good, it's time for more Pokemon."

So true.

Oh come on, this has been in development for years I bet, I would say an X/Y 2 is worthy of that comment

I'm surprised we still haven't seen a proper RPG Pokemon game on a console. I haven't played a Pokemon game since Blue, and am open to another one...I just don't really care for gaming on tiny screens anymore.

4 badges and 22 hours into X, I'm about burnt out on pokemon even if it is Sapphire, the greatest ever.

I can't contain my smile!

Hey Patrick, I don't want to sound negative ( I almost certainly will). But when you post sometimes, you (maybe unintentionally) say something judgmental or reductive about the subject of your post. In this post particularly you take a jab at Nintendo about losing financial support from customers and then taking a jab a Pokemon for being something akin to shovelware at this point. You can say whatever you want man, that's your right not only as a consumer of video games but also as a human being. But your method of presenting news that doesn't really satisfy you is polarizing to say the least and personally I could do without so much criticism in avenues that don't really call for it.

This might be the first thing that's made me feel old.

The opposite is also true. If your sales numbers are looking good it's time for more Pokemon. It's always time for more Pokemon.

"An epic new adventure is coming!" "Explore a dramatic new world!"

I think the word NEW could use some big ol' airquotes in both of those sentences

I haven't played a Pokémon game since Yellow version. Has anything fundamentally changed about the series' mechanics? I enjoyed my time with it, but don't think I need a new one if it's just more of the same.

wow they are desperate arent they?

This is kinda how the site runs. It's not exclusive to Patrick.

Although to be fair, I completely agree with your point. I feel like their opinions can be shared via the podcast, blog posts, the quick looks, bombing the A.M., unprofessional Fridays, etc. etc.

Don't get me wrong - I love how GB is a personality-based gaming website, but I feel like their stances on certain things should stay out of posts like these, where they're basically relaying a trailer / release date / other information to us. There are much better outlets on this site if I want to hear their opinions on things (and I do, but not immediately when I hear any bit of news).

To the GB crew - just give us a bit of time when you post stuff like this. I'd like to create an opinion before I hear yours, even if I do agree with what you have to say.

@truckalicious: The trailer doesn't mention they are remakes, so it could be possible that these adventures are new. But y'know, It's Pokemon, so I doubt the formula will be radically different.

Idiots they should just do IOS/Android.

This was teased SO HARD in X/Y.

So True.

While I enjoyed my time with Pokemon X and have a soft spot for Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, I don't think I'm ready for more Pokemon this year.

To be blunt: no. The game still revolves around the six-member party, the simple Dragon-Quest-esque battle system of four moves per member, collecting badges, beating the bad guys, and exploring the world. The Pokemon games have added a lot of things around the battling and catching, but the battling and catching have remained mostly the same.

Calling it new seems disingenuous

Wow.

It's not a remake, the trailer says that twice with "new adventure" and "new world."

3DS sales have been pretty great. You're being unnecessarily negative and judgemental due to your own views.

Quite possibly the most underwhelming reveal trailer ever? But Hoenn confirmed, so I'm happy!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

@gunslingerpanda: Calm down, Scoob.

Best generation, best music.

I still wonder why Nintendo hasn't done a Skylanders with Pokemon, that shit would sell like gangbusters, it seems like it was made for the NFC reader on the Wii U gamepad.

Ruby and Sapphire were the worst Pokemon games. Hope you like surfing because it is 80% of the game.

Come on Patrick, this was inevitable regardless of Nintendo's sales. They've been doing this for 10 years now.

@gunslingerpanda: I think that he is probably commenting based on the news this morning that Wii U and 3DS sale were both far below expectations for Nintendo. Not to say that the 3DS hasn't sold well, but it isn't selling as well as The Big N had predicted it would for their shareholders.

That said Nintendo would probably be releasing this even if they had good numbers, because this is kind of what they do.

I'm not so sure about their use of the word "new".

Yeah because the Pokemon company totally wasn't remaking past titles when Nintendo was in a great financial position *rolls eyes*. Sorry Patrick but that is a terrible and cynical way to report this announcement, we all knew it was coming (see fire red/leaf green and heart gold and soul silver). "If you're sales numbers aren't looking good, it's time for more Pokemon" yeah as if a Pokemon title doesn't come out every year anyway.

While I see how people may think Patrick is being negative I see it as him being bummed out Nintendo is doing something safe. As we've heard before he likes it when Nintendo is crazy and risky. I think that is something we all should wish for.

The gods truly shine upon humanity this day.

itshappening.gif

That's the only gen I never really played or beat, so I'm okay with this.

I'm in!

Alex does it nonstop as well. At a certain point you sort of just learn to roll your eyes/shake your head.

Gen 3 / Ruby and Sapphire was the last generation I paid attention to in my childhood. I recently got back into the franchise with Black and White, and now X / Y are great...The XY TV series is off tp a particularly great start. Can't believe I originally stopped playing and watching Pokemon over a decade ago. I'll never catch up on those missed episodes.

Despite this being rumored for months, guess that won't stop Giant Bomb from taking pot shots at Nintendo in their news stories.

How so? They've done remakes of Gen. 1 and 2 Pokemon games. If these are remakes of Gen. 3 it wouldn't be that surprising.

The text on the main website makes it sound like it's a remake and not a sequel:

"Pokémon fans first enjoyed Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version when it launched in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. Now, a whole new generation of Pokémon fans will experience the dramatic storyline that unfolds in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire".

I'm guessing it'll be more like Heart Gold/Soul Silver than Black or White 2. I was confused after watching the trailer but that text makes it definitively sound like a remake (not saying there won't be new stuff but I would not be expecting anything too crazy).

The Pokemon company is making more Pokemon... this isn't a shocker is it? They've done remakes even when their sales numbers have been amazing. Not sure why the reductive/snarky sub-header is needed, even if I can't be bothered to care about Pokemon anymore.

I've read and heard this a lot since Skylanders took off and the Wii U GamePad was revealed to have NFC.

Lately, my response to that is, "If you didn't care about the company's financial health, would you want Nintendo to do that?"

I wouldn't mind too much about getting cool, little figurines of Charizard and Gardevoir, but I worry that it would harm the game they're attached to.

YES

"Omega Ruby" sounds okay, but "Alpha Sapphire" sounds really stupid.

Oh man I got through like half of White 2 and only have like two badges in Y, and now there's more Pokemon on the way? I gotta step up my game.

THE WORST VERSIONS OF POKEMON

I wonder how working at Gamefreak would be like.

Either those guys are so into Pokémon and this is the best job ever, or they feel like soulless beings crunching out the same game over and over again.

And nobody tell me they changed a lot over the years. Your still a minor left to wonder around the world to become the best Pokémon trainer ever by fighting gym leaders and Pokémon league people and Catch them all (something that becomes increasingly harder because more and more of the damn things keep getting "discovered").

The thing is, though, that one doesn't need to preclude the other. Nintendo being risky happens every once in a while, Nintendo making and remaking Pokemon games is guaranteed to happen regardless of whether or not they're being risky at the same time.

After all, we're finally getting Tomodachi Life in the West, does that count for nothing?

Being bummed that Nintendo is remaking Ruby/Sapphire is misguided at best. All the heavy lifting on these games is handled by GameFreak, it's not taking time away from the people at Nintendo who would be inclined to take risks… and fucking with Pokemon isn't risky, it's suicidal.