charliecarrot

The games are what they are, and we all know what they are. Given they've had no updates, reviews should probably reflect the current packaging in the context of 2026 rather than focusing only the content of the games themselves - and this review does that nicely.

The original FRLG were great when they released. They're still better Pokemon remakes than BDSP because they brought Gen 1 fully into Gen 3.

You can love the games themselves. But this packaging? Really disappointing. If it was any other game from 20+ years ago and they just threw up a ROM on the eShop, people would rightly call it out as a "lazy" release. Why should it be any different just because this is Pokemon?

It's not a bad idea to power cycle your handhelds every year, letting them die and then charge up to around halfway.

You should also insert all your cartridges during this time and see if they can be read. This could help protect against bit rot, or so I'm told...

Here's a fun challenge: Count how many comments here DON'T mention the numeric score or game key cards. Compare against the total number of comments. Come back in a day or two and see how the numbers change!

Loved the original! Don't know how to feel about this. Is it "2.5D" on fixed planes, or is it more like Mario 3D World? The precision platforming of the sidescrolling original doesn't really lend itself to the 3D World type of movement. I'm skeptical at this moment.

Got 18 out of 25

And I guessed on a lot of them!

It's so important for a game to look polished. I'm glad they're finally getting there again with the mainline series.

Kanto will prevail yet again

Good! The PS5 was held back for years by cross-generation releases. Games built from the ground up for the new console are much better than games full of compromises to allow a last gen port.

I also imagine this will be a console-mover.

BROWT!!! Fire doggo is cute too but BROWT

Gran Turismo 7 is great!

I don't know how I feel about a competitor handheld. That is what all the rumors are saying but... They've just gotten too big and bulky for me to care about them. The Vita form factor would be great, but I don't really need another large portable other than a Switch 2.

I do own a PS Portal, but I don't ever use it because I have a TV available and PS5 games are vastly superior on a big TV.

I'd be interested to see how a PS handheld would actually compete. Maybe it would go after the steam deck/handheld PC crowd. But is that a big enough market to go after?

I only ever had the original 3DS (black & gold Zelda anniversary edition) until I decided to pick up a New 3DS XL from eBay a year or so ago.

Now I have two n3DSXL systems for... Reasons (first one I bought broke and I ordered a second but ended up fixing the first). Thankfully they only seem to be increasing in value.

The mobile version is the way to go. I don't even play games on my phone - except for Balatro.

Even though I do own it on Switch and PS5, it's just not the type of game I want to play on consoles.

I have no interest at all in paying $20 to play a vanilla version of a 25 year old GBA game without save states or fast-forward! No thank you - seems almost like some kinda scam to me.

Based on these comments, it again looks like the Pokemon company will get away with doing the absolute least and be rewarded by making millions upon millions for it. I'm not surprised one bit.

I picked Rowlet because it was the only name I recognized. Then I saw it was winning the poll overwhelmingly 😂

These names are even more made up! I feel like an old man trying to read through this list.

Yeah I just don't get it. I have these games on my 3DS and tablet, if I wanted to play them. And I don't, really. Just no desire to revisit Kanto yet again.

I'm glad if this appeals to people, but I'm lost on the choice of just throwing up ROMs of 20+ year old Gen 1 remakes onto the eShop. Baffling.

This is also before the physical/special split, so it's gonna feel pretty outdated...

Happy for the devs, and this game looks amazing. Just not really for me. I'll always take a platforming metroidvania over this isometric arpg stuff.

This generation is definitely where we start getting into the "you just made up all those names" territory for me. I'm familiar with many of the designs, but the names tell me almost nothing haha

I didn't play Black/White back when they came out, but I remember following the internet bandwagon of thinking the designs looked silly and uninspired.

Now that I played through Pokemon Black after 10+ years of not touching a Pokemon game, being forced to make a team full of all new-to-me mons made me fall in love with the roster.

I think forcing new Pokemon on players was one of the best decisions they ever made, and even though I understand why they haven't done that again since, I really wish they would!

Interesting how much of a departure it seems to be from the first game. I guess it depends on what stood out to you - the cultural stories and myths, or the curses themselves and the dark, oppressive atmosphere. I really liked both aspects, and I enjoyed the jump scares of the first in the dark (actually screamed out loud at one point).

I'll probably still pick this up because the art style, presentation, and music made the first game really special for me.

I have fond memories of this generation as it was the last one I played at release. I never even got to Gen 5 until a year ago.

However, not a lot of new Pokemon stand out. There's some powerful ones that everyone tends to use. But for me, I'll always love Piplup.

Chikorita, of course! Suicune is a very close second. And I'm talking favorite Pokemon overall, out of all of them.

Love Gen 2. I managed to snag a copy of Pokemon Crystal after finishing my time with Blue. It was so cool how there was a day night cycle, Pokemon daycare, and new types!

Looking back I think it is a weaker generation - the progression of gyms wasn't as consistent as Gen 1, and it just reused a lot from the first games, especially when you look at how much the later games diverged. But this was before a strong pattern was established, and GSC acted a bit more like a sequel to the previous gen.

How on earth do you pick just one?

I went with Abra because it's just such a unique wild encounter and represents enormous potential. Also I named a hamster I had as a kid after Abra so

Interesting to see how many memories in these comments have to do with Pokemon Blue. Did no one have Pokemon Red??

(ok the memory I submitted is also about Blue)

Snake also uses a dualshock 3 controller when you take control of the little mini metal gear robot droid thing.

Love this game! Glad it's finally broken free of its confinement on PS3.

I picked up this game at launch, but I set it down after a couple of weeks as other things took my attention. I just got back into it the other day, and I'm so in love with it. Such a unique game with a fun combat system.

Mario Sports is the one example in the entire sports genre where I kinda expect a robust single player mode.

It could just be nostalgia speaking, but I remember playing the heck out of Toadstool Tour and Mario Superstar Baseball on GameCube on my own. Haven't played them in ages though so maybe it's just that I was a kid and easily entertained.

@Thomystic My favorite way is to use a bedside tablet stand to hold the switch above my head so I can lie on my back, and with the separate joycons I can have my arms resting at my side. The most ergonomic way to play games while lying down.

@Chocobo_Shepherd No - it was just a poor choice, and your suggestion would be an even poorer choice... Maybe they should've stuck to musicians!

Me with my 1080p 60hz TV: Yeah looks great 😅

Rushed to download this one immediately!! Thanks for the heads up 🤩

Suddenly game key cards don't seem all that bad, huh?

On one hand I trust Square Enix to put proper care into this release, but on the other hand, I want to caution people against preordering this game. Rebirth on the base PS5 was notoriously blurry and was really only able to shine on the PS5 Pro.

They did amazing things with VII Remake on Switch 2, but that was originally a PS4 game. I worry about how well Rebirth will make the jump to Switch 2 when it was built ground up for the PS5, and even that console could hardly handle it.

Absolutely loved Paranormasight on switch! Great art style, actually interesting gameplay mechanics for a visual novel type game. Highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it.

Can't wait for the follow up!

Wii would like to play?

@Kingy As one of those people who hasn't played it, I'll avoid saying too much, but I'll point out that differing opinions on this game are obviously subjective. What's paced well for one person might not be for another.

I think of the recent TV show Pluribus, where I watched it thinking it was a masterpiece of television, keeping me glued to the screen the entire time - and then I go on the internet and see loads of voices calling it boring and slow.

I made that general comment about cuts made thinking of the recent Final Fantasy Tactics remaster, where every comment section on the internet was filled with people saying it's a ripoff because it didn't include two bonus classes and two cameo characters from the PSP version.

Since I haven't played DQVII, I don't have a strong opinion about it, but I think in general, the idea that more content is always better is a misplaced idea. That's where I was coming from - responding to a general sentiment I often see in internet comment sections. Maybe I'm off base on this one, but it's not really for me to say.

No matter what the naysayers argue: more content is not always better!

Sometimes, recognizing elements of your own creation that you can edit out to form a more cohesive, well-paced experience is a good thing, actually.

I never bought any of these things! It seems like a cute idea but didn't go anywhere beyond a novel toy you use once or twice. Maybe if there was a whole ecosystem developed around it with 3rd party support or creative ways to make your own gadgets out of regular cardboard, it could've had some staying power.

As it is? I'm content never touching or seeing anything to do with LABO.

Interesting to have so much "it doesn't quite live up to X game series" - being unfavorably compared against other games at least three times, and then see a 9/10 score at the end.

Obviously a score is just a number and people who take it seriously are missing the point of reviews, but I was not at all expecting a close to perfect score based on the text of this review.

Nothing here really stands out for me, at least as an exclusive. I'll probably pick up Fortune's Weave one day, but it's not worth buying a Switch 2 yet.

That headrest mount is awesome 👌

Switch is better than most other portable gaming options because you can remove the controllers and mount the screen separately! Allows for a lot more ergonomic solutions if you're creative

As for me, I've just been playing Forza Horizon 5

I love driving across the beautiful map, through desert and jungle and canyons, finding new cars and customizing them. It might just be the best car / racing game I've ever played.

Most recently I started the Rally Adventure DLC and it might be the best part for me - I love me some rally (I'll take an off-road rally any day over the super fast super cars)

@Zuljaras AC: Origins is one of the best games I've ever played! For me, mostly because of the virtual tourism aspect. Who wouldn't want to explore Ptolemaic Egypt as the Romans are beginning to take over? Cities like Memphis are breathtaking to me. Hope you're enjoying!

9/12!

Had no idea about the Splatoon thing (never played it), Fitness Boxing (guessed DQ since it actually has big remakes recently/upcoming), and the amiibo release month (why oh why would I care or remember that)

Who's out here buying a PS4? It's time to move on!

@Serena_ It keeps the game in the news cycle. That results in more awareness of the game, name, branding, and even content (people who've never heard of the game are curious what's been censored and then they see screenshots for the first time). These are all positives for marketing.

If nothing else, this whole debacle is great marketing for this game.

I don't care if he never releases it. I'm glad he's taking his time to work on something he really cares about, however long it takes. Not enough artists do that (or rather CAN do that).

Yeah, so you can also use AI tools to slap together a fancy website that looks really polished.

But when you try to maintain that AI-generated website over many years and add new features without breaking any existing functionality, suddenly it's really difficult because no one understands the codebase and the AI is getting things wrong (as all AI tools do constantly, every day, to this day, and there's nothing about the technology that guarantees generative AI will stop getting things wrong).

And websites are extremely simple compared to video games. It may not matter if buttons are styled slightly differently and show different behavior when hovered on every page of a web app, but players expect consistency in game mechanics.

Sure, we see in these videos that you can produce some weak facsimile of one part of an existing video game, or some generic Frankenstein of the most-streamed video games on YouTube, but can you use this technology to actually produce anything useful for game devs, components that can be tweaked and inserted as a functional part of an overall project? I'm not convinced.

I don't care what they say, Hugh Morris is King

@Bass_X0 I guess I meant silly from a business perspective as opposed to a consumer perspective. But I think I agree with you.

Also shouldn't really be confusing to consumers since they wouldn't be accessed through the same storefront (one is on the shop and the other is on the NSO GameCube app)