Pokemon Classics DS Bound?
Now that Pokemon Platinum is signed, sealed, and delivered in both Japan and North America, it seems that Game Freak is getting antsy enough to start talking about its next big Pokemon project.
The message boards and Pokemon fan blogs have been set alight with the revelation that a big announcement will be revealed on May 10th. Japanese Pokemon variety show "Pokemon Sunday" revealed that it will have the scoop on a video-game related reveal. On-screen hints included gold and silver party balls that showered confetti on the stage, leading Pokemon fans to speculate that the announcement will be related to Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver, the versions released on the Game Boy Color nearly a decade ago.
Obviously the strongest rumor suggests that Nintendo and Game Freak are remaking Pokemon Gold and Silver for the Nintendo DS in similar fashion to how the teams revived the original black and white classics as Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green on the Game Boy Advance.
We have heard similar rumblings in an off-the-record basis since before the release of Pokemon Platinum, so while we can't officially confirm that Pokemon Gold and Silver are being remade, we definitely have very good reason to believe that the announcement will revolve around that specific idea.
It's pure speculation at this point, but one could expect that a DS remake of Pokemon Gold and Silver would utilize the Diamond/Pearl/Platinum game engine and enable players to catch and trade specific Pokemon only available in Gold and Silver. And knowing the status quo, you shouldn't expect a vast change in gameplay to what Diamond/Pearl/Platinum already offers. However, Game Freak and Nintendo might offer a significant "hook" to attract Pokemon fans to buy up yet another Pokemon game, similar to what the two companies did with FireRed and LeafGreen: if you remember, Nintendo made it possible to wirelessly transfer Pokemon between the two systems and gave away the peripheral to do it, free of charge.
We'll be keeping an eye on this ever growing rumor. Stay tuned.
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