ThePokémonseries has always been popular, but the franchise has hit a new level of success ever since the games migrated over to theNintendo Switch. It’s been incredible to see the amount of support thatPokémonhas received lately, whether it’s in the mainline titles orother areas. As successful asPokémon Sword and Shieldhave been, fans seem to be more excited over the return of thePokémon Snapfranchise.
Related:New Pokémon Snap: All Pokémon Confirmed So Far
The announcement ofNew Pokémon Snapfor the Switch has fans ecstatic for the follow-up to theNintendo 64classic. Accordingly, here are five things that players want to see in the sequel and five things that they don’t.
10Want: Contests And Community Interaction
It’s been over 20 years since the release of the originalPokémon Snapand not only has thePokémonseries come a long way in that time, but so have video games. Titles likePokémon Snapgain a ton of appeal from players sharing their achievements with others online.
Related:Pokémon Sword & Shield: Top 10 Generation 8 Pokémon, Ranked
There could easily be robust contests that revolve around getting the highest score or taking the best picture that could take advantage of this. If past games likeMario Golfcan implement this a decade ago, there’s no excuse for whyNew Pokémon Snapwon’t have online engagement.
9Don’t Want: On-Rails Gameplay
Pokémon Snapfeatures a very unique gameplay where it utilizes an on-rails engine that operates like afirst-person shooter, only players are snapping photos, not firing weapons.
Related:5 Ways 2D Pokémon Games Are The Best (& 5 Why 3D Are Better)
New Pokémon Snapisn’t going to try to reinvent the wheel here and so on-rails gameplay is once again a fixture of the title. So even though this gameplay mechanic isn’t exactly surprising, it’d still be nice ifNew Pokémon Snapcould offer some leeway in the area and allows players a little more control with their adventure.
8Want: Gyro Controls
Nintendo has gotten particularly creative with theirlatest consolesand while they may be lacking in graphical power, they try to make up with it in terms of unique control schemes. Due to the setup of the Switch, there’s a lot of aiming and use of gyro controls when the system is in handheld mode. It goes without saying that this will be involved inNew Pokémon Snap,but they could incorporate it to the bare minimum, or really make it feel justified. It’s the perfect detail to make the experience feel more authentic.
7Don’t Want: More Pokémon GO Incorporation
One of the largest successes in the world ofPokémonis the unprecedented popularity of the mobile title,Pokémon GO.The game applies a very different approach to thePokémonseries, but it retains the core essence and brought Pokémon catching to a much more mainstream level.Pokémon GO’spopularity has led to several features from the game being transferred over into mainlinePokémontitles. This marks a dangerous trend and hopefully it won’t become a larger problem inNew Pokémon Snap.There’s a simple gameplay design that doesn’t need to be compromised.
6Want: Helper Pokémon
One of the more adorable changes that’s been incorporated into the more recentPokémontitles is the use of a friendlyhelper Pokémonby the player’s side. This concept came as early asPokémon Yellow,but it’s seen a resurgence and even made its way intoPokémon SwordandShield’sIsle of Armor DLC. This novel idea could be cleverly worked intoNew Pokémon Snap.Players could use their helper Pokémon to lure Pokémon closer to them and the game could even let different helper Pokémon act in unique ways.
5Don’t Want: A Tiny Pokédex
In a game likeNew Pokémon Snap,one of the most important details is how many Pokémon are going to be featured in the photography title. The originalPokémon Snaponly featured 63 of the then-150 Pokémon. There have already been 36 unique Pokémon seen in the trailer forNew Pokémon Snap,but hopefully the sequel will be generous in this regard. A tinyPokédexthat only shows off a few different generations of creatures could dissuade many players. This title has been a long time coming and it should feel representative of the entirePokémonfranchise, not just the latest games.
4Want: DLC Support
Theaddition of DLCat one point seemed like an impossible idea in thePokémonfranchise, but the inclusion of the Isle of Armor inPokémon SwordandShieldshows that things have changed in that department. With a title likeNew Pokémon Snap,DLC would really go a long way, whether it was the addition of new maps or just new Pokemon in old areas. DLC makes an even bigger difference with shorter titles and it stands to reason thatNew Pokémon Snapwon’t be the longest Switch game.
3Don’t Want: Mandatory Time-Based Events
As thePokémonseries has grown over time, it’s been interesting to see the many real-life mechanics that have been incorporated into the field of Pokémon-catching. A major aspect is that the games now have a real-time clock that can gatekeep many of the conditions around different Pokémon. A use of aday and night systeminNew Pokémon Snapcould be fun, but it shouldn’t be a mandatory feature that forces gamers to play at certain times. Let it be something that can open up new possibilities, but not be compulsory to a complete experience.
2Want: Printable Stickers
One of the most entertaining aspects of the originalPokémon Snapis that players had the option to actually print out their photographs at aPokémon SnapStation at participatingBlockbusters. Obviously that’s no longer possible, but there are many ways that Nintendo could try to simulate this experience to appease gamers. Whether they try it out at Official Nintendo Stores or come up with a whole other plan, making this possible wouldn’t be that hard and it would conjure a lot of joy and nostalgia for fans.
1Don’t Want: A Short Campaign
The originalPokémon Snapwas an extremely popular title for the Nintendo 64, but gamers were frustrated that the campaign only amounts to about three hours. Of course in a title like this there’s a lot more focus on perfecting personal scores. However, now sensibilities have advanced and ashort campaigncan generate a lot of anger in players. HopefullyNew Pokémon Snapwon’t reach for the bare minimum and will try to create an experience that feels full and doesn’t need to resort to replayability to make the game satisfying.
