Games that Need Comebacks: Pokemon Snap - News
by Jake Weston , posted on 13 September 2011 / 4,626 Views
Pokémon Snap
Released at the height of Pokémon's popularity, Pokémon Snap immersed players into the world of Pokémon like no other game before. In fact, predating Pokémon Stadium by about 8 months, Pokémon Snap was many players' first introduction to Pokémon in three-dimensional space, after having played the original Game Boy games non-stop.
Unlike the traditional RPG gameplay of the original Game Boy releases, however, Pokémon Snap tasks players with scouting out and snapping pictures of Pokémon in their natural habitat. Sounds boring, but multiple ways to interact with your environment, such as throwing apples, Pester Balls, and using the Poké Flute, as well as multiple paths and numerous secrets made the game a lot more replayable than it initially seemed.
Much like many Nintendo 64 games of the era, Pokémon Snap is widely considered a cult classic, and the fact that a follow-up was never made is incredibly disheartening. Fondly remembered over a decade after its release, a 2007 port on to the Wii's Virtual Console helped fans old and new alike experience Pokémon Snap, but this is a game practically begging for a sequel.
How it could work today:
Much like Mario Paint, Nintendo's current hardware is perfect for a Pokémon Snap follow-up. Considering the success Pokémon Snap was back during its original release, it's a real surprise that Nintendo has yet to capitalize on the title's nostalgia for their current consoles. It's easy to imagine holding the Wii-mote sideways like a camera, or just pointing the sensor at the screen; it's even easier to imagine the same with Nintendo's Wii U controller. Players could hold up the touchscreen controller to their TV to capture what's on the screen, or could use the touchscreen functionality for other really interesting stuff.
The portable nature of both the DS and the 3DS would also lend itself well to Pokémon Snap. What if the DS or 3DS incorporated your real life environment in some way? Perhaps with the wi-fi functionality, the game/system could tell where in the world you are, with certain Pokémon only appearing in certain parts of the city/country/world/what have you. This would not only be a great gimmick, but would give incentive for people to travel and have more experiences outside of gaming.
Pokémon is second only to Mario in terms of franchise sales and popularity, and a Pokémon Snap sequel like the one outlined above could prove to be a huge success. It's frustrating that Nintendo seems to abandon many of their great ideas from the past, but hopefully the new features of the Wii U and 3DS will inspire them to bring back Pokémon Snap for a whole new generation.
What would you guys like to see in a Pokémon Snap sequel? Let us know in the comments!
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Seeing as it was re-released on Wii, and given the WiiU controller, I think a Snap 2 on WiiU would do well.
would love a sequel I would play it
Ha, good memories playing this game with my sister when I was younger. I imagine the game would be almost perfect for playing on the Wii or WiiU. I would purchase it.
When the WiiU was announced, I pointed out that this would be PERFECT on WiiU. It'd be fantastic on 3DS too. I absolutely agree with you.
Just realized. This is a quality editorial. FROM JAKE WESTON. head explodes.
Yes I loved this game... This was the second game I ever owned :D N64 ftw!
I agree. Would be great to see a sequel on a Nintendo console. My hope for the game would be that it featured EVERY pokemon!
One of my favourite games ever.
bought both version, aka n64 aand vc so yes plz
I still have this, and often dip in for a play. I spent so long trying to get that Mew; all those apples i had to throw at her shield to FINALLY get that elusive snap. So worth it.
i rented it. what made it good was the replayablity of getting all the pokemon to work right... i mean vileplume is chilling there but you have to wake it up!
I can understand why Nintendo doesn't want to make a sequel. On rail shooters aren't exactly on high demand at the moment, and the Wii already has an abundance of them. Plus, the original developer, Pax Softnica, hasn't worked with Nintendo for years.
I loved this game, i played a lot back when my N64 was alive. The only problem was the lack of stages, i know there are multiple paths and the replay values was really high but the stages got boring after a while. Also it needs more Pokemon, i loved evolving magikarp into a great Gyarados :O
But i don't think a pokemon snap game in the current gen will be great, not for a retail game, maybe as a downloadable game...
