10 Video Games That Exploited Your Nostalgia

The Pokémon franchise, at this point, will surely outlive us all. Because of how attractive it is to an audience at an impressionable age, it will always bring in fresh, new fans. Thousands of people will have had their first Pokémon experience on each new generation and thus remakes have become a rare but important part of the series.

The first three pairs of Pokémon remakes were always very respectful to the source material but also did a lot to create a fresh and exciting experience with new areas and new mechanics. This is why fans were so hungry to see the glow-up of Diamond and Pearl. The original games were admittedly quite flawed and could really benefit with that extra touch of magic.

After years of demanding it, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl stopped fans dead in their tracks. Concerns were immediately raised with the art-style which, whilst similar to the recent Link’s Awakening remake, was distinctly lacking charm. When the game arrived, the confusing lack of content made the remakes feel like something Nintendo did just to play into the desire rather than truly satiate it.

Whilst the main series was starting to slowly evolve with Sword and Shield, and Legends Arceus, these remakes were ultimately so much like the 2006 original games that they may as well have been ports.