In 1995 one of the most famous and beloved franchises was created ,25 Years ago Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori created Pocket Monsters aka Pokémon. Pokémon celebrated their 25^th anniversary on February 27^th, which is also known by fans as Pokémon day. This game was a part of every 90’s and 2000’s kids’ childhood, creating a game where we the players find ourselves in an immersive world full of amazing little monsters that we trade, raise and battle with. To celebrate the occasion, they had a virtual concert starring Post Malone ,A collaboration with McDonald’s and a Pokémon direct to show new Pokémon games and events.

The Virtual concert starring Post Malone was a surprise for many fans, performing as an animated version of himself. They concert was livestreamed to fans ,many weren’t expecting it but nonetheless fans of Pokémon enjoyed watching Post Malone interact with Pokémon and perform. Pokémon also did a collaboration with McDonalds, Selling Pokémon themed happy meal. Those who buy a happy meal  get a special 25^th anniversary Pokémon card pack, which many Pokémon card collectors are trying to get their hands on. eBay sold out of these cards, even though some of the price listings were ridiculously high, and many McDonalds restaurants were out of these limited card packs due to collectors buying them. These weren’t the only things that Pokémon had for fans though, the biggest thing they were waiting for was the Pokémon direct.

Many children grew up with their Nintendo DS playing one of the most popular Pokémon games, Diamond and Pearl. It’s a favorite for many Pokémon fans, to the point where fans have been demanding and waiting for a 3D remake of this game for almost 15 years. Many fans speculated back in 2018 that Nintendo was finally going to release the long-awaited Pokémon remake, but instead they released Pokémon Lets go Pikachu and Eevee. To say the least, fans where not happy.

While the game did good in sales and had good reviews this wasn’t what the fans wanted. Voicing their complaints many fans took to Twitter to discuss their issues with the newer games. Ever sense than any Pokémon news or games being released has many Diamond and Pearl fans eagerly waiting, hoping that it would be information about the remakes. And when they were meet with things that weren’t about the remakes, many would complain. It has become an infamous joke in the Pokémon community to make fun and whine about new games that weren’t about Diamond and Pearl. So, when the Pokémon Direct was announced, Diamond and Pearl fans where waiting to see if Nintendo will finally confirm the remakes. And to their surprise they finally did, but it wasn’t what they expected at all.

Not only did Nintendo announce 2 new Pokémon games, 1 being the long-awaited remake of Diamond and Pearl, but another completely different game also. While Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were confirmed and set to come out in late 2021, Pokémon Legends: Arcues was confirmed to come out in 2022, A sort of prequal to the Diamond and Pearl games. Many fans where excited but as always there was some hate going around. While fans didn’t expect 2 games based of Diamond and Pearl, many weren’t expecting the art style of the game. In the Pokémon direct they showed unfinished game play trailers showing how they game looks and some of the mechanics. The art style caught many fans off guard and upset. The characters are shown in a cutesier chibi art style, many fans deeming it off as childish, lazy, and a cheap design. Many jokes and memes were created on Twitter to voice their disappointment of the remakes. People saying, they waited years for a cheap remake, while others understood what the developers where going for.

The problem with a lot of current games are facing with is the fact that their older. Older games like Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog, CastleVania and Pokémon where all created in a time where 2D pixel graphics was the only way to create games. The transition to create these games in 3D graphics were hard and many fans of each game weren’t happy about it. This was also a struggle for Pokémon also. Many fans over the years stated they hated the 3D graphics and missed the simple 2D pixel style. So what the fans noticed is that the developers where catering to that audience by making the game exactly the same to the original , but rendering it in 3d. Compared to other modern Pokémon games , Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl  look like the original game , just in 3d. Keeping the design of the small pixel characters , a locked camera angle , no free world roaming etc. Some fans were happy while some weren’t. The announcement of the remakes and new game weren’t the only thing in the Pokémon direct. They also showed new events for other games such as Pokémon Go, Pokémon Masters, the release date of Pokémon Snap another remake of a classic fans was excited about and Pokémon Café etc. They even created a very nostalgic video to commemorate all the things Pokémon has created and achieved over the years.

Pokémon has been a part of many people’s childhoods and many things were announced that has some fans excited. But that goes to show you can’t please everyone, if the game appeals to someone it was worth it in the end. After 25 years with Pokémon many fans are hopeful and excited to see what will come next.

Pokémon Direct Link: https://youtu.be/iTZeVNwAmkk

Pokémon Post Malone Virtual Concert Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQCRYhO7JNE