There are many things I should write whenever I’m free from college. I should make my followup to my post about loot boxes and video game eras. I should post the next chapter of Lamenting City. I should finish my (negative) review of the alleged Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi, also known as the Second Coming of Metroid: Other M. I should post some short stories that are too long for my Patreon blog. I could and should do many things except this post. But dang it, this is my blog.

I should make a general disclaimer: I’m not hyping myself for a game that won’t exist, as is common in this fandom. I’m just rambling hopes and dreams + speculation for the sheer fun of it, and to see if I get anything right later down the road.

Anyway.

First things first: I require re-releases of Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness. I know GameFreak is not actually involved with them, but I feel the need to voice this desire anyway. Come on Nintendo, get the Virtual Console (or something better) on the Switch already. And then add these two games.

With that out of the way, about Gen 8 itself, I’m… kind of hoping GameFreak doesn’t come up with a new gimmick. I’m 99.9% sure they will anyway, and I’ll probably accept it regardless, but I’m hoping they don’t because I feel like their first console (!) outing would be better spent building off of what they already have. I didn’t really like how Mega Evolution was so… downplayed in Sun/Moon/Ultra. I get that Z-Moves were the new gimmick and all, but it still bugged me that 1: we didn’t get any new Megas at all, and 2: obtaining the Mega Stones was needlessly complicated (I don’t like how a bunch were locked behind the Battle Tree and others locked behind Event Codes for Sun/Moon that have expired…). Perhaps Ultra fixed Complaint 2, but I don’t know for sure as I’m still playing it.

I want to see Mega Evolution and Z-Moves still get new stuff instead of being swept aside in favour of a new gimmick. Now, if GameFreak can do that while also adding a new, cool gimmick, that’s even better in my book. Just give me my Mega Flygon and Primal Reversions for Dialga and Palkia, dammit. That’s all I want.

I also want more Eeveelutions, because… Do I need a reason?

And perhaps this wish is unrealistic, but dang it, I’m gonna say it anyway: I want Gen 8 to be the Breath of the Wild and Odyssey of Pokemon. Just like BotW and Odyssey brought new life to The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario, I want Gen 8 to take the core of Pokemon and expand upon it to the fullest, creating something that honours what came before yet still feels new. Which, in a way, I’d say Pokemon X and Y (Gen 6 in general) kind of did that, but Gen 8 needs to make them look cute. Gen 8’s gonna be on the Nintendo Switch. It has to use that potential to the fullest.

One thing I’d like to see here in particular, using BotW and Odyssey as examples, is something more… perhaps not open world, exactly, but a vast region to get lost in. Giv e me more side quests, give me more locations to explore, give me more ways to completely ignore the storyline*.

*I’m one of the people who actually likes Pokemon’s storylines, but I tend to get sidetracked by non-plot stuff. This is a curse I carry with most games.

I also think it’s time GameFreak took Pokemon to the next level and added a jump button. I’m only partially serious here, but I just want to have my Pokemon Trainer be able to jump so I can proceed to spam the jump button and have her land on people’s heads. Have her jump around the local Legendary Pokemon in a circle while pretending she’s Baguette Kid. Jump in the middle of the road and cause a traffic jam. There are infinite possibilities here, GameFreak.

I can’t really speculate on what the new region will be nor can I speculate on what its Pokemon will be. I mean, there’s no way I could possibly guess. I know X and Y hinted at Sun and Moon, but I don’t know if Sun and Moon (or Ultra) have hinted at Gen 8. I should look into that… With that said, I’m kinda hoping Gen 8 takes place in a region based on Africa. I don’t have a particular African nation in mind, however. I just… want to see Pokemon Africa, y’all.

…Pokemon Wakanda?

Ahem.

I’m also interested in seeing GameFreak’s take on Greece or Italy.

And finally, I’m gonna end this rambling with speculation about something I feel is a safe bet for Gen 8 at this point.

Come on GameFreak. It’s been a little over ten years now. It’s time to revisit Sinnoh.

Please remake Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.

I will probably be mostly, if not entirely, wrong on my speculations here, but whatever, no one lives forever, let’s do this.

I think it’s safe to assume that whatever Gen 8’s big changes and gimmicks are, remakes of Diamond and Pearl will utilize them. It’s also safe to assume Diamond and Pearl’s storylines will be updated, with plot points from Platinum reworked and included in some way. Heart Gold and Soul Silver had Crystal’s plot incorporated into their own, while Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire took inspiration from Emerald for its Delta Episode.

My current theory is the Platinum stuff will be saved for Diamond and Pearl’s own “Delta Episode”. So, post-game content. Maybe Cyrus doesn’t give up or something. Or Giratina just decides to eat him. Who knows.

I said I wanted Primal Reversions for Dialga and Palkia, and I will stand by that wish unless GameFreak completely wrecks it, at which point I will hiss and cry. Anyhow, my idea for this is that the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs would be updated in some way, triggering Primal Reversion.

(I have no idea what would even work for Giratina)

More than likely, though, unless Mega Evolution is shown to be back, Dialga and Palkia will probably get whatever the new gimmick is. I hope it’s cool either way.

I’m also hoping these potential remakes of Diamond and Pearl take a page out of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire’s book and make at least one Mythical Pokemon a catchable in-game Legendary Pokemon. Being able to catch Deoxys in ORAS without an event is fantastic, and I feel it’s a wasted opportunity if Diamond and Pearl remakes don’t do something similar.

(Please pick Arceus…)

I would also like to see Darkrai and Shaymin’s events to be part of the game itself with no need to download anything, but I’m not optimistic. If they remain Mythical Pokemon, I’d hope GameFreak remakes those storylines so players can download the Key Item and catch them ourselves. I’m honestly not a big fan of how Mythical Pokemon have been handled as of late. I like to catch and nickname and train my ‘Mons.

Oh, and one more thing.

Whatever the Switch’s version of Virtual Console is, I want Gen 3 re-released on it. Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen. All of it. Preferably with the event Pokemon obtainable in-game like Pokemon Crystal’s release seems to have done with Celebi. Please and thank you.

Now can we get a trailer of Gen 8?