Anniversary: Pokémon FireRed And LeafGreen Turn 20 Years Old In The US

Swag. (Obligatory additional swag to satisfy the minimum amount of characters)

One of the biggest gaffs by Nintendo in recent times has to be no classic Pokemon games on Switch. I bought all the Gameboy ones on the 3ds, plus they can do gba, ds and even the 3ds titles.

While I appreciated having new areas to explore in the form of the Sevii Islands (and I was initially disappointed that they hadn't returned in the Let's Go games), in hindsight, it was a real low point in the game as it was barren and, rather embarrassingly, incomplete.

I'm not a huge Gen I fan, so I think these games are a touch overrated, but I would absolutely leap at a physical compilation of the classics as I won't settle for merely renting them, especially as these games are so readily available "via other means".

Was Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu / Eevee based on Pokemon Red / Blue / Yellow / Green?
I think I'm already enough by owning Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.

Where the time has gone...

I remember getting this while I was still in 7th grade. Even stayed up the whole night playing this while my mom didn't know that i did.

I just wish they'd port HeartGold/SoulSilver. The best Pokemon games.

Congrats kids born in the 90's. You're officially senior citizens.

I'd really like to replay Fire Red. Replaying the original back on 3DS was a great time, but Let's Go Pikachu just didn't scratch that itch for me. This is probably my best bet at getting a proper dose of fresh nostalgia.

@DripDropCop146 : Such insolence! You won't be getting any cigarettes for dinner tonight!

I remember buying the originals when I was in my 20’s 😮‍💨

Man, those were some fun times. I still have both carts and my Game Boy Advance SP NES Edition. Sometimes I like to fire them up, but I really wish they'd be available on NSO with Pokémon Home support..

Fire Red was the first Pokémon game I beat, back in 2004 or early 2005. I’d love to see a graphically enhanced remake on the switch.

I still play through Leaf Green on my SP every now and again. My most recent playthrough was a couple months ago where my team consisted of Pokémon I've never used before. Jynx total MVP btw

These could have been put on Switch online. It is a shame Nintendo didn't celebrate in this way

They seem like really obvious candidates for NSO, and hopefully now with Mystery Dungeon there they will add more Pokemon games.

However, I'm currently rooting for Nintendo to free us from this infinite timeloop of constantly revisiting the 90s/early 2000s, so I wouldn't enjoy a remake (of a remake! That's too much, in my opinion).

While FRLG weren't the first games I played, they were the first games I remember sinking tons of hours into and probably were responsible for my addiction to gaming.

would be super awesome if Nintendo didn't keep us from playing classic Pokemon games

Fun Fact! If you want to complete the National Pokedex in Gen 3 then you MUST trade with LeafGreen. That's because it is the only Gen 3 game with the Slowpoke family.

Ignoring Mythical Pokemon, the Slowpoke family are the only Pokemon in Gen 3 that are exclusive to just one game. Every other Pokemon can be found in either at least two GBA games or in a GBA game and a GameCube game.

@Anti-Matter Yes it is, I agree that they are better than the originals

@Kiyata : Um... Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee say "Hello."

I have so many good memories playing LeafGreen on my GBA while my brother played FireRed. They set the bar high for Pokémon remakes, and they're my preferred way to revisit Kanto.

The Sevii Islands were a great addition to the games. I loved exploring and hearing the remixed Johto themes. Reaching Memorial Pillar south of Five Isle Meadow was so special to me.

If I remember correctly, LeafGreen was the first video game I bought on launch day with my own money. I was 12, and we only had the Internet for about a year at that point, so I wasn't really well informed about release dates before. I did play and love all the previous Pokémon games, but I played gen 1 after 2 originally, and I experienced most of its "shortcomings" and lack of quality of life improvements seen in the later games as annoying, so I was looking forward to the remake. And I did really like it. Nowadays, I actually think I prefer the originals, but FR/LG is really nice as well, and would probably suggest it over R/B/Y or Let's Go to people without prior experience with the series, or just Kanto itself.

I'm pretty sure I only bought main series Pokémon games on launch day after that point until I wanna say Super Paper Mario on a whim. The original Paper Mario is my favorite game to this day, and I just finished TTYD that summer, so I was like why not, even though the trailer I saw didn't really blow me away. The game itself turned out to be awesome, so all's good.

Oh man, Leaf Green probably marks the most excited I ever was to play a new game, aside from playing Breath of the Wild on the newly released Switch. Why do I have to dust off my GBA to play this game? Take my money, please.

Thanks for reminding me how old I am

I still can't believe I sold my FireRed copy back in the day. Hugely nostalgic time for me when FR/LG released! I did two different playthroughs in FireRed, first with Charizard then Blastoise, then I borrowed my sister's LeafGreen and did a third playthrough with Bulbasaur. I even had the miniature guidebook that included the Gen 2 Pokemon in the Pokédex section. Loved that little guidebook, so sad I lost that as well.

Even more than the original Gameboy Pokemon, I really really want Nintendo to add the GBA Pokemon to NSO.

It's really sad that Nintendo can't release FR/LG on NSO, and then add a whole new expansion to them for the premium subscribers! I would love the old NSO games to be updated with brand new content.

FireRed/LeafGreen was a great game to be part of the GBA library. A fantastic remake of the original Pokemon.

@DripDropCop146 If being a "senior citizen" means having decades of gaming history to look back on proudly, then I wear that title like a badge of honor! 😛🤣

@OctoCallie20 Of course! Hah, i'm surprised my comment confused people. It was meant to be joke on feeling old now.

@DripDropCop146 I can usually pick up on a joke fairly quickly, and I enjoyed that one with a playful, hearty chuckle!

@kevinm360 There have been rumours they are working on a 3D remake of Gold/ Silver/ Crystal similar to 'Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee' and I can see it happening with the other games that have been getting re-remade and would love to be able to explore the Johto region again but in 3D this time.

@Mando44646 how do they "keep" you from playing them? They keep you from buying them? Owning them? I do not get this whole argument that if Nintendo doesn't make an old game available on a new system, they're somehow "keeping" you from playing it.

I love FR/LG and play through one of them every couple years on my SP. Can't believe how long it's been. Still remember late nights at my friends place or on camping trips Trading and battling. Good times.