Pokemon Red and Blue are Coming Out for the 3DS

Big day for Nintendo fans out there with the Nintendo Direct news comin’ at us for the first time in too long. And while we got some Hyrule Warrior goodness out of the way, and while we already learned about Cloud’s sudden and happy introduction into the fray in Super Smash Brothers, who wants to talk about Pokemon?

Pokemon Red and Blue were released for the Game Boy in 1996, and their remake, FireRed and LeafGreen was released eight years later, 2004, for the Game Boy Advance. And now that it’s been nearly 12 years since our last look back at the games that started it all, Nintendo is happy to announce we’re getting another Red and Blue soon!

No, not a remake. No, not an improved version. Just plain ol’ Red and Blue (and Yellow) being sold on the 3DS’s virtual marketplace via the Game Boy emulator. The games will be just as they were when they first came out (including Glitches? Please tell me Missingno is still there) with one small alteration--instead of needing a link cable to trade, you can use wireless instead. So. That’s nice.

It’s a good chance for people too young for the originals (god, I’m old) to get a much-needed history lesson on how far Pokemon has gone, but a part of me is sad the superior FireRed and LeafGreen versions aren’t also showing up. No disrespect to the OG, but I still preferred the improved sprites and expanded world of FireRed and LeafGreen. It was just… nicer.

But still. Nice.