Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the franchise’s newest iteration in now-expected tradition of remaking older games. Aiming to reintroduce the fourth generation and its Sinnoh region to a contemporary audience, these remakes seem to be retooling Diamond and Pearl specifically, rather than combining the original games and the third edition like Johto remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver did. This can be seen with the decision to use Diamond and Pearl outfits for the protagonists, Lucas and Dawn.

However, Nintendo and developer ILCA satisfied fans when the popular alternate attires for Lucas and Dawn from Pokemon Platinum were confirmed as bonus content. Considering how acclaimed Platinum is for fixing its predecessors’ flaws and expanding what Sinnoh has to offer, this content shows Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have the potential to include lucrative DLC.

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Being Faithful to the Original Diamond and Pearl

Dawn visiting Amity Square with Turtwig, Piplup, Clefairy, Pikachu, Chimchar, and Drifloon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are facing a dilemma. They are a modernized version of games that are now 15 years old, and may seem outdated in some aspects. Features from modern Pokemon games like Fairy types will make a return, but overall fan reception of the original Diamond and Pearl vastly differs from their sister game, Platinum. Unlike Gold and Silver with Crystal or Ruby and Sapphire with Emerald, Diamond and Pearl were arguably almost made obsolete by Platinum.

The third game fixed the original pair’s sluggish engine, Pokemon distribution issues, awkward boss trainer teams, and added more things to do. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl going back to what the original Diamond and Pearl offered instead of being name-only remakes that focus on Platinum might be seen as regressive.

If Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are straightforward remakes of the original pair, and from the looks from it they are in many ways, there aren't a lot of things to expect beyond introducing mechanics to Sinnoh that did not exist a decade ago. As games like Mario Kart 8, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate show, Nintendo’s hostility toward DLC is long gone. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the perfect opportunity to continue what Sword and Shield started by turning these games into more than just simple remakes.

DLC Events with Rare Pokemon

Nintendo is already looking to convince fans to purchase Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl by promising their very own Manaphy via the Mystery Gift system. In the original Gen 4 games, Manaphy was Sinnoh’s version of Mythical Pokemon like Mew, Celebi, and Jirachi. It was a cute and balanced Pokemon that was extremely hard to get, as Manaphy was only obtainable through a special code in the Pokemon Ranger spin-offs. Thankfully, the remakes make it more straightforward to get, and it also opens doors to other rare Pokemon in the form of DLC.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl introduced a plethora of Legendaries. At the time, Sinnoh's roster of Legendary Pokemon was the biggest. Most of them were properly available in the games, but others were relegated to special events like Manaphy. The most notable cases are Darkrai, Shaymin, and Arceus. All three were meant to be prizes in events that were available for a limited time, though Arceus' event item was never officially released.

With the help of cheating devices such as an Action Replay, players who missed out were able to experience these events and catch the rare Pokemon. Without tools and trading, these Pokemon were impossible to get. Players would not only miss out on rare monsters, but interesting Pokemon lore as well. Nowadays, with the modern transfer systems, getting rare Pokemon is not as obnoxious. However, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl making a nod to these events via DLC would add an extra layer to the already nostalgic adventure.

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Adding More Pokemon to Sinnoh

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl appear to continue one of Pokemon Sword and Shield’s most controversial decisions by limiting the amount of Pokemon programmed into the games prior to inevitable updates. This is a worrisome practice with unfortunate implications about the franchise’s future.

Since Platinum famously polished up the Sinnoh Pokedex, an ideal solution for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl would be to include the rest of the Pokemon as free downloadable content. Instead of confining the Pokemon that are excluded into a few DLC locations like in Sword and Shield, this would allow players to transfer their old Pokemon as quickly as possible and even use monsters that are not native to the Sinnoh region.

Expanding the World

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have not completely forgotten about Platinum, but for now this reminder is limited to outfits and a few quality-of-life changes. If these games want to really pander to fans and their Platinum-related content ends up lacking, DLC could be the way to make up for it.

Platinum gave more attention to Giratina, and allowed players to explore the beast’s Distortion World. Whether Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will bring back that area or relocate Giratina to a cave like in the originals remains to be seen. If the Distortion World is excluded from the remakes, DLC would be the way to bring it back. It is perhaps the most important addition that the transition from Diamond and Pearl to Platinum provided.

Aside from the Distortion World, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl could introduce new areas for players to explore. Sinnoh has not been revisited in over a decade, and DLC could provide more characterization of the region’s history and inhabitants. By doing that and bringing iconic aspects of Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum back, it would serve the games well and establish an identity separate from Gen 4.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release on November 19, 2021 for Nintendo Switch.

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