Almost 7 years after the last Pokemon remakes were released, the remakes of the Generation IV games, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, are releasing this November. These Sinnoh games are beloved by the fanbase, and many trainers can't wait to return to the region of their childhood.
Naturally, with these remakes comes the possibility for developers, ILCA, to make a few tweaks to the originals for a better Sinnoh experience. While The Pokemon Company has stated that these remakes will be 'faithful to the originals, that doesn't stop them from giving Sinnoh fans a few extra treats after waiting so long for these games.
10 Seals - Now In 3D!
One of the most underrated features in any Pokemon game is that of Pokeball Seals. These were stickers that players could attach to their Pokeballs, causing little effects to play as their Pokemon took the field.
Using these trainers could have a Legendary Pokemon enter to a field of smoke, or a cute Pokemon come out amongst a sea of hearts. It gave every Pokemon on a trainer's team a little extra touch of personality and charm that makes Pokemon what it is. Seeing these return would be a wonderful touch, and with the franchise now in 3D, the effects could be even more elaborate.
9 Expanding The Underground - Secret Bases Below The Earth
One feature that was confirmed to be in the game in its very first trailer was the Underground. These tunnels running under Sinnoh could be entered from almost anywhere and allowed players to play together in the environment.
Unfortunately, it is one of the less fondly remembered features of the Sinnoh games, largely seen as an inferior attempt at replicating the Hoenn game's Secret Bases. However, these remakes offer the chance for the Underground to be spiced up with more features, making players actually want to spend time down there for more than just a couple of fossils.
8 Distortion World - Not Quite Hell, Not Quite Earth
One of the biggest selling points of Pokemon Platinum was the additional story aspects surrounding Giratina and its home, the Distortion World. A twisted dimension where gravity and physics act irrationally to our usual understanding, such a place would be amazing to explore in the modern Pokemon style.
The Hoenn remakes, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, gave players the Delta Episode, where aspects of Pokemon Emerald were pulled in to feature Rayquaza. As such, players can hope that a similar post-game story is included in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl to explore the Distortion World and catch Giratina.
7 New & Improved Great Marsh - Don't Throw Mud At Pokemon
Generation IV was the last generation of Pokemon to include the Safari Zone (outside of remakes) as it is traditionally known, here called the Great Marsh. Here players were not allowed to battle Pokemon, instead having to catch Pokemon by luring them in with Bait or angering them by throwing Mud.
While it is a classic feature from the early days of Pokemon, it is largely regarded as a less interesting way to catch Pokemon, so these remakes should take the chance to change that. While battling may still be off the table, there could still be more interesting methods of catching Pokemon, like those seen in the Let's Go! games, which could be implemented in some form here.
6 Mega Evolution & Z-Moves - Gimmicks Galore
Since Generation VI, every Pokemon generation has included a main gimmick that changes up Pokemon battling. Generation VIII added Dynamax & Gigantamax forms, and since Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are also Generation VIII games, it seems a safe bet that Dynamax & Gigantamax will feature in them in some way.
However, taking the chance to bring back some of the older gimmicks would also be welcomed with open arms by the fanbase. Z-Moves were a cool feature with animations that would look way better on the Switch than they ever did on the 3DS, and Mega Evolution is by far the most beloved of the three gimmicks.
5 Events For Mythical Pokemon - Learning The Lore
According to many, Generation IV was one of the strongest when it came to Mythical Pokemon. Manaphy, Phione, Darkrai, Shaymin & Arceus are all beloved Pokemon by different sections of the fanbase, and seeing them appear in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl would be wonderful.
The Pokemon Company are normally very careful of how readily available they make mythical Pokemon, and releasing them as events is normally the way to go. However, just connecting to the internet (or visiting a Gamestop) and being given the Pokemon isn't nearly as fun as how the original Sinnoh games did it. Darkrai & Shaymin had unique, story-based events for players to explore when they received the event, and getting Manaphy & Phione required beating the spin-off game Pokemon Ranger. Arceus, meanwhile, is now getting their very own game in the form of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Allowing players to experience these unique events again would make for a complete and faithful experience and is definitely preferable to pushing a button and receiving the Pokemon.
4 Platinum Pokedex - More Pokemon
One of the original games' biggest downfalls was the lackluster regional Pokedex. With just 151 of the then 493 catchable, the lack of Pokemon made the games stick out quite badly. Additionally, the Pokemon themselves weren't distributed very well, which led to famous problems like Diamond & Pearl only featuring two evolution lines of Fire-Type Pokemon.
This problem was mostly fixed in Platinum, though. The number of Pokemon in the Sinnoh dex was upped to 210, and a greater variety of types were included and distributed throughout the world. At the very least, these remakes need to use the Platinum Pokedex to give players a fulfilling Pokemon experience and potentially go even further and add Pokemon that weren't even in the Platinum Pokedex too.
3 Every Pokemon Transferrable - Let Us Catch 'Em All
In the build-up to the release of Pokemon Sword & Shield, one of the biggest causes for fan outrage was the announcement that there would be no National Pokedex. Additionally, any Pokemon not in the Galar Dex would not be able to be transferred into Pokemon Sword & Shield. The Isle of Armor & Crown Tundra DLCs helped somewhat, but it still left 234 Pokemon unable to be transferred in Generation VIII.
This was due to the development time it would've taken to make new assets & animations for every single Pokemon when upgrading to the Switch. However, now the majority of Pokemon have these assets ready to go, clearing up the remaining 234 should be no problem for the team working on Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. This would spice up the competitive scene with more Pokemon, and allow Shiny Hunters to make use of the latest methods for every Pokemon.
2 Villa - Island Resort
A Platinum exclusive feature, the Villa can be found in the Resort Area of the Battle Zone in the post-game. It is pretty much what it says on the tin, a tropical Villa that the player is gifted upon entering the area and can spend hordes of cash to fill it up with fancy furniture.
Aside from spending money & looking pretty, the Villa is largely functionless, but it is a nice end-game reward and having various characters from across Sinnoh come and visit is a charming experience. Some more functionality could be given to it in the remake, but even if it's just a pretty location, it'll be a welcome addition.
1 The Battle Frontier - All Your Battling Needs
Easily one of the most beloved post-game features of any Pokemon game, the Battle Frontier featured in Pokemon Platinum remains the gold standard for interesting battling content. When Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire released, many were disappointed with the lack of Emerald's Battle Frontier or even a Battle Tower, so this is an opportunity that cannot be missed.
Be it the Battle Tower, Arcade, Factory, Castle, or Hall, each facility offers players a new and interesting way to battle and stands as one of Pokemon's toughest challenges. It's a feature that would give people reason to keep playing the game long after finishing the main story and would no doubt give Pokemon fans a huge boost in faith in ILCA, should they ever develop another Pokemon game in the future.