Nintendo announces the release date for Pokemon Snap on Wii U Virtual Console in Europe, but makes no mention of a potential North American release of the game.

Back in April, Nintendo released Pokemon Snap on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan. Some took this as a sign that the game would make its way to other regions as well, but months went by without a word. Now Nintendo has announced when the Wii U version of Pokemon Snap will be making its way to Europe, but it seems like North American Wii U owners are still being left out of the Pokemon photography fun for now.

Pokemon Snap will arrive on the Nintendo 64 section of the Wii U Virtual Console this coming Thursday, August 18th. No official pricing information was shared, but one has to imagine the pricing will be similar to other Nintendo 64 games on Wii U, so fans in Europe should expect to spend the equivalent of $10 to get Pokemon Snap on their Wii U.

Those that already own the original Pokemon Snap Nintendo 64 cartridge or the Wii Virtual Console release may not have much incentive to pick up the Wii U version, however. Besides the benefit of being able to play it on the newest Nintendo system, Pokemon Snap on Wii U has little else to make it worth buying for veterans of the game. Really, the only thing that helps to set it apart from the other versions of the game is its wealth of controller options, allowing gamers to use a Classic Controller, Pro Controller, or the GamePad to play it.

Otherwise, it's the same Pokemon Snap that released back in 1999. Players can expect to snap photos of a handful of the original 151 Pokemon, have their photos graded by Professor Oak, unlock new gadgets, and discover secrets on their quest to "snap 'em all." It's a relatively simple on-rails experience, but one that proved to be very popular at the height of the Pokemon craze, and due to the incredible success of Pokemon GOPokemon Snap may have a comeback on Wii U.

After all, both Pokemon GO and Pokemon Snap exclusively feature the first 151 original Pokemon. Pokemon fans feeling nostalgic from their time with Pokemon GO may decide to pick up Pokemon Snap on Wii U just to spend more time with the creatures that defined the Pokemon phenomenon back in the 90's.

In the meantime, if Pokemon Snap on Wii U's Virtual Console is a success in Europe, one has to imagine that the Big N will bring the game to North American Wii U consoles as well. To that end, if fans show enough interest in the classic game, it may convince Nintendo to finally create a proper sequel. Rumors are that a new Pokemon game will be added to the Nintendo NX's library within six months of its launch, and it could very well be a followup to Pokemon Snap. And if rumors of Nintendo NX being a handheld device are true, it could build off the ideas of Pokemon GO, utilizing augmented reality for a brand new Pokemon Snap experience.

Pokemon Snap is available for Nintendo 64 and Wii Virtual Console. It is already available on Wii U Virtual Console in Japan, and will hit the service in Europe on August 18th.

Source: Nintendo of Europe - Twitter (via IGN)