The Old New Thing: Second-Generation Games

It seems many players have welcomed the recent re-release of the second-generation Pokémon games on the 3DS Virtual Console, and this is a good (or even great) thing. As I've mentioned in my post about retro stuff, it's a convenient and (slightly) enhanced way to play the games as they are without having to struggle to make them work. Many players must have thought up of this same reason, that they agree by getting the games. And just like that, everything old is new again.

And it is exactly this "old new thing" that, by several reports, has caused some players to think they're totally new games. In a sense, this is understandable; these games only came out near the turn of the millennium, and that's somewhat of a long time from today. It only means that this will be a totally new experience for those players of recent times, who do not know about its previous history. They only need to look into and take in the rich history of Pokémon, which itself is as wonderful as the games, and realize that it's great.

Along with the second-generation games on the 3DS, something else old has become new again. I mentioned that there were sound stickers on the social messaging app LINE that corresponded to the first-generation games, and now there are sound-and-animated stickers that correspond to the second-generation games. If this pattern is continued, then another sticker pack may be expected the next time a generation of Pokémon games is revived in a major way. It may or may not happen, but whatever the case, what has happened is still a nice gesture and enhancement in itself. I can't wait to own this pack.

When it comes to "the old new thing" which is a Pokémon thing, it may become great for those who really like it as I do. That seems to be the case for the second-generation games on the Virtual Console by the response they have garnered, though certainly some of this needs to be set straight. In the end, it may just come down to experience, and the matter of enhancing that experience, that makes renewed old things such as these great and not just good.