Why The Nintendo DS Was Pokemon’s Golden Era

The Pokemon franchise began in Japan with the release of Pokemon Green and Pokemon Red in 1996. North America would get Pokemon Blue instead, along with Pokemon Red in 1998, alongside a bevy of other merchandise. It is a memorable change for RPGs, the Game Boy, Nintendo, and Game Freak, as Pokemon changed everything.

A case could be made that the 90s, via the Game Boy systems, including the Game Boy Color, were the most important era for Pokemon. However, it could also be argued that the DS was the golden age of Pokemon that fans have been trying to chase for ages. Let’s go over what changes were made to make the series better, from games, features, and maybe even things outside of gaming.

Two Generations, One Clear Winner

From Gems To Colors

Most portables or consoles get at least two new Pokemon generations. First on the block was Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, which was then followed up by Pokemon Platinum. Graphically and mechanically, these games were an improvement over the previous Generation, but the starters were a bit underwhelming between Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup.

That said, Pokemon Black and Pokemon White were the crowning achievements for the Pokemon series on DS. Game Freak used more of the portable’s power and made the graphics look a lot better. The starters were also more enticing between Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott. While it is debatable which game is truly better between fans, it’s safe to say both Generations were great on the DS.

Pokemon Black/White Broke Traditions

For Better Or Worse

Pokemon Black and Pokemon White need more of a spotlight for a few reasons, aside from highlighting them as the better Generation. Instead, it shows that the DS era tried new things. First, the region of these games, Unova, was the first time Pokemon went outside Japan for inspiration. Unova was widely modeled after New York in the U.S. This would not be the last non-Japanese territory, either.

Also, instead of the traditional half-step sequel that the third entry always is for any given Generation, these games got direct sequels via Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2. A numbered sequel within Pokemon was as groundbreaking as Final Fantasy 10-2 was for the Final Fantasy franchise. While the Pokemon didn’t change as much as a new Generation, they were different games for the most part.

The Best Games Get A Remake

A Literal Golden (And Silver) Era

While Pokemon Black and Pokemon White served as the best new games for the DS Generation, the greatest entries of all time got remakes. Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver were updated from the Game Boy Color, and they still slapped just as hard, thanks to the multiple regions and additional modern features. The games also shipped with a new device, the Pokewalker.

Shaped like a classic Pokeball, players could put a Pokemon in the device and then level them up as they walked around. They appeared in the device too, albeit with low-pixelated graphics. It was like a prototype for Pokemon Go, and fans were all about it in the late 2000s.

The Spinoffs Got Wild

And We Were Here For It

The Game Boy was lax in spinoffs, and there weren’t many on the N64, GameCube, or GBA either. The DS was like Pokemon fully coming out as a franchise, which hit a marketing blitz. There were more Mystery Dungeon games, which were roguelikes.

The Pokemon Ranger titles were touch-based action games, Pokemon Dash was a racing game, and Learn with Pokemon: Typing Adventure was a bit educational. Chief among all of these spinoffs was Pokemon Conquest, a crossover game with the strategy series Nobunaga’s Ambition. It was a grid-based tactical RPG wherein players could conquer Japan in the feudal era one map at a time. It only got this one entry so far, but it was impactful for a lot of fans.

Better Connectivity

No Cables Needed

The Game Boy Pokemon entries were great because it was a new way to connect with friends via battling and trading Pokemon. The Game Boy and GBA Pokemon games needed a link cable to commence trading, but the DS thankfully had WiFi capabilities. This made connecting with friends easier and cheaper with games like Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl.

That said, the 3DS era had even better connectivity along with the Switch era, but that’s to be expected with sequel consoles. Regardless of the future, the DS games got a huge upgrade from the GBA era alone as players didn’t have to carry a bulky cable in their pocket. The DS Lite was an incredibly easy portable to carry around and pop out if a fellow Pokemon fan popped up in the street.

The DS Is Backwards Compatible

Two Eras In One Console

Between the main games and the spinoffs, Pokemon was sitting pretty on the DS. However, some may forget that the DS was also backwards compatible with GBA cartridges, allowing players to also get the best of the previous era. Inserting a game like Pokemon Ruby or Pokemon LeafGreen into the bottom DS was easy.

Players could even insert Pokemon from their previous adventures into the new games, like Pokemon Pearl. It was one of the easiest ways to transfer Pokemon between Generations, until the Pokemon Bank was completed on the 3DS. So, while the GBA Pokemon games weren’t as thrilling as what the DS had to offer, it was still great to play them all on one system, including spinoffs like Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire.