bdt2002
Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs superfan
What are your guys’ opinions on split versions? Specifically for the core series games, but there’s also more specific things like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2 for example. Split versions of video games were always something I was okay with growing up, but over time I’d say I’d probably have to agree with the masses who might see the business strategy as little more than a blatant cash grab. That being said, in recent years… I’ve started finding split versions incredibly fascinating from a world-building perspective too.
Over the first four generations, it felt like there wasn’t too much to the different versions upon release aside from the Pokémon and maybe a couple of aesthetic differences. Starting in Black & White, this all changed: previously, it was near unanimously accepted that your third version games (Yellow, Crystal, etc.) were the “canon” versions, but suddenly there were subtle differences showing up in the games’ narratives and sometimes even entire locations. Additionally, there’s a bit of dialogue in the postgame of Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire suggesting that the split versions of those games may be alternate universes in their own right. Sun & Moon took this a step further two years later and had a feature where you could essentially travel into the world of the opposite version that you’re playing. We haven’t seen much of this kind of acknowledgement since then, but I do think it would be to the series’ benefit to keep exploring the possibilities in an effort to make split versions all the more justified.
Over the first four generations, it felt like there wasn’t too much to the different versions upon release aside from the Pokémon and maybe a couple of aesthetic differences. Starting in Black & White, this all changed: previously, it was near unanimously accepted that your third version games (Yellow, Crystal, etc.) were the “canon” versions, but suddenly there were subtle differences showing up in the games’ narratives and sometimes even entire locations. Additionally, there’s a bit of dialogue in the postgame of Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire suggesting that the split versions of those games may be alternate universes in their own right. Sun & Moon took this a step further two years later and had a feature where you could essentially travel into the world of the opposite version that you’re playing. We haven’t seen much of this kind of acknowledgement since then, but I do think it would be to the series’ benefit to keep exploring the possibilities in an effort to make split versions all the more justified.