Is not it amazing how Nintendo can present something thats been industry standard for a decades or making it seem like Revelations. Last week's first Nintendo Switch 2 Direct revealed that the new handheld will include, wait a microphone. What will those mad geniuses at Nintendo think of next? Achievements?
Now it sounds ridiculous, but during the presentation, I, like the rest of you, was sitting there idly and clapping like a seal. Did you notice that the guy didn't even have to wear a headset? And then when the blender turned on, he just started talking over it! If the Switch 2 microphone works as well as Nintendo says (press X to doubt), then I think we all know what that means: it's time to say Hey You, Pikachu 2.
You listen to me this time, little mouse
I am really sure that everyone knows full well and Hey You Pikachu. One of the biggest video game disasters of all time. The N64's Pokémon pet simulator failed to live up to expectations when it launched in 2000, and 25 years later it's still considered nothing more than a meme.
If you for some reason don't know about this game, the premise is pretty simple. The Pokémon spin off came with the microphone thats you could plug into your N64's controllers port and entire video game could played by talk to on screen a Pikachu. Or at least, it was supposed to be played that way. In reality, everyone who played Hey You, Pikachu spent about 15 minutes yelling into the microphone while Pikachu completely ignored them and then closed the game and never played again.
Thunder on the tree, Pikachu Pikachu, use Thunder Thunder I hate you, Pikachu
It's a crappy game that never worked the way it was supposed to, but that doesn't mean it was a bad idea. A Pokémon pet simulator that lets you talk to your Pokémon is actually a great concept, it was way ahead of its time. With 25 years of the technological advancement it is Hey You Pikachu. might be the best time to revisit this concept.
For example, Hey You, Pikachu! was able to recognize abouts The 200 words (supposedly) So that nowadays voice recognitions has gotten to much more sophisticated. Nowadays you can have entire conversations through the built-in AI in your cell phone, and it can recognize context and syntax in your sentences as if you were talking to a real person. It's not perfect, but at least it's as intelligent as Pokémon.
Who wants a new one? Hey you?
Normally, a 25-year-old game that gets a 57 on Metacritic and has sold less than two million copies wouldn't be a game anyone would be in a hurry to remake. But this is Pokémon we're talking about. Franchising doesn't follow the rules of logic or economics. If it did, an unfinished disastrous game like Scarlet and Violet wouldn't be the best-selling Pokémon games of all time.
So back to my point about the sequel to another disastrous Pokémon game So I think is potential for a Pokémon pet sim is still largely untapped or technology in the Nintendo Switch 2 puts it in a great position to fulfill that potential. Imagine what it would be like if you could choose from a variety of companion Pokémon, or raise multiple Pokémon at once, each of which responded to its own name?
With the Switch 2's camera and new chat features, there's plenty of opportunity to add some social features to the formula. When you take your Pokémon to play in the park, you can watch your Poké-pal play and interact with your friends. Maybe even feud? Unlimited.
Hey You, Pikachu! It was a pretty good tech demo and also a not-so-great one but there's still a demand for games that let you build your own relationship with a Pokémon. You can see it in the popular AR mode in Pokémon Go and the arrival of new pet sim games like Tamagotchi Plaza and Roblox's Pet Simulator 99. People want more Hey You, Pikachu!, Nintendo. They're requesting that they be ignored when they yell "Thunderbolt" at Pikachu.
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