Another month, another Nintendo controversy has spawned, and this time it’s about the company chargring $20 for an old GBA game re-release. It’s not like no other developer is known for re-releasing games from their classic hardware on platforms like GOG.
But in Nintendo’s case, it is an easy point of criticism because of their known anti-game preservation practices, which fans absolutely dislike. The same is the case with the newest re-release of GBA classics, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, on the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo already has a system in place where fans get access to its classic library of games from a subscription service. But they decided to release these classic titles as stand-alone games directly on the digital store in celebration of the franchise’s 30th anniversary.
What’s more? Say goodbye to privacy because the new versions come with built-in telemetry that actively censors words. User Professor Rex on Twitter/X pointed out how the game does not allow players to have fun with names.
It’s not easy to find physical copies of these classic titles
FireRed and LeafGreen are classic Pokémon titles that were released on the GBA back in 2004. But that’s not all, these are actually re-releases of older Pokémon titles. The original Pokémon Red and Blue were released for the Game Boy back in 1996.
So it’s not much of a criticism if some people think that charging $20 for these old games, which are almost left untouched, is a bit too much in this day and age. But on the other side of the coin, there’s also the argument that digging for a fair price on the original games is a really hard task.
Old original physical GBA copies of these games would cost up to over $100 because game-preservation is like no man’s land. So if anyone is looking for legal means to get these two classics $20 is not a bad deal.
Of course, not everyone would agree with that since it’s so easy to put on an eye patch and sail the high seas these days, into the world of piracy.
Social media has mixed feelings over Nintendo charging $20
Social media stirred up quite a commotion in arguments over the justification of paying $20 for an old game that is heavily censored. Some people are jokingly bringing up the classic Super Mario Bros as a meme, saying, “Nintendo if they locked in.” They could charge over $80.
Someone also pointed out how Nintendo is not allowing users to change the language from in-game menus but is instead charging for separate language copies on the digital storefront.
One can say that the original game never had it as well, but in the day and age of modern game releases with QOL, it’s futile not to cram games with more playability options. But none of these is going to stop it from appearing on the list of best sellers because Pokémon games have an intense fan following.
Most fans are speaking up against the backlash, claiming that most of the people criticizing were never fans of the game or have never played through the originals. It’s an interesting situation, but not something completely new to Nintendo fandom.
