Pokemon Let's Go to Allegedly Feature Only Kanto Pokemon

A new rumor suggests that the alleged Pokemon: Let's Go Switch games will primarily feature the [...]

By Christian Hoffer

A new rumor suggests that the alleged Pokemon: Let's Go Switch games will primarily feature the 151 Pokemon from the Kanto region that first appeared in Pokemon Red and Blue.

Last week, the internet erupted as several video game insiders teased that the next pair of Pokemon games would be loose remakes of Pokemon Yellow. The new games, titled Pokemon Let's Go: Pikachu and Pokemon Let's Go: Eevee would be set in the Kanto region and would bring back popular features such as Pokemon following their trainers around while also mixing in game mechanics from the immensely popular Pokemon Go mobile games.

Earlier today, the original leaker of that information appeared on 4chan with another tease about the alleged new games. According to this "leaker," Pokemon Let's Go will only feature the original 151 Pokemon seen in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow.

If this rumor is true, it could make Pokemon Let's Go even more divisive for the Pokemon fanbase. While the original 151 Pokemon are the most recognizable Pokemon and have always had a special spot in the franchise, many fans feel that the Pokemon franchise neglects newer Pokemon in favor of appealing to the nostalgia of the original games. There's also the "genwunners," lapsed fans who feel that the new Pokemon lack the originality of the original Pokemon and see later Pokemon as counterfeits or inferior.

Personally, I feel that a Pokemon game with only 151 Pokemon is unnecessarily limiting and neglects 20 years of growth and fantastic new content. Even the last Pokemon games set in the Kanto region, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, added Pokemon from Johto and Hoenn in the form of postgame content. And while Pokemon Go found a ton of success appealing to that nostalgia for the original games, limiting the number of available Pokemon really hurt the game after players ran out of content and didn't wait around for developers to add more.

If Pokemon Let's Go does only have 151 Pokemon, it seems like this game would serve more as a stopgap before the release of a full-fledged franchise. A Pokemon Yellow remake would sell tons of game and prime a new generation of players for the release of a full blown Pokemon game, one with hundreds of Pokemon from every generation, in 2019.

We'll see if this rumor (along with the rumors of Pokemon Let's Go) are true or not. In the meantime, let us know whether you'd rather see a Pokemon game with all 800+ Pokemon in it, or just the original 151.

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