Pokémon fans have been asking for a remake of Generation 4 for years, and earlier this year this dream was finally made true after the announcement of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Sinnoh’s a fan-favorite region, so expectations are high.
Despite the levels of praise placed on these entries, there are still some big issues that fans had with the original Diamond and Pearl. From Pokémon variety to the general pace of the game, there are several fixes that players will be hoping to see in the Nintendo Switch remakes.
10 The overuse of HMs
HMs are a major part of Pokémon’s 4th generation, with Pokémon such as Pelipper effectively being used by players as a swiss army knife equivalent in order to get past the various obstacles in their way. Modern Pokémon games no longer use HMs, replacing them with features such as ride Pokémon, and there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be the case in these remakes.
If we’re honest, HMs only ever acted as an annoyance, leading to players often traveling with five fighting Pokémon and one HM slave. The moves themselves can exist without the extra functionality, and it’s a change that would likely lead to players having more varied teams.
9 The Arceus Event
The event to catch Arceus was never officially released in Generation 4, with the Azure Flute item needed to activate it never being distributed to players. Junichi Masuda revealed it was thought that the item was too confusing and so the decision was made to just scrap the planned event.
It makes sense then that any remake of Sinnoh must include this event, finally giving trainers the chance to access the Hall of Origin and catch the creator of the Pokémon universe. Arceus has an incredibly unique ability that allows it to change into any type in the game, so it would be awesome to finally have the chance to catch one without cheats.
8 Game Speed
Diamond and Pearl are great games, but they’re also a real slog at times, mainly due to how slow everything seems to be. Battles are laggy at times, mainly due to the new level of complexity involved in the DS titles. But even menu and text speeds are incredibly slow, making dialogue-heavy segments a bit tedious at times.
Certain routes were deliberately slower, with weather mechanics such as snow or mud limiting player movement. All of these are fairly easy fixes, and should definitely be included in the Generation 4 remakes.
7 Type Diversity
Ask any fan of Generation 4 what the biggest balance issue with the game is, and the vast majority will reply that there aren’t enough fire types in the two base games. Diamond and Pearl offer a grand total of just two fire-type lines to choose from, one of which is of course the game’s fire-type starter, Chimchar.
Offering such limited options to one of the most popular Pokémon types was clearly a mistake, and it was corrected in Pokémon Platinum with more lines to choose from. Variety is key in Pokémon, so additional fire types being available to catch and train is a must.
6 Honey Trees
Honey Trees were introduced in Generation 4 and are a way to catch rare, unique Pokémon such as Munchlax, Heracross, and Combee. The only issue with this method of catching Pokémon is that it’s completely up to chance concerning whether you run into one of the more desirable catches or another Wurmple.
The idea of using bait to catch Pokémon isn’t bad by any means, but the random nature and low odds that Honey Trees offer for finding rare Pokémon make them frustrating to use. It’s also a long process, with players having to wait 12-24 hours to see what their honey has attracted — if it attracts any Pokémon at all.
5 Gyms
One of the best changes made in the Platinum version of Generation 4 was the modifications made to its gyms. A few gyms had updated interiors with better and more interesting puzzles and layouts, as well as making some of the trainer battles players have to face before the Gym Leader harder too.
Most of the Gym Leaders have updated teams too, with changes being made to better reflect the specific type the Gym is themed around as well as some level adjustments. It’s a change that made a lot of sense, and will hopefully be used in the remakes.
4 PC Boxes
Portable PC boxes are a feature that gamers didn’t know they wanted, but now it’s here there is no going back. Being able to change a team with ease or bring out specific Pokémon at any point was a brilliant addition to the series, and should be carried over to the Generation 4 remakes.
A return to the older system, even in a remake, makes little sense, so hopefully Game Freak will carry this brilliant QoL addition over into Sinnoh.
3 Giratina
The improvements made to Giratina in Pokémon Platinum are recognized as one of the best parts of the game. Adding the Distortion World as well as an entirely new form to a fairly underutilized Pokémon in the original Generation 4 games was a smart move. There was also an expanded Team Galactic plot related to Giratina too.
The Distortion World remains one of the most unique locations across all the Pokémon games and is a much better way to present Giratina in comparison to Turnback Cave.
2 The Underground
The Underground is set to return in the Generation 4 remakes, and hopefully, it will include full online functionality so players all over the world can mine and build bases together. It was such a comprehensive inclusion that it was almost a separate game in its own right, even including a capture-the-flag-like mechanic centered around stealing flags from other people’s bases.
It hasn’t returned in any games since, but the Underground remains one of the most unique features in Generation 4, and adding online multiplayer would sweeten an already great feature.
1 Team Galactic
Team Galactic had the potential to be an awesome evil team in Diamond & Pearl, but they’re just not quite able to reach the heights of Team Rocket. Luckily they’re much better in Platinum, possessing a greater role in the game’s main story and being somewhat responsible for the opening of the Distortion World.
It’s another case of hoping that the Generation 4 remakes will take elements from Platinum, as in the base games they leave a much smaller impression on players. It would be a shame if one of the most interesting evil teams weren’t given the chance to shine in these remakes.
NEXT: 10 Things Players Loved From Pokemon Diamond & Pearl
