As of Feb. 26, the Pokémon Company has announced remakes of the games “Pokémon Diamond” and “Pokémon Pearl.” Fans of the Pokémon series have had mixed feelings about these announcements, with some claiming that the remakes are rather disappointing, but I do not believe it is fair to judge the remakes so harshly before they have been released.

“The major criticism I hear is how people are disappointed in the chibi art style and how they expect it to look like Sword and Shield,” said Guilford student Nic Baggett.

Some people think that the remakes have poor graphics that take away from the Pokémon experience, but the graphics should hardly be the mark of a great game. As emphasized by Baggett, fans are let down by the remakes when compared to the previous Pokémon games “Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield.” These fans see the remakes’ art style as a setback rather than a sign of progress. Others have criticized the remakes simply because they are remakes.

“I’m not the biggest fan of remakes, especially when they are of story-driven single-player games, so I’m not as excited for the remakes,” said student Matt Poole.

Remakes, especially when done poorly, can feel rather cheap as if they are no longer trying to meet fans’ expectations. This is not the first time that Pokémon remakes have been released, however. The Pokémon games “HeartGold” and “SoulSilver” were remakes of the “Gold” and “Silver” games. “HeartGold” and “SoulSilver” are now considered to be some of the best Pokémon games, so the odds of the new remakes being poorly done is rather slim, as they already have experience in remaking games.

“Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were the first Pokémon games I played growing up, so it’s like a big nostalgia trip,” said Guilford student Isiah Carlton. “I’ve always loved Pokémon ever since I was little; I grew up with the series and its past games.”

Isiah, like myself, played the Pokémon games “Diamond” and “Pearl” several years ago, and the release of these remakes is exciting as the games are bound to be nostalgic for those who have played the original games in the past. Not everyone can view the remakes through a nostalgic lens, and those who did not play the original games are not as likely to be excited about the remakes.

The remakes are not the only Pokémon games that were announced. “Pokémon Legends: Arceus,” a prequel game to the Pokémon games “Diamond” and “Pearl,” will also be released.

“I am extremely excited for Pokémon Legends: Arceus,” said Poole. “…Most Pokémon games stick to the RPG formula, so games that leave it generally pique my interest, especially since I believe (that) the open world is one step closer to creating the idea of a Pokémon journey for the player.”

Little information has been released about “Pokémon Legends: Arceus,” since it is brand new, but people are still divided over the game. The new prequel will use the same art style as the remakes, and much of the debate over the remakes stemmed from these graphics.

“As for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, I will be skeptical until I get more information, but it looks promising,” said Baggett.

Overall, only time will tell whether these three games will be as great as some hope or as disappointing as others claim. I am optimistic about what is to come from these games given past Pokémon remakes, but nothing is certain as of now.