Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Features

5 Pokémon spinoff series we want to return after Detective Pikachu

Tomas Franzese
By

Detective Pikachu Returns launched on Nintendo Switch earlier this month, continuing one of Pokémon’s many spinoff series. It follows in the footsteps of Pokémon Snap, which received a long-awaited sequel on Nintendo Switch in 2021.

Seeing both of these side series receive brand-new games on Nintendo Switch has certainly left me hoping that other Pokémon spinoffs eventually make a comeback. Some deserve bigger and bolder games to explore some new concepts, while others could just use a fresh coat of paint on modern Nintendo hardware. Here are five Pokémon spinoff series that I hope are next in line for new installments.

Recommended Videos

Pokémon Ranger

Key art for Pokemon Ranger games.
Nintendo

The first spinoff series that needs to make a comeback is Pokémon Ranger, which hasn’t seen a new entry since Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs in 2010. In this side series for Nintendo DS, players were the titular Rangers instead of Pokémon trainers and served as ecological Peacekeepers for regions exclusive to these games. They feature some of the wildest plots of any Pokémon game and feel different from most other Pokémon games because of their unique capturing system that has players drawing lots of rings around a Pokémon to tame them.

Related

While the stylus-driven gameplay does heavily tie this series to the DS, a new entry could replicate that experience with motion controls or find a new design approach to taming Pokémon entirely. I grew up playing the Pokémon Ranger games in addition to the mainline series and loved the distinct gameplay experience and look at the world of Pokémon they offered. I’d love to see a developer make another attempt at exploring this concept on modern Nintendo hardware.

Pokémon Rumble

Pokemon-Rumble-Blast
The Pokemon Company

The Pokémon Rumble series started with a WiiWare game that saw Pokémon toys come to life and fight each other in isometric action combat. It did get new entries on 3DS, Wii U, and even mobile, but the eShops for the two Nintendo systems are now gone and the mobile game Pokémon Rumble Rush was shut down in 2020. While this spinoff series had a solid run for a decade, it has gone dormant. I really hope to see it make a comeback.

While all of the Pokémon Rumble games were fairly simple, they provided an entertaining action-focused Pokemon experience, a kind that’s just unavailable on Nintendo Switch. I’d love to see this spinoff series’ game concept return and even get the AAA treatment — think a Pokemon version of Diablo IV.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Key art from the 3DS game Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon.
Nintendo

Technically, this is the most recently supported Pokemon spinoff series on this list, as the remake Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX came out on Nintendo Switch in 2020. Still, we haven’t seen an original Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game since 2016, so a new sequel feels long overdue. The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series always stood out because of its dungeon-crawling, roguelite format and because it told stories where Pokemon were the main characters.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX played smoothly and looked fantastic, so there’s definitely potential for developer Spike Chunsoft to expand on that while telling a new story. Hopefully, it can get to that after February 2024, which is when it releases Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, the latest entry in the series that inspired Mystery Dungeon.

Pokémon Pinball

Pokemon Pinball being played on a Wii U.
Nintendo

The Pokémon Pinball series had a short but memorable run across the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. They did a fantastic job at combining the fundamental ideas of pinball with core Pokémon concepts like monster catching. It’s pretty surprising that the Pokémon Company has not revisited this concept in the age of the digital storefront, where a light and breezy pinball game like these could fit really well on a handheld game platform.

Unfortunately, there has not been a new Pokémon Pinball game in over 20 years, and the Wii U Virtual Console rerelease went away with that system’s eShop. Zen Studios has seemingly mastered the modern pinball video game, so why not get it to create some new pinball boards themed to Pokémon or an outright successor to these Pokémon Pinball games? At the very least, the original games need to return via Nintendo Switch Online.

Pokémon Trading Card Game

The Pokemon Trading Card game being played through Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo

I recently had the chance to try the Pokémon Trading Card Game for the first time, thanks to Nintendo Switch Online. I was shocked at how well this older version of the card game transitioned to video game form, even if it is very slow and the UI feels pretty dated. As card-based games are more popular than ever across PC, console, and mobile, the concept of a card-based Pokémon RPG is ripe for a modern refresh.

Unfortunately, it does not seem like we’ll get a follow-up anytime soon. That’s because when it comes to the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the main focus of the Pokémon Company is on competitive play. As such, the main video game version of it is the competitive-focused Pokémon TCG Live for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. Still, we hope to see this card game explored in a single-player experience again someday.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tomas Franzese
Tomas Franzese
Gaming Staff Writer
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
Is Manor Lords multiplayer or co-op?
A medieval market in Manor Lords.

You can easily lose hours designing your village and appeasing your citizens in Manor Lords all by yourself. There are so many different avenues to achieve victory, but the only competition or help you can normally find is in the form of NPCs. Other factions around the map can be helpful or harmful depending on how you play, but what if you wanted to team up with a friend to combine resources, or perhaps compete to see who can crush the other first? Many strategy and city builders thrive on multiplayer components, but does Manor Lords offer those same modes? Make sure you know the answer before making your purchase if that's your intention.
Is there multiplayer or co-op in Manor Lords?
To cut to the chase, the answer is no. Manor Lords is a purely single-player experience through and through. There are no cooperative or competitive modes in the game at all, so there's no way to interact with anyone else either on PC or console. This game was just released out of early access, and there is plenty of content on the way, however, we regret to inform you that multiplayer is not in the plans for the time being.

One developer took to the Steam forums to release an FAQ on the game. One question specifically asked if there is any multiplayer or cooperative gameplay in the game. The response said that "he focus is on a refined single-player experience, with no multiplayer or cooperative modes planned at the moment."

Read more
All console commands and cheats for Fallout: New Vegas
The courier holding a gun with a welcome sign in the background in Fallout: New Vegas key art.

From the moment you begin your adventure in Fallout: New Vegas, you've already cheated death. Your first playthrough of the game should be done as the developers intended, though maybe with a couple of mods to make the experience a little smoother, but nothing that breaks the game. That said, it's been over a decade since the game came out, so odds are you've already played through the intended way at least once. This is when you can have some fun tinkering with the game and play using console commands and cheats if you're on the PC version of the game. There are a ton of commands you can input to manipulate your character, the world, objects, and more. Here's a full rundown of all the cheats there are and how to activate them.
How to enter console commands
Opening up the command console to type in your cheats is just a single keystroke away. While in the game (not paused), hit the ~ key located below your escape key. This will remove your HUD and bring up the prompt to type in any of the below cheats.
All Fallout: New Vegas console commands and cheats

Because there are so many console commands, we're going to break them down into general categories to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for based on what you want to do.
Faction and reputation cheats
addreputation <form id> <variable> <amount> -- Increases your reputation with a faction.

Read more
How to get a gun in Another Crab’s Treasure
Kril has a gun

Another Crab's Treasure no doubt looks like a kid-friendly game, but hiding beneath its charming and cute exterior is a challenging soulslike experience that can test the mettle of genre veterans. Those who either can't or don't want to engage with such intense difficulty throughout this underwater adventure can make great use of a variety of assists. Among these is a rather shocking, but hilarious option that can completely negate nearly all of the game's challenge while providing some laughs along the way. Here's how to get a gun in Another Crab's Treasure.
How to get a gun
To give yourself a gun in Another Crab's Treasure, head over to the Settings menu. Navigate to Assist Mode at the bottom of the menu, then scroll to the bottom once more to a setting called Give Kril a Gun. Toggle this on, then back out and resume your game to find that Kril now has a massive pistol on his back in place of a shell.

This new gun on your back provides you with more than just a funny visual, though -- it actually allows you to shoot and kill any enemy in a single hit, nearly eliminating all of the challenge from the game. Additionally, if you're after trophies or achievements, the first time you shoot a crab with the gun will also unlock "This Kills the Crab."

Read more