It's hard to suggest Pokemon is in a rut. Every single game that's vomited onto store shelves sells a gajillion copies, so why bother making drastic changes? Well, because just like Star Fox, there's a very clear direction this series needs to take and Nintendo doesn't seem interested in pursuing it. The RPGs have always been the cream of the Poke-crop, not spin-offs. They're excellent games that work both for kids and adults, so that's the obvious skeleton to work with, but how can you improve it? Take that puppy online, big time.

We're talking a World of Warcraft-level MMO that brings millions of Pokemon Trainers into the same ongoing world. Choose a starter, level it up and set out on a quest to battle other trainers, forge alliances with friends, train up multiple Poke-teams, the options are as bountiful as any MMO out there. Include all 493 Pokemon in one game, even the legendaries - they'd be so powerful, however, you'd need to stitch together a ragtag group of trainers just to take 'em down. We always thought it was a little absurd that something like Groudon or Lugia could be downed by one trainer, so this Poke-MMO would force players to team up to tackle the baddest Pokemon of them all. Even larger, regular Pokemon like Steelix would need more than one person to down - unless you're toting a high-level Charizard, that is.

We can't decide if it'd be better to let you transfer Diamond/Pearl Pokemon over to the MMO, or make everyone start from scratch. The latter sounds better, as this is a wholly new adventure that would benefit from a fresh start. The Poke MMO would be its own sustained world, so you wouldn't be catching Pokes here and then transferring them to your DS or Wii RPG game. Like FFXI, this should exist in a void.

Think we're crazy? Think we're on the money? Have your own ideas for Nintendo's best franchises? Let 'em rip in our forums.

Mar 11, 2008