Pokémon's first foray into bringing the main series to home consoles was not without controversy. Pokémon Sword and Shield were criticized over questions of graphics quality, the infamous National Dex debacle and, most recently, discussions over the worth of its DLC. Beyond that, fans also took issue with the story. While Pokémon is generally not considered a story-heavy series, the narrative is still an important part of making each game stand out. It's what separates Black and White from X and Y.
By comparison though, Sword and Shield's story is almost non-existent. The player is told throughout much of the game that the adults will deal with the various issues that arise, much of the lore is left to quick, lackluster reveals and it ends with a random twist that comes out of nowhere. While one may argue that the gym challenge is the real story, it seems odd to throw a world-ending plot at the player within that instead of taking a Red and Blue approach where Team Rocket is almost a side-quest on the journey to become the league champion. Adding onto this is the mounting criticism that the games have gotten too easy, especially for fans who have been playing the series for years. So what is there to do to both bring the story back to the focus and add a layer of difficulty for older players? Revive the GameCube classics Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.
Both Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness are based around the concept of Shadow Pokémon, Pokémon that have had the doors to their hearts shut by the evil Cipher group. The games, which take place in the Orre region, focus on purifying those Shadow Pokémon and defeating Cipher by stealing (or snagging as its called in these games) Shadow Pokémon to purify them. Pokémon are not caught normally, with few exceptions, and are only obtained by snagging them.
The games themselves are a lot darker than most Pokémon titles. The opening scene of Colosseum sees the protagonist blow a hole in a building, steal a device used to snag Pokémon, hop on a motorcycle and blow up the rest of the building while members of Team Snagem, another evil team, chase him from the building. The landscape of Orre is not the welcoming world most frequently found in Pokémon games, with a dilapidated train used as a café, large foreboding factory lair and an entire underground city. The enemies frequently threaten the protagonist, at one point going as so far as being willing to blow up an island with the protagonist on it, and the police in the region are powerless to stop the ever-expanding threat of Cypher and the Shadow Pokémon.
That dark, gritty story with a more dramatic backdrop is what older Pokémon fans have been looking for. These games offer stories with depth that are about more than just defeating an annoying team and catching a Legendary. These villains have clear motives and destructive methods that have make Pokémon evil. Plus, in Colosseum, it's revealed that the protagonist is actually a former member of one of the evil teams, giving the games even more depth and character.
As for the difficulty, the games themselves are focused almost entirely on battling. There are no wild encounters outside of three specific Poké Spots, so all Pokémon have to be caught by battling and snagging Shadow Pokémon. Add onto this that there are many stadiums and colosseums designed specifically for battling, and it's easy to see how the games could be made more challenging for older fans, and not just by adding higher levels that need to be ground out either. There's real potential for the game's antagonists to use strategies and formulas from say, competitive Pokémon, that could really up the difficulty.
With the Nintendo Switch getting a remake of the original Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games and New Pokémon Snap, fans have even more reason to hope for more reboots of old spin-off games. Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness have a unique ability to appeal to longtime fans who want stronger stories and more challenging battles, and they should come to Switch too.