Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness on Switch?! Gamers Stunned!

Alright, folks, dust off your GameCube memories! Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is finally making its way to Nintendo Switch Online this March. This is a big one for those of us who remember the good old days of GameCube gaming, and it's exclusively hitting the Nintendo Switch 2 tier of the subscription service. Which, let's be honest, is probably what most of us are subscribed to anyway for the retro goodness.

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness on Switch?! Gamers St...

Now, we first heard about this way back in April when Nintendo initially unveiled its plans for bringing GameCube classics to the Switch. Pokémon Colosseum was showcased alongside XD, but for some reason, the release date for XD was kept under wraps. Nearly a year later, we finally have a date! Still no word on Colosseum though, sadly. What gives, Nintendo?

For those who might be unfamiliar (where have you been?!), Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness came out in 2005 on the GameCube and is essentially a sequel to Pokémon Colosseum. It's set in the Orre region, a place where Pokémon battles are more about shadowy schemes and purification than your typical gym challenges. You play as a trainer tasked with capturing and purifying Shadow Pokémon, which adds a pretty interesting twist to the classic Pokémon formula. It's a single-player 3D adventure, so get ready to explore!

Back in the day, Pokémon XD was pretty cool because it allowed you to transfer Pokémon with the Game Boy Advance games – FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. This allowed multiplayer battles! However, it's uncertain if they will have that function for this new release.

Now, not everyone was completely blown away by Pokémon XD when it initially launched. IGN's review at the time gave it a 6.8/10, saying it didn't quite have the same "oomph" as the original Colosseum. That being said, if you never played Colosseum, XD is still a solid Pokémon adventure. I personally enjoyed it, and I'm excited to give it another shot on the Switch. Maybe I'll appreciate it more now.

The real bummer here is the continued absence of other classic Pokémon titles on Nintendo Switch Online. Where are Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald? We're patiently (okay, maybe not so patiently) waiting, Nintendo! They have FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch (with a port), but compatibility with XD remains a big question mark. Hopefully, Nintendo will shed some light on that soon.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more Pokémon news, and be sure to check out a comprehensive recap of today's Pokemon Presents announcements. And hey, maybe we'll finally get that Colosseum release date soon... we can only hope!