Prepare for playground wars to erupt once more -- the original Pokémon trading cards are getting reissued, as part of the 20th anniversary of the franchise.
Anyone who grew up during the original surge of popularity for all things Pocket Monsters will know the sheer kudos that came from having a foil Charizard card in your deck, a joy lost on later generations as the first wave of cards were retired. Those glory days are set to return in 2016 though, as the first edition of the collectible card game will be re-released in Japan on 27 February.
The 60-card base set will reproduce the 1996 editions perfectly, with the original character art and designs intact. The starter pack will also include the player's rulebook and a coin marker. Classic-style booster packs and a rubber playmat -- available in regular and Pokémon Centre limited edition varieties -- will also be released.
There's no word on a UK re-issue yet, but WIRED has contacted The Pokémon Company International to clarify. Given the Japanese re-release is coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Pokémon as a whole, rather than just the card game, we may be in luck -- otherwise, the local two-decade mark would be 2019 since the cards didn't release here officially until 1999.
Other 20th anniversary Poké-events include the re-release of the original GameBoy Pokémon video games, coming to Nintendo 3DS via Virtual Console. Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, and Pokémon Yellow will appear exactly as they did in the mid-90s, with the only major change being allowing players to trade Pokémon wirelessly, rather than through a link cable. Japan will also be getting retro-styled 2DS handhelds -- again though, no word on a western release for the hardware yet.
2016 will also see the launch of Pokémon Go, a collaboration with Google's Niantic Labs that brings Pokémon catching to augmented reality.
Prepare for playground wars to erupt once more -- the original Pokémon trading cards are getting reissued, as part of the 20th anniversary of the franchise.
Anyone who grew up during the original surge of popularity for all things Pocket Monsters will know the sheer kudos that came from having a foil Charizard card in your deck, a joy lost on later generations as the first wave of cards were retired. Those glory days are set to return in 2016 though, as the first edition of the collectible card game will be re-released in Japan on 27 February.
The 60-card base set will reproduce the 1996 editions perfectly, with the original character art and designs intact. The starter pack will also include the player's rulebook and a coin marker. Classic-style booster packs and a rubber playmat -- available in regular and Pokémon Centre limited edition varieties -- will also be released.
There's no word on a UK re-issue yet, but WIRED has contacted The Pokémon Company International to clarify. Given the Japanese re-release is coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Pokémon as a whole, rather than just the card game, we may be in luck -- otherwise, the local two-decade mark would be 2019 since the cards didn't release here officially until 1999.
Other 20th anniversary Poké-events include the re-release of the original GameBoy Pokémon video games, coming to Nintendo 3DS via Virtual Console. Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, and Pokémon Yellow will appear exactly as they did in the mid-90s, with the only major change being allowing players to trade Pokémon wirelessly, rather than through a link cable. Japan will also be getting retro-styled 2DS handhelds -- again though, no word on a western release for the hardware yet.
2016 will also see the launch of Pokémon Go, a collaboration with Google's Niantic Labs that brings Pokémon catching to augmented reality.
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