What New Pokémon Snap Is Really Missing Is Blockbuster

After more than two decades, New Pokémon Snap has finally provided a sequel to the 1999 Pokémon photography game. In what is essentially a first person rail shooter, New Pokémon Snap brings back the gameplay of the original, where players ride in a vehicle through a predetermined course and snap pictures of Pokémon as they go. Points are scored for each photo based on subject, pose, picture composition, and more. Even though New Pokémon Snap is a worthy successor to the original N64 title, the one thing its missing is a feature the original had with defunct video rental chain and cultural touchstone Blockbuster.

Yes, the latest Pokémon release is sorely missing a movie and video game rental store that was almost entirely dissolved in 2014. Blockbuster stores used to be seemingly everywhere, and grew to prominence throughout the ’90s before streaming became huge. Now, only one Blockbuster remains out of thousands of stores that have since gone out of business. Perhaps that final Blockbuster can give New Pokémon Snap what it really needs: a new Pokémon Snap kiosk.

Back when the original Pokémon Snap came out, Nintendo partnered with Blockbuster in the U.S. to bring photo printers compatible with N64 cartridges to the rental stores. Pokémon Snap players could bring in their cartridge, plug it into the kiosk, and print off the photos they’d taken in the game. Not only was it a great way to show off Pokémon photography skills, but it also made the game feel more real, being able to get an actual, physical photo that was taken in Pokémon Snap. Some Blockbusters even let players try the game, with an N64 playing Pokémon Snap built into the kiosk.

Blockbuster Was a Perfect Place for Pokémon Snap Kiosks

The original Pokémon Snap was the epitome of a good game to rent at Blockbuster. Both games have some longevity through high score hunting, but New Pokémon Snap is quite a bit longer than its predecessor. The 1999 Pokémon Snap only had six full courses (and one final one for just Mew) that could be completed in a matter of hours. Getting the game for only a night or two was no problem since it was so short. Conceivably, if the Blockbuster it was rented from had a Pokémon Snap kiosk, someone could rent the game, play it, and then print off their photos when they went to return it.

Online sharing (and the death of Blockbuster) has made the Pokémon Snap kiosks obsolete, but it still feels as though New Pokémon Snap is missing that physical element to it. The new game also has a much higher resolution and therefore better photos. It’s too bad there’s not a place for players to conveniently print off their New Pokémon Snap photos.

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