It has been a slow month for Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers, but that's about to change thanks to the release of the Nintendo 64 classic Pokémon Snap. Don't get me wrong, it's cool that Nintendo finally remembered to release something this month, but is this colorful photography simulator worth downloading? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Nintendo Power, Computer & Video Games and more to see what the critics said about this game back when it first came out. Join me for this on-rails episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew!


These days, we know Pokémon as this massive franchise with hundreds of collectible monsters that have spanned multiple generations of games, spin-offs and even movies. However, that was not the case when Pokémon Snap came to America. Released only one year after Pokémon Red and Green landed in the United States, critics barely had enough time to memorize the names of their favorite pocket monsters before Pokémon Snap came out. Perhaps that's for the best, as this on-rails photography game let you see the friendly monsters hanging out and existing in their own habitats, bringing you closer to these characters in a way that a standard Pokémon game could only dream of. But was Snap too much of a shift for critics who were still not completely sold on the Pokémon brand?

That seems to be the question Electronic Gaming Monthly was grappling with in 1999. Che summed it up perfectly: “Let me tell you how it feels to not care about the Pokémon franchise: Lonely, alienated and left-out. Thankfully, there's Pokémon Snap to pull us non-believers into the fold. This is one of the most original and innovative games I've ever played.” Crispin also liked it, but couldn't help but compare it to a more violent genre: “Like a light-gun game but without bullets, Pokémon Snap is packed with targets. Better still, you'll earn items later in the game that'll affect Pokémon in earlier stages, so you can go back and find new photo opportunities. Still even with all the secrets, the game's a bit too short.”

It will probably not surprise you that the more kid-friendly magazines ended up liking Pokémon Snap even more than EGM. Nintendo Power said that it “seems so simple, but it's actually very challenging” and that “games as unusual as this don't come along very often.” They gave it an 8.7 out of 10. Similarly, GamePro gave it a 4.5 out of 5, concluding that “Pokémon traners and video shutterbugs will have a field day taking snapshots of their favorites, while the compelling quest to take the perfect picture amps the game's replay value. Snap provides an entertaining new meaning to the term “hunting” and “shooting.”

Across the pond, we saw N64 magazine call Pokémon Snap “innovative, challenging and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face” before giving it an 80%. Computer and Video Games ended up giving it their highest score, 5 out of 5 stars, and posing this loaded question: “So is the Pokémon phenomenon going to stop? Not if Snap is anything to go by. The antics of Pikachu and his chums will keep you deliciously hooked until you find them all and get the best possible pictures – which could take ages. It's the kind of game that's aimed squarely at kids, will be loved by them, but will be loved just as much by parents who play it sneakily after their children have gone to bed.” That's definitely true. Although simple, this game's appeal defies age. I'm not a big Pokémon fan, but even I can't deny the fun of Pokémon Snap.