Where's my Pokemon Snap 2?

I remember I got that game for Christmas one year along with my N64, my first ever console, and Goldeneye. I was completely shocked. My parents had sworn they'd never buy me video games, yet there it was, "the fun machine". I don't think I'll ever have a happier Christmas morning.

However, I was actually pretty bummed out about Snap. It wasn't the Gameboy games. It wasn't Stadium. You couldn't catch the little critters, or even make them fight each other for your amusement. All you could do was take pictures (and throw things of course).

Well, after I gave up on ever beating Goldeneye (still haven't finished it to this day), I popped the sucker in.

I was immediately taken in by the music and color on the title screen. "This might actually not be horrible" I thought. I had to play as that shithead Todd from the animated series, but hey, I got to hang out with Prof. Oak and actually work for him. Boss!

For the next few months I was consumed by the game. I'd beaten it within a week of starting it. It was short, simple, and contained less than half of all the Pokemon around at the time.

What I became obsessed with was improving my "photography". Besides mastering the "trick shots" - forcing adorable first stage pokemon to evolve by throwing thing at them, cramming as many pissed off charmanders as I could into frame, and of course getting Pikachu to ride that Articuno - I tried to improve on my composition, even after I'd completed all of Oak's insane tasks. I found a lot of different ways to capture a magikarp jumping out of the river, and eventually figured out how to get a decent looking picture of Mew.

Oak was never a man of the arts and rarely took notice of my passion. He'd toss me a few extra points here and there, but none of that mattered.

I played on because I was slowly learning to love photography. I wouldn't get a real camera until I went to film school eight years later, but I'll always remember Pokemon Snap as one of my first introductions to photography and film, and always wished they'd made a second one.

"Only 63 Pokemon!?!" I'd finally realized after spending hours and hours looking for others beyond that and asking my friends if they'd had any luck. Surely they wouldn't create a Pokemon game with less than half of the available roster! I concluded that they were saving the rest for Pokemon Snap 2, due out probably some time soon.

But Snap 2 never came. After three long years of waiting, I finally gave up and traded in all of my pokemon games plus Def Jam Vendetta for a mere twenty dollars and change at a local Gamestop. Surely Pokemon Snap, Stadium, Gold, Silver, and the greatest wresting game ever made had to be worth more! I cursed the cashier for his swindling ways and swore I'd do all my video game shopping at Electronics Boutique from there on out.

I'll always regret that day.

Snap had so much potential. They'd only scratched the surface of a game that could give kids an appreciation for an actual craft, and not just shooting Russians and stomping on goombas.

Think of the possibilities a modern Pokemon Snap would hold:

• Switchable cameras and lenses to individualize each players experience.

• A basic photo editing mode to let them optimize their shots.

• An online community where players could host and showcase their photos, compete, and even work together in a special co-op mode.

• A catalogue of over 600 pokemon to shoot and throw all new items at.

And I'm sure Nintendo could find a clever way to use motion gaming and the Wii U controller to make it all a little more interesting as well, not to mention integration with the 3DS and the possibility of a new "camera" type controller or accessory.

None of that interests me personally, but the potential is there. Bring in the possibility of video capture and editing, and you could wind up with a very different game altogether.

The next Pokemon Snap, if the day ever comes, could be a big step in gaming, or at least within Nintendo. Life for many people now involves sending information and media across various social networking platforms on a daily basis. Isn't this a world where a game focused solely on creating and capturing moments and sharing them with your peers could thrive? Couldn't we all use a break from the shooting, and stabbing, and jumping on things to pick up a camera and observe what's around us?

If anything, Pokemon Snap was about a decade ahead of the curve. The more I think about it, the more I realize how perfectly it could fit with us in the 21st century.

TL;DR Pokemon Snap kicked all kinds of ass. In a world where Instagram sells for a billion dollars, it would most certainly be worth another shot.