When Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green came out in 2004, I remember joking about a Ruby and Sapphire remake for the Nintendo DS. It was just such a preposterous idea at the time. Who on earth would want to revisit the waterlogged Hoenn region? Who would ever want a team of accidents like Swalot, Tropius, and Exploud?

But of course, times change. The six and seven-year-olds who grew up with Ruby and Sapphire are in high school now, and now there's widespread nostalgia for Hoenn, which hasn't been seen in nearly a decade. Still, I wouldn't have said that Ruby and Sapphire remake should happen... until now.

To be clear: I haven't changed my mind about some things in Ruby and Sapphire. I still think the regional Pokedex is flawed, with too much filler like Luvdisc, Pelipper, and Mightyena. The region itself requires a ton of surfing, which might be my least favorite Pokemon activity owing to the confusing terrain and the surplus of Tentacool. It lacks a true day/night cycle, which was inexplicably cut following the second generation. And the game's Elite 4 is also tremendously weak.

But that's precisely why I think now is the time for a full-blown remake. The best remakes are the ones that bring the old content into the present while retaining its spirit. With a Ruby and Sapphire remake, Game Freak can address many of the issues in the original games, and in a roundabout way, improve Pokemon X and Y as well. Here are a few things that help make a Ruby and Sapphire remake worthwhile: