'Pokemon's' 20th Anniversary News: Original Pokemon Starter Packs to Be Re-Released
"Pokemon's" 20th anniversary is drawing near. To celebrate, The Pokemon Company has announced that it will be re-releasing the original Pokemon starter packs.
The official site for the Pokemon trading card game has updated its listing to include the first reprinting of the very first set of Pokemon trading cards. The company also announced the news via its official Twitter handle. The original Pokemon starter pack was sold by retailers in Japan way back October 1996.
The starter pack includes the original base set of 60 trading cards. These cards have been designed to be identical to the original cards released 20 years ago. The upcoming starter pack will also include a player's manual and a Pokemon coin.
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The re-release of the Pokemon starter pack is in anticipation of the franchise's 20th anniversary celebration. The packs will sell for 1,300 yen (about $10.80).
The original card shields and a play mat will also be sold alongside the cards, according to Siliconera. The card shields will be sold for 715 yen (about $5.94). Meanwhile, the play mat will sell for 5,000 yen (about $41.50).
It's a walk down memory lane for players when the original Pokemon starter pack re-releases on Feb. 27, 2016 in Japan. The starter pack was released to introduce newbies to Pokemons or Pocket Monsters.
The site did not mention if the starter pack will be coming to the West, but in the meantime, Western gamers can download the Virtual Console anniversary titles that will be available on the same day.
In addition to the original starter pack, The Pokemon Company had previously announced special-edition 2DS systems to honor "Pokemon Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow." Like the Pokemon starter pack, these special edition 2DS systems will also only release in Japan, pending announcement of its release in the West, if ever.
