Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have, shall we say, odd relationships with historical preservation. After all, if any major publisher is imbued with nostalgia and legacy, it's Nintendo, right? And yet lack of backwards compatibility and a ferocious gatekeeping of its property means that many classics are difficult (if not impossible) to obtain. At least, not without an emulator, or until Nintendo decides that it can sell them back to you for the second or third time.
If you haven't been hoarding decade-old consoles (as many understandably have not) there is no legal means to play fan-favorite creations like Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendogs, Punch-Out! for the Wii… and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.
