YoVG # 431 What if... Nintendo Bought Pokemon in 1996?

Is anyone doing alt-history for videogames? Is that a thing? 

This week we're talking about alternate history. There's no denying that Pokemon is a juggernaut and there is a real good reason Nintendo bought 33.3% of the company. But what if they had bought the company outright? Would Pokemon be what it is today? If not, what would be different? Better? Worse?