Pokemon Channel

"I'd rather watch paint dry."

This is the most boring video game I've ever played. Pokemon is usually a good series. They always crank out fun RPGs and keep everyone entertained...or at least they used to. For some reason, Nintendo actually decided to publish this failure of entertainment. So let's get into why this game sucks.

STORY
You play a person who for some reason has been tasked by Professor Oak to be a TV critic and make sure that the newest channel, Pokemon Channel, is a success. It doesn't take long for a wild Pikachu to look through your window and become addicted to TV. You take him in as your own and take his reactions to see if the television is quality programming. Yes, you watch TV in this game. Fun.

GRAPHICS
The graphics are very nice I will admit. All of the Pokemon look exactly like they should, complete with tons of colour, crazy animations, and well rounded bodies. The load times are non-existent, and the game features a halfhour anime show in there that has perfect video as well. So I liked the look of the game.

SOUND
The sound however makes me wish I was deaf. All of the TV shows in Pokemon Channel have the worst choice of hosts ever. Pokemon like Psyduck, Wobuffet, and Smeargle have voices that will drive you nuts the first minute you hear it. Unlucky for you they talk for much longer than that. Add that with generic music and nothing interesting at all, and you've got a headache just creeping up on ya. If I'm gonna watch TV all game, don't make most of it random animal sounds with subtitles. I want english dammit!

GAMEPLAY
Yes this game is about watching TV. It's as exciting as it sounds. All you ever do in this game is watch annoying and boring TV shows that repeat themselves every episode. Being a TV critic I thought I would have input on whether the shows stayed or not. The reality is that you can't express your opinion. It's all Pikachu's opinion and guess what? He loves anything you throw at him!

In order to progress the so called story, you actually have to wait full periods of 24 hours in order for the newer shows to be unlocked. Or do what I did, skip the Gamecube clock manually, and finish the game in no more than 3 hours. Seriously. This game has no depth whatsoever. You just watch TV. There are no enemies to attack. There are no puzzles to solve. There are no fun mini-games to play!

You can choose not to watch TV, but the fun doesn't get any better from there. All you can do is explore the town, talk to random Pokemon, and...well that's it really. Unless you enjoy watching Pikachu plant trees and go fish. This isn't a game. Though it did solve one mystery of mine. When the Gamecube launched they kept showing footage of a game with Pokemon, and Meowth was playing guitar for all of them on stage. This is that game. Took awhile huh? And it wasn't worth it.

I also find this game is a bad role model for kids. I tried to get Pikachu to go outside and play...but no! He wants to stick around and watch TV all day! What a good message!There's a news show, with nothing important to say. There's an exercise show, which doesn't improve Pikachu's gameplay at all. And there is also a show in which you count sheep jumping over a fence. I swear on my grandfather's grave that is not a lie. Who thought this game was a good idea? This is a terrible waste of time. The only interesting thing in the game was a halfhour long anime segment. But it wasn't good enough to rent this game that's for sure.

IN THE END...
It's a waste of space. Kids will be bored out of their minds, and adults have no reason to touch this. Nintendo really dropped the ball on this one. Don't rent this, don't even acknowledge it. A total train wreck.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/06