Pokemon Stadium 2

"Quite similar to the first, but still good fun!"

For those of you who never played it, I thought Pokemon Stadium 1 was a good game. You could upload your Pokemon from your gameboy game to the N64 so you could see your monsters fight in glorious 3D, you could play your gameboy game on the television and you take part in some of the most challenging Pokemon battles in history. All in all, it was simple, inoffensive fun. Needless to say, as the game title had the word 'Pokemon' in it, it was a monstrous hit. Naturally, there has been a load of hype surrounding the much-awaited sequel. Would it live up to its prequel? And, ultimately, would it be different enough from the first to warrant buying? Read on...

Graphics:
The graphics in Pokemon Stadium 1 were BRILLIANT. The Pokemon had some of the best animation lavished on them that I have ever seen on the N64, making it look- amazingly enough- like the Pokemon were ALIVE. Which is no mean feat, considering how 'un-real' Pokemon really is. Well, Pokemon Stadium 2 HAS lived up to its predecessor in the graphics compartment. All of the new Pokemon are beautifully rendered, and the new and hugely improved Pokeball intro sequence is bright and colourful. High marks here, with a 9.

Sound:
The sound is, admittedly, very kiddish, in very much the same style as the TV show. Still, this fits the Pokemon universe perfectly (imagine hearing heavy metal in the background while you battled with two cute little Pokemon). Some people complained about the commentary in the first game, and although I found the commentary in Pokemon Stadium 2 to be very, very similar to its prequel (almost EXACTLY the same!), I like having it in there, as it adds an extra element of realism in the fights. The sound gets an 8, by the way.

Gameplay:
One thing the controlling has always been in Pokemon games is very simple. This is actually very sensible, as the Pokemon games are targeted at young audiences, but still having enough touches of gaming brilliance to draw in older gamers too. Again, the Pokemon Stadium 2 controls are mind-meltingly simple, which means you will never press the wrong attack in the middle of a heated battle. That's right-another 8!

Overall:
Is the latest Pokemon Stadium game worth a buy? Well, I have to say you will not get full enjoyment out of this game unless you own the Transfer Pak and a Pokemon Gameboy game. One thing I liked about this game was the new minigames too, and anyone who liked them in the previous game will surely like these new ones too. This game is worth a buy for all the big Pokemon fans out there but if you've gone off Pokemon a bit though, this game's probably only worth a buy if you don't own the first one.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/10/01, Updated 05/10/01