Pokemon Stadium

"Pokemon mania spreads like the Bubonic plague. Play this game now while you are still infected!"

To be honest, this is the BEST Pokemon game I’ve ever played. I prefer this better than the original Gameboy version. It’s because the Pokemon here looks better and sounds better (but doesn't sounds like the real Pokemon). However, the missing gameplay element here is… ”POKEMON CATCHING” but I don’t mind having that element removed because this game is still fun to play.

The game involves Pokemon battles which should be every “wanna-be-Pokemon-mastahs” dream. You will battle in various cups such as Pika, Petit, Prime, and Poke and each of them have their own special battle rules and regulations. Whenever you choose a cup, you will get yourself involved in a long series of Pokemon battles with various trainers such as bug catchers, surfers, scientists, and others, providing that you choose your Pokemon carefully of course. There is also the Gym Leader Castle where you battle the eight gym leaders of Pokemon. Reaching the top will reward players with a random Pokemon. But best part here is the fun two-player battle mode. You and a friend can battle each other using any Pokemon you like! Trust me, this game is fun! Addition to that are the semi-fun mini-games thrown in for bonus such as “Run Rattata Run!” and “Clefairy Says”. You can also play your Pokemon Red and Blue on your N64! Plus, you can speed things up if you switch it to Dodrio mode. Very nice option. And with that in mind, you can switch the Pokemon from you GB and transfer it to Pokemon Stadium. And the fun does not stop there at all because you can also take pictures of those cute Pokemon, print your photo masterpiece, and you get your sticker! Ah!

It’s very pleasant to see all 150 Pokemon in their 3D glory. They’re all very colorful and adorable (don’t kill me for saying that). They’re all nicely animated whether in battle or posing in front of a camera. The battle animations such as physical and magical attacks are a bit overused though, so you probably will get tired of seeing them over and over.

Music is mundane and repetitive. It’s not the best game music in the world but it’s not the worst either. You’ll be probably too absorbed into the battle than listening to the battle music. They should’ve done better on sounds though. I want to hear the real Pokemon voices and not some poor animal sounds the sound team conjured. The only “PIKA!” you can hear in the game is in the part where you turn on the game. The only other REAL Pokemon sounds I remember were “Clefairy” and “Magikarp”. And for crying out loud, where’s the ever-popular “JIGGLYPUFF” sound?!? Not here, I tell you. If you think they lacked real Pokemon voices, they included an annoying announcer (with real human voice, in fact…) that squawks on every little thing going on. It makes you want to blast your TV set with a shotgun. You can turn him off though. Why couldn’t they just use real Pokemon sounds? Oh well, Pokemon is not real anyway… so uh.. that’s the end of my rant.

Control is not too complicated. Although this is a battling game, you don’t get to hurt your hands by mashing the buttons. You just press a button once and press it again to execute attacks. It’s very similar to the GB battle controls.

Replay value ranges from medium to high. The two-player battle mode is the obvious factor here. They should improve the mini-games, though. Some are fun like “Sushi-Go-Round” or “Run-Rattata-Run” while others such as “Magikarp Splash” and “Dig Dig Dig” are dull and just way too simple. I bet that you’ll end up playing the two-player battle mode more.

If you are still in doubt, rent this game first and see if this you like it. Then you can buy it afterwards if you enjoyed it. This really is a fun game. It comes with a free transfer pack too for your Pokemon Red and Blue.

Graphics: 10/10
Music/Sound: 6/10
Control: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Fun Factor: 9/10

OVERALL: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/01, Updated 03/23/03