Pokemon Stadium

"Any parent who does not allow this game because of "magic cockfights" is full of it."

If you're familiar with videogames, you're most likely familiar with Pokemon. If not, it was basically a cash cow for Nintendo during their struggling N64 days. As a result, we saw a lot of Pokemon, perhaps more than we would have liked. However, this game, Pokemon Stadium, was based off the original premise of the series, and as a result stands as one of the better games.

Stadium pretty much revolves around one trainer of Pokemon trying to be the best of them all. There is no true plot, as the game opts to stick with traditional battles and nothing else. While that does keep the focus on action, it must be said that a Pokemon console RPG would stand out even more. Still, if you've been hanging on to the series, don't hesitate to give this one a shot.

When you first boot up the game, you have the option of going to the main hub or going instantly into a battle with predetermined and randomly selected Pokemon. The hub is divided into the Stadium, Gym Leader Castle, Mini-Games, GB Tower, Oak's Lab, and more.

Obviously, the vast majority of the game revolves around the Stadium, which holds four different tournaments. In the Pika Cup, you must have level 15-20 Pokemon. For the Petit Cup, they must be level 25-30 and meet height and weight restrictions. The Poke Cup calls for levels 50-55 and the Prime Cup allows Pokemon of any level, but your opponents will all be level 100. After selecting a cup, you must choose a team of six Pokemon for a single series of eight battles, and only three must go into each individual battle.

Pokemon Stadium is the first game to make use of the N64 Transfer Pak, a device that fits into an open slot in the controller. Using it, you can transfer the Pokemon you've collected in your GB games into Stadium. In fact, you can even go to the GB tower and play those GB games on your TV! Of course, that feature is more or less worthless now that Game Boy Player is out, but at least this one is economic.

But what if you don't have any of the GB games? Don't worry, because Stadium provides ''rental'' versions of 149 varieties of Pokemon, excluding Mew and Mewtwo, of course. However, be aware that rentals are laughably horrendous compared to a same-level Pokemon raised from the Game Boy. It's just that having backup in the form of rentals needed to be here, and it is.

If all this work in the Stadium sounds like much, you can try your luck in the Gym Leader Castle instead. This feature progresses much like the GB games, going through the eight gyms and the Elite Four in order to reach the finish. Opponents' Pokemon are usually better raised here than in the Stadium, so this is for people who want to be challenged a little more.

You can also participate in nine different Mini-Games, but to be honest, they're easy as pie and, the moment you've played them, it's obvious they were thrown in there as an afterthought. The only real reason to play them is to see Clefairy get hit with a hammer for being an idiot.

In addition to all of that, you can visit Professor Oak's Lab, in which you can view the Pokedex you have formed on the GB game that's currently in the Transfer Pak. Then there are a number of unlockable features such as a sped-up GB Tower and the ability to battle Mewtwo! You can also try to fill the Hall of Fame with as many Pokemon as you can, but the reward there is very lame.

The graphics are pretty much standard fare for an N64 game. The Pokemon look very much like their Pokemon Snap and TV show counterparts. The Stadium arenas are dull and not very colorful. However, the gyms look nice and display the theme of their respective gyms quite nicely.

Unfortunately, the sound is severely lacking. The music is too light and very repetitive. The announcer is equally repetitive, but you can turn him off. The Pokemon battle cries are no different from their GB counterparts, which wouldn't be a problem except that THIS IS AN N64! But at least the attack sounds are a significant step upwards.

If you manage to beat Mewtwo, you will unlock a second round of battles that are more difficult. They are so difficult, in fact, that it's almost a FLUKE to win with just rental Pokemon. If, on the other hand, you seek the ultimate Pokemon challenge, look no further.

It's tough to completely recommend this game. It's only worth buying for full price if you have made significant progress in one of the GB games. If you're going to be stuck with Pokemon the game provides, a rental should do. Nevertheless, it's still one of the better games in the series you can find.

The Kelly Clarkson:
-sufficient graphics
-Transfer Pak technology
-traditional Pokemon to an extent
-challenging enough
-a good amount of replay value

The Kelly Osbourne:
-lackluster sound
-Round 2 is nigh impossible
-game is only worth it if you have a GB Pokemon game

The Verdict: See above.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/20/03