Pokemon Stadium

"Just another game for the PokéHaters to diss. ^_^"

Ah, yes, the infamous Pokémon. Addicter of children and the target of hatred from various religious and parental groups. My question is: Why? Pokémon is so awesome. There's nothing wrong with it. It's got nothing to do with the cult or satanism. I do realize that it's taken a few lives, and for that I'm sorry, but even so, it shouldn't be hated. It was made for children to love! Now I'd better start writing the review before I go off into a tirade against PokéHaters.

Graphics - The Pokémon really come alive in this game. I mean, sure you've seen them move in the animé, but it's in this game that they truly show off. You'll them moving parts you never thought they could move before. Now, before you misconstrue this, please let me explain. For instance, I never knew a Cloyster could spin and bend the two large spikes on its sides. I didn't know a Rhyhorn could fold and unfold some of the armor plates on its body. Stuff like that. The Pokémon are bright and colorful. They animate very fluidly. The attacks are also spectacular. The visual effects that fill the screen when one of the more powerful attacks is used is truly awesome. Take for instance the amazing Hyper Beam. This attack is super-powerful and it looks just as good, a bright orange beam with a shockwave effect. Or how about the psychadelic-looking Meditate, with it's bright tye-dye background and twangy guitar sound to go with it? Even the arenas in which the Pokémon fight are awesome, from the Prime Cup's arena complete with scrolling scoreboard, or the Fuschia City Gym with it's waterfall of poison sludge? The environments in this game are truly something to behold.

Gameplay - Gameplay is standard Pokémon fare. You can have up to 6 Pokémon in your group at a time, each with 4 different attacks. Depending on the rules chosen, you may have to pick only 3 Pokémon with which to battle. You can go to Free Battle, where you can just fight to your wit's end, or there are some other ventures to pursue. You can go to the Stadium itself to compete in one of the 4 Cups, each with it's own level limits. You can go to the Pokémon Lab to access information on Pokémon. The ominous Gym Leader Castle has you battling each of the 8 Gyms from the Pokémon GB Game. You can also go to the Kids' Club, where 9 Mario Party-style minigames await those with the greatest skill. There's even a Pokémon Snap like Gallery mode where you can take a picture of any Pokémon you wish, in various battle poses. Better yet, you can take your Pokémon Stadium game to the Pokémon Snap stations at Blockbuster Video and print out the stickers of your choice! Astounding!

Music/Sound - The music is basically updated version of the songs from the GB Game, and it sounds clear. The sounds are good, from slams to whooshes to cuts. The announcer sounds great, and has some amazingly accurate play-by-play. You'll hear him say things like: ''The Pokémon are entirely different types!'' or ''The attack wasn't effective.'' He also announces each of the Pokémon as they are called out. Sadly, the voices of the Pokémon themselves are absent, replaced with updated sounds of them from the game. While it hardly brings the game down, it does disappoint.

Buy or Rent? - If you're a Pokéfan, you have no excuse not to buy this game. Be warned, however: If you don't own the Pokémon GB Game, you won't be getting the entire experience. It's cool to be able to use Rental Pokémon, but seeing the ones you trained for 97 hours battle it out makes you truly proud. For the PokéHaters, buy the game and smack it with a hammer! Or something.

Conclusion - Pokémon Stadium is the perfect game for all the Pokéfans out there. It gives them a chance to see their Pokémon in full, glorious 3D. Bless you, Nintendo. Now all we need is a full-on PokéRPG for the N64. Please?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/17/00, Updated 03/17/00