Information
It's time to catch 'em all…again.
In the game's Stadium Mode, one player competes in 80 different battles, divided into four tournaments.
Beat the Stadium Mode and you're in for a bonus battle against the ultimate Pokémon warrior, Mewtwo,
as well as a secret mode that gives you 80 brand-new, and devilishly tough battles. There is virtually no way you can beat the secret mode without having trained your own, elite Pokémon.
One to four players compete against each other or the computer in a no-holds-barred battle with customizable rules. You can select rental Pokémon for these battles -- but that makes them much too predictable since their selection of techniques isn't determined by the trainer. You can also select quick and easy versus and random battles.
Battle against all the gym leaders that appeared in the Pokémon Game Boy games and win up to eight semi-rare to rare Pokémon that you can add to your Game Boy party and Pokédex!
Pokémon PC Boxes and examine, sort, group and move your Pokémon. You can even bring up tables that display moves, abilities, ID numbers, area locations, and more on one screen.
This lets you easily compare new Pokémon you have caught to see which ones are worth keeping.
Organize, sort and store whole PC Boxes (which hold up to 30 Pokémon) on the N64 to free up room on your GB cartridge.
Up to 240 Pokémon can be stored on the N64 cart. You can even give a whole box full of Pokémon to a friend.
Store items on the N64 cartridge.
You can't give them to a friend since the GB cart ID numbers have to match, but it frees up room in your GB inventory.
Up to 400 items can be stored in four different ID boxes.
Examine and compare Pokémon techniques. See what every attack's accuracy rating is and get detailed descriptions on what they do.
An expanded Pokédex lets you look at your Pokémon in detail and bring up detailed map data that shows you where you can catch them in the GB games.
Trade Pokémon with a friend using easy on-screen controls.
Play Pokémon Red, Blue or Yellow on your TV screen using the GB Tower Mode. The emulation is flawless, but HAL actually went a step further. You can unlock two extra speed settings that let you play your Game Boy Pokémon at hyper speeds.
This is incredibly helpful if you want to upgrade certain Pokémon and do as many battles as possible in very little time.
Collect trophies for winning battles.
Try to get one for each Pokémon to unlock a secret.
Compete in nine Mario Party type mini-games with up to four players.
Snap pictures of your Pokémon in the Gallery Mode and print them out as stickers in participating stores.
See all 151 Pokémon and all attacks and defense moves in glorious 3D.
As you can tell from the list of features, Pokémon Stadium is packed full with goodies that should make Pokémon Game Boy owners salivate. No, it's not an RPG -- and as such, it doesn't have a storyline or a quest mode. Pokémon Stadium is a clever add-on package that's based on the Game Boy games' popular Colosseum battle mode and not only enhances the GB games, but actually got me to go back and invest even more time into Pokémon Yellow.
Sure, the initial attraction is to see your Pokémon in 3D, and Stadium definitely delivers the goods when it comes to bringing the creatures to live. But the battles quickly become meaningless if the combatants you're using aren't really yours.
Although the Pokémon Stadium mode is considered to be the main attraction, the Gym Leader Castle is probably the feature GB Pokémon owners will like best. Every time you beat it, you are randomly awarded one of eight Pokémon. For many gamers who don't have the chance to trade with friends, this is virtually the only way to get a complete Pokédex.
The battles themselves are only as exciting as your Pokémon. If you've got a crew of level 100 mega-monsters, you'll definitely see the sparks fly. But even if you've spent weeks upgrading your favorite six, you can't just blaze through the game without losing some of the duels. Nintendo was smart enough to put a few rules and regulations in some of the tournaments that force you to use Pokémon of a certain size or level. That way, you won't just use Mewtwo, Zapdos and co. over and over again, making for more varied battles.
The computer's AI starts off really easy. You won't have a problem beating the first few tournaments, even if you're using the so-called "rental Pokémon" that are available to fill gaps in your Pokémon lineup (or for those courageous players who say they don't need the GB games to fully enjoy this game).
But wait till you get to the higher tournaments and you will see the difference to the GB games' AI! The computer will employ different tactics, such as trying to take your best Pokemon out first with self-destruct moves. It will withdraw Pokémon that are susceptible to your Pokémon type's attacks.
It will use Thunder Wave to slow your fastest Pokemon down. It will poison you with Toxic and try to stall you by putting you to sleep or using Fly and Dig. It will drive you insane with Wrap.
But just like RPG battles in games like Final Fantasy, the battles in Stadium can get old after a while. That's where the multiplayer tournaments come in. Competing against a human player who is probably trying to trick you and do things you wouldn't expect adds a whole new level to Pokemon battles.
You have to actually try to analyze the situation and figure out what your opponent is likely to attempt next to be successful. Since the battles are turn-based, the fun definitely isn't on the same "I'll get you!" level as in games like Smash Bros. or Mario Kart.
It's more akin to a strategy game like chess -- only that the pieces in Stadium roast each other with Fire Blasts and shoot spores out of their heads.
For those with short attention spans, there are also nine Mario Party-inspired mini-games. Some, like Clefairy Says and Ekans' Hoop Hurl make for fun little four-player battles, but most of the other games are just button mashers and won't keep your interest long.
GB Tower mode aside, the most useful mode for Pokémon GB fans is probably the Pokémon Lab mode where you can organize everything, compare Pokémon, and so forth. Once you have used the Lab, you will notice how rudimentary the menu systems in the Game Boy versions really are. Teaching your Pokemon moves from TMs and HMs is made really easy, since you can now see what each machine does and what Pokémon can learn the respective moves. These excellent additions round off what I think is one of the more original console titles to come along in a long time.
It's only too bad the game sells at full price (necessitated by the inclusion of the Transfer Pak), which will make some N64 owners expect more than just an expansion of the Game Boy titles.
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