Pokémon Stadium
Encyclopedia
Pokémon Stadium, known as in Japan, is a strategy game
developed by Nintendo EAD with the assistance of Creatures and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo
for the Nintendo 64
video game console
. It was released on April 30, 1999 in Japan
, February 29, 2000 in North America
, and April 7, 2000 in Europe
. Though known in Western regions as Pokémon Stadium, the game itself is a sequel to a Japan-exclusive title released in 1998.
on August 1, 1998. This version featured only 42 Pokémon available for battle, instead of the full 151 Pokémon from the Game Boy
versions. The remaining Pokémon were viewable in a Pokédex, but the models lacked the required animations for battle. This version was not released outside of Japan, and as such the numbering of subsequent Japanese releases is ahead of the North America
releases. This game was originally intended for the Nintendo 64DD
format, but as the Nintendo 64DD
was a commercial failure, Pocket Monsters Stadium transferred to cartridge format. There was also a Pocket Monsters Stadium Expansion Disk proposed as an add-on for the Nintendo 64DD
but was unreleased. The first game had met widespread criticism for its difficulty, and in the sequel, the AI was toned down to make it easier for average players to beat.
The second game was called Pocket Monsters Stadium 2 in Japan and was released as Pokémon Stadium in North America
and Europe
. This version features all 151 original Pokémon from the original Game Boy games. The North American version of this game featured support for transferring Pokémon from Pokémon Red, Blue
, and Yellow via the N64 Transfer Pak. The North American version could also be purchased in a bundle that included the game with Transfer Pak, a Nintendo 64 with a gray controller, a second purple controller, the Pokémon Stadium Official Strategy Guide by Prima Games
, and a "Cool Porygon" trading card.
will appear in the sky over the Stadium. Defeating Mewtwo will unlock the much harder Round 2, in which the player must re-challenge the Stadium, Gym Leader Castle, and Mewtwo, in order to complete the game.
, Charmander
, Squirtle
, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Eevee
, Kabuto, and Omanyte.
In Free Battle mode, players may conduct practice battles. Players can select rules from any of the tournament cups, or use modified rules. Up to four players may participate, using any combination of rental Pokémon and those imported from cartridges plugged into a Transfer Pak.
At the GB Tower, the player can play Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow on the Nintendo 64. Winning tournament cups in the Stadium will eventually unlock Doduo Mode (double speed) and Dodrio Mode (triple speed).
Victory Palace contains statues of Pokémon who have beaten the Elite Four in Gym Leader Castle or completed the highest round of a tournament in the Stadium.
Battle Now! is a battle arena for a quick battle with one or two players.
In an Event Battle, two players with Transfer Paks plugged in can use Pokémon from their Game Boy games and battle with custom rules.
Gallery is where you can snap photos of your Pokémon to be printed at a Pokémon Snap
Station.
The Pokémon Lab is only accessible if a Game Boy cartridge is plugged into the Transfer Pak. If the game is saved in a Pokémon Center, the player may access the PC and can arrange boxed Pokémon and items. The Lab also features an interactive Pokédex and a machine for trading between two cartridges connected by Transfer Pak. Players cannot, however, transfer rental Pokémon from Pokémon Stadium. Certain Pokémon, such as Mew, could only be obtained at a Nintendo Promotional Event using a Transfer Pak; a rental Mew could be obtained in an event, but, as previously stated, cannot be transferred to Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow.
Kids Club is an area where nine Pokémon themed mini-games can be played, either as stand-alone games or as part of a tournament. One to four human players may participate, with the remaining players controlled by the computer. Many of the games utilize button mashing. A higher difficulty level could be obtained by beating the CPUs five times in a row on hard difficulty.
It was followed by a Sequel in 2000, which included all the Pokémon from Gold and Silver as well as Red and Blue. Pokémon Crystal data was also included, despite being released beforehand. It featured new game modes but wasn't rated as highly by fans.
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
developed by Nintendo EAD with the assistance of Creatures and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was released on April 30, 1999 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, February 29, 2000 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and April 7, 2000 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Though known in Western regions as Pokémon Stadium, the game itself is a sequel to a Japan-exclusive title released in 1998.
Versions
The original title, called Pocket Monsters Stadium, was released in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on August 1, 1998. This version featured only 42 Pokémon available for battle, instead of the full 151 Pokémon from the Game Boy
Game Boy line
The line is a line of battery-powered handheld game console sold by Nintendo. It is one of the world's best-selling game system lines with a combined 200+ million units sold worldwide....
versions. The remaining Pokémon were viewable in a Pokédex, but the models lacked the required animations for battle. This version was not released outside of Japan, and as such the numbering of subsequent Japanese releases is ahead of the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
releases. This game was originally intended for the Nintendo 64DD
Nintendo 64DD
The is a peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console. It plugged into the N64 through the EXTension Port on the Nintendo 64's underside, and allowed the N64 to use proprietary 64 MB magneto-optical discs for expanded data storage...
format, but as the Nintendo 64DD
Nintendo 64DD
The is a peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console. It plugged into the N64 through the EXTension Port on the Nintendo 64's underside, and allowed the N64 to use proprietary 64 MB magneto-optical discs for expanded data storage...
was a commercial failure, Pocket Monsters Stadium transferred to cartridge format. There was also a Pocket Monsters Stadium Expansion Disk proposed as an add-on for the Nintendo 64DD
Nintendo 64DD
The is a peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console. It plugged into the N64 through the EXTension Port on the Nintendo 64's underside, and allowed the N64 to use proprietary 64 MB magneto-optical discs for expanded data storage...
but was unreleased. The first game had met widespread criticism for its difficulty, and in the sequel, the AI was toned down to make it easier for average players to beat.
The second game was called Pocket Monsters Stadium 2 in Japan and was released as Pokémon Stadium in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This version features all 151 original Pokémon from the original Game Boy games. The North American version of this game featured support for transferring Pokémon from Pokémon Red, Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
, and Yellow via the N64 Transfer Pak. The North American version could also be purchased in a bundle that included the game with Transfer Pak, a Nintendo 64 with a gray controller, a second purple controller, the Pokémon Stadium Official Strategy Guide by Prima Games
Prima Games
Prima Games, a division of Random House, is the largest publishing company of video game strategy guides in the United States. It is an imprint of the Random House Information Group, based in Roseville, California...
, and a "Cool Porygon" trading card.
Gameplay
Pokémon Stadium does not have a storyline. Progress in the game can only be made by winning "Cups" in the Stadium and completing the Gym Leader Castle. When all Cups have been won and the Gym Leader Castle completed, MewtwoMewtwo
is a fictional creature in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, it first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and their sequels, and later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles, as well as animation adaptations of the franchise...
will appear in the sky over the Stadium. Defeating Mewtwo will unlock the much harder Round 2, in which the player must re-challenge the Stadium, Gym Leader Castle, and Mewtwo, in order to complete the game.
Stadium
Pokémon tournaments take place in the Stadium. There are four Cups to participate in. Players choose a team of six Pokémon, in any combination of pregenerated rental Pokémon and Pokémon imported from a Game Boy cartridge. Each round consists of eight three-on-three battles, and the Poké and Prime Cups consist of four rounds, named after Poké Balls (Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, Master Ball), that must be cleared to win that Cup.- Pika Cup: Battle using Pokémon from levels 15 to 20, all of whom are unevolved.
- Petit Cup: Battle using Basic Pokémon from levels 25 to 30 who fall under a certain height and weight. The most restrictive Cup.
- Poké Cup: Battle using Pokémon from levels 50 to 55 (described in-game as 'the official Pokémon stadium cup').
- Prime Cup: Battle using Pokémon of any level. All opponents' Pokémon are at level 100.
Gym Leader Castle
The player can challenge the eight Kanto Gym Leaders from the Game Boy games, as well as the Elite Four and the Champion (Rival). However, one must defeat three trainers before battling a Gym Leader. Each time the player defeats the Elite Four, one of eight randomly selected prize Pokémon will be awarded, which can be transferred to the player's Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow game using the Transfer Pak. The prize Pokémon are any one random species of a BulbasaurBulbasaur
Bulbasaur, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, their name is a combination of the words "bulb" and "dinosaur." First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue as a Starter Pokémon, they later appeared in subsequent sequels,...
, Charmander
Charmander
Charmander, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Charmander first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
, Squirtle
Squirtle
Squirtle, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. It was originally conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori...
, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Eevee
Eevee
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Eevee first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels...
, Kabuto, and Omanyte.
Optional features
Pokémon Stadium has many features aside from the main battling sequence, such as mini-games and a Game Boy player on the Nintendo 64.In Free Battle mode, players may conduct practice battles. Players can select rules from any of the tournament cups, or use modified rules. Up to four players may participate, using any combination of rental Pokémon and those imported from cartridges plugged into a Transfer Pak.
At the GB Tower, the player can play Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow on the Nintendo 64. Winning tournament cups in the Stadium will eventually unlock Doduo Mode (double speed) and Dodrio Mode (triple speed).
Victory Palace contains statues of Pokémon who have beaten the Elite Four in Gym Leader Castle or completed the highest round of a tournament in the Stadium.
Battle Now! is a battle arena for a quick battle with one or two players.
In an Event Battle, two players with Transfer Paks plugged in can use Pokémon from their Game Boy games and battle with custom rules.
Gallery is where you can snap photos of your Pokémon to be printed at a Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Snap
is a first-person rail shooter and simulation video game developed by HAL Laboratory with Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is part of the Pokémon series, and one of the first console games based on the Pokémon series...
Station.
The Pokémon Lab is only accessible if a Game Boy cartridge is plugged into the Transfer Pak. If the game is saved in a Pokémon Center, the player may access the PC and can arrange boxed Pokémon and items. The Lab also features an interactive Pokédex and a machine for trading between two cartridges connected by Transfer Pak. Players cannot, however, transfer rental Pokémon from Pokémon Stadium. Certain Pokémon, such as Mew, could only be obtained at a Nintendo Promotional Event using a Transfer Pak; a rental Mew could be obtained in an event, but, as previously stated, cannot be transferred to Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow.
Kids Club is an area where nine Pokémon themed mini-games can be played, either as stand-alone games or as part of a tournament. One to four human players may participate, with the remaining players controlled by the computer. Many of the games utilize button mashing. A higher difficulty level could be obtained by beating the CPUs five times in a row on hard difficulty.
Reception
The game received mostly positive reviews, citing that it 'made a nice change to the format' and the ability to transfer Pokémon from the handheld game was a well respected feature, with game reviewers saying it 'added to the games initial enjoyment, seeing your hardened monsters in full 3D brings a tear of pride to your eye'.It was followed by a Sequel in 2000, which included all the Pokémon from Gold and Silver as well as Red and Blue. Pokémon Crystal data was also included, despite being released beforehand. It featured new game modes but wasn't rated as highly by fans.