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REVIEWS - Pokemon Stadium ::
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| Legend of Drunken Mewtwo |
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| Game Info. |
Genre
Strategy |
Publisher/Developer
Nintendo/HAL Labs |
Peripherals
GB Transfer Pak
Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow (for Game Boy) |
Release
3/06/00 |
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Media
(none) |
Pokemon Stadium
The Pokemon finally duke it out in 3D.
Reviewed by Sam - June 14th, 2001
This is perhaps the best Pokemon game yet, and definitely one of my top picks for the N64. I find its greatest charm in the ultimate blend of elements of a game. Take the coolest part of the Pokemon RPGs, the battles, and you've already got yourself an awesome game. But then it throws in mini-games, awesome tournament structures with outrageously challenging battles, plus the ability to fight with your very own Pokemon and to play your Game Boy Pokemon on the TV. Now you've got yourself a phenomenal game pak destined for success, without even mentioning the smooth graphics and realistic sound.
Gameplay
At times, you'll feel like you're playing more than one game; maybe even more than two. Although this can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed at times, it works perfectly. Say you start by holding a big tournament with your friends, then you do a mini-game frenzy, then you start down the single-player path, then you brush up on your Pokemon knowledge at the Library, then you play your GB RPG on the big screen, then you fight the gym leaders, then you snap some of your favorite Pokemon, you print 'em, stick 'em everywhere, lay the placements for your future family, and then your mind explodes! Blood gushes everywhere, and the sheer mass of the explosion pulls the universe inward and your mother's dog, Ralphred, dies shortly thereafter. Could there be any more to this game? I can't imagine what else could go in. Some things are limited to owners of the Game Boy RPG, which can kinda' suck, and that the snapping mode is a little bit like a complete waste of my god damn time, if you know what I mean. ^_^
8/10
Graphics
The Pokemon in this game are redone stunningly in 3D. I mean... whoah. Polygons look smooth and rounded; joints always stretch and react. The animation's also fantastic. They actually look real; as if the Pokemon were actual creatures instead of these weird, cartoony blobs we've come to know from the Game Boy. Not only this, but the attack effects are awesome.
9/10
Sound
Music is really pretty good; nice orchestral remakes of the Game Boy tunes, which were even good on their own. Sound effects repeat often and can get redundant.
8/10
Replay Value
Again, there's A LOT to do in this game, and that makes you wanna' keep doing it all, you know. Once you've worn yourself out on the near-impossible final tournaments, you might feel like turning to another game for a bit of change, but in this game you just have to go back a few menus to find a whole library of awesome, very different things to do.
9/10
Overall
Pokemon Stadium is an excellent game with beautiful graphics. The Pokemon series has succeeded so well because you can tell they're always trying to do something different, whether it be pinball, communicating with Pikachu, snapping photos of wildlife, or battling your brains out, things always remain fresh. All I have to say to Nintendo about this game is "encore".
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
=Great=
Send feedback to: sam@ngeb.net
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