The Pokemon craze continues with Pokemon Stadium, the second Pokemon game for the
Nintendo 64.
Pokemon Stadium provides nothing significantly new other than being able to see all 150 of the
original Pokemon battle in three-dimensional graphics. The fighting game play is fundamentally
the same as the fighting that takes place within the Game Boy role playing series.
Pokemon Stadium does not allow you to fight in non-RPG style; you can't perform powers with
button combinations in the vein of Super Smash Bros. or Street Fighter. The result is a fairly
bland experience.
Battles don't seem any more exciting in 3-D, and I wasn't impressed (nor put off) by the
character animations. The obligatory set of mini-games has been thrown in to sweeten the pot,
but bells and whistles don't change my overall opinion in this case.
Any Pokemon fan already knows that the Transfer Pak (included with game) allows you to
transfer your Game Boy Pokemon (with the levels and powers obtained during play on Game
Boy) into the Nintendo 64 for use in Pokemon Stadium.
Two neat additional features are the ability to exchange Pokemon with friends, sans Game Boy,
as well as the ability to play your Pokemon Game Boy games on the Nintendo 64 through the
Transfer Pak.
Unfortunately, you can't play other Game Boy games on the Nintendo 64, except Mario Golf
(and possibly the upcoming Perfect Dark). You can exchange data between the N64 and GB
versions as well.
I can't understand why Nintendo did not make the Transfer Pak capable of playing all Game Boy
games. Surely the technology is there (Super Game Boy accomplished the same effect for the
Super NES) and would not have added terribly to the cost.
If Nintendo is planning to release a Super Game Boy for the N64, they may be cleverly
committing highway robbery for not consolidating the inter-system technology into one product.
Of course, it's probably way too late in the game to release such a product since the Nintendo 64
is on its way out. Pokemon Stadium doesn't do anything to convince me otherwise; however, the
next Zelda should prove to be the system's perfect swan song.
Publisher: Nintendo