Only time I played this was when my parents let me play in some "daycare" playground thing at a mall while they were shopping for something and after I got bored with the game I went in the jungle gym where I ripped my pants and then had to walk around the mall with a hole between my legs for the rest of the day.
I'm not that interested in Pokemon, I only had Mystery Dungeon when I was younger and Stadium 1. my friend and my partner are both huge Pokemon fans though, and after my friend taught me how to play, battle, and build teams, I thought this was one of the most fun multiplayer games i've played in years.
Assembling teams requires an honor system though, as whoever picks second can just counter pick you entirely, but I suppose that's unavoidable, but damn that creates the most legendary screen-peaking win of all time. I'm not sure if that's an intentional facet of Pokemon battles, because my experience is really nothing.
I will say though, I loved playing this! I loved the Pokemon in this generation and how tactical battles can be, it required more thought than I was expecting, and I had so much fun. After seeing the quiz game played by my more knowledgeable associates, I wanted to see if XD and Colosseum had this badass couch multiplayer and it turns out those games require Game Boy link cables to play multiplayer on a Gamecube game. What the hell is wrong with this franchise?
Assembling teams requires an honor system though, as whoever picks second can just counter pick you entirely, but I suppose that's unavoidable, but damn that creates the most legendary screen-peaking win of all time. I'm not sure if that's an intentional facet of Pokemon battles, because my experience is really nothing.
I will say though, I loved playing this! I loved the Pokemon in this generation and how tactical battles can be, it required more thought than I was expecting, and I had so much fun. After seeing the quiz game played by my more knowledgeable associates, I wanted to see if XD and Colosseum had this badass couch multiplayer and it turns out those games require Game Boy link cables to play multiplayer on a Gamecube game. What the hell is wrong with this franchise?
Improves on certain aspects of the first game such as more polished graphics and animations. Gameplay and rules remain the same and the single player mode is fairly straightforward with nothing interesting besides the obvious Pokemon battles in 3D.
However, as most players already know, the real place to be in this game are the minigames. They were designed very well and were very fun to play against 4 people and even against the CPU.
However, as most players already know, the real place to be in this game are the minigames. They were designed very well and were very fun to play against 4 people and even against the CPU.
Immediate 5 stars solely for the Minigames. All of them still slap so hard after 23 years.
I loved this. But I do think without the Gameboy adapter it is mediocre at best. Rental pokemon just isn't the same.
it's fun how the animations haven't changed in 23 years
An improvement upon the original in every conceivable way
Os minigames desse são muito mais brabos que o do anterior.
My first Pokemon experience. A great foray into the world of Pokemon. And the rest they say, is history!
Released less than a year after the original, Pokemon Stadium 2 is a bigger game with more challenges and more interesting minigames. It should have been everything that a 3D Pokemon battle simulator could have been, but it ultimately failed. And unlike most games, the point of failure is obvious, because there is some fun to be had with PS2.
While battling with no story attached can get tedious after a while, it has the potential to be a fun game to bring out every so often. The minigames, especially, are diverse and addictive, and can often overshadow the main game. There's a miniature version of Mario Party, which lacks the board or charm, but can still be a fun way to experience the minigames in a new context. Much of the rest of the game focuses on battling, whether that's in level- specific tournaments, multiplayer contests, or recreating gym battles. A lot of these modes are quite similar to each other, but for a 3D battle simulator, there is a decent amount of content here. While PS2 has some good things going for it, though, it is completely prevented from being a good game because of one core flaw; rental Pokemon.
The absolute biggest issue with this game is its reliance on the N64 Game Boy Transfer Pak. This should have been a game where you can customize movesets, tweak strategies, and craft your perfect team. Instead, you either must transfer Pokemon from a Game Boy game, or use rentals. The rental Pokemon are useless, and their movesets are extremely poor. This is all by design, of course, because the game wants to encourage you to use your own. This means that to get the maximum potential out of this game, in addition to this game and the N64, you need a transfer pak, a Game Boy, and a separate Pokemon game. There's simply no justification for this. Giving players the option to transfer Pokemon from their own games is fine, but to rely on it is nothing short of corporate greed. And it's a shame, because there's some nice attention to detail in PS2 that could have made it the definitive battling experience. Each Pokemon has their own animations, something that not even the modern day games have been able to accomplish, and there's even a feature for playing 2nd gen Pokemon titles in a sped-up mode with the transfer pak. This is more akin to what the transfer pak should have been; an accessory, but not a necessity.
Because of the rental Pokemon, the battle simulator in this game is effectively obsolete. There are countless better options for battle simulation, and the only reason to play this game is for nostalgia or for the minigames. And while there's enjoyment to be found in those few minigames, it doesn't do nearly enough to justify the poor decisions made by the developer. Oh well; at least this game has Streaming Stampede.
While battling with no story attached can get tedious after a while, it has the potential to be a fun game to bring out every so often. The minigames, especially, are diverse and addictive, and can often overshadow the main game. There's a miniature version of Mario Party, which lacks the board or charm, but can still be a fun way to experience the minigames in a new context. Much of the rest of the game focuses on battling, whether that's in level- specific tournaments, multiplayer contests, or recreating gym battles. A lot of these modes are quite similar to each other, but for a 3D battle simulator, there is a decent amount of content here. While PS2 has some good things going for it, though, it is completely prevented from being a good game because of one core flaw; rental Pokemon.
The absolute biggest issue with this game is its reliance on the N64 Game Boy Transfer Pak. This should have been a game where you can customize movesets, tweak strategies, and craft your perfect team. Instead, you either must transfer Pokemon from a Game Boy game, or use rentals. The rental Pokemon are useless, and their movesets are extremely poor. This is all by design, of course, because the game wants to encourage you to use your own. This means that to get the maximum potential out of this game, in addition to this game and the N64, you need a transfer pak, a Game Boy, and a separate Pokemon game. There's simply no justification for this. Giving players the option to transfer Pokemon from their own games is fine, but to rely on it is nothing short of corporate greed. And it's a shame, because there's some nice attention to detail in PS2 that could have made it the definitive battling experience. Each Pokemon has their own animations, something that not even the modern day games have been able to accomplish, and there's even a feature for playing 2nd gen Pokemon titles in a sped-up mode with the transfer pak. This is more akin to what the transfer pak should have been; an accessory, but not a necessity.
Because of the rental Pokemon, the battle simulator in this game is effectively obsolete. There are countless better options for battle simulation, and the only reason to play this game is for nostalgia or for the minigames. And while there's enjoyment to be found in those few minigames, it doesn't do nearly enough to justify the poor decisions made by the developer. Oh well; at least this game has Streaming Stampede.
this game have better animations than sword/shield
Pokemon Stadium with more mons, more moves, and more content. I played this as Pokemon Stadium GS, so I had the challenge of reading Japanese in addition to beating the game. While most trainer text went by too fast for me to make out more than a few words, I at least got the mon names and moves.
I also beat the game only using Rentals and it's definitely much easier if you use your own game, but I haven't replaced my Silver's save battery and I don't think it works with American versions anyways. But when I talk about the difficulty, keep me using Rentals Only in mind.
Of course I did the minigames first and of course all of them are fun. The only one I'd say I didn't like was the Mr. Mime and Igglybuff/Cleffa ones and the Eevee one was just okay but that means 9 good ones.
The Gym Leader Battle is standard affair, the Johto side has trainers in most gyms (the exception being best girl Jasmine which is true to her Gym). Bring your team that matches theirs, if you lose once you're back to the start. It is kind of frustrating but adds more strategies for you to prepare for a gauntlet. It lacks a continue mechanic that the Stadium Cups have that I'll get to later, but I like it in most cases. It's only bad when the boss throws a huge wrench and that's 20 minutes of your life gone. It's only really bad in the Team Rocket interruption, where you don't know what to expect and all of their teams have a gimmick (Self-Destruct, Toxic Stall, I forget, and Sun) so if one whacks you do it all again. The Kanto side just has the Gym Leaders which makes them too easy, should have made their mons harder to beat to compensate, and then Red who's just a disappointment compared to his games. The real final boss isn't but read on I'll get to it.
Now we get the true hell, the Stadiums. This is a special kind of hell as you have to win 8 consecutive battles, only earning a Continue if you get a Perfect win against a Trainer. This makes actually beating the cups incredibly hard and it feels like unless you get lucky you can't just do it with any old Rental Team. Run out of Continues, there's 45 minutes to an hour of your life gone. Of course, all of this would be true if there wasn't a glitch where if you hit Suspend and then Continue Without Suspending, your stock of Continues doesn't decrease. Infinite retries makes it infinitely more bearable. There are 4 cups all with their unique kind of Hell, get ready.
Little Cup only allows level 5 Pokemon which would make you think it sounds broken but no it can actually get really tough. Stat increasing moves are pointless here and every HP counts, so give it your all or die trying! For not using Rentals you definitely have to breed specifically for this, as the Rentals are good but you can still run into hard walls.
The Nintendo Cup (at least that's what it's called in GS) is your standard battling nothing special cup at level 50 with 4 ranks (Poke-Great-Ultra-Master). Outside the Continue system (assuming you don't exploit it) being frustrating this is probably the best of them.
Prime Cup is Level 100 mons, only one Rank. You'd think it's like Nintendo but it's a lot harder, especially the final opponent who breaks the rules in a way you'll have to see for yourself. Of course, losing to this opponent a lot (without exploiting again) means back to the beginning for you!
Challenge Cup is the biggest middle finger. Your mons and moves are chosen completely at random (with mild stipulations, no too useless/too overpowered mons, and they'll always get attacking moves of their type) and your opponents are random too. Work with what you got, you can't prepare for anything here! Eventually you'll get so hard walled that even with the infinite continue exploits you may find yourself wanting to restart just to reroll for a better team. For example, I had the hardest time on Great/Super, the second difficulty. Did I mention this is also 4 ranks meaning you have to do this 4 times?
The final boss is a pretty cool send-off to the game. The Champion remix is saved just for him, and he uses Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Mewtwo vs your entire team. I chose the guys I went on the whole adventure with:
カビゴン, God of GSC
エアームド, Walling Metal Bird
ソーナンス, Exploiting bad AI until it dies because Wynaut
サンドパン, the Earthquaking miracle
パラセクト, the Sporing Star that rose from Little Cup
ユンゲラ, I bent the rules like a spoon and peeked at a guide for a sec
And this team, after a few losses and re-strategizing, managed to overcome the final boss. It was triumphant.
Would I recommend this for someone getting into Pokemon for the first time? Hell no. Would I recommend this for a Pokemon fan re-discovering Gen 2? Absolutely. Just bring your own cart if you don't want to get aggrevated at the foes that rely on Confuse Ray's 100% accuracy or double team spam or lucky flinches and so on.
It's well animated and the music is good. I legit didn't know Nintendo themselves made the Stadium games!
I also beat the game only using Rentals and it's definitely much easier if you use your own game, but I haven't replaced my Silver's save battery and I don't think it works with American versions anyways. But when I talk about the difficulty, keep me using Rentals Only in mind.
Of course I did the minigames first and of course all of them are fun. The only one I'd say I didn't like was the Mr. Mime and Igglybuff/Cleffa ones and the Eevee one was just okay but that means 9 good ones.
The Gym Leader Battle is standard affair, the Johto side has trainers in most gyms (the exception being best girl Jasmine which is true to her Gym). Bring your team that matches theirs, if you lose once you're back to the start. It is kind of frustrating but adds more strategies for you to prepare for a gauntlet. It lacks a continue mechanic that the Stadium Cups have that I'll get to later, but I like it in most cases. It's only bad when the boss throws a huge wrench and that's 20 minutes of your life gone. It's only really bad in the Team Rocket interruption, where you don't know what to expect and all of their teams have a gimmick (Self-Destruct, Toxic Stall, I forget, and Sun) so if one whacks you do it all again. The Kanto side just has the Gym Leaders which makes them too easy, should have made their mons harder to beat to compensate, and then Red who's just a disappointment compared to his games. The real final boss isn't but read on I'll get to it.
Now we get the true hell, the Stadiums. This is a special kind of hell as you have to win 8 consecutive battles, only earning a Continue if you get a Perfect win against a Trainer. This makes actually beating the cups incredibly hard and it feels like unless you get lucky you can't just do it with any old Rental Team. Run out of Continues, there's 45 minutes to an hour of your life gone. Of course, all of this would be true if there wasn't a glitch where if you hit Suspend and then Continue Without Suspending, your stock of Continues doesn't decrease. Infinite retries makes it infinitely more bearable. There are 4 cups all with their unique kind of Hell, get ready.
Little Cup only allows level 5 Pokemon which would make you think it sounds broken but no it can actually get really tough. Stat increasing moves are pointless here and every HP counts, so give it your all or die trying! For not using Rentals you definitely have to breed specifically for this, as the Rentals are good but you can still run into hard walls.
The Nintendo Cup (at least that's what it's called in GS) is your standard battling nothing special cup at level 50 with 4 ranks (Poke-Great-Ultra-Master). Outside the Continue system (assuming you don't exploit it) being frustrating this is probably the best of them.
Prime Cup is Level 100 mons, only one Rank. You'd think it's like Nintendo but it's a lot harder, especially the final opponent who breaks the rules in a way you'll have to see for yourself. Of course, losing to this opponent a lot (without exploiting again) means back to the beginning for you!
Challenge Cup is the biggest middle finger. Your mons and moves are chosen completely at random (with mild stipulations, no too useless/too overpowered mons, and they'll always get attacking moves of their type) and your opponents are random too. Work with what you got, you can't prepare for anything here! Eventually you'll get so hard walled that even with the infinite continue exploits you may find yourself wanting to restart just to reroll for a better team. For example, I had the hardest time on Great/Super, the second difficulty. Did I mention this is also 4 ranks meaning you have to do this 4 times?
The final boss is a pretty cool send-off to the game. The Champion remix is saved just for him, and he uses Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Mewtwo vs your entire team. I chose the guys I went on the whole adventure with:
カビゴン, God of GSC
エアームド, Walling Metal Bird
ソーナンス, Exploiting bad AI until it dies because Wynaut
サンドパン, the Earthquaking miracle
パラセクト, the Sporing Star that rose from Little Cup
ユンゲラ, I bent the rules like a spoon and peeked at a guide for a sec
And this team, after a few losses and re-strategizing, managed to overcome the final boss. It was triumphant.
Would I recommend this for someone getting into Pokemon for the first time? Hell no. Would I recommend this for a Pokemon fan re-discovering Gen 2? Absolutely. Just bring your own cart if you don't want to get aggrevated at the foes that rely on Confuse Ray's 100% accuracy or double team spam or lucky flinches and so on.
It's well animated and the music is good. I legit didn't know Nintendo themselves made the Stadium games!
Basically the same as the first one but with 100 new pokemon. The single-player without transferring your own pokemon kinda sucks since the movepools are often garbage. But there is still fun to be had no matter what you do. Also the box is holographics so you have to own a CIB copy and if you dont..... why not???
POCKETMON
Gameplay: Simple
Music: Solid Remixes
Replayable? No
Streamed? No
Extra Notes? Great improvements from the first one, AMAZING minigames, but all in all weaker than 1. Still very fun to play.
Music: Solid Remixes
Replayable? No
Streamed? No
Extra Notes? Great improvements from the first one, AMAZING minigames, but all in all weaker than 1. Still very fun to play.
This game improves on Pokémon Stadium in every way except one: You can't use the GB Tower speed boost on Gold, Silver or Crystal until AFTER clearing the Elite Four in that cartridge's save file. And you cannot transfer Pokémon from other games to a Gen II game until that game's save file has at least 150 mons in the Pokédex.
It's a blast to plow through a Gen I game at 4x speed and beat everything in an afternoon, especially when you can transfer a team over from a different game and have a custom team from early on. But this capability was taken away from Gen II games, probably in an attempt to keep things fair in the competitive scene back in the day. It's kind of a crappy limitation, so you should be aware of it before putting dozens of hours into unlocking Dodrio Mode like I did.
Mini-games are still great though!
It's a blast to plow through a Gen I game at 4x speed and beat everything in an afternoon, especially when you can transfer a team over from a different game and have a custom team from early on. But this capability was taken away from Gen II games, probably in an attempt to keep things fair in the competitive scene back in the day. It's kind of a crappy limitation, so you should be aware of it before putting dozens of hours into unlocking Dodrio Mode like I did.
Mini-games are still great though!
I considered lifting my review for the original Pokemon Stadium word-for-word and just adding "2" to the name anytime I mentioned it. It's really just more of the same thing, and you can just go read that review if you want to know why I think that's just not very good.
This does at least get an extra half star for adding 100 new Pokemon from Gold and Silver, the one generation of Pokemon games that I'm still able to look back at with any continued sense of fondness. There's a lot of great designs from the first two generations, and the novelty of seeing them brought to life in 3D was a big deal back in the day. That said, I missed this one entirely when it came out so I don't have quite as much nostalgia for Stadium 2 in particular, but despite that I do find it to be overall more enjoyable than the first, if only by a small margin.
Again, I played this game without the Game Boy adapter, as being able to track down and buy one along with a working copy of a Gen 1 or 2 Pokemon game and a Game Boy would require me to take out a loan I couldn't possibly pay back, and I'm not about to wear a barrel and suspenders to play this game the "right" way. Getting shafted with rental Pokemon still sucks. They tell you to heal them before you return them, but I'm not going to do that. They have a healing machine in the back, whys it gotta be my responsibility?
This does at least get an extra half star for adding 100 new Pokemon from Gold and Silver, the one generation of Pokemon games that I'm still able to look back at with any continued sense of fondness. There's a lot of great designs from the first two generations, and the novelty of seeing them brought to life in 3D was a big deal back in the day. That said, I missed this one entirely when it came out so I don't have quite as much nostalgia for Stadium 2 in particular, but despite that I do find it to be overall more enjoyable than the first, if only by a small margin.
Again, I played this game without the Game Boy adapter, as being able to track down and buy one along with a working copy of a Gen 1 or 2 Pokemon game and a Game Boy would require me to take out a loan I couldn't possibly pay back, and I'm not about to wear a barrel and suspenders to play this game the "right" way. Getting shafted with rental Pokemon still sucks. They tell you to heal them before you return them, but I'm not going to do that. They have a healing machine in the back, whys it gotta be my responsibility?
when i was three years old i would boot up the game just so i can pick a water type, give the cpu and onix and blast the onix it was the beginning of my early onset psychopathy.
THAT WAS BRUTAL!
free battles and mini games AND a trivia game like cmon this ones got everything but maybe it’s just my gen 2 bias what can i say i like what i like
Meme del que le 1 avec la 2g en plus, mais en vrai le jeu est pas ouf quand meme
melhor que mario party no quesito minigames
WHATS THE MATTER, TRAINER???
This is a 5 star game forsure
Shoutout to alakazam
This is a 5 star game forsure
Shoutout to alakazam
Gameplay- Pokémon Stadium 2, while lacking a traditional storyline, offers a rich and engaging gameplay experience. The main progression revolves around winning trophies in the Stadium, which features four distinct "Cups" with their unique rules and regulations: the Poké Cup, Prime Cup, Challenge Cup, and Little Cup. Each Cup adds variety and complexity to the battles. In the Stadium, players assemble a team of six Pokémon, which can be a mix of rental Pokémon provided by the game or imported Pokémon from a Game Boy cartridge. This flexibility allows for diverse strategies and team compositions. The Challenge Cup, in particular, introduces an element of randomness, as both the player and their opponents receive parties of Pokémon selected entirely at random. This Cup provides an exciting and unpredictable twist to the battles. The Gym Leader Castle presents an additional layer of challenge. To earn Gym badges and progress, players must defeat trainers at the eight Johto League Gyms. Each Gym specializes in a particular type of Pokémon, but the trainers within the Gym can employ a mix of types for balance, adding strategic depth to the battles. The three-on-three format for Pokémon battles adds a layer of complexity to these encounters, requiring players to carefully choose their team of six Pokémon, which can again consist of imported or rental Pokémon. As you progress, you'll encounter the Elite Four, and their defeat unlocks a rival battle. Beyond this, the game introduces the Kanto Gym Leaders and ultimately culminates in a face-off with the Pokémon Champion, Red. The gameplay's structure is well-designed to keep players engaged, offering a satisfying sense of accomplishment as you conquer Gym after Gym and aim to become the ultimate Pokémon Champion. Pokémon Stadium 2's gameplay is a mixture of strategy, unpredictability, and a steady progression system, making it a rewarding and entertaining experience for both Pokémon enthusiasts and newcomers to the franchise.
Modes & Features- Pokémon Stadium 2 offers a versatile Free Battle mode that allows players to engage in practice battles. You have the freedom to select rules from any of the tournament cups or even create custom rules to suit your preferences. With support for up to four players, the battles can become even more exciting. You can assemble teams using a combination of rental Pokémon and those imported from your Game Boy games via the Transfer Pak. Plus, who could forget the charming touch of Pikachu announcing its name when you select the trainer icon from the Pokémon section screen? One of the standout features of The Pokémon Stadium Series is the Game Boy Tower, which, unfortunately, is absent in the Nintendo Switch Online version. In the original, you could play Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal on your Nintendo 64. Winning Stadium cups and conquering the Gym Leader Castle unlocked higher speed options, allowing you to relive your Game Boy adventures with a fresh twist. If you connect Pokémon Stadium 2 to Pokémon Gold, Silver, or Crystal, you unlock the intriguing "Mystery Gift" function. This feature lets you receive random items in your Game Boy game, adding an extra layer of excitement to your Pokémon journey. Some of these items include decorations for your in-game room, which can be both viewed and customized within Stadium 2. It's a unique and charming way to personalize your gaming experience. For players in Japan, Pokémon Stadium 2 introduced the innovative "Mobile Stadium" game mode. By using the mobile phone adapter bundled with copies of Pokémon Crystal, you could access this exciting feature. In Mobile Stadium, you could battle against other players downloaded from the mobile phone service in tournament-style matches. Moreover, you could also engage in battles with friends by transferring information across the mobile adapter, taking your Pokémon battles to a whole new level. For those seeking an upgrade in visual quality, the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak comes to the rescue. When inserted into the console, it elevates the texture resolution and overall image quality of Pokémon Stadium 2. Additionally, it reduces the frequency of data loading when playing Pokémon Crystal in the Game Boy Tower, ensuring a smoother and more visually appealing gaming experience. This hardware enhancement adds depth to the gameplay and is a welcome addition for those looking to optimize their Pokémon adventures on the Nintendo 64.
Mini Games- One of the standout features in Pokémon Stadium 2 is the Mini-Game Park, nestled in White City. This vibrant area invites up to four players to indulge in 12 exciting Pokémon-themed mini-games, promising a plethora of fun and competition. While it's not mandatory, players can even bring their favorite Pokémon from their Game Boy cartridges into select mini-games, adding a unique twist to the experience.
Gutsy Golbat: Transform into four Golbat and soar through a cavern, collecting hearts that are playfully blown by a Jynx. The challenge lies in avoiding collisions with both your opponents and the tricky Magnemite. A true test of aerial agility.
Topsy-Turvy: Assume the role of Hitmontop and engage in an intense showdown where the Rapid Spin move is your key to victory. Knock your opponents out of the arena, and the first player to secure five knockouts emerges as the winner.
Clear Cut Challenge: As Scyther, Scizor, or Pinsir, your task is to slice a white line on logs. The finesse in your cutting technique determines whether you gain or lose points. After five logs, the player with the highest score claims victory.
Furret's Frolic: Play as Furret and focus on knocking four Poké Balls into your designated corner to rack up points. Alternatively, you can opt to take the role of a Girafarig for a change of pace.
Barrier Ball: Step into the shoes of Mr. Mime, and engage in a fast-paced game where you bounce a Poké Ball back and forth across your opponent's court. Precision and agility are your best friends in this thrilling mini-game.
Pichu's Power Plant: As Pichu, engage in a race against time as you compete to be the first to fully charge up using four electrodes. Alternatively, you can opt for a Pikachu to take on the challenge.
Rampage Rollout: Transform into Donphan and partake in a race to complete nine laps around a square track. Emerge victorious by strategically utilizing dust clouds to impede your rivals. On the final lap, Donphan's Rollout adds an exciting twist.
Streaming Stampede: As Cleffa or Igglybuff, test your counting skills by estimating the number of a specific Pokémon. Your performance determines the points you earn, with the final question challenging you to count every Pokémon.
Tumbling Togepi: Embark on a fast-paced journey as Togepi, running on a treadmill towards the goal while avoiding obstacles like boulders, flowers, and Diglett. For a change, you can opt for an Omanyte as your character.
Delibird's Delivery: Take control of Delibird, gather presents, and amass points, with bonus points awarded for delivering the same presents multiple times. It's a delightful delivery challenge.
Egg Emergency: Play as Chansey, tasked with catching falling eggs while skillfully avoiding pesky Voltorb. Precision and speed are your allies in this frantic task.
Eager Eevee: Four Eevee are in a race, and you must outpace your rivals as you race around a lid held down by Aipom. The twist comes when Aipom opens the lid to reveal fruit that you must grab, all while dodging Pineco.
These mini-games introduce a breath of fresh air compared to Pokémon Stadium 1, offering players a diverse range of challenges and entertainment. Among them, personal favorites like "Pichu's Power Plant" and "Tumbling Togepi" stand out as exceptional choices that add an extra layer of excitement to the Pokémon Stadium 2 experience.
Summary
Gameplay: 7.5
Graphics: 8
Characters: 6
Content: 8
Music: 6
Difficulty: Nightmare
Length: 19 hours
Audience: 7+
Perk: Collector
Final Score (8 - Great): Pokemon Stadium 2 is a fantastic sequel that outshines its predecessor. With a diverse selection of Pokemon, entertaining mini-games, and plenty of content, it's a must-play for Pokemon fans. While not without its flaws, it remains the pinnacle of Pokemon gaming on the N64. I may not have experienced Pokemon Colosseum or Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness yet, but if the opportunity arises, I'll explore those titles as well.
Modes & Features- Pokémon Stadium 2 offers a versatile Free Battle mode that allows players to engage in practice battles. You have the freedom to select rules from any of the tournament cups or even create custom rules to suit your preferences. With support for up to four players, the battles can become even more exciting. You can assemble teams using a combination of rental Pokémon and those imported from your Game Boy games via the Transfer Pak. Plus, who could forget the charming touch of Pikachu announcing its name when you select the trainer icon from the Pokémon section screen? One of the standout features of The Pokémon Stadium Series is the Game Boy Tower, which, unfortunately, is absent in the Nintendo Switch Online version. In the original, you could play Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal on your Nintendo 64. Winning Stadium cups and conquering the Gym Leader Castle unlocked higher speed options, allowing you to relive your Game Boy adventures with a fresh twist. If you connect Pokémon Stadium 2 to Pokémon Gold, Silver, or Crystal, you unlock the intriguing "Mystery Gift" function. This feature lets you receive random items in your Game Boy game, adding an extra layer of excitement to your Pokémon journey. Some of these items include decorations for your in-game room, which can be both viewed and customized within Stadium 2. It's a unique and charming way to personalize your gaming experience. For players in Japan, Pokémon Stadium 2 introduced the innovative "Mobile Stadium" game mode. By using the mobile phone adapter bundled with copies of Pokémon Crystal, you could access this exciting feature. In Mobile Stadium, you could battle against other players downloaded from the mobile phone service in tournament-style matches. Moreover, you could also engage in battles with friends by transferring information across the mobile adapter, taking your Pokémon battles to a whole new level. For those seeking an upgrade in visual quality, the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak comes to the rescue. When inserted into the console, it elevates the texture resolution and overall image quality of Pokémon Stadium 2. Additionally, it reduces the frequency of data loading when playing Pokémon Crystal in the Game Boy Tower, ensuring a smoother and more visually appealing gaming experience. This hardware enhancement adds depth to the gameplay and is a welcome addition for those looking to optimize their Pokémon adventures on the Nintendo 64.
Mini Games- One of the standout features in Pokémon Stadium 2 is the Mini-Game Park, nestled in White City. This vibrant area invites up to four players to indulge in 12 exciting Pokémon-themed mini-games, promising a plethora of fun and competition. While it's not mandatory, players can even bring their favorite Pokémon from their Game Boy cartridges into select mini-games, adding a unique twist to the experience.
Gutsy Golbat: Transform into four Golbat and soar through a cavern, collecting hearts that are playfully blown by a Jynx. The challenge lies in avoiding collisions with both your opponents and the tricky Magnemite. A true test of aerial agility.
Topsy-Turvy: Assume the role of Hitmontop and engage in an intense showdown where the Rapid Spin move is your key to victory. Knock your opponents out of the arena, and the first player to secure five knockouts emerges as the winner.
Clear Cut Challenge: As Scyther, Scizor, or Pinsir, your task is to slice a white line on logs. The finesse in your cutting technique determines whether you gain or lose points. After five logs, the player with the highest score claims victory.
Furret's Frolic: Play as Furret and focus on knocking four Poké Balls into your designated corner to rack up points. Alternatively, you can opt to take the role of a Girafarig for a change of pace.
Barrier Ball: Step into the shoes of Mr. Mime, and engage in a fast-paced game where you bounce a Poké Ball back and forth across your opponent's court. Precision and agility are your best friends in this thrilling mini-game.
Pichu's Power Plant: As Pichu, engage in a race against time as you compete to be the first to fully charge up using four electrodes. Alternatively, you can opt for a Pikachu to take on the challenge.
Rampage Rollout: Transform into Donphan and partake in a race to complete nine laps around a square track. Emerge victorious by strategically utilizing dust clouds to impede your rivals. On the final lap, Donphan's Rollout adds an exciting twist.
Streaming Stampede: As Cleffa or Igglybuff, test your counting skills by estimating the number of a specific Pokémon. Your performance determines the points you earn, with the final question challenging you to count every Pokémon.
Tumbling Togepi: Embark on a fast-paced journey as Togepi, running on a treadmill towards the goal while avoiding obstacles like boulders, flowers, and Diglett. For a change, you can opt for an Omanyte as your character.
Delibird's Delivery: Take control of Delibird, gather presents, and amass points, with bonus points awarded for delivering the same presents multiple times. It's a delightful delivery challenge.
Egg Emergency: Play as Chansey, tasked with catching falling eggs while skillfully avoiding pesky Voltorb. Precision and speed are your allies in this frantic task.
Eager Eevee: Four Eevee are in a race, and you must outpace your rivals as you race around a lid held down by Aipom. The twist comes when Aipom opens the lid to reveal fruit that you must grab, all while dodging Pineco.
These mini-games introduce a breath of fresh air compared to Pokémon Stadium 1, offering players a diverse range of challenges and entertainment. Among them, personal favorites like "Pichu's Power Plant" and "Tumbling Togepi" stand out as exceptional choices that add an extra layer of excitement to the Pokémon Stadium 2 experience.
Summary
Gameplay: 7.5
Graphics: 8
Characters: 6
Content: 8
Music: 6
Difficulty: Nightmare
Length: 19 hours
Audience: 7+
Perk: Collector
Final Score (8 - Great): Pokemon Stadium 2 is a fantastic sequel that outshines its predecessor. With a diverse selection of Pokemon, entertaining mini-games, and plenty of content, it's a must-play for Pokemon fans. While not without its flaws, it remains the pinnacle of Pokemon gaming on the N64. I may not have experienced Pokemon Colosseum or Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness yet, but if the opportunity arises, I'll explore those titles as well.
The first one but with more pokemon. Pretty good
If you had the N64 GBA adapter this game is 5/5, it was like taking your team to the higher leagues, to beat the Pokemon Stadium, there was a lot of mysticism around it at the time and it was glorious.
If you did't have the adapter it's a 3/5, you just picked the most op pokemons possible to beat it and that's it. Some of the minigames were also very fun, so there was that.
If you did't have the adapter it's a 3/5, you just picked the most op pokemons possible to beat it and that's it. Some of the minigames were also very fun, so there was that.
Basically the same game as the first; better minigames
That moment where you have to play a gen 2 game to get the most out this game.
My status:
(Round 1 and Round 2 Complete, September 23, 2012)
(Round 1 and Round 2 Complete, September 23, 2012)
This may just be a battle simulator with some minigames thrown in, but thinking about it now, it has the love put into it that every mainline game from Generation VI onwards could only dream to have.