A really fun, yet challenging, sequel to the Pokemon Stadium games on the N64. Like the Stadium games, this functions as a 3D battle simulator for Pokemon Ruby and Saphire, if you have the link cable for it of course, however unlike its prequels this is much more than that. It also has a unique story mode that is remembered quite fondly by the fans.
The story revolves around Wes, a former Team Snagam member who stole their Snag Machine after quitting, and Rui, a woman with the ability to see Pokemon whose hearts have been sealed away and have become what's known as "Shadow Pokemon". Together, they work to steal these Shadow Pokemon away from their captors, a different evil team known as Cipher, and try to stop this team from taking over the region of Orre.
This plot is much more simple than I let on, but the premise alone is unique, especially for a Pokemon game. What stands out more in this game however would be the battles, and not the story. Each battle is done in Doubles format, meaning you are always fighting with 2 Pokemon and are fighting against 2 Pokemon. This makes each encounter more complex since you need to account for unique strategies that can only be used in this format. On top of that, your selection of Pokemon is limited to the Shadow Pokemon that trainers have, most of them being "missable" during large sections of the main story. This makes for a very challenging, yet fun, game.
This game does have its faults though, as the Shadow Pokemon you save can be a hassle to purify. Most of them will only know the one move, Shadow Rush, until it gets purified and the move will always inflict recoil. As well, Shadow Pokemon cannot level up or gain experience until it is purified. Not that you really can grind experience, since there are also no wild Pokemon battles, only set trainer battles and they cannot be refought.
This game is hard, but if that is what you are looking for then I cannot recommend it enough. It was a fun playthrough, and I had a blast experiencing it. If you can get your hands on a copy of the game I would recommend trying it out.
The story revolves around Wes, a former Team Snagam member who stole their Snag Machine after quitting, and Rui, a woman with the ability to see Pokemon whose hearts have been sealed away and have become what's known as "Shadow Pokemon". Together, they work to steal these Shadow Pokemon away from their captors, a different evil team known as Cipher, and try to stop this team from taking over the region of Orre.
This plot is much more simple than I let on, but the premise alone is unique, especially for a Pokemon game. What stands out more in this game however would be the battles, and not the story. Each battle is done in Doubles format, meaning you are always fighting with 2 Pokemon and are fighting against 2 Pokemon. This makes each encounter more complex since you need to account for unique strategies that can only be used in this format. On top of that, your selection of Pokemon is limited to the Shadow Pokemon that trainers have, most of them being "missable" during large sections of the main story. This makes for a very challenging, yet fun, game.
This game does have its faults though, as the Shadow Pokemon you save can be a hassle to purify. Most of them will only know the one move, Shadow Rush, until it gets purified and the move will always inflict recoil. As well, Shadow Pokemon cannot level up or gain experience until it is purified. Not that you really can grind experience, since there are also no wild Pokemon battles, only set trainer battles and they cannot be refought.
This game is hard, but if that is what you are looking for then I cannot recommend it enough. It was a fun playthrough, and I had a blast experiencing it. If you can get your hands on a copy of the game I would recommend trying it out.