PKMN.NET :: Stadium 2 Review :: Stadium Stadium Two
Stadium Stadium Two: Stadium 2 Review |

Pokémon Stadium 2 is the sequel the the very successful Nintendo 64 game which allowed you to use your Poképals on your Game Boy do battle in full 3D.

The new version, at its very most basic, is just Pokémon Stadium with support for the new Pokémon in Gold, Silver and Crystal. However, as with any good sequels, there's an awful lot more!

Earl's Pokémon Academy is where you can improve your skills strategically, you will be taken through a whole host of lessons with battles at the end of each one, and a quiz. (Better get revising!).

The PC in the Pokémon Centre thing is as amazing as ever, you can now use it to add and attach items, arrange your mail, and all the functions the original had. Notably, now you can TRADE ITEMS BETWEEN GAMES! Except of course, bikes and other key items. If you plug in your Pokémon Red, Blue or Yellow game, you'll notice every Pokémon is holding a GSC item, the ones you'd get if you traded them in. You don't need to trade, you can just unattach the item and store it in your metal case (the place where you keep all your GSC items that aren't on your game cart). I ended up with over 200 berries and bitter berries, normal cases (with Silver Trophies inside!), Twisted Spoons, Metal Powder and a Light Ball (which you can usually only get from a Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow being traded to GSC). You can now view what items are decorating your room in 3D. And even your room clock tells you the real time!

The Stadium and Gym Leader Castle modes are retained, only they are a lot harder! The Stadium mode has a new cup for only level 5 Pokémon, so I think the best strategy for beating this is looking at the Breeding Guide in the Gold, Silver and Crystal section!

There is still some secrets, but unfortunately, you cannot win rare Pokémon such as starting Pokémon because there's no point (breeding), but what you can win are special Pokémon with moves they cannot normally learn, namely, Gligar with Earthquake and Eevee with Baton Pass. When you beat the Elite Four (who are now the Johto crew), you recieve a Super TM which allows you to teach one of your Pokémon a move they may have missed. For example, if you're a Pokémon Gold owner, you could teach your Lugia Aeroblast.

There are all new mini-games which are all very fun (no more Hypno's naptime), also, there are a lot more. If you have a Pokémon which can appear in a mini game on yourcartridge, it will takes its place and sometimes, if a game can only usually use Scyther and Pinsir (The log-cutting game), if you have a Scizor, you can use that! This also boosts your Pokémon's happiness, and conveniently, a lot of the games involve Pokémon that evolve by happiness, namely, Golbat (to Crobat), Chansey (to Blissey), Eevee (to Umbreon or Espeon), Igglybuff (to Jigglypuff) and Cleffa (to Vulpix), so it would just be a case of playing a lot of mini games, winning them and then boosting the Pokémon a level on your game. In the mini-game champion, you take it in turns to roll the dice, which decides how many coins you win or, if the winner can steal someone's coins, the winner gets some coins for their coincase (in game), so it should be no trouble getting that Porygon! Also in mini-games (this time it's not called Kid's club), is a single player or multiplayer quiz, it's SO easy! Thats so on hard! But it's great fun watching your friend and sister get defeated by your superior knowledge of Pokémon. Some questions at most basic are "What colour is Quagsire?", it shows a picture of Quagsire, and then has a choice between red, blue, green and yellow. It's laugable.

Free Battle is now a lot better, instead of just slugging it out in a field, you can choose to duel in any of the game's other arenas (you must first unlock all the gyms arenas to use them). You can also set your own rules!

The game doesn't need an expansion pack to run (thankfully), but if you have one, it does use it. When I took it to my friends house, I noticed the Pokémon looked a lot more crisper and vibrant, especially on the select which Pokémon screen.

Overall, I'd give this game Nine out of Ten. Suggested improvement: Include an option to speed up battles (the in between bits where you watch the Pokémon attack). It can get slightly tiresome each time you use the same attack in the same battle.

Page written by Psythor.

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