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Pocket Monsters Stadium
Cover art for the game
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Series	Pokémon
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Release	August 1, 1998 (Japan)
Genre(s)	Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Pocket Monsters Stadium (known in Japan as ポケモンスタジアム, and also called Pocket Monster Stadium or Pokémon Stadium in English) is a 1998 Japan-exclusive strategy role-playing video game. Developed and published by Nintendo and released for the Nintendo 64. The gameplay is based upon the Pokémon battle formula previously introduced in the Game Boy games Pokémon Red and Green, though only 40 of the games' Pokémon are available to use in gameplay. Originally intended for the 64DD, it was later developed into a standard console game. Using the Transfer Pak accessory that was bundled with the game, players are able to view, organize, store, and battle using Pokémon from the Game Boy games.

Pocket Monsters Stadium received mixed responses. Though it received positive reception for its Pokémon species animations, it was criticized for its lack of content, especially for those lacking a Game Boy to use the Transfer Pak features. A follow-up game, titled Pokémon Stadium 2 in Japan, was announced in 1998, and later released as Pokémon Stadium internationally. Pocket Monsters Stadium was never released internationally.

Gameplay

Battles in Stadium function similarly to battles in the Game Boy Pokémon games, with players using different moves to battle Pokémon used by opponent trainers. Only 40 different Pokémon are available to use in the game, though an in-game encyclopedia function allows players to view all 151 species of Pokémon available in the Game Boy games. Pocket Monsters Stadium uses connectivity with the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak to connect with the Game Boy games Pokémon Red and Green. Using the "Registration" feature, players can import Pokémon, and then use them in the game's "Tournament" mode, either against CPU controlled opponents, or against other players. If players do not have access to a Game Boy, they can use rental Pokémon with pre-determined sets of moves. Players select three Pokémon from a team of six to battle against an opponent with, with opposing Trainers battled in-game being based around participants in Pokémon championships that took place in Japan in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Players can also battle against other players.

The game features several game mode options. The "Computer" option allows players to store their Pokémon in Stadium, with a "Picture Book" option allowing players to create a "photo album" and organize the stored Pokémon, allowing players to view their models. The "Quick Look" option allows players to view the stats and information related to an individual Pokémon, while a "Collection" feature lets players view information about any given species to find strategies for facing them.

For the first time in the Pokémon franchise's history, Pokémon utilized three-dimensional models. An announcer commentates over battles. Completing certain objectives rewards players with a Pikachu that knows the move Surf, a move it cannot learn otherwise, which can be carried over to the Game Boy games using the Transfer Pak; this can in turn be used to unlock a special minigame in Pokémon Yellow.

Production and release

Connectivity with the Pokémon Game Boy trilogy is available using the Transfer Pak (bundled with the game) in the same way as the internationally released Pokémon Stadium. HAL Laboratory president Satoru Iwata, who would later head Nintendo itself, ported the battle system to the Nintendo 64, taking a week to read the entire Game Boy source code before converting designer Shigeki Morimoto's programming from the Pokémon games. Iwata fixed compatibility issues with the Game Boy games and Stadium single-handedly. Because of technical limitations, only 40 Pokémon are available for battles, instead of the full 151 Pokémon from the Game Boy versions as originally planned.

Once intended as a 64DD launch title with a March 1998 release date, the game was intended to take advantage of the 64DD's functionalities by allowing players to use Pokémon both on the go and at home. Stadium was eventually converted to a standard Nintendo 64 game on a 32 MB cartridge. Stadium was planned to have an initial Nintendo 64 release in Japan with a 64DD release later that year. No plans for other region releases were confirmed. Pocket Monsters Stadium was released only in Japan on August 1, 1998. GameSpot reported that it had 1.4 million pre-orders by June 1998. A reported 270,000 copies of the game were sold in its first month of release, and it accumulated 400,000 copies by October of the same year.

Reception and sequels

Peer Schneider, in a review for IGN, stated that the game was not worth importing for US audiences due to the release of Pokémon Stadium, which Schneider stated had significantly more content than Pocket Monsters Stadium. A review in the 64 Magazine highlighted the personality present in the Pokemon species models and animations, but criticized the game's lack of content, especially if a player lacks access to the Game Boy games. A review in Gamers highlighted the game's graphical qualities, comparing it positively to N64 game Banjo-Kazooie. A review in Joypad considered the game fun for Pokémon fans and owners of the Game Boy games but a weaker title for those unfamiliar with the series.

Pocket Monsters Stadium was not released outside Japan, but a sequel, dubbed Pokémon Stadium 2 in Japan, was announced in 1998. The game was released internationally as Pokémon Stadium. A follow-up game, tentatively dubbed Pokemon Stadium Gold/Silver in Japan was released as Pokémon Stadium 2 internationally.

References

1. ^ Uwerman (August 1, 2023). "『ポケモンスタジアム』が発売された日。初めてポケモンが3Dで表現されたことに感激。なみのりピカチュウも育てられた対戦用ソフト【今日は何の日？】" [The day "Pokemon Stadium" was released. I was thrilled to see Pokemon in 3D for the first time. The fighting software that also raised Surfing Pikachu. ]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
2. ^ IGN Staff (November 14, 1998). "Pokemon Stadium (Import)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
3. ^ "Pocket Monster Stadium". Joypad. No. 78. September 1998. pp. 76–77.
4. ^ Merrick, Joe (August 27, 2015). "A Pokémon Retrospective: Generation 1 - 1996 to 1999". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
5. "Snag a Surfing Pikachu". IGN. 2000-03-07. Archived from the original on August 8, 2011. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
6. ^ IGN Staff (March 3, 1999). "Nintendo Super-Sizes Pokemon Stadium 2". IGN. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
7. ^ IGN Staff (May 3, 1999). "Pokemon Stadium 2 (Import)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
8. "Iwata Asks: Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver". Nintendo. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
9. Whitworth, Spencer (June 15, 2022). "Pokémon: How Satoru Iwata Saved an Endangered Franchise". Collider. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
10. IGN Staff (June 2, 1997). "Four Games to Launch with Japanese 64DD". IGN. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
11. Yarwood, Jack (January 9, 2024). "Hiroshi Yamauchi Talks 64DD in Newly Translated 1997 Conference". Time Extension. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
12. IGN Staff (April 3, 1998). "Pocket Monsters Ditch DD". IGN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
13. Johnston, Chris. "Nintendo Hopes Pokemon Boosts N64". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 6, 2000. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
14. IGN Staff (August 27, 1998). "Pokemon Stadium Stays Put". IGN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
15. IGN Staff (October 29, 1998). "Pokemon Breaks 400,000". IGN. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
16. Schneider, Peer (August 31, 1998). "Pokemon Stadium (Import) Review". IGN. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
17. "Pocket Monsters Stadium Review". 64 Magazine. No. 19. October 1998.
18. "Flash Game". Gamers (Brazil). No. 34. 1998.
19. Dockery, Daniel (April 27, 2024). "25 Years Ago, Nintendo Released the Most Difficult Pokémon Game Ever Made". Inverse. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
20. "N64新作ソフトカタログ". The 64Dream. Mycom. October 21, 1998. p. 139.
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22. IGN Staff (July 20, 2000). "First Screens of the Next N64 Pokemon Stadium". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
23. Carle, Chris (March 27, 2001). "Pokemon Stadium 2 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.

• 1998 video games
• Cancelled 64DD games
• Nintendo 64 games
• Video games developed in Japan
• Games with Transfer Pak support
• Pokémon video games
• Multiplayer and single-player video games
• Video game spin-offs
• Japan-exclusive video games