Pokemon Stadium 2 review (Nintendo 64)

If battling gets boring, you can compete in the 12 new Pokémon-themed minigames. The games are simple to understand but difficult to master, and they are better than most of the games found in Nintendo's Mario Party series. The games range from button mashers to revamped classics. In a test of speed in a feudal Japanese setting, Scythers and Pinsirs time their slashes on quickly falling logs. In a test of reflexes, Eevees enter a musical-chairs-type contest and snatch up fruit when the music runs out. And Pichus charge up power plants faster the more you pound on the buttons.

For those with a Pokémon Gold or Silver connected via the N64 GB Transfer Pak, you'll earn a mystery gift every 24 hours. The gifts vary and can include techniques and relatively rare items. These items, as well as some of those found in your Game Boy game, may be used to redecorate your room and are also accessible via the game's main menu. The room looks identical to the main character's room from Gold and Silver, although now in 3D, and can be adjusted to fit your individual tastes, similar to a trophy case in other games.

Getting familiar with all the items, Pokémon, and techniques can be difficult, and anticipating this, Nintendo has included Earl's Pokémon Academy in Stadium 2. You can attend classes at the academy, graduating from trainer to gym leader to elite four after answering questions, taking tests, and defeating fellow students in what can be seen as an alternate and relatively deeper story mode. Casual fans of the franchise will be astounded at the depth of information imparted in the lectures and will come out of the academy with a much better understanding of Pokémon. If taking classes isn't your thing, but you have a specific question, you can peruse the library's stacks where the answer to seemingly every question can be found. The academy is the perfect place for honing your knowledge of the franchise and is a necessary and often enjoyable chore that will prepare you for success in the quiz-show modes. When competing against yourself, the CPU, or human opponents, you are asked a series of multiple-choice questions. While it may be embarrassing for older players to admit to knowing what certain TMs do and how many tails a Tauros has, the questions are often tricky and enjoyable for those who tire of constant battling.

Stadium 2 is fully compatible with every version of the Game Boy Color Pokémon games via the Game Boy tower mode. Using tower mode with a Pokémon cart hooked in the GB Transfer Pak lets you play any of the Pokémon GBC games on your TV, and it is a very nice touch. Additionally, playing your GBC Pokémon games through Stadium 2 unlocks some special items in the Game Boy games. Stadium 2 also lets you trade items between GB carts and send items to and from Stadium 2 for analysis in the laboratory or trading sessions. Your own uploaded Pokémon maintain their move lists, are a slightly different shade from the set available on the cartridge, and can use attached items found in Gold and Silver.

Disappointingly, the lackluster sound effects, music, and commentating from the original Pokémon Stadium has returned in Stadium 2. The Pokémon speak in generic bleeps and squeaks, like the Game Boy games, rather than hilariously repeating their names as in the cartoon. The commentary is pretty drab, and thankfully it can be disabled.

You really need to own a copy of Pokémon Gold or Silver to get the most out of Stadium 2. Without the GBC cart and a Transfer Pak, you lose access to nearly half of the game modes and much of the expansion to the original handheld game that Stadium 2 offers. Playing the GB game full-screen and finding new items along the way is often more exciting than the exclusive modes on the N64 cartridge. If you do have a Transfer Pak, want to get more out of Gold or Silver, and enjoy a lot of battling, then Stadium 2 is a complete package and is definitely worth picking up.