Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)

Pocket Monsters Stadium; ポケモンスタジアム
	File:Pokemon Stadium ja.jpg; Cover of Pocket Monsters Stadium
Basic info
Platform:	Nintendo 64
Category:	Battle Simulation
Players:	1-4
Connectivity:	Transfer Pak
Developer:	Nintendo, HAL Laboratory
Publisher:	Nintendo
Part of:	Generation I main series
Ratings
CERO:	A
ESRB:	N/A
ACB:	N/A
OFLC:	N/A
PEGI:	N/A
GRAC:	N/A
GSRR:	N/A
Release dates
Japan:	August 1, 1998
North America:	N/A
Australia:	N/A
Europe:	N/A
South Korea:	N/A
Hong Kong:	N/A
Taiwan:	N/A
Websites
Japanese:	Pokémon.co.jp; Nintendo.co.jp
English:	N/A

Pokémon Stadium (Japanese: ポケモンスタジアム), sometimes known as Pokémon Stadium 0 among English-speaking fans to distinguish it from the later sequels, is the first game of the Stadium series, and was released in Japan in 1998. This version featured only 42 Pokémon instead of all of the 151 Generation I Pokémon. As a result, not even every evolution family was included. This game was originally intended for the Nintendo 64DD format, with plans for an expansion disk. As the 64DD was a commercial failure, a sequel with all of the Generation I Pokémon (known as the original Pokémon Stadium elsewhere in the world) was released instead.

Gameplay

The game starts with a keyboard, and it asks if the player or players would like to use their Game Boy Pokémon. If not, the player can only access the Battle Mode. ^[2]

Battle (バトル): Players can battle against other humans or computer-controlled opponents.
Organize (せいとん): Players can transfer Pokémon and items between their party, PC boxes, and storage boxes in the game.
List (いちらん): A list of a player's Pokémon and their stats can be examined.
Pokédex (ずかん, or Encyclopedia): Players can view their Pokédex in 3D.
Register (とうろく): A team can be registered.
Party (てもち): The player can examine their current party.
GB (Game Boy Tower in international versions): A Generation I game can be played on the Nintendo 64.

Many of these features were integrated into Oak's Lab in future Pokémon Stadium games.

File:Japanpkmnstadium.jpg

The main menu. Pulling out the Transfer Pak while playing Pokémon Stadium causes the background of this screen to appear.

Battle Mode

Battle Mode features two modes: Free Battle (フリーバトル) and Tournament (トーナメント).

Free Battle

In Free Battle, a player can battle against another human or a computer-controlled player under one of three rulesets: the L1-30 Division, the L50-55 Division, or Free Battle, where Pokémon of any level may be used.

There are eight pre-set trainers with Pokémon ranging from level 20 to 100.

Tournament

This mode features two tournaments based upon official Pokémon tournaments.

L1-30 Division: This tournament is based on the Nintendo Cup '98. There are four divisions: the Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball.
L50-55 Division: This tournament is based on the Nintendo Cup '97. The total levels of the three Pokémon selected cannot exceed 155. The opponents in this mode are based on actual competitors in the 1997 tournament.

Unlike future Pokémon Stadiums, there are no Continues.

The credits roll after a tournament is cleared.

After one of the tournaments is cleared, the player obtains a Doduo Game Boy upgrade that allows the Game Boy games to be played at double speed. When both tournaments are cleared, the Dodrio Game Boy is obtained, allowing the games to be played at triple speed.

Pokémon

Pocket Monsters Stadium only featured 42 Pokémon available for play. Most of these Pokémon were used in official tournaments, with a few Pokémon added for type balance. ^[3] Below is a list of the Pokémon that were included in the game.

#		Type
0003	Venusaur	Grass	Poison
0006	Charizard	Fire	Flying
0009	Blastoise	Water
0015	Beedrill	Bug	Poison
0022	Fearow	Normal	Flying
0025	Pikachu	Electric
0031	Nidoqueen	Poison	Ground
0034	Nidoking	Poison	Ground
0051	Dugtrio	Ground
0057	Primeape	Fighting
0059	Arcanine	Fire
0065	Alakazam	Psychic
0068	Machamp	Fighting
0076	Golem	Rock	Ground
0082	Magneton	Electric
0091	Cloyster	Water	Ice
0094	Gengar	Ghost	Poison
0095	Onix	Rock	Ground
0097	Hypno	Psychic
0101	Electrode	Electric
0103	Exeggutor	Grass	Psychic
0113	Chansey	Normal
0115	Kangaskhan	Normal
0121	Starmie	Water	Psychic
0123	Scyther	Bug	Flying
0124	Jynx	Ice	Psychic
0127	Pinsir	Bug
0128	Tauros	Normal
0130	Gyarados	Water	Flying
0131	Lapras	Water	Ice
0132	Ditto	Normal
0134	Vaporeon	Water
0135	Jolteon	Electric
0136	Flareon	Fire
0142	Aerodactyl	Rock	Flying
0143	Snorlax	Normal
0144	Articuno	Ice	Flying
0145	Zapdos	Electric	Flying
0146	Moltres	Fire	Flying
0149	Dragonite	Dragon	Flying
0150	Mewtwo	Psychic
0151	Mew	Psychic

While the other 109 Pokémon cannot be used in battle, their 3D sprites can still be viewed in the other modes.

Special Pokémon

If the player clears the Master Ball division of the L1-30 Division with a Pikachu in his or her party, the Pikachu can learn Surf. ^[4] A Surfing Pikachu can also be obtained in the international Pokémon Stadium.

Trivia

Pikachu is the only Pokémon allowed to battle in this game that can still evolve in Generation I; in fact, Raichu does not appear in the game at all.
The game is compatible with Pokémon Yellow despite being released beforehand. A similar situation exists with Pokémon Colosseum, which contains 3D models of the player characters from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen even though Colosseum was released several months beforehand.
During the credits, Caterpie, Weedle, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Clefairy, and Jigglypuff are shown battling, even though these Pokémon cannot be used in the game.
The game's name may be a reference to 64 Mario Stadium, a Nintendo-centric Japanese variety show that featured televised coverage of Pokémon tournaments.

Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)

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