Pokemon

Game Description: What can you expect from the sequel to one of the favorite Nintendo 64 games of 2000? A lot. Pokémon Stadium 2 comes with four new tournaments, 12 new minigames, and lots of fun extras, like special Pokéquizzes to test your level of mastery. And you're sure to find your favorite monsters, because—gulp!—249 Pokémon are present in the game. As in Pokémon Stadium, you can train and battle your monsters, as well as transfer them (via the separately sold Transfer Pak) from your favorite Game Boy titles—including the newer Gold and Silver editions of the game.

The premise of the Pokémon Stadium games hasn't changed with the new sequel. Anyone who's ever played the original knows exactly what to expect with Pokémon Stadium 2. The main idea is still to take Pokémon trained on the Game Boy versions (which now include the most recent Gold and Silver ones) and transfer them over to the Nintendo 64 via the Transfer Pak so that they can battle in a much grander and more vivid three-dimensional arena.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Animated Violence 

The main reason why Pokémon flourished—single-handedly elevating portable gaming to a new plateau in the process—was that it was simply a great game. It's still hard to believe that with all the catchy "gotta catch 'em all" jingles, feature films, Saturday morning cartoons, collectible toys and trading cards flooding the market, at the end of the day, innovative design and addictive gameplay prevailed above all else.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Language, Violence

Game Description: This popular series continues to add new innovations and features with each release. The object of Pokémon Gold is still to become the "World's Greatest Pokémon Master" by capturing, training, and battling different creatures, this time with all-new creatures and moves. Also, elements such as day-and-night gameplay and the ability to breed and mutate Pokémon add an exciting new dimension to the game. You'll be able to transfer Pokémon from the Red, Blue, and Yellow editions—even train them for new tricks--but you won't be able to transfer your newly caught creatures to any previously released games. Also, expect special, limited-edition gold and silver Game Boy Color units decorated with Pokémon characters.

After more than a year of Nintendo's persistent Pokémon marketing blitz, the fact that Pokémon Gold/Silver had me glued to my Game Boy Color's LCD to the extent that it did is quite amazing. As Chi said in his review, the game is not that much different from Pokémon Red/Blue, but it is such a solid overall game that it picks up where its predecessor left off without much of a hitch.

Game Description: Pokémon Stadium lets you stage Pokémon battles in a whole new arena--on your Nintendo 64! See all 150 Pokémon execute their attacks in full 3-D, and create your own custom stickers! Pokémon Stadium gives trainers an arena to engage in heated Pokémon battles, and offers them a ringside seat for the action. Tons of features, including support for playing your Game Boy Pokémon game through your N64, make Stadium a must-have for all Pokémon fans! In Pokémon Stadium, you're able to battle using your most loyal Pokémon from the Red, Blue, and Yellow versions of Pokémon (sold separately). Thanks to a Transfer Pak that comes with Pokémon Stadium and plugs into the bottom of your controller, data can be transferred straight from a Game Boy cartridge to your N64.

As I said before Stadium is not the finest example of a stand-alone game, but in all fairness, it was never to meant to be. It was to be used with Nintendo's very innovative Transfer Pak, and when linked with a Pokémon game, it offered new options and modes that enhanced the original games experience. With the exception of a true Pokémon sequel, I doubt fans really could ask for more.

Sadly, what was so brilliantly executed on the Game Boy, was not as impressively treated here in the Nintendo 64 creation, Pokémon Stadium. Rather than trying to recreate that childhood past-time in another shape or form appropriate for the now-fledgling Nintendo 64 system, Stadium is nothing more then a companion piece for Pokémon trainers who already own the Game Boy version.