Pokemon Stadium' Will Bowl rentals Fans Over
By AARON CURTISS
Gamer's Corner
"Pokemon Stadium" is€ 'Pokemon Stadium' Will Bowl Fans Over
all Pokemon, all the time.
Depending on your perspective, that's either a very good thing or the
digital equivalent of a bikini wax. With regard to most things Pokemon, I fall
into the latter category--understanding only on a purely academic level the
fascination Pikachu and his pals hold for millions of kids worldwide.
And although "Pokemon
Stadium" for Nintendo 64
baffles me plenty most of
the time, it contains equal
doses of good-natured fun,
down-home charm and
chillingly brilliant
product planning. This surely will be a game for
which kids whine, beg and
promise. But it may also be
a game that helps parents
share the Pokemon
phenomenon with their tots.
"Pokemon Stadium"
extends the Game Boy
franchise to Nintendo 64
with real game play. Unlike
"Pokemon Snap," in which
players try to snap photos
of as many Pokemon as
possible--and then print
them out for a
price--"Pokemon Stadium"
lets players pit their
Pokemon against one another
in a stadium setting for a
fight to the finish.
For those who don't understand Pokemon, the object is to capture and nurture as
many of the cutesy little creatures as possible and then pit them against other
Pokemon for a cuddly kind of cockfight. The Blue, Red and Yellow
cartridges for Game Boy
rank among Nintendo's
all-time best-selling
games--in part because the
only way to collect all the
Pokemon is either to have
all three cartridges or to
swap with a friend.
"Pokemon Stadium"
makes that process easier.
The game's marketing genius
lies in its ability to
allow players to transfer
Pokemon from their Game Boy
cartridges to their
Nintendo 64s, creating a
seamless realm of play that
joins the cartoons,
fast-food meals, stuffed
toys and trading cards that
already bear the Pokemon
imprimatur. Using
Nintendo's Transfer Pak,
which comes with "Pokemon
Stadium," up to four
players can swap Pokemon
back and forth, then pit
them against each other for
a friendly fight.
For non-fans, the
fighting sequences are as
confusing as they are on
Game Boy. The turn-based
battles work fine on Game
Boy, but they get a little
tedious on Nintendo 64.
Success depends on knowing
how the different Pokemon's
powers affect other
Pokemon. With dozens upon
dozens of Pokemon, it
requires more brainpower
than I'm willing to
dedicate. Even with the
nice graphics that
accompany each move, I
failed to get very excited
about having my Pokemon
knock each other out in the
ring.
Parents may appreciate
some of the game modes in
which encyclopedic
knowledge of Pokemon is not
necessary to win. "Pokemon
Stadium" includes a range
of enjoyable smaller games
that up to four people can
play simultaneously. Most
are so simple that even the
most uncoordinated can have
some fun. In one, players
scramble to eat as much
sushi as possible. The
player with the highest
final bill wins.
I found these games
more exciting than the main
draw and suspect many
parents will feel the same.
If nothing else, it
provides an easy way to
spend some time with a
Pokemon-obsessed child
without having to learn the
difference between a
Growlithe and a Magneton.
"Rockett's Camp Adventures"
The problem with most
games for girls is that
they rarely pay attention
to the details the way
games for boys--or those
that are
gender-neutral--do.
"Rockett's Camp Adventures"
for the PC and Macintosh
illustrates the point.
It doesn't take a
brain surgeon--or an astute
marketer, for that
matter--to appreciate that
boys and girls approach
video games differently
after a certain age.
Regardless of gender,
younger kids tackle games
the same way. I've never
met a little girl who
doesn't think games such as
"Super Mario 64" are cool.
But I know only a few older
girls who dig "Unreal" the
way boys do.
Girls like stories.
They enjoy cooperative
ventures. They want to
identify with the
characters. They prefer
play that is less linear
and more free-flowing. Fair
enough. For years, the
video game industry has
ignored girls and their
needs. In recent years,
though, designers have
sought to cater to girls.
But if game companies want
girls to stick around, they
need to deliver the same
kind of quality they put
into games for boys and
older players.
"Rockett's Camp
Adventures," for instance,
gives girls a story, but
not a very good one.
It features games that
are noncompetitive. But
they aren't very fun. It
offers nonlinear play. But
not really.
The game follows
Rockett Movado, a girl at
summer camp for the first
time. Perfect fodder for
all the insecurities that
girls--and boys, for that
matter--suffer through
daily. Players can choose
to engage in camp
activities or follow
Rockett through her time at
camp. Choosing the latter
means watching poorly
animated sequences full of
crummy acting as Rockett
plays keep-away with a
snooty girl's towel and
sings songs around the
campfire.
Sure, there are
moments when players get to
choose how Rockett should
respond to certain
situations. For instance,
she can give the towel back
to the snooty girl or try
to pass it on to the next
kid. But as far as I could
tell, the game doesn't care
which option players
choose.
The so-called
adventure really is little
more than filler between a
series of mini-games based
on camp experiences.
Players can race
canoes--always against the
clock and never against an
opponent. Or they can track
a lost friend through the
Crystal Caverns. Or they
can make friendship
bracelets.
None is very
sophisticated.
Girls deserve better
than "Rockett's Camp
Adventures."
"Rockett's Camp
Adventures" for the PC
requires a Pentium 133 with
32mb of RAM and at least
50mb of available hard-disk
space. On Macintosh, the
game requires a Power PC
133 or faster with 32mb of
RAM and 50mb of available
hard-disk space.
* * *
Aaron Curtiss is
participating in a Times
management training
program, where he currently
serves as assistant to the
senior vice president of
advertising. He has no
financial dealings with the
companies he covers. To
comment on a column or to
suggest games for review,
send e-mail to
aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.
* * *
Essentials
Pokemon Stadium
* Platform: Nintendo
64
* Publisher: Nintendo
* ESRB* rating: Everyone
* Price: $59.99
* Bottom line:
Accessible
Rockett's Camp Adventures
* Platform: PC/Macintosh
* Publisher: Mattel Media
* ESRB rating:
Everyone
* Price: $39.99
* Bottom line: Girls
deserve better
*Entertainment
Software Ratings Board