Pokémon Stadium 2
| |
| Pokémon Stadium 2 | |
| Developer | HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Nintendo 64 |
| Release Date | JP December 14, 2000 US March 28, 2001 EU October 19, 2001 AU 2001 |
| Rating | ESRB: E |
Pokémon Stadium 2 (known as Pokémon Stadium Kin Gin in Japan) is the third of the Pokémon Stadium games to be made but the second released outside Japan. It is also the last game of the series released for the Nintendo 64.
Gameplay[edit]
As with the previous games, in Pokémon Stadium 2 the focus was on battling Pokémon instead of collecting them. Players could choose from Rental Pokémon or upload their own Pokémon from compatible Pokémon games for the Gameboy using the Transfer Pak for use in battle. This game features the 100 new Pokémon that were introduced for Pokémon: Gold and Silver Versions.
Most of the modes from the previous game, such as the Stadium mode and Gym Leader Castle, returned for this game but with new updates to reflect the new games. For example, the Stadium now had a Little Cup feature for low-level Pokémon, likely due in part to the baby Pokémon introduced in Gold and Silver. The Gym Leader Castle featured all gym leaders and Elite Four battles from Gold and Silver along with battles with Team Rocket, Silver and Red. Finally, the Minigame Park had a whole new set of minigames, most of which featured Pokémon introduced in Gold and Silver. This game also carried over an unlockable Round 2 that had more difficult battles.
The game also had some new modes, such as Earl's Pokémon Academy (which contains information and quizzes about the Pokémon world) and Your Room (a customizable bedroom for the player, similar to the room at the player's house in the handheld games). This game also had unlockable Pokémon that had special moves: Farfetch'd with Baton Pass and Gligar with Earthquiake.
Connectivity[edit]
This game could connect with all of the mainstream Pokémon games that had been released for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color through the Nintendo 64-Gameboy Game Pak. This included Pokémon: Red, Green and Blue Versions; Pokémon: Yellow Version; Pokémon: Gold and Silver Versions; and Pokémon: Crystal Version.
Legacy[edit]
Ports/Remakes[edit]
- In August 2023, this game was added to the Nintendo Switch's digital library of Nintendo 64 games that could be played by subscribers of the Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack program. This release featured online connectivity, but none of the functions that involved connecting to the handheld games could be used.
Sequels[edit]
While this was the last of the original Pokémon Stadium games, its successor would be Pokémon Colosseum for the Nintendo Gamecube, which took the series in the new direction by focusing on an original RPG adventure.