Pokémon Stadium Deserves a New Entry on Switch
By refining the first two titles’ gameplay while straying from the main series, a Pokémon Stadium on the Switch could be another spin-off hit.
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Pokémon has accrued a litany of spinoffs and side games over the years, with many of them releasing almost as soon as the franchise first hit it big. One example of this was Pokémon Stadium, a game that both focused and vastly upgraded the franchise’s gameplay for the Nintendo 64.
Another N64 favorite was Pokémon Snap, which is finally seeing a sequel on the Nintendo Switch. New Pokémon Snap offers aesthetics and gameplay far different than the franchise’s norm, and opens the door for more classic spin-off revivals. By refining and expanding the first two titles’ gameplay while still providing variety from the main series, a Pokémon Stadium on the Switch could be another huge spin-off hit.
Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Stadium 2
Pokémon Stadium released on the Nintendo 64 in 1999, with the sequel coming out a mere year afterwards. Though it still involved Pokémon battles, it went against the grain of the main series in several ways. There are no wild Pokémon battles, and any other sense of adventure, exploration or story are also absent. Instead, the duology is much more in line with strategy games, focusing on turn-based battling across four Premiere Cups before taking on Gym Leaders, the Elite Four and the Region Champion. These cups all have varying AI difficulty, with even harder options being unlocked once the player defeats Mewtwo in a 6-on-1 battle.
There are several peripheral options, as well. For one, players can trade their Pokémon from the series’ Game Boy games onto the cartridge, allowing them to be used on a home console. There were also a multitude of mini-games that involved different Pokémon, such as a Clefairy version of Simon Says and a game where the players try to feed their Lickitung copious amounts of sushi. Pokémon Stadium 2 was very similar to the first game, though it switched out Kanto and its monsters for the new Johto region of Pokémon Gold and Silver. There was also a Free Play mode where battles could be practiced, as well as more mini-games that incorporated players’ Pokémon from the Game Boy games.
How a Pokemon Stadium 3 Could Work
Though they differed from the main games, many players have great nostalgia for these Nintendo 64 titles. The ability to transfer Pokémon as well as the plethora of mini-games definitely stood out at a time when the franchise was strictly defined by catching them all. Thus, by leveraging nostalgia and modern technology like New Pokémon Snap, The Pokémon Company could fuel the hype for a Pokémon Stadium revitalization.
Trading Pokémon back and forth from the main games could be easier than ever with modern technology. The tentative title could utilize Pokémon Home, or the cartridge could even recognize Pokémon Sword and Shield save data and automatically give the player some complementary sample monsters from Galar. New mini-games could fill out the package alongside re-imaginings of old favorites from the Nintendo 64 titles. These could and should incorporate Pokémon from all generations and regions, using older ones for nostalgia while moving beyond Kanto and Johto as well.
Perhaps the biggest addition that would make Stadium 3 stand out and truly utilize its potential would be an actual story. To set itself apart from the main games, this adventure could feature a veteran trainer. It could chart the trainer’s rise in the ranks of the Battle Stadium while competing against rivals. This would be similar to franchise concepts like the Battle Tower and Battle Frontier, which were introduced in games after Pokémon Stadium 2.
Even if a story wasn’t added, another way to make the game a long-lasting modern experience would be for the trainer to travel and face various Cups in every single region. Giving every locale from Kanto to Galar its own set of battles would offer the title a ton of longevity, while also giving every generation its due focus. With so many spinoffs coming out for the somewhat tired franchise, The Pokémon Company would be missing out by not giving gamers another Pokémon Stadium.
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