Pokemon Stadium Should Be the Next Nintendo 64 Revival on Switch
New Pokemon Snap looks poised for success, and the Pokemon Company should follow that up by reviving Pokemon Stadium as well.
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New Pokemon Snap is a scant few days away from coming out. After years of asking, and multiple consoles and handhelds that seemed made to simulate aiming a camera, fans of the Nintendo 64 classic can finally be satisfied with a new gorgeous entry in the Pokemon Snap sub-series. Now that one pipe dream has been fulfilled, perhaps more games from the N64 era could be brought back as well. Most of the first-party franchises and spin-offs featured on the console have been followed up on, but a few haven’t, and one that could definitely use a modern revival is Pokemon Stadium.
Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 were two of the N64’s star attractions. With the ability to use every Pokemon from the first two Pokemon generations in 3D for the first time, players were smitten. The ability to import one’s favorite Pokemon from the main portable games felt revolutionary, and much time has been spent playing through both titles impressively robust single- and multiplayer modes. They even featured a number of surprisingly fun mini-games that supported up to four players. The games have received callbacks in the multiplayer modes of Pokemon Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness, and a spiritual sequel in the form of Pokemon Battle Revolution. However, no true Pokemon Stadium sequel has ever emerged, despite there being an ever-open space for it.
All About The Fight
Pokemon Stadium cut all the fat out of Pokemon, and laser-focused on one of its key attributes: competition. No longer did players have any need for traveling around a region, battling roaming trainers, catching new Pokemon, training them, and foiling criminal activity. Now, they could simply rent or import their desired team, and challenge either a variety of tournaments, or hop gym-to-gym for the ultimate Pokemon League challenge. And a challenge it was; many of the rental Pokemon were not terribly good, and beating the game with them took a lot of knowledge and a fair bit of luck. Due to Pokemon Stadium’s unique battle rules, players also had to get somewhat lucky with sending in the right three Pokemon to counter the three an opposing trainer chose. Because of that, no two fights against AI trainers were the same.
Right now, the Pokemon community is definitely ready to receive a battle-centric Pokemon spinoff. The fangame Pokemon Showdown has been wildly successful among competitive players, allowing them to immediately set up any team they want and dive into online battles against other players. Even regulars at official Pokemon tournaments have been known to use this game to develop strategies and keep their skills sharp. An official Pokemon game being devoted to emulating this is a no-brainer, and would make fans very happy.
A hypothetical Pokemon Stadium 3, or New Pokemon Stadium, would allow players to choose a level bracket and a team of Pokemon complete with held items and optimized moves to compete in either single or double battles. Pokemon from the mainline games and Pokemon Home could still be transferred, but rental Pokemon would also be allowed in online play. With so much control at fans fingertips, that alone would surely guarantee a Stadium 3’s success.
Bells and Whistles
Of course, any Stadium veteran knows that fighting other players, progressing through different tournaments, and challenging the Gym Leader Castle are not all there is to Pokemon Stadium, especially in 2. Both titles had a mini-game corner, with nine or 12 minigames that could be played with up to four players or on four different difficulties. Stadium 2 not only had more mini-games, but more ways to experience them as well. A competitive mode could be played where different players take turns choosing minigames, and compete to earn the most coins. There was also a quiz mode that could be played with either one player or a group. This mini-game corner is an iconic part of Pokemon Stadium, and no title that calls itself Stadium 3 would be complete without it. It captures the fun and energetic spirit of the series, while also requiring no knowledge of regular Pokemon gameplay to compete.
That’s not all Stadium has to offer. While the original games’ Game Boy Tower that allowed the first few Pokemon titles to be played on a TV are redundant now, there are other miscellaneous parts of Stadium that deserve to come back. The first is Stadium 2’s combination tutorial and campaign mode, titled Earl’s Pokemon Academy. In it, players were brought up to speed on Pokemon battling and the Pokemon world via a real, multi-part course featuring lessons, quizzes, and practical tests using prepared battle scenarios. It’s a combination of a Pokedex and a genuine educational Pokemon class, and really deserves to show up in a game again.
And of course, a modern Pokemon Stadium would be the ideal setting for bringing in visible, customizable player characters from the mainline entries. This time, players could have way more customization options than normal, and could earn custom parts from battling on and offline. This could return alongside the Your Room feature from Stadium 2, which gave players an early look at a concept that would go on to become secret bases in later Pokemon generations. The opportunity to make Pokemon Stadium 3 into a deeply player-customized experience should not be passed up on, as without the adventuring a typical Pokemon title would entail, players need hooks to keep them invested. These bonus features, perhaps accompanied by the promise of a supremely difficult rival fight after all of the single-player modes are complete, would keep them going for a long time.
A Pokemon Stadium 3 that does little more than update the roster, graphics, and minigame collection of the original two Pokemon Stadium’s would be a surefire hit. With an online mode included, it would fill the niche of a training room and testing ground that Pokemon Showdown has held unofficially for years. All in all, after all the excitement for New Pokemon Snap, it would be great to see these two old N64 titles get some Nintendo Switch love.
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