As always, I’m reviewing on a 0-4 star scale. And I’m not going to waste your time with a bunch of perfect
scores, so don’t be surprised to see poor or mediocre ratings.

Graphics: ***

This was the middle year for the N64. Certainly the graphics were impressive, although not excellent.
You’ve got to be pleased with the vast and detailed atmospheres you will travel through. Of course, you’re
going to see our favorite thing: polygons. But you won’t see all the rough edges, at least not as much as
some others.

Sound: **1/2

The music was perfect for the places you were in. That doesn’t mean it was good, just right for the
atmosphere. The tunnel and cave tunes were pretty nice, and the valley music is even better. You’ve got
to love the simple music in your own scrapbook. Other than that, the music is pretty bland, and the outside
sounds are the only thing making this a positive score.

Difficulty: 1/2

All right, here comes the downfall. This game is not hard, as long as you know what you’re doing. I was
stuck on the Valley level for some time until I saw a strategy guide, at which point I realized I had only
mis-aimed my pester ball, causing me not to win the level. Anyone who thinks about it long enough or
deciphers the little clues will be able to figure out how to move on. And the easiest part is taking the
pictures. It’s so simple, you could finish levels easily, and the game in one night.

Characters: *

You’ve got 57 Pokémon in this game, all with their own crazy or funny stunts. But why not all of them? After
all, this game was awfully short, and new levels could have easily been added, allowing all 151 to appear.
The picture-taker, Todd, is familar to those of you who ever watched the absolutely awful cartoon, and saw
him for three or four episodes. He is teamed up with another character, Professor Oak. I’ve still got to say that Todd has practically nothing to do with the game, except to fill in as the main character.

Controls: ***1/2

I can’t think of easier controls. Hold down Z, then press A to take your picture. Press A for apple (not
holding down Z), press B for Pester Ball, C Down for Poké Flute, and R for a speed boost (Those must be
unlocked). So the controls are pretty easy, although the Z and A thing can be a little tricky at times.

Levels: ***

Not much to complain about the levels. They are vast, and big, and huge, and- well, they’re large. They give
you certain challenges. One big problem: there’s not enough of them. More on this later.

Gameplay:

Again, this must be broken down, because I can’t just give one rating and say that’s it.

Items: ***

These items have their own uses, and good ones as well.

A: Apple. Either stun a Pokémon with it or make them run to it.

B: Pester Ball. This is of huge importance for certain switch-hitting, but its real purpose, getting Pokémon
to come out of the grass, doesn’t really happen. The Pokémon actually don’t come out, like they should.

C Down: Poké Flute. You can make some Pokémon use their electricity, wake others up, and other strange
stuff with your Poké Flute.

R: Speed Boost. If you want to speed up to get to a Pokémon before it does something, this helps a lot.

Overall, the items are useful, but those Pester Balls don’t do what they’re supposed to do.

Picture-taking: *1/2

It’s not that hard to take a picture, and you could change it in the options menu if you wish, but it’s still annoying to have your perfect picture get ruined because some outside force (like that magnetic field
around the Magnemites). It’s not fun when your machine goes right past the picture you want when you’re
working to get your picture set up (with a flute blast or ball thrown), making you take a whole bunch of
frantic shots, not getting what you want. But seriously, it isn’t that hard.

Switch-hitting: *1/2

Something I dislike a bit is the fact that you must hit a switch to move on to the next level, either with
a Pokémon or your ball, and you’re still trying to take your shots. Plus, it took me weeks to figure out
that Squirtle-Mankey trick on the Valley level, if only because I knew what to do, just had bad aim. The
other ones aren’t that hard to figure out, if you decipher the clues.

Concept: no stars

Bland. Very bland. In fact, very stupid. I thought the perfect Pokémon N64 game (back before I hated Pokémon, you must realize) would be a 3D adventure just like a normal Poké game, but you could actually see your surfing and cutting and your party. Instead, the first Poké N64 game is a short picture-taking game just to sell a whole bunch of copies on the Poké name. Bad idea, especially in my opinion.

Replayability: 1/2

Replayability and game length go hand-and-hand, and this game is so short, you can finish it in one night.
I could have if I wouldn’t have been watching football and if I had better aim. It’s too easy and too short,
and there aren’t that many Pokémon in it. If all 151 were in it, then it would be longer and harder. Plus,
once you beat the game, there’s not much more to do than getting all on film and raising your score, which
lasted about one month for me, because I had bad aim, but one week at the most for you with good hand-eye
coordination.

Fun Factor!: no stars

Wow! I got to look at a showoff of the N64’s graphics and waste my time watching the top-selling craze in
the world for $50 and one month. Let me hold in my excitement!

OVERALL: no stars

It’s an embarrassment to all who buy it. Pokémon are for battling, not to be “watched” (you Poké cartoon
lovers know what I’m talking about). This was a waste of time and money for me and for all who bought it.
It’s not worth buying or playing. If a game can be beaten in one night and doesn’t even give you a sense of accomplishment when you’re done, or even some replayability or fun, I don’t know why it even exists. If you want to spend your money watching just a money-maker and a graphics-showoff, go ahead, but just know that I warned you!

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