Pokémon Stadium 1 & 2

Who as a child didn't dream of seeing their Pokémon in full three-dimensional glory, hurling attacks at each other in a real arena? Pokémon Stadium on the Nintendo 64 did exactly that. It took the battles players knew from the handheld games in their tiny pixel form and translated them into a grand 3D spectacle full of animations and effects.

At the core of both installments are turn-based Pokémon battles, built on the same rules as the handheld originals. But the game adds the option to transfer your own team from a handheld console using a special accessory and thus put your own, carefully raised Pokémon into battle on the big screen. For players of the time it was a small miracle to see their companions, who until then had existed only as sprites, suddenly animated and alive.

Besides the main tournaments and battles against trainers, Stadium offers a range of challenges in which you test how well you know the battle mechanics. The second installment expands the whole concept, adds another generation of Pokémon, richer content and overall comes across as a more mature and complex version of the idea. Together they form a pair that covers a large part of the Pokémon fever of the era.

An invaluable element are the multiplayer minigames. Crazy contests in which Pokémon chop wood, run or complete quick tasks made Stadium great social entertainment for evenings with friends. It is precisely this lighthearted side that added the zest the battles alone wouldn't have offered.

Pokémon Stadium is today a memory of an era when Pokémon mania was at its peak and when the chance to see your charges in 3D felt like a dream come true. As a bridge between the handheld games and the big screen, it played an important role in how the brand grew across platforms.

Why play it: For 3D Pokémon battles with the option to transfer your own team, and for the unforgettable minigames that entertained whole groups.