Title: Pokémon Trading Card Game
Developed By: Hudson Soft
Published By: Nintendo
Console: Game Boy Colour
Year Released: 1998 (Japan), 2000 (Everywhere else)
Background: Part two of my super-amazing Pokémon nostalgia trip of ultimate happiness...and it's a game based off the popular trading card game...based on the popular video game Pokémon. Surely it has all the ingredients for INSTANT CLASSIC! But, as much as I mock the concept, it really does not seem that bad of an idea. I mean, as a kid there was nothing like the trading card game. Over a period of two years we probably spent well over £100 on these pieces of card, yet most of us never had battles...because we did not read the rules. We just wanted to collect and look at the pretty pictures. When we did battle...it was usually pathetic because of previously mentioned failure to read instructions. Yet despite this we loved the Pokémon Trading Card game...yet strangely none of us owned this game. In fact, whenever I bring it up in any Pokémon related conversations, it is usually replied with "wait...they made a trading card game...for the Game Boy?". I always had a curiousity about it, so when I sat down last week and decided to play this game I was hyped. Is it a good game, worthy of my self-hype of it, or is it like all ad spin off games...bad! Here is our answer...
Story: The story uses the Pokémon formula...you are a kid who wants to be the best at Pokémon (in this case, Pokémon trading cards). You're quest is to defeat the elite four and then a champion in order to obtain the legendary cards. You go through eight different gym's (or clubs, as they are called here) and then face the four Grand Masters.
Gameplay: Outside of battle, the gameplay is almost virtually identical to Pokémon Red, except in Trading Card Game there is a world map instead of each location being separated by routes. In battle, however, is entirely different. You start off with a deck of 60 cards, which is then shuffled. You then pick out seven cards for your hand, then you pick out the basic Pokémon (i.e. Pikachu, Charmander...the Pokémon that have not evolved at all). You play one of these Pokémon as your starter while any others are placed on the bench. Depending on the match you will then have to place a number of prizes (the average is four). You will pick up one of these prizes if you defeat one of your opponents Pokémon. A coin is tosses to decide who starts. Then the two players take turns, with each turn beginning with the player picking up a card from their deck and ending when they choose to end it, or when the Pokémon attacks it's opponent. Some moves will require a coin toss in order to do extra damage or to inflict a status such as poison, paralysis and confusion. The winner is the first one to either pick up all the prizes or to defeat all of your opponent's Pokémon in their bench. Although this sounds slightly complicated, it's really easy to understand and the more you play, the more you will be able to win. Some moves will deal extra damage to Pokémon that is weak to that move (i.e. a fire move will deal double damage on a grass Pokémon). The problem with the gameplay lies in the fact that battles are slooooow. Some regular battles can last just over ten minutes. It is not exactly an action-packed thrill ride of heart attack proportions. However, the game does make you think and thus for any fans of strategic battles, will probably like it.
Graphics/Sound: The graphics are improved from Pokémon Red/Blue as there is colour to it and thus everything looks nicer. Other than that, not much else has been improved, the images of the cards are identical to the real life cards. Sound, on the other hand, is inconsistent. One minute I'm listening to a funky, catchy song...the next I am having to put it on mute so my ears can recover. The first sound you hear after the Game Boy screen is a screeching-type noise while the opening intro plays, which is not nice. One of the worst things about this game is the sound I'm afraid. Battle music is okay, but I still prefer it on mute.
Conclusion: So, the game itself is not bad. The problem is, it is not that good either. The good parts are that the battles require thinking and a strategic mind. Also, you can win every battle if you are good and lucky enough. One of the bad parts...you can lose any battle if you are unlucky enough. Even if you spent ages working on your deck for the next opponent, you could find that due to the shuffling of the deck, you will not be guaranteed that your Pokémon will be strong against your opponent's, which means you cannot properly plan a match before hand. Now, that's no problem, it is the same in real life Trading Card Game, but the thing is...the game has not translated well into a video game. It is infinitely funner to play it in real life (of course, hardly anyone plays it now-a-days, but I'm talking back in the day...when we decided to learn how to play it). So, while it did have potential to be a good game, it unfortunately did not live up to it.
Final Score: 5 Charizard Cards out of 10.
Two Weeks From Now: It may have been created in order to cash in on the popularity of the Anime series of Pokémon, but most of us bought it and liked it better than the original. Is that still true? Or can I just copy and paste the Pokémon Red/Blue review? I am, of course, talking about Pokémon Yellow!
