Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)

Pokémon Stadium (Japanese: ポケモンスタジアム Pokémon Stadium, subtitled in English as Pocket Monsters' Stadium) is the first game of the Pokémon Stadium series. It was released exclusively in Japan on August 1, 1998.

Gameplay
The game starts with a keyboard, and it asks if the player or players would like to use their Game Boy Pokémon. If not, the player can only access the Battle Mode.
 * Battle (バトル): Players can battle against other humans or computer-controlled opponents.
 * Organize (せいとん): Players can transfer Pokémon and items between their party, PC boxes, and storage boxes in the game.
 * List (いちらん): A list of a player's Pokémon and their stats can be examined.
 * Pokédex (ずかん, or Encyclopedia): Players can view their Pokédex in 3D.
 * Register (とうろく): A team can be registered.
 * Party (てもち): The player can examine their current party.
 * GB (Game Boy Tower in international versions): A Generation I game can be played on the Nintendo 64.

Many of these features were integrated into in future Pokémon Stadium games.



Battle Mode
Battle Mode features two modes: Free Battle (フリーバトル) and Tournament (トーナメント).

Free Battle
In Free Battle, a player can battle against another human or a computer-controlled player under one of three rulesets: the L1-30 Division, the L50-55 Division, or Free Battle, where Pokémon of any level may be used.

Aside from battling with their own Game Boy Pokémon, there are eight pre-configured Trainers that players may use, with Pokémon ranging from level 20 to 100.

Tournament
This mode features two tournaments based upon official Pokémon tournaments.
 * L1-30 Division: This tournament is based on the . There are four divisions: the, , , and Master Ball.
 * L50-55 Division: This tournament is based on the . The total levels of the three Pokémon selected cannot exceed 155. The opponents in this mode are based on actual competitors in the 1997 tournament.

Unlike future Pokémon Stadium games, there are no Continues.

The credits roll after a tournament is cleared.

After one of the tournaments is cleared, the player obtains a Doduo Game Boy upgrade that allows the Game Boy games to be played with frame skip at double speed. When both tournaments are cleared, the Dodrio Game Boy is obtained, allowing the games to be played with frame skip at triple speed.

Pokémon
Pocket Monsters Stadium only featured 42 Pokémon available for play. Most of these Pokémon were used in official tournaments, with a few Pokémon added for type balance. Below is a list of the Pokémon that were included in the game.

While the other 109 Pokémon cannot be used in battle, their 3D models can still be viewed in the other modes.

Move Tutor
If the player clears the Master Ball division of the L1-30 Division with a in his or her party, that Pikachu can learn.

Since this game was only released in Japan, Pikachu can be taught Surf in the international Pokémon Stadium, whereas it cannot in the Japanese version of that same game.

Trivia

 * Nintendo advertised 's compatibility with Pokémon Stadium in a September 1999 flyer for the game's retail release in October 1999. Oddly enough, it does not mention 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, which had already been released in April 1999.
 * According to the Iwata Asks for, Satoru Iwata studied the battle logic of for the development of Pokémon Stadium without having the appropriate specification document from Game Freak.  Shigeki Morimoto from Game Freak also commented on how it took him a long time to create the original battle program for Pokémon Red and Green, which was then ported to Pokémon Stadium by Satoru Iwata in a week.
 * This is the only Pokémon Stadium series game released in Japan in which can learn . Additionally, Pikachu is the only  the player can battle with that can also evolve.
 * During the credits,, , , , , and are shown battling, even though these Pokémon cannot be used in the game.
 * The game's name may be a reference to, a Nintendo-centric Japanese variety show that featured televised coverage of Pokémon tournaments.
 * The game was going to have support for the Nintendo 64DD but the programming was never completed.
 * The game was going to have team battle support like the English release and sequel but programming for the function was never completed.