Good news, Trainers: The Nintendo 64 classic Pokémon Stadium is coming to Nintendo Switch Online on April 12.
The first title to give Pokémon the 3D treatment, Pokémon Stadium will be available to anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. Players can enjoy all of the classic modes, including Gym Leader Castle and Pokémon Cup battles. However, Nintendo also added online functionality to the game, allowing Trainers to compete in online multiplayer battles in the same way. than the Nintendo Switch version of Goldeneye 64, available on the same service.
The title also comes with a range of nine delightful mini-games, putting WarioWare and Mario Party to shame with their silly weirdness and online multiplayer functionality. Surreal favorites like Magikarp's Splash and Snore War will return, along with tamer entries like Celfairy Says and Dig! Dig! Dig!. You will be able to see the defenseless pocket monsters frolic to have fun to your heart's content.
However, the latest incarnation of Pokémon Stadium won't fully follow in its predecessor's footsteps. The original was famous for allowing players to transfer Pokémon directly from their Game Boy games to Pokémon Stadium. Thanks to required peripherals that have been outdated for years and are incompatible with the Nintendo Switch, that's not a feature this new version of Pokémon Stadium can replicate.
The arrival of Pokémon Stadium on the Nintendo Switch was first revealed during a Nintendo Direct in September 2022 (opens in a new tab), along with the welcome news that Pokémon Stadium 2 would receive the same treatment in the future.
Aren't you amused?
Released in 2000, Pokémon Stadium holds a special place in the hearts of many Pokémon fans. When the Nintendo Game Boy limited Pokémon to ambitious but limited 2D environments, fully realized 3D Pokémon was truly a fantasy.
Pokémon Stadium has brought that fantasy to life by lovingly turning our beloved pocket creatures into 3D models. Back then, Pokémon Stadium was bringing fans' dreams to life, giving their favorite beasties a treatment previously confined to the realm of Pokémon anime.
Pokémon Stadium felt like a celebration of the franchise, reveling in its distinctive art style and intricate battles.
Although Pokémon Stadium lacked the sense of exploration and adventure that came with the main installments in the series, the title felt like a celebration of the franchise, reveling in the distinctive art style and deliciously intricate battles that made Pokémon such a hit, to begin.
Without Pokémon Stadium's lofty goal of fulfilling the Pokémon fantasy, modern titles might have gone in a different direction. The similarities between the immersive 3D battles of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and the daring settings of Pokémon Stadium are not lost on me.
Pokémon Stadium is an essential part of Pokémon's past. If you're a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber, you could definitely do a lot worse than install the classic title once it launches on April 12.