Pokémon Channel

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Pokémon Channel
digital pet
  • simulation
    • Mode(s)Single-player

    Pokémon Channel, released in Japan as Pokémon Channel ~Together with Pikachu!~

    digital pet, and simulation genres. The player can explore full 3D
    environments, have Pikachu converse with other Pokémon, and collect various items.

    The game was developed rather quickly as a sequel to the

    Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2003 and later through a month-long series of promotional events in Sapporo, Hokkaido
    , Japan. It was released on July 18, 2003, in Japan, December 1 in North America, and April 2, 2004, in Europe. In Japan, the game sold 66,373 copies in its first year. It received mixed reviews, which generally criticized its low level of interactivity and repetitive sound effects, though its collecting aspects and visuals were somewhat better received.

    Gameplay

    Pokémon Channel is difficult to categorize into a genre,

    Professor Oak, as well as explore one room of the house and several outdoor areas.[4][6][7] Pikachu sometimes displays emotional reactions while watching, such as happiness or anger.[3][4] The game takes place over a few days, with unique plot events on each. The GameCube's inner clock tracks time such that every in-game day lasts at least as long as one real-time day.[3][4]

    While several channels are available, only a few are essential to the completion of the game. The player saves the game by reporting on recent accomplishments to Oak at Prof. Oak Report, watches episodes of an

    Smoochum Shape-Up.[3]

    The main collectibles available in Pokémon Channel are trading cards that display various Pokémon. The trading cards, known in game as Nice Cards, exist in three forms: Single, which simply show a picture; Motion, which are holographic; and Platinum, which are holographic and play the respective Pokémon's cries.[3] The collectibles can be found by having Pikachu speak with other Pokémon and help them with tasks,[6] or by ordering from Shop 'n Squirtle.[3] There is a virtual Pokémon Mini console hidden under the player's bed that plays 10 games in the Japanese release and six games internationally. These games are all excerpts from games released for the real-life Pokémon Mini, with the exception of Snorlax's Lunch Time, which is exclusive to Pokémon Channel.[10] The games are simple and mainly based on rhythm.[4]

    Plot

    Pikachu watches a game show, Quiz Wobbuffet.

    A group of

    Torchic
    . While the others run off, Pikachu stays and the player adopts it. Oak allows Pikachu to be a second beta tester.

    After the player completing a few tasks, Oak remarks that Pikachu has behaved remarkably well. Overexcited, Pikachu inadvertently uses its Thunderbolt attack on the television. Undaunted, Oak gives the player a replacement television the next morning while remarking their viewership has brought life to the network and helped spawn new shows. The player then finds a bus stop and visits Viridian Forest, a location that first appeared in

    Pokémon Red and Blue
    . Over the next two days, Pikachu invites its friends back to the player's house, and later visits the snowy Mt. Snowfall and the tropical Cobalt Coast with the player.

    On the morning of the fifth day, a disc containing the unaired fifth episode of Pichu Brothers was dropped and lost by the delivery Magnemite on their way to the show's broadcasting studio. After obtaining a lamp from a friendly

    Golbat. The player hands it back to Magnemite, who is waiting sheepishly outside, and heads home to watch the last episode, along with a video called Meowth's Party
    .

    Oak informs the player that every program produced for his network has been aired, thanking the player and Pikachu for their time, and announces the impending arrival of a gift for them. The gift, which arrives the following morning, is a "Star Projector", a device for viewing images flashed across the sky. That night, Professor Oak notices that a Pokémon has arrived at the player's house—the rare and legendary

    Nintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable.[11]

    Development and release

    Pokémon Channel was created in part to promote the Nintendo e-Reader (pictured) and included three cards for it.

    Pokémon Channel was developed by Nintendo subsidiary Ambrella and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. It was created both to serve as a spiritual successor to Hey You, Pikachu!—a similar digital pet-type game wherein the player plays with a Pikachu—and to promote the Nintendo e-Reader peripheral device. The game included three e-Reader-compatible cards, but not the e-Reader device itself.[12] When scanned, the cards upload new templates for the player to paint and for Smeargle to critique.[4]

    The game uses the visual effect of applying pre-rendered video footage to a polygon, specifically the game's pre-recorded shows on the television.

    anime and sound like their names.[6]

    The game was first announced at

    E3 2003, where IGN staff noted that the game's demo appeared to be early in development due to its choppy frame rate.[14] Pokémon Channel was released on July 18, 2003, in Japan,[15] December 1 in North America,[4] and April 2, 2004, in Europe.[16] The game was showcased on its Japanese release date at the Sapporo, Hokkaido, location of Pokémon Fest 2003 (ポケモンフェスタ2003, Pokemon Festa 2003), a series of promotional events that extended across Japan and lasted about a month. Attendees could play the game at GameCube kiosks.[15]

    Reception

    Pokémon Channel received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator

    1UP.com summarized that "the various diversions here are cute, slickly produced, and entertaining, assuming you really, really dig Pokémon", and that even fans would be bored if over the age of five.[18] Justin Leeper of Game Informer claimed that fans would enjoy it but "everyone else will be turned off, pun intended".[1] Author Tokyo Drifter of GamePro guessed that the game had been "tailored for die-hard fans" and would please no one else.[20] IGN's Mary Jane Irwin stated that its intuitive interface, copious instructions, and "mindless entertainment" would keep young players entertained.[4] Nintendo Power's review called the game "hours of fun for Pokémon fans."[21]

    Reviewers complained about the game's low level of interactivity due to most of the gameplay time being spent watching television with Pikachu. Summarizing the gameplay in general as "weak", GameSpot's Ricardo Torres argued that the game's promising ideas were fundamentally deadened by "the gimmick of having to 'virtually' watch television programs" and the long stretches of time this entails.[3] Leeper claimed that Pikachu "will be content much longer than you will" and decried the channels' non-interactive nature while praising the unlockable status of a few.[1] Darryl Vassar of GameSpy went even further and claimed that there was "no gameplay". He gave the game only one star out of five as a result, despite calling the animation quality and Pokémon voices "decent".[6] Tokyo Drifter found its low interactivity and slow pace to be the two biggest barriers for Pokémon fan enjoyment, and gave the game a 3.0 on a five-point scale.[20] Irwin stated that the player would desire more interactivity and condemned the programs overall, with the exception of Pichu Bros, which she called "the only worthwhile programming".[4] GMR magazine felt the game was "more of a cross between a virtual pet and one of those edutainment titles from Humongous" and criticizing the game's bulk on watching television and noting that isn't very interactive. They concluded the game review with a score of 6 out of 10.[22]

    The game's 3D graphics received lukewarm opinions. Torres called them "decent but unspectacular" and "bland". His praise focused on the animations of the Pokémon with "distinct animations that suit their personalities", especially that of Pikachu.[3] Irwin echoed these opinions.[4] Vassar stated that the Pokémon animations were better than those in the then-upcoming GameCube title Pokémon Colosseum and found the environments passable, if boring and overly limited.[6] Tokyo Drifter found the environments "bright and colorful" while wholeheartedly praising the smooth and "adorable" Pokémon animations.[20]

    The sound and music were negatively received. Torres focused on their repetitiveness, stating that some of the music within the programs was catchy but "it starts to grate after some of the mandatory repeated viewings you'll have to endure", and that the paucity of sound effects "puts the weight of the audio burden on the Pokémon voices, which, while accurate, are naturally repetitive".[3] Irwin and Vassar gave special focus to the repetitiveness of the voices.[6] Tokyo Drifter gave little opinion on the voices but found the lack of voice acting for Oak to be disappointing.[20]

    Critics praised the large number of collectible items and Pokémon in the game. Torres noted the game's many items to collect and Pokémon for Pikachu to meet, and praised the game's increased replay value as a result.[3] Tokyo Drifter thought similarly, calling the collecting aspects "a prominent part of the gaming experience".[20] Irwin found the collecting aspects a nice way to pass time and called the incorporation of the virtual Pokémon Mini "a nice diversion".[4]

    Within three days of its Japanese release, Pokémon Channel sold 12,581 copies, making it the thirteenth best-selling game among all platforms during its release week (July 14 to July 20).[23] By August 17, 2003, its Japanese sales totaled 38,617 copies.[2] The title had sold 66,373 copies in Japan by December 28 of the same year.[24]

    Notes

    1. ^ Japanese: ポケモンチャンネル ～ピカチュウといっしょ！～, Hepburn: Pokemon Channeru ~Pikachū to Issho!~

    References

    1. ^ a b c d e Leeper, Justin (January 2004). "Should You Touch That Dial?". Game Informer. No. 129. p. 141.
    2. ^ a b 集計期間:2003年8月11日〜2003年8月17日 (in Japanese). Famitsu. August 17, 2003. Archived from the original on February 11, 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
    3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Torres, Ricardo (December 17, 2003). "Pokemon Channel Review: If you ever thought it would be cool to hang out with Pikachu, think again". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
    4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Irwin, Mary Jane (December 4, 2003). "Pokemon Channel: Watch TV thanks to your GameCube". IGN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
    5. Allgame. Archived from the original
      on November 14, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
    6. ^ a b c d e f g Vassar, Darryl (January 23, 2004). "Pokemon Channel". GameSpy. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
    7. ^ a b Calvert, Justin (May 13, 2003). "Pokémon Channel E3 2003 Preshow Report". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
    8. ^ Ambrella (December 1, 2003). Pokémon Channel. Nintendo. Alert: Delibird came to make a delivery!
    9. ^ Ambrella (December 1, 2003). Pokémon Channel. Nintendo. Wobbuffet: Correct! You've won [Poké symbol]50!
    10. ^ Harris, Craig (September 4, 2001). "Pokemon Mini: Nintendo reveals details on its next Pokemon gimmick: an update to the Pocket Pikachu". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
    11. ^ Cheshire, Sophie (June 9, 2004). "Pokemon Channel". Thunderbolt. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
    12. ^ Harris, Craig (December 3, 2003). "Pokemon Channel's e-Reader Support". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
    13. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (July 18, 2003). "Pokemon Channel Playtest". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
    14. ^ "E3 2003: Pokemon Triple Threat". IGN. May 13, 2003. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
    15. ^ a b ポケモンフェスタ2003が札幌で開幕!! (in Japanese). Famitsu. July 19, 2003. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
    16. ^ "Search Result". PEGI. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
    17. ^ a b "Pokemon Channel". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
    18. ^
      1UP.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link
      )
    19. ^ ポケモンチャンネル 〜ピカチュウといっしょ！〜 (in Japanese). Famitsu. July 18, 2003. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
    20. ^ a b c d e f Tokyo Drifter (December 2, 2003). "Review: Pokemon Channel". GamePro. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
    21. ^ a b "Pokémon Channel". Nintendo Power. No. 176. February 2004. p. 150.
    22. ^ Theobald, Phil (February 2004). Pokémon Channel GMR Review. United States: Ziff Davis. p. 80. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
    23. ^ 集計期間:2003年7月14日～2003年7月20日 (in Japanese). Famitsu. August 1, 2003. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
    24. ^ "2003年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP300（ファミ通版）" (in Japanese). Geimin. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2014.

    External links

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