=============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------Pokémon Stadium Mini-Games Guide----------------------- ----------------------------------Version 1.00--------------------------------- -----------------------Created: Tuesday, October 2, 2007----------------------- ----------------------Completed: Thursday, October 4, 2007--------------------- ----------------------Copyright © 2007: Josiah D. Plummer---------------------- -----------Contact: BanjoKazooie1988@aol.com (AIM: BanjoKazooie1988)----------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== If you wish to skip to a specific section of this guide immediately, press Ctrl and F to access your computer's Find dialog box. Type in the approprite tag for the desired topic (found below in the Table of Contents) and press Enter. =============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== I. - Introduction........................................................SRCH01 II. - Difficulty Settings................................................SRCH02 III. - Modes of Gameplay.................................................SRCH03 IV. - Mechanics..........................................................SRCH04 V. - The Games...........................................................SRCH05 i. - Magikarp's Splash..............................................SRCH06 ii. - Clefairy Says.................................................SRCH07 iii. - Run, Rattata, Run............................................SRCH08 iv. - Snore War.....................................................SRCH09 v. - Thundering Dynamo..............................................SRCH10 vi. - Sushi-Go-Round................................................SRCH11 vii. - Ekans' Hoop-Hurl.............................................SRCH12 viii. - Rock Harden.................................................SRCH13 ix. - Dig! Dig! Dig!................................................SRCH14 VI. - My Personal Records................................................SRCH15 VII. - Interesting Stuff.................................................SRCH16 VIII. - Legal Information, Credits & Author's Note.......................SRCH17 =============================================================================== I. - Introduction [SRCH01] =============================================================================== Welcome to Josiah's guide for the Mini-Games of Pokémon Snap! Regardless of the reputation Pokémon has undeservedly garnered nowadays as children's playthings, the Pokémon franchise has enthralled me for years. As a mature (in certain ways but not many) nineteen-year-old, I will gladly sit down with a friend or two to battle in Pokémon Stadium. This game is addictive by itself, and the Mini-Games boost the replay value to even higher levels. Whenever I get my ass kicked by a friend in a traditional battle, I convince him to play me in the Mini-Games, so that I can redeem myself. The Mini-Games of Pokémon Stadium are just intriguing and amazing, as well as incredibly fun. Because I enjoy them so much, I figured I should make a guide for GameFAQs. Keep in mind that one of my favorite things to do is to point out the subtle minutiae of films, video games, and more. That means that in addition to detailing each Mini-Game, I will also include any and all neat little tidbits I may know about them. If you wish to skip to that part right now, use Ctrl+F and type in SRCH16. I hope you enjoy the guide! ~ Josiah =============================================================================== II. - Difficulty Settings [SRCH02] =============================================================================== There are three available difficulty levels for the Mini-Games, and one that is secret (more on this below). These settings are: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Unlike a plethora of games that establish no real differentiation among the three, the Mini-Games of Pokémon Stadium have notable variations when you switch between a difficulty level. On Easy mode, the CPU will be ridiculously feeble-minded. For instance, if you play Ekans' Hoop-Hurl on Easy, the CPU will not only take some time to angle the Ekans and tweak the tension, but it will often miss, as well. Normal mode is, obviously, the way the game is meant to be played. The CPU will not be embarrassingly easy, but it will not be a pushover, either. If you think Easy and Normal are not enough of a challenge, try playing on Hard mode. You'll find that it's not exactly a breeze anymore. Now, there are some people (myself included) that denounce Hard mode as not too hard at all... -------------------- UNLOCKING HYPER MODE -------------------- This difficulty is not intended for the weak; this is for those of you who want a REAL challenge. The CPU will rarely make mistakes, and will not slow down for any reason, meaning you must bring your A-game and not let up until the game is over. You'll find that a few games are still comparatively easy to conquer, but most are much more difficult than they were previously, and some even appear to be impossible. With practice, you will transcend to a point where Hard is truly laughable, and Hyper is merely practice. That's the point that I am at, so I am wishing that there was another unlockable difficulty, but alas, there's not. As for how to unlock Hyper Mode: 1.) Select the "Who's the best?" mode; 2.) Set the difficulty level to Hard; 3.) Set the number of wins to become the Champ to 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9; 4.) Earn five straight victories over the CPU (tying is not allowed); 5.) The game will recognize the feat with a message: 'Congratulations! You got five straight "HARD" wins! The COM can now play at a "HYPER" level.' =============================================================================== III. - Modes of Gameplay [SRCH03] =============================================================================== Pokémon Stadium's Mini-Games come with two modes of gameplay: "Pick a game" and "Who's the best?" The former is an exhibition-style mode. Up to four humans can play (any player not designated as a human will be controlled by the CPU). Once all of the players have entered themselves, you select the difficulty. Then you can select any of the nine games to play. "Who's the best?" mode is a free-for- all tournament-esque system to determine who the Champion is. Again, up to four human players can participate, with any leftover players controlled by the CPU. Once all of the players have been entered, select the difficulty. Next, set the number of wins it will take to become the Champ (1 = minimum; 9 = maximum). The computer will randomly select the first game. If you win a game (or tie for the victory), you will earn a star. The player(s) with the least number of stars at the end of each Mini-Game will get the chance to choose the next Mini-Game. The first player to earn the set number of stars will be crowned the Champion! =============================================================================== IV. - Mechanics [SRCH04] =============================================================================== Perhaps the most venerable aspect of the Mini-Games is the variability. All the games (nine in total) can be placed into one of three categories. Remember that these categories are not canonical by any means, and were designated by me, but they make perfect sense and that is why I am sharing this information. Below is a description for each of these categories. - Rapid Fire: These Mini-Games rely on you rapidly pressing a button (or, in a somewhat more intricate layout, alternating between buttons) to win. The Rapid Fire Mini-Games are: Run, Rattata, Run; Thundering Dynamo; and Dig! Dig! Dig! - Precision Timing: These Mini-Games are less hectic by nature than Rapid Fire Mini-Games, for to conquer them you must concentrate and go for accuracy, this of course in contrast with the frenzied button-mashing of the former type. The Precision Timing Mini-Games are: Magikarp's Splash; Snore War; and Rock Harden - Unique: These Mini-Games are the ones that do not fall under either of those previous categories. Often involving multiple buttons, an eclectic game, and a somewhat odd control set-up, these are certainly idiosyncratic. Clefairy Says, Sushi-Go-Round, and Ekans' Hoop-Hurl are the three Unique Mini-Games. The beauty of this is that everyone has their weaknesses and fortes. Having the nine games literally split up into thirds guarantees available wins for certain individuals. For instance, my weakness is in the Rapid Fire games. The only one that I can consistently beat on Hyper is Dig! Dig! Dig! However, I am wonderful at Precision Timing and average to great on the Unique games. This variation is one of the many things that make the Mini-Games so addictive. If you're abysmal at the Precision Timing games but terrific at Rapid Fire, whereas your friend's awesome at Precision Timing but horrid at Rapid Fire, and the two of you set up a "Who's the best?" tournament, it could be a very close battle. There is also a more aesthetic and less practical beauty to the idea of classi- fying the Mini-Games. The nine games are positioned on the screen as follows: ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | | Magikarp's Splash | Clefairy Says | Run, Rattata, Run | | | | | | | | | |___________________|___________________|___________________| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Snore War | Thundering Dynamo | Sushi-Go-Round | | | | | | | | | |___________________|___________________|___________________| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ekans' Hoop-Hurl | Rock Harden | Dig! Dig! Dig! | | | | | | | | | |___________________|___________________|___________________| As you can see, all three rows consist of a Rapid Fire game, a Precision Timing game, and a Unique game. It couldn't have worked out any better! =============================================================================== V. - The Games [SRCH05] =============================================================================== Now that we've covered the basics, it's time to move on to the Mini-Games. Each game has been given its very own section, with information regarding the basics of it, the controls and any tips, hints and strategies I may have. Keep in mind that all the strategies I give will be based on Hyper difficulty, since that is the only difficulty that I play on anymore. However, even if you play on one of the three regular difficulties, reading a strategy for a game on Hyper mode can only make you better, so I encourage you to read everything I type. I also have included ratings for each Mini-Game. The Difficulty Rating is based on how hard the Mini-Game is (on Hyper). The Likeability Rating is based on how much I like the particular Mini-Game. Following are the keys for the ratings. ----------------- Difficulty Rating ----------------- * --> Very Easy ** --> Easy *** --> Normal **** --> Hard ***** --> Very Hard ------------------ Likeability Rating ------------------ * --> Very Boring ** --> Dull *** --> Moderately Fun **** --> Very Fun ***** --> Extremely Fun ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i. - Magikarp's Splash [SRCH06] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : * Likeability Rating: *** Four Magikarp have literally become fish-out-of-water. Each player controls one of them, and above each Magikarp is a counter with a large switch. Pressing the A Button will cause Magikarp to Splash, which is basically a jump. Your goal is to hit the counter as many times as possible (earning a point each time) before time is up. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins! ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - Remember to hold the A Button down long enough for Magikarp to hit the switch hanging below the counter. If you just tap the A Button, Magikarp will only get halfway towards the switch. The disadvantageousness here is that not only would you have missed out on a point, but you would've wasted time as well. - The key to winning at this game is to pull off successive, quick Splashes. If you press the A Button the moment your Magikarp lands, it will immediately jump and waste no time whatsoever. Mastering this technique guarantees victory. - The game begins with a "3! 2! 1! Go!" countdown. Some people wait until "Go!" appears before going for the first Splash. If you want to get a small lead (but a lead nonetheless) over your opponents, it is possible to pull off the initial Splash of the match the instant "Go!" appears. This will require some practice, however, because if you Splash too early (even by a fraction of a second), your Magikarp won't move at all and your opponents will likely get a two point lead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii. - Clefairy Says [SRCH07] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : *** Likeability Rating: * This game will test your memorization skills as well as your reflexes. You're a Clefairy student (one of four), with a Clefairy teacher. The teacher will write some directions on the blackboard. No, I mean actual directions. The directions are Up, Down, Left and Right. At first she will only give you four to remember, at which point you must recall them using the Directional Pad. Make sure you do it quickly because you don't have much time. As soon as the time is up, you (as well as the other three students) will begin to chant a rather creepy song. Any mistakes will be marked with an X, and for every X you get a bonk on the noggin with a mallet, and for every bonk with a mallet, one-fifth of your energy meter will be depleted. So, five mistakes means you're out. The game will continue to the point where twelve directions have been given. In order to win, you need to have the most energy remaining following the twelve-direction phase. ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - As an honorable competitor, I cannot encourage this specific strategy (though it is more of a cheat, as far as I am concerned). Keep in mind that this should only be used against the CPU, because if you are playing against friends, there is a good chance you may get punched in the face. Procure a piece of paper with a writing utensil, and write down the directions as they come. Then simply gaze at the sheet as you are recalling the directions for some easy reference. - If you are an honorable competitor, such as myself, the above "strategy" will be out of the question. Here's a much simpler and more modest one: keep in mind that the directions for a single game will never change. This means if the four directions at the beginning are Left, Left, Right, and Down, those will also be the directions at the beginning of the next phase (six directions, because this game goes by increments of two). So, the next phase would be Left, Left, Right, Down, and two new directions. This allows you to easily recall the beginning of the sequence of directions, and focus more on the newer ones. - When you are asked to recall the directions, little circles will appear above your head, each representing one of the directions. Never leave one blank; this will result in a bonk from a mallet, and thus a loss of 1/5 of your energy bar. You might as well guess if you're not sure of a direction. Your chances are 25% and therefore not great, but if you don't answer at all, that drops to 0%. - Sometimes the specific sequence of directions can be memorized much easier if you consider their placement on the D-Pad. For instance, if the first four were Right, Up, Left, and Down, you could think to yourself, "Start at the right and go in a counterclockwise circle." Then you could tag on additional sentences to help you remember more directions. So, let's guess that the next two directions were Left and Right. Then you could think to yourself, "Start at the right, and go in a counterclockwise circle before looking to the left and right." This may seem silly, but it will help a lot. I promise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iii. - Run, Rattata, Run [SRCH08] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : **** Likeability Rating: ** Four Rattata feel like racing each other on a track & field conveyor belt (this is likely an allusion to hamsters-on-a-wheel). To run, you must rapidly tap the A Button. This game can be hard on your fingers, especially on Hyper. There are several hurdles positioned randomly along the track, and in order to clear them you must press Up on the D-Pad, otherwise your Rattata will come to a halt. The course is 50 meters long, and there are markings at the 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m, 30m, 35m, 40m and 45m points to let you know how close you are to the goal. The first person to make it to the goal is the winner. ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - There aren't many tips I can offer for Rapid Fire games such as this. You are either good at them, or you aren't. Nevertheless, I will warn you not to forget about the hurdles. Too many times have I seen someone concentrating too hard on tapping the A Button like a maniac and end up crashing into a hurdle. Also, try not to let the rotating camera distract you. Some have expressed disapproval at the way the camera moves around, because it's somewhat difficult to keep an eye on their specific Rattata. Just concentrate on yours, remember that the hurdles will come, tap the A Button as fast as you can, and you should do alright. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iv. - Snore War [SRCH09] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : ** Likeability Rating: ** Four Drowzee (one of which you control) are standing around a pendulum. There's a yellow curve below this pendulum with a red needle in the center. The game is all about timing, and when the game starts, the pendulum will swing to and fro. What you need to do is press the A Button just as the pendulum touches that red needle. If you time it correctly, you will cast Hypnosis on the other Drowzee-- but if you mess up, you'll snore and be that much closer to defeat. If you want to be the victor, you must be the last man (Drowzee?) standing. ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - As the pendulum passes over the red needle, it'll temporarily flash white (in contrast with its natural gold plating). It is certainly wise to take advantage of this, but it will only be useful during the beginning portion. Once the game progresses and the pendulum swings faster and faster, you must rely on instinct and reflexes. - After playing the game for a few times, you should be able to "tap in" to the rhythm of the pendulum, including its acceleration. Once I managed to beat this game on Hyper with my eyes closed, so it is definitely possible to memorize the rhythm and speed of the pendulum. Keep that in mind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- v. - Thundering Dynamo [SRCH10] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : ***** Likeability Rating: *** Four Pokémon (a combination of Pikachu and Voltorb - selected randomly) are not as charged as they should be. Fortunately, they are all connected to a damn big generator. When the light on the generator turns blue, tap the A Button as fast as possible. When the light turns green, tap the B Button rapidly. This adds up electricity to your Pokémon's Electrometer (as I like to call it). The first to completely charge up their Electrometer is the winner. Be sure to keep a watch- ful eye on the light, because it changes randomly and sometimes quickly. If you tap the wrong button, your Electrometer will drain, so be careful! ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - As with Run, Rattata, Run, there aren't many tips I can give you. Personally, I'm not too great at this game. To date, I've only beaten it once on Hyper mode and that was probably luck. I don't know if I'm just terrible at Rapid Fire, or if this game really is that hard. The best advice I could give you is to go ape crazy on the buttons, keep an eye on the light, and hope the CPU screws up... - There is no reason for anyone to forget which button does what. Remember that the blue light is for the A (blue) Button, and the green light is for the B (or green) Button. Keep this in mind, and you'll never forget which button to push. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vi. - Sushi-Go-Round [SRCH11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : ***** Likeability Rating: ***** This is arguably the most intricate Mini-Game in Pokémon Stadium. You play as a Lickitung, in a gluttonous battle against three others to eat the most valuable sushi in a limited time. The hard part? You have to remember which types are of higher value, all the while competing against three voracious Lickitung. Before the game begins, you are shown the eight types of sushi along with their price. When the game starts, twelve random types of sushi appear on a rotating counter and you must run around (analog stick) and eat as much sushi as you can (to eat simply press the A Button). Try to eat the more expensive sushi to get a higher bill. Following is a description of each sushi, its real name, and its value in the game. Note that ¥ = Yen. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Gray cup containing a green liquid | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Wasabi | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥20 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Black rolls with a white end that has a green center | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Kappa | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥50 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Yellow top with a white bottom and black strip | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Tamago | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥150 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Black rolls with a white end that has a red center | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Tekka | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥200 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Black base with a red top | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Ikura | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥250 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Shrimp (easy enough, eh?) | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Ebi | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥350 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Red top with white bottom | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Maguro | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥600 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Description | Black base with orange-brown top | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Real Life Name | Uni | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Expensiveness | ¥1000 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - This is perhaps the most obvious tip I could give, but the most useful. There is nothing more important than memorizing the order of values for the sushi. If you go chomping away at all the Kappa, you won't be raking in a lot of dough. I recommend studying the eight sushi types and picturing the hierarchy of values. - Just as the game starts, twelve random pieces of sushi will appear. *As* they are appearing, pause the game. This lets you take a quick peek at the available sushi, and so you can start the game knowing where to go exactly. - Eating the same type of sushi in a row garners you bonuses. Eat two of one of the sushi types, and you get a x2 bonus. Eat a third, get a x3. This goes on to a maximum of a x5 bonus. However, if you continue eating the same type of sushi you will continue to get a x5 bonus for each additional piece that you eat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vii. - Ekans' Hoop-Hurl [SRCH12] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : **** Likeability Rating: **** This game combined Ring Toss with Whack-A-Mole. In this case, Ekans is the ring and Diglett is the mole. You control one of four Ekans, and in front of you are nine Diglett mounds arranged in a phalanx, as illustrated below: O O O O O O O O O E E E E The O's represent the Diglett mounds, while the E's represent the placement for the four Ekans. The game lasts a total of 60 seconds, and your goal is to fling your Ekans onto a Diglett (the Ekans turns into a ring in the air). There is no more than 3 Diglett at a time, and when one gets 'rung' a new one appears. Each successful ring-around-a-Diglett earns you a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of sixty seconds is the winner! Note that sometimes a shiny Diglett, worth two points instead of one, will appear. Look out for these! Now, you must use the D-Pad to tweak the angle of your Ekans, and the analog stick to launch. The row closest to you requires a very slight pull-back of the analog stick. If you are going for a Diglett in the back row, pull back all the way. The hardest row to earn a point in is the middle row, because you need to pull back but not as far as for the back row. ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - You MUST be aggressive if you want to win, especially on Hyper mode. You will be taken advantage of by the CPU if you take your sweet time, so practice a lot in terms of aiming and launching, and do not let up even for a second. - Whenever a shiny Diglett appears, go for it, even if it is in the middle row. These should be your highest priority. When they appear, go for it! - This is more of a side-effect than a strategy. When you barely miss a Diglett your Ekans bounces off with a strange 'elastic' sound effect. Sometimes this is a good thing, because your Ekans may bounce off and land on a nearby Diglett. I do not recommend attempting to utilize this technique. Just keep it in the back of your mind and hope that it happens if you end up missing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- viii. - Rock Harden [SRCH13] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : * Likeability Rating: **** Has your opponent ever used Harden over and over again and pissed you off? Well now you get to use it yourself! You play as either a Kakuna or a Metapod (again this is randomly selected, like Pikachu and Voltorb for Thundering Dynamo). You and the other three players happen to be sitting around in a rock quarry. Rocks that are pretty damn big will fire at you in patterned intervals. To obliterate the rocks and prevent them from crushing your Pokémon, press the A Button. This will allow you to use Harden and the rock will crumble apart. Now, when you use Harden, your energy meter will slowly deplete (if you allow a rock to crush you instead of using Harden, a large chunk of your energy will be lost). Basically, this means that Rock Harden is a game of stamina. Whoever is the last Kakuna or Metapod standing is the winner! ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - Keep an eye not on the rocks, but on their shadow. The best strategy for this game is to wait until the shadow is right overhead, and then tap (do not press) the A Button for a lightning-fast Harden that still destroys the rock. This may seem like a difficult technique to pull off, but it's not that hard. In fact, I have used this strategy on Hyper mode and won with half of my energy remaining! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ix. - Dig! Dig! Dig! [SRCH14] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty Rating : * Likeability Rating: *** Four Sandshrew, one of which you control, are at a construction site that needs some water. Your task is to burrow underground and reach a water reservoir. The only restriction is that you must alternate between the L and R Buttons. If you press L and R at the same time, your Sandshrew will do nothing. Whoever reaches water first is the winner! ------------------------ TIPS, HINTS & STRATEGIES ------------------------ - Some people are under the impression that you must go crazy on the buttons if you are to win the game. That's not true. As long as you keep a steady rhythmic pace going, without screwing up (i.e., pressing L and R simultaneously), you'll win the game. This applies even to Hyper mode. Don't tire yourself out, because it's not necessary. =============================================================================== VI. - My Personal Records [SRCH15] =============================================================================== The only downside to the Mini-Games of Pokémon Stadium is that only three allow you to earn literal, definable records. These games are: Magikarp's Splash, the addictive Sushi-Go-Round, and Ekans' Hoop-Hurl. My records for these games have been posted below. Note that all records are for Hyper mode *victories* ONLY. Magikarp's Splash: 32 Sushi-Go-Round : ¥8550 Ekans' Hoop-Hurl : 18 Note that it is possible to 'invent' records for the other games. For instance, I've perfectly beaten (no mistakes) Clefairy Says on Hyper many times in a row, I've beaten Snore War on Hyper without snoring once, I've beaten Rock Harden on Hyper mode with half of my energy still remaining, etc. Nevertheless, these are not 'concrete' records, so I only count the three that I posted. =============================================================================== VII. - Interesting Stuff [SRCH16] =============================================================================== Sometimes you can be so enthralled with a game that you fail to check out minor things such as the background, aspects of the game and more. That is where this topic comes into play. Following are six factoids that I have come across about Mini-Games of Pokémon Stadium. Read on... and enjoy! ----------------------- Magikarp Frozen in Time ----------------------- Magikarp's Splash appears at first glance to have a simplistic setting. However there is a latent quality to this seemingly innocuous stage, a quality that has gone unnoticed in the public subconscious for years... ahem. First of all, I've always appreciated the beauty of this Mini-Game. The stone bridge nearby, those fluffy bushes by the lakeside, and then of course there is the lake itself. The lake seems to be a tranquil, quiescent sight to behold, seemingly timeless. But that's because it is. Take a good look at the lake and you'll see a Magikarp in the water... only it's not moving. Turns out the scenery is a static painting! ---------------- The Cunning Game ---------------- If you are a sly devil, you may think that you can outsmart the computer in the Clefairy Says game by pausing to take a good long look at the directions. Well, think again, because if you pause the game the directions will disappear! Seems like the programmers anticipated this kind of cheaing... ---------------------------- Snore War's Optical Illusion ---------------------------- The background scenery of Snore War consists of a Necker Cube illusion. Here is a picture: http://www.sjesoft.com/3DGallery/trueSpace/optical.jpg. At first you think you see spaces between the cubes, but these spaces suddenly "jump out" at you and become three-dimensional cubes themselves! If you want to see more, you can check out this site: http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Illusions.html, and this site: http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/. -------------------------------------- Pikachu & Voltorb: The Forbidden Tryst -------------------------------------- When you move the cursor to any Mini-Game, the Pokémon that are in that picture will move around. If you go to Thundering Dynamo, and take a look at what Ash's cute little electric rat is doing with Voltorb, well, just take a look... >_> --------------------------- The Sushi of Sushi-Go-Round --------------------------- Have you ever wondered what each sushi type actually is in Sushi-Go-Round? Well now I've got the answers! The ¥20 sushi is a cup of wasabi. Wasabi is a really, really hot horseradish, which explains Lickitung's reaction when you eat one of these. The ¥50 sushi is called Kappa, which is a basic sushi with some cucumber slices stuffed in. The ¥150 sushi is Tamago, which is an egg omelette. The ¥200 sushi is called Tekka, which is a basic sushi with raw tuna stuffed inside. The ¥250 sushi is known as Ikura, which is a salmon roe. Now, a roe is a helping of fish eggs or an eggs-filled ovary. Yeah... disgusting. The ¥350 sushi is simply shrimp (Japanese name Ebi). The ¥600 sushi is called Maguro, and it's basically tuna. Finally, The ¥1000 sushi is called Uni, and it's a sea urchin roe (Ugh!). ------------- Shiny Pokémon ------------- Three shiny Pokémon can be seen in the Mini-Games. They are: Kakuna and Metapod (when you use Harden in the game Rock Harden) and Diglett (sometimes shiny ones appear in Ekans' Hoop-Hurl, and they're worth two points instead of one). Could this be a reference to the rare shiny Pokémon in the Game Boy games? Who knows! =============================================================================== VIII. - Legal Information, Credits & Author's Note [SRCH17] =============================================================================== I have never been a big fan of legality, so all I will say is this: if you want to use this guide for a website or something, just send me an e-mail and I will gladly give my approval. BanjoKazooie1988@aol.com is where you can contact me. ------- CREDITS ------- http://web.mit.edu/21f.066/www/dcherng/nigirizushi.jpg - For information on sushi http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Illusions.html - For having lots of wonderful optical illusions http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/ - Same as above http://www.sjesoft.com/3DGallery/trueSpace/optical.jpg - For a picture of the illusion used in Snore War http://www.gamefaqs.com/ - For being the absolute greatest video gaming site on the Internet, bar none Nintendo: for allowing me to waste years of my life playing video games :) You: for reading this! ------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE ------------- Pokémon Stadium is one of the greatest video games I have ever played, and this guide is a tribute to its longevity. I had a wonderful time making this, and my only hope is that you will now go and kick the CPU's ass on Hyper! Take care...