Pocket Monsters Stadium (Japan) - Poke Ball Cup Level 1-30 Division (Rentals Only)

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

The names Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2 refer to different games between Japanese and English. Since this game was never released outside Japan, the later game known as ポケモンスタジアム２ (Pokémon Stadium 2) in Japanese had its name adapted to Pokémon Stadium in English.

Subsequently, the third game in this series had its name changed as well; from ポケモンスタジアム金きん銀ぎん (Pokémon Stadium Gold and Silver) in Japanese to Pokémon Stadium 2 in English.

This game's Japanese title literally translates to Pokémon Stadium. The game is subtitled with the English subtitle Pocket Monsters' Stadium. On the official Japanese site for the game, the background image uses the English title Pocket Monster's Stadium.

All modes except Battle require a Game Boy game saved at a Pokémon Center and connected via Transfer Pak. If a Game Boy game is connected but not saved at a Pokémon Center, the game displays an error message.

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 Oak's Lab in future Pokémon Stadium games.

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 Nintendo Cup '98. There are four divisions: the Monster Ball, Super Ball, Hyper Ball, and Master Ball.

L50-55 Division: This tournament is based on the Nintendo Cup '97. 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.

There are only 40 Pokémon available for battles. Most of these Pokémon were used in official tournaments, with a few Pokémon added for type balance. While the other 111 Pokémon cannot be used in battle, their 3D models can still be viewed in the other modes.

Most, if not all, of the 111 remaining Pokémon were intended to be accessible via the Nintendo 64DD, using a special expansion disk. Due to heavy delays of the 64DD console, this disk was never released. This is also why during the credits, Caterpie, Weedle, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Clefairy, and Jigglypuff are shown battling, even though these Pokémon cannot be used in the game. The final game is still compatible with the 64DD in a technical sense, and even has a floppy disk drive 3D-modeled in the game terminal, but no disk can actually work with it.

Fun Fact: This game is sometimes nicknamed "Pokémon Stadium Zero" outside of Japan to distinguish it more easily from its sequel.

Watch the PokéBall Cup Level 1-30 Division Tournament (Rentals Only) in 4K 60FPS and experience the unique features of Pocket Monsters Stadium (Japan)!