Hey You, Pikachu!
Encyclopedia
Hey You, Pikachu!, known in Japan
as , is a Nintendo 64
video game developed by Ambrella and published by Nintendo
. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 1998, and in North America
on November 6, 2000.
The game features voice-recognition technology used to talk to Pikachu
, the star of the game. It is one of only two games that utilizes the N64's Voice Recognition Unit (VRU), a piece of hardware that can comprehend and analyze the human voice. However, It is the only game released in the United States to use the VRU. Similar technology has been subsequently built into the Nintendo DS
and used in Gamecube games such as Mario Party 6
. The player can move around and pick up items, in addition to speaking with Pikachu and can describe everything.
Eventually, if the player reaches day 365, Professor Oak appears and says that Pikachu has to be released, as it is a wild Pokémon. The player has to go to the woods where Pikachu was found and say "goodbye" several times, upon which Pikachu realizes he can't live with the player anymore, and, sadly, leaves. After the credits, while the player is looking around the front yard and reminiscing about Pikachu, it returns, and the game continues as if Pikachu was never released.
, an easter egg
was placed in the game: speaking "PlayStation" into the microphone causes Pikachu to become angry.
listed Hey You, Pikachu! on their list of the "Top 50 Games That Belong On the 3DS", stating "Using the 3DS' built in microphone should make it simple to speak and interact with the wild pokemon."
to Hey You, Pikachu!, Pokémon Channel
was released on the Nintendo GameCube
and was also developed by Ambrella. Another spiritual sequel, Pokepark Wii was released on the Nintendo Wii.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
video game developed by Ambrella and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 1998, and in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on November 6, 2000.
The game features voice-recognition technology used to talk to Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
, the star of the game. It is one of only two games that utilizes the N64's Voice Recognition Unit (VRU), a piece of hardware that can comprehend and analyze the human voice. However, It is the only game released in the United States to use the VRU. Similar technology has been subsequently built into the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and used in Gamecube games such as Mario Party 6
Mario Party 6
is the sixth game in the Mario Party series of board game-style video games by Nintendo and is the third title in the series made for Nintendo GameCube and was released in Japan on November 18, 2004; North America on December 6, 2004; in Europe on March 18, 2005; and in Australia on September 15,...
. The player can move around and pick up items, in addition to speaking with Pikachu and can describe everything.
Gameplay
The game begins when the main character is asked to try out a new device of Professor Oak's that is used to talk to Pokémon. The player soon meets a wild Pikachu and befriends it. The Pikachu's trust must be earned by the player and eventually it will come and live in the player's house. There are three different activity days: Pikachu's Daring Days, Discovery Days, and Play Days. Each day has a different objective (e.g. collecting food, going fishing) and the player can earn Pika Points, which is the currency used at Abra's Shop to unlock new items.Eventually, if the player reaches day 365, Professor Oak appears and says that Pikachu has to be released, as it is a wild Pokémon. The player has to go to the woods where Pikachu was found and say "goodbye" several times, upon which Pikachu realizes he can't live with the player anymore, and, sadly, leaves. After the credits, while the player is looking around the front yard and reminiscing about Pikachu, it returns, and the game continues as if Pikachu was never released.
Development
In reference to Nintendo's rivalry with SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, an easter egg
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
was placed in the game: speaking "PlayStation" into the microphone causes Pikachu to become angry.
Reception
Arizona Republics Dustin Packwood commented that fans of the anime would enjoy this game. Kat Bailey of Retronauts cited Hey You, Pikachu! as an example of a terrible Pokémon console game. UGOUGO
UGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...
listed Hey You, Pikachu! on their list of the "Top 50 Games That Belong On the 3DS", stating "Using the 3DS' built in microphone should make it simple to speak and interact with the wild pokemon."
Legacy
A spiritual sequelSpiritual sequel
A spiritual successor, sometimes called a spiritual sequel or a companion piece, is a successor to a work of fiction which does not directly build upon the storyline established by a previous work as do most traditional prequels or sequels, but nevertheless features many of the same elements,...
to Hey You, Pikachu!, Pokémon Channel
Pokémon Channel
Pokémon Channel, released in Japan as is a virtual pet video game for the GameCube, developed by Ambrella. Its focus is the adventures the player has with Pikachu, most of them involving a new television network...
was released on the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
and was also developed by Ambrella. Another spiritual sequel, Pokepark Wii was released on the Nintendo Wii.