Pokémon Battle Revolution
Encyclopedia
is the first Wii
incarnation of the Pokémon
video game franchise. It is also the first Wii game to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
in North America
and Japan and the first Wii game to wirelessly interact with the Nintendo DS
handheld.
Pokémon Battle Revolution features eleven different colosseums in a new land, a Pokémon-themed park called Pokétopia. Other features include stadiums that have their own special effects, such as randomizing the order of one's Pokémon. Some other effects are choosing the order of an opponent's Pokémon and setting level limitations.
This was the first Pokémon game to be rated 7+ by PEGI
: all other Pokémon games rated by them were rated 3+.
and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
, the game lacks any story mode.
Pokémon attacks are also much more diverse, with each Pokémon acquiring its own animation for most moves in the game. Some animations feature both the attacking and defending Pokémon on screen at the same time. In previous console titles, the game only showed one Pokémon attacking and then cut away to the second getting hit by the attack.
Along with connectivity to the Nintendo DS games, a player can win Pokémon from this game and transfer them back to their DS games through Mystery Gift. This feature allows players to obtain Pokémon that are either hard or impossible to get without using a cheat device
. To unlock the Pokémon, players must achieve certain goals or enter a special code. So far, Electivire and Magmortar are the only Pokémon that can be obtained through the latter method. A Pikachu with the special moves Volt Tackle and Surf can be obtained by beating each Colosseum once. In addition to the Pokémon download, players can purchase items like certain Technical Machines and evolution items.
Nintendo DS controls cannot be used in online multiplayer. When playing random online battles, the player's trainer's custom greetings and Pokémon nicknames are all changed to its native nation's defaults; for example, a Japanese will show its Japanese name instead of its English one. All Pokémon[excluding Generation 5 and on] are allowed in random battles.
at a Nintendo marketing event in Japan on June 7, 2006. At the event, Iwata described Wii-to-DS connectivity using the game as an example, stating that gamers with either Pokémon Diamond and/or Pearl
can play battles using their Diamond/Pearl Pokémon in Pokémon Battle Revolution, using their DS as a controller.
The DS linkup feature was accessible at 2006 Nintendo World Tour
for the first time. As well as allowing Pokémon from a Pokémon Diamond or Pearl cartridge to be used in-game, it replaces the on-screen battle menu used in conjunction with the Wii Remote
. The GameCube controller is not compatible with this game. The battle menu is displayed on the DS touchscreen instead, and it is navigated with the stylus. Up to eight players can play in a 1-on-1 tournament much like the Battle Frontier Battle Dome in Pokémon Emerald.
, which cites that the game omits several features demonstrated in previous games like Pokémon Stadium
and Pokémon Colosseum
, such as a role-playing
mode. The multiplayer and online functionality of the game is also criticized for lacking functions such as tournament play. Gamespot
gave the game a mediocre 5.5 out of 10 score, criticizing the repetitive gameplay and the barebones online support, as well as the fact that if one did not have Pokémon Diamond or Pearl for the DS, there is not nearly as much to do. Game Informer
rated it a 5.75 out of 10 saying the same things as Gamespot, and adding their own comment about a tutorial that taught you how to point the Wii Remote. Nintendo Power
rated it a 6.5 out of 10, praising the game's multiplayer while criticizing its lack of single player features. Famitsu
gave a positive review to the game, with a score of 35 out of 40. Another positive review is from Game Oracle who gave 75% who praised the online mode, graphics, and soundtrack. They criticised it for not being as good as XD Gale of Darkness and the necessity of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl to open the entire game experience. The game currently has a 53% average of 23 aggregated reviews on both Game Rankings
, and Metacritic
.
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
incarnation of the Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
video game franchise. It is also the first Wii game to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
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...
and Japan and the first Wii game to wirelessly interact with 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...
handheld.
Pokémon Battle Revolution features eleven different colosseums in a new land, a Pokémon-themed park called Pokétopia. Other features include stadiums that have their own special effects, such as randomizing the order of one's Pokémon. Some other effects are choosing the order of an opponent's Pokémon and setting level limitations.
This was the first Pokémon game to be rated 7+ by PEGI
Pan European Game Information
Pan European Game Information is a European video game content rating system established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games with logos on games boxes. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe and came into use in April 2003; it...
: all other Pokémon games rated by them were rated 3+.
Gameplay
The game features 11 different colosseums, each with special changes to normal play or prerequisites and a Colosseum Leader. The Crystal Colosseum holds battles in a 16-person single-elimination tournament mode. The Gateway Colosseum is only open to a rental pass holder, and Neon Colosseum uses a wheel to choose the player's and opponent's battling Pokémon. As the player progresses, the Pokémon available to rent become more powerful. The player also earns Poké-Coupons, the currency of this game. Coupons can be spent to customize the player character's in-game appearance with items such as apparel, face paint, and hair color. Unlike Pokémon ColosseumPokémon Colosseum
is a role-playing video game developed by Genius Sonority and published by Nintendo as part of the Pokémon series. It was released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube on November 21, 2003 in Japan; March 22, 2004 in North America; and May 14, 2004 in Europe...
and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, released in Japan as , is the second console role-playing game from Nintendo's Pokémon franchise for the Nintendo GameCube. It is the successor of the GameCube game Pokémon Colosseum. The game takes place in Orre, the setting of Pokémon Colosseums adventure mode...
, the game lacks any story mode.
Along with connectivity to the Nintendo DS games, a player can win Pokémon from this game and transfer them back to their DS games through Mystery Gift. This feature allows players to obtain Pokémon that are either hard or impossible to get without using a cheat device
Cheat cartridge
A cheat cartridge is a device that connects to any sort of cartridge-based video game system. It allows a user to input special cheat codes to manipulate a game in a way not permitted by its original programming. Usually the effect is to gain infinite lives, ammunition, unlock secrets, or do things...
. To unlock the Pokémon, players must achieve certain goals or enter a special code. So far, Electivire and Magmortar are the only Pokémon that can be obtained through the latter method. A Pikachu with the special moves Volt Tackle and Surf can be obtained by beating each Colosseum once. In addition to the Pokémon download, players can purchase items like certain Technical Machines and evolution items.
Online functionality
Battle Revolution is the first Pokémon home console title to go online in the United States as well as the first online game for the Wii console. It features two online modes; Battle with a Friend, which allows a player to battle a friend using its own 12-digit friend code, separate from the Wii console number, and Battle with Someone, which lets the player face off against a random opponent. The game uses a separate friend code than the one introduced in Diamond and Pearl. Each save file has its own friend code in order to keep the friend rosters of players within the same household separate. After each random battle, players are given the chance to exchange trainer passes. The exchange must be mutual; it will not work if one of the two trainers refuses.Nintendo DS controls cannot be used in online multiplayer. When playing random online battles, the player's trainer's custom greetings and Pokémon nicknames are all changed to its native nation's defaults; for example, a Japanese will show its Japanese name instead of its English one. All Pokémon[excluding Generation 5 and on] are allowed in random battles.
Development
The game was first announced by Nintendo president Satoru IwataSatoru Iwata
is the fourth president of Nintendo, succeeding the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. He was responsible in great part for defining Nintendo's strategy both before and during the release of its Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001, a vision which...
at a Nintendo marketing event in Japan on June 7, 2006. At the event, Iwata described Wii-to-DS connectivity using the game as an example, stating that gamers with either Pokémon Diamond and/or Pearl
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. With the enhanced remake Pokémon Platinum, the games comprise the fifth installment and fourth generation of the Pokémon series of RPGs...
can play battles using their Diamond/Pearl Pokémon in Pokémon Battle Revolution, using their DS as a controller.
The DS linkup feature was accessible at 2006 Nintendo World Tour
2006 Nintendo World Tour
The 2006 Nintendo World Tour, which began on November 3, 2006, was a showcase sponsored by Nintendo. It was created primarily to present the capabilities and game lineup of its upcoming Wii console to the Japanese public in antipication of its December 3 release date in the nation. Among others, it...
for the first time. As well as allowing Pokémon from a Pokémon Diamond or Pearl cartridge to be used in-game, it replaces the on-screen battle menu used in conjunction with the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
. The GameCube controller is not compatible with this game. The battle menu is displayed on the DS touchscreen instead, and it is navigated with the stylus. Up to eight players can play in a 1-on-1 tournament much like the Battle Frontier Battle Dome in Pokémon Emerald.
Reception
Pokémon Battle Revolution has received average to poor reviews from critics. It received a score of 5.0 out of 10 from IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, which cites that the game omits several features demonstrated in previous games like Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Stadium, known as in Japan, is a strategy game developed by Nintendo EAD with the assistance of Creatures and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released on April 30, 1999 in Japan, February 29, 2000 in North America, and April 7, 2000...
and Pokémon Colosseum
Pokémon Colosseum
is a role-playing video game developed by Genius Sonority and published by Nintendo as part of the Pokémon series. It was released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube on November 21, 2003 in Japan; March 22, 2004 in North America; and May 14, 2004 in Europe...
, such as a role-playing
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
mode. The multiplayer and online functionality of the game is also criticized for lacking functions such as tournament play. Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game a mediocre 5.5 out of 10 score, criticizing the repetitive gameplay and the barebones online support, as well as the fact that if one did not have Pokémon Diamond or Pearl for the DS, there is not nearly as much to do. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
rated it a 5.75 out of 10 saying the same things as Gamespot, and adding their own comment about a tutorial that taught you how to point the Wii Remote. Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
rated it a 6.5 out of 10, praising the game's multiplayer while criticizing its lack of single player features. Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
gave a positive review to the game, with a score of 35 out of 40. Another positive review is from Game Oracle who gave 75% who praised the online mode, graphics, and soundtrack. They criticised it for not being as good as XD Gale of Darkness and the necessity of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl to open the entire game experience. The game currently has a 53% average of 23 aggregated reviews on both Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, and Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
External links
- Official Pokémon Battle Revolution Webpage (English - Great Britain)
- Official Pokémon Battle Revolution Webpage (North America)
- Official Pokémon Battle Revolution Webpage