Pokémon Stadium 2

From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.

For the stage inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, seePokémon Stadium 2 (stage).

For the game with the Japanese name of Pokémon Stadium 2, seePokémon Stadium.

Pokémon Stadium 2 ポケモンスタジアム金銀
Boxart of Pokémon Stadium 2
Basic info
Platform:	Nintendo 64 Nintendo Switch (Nintendo Classics)
Category:	Battle Simulation
Players:	1-4
Connectivity:	Transfer Pak
Developer:	Nintendo
Publisher:	Nintendo
Part of:	Generation II side series
Ratings
CERO:	N/A
ESRB:	E
ACB:	G
OFLC:	G8+
PEGI:	3
GRAC:	N/A
GSRR:	N/A
Release dates
Japan:	December 14, 2000(N64)^[1] August 8, 2023(Nintendo Classics)
North America:	March 26, 2001(N64)^[2]^[3] August 8, 2023(Nintendo Classics)
Australia:	April 7, 2001(N64) August 8, 2023(Nintendo Classics)
Europe:	October 10, 2001(N64)^[4] August 8, 2023(Nintendo Classics)
South Korea:	August 8, 2023(Nintendo Classics)
Hong Kong:	August 8, 2023(Nintendo Classics)
Taiwan:	September 9, 2025(Nintendo Classics)
Websites
Japanese:	Pokémon.co.jp Nintendo.co.jp
English:	Pokémon.com Nintendo.com Nintendo.co.uk
Japanese boxart Japanese boxart

StrategyWiki has more about this subject:

Pokémon Stadium 2

Pokémon Stadium 2 (Japanese:ポケモンスタジアム金(きん)銀(ぎん)Pokémon Stadium G&S; the series title ポケモンスタジアム is subtitled asPocket Monsters' Stadium) is a Pokémon game for theNintendo 64. It is the sequel toPokémon Stadium.

Pokémon Stadium 2 allows battling with Generation I and II Pokémon in 3D, featuring several different battle modes. Players can battle with their Pokémon fromRed, Blue,Yellow,Gold, Silver, andCrystal by using aTransfer Pak. This game can utilize theNintendo 64 Expansion Pak, but it is not required. The Japanese version also has the capability to use theMobile System GB from the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal.

In Japan, it was released for Nintendo 64 on December 14, 2000, the same date asPokémon Crystal. In North America, Europe, and Australia, it was released in 2001, after the release of Pokémon Crystal in those regions.

It was re-released forNintendo Switch as part of the Nintendo 64 -Nintendo Classics application on August 8, 2023. This version of the game is unable to connect to the originalGame Boy games, which are not available in the service (or theirNintendo 3DS Virtual Console releases). This means that it is not possible to use Mewtwo, Lugia, or Ho-Oh in-game.

Terminology

This game is called "Pokémon Stadium 2" in English, as it was the secondPokémon Stadium series game released outside Japan. It was initially announced under the title "Pokémon Stadium GS".^[5] However, this was the third Japanese game in this series.

For comparison, the earlier game known asPokémon Stadium in English is titled ポケモンスタジアム２ (Pokémon Stadium 2) in Japan, as it was the second Japanese game in this series.

The Japanese version of Pokémon Stadium 2 is titled ポケモンスタジアム金(きん)銀(ぎん) (Pokémon Stadium G&S), in reference to the gamesPokémon Gold and Silver. It was initially announced under the tentative title of ポケモンスタジアム金銀クリスタル (Pokémon Stadium Gold/Silver and Crystal) atNintendo Space World 2000.^[6] In the Japanese logo and on the Nintendo Switch Online service, the game's title also includes the subtitle クリスタルバージョン対応 (Supports Crystal Version).

Blurb

Hundreds of Pokémon in Three-mendous 3-D! What's sweeter than victory in a Pokémon battle? Victory in a 3-D arena on the N64! Set your strategy then stand back while your Pokémon battle it out. You can even see the Pokémon you've trained rendered in 3-D and ready for battle!

Nearly 250 Pokémon! Transfer Pokémon from the Red, Blue, Yellow - even Silver and Gold - versions of Pokémon for Game Boy. Or play with Rental Pokémon from the game.
See them all in glorious 3-D! PitHo-Oh,Lugia,Entei, andPichu against all-time favorites likeMewtwo,Charizard,Blastoise, andPikachu.
Become the Stadium Champion! Take on 21 Pokémon Trainers in the Gym Leader Castle and try to win it all!
12 all-new mini-games! Try to bump the otherHitmontop out of the arena in Topsy-Turvy or charge up more energy than anyone else in Pichu's Power Plant.

White City

White City is the home of a large Pokémon Stadium, a state of the art laboratory, a prestigious Pokémon academy and much more.

Stadium

Number of Players: One

Pokémon may either be rented or uploaded from an attached game cartridge. Eight Trainers must be defeated in order to win in each cup. The Poké Cup and Challenge Cup have four difficulty levels each.

Little Cup:

Only unevolved Pokémon that can evolve duringGeneration II may enter. A total of 86 kinds are eligible.
Pokémon must belevel 5
SonicBoom andDragon Rage have no effect

Poké Cup:

Pokémon must be between the levels of 50 and 55.
The sum of the levels of the three Pokémon chosen to battle must not be more than 155.
Mewtwo,Mew,Lugia,Ho-Oh, andCelebi cannot enter.

Prime Cup:

All Pokémon up to level 100 are eligible, opponents all use level 100 Pokémon.
Unlike the Prime Cup of theprevious game, there is only one difficulty level.

Challenge Cup:

The player's six Pokémon, and all of the opponents' Pokémon, are selected at random from a pool of rentals. (Each opponent's roster still follows a particular theme.)
There are four different level classes:
- Poké Ball: Level 30
- Great Ball: Level 45
- Ultra Ball: Level 60
- Master Ball: Level 75

Free Battle

Number of Players: One to Four

Here players can battle with one to three other people or battle the computer, which is represented byCal. Two people may battle on a team against the opponent. The Stadium background may be chosen from those already unlocked and players may use customized rulesets created in the options menu.

Gym Leader Castle

Number of Players: One

At the Gym Leader Castle, the player can use Pokémon uploaded from a Pokémon Game Boy game or rentals (from the Poké Cup at level 50) to battle the Gym Leaders of Johto and Kanto. The minimum Pokémon level used by the opponents is 50.

Most Gyms have several Trainers; the sole exception on the Johto side is the Olivine Gym, and there are only the leaders to be found on the Kanto side.

Johto Gym Leader Castle

Violet Gym:

Bird Keeper Matt
Leader Falkner

Azalea Gym:

Bug Catcher Chaz
Twins Min and Lyn
Leader Bugsy

Goldenrod Gym:

Ecruteak Gym:

Cianwood Gym:

Black Belt Nick
Leader Chuck

Olivine Gym:

Leader Jasmine

Team Rocket interruption:

Mahogany Gym:

Blackthorn Gym:

Elite Four:

Elite FourWill
Elite FourKoga
Elite FourBruno
Elite FourKaren
Champion Lance

If the Elite Four segment is cleared using 6 Pokémon from a player's Game Boy cartridge—no rentals used—then the player is given the option to teach a single move to one of the Pokémon they used that it could learn at a previous level. UntilGeneration III'sMove Reminder, this was the only way to do this.

Kanto Gym Leader Castle

The Kanto side is not available until the Johto side is completed. The eight Kanto Leaders can be defeated in any order, and are fought in the same Gym arenas as theprevious game.

Pewter Gym:

Leader Brock

Cerulean Gym:

Leader Misty

Vermilion Gym:

Leader Lt. Surge

Celadon Gym:

Leader Erika

Fuchsia Gym:

Leader Janine

Saffron Gym:

Leader Sabrina

Cinnabar Gym:

Leader Blaine

Viridian Gym:

Leader Blue

After they are all defeated, one last challenge appears:

Silver Cave:

??? Red

Game Boy Tower

Number of Players: One

At the Game Boy Tower, players can play all compatible Pokémon Game Boy games on the Nintendo 64 using theTransfer Pak. This is similar to Nintendo'sSuper Game Boy andGame Boy Player, except it only plays the compatible Pokémon games.

There are two options: Load Max and Load Little. Load Max makes the gameplay smoother, but takes longer to initially load the Game Boy game.

Like the previous Pokémon Stadium, Doduo and Dodrio Game Boy are unlockable features which speed up gameplay. Doduo Game Boy becomes unlocked for Red, Blue, and Yellow when beating either Gym Leader Castle or all the cups in Round 1, and also for Gold, Silver, and Crystal for meeting this requirement in Round 2. It allows the player to play at twice the speed; however, in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the border will be missing and the screen will have a sepia tone until switching back to normal speed. Dodrio Game Boy is available for Red, Blue, and Yellow when beating both the Gym Leader Castle and all the cups in Round 1, and for Gold, Silver, and Crystal when doing this in Round 2. In Red, Blue, and Yellow, this allows the player to play at quadruple the speed, and in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, it allows the player to play at triple the speed; however, there is still no border, and the screen is grayscale. Also, the Elite Four needs to be beaten in Gold, Silver, and Crystal to be able to use this feature in those games.

Pokémon Lab

Main article:Pokémon Lab (Stadium)

In this laboratory ofProfessor Oak, players can do several things:

Switch game paks to upload data from
Trade Pokémon between different game paks (requires at least twoTransfer Paks and two compatible Pokémon games)
Check a 3DPokédex, including a detailed 3D world map ofJohto andKanto
Move and check items and Pokémon on aPC. This PC can be used to store Pokémon on the Stadium 2 Game Pak.
- Items can be transferred between games of the samegeneration without issue: Generation I games store items in the Color Case, while Generation II games store items in the Metal Case.

Pokémon Academy

Number of Players: One

AtEarl's Pokémon Academy, players can learn new battle skills in lectures from Earl, and show them off in various "test" battles, where the object is to defeat an opponent using specific Pokémon that know advantageous moves for the situation at hand. There is also an extensive items, Pokémon, and battling library at the Academy. By insertingPokémon Crystal into a Transfer Pak, the library is expanded with data pertaining to that game.

My Room

Here players can see their room fromGold, Silver, orCrystal versions in 3D. As in the games, it can be redecorated freely, however, there must be aGeneration II Pokémon game in the Transfer Pak to access it.

Mini-games

Main article:Pokémon Stadium series mini-games

VS Rival

Number of Players: One

Main article:Silver (game) → Pokémon Stadium 2

After each of theStadium Cups and theGym Leader Castle have all been completed 100%,the Rival's lair will appear inWhite City, where he awaits the player's challenge. He wieldsLugia,Ho-Oh, andMewtwo, all level 100, and the player may use up to 6 Pokémon (their own or Prime Cup rentals) to try to defeat him.

If victorious, the player is treated to a parade roll of all 251then-known Pokémon, followed by the credits, which feature photographs of the various Trainers of the combined Gym Leader Castles in battle. Defeating theRival for the first time awards the player aFarfetch'd that knowsBaton Pass, and opens up Round 2 of the game (see below). In the Round 2 Rival battle, he uses the same Pokémon, but substantially stronger. Victory in Round 2 awards aGligar that knowsEarthquake.

Available Pokémon

Main article:List of Rental Pokémon in Pokémon Stadium 2

Other modes

These modes are accessed from the main menu:

Battle Now!

Number of Players: One to Two

In this mode, one or two players battle with 6 random Pokémon from a small selection, in a standard 3 vs. 3 battle. Both opponents will be very evenly matched. In Round 1, the Pokémon are level 40 and mostly unevolved; in Round 2 they are level 70 and fully evolved. When playing against the CPU (Cal), there are three difficulty levels to choose.

Round 1

Main article:Pokémon Stadium 2/Battle Now Round 1

Round 2

Main article:Pokémon Stadium 2/Battle Now Round 2

Event Battle

Number of Players: Two

Here, two players can battle with the rules of one of the Stadium Cups, or use custom rules. Only Pokémon from a Game Boy cartridge are allowed, and it is possible to set special options such as a time limit, making it ideal for tournament play.

Time limits for selecting actions can be set between 10 and 90 seconds; on the other hand, the time limit for the overall match can be set between 5 and 90 minutes. When the time of the match is over the winner is decided with these criteria in the following order: number of remaining Pokémon and sum of the remaining Pokémon Hit Points percentages (in both cases, the player that has the highest number wins). If both players have the same number of remaining Pokémon and Hit Points percentages the match is declared a Draw.

Unlike the Free Battle mode players can't choose the stage, each fight always takes place in the stage of its corresponding format (in the case of Edit Rules, the battles take place in the Free Battle stage with the music of the first three battles of the Poké Cup).

Mystery Gift

Main article:Mystery Gift

The girl here will give each Game Boy game pak one gift a day. If the gift is an item, the player must pick it up at the Laboratory or in a Pokémon Center. Using this feature also leavesCarrie waiting to battle the player atViridian City'sTrainer House.Note: Mystery Gift must first be activated in theGeneration II games. This mode is not available forGeneration I versions.

Round 2

When the Rival is defeated, Round 2 can be toggled on and off by pressing C-Right on the main menu. As in the previous game, Round 2 challenges the player to battle through the game all over again, against the same opponents, but they have different Pokémon and the difficulty is much higher. Round 2 is differentiated from Round 1 in White City by a sunset background.

Transfer Pak

The player may use theTransfer Pak to connect this game with allGeneration I andII core series games, depending on their language.

The English and European versions of Pokémon Stadium 2 and core series games are compatible with each other. The Japanese version of Pokémon Stadium 2 is only compatible with Japanese core series games. The Korean versions ofPokémon Gold and Silver are incompatible with Pokémon Stadium 2.

Mobile System GB

The Japanese version connects toPokémon Crystal, allowing the player to view saved battles from that game that were performed through theMobile System GB connection. This feature uses a special stadium called theMobile Stadium (Japanese:モバイルスタジアム). A similar function is fulfilled by theVs. Recorder inPlatinum,HeartGold and SoulSilver.

Game mechanics changes

Pokémon Stadium 2 includes 22 changes to game mechanics that were implemented to fix glitches or to balance the game (some changes come from Pokémon Crystal's Story Mode). Below is the complete list of changes:^[7]

Team Preview is always enforced.
Dragon Fang boosts the power ofDragon-type moves by 10%.Dragon Scale retains itsheld item status and continues increasing Dragon type moves by 10%.
Only items that have an effect in battle can be equipped to the Pokémon (this includes the Dragon Scale). Items likeMails, theSun Stone, theSuper Potion or theUltra Ball cannot be equipped at all.
Item Clause is enforced in all Story Modes and Multiplayer battles of the game, except in Anything Goes and Edit Rules battles where players are free to decide if they want to enforce it or not.
Players can see the actualHP number of the Pokémon that are fighting.
Berserk Gene makes a PokémonConfused for 2 to 5 turns instead of 255. If the Pokémon gets Confused for 4 turns, the status is lifted during its Attack phase on turn 5, just as with normal Confusion.
Metal Powder only raises the physical Defense and Special Defense ofDitto when it is notTransformed.
WhenBelly Drum is used by a Pokémon that has less than half of its HP remaining, the move fails instead of raising the Pokémon's Attack by two stages.
In Little Cup battles,Dragon Rage andSonicBoom have no effect.
Present uses a different damage formula. The move has a 40% chance of having a Base Damage of 40; a 30% chance of having a Base Damage of 80; a 10% chance of having a Base Damage of 120, and a 20% chance of healing a quarter of the opponent's HP (unless it has full health, in which case, the move fails).
In Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, ifFissure orHorn Drill (but notGuillotine) misses and the opponent usesCounter after that in the same turn, the user of the One Hit KO move is hit by Counter and faints even if it has full health. In Pokémon Stadium 2's mechanics, if Fissure or Horn Drill misses, Counter fails .
Stat rollovers never occur; e.g., if a max AttackLevel 100Marowak usesSwords Dance, it gets a final Attack value of 999, and subsequent uses of Swords Dance don't do anything.
If a Burned Pokémon uses a move that raises its Attack, the stat's reduction is ignored, e.g., if a BurnedSnorlax usesCurse once, its Attack stage increases to +1 instead of -1.
If a Burned Pokémon is hit by a move that reduces its Attack one stage, the stat is increased, e.g., if a Burned Ursaring is hit with Growl, its Attack stage increases from -2 to -1.
If a Burned Pokémon is hit by a move that reduces its Attack two stages, the stat remains the same, e.g., if a Burned Tyranitar is hit with Charm, its Attack stage stays at -2.
If a Paralyzed Pokémon uses a move that increases its Speed, the stat's reduction is ignored, e.g., if a Paralyzed Raichu uses Agility once, its Speed stage increases to +2 instead of -4.
If a Paralyzed Pokémon is hit by an attack that reduces its Speed, the stat is increased, e.g., if a Paralyzed Aerodactyl is hit with Icy Wind, its Speed stage increases from -6 to -1.
The Sleep status now lasts 2-4 turns like in Pokémon Crystal's Battle Tower. On turn 1 the Pokémon never wakes up. On turn 2 it has a 33.3% chance of waking up. On turn 3 it has a 50% chance of waking up. Finally, on turn 4 it always wakes up.
Freeze Clause returns and is enforced in all game modes.
Sleep Clause is always enforced, even for self-inflicted sleep due toRest.
Self-KO Clause also returns and is always enforced. If the player's last Pokémon uses Self-Destruct or Explosion, they lose. Destiny Bond and Perish Song always fail when used by the last Pokémon (in Perish Song's case, no countdown takes place).
Recoil Moves Clause is enforced but modified. If both players have only one Pokémon left and one KOs the other with a Recoil move, the user of the move takes no Recoil damage.

Special Pokémon

Two Pokémon with unique moves can be obtained and transferred to anyGeneration II game.

Baton Pass Farfetch'd

ThisFarfetch'd with the special moveBaton Pass is obtained by beating the Rival at the end of Round 1.

FARFETCH'D♂/♀

Lv.5

0083

There is no limit to this Pokémon's availability.
It may be obtained on any date, beginning from
when it was released.
It was available inall regions.

Item

スタジアム*
Stadium*

Gold Berry

ID No.

02000

Can be obtained with:		G	S	C

Obtained from:		Stad2	Distribution

Earthquake Gligar

ThisGligar with the special moveEarthquake (which it cannot be taught byTM26 inGeneration II) is obtained by beating the Rival at the end of Round 2.

GLIGAR♂/♀

Lv.5

0207

There is no limit to this Pokémon's availability.
It may be obtained on any date, beginning from
when it was released.
It was available inall regions.

Item

スタジアム*
Stadium*

MysteryBerry

ID No.

02000

Can be obtained with:		G	S	C

Obtained from:		Stad2	Distribution

Staff

Main article:Staff of Pokémon Stadium 2

Trivia

Western versions of this game's cartridge were specially coloredgold and silver, referencing the first two games of the generation.
Pokémon Stadium 2,Conker's Bad Fur Day, andResident Evil 2 are the largest games for theNintendo 64, each one having a file size of 64 megabytes.
Unlike the Japanese boxart and manual, the English boxart and manual don’t mentionPokémon Crystal in their lists of compatible games (despite the games being fully compatible), because Stadium 2 was released four months beforeCrystal internationally.
Computer-controlled Trainers are capable of generating text boxes with their Trainer icon attached when certain events happen in the middle of a battle, such as using a particular move or receiving a critical hit, to give the impression that they're talking to the player during battle. A similar feature would later be implemented for important Trainers inGeneration IV and carry over intoGeneration V.
In Nintendo Power's Official Player's Guide, the term "Eeveelution" is mentioned, making this the first time an official Nintendo source acknowledges the fan term. However, it was not used in a game untilPokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
Until the announcement ofPokémon Black and White Versions 2, this was the only Pokémon game to have a number in its name outside of Asia.
Because of the Color Case's ability to transfer items directly betweenGeneration I games without requiring a matching Trainer ID (its predecessor required a matching Trainer ID), it is possible to face Sabrina as the second Gym Leader inPokémon Red, Blue, andYellow, as long as adrink has been transferred in forSaffron City's guards.
This is the only game in which Red appears without ever using hisPikachu in battle. It does, however, make a cameo appearance during the end credits, battling withBlue'sEevee.
Two unlockable title screens are available after clearing the Gym Leader Castle, Stadium, and Vs Rival mode. The second title screen featuresMeganium,Typhlosion,Feraligatr, and theLegendary beasts in the background. The third title screen featuresHo-Oh andLugia.
There isa glitch which causes non-Japanese Stadium 2 connected with non-JapanesePokémon Blue to display the map locations for Japanese Blue instead. For instance, thePokédex map in Stadium 2 incorrectly displaysRaticate as available in theCerulean Cave in the non-Japanese versions of Pokémon Blue, when in fact Raticate is only available there in the Japanese version of Pokémon Blue.
Smeargle have varying back and tail colors based on IVs; this is the only game to feature varying Smeargle patterns.
- Similarly, Eggs that do not containShiny Pokémon have slightly varying tints. This can be used to determine whether or not an Egg contains a Shiny Pokémon prior to hatching.^[8]
If the game is left idle on the Options menu for several minutes, aXatu will appear and raise its wings. It will repeatedly do this, teleporting to random spots and rotations around the screen.^[9]
On the Game Pak Check screen, the cartridge in the Nintendo 64 appears to be a copy ofRoad Rash 64.^[10]
In the internal files for the game under Trainer profile pictures, there are three mugshots forPichu.
This was the last Pokémon game released for theNintendo 64, and the only one to not be part ofGeneration I, falling intoGeneration II instead.
Moves that are flagged as illegal by the game are displayed in purple in the battle menu, and its Trainer's name is displayed in purple too. This is purely visual and there are no other consequences on gameplay.