If you’ll remember from my Pokémon Stadium review, I mentioned that it was great to see every Pokémon at the time in 3D for the first time. In that sentence though, I made sure to mention “every” Pokémon, because there was a game that came out before Stadium that had part of the original 151 in 3D. That game would be Pokémon Snap. As odd as it might sound, it’s a Pokémon photography game, but like I said, it was 3D and also the first Pokémon game on a non-handheld console. Naturally, we all wanted it. How does this game hold up in hind sight? Let’s find out as I review Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 this week.
You play as a professional Phokémon Potographer- Pokémon Photographer (say that 10 times fast) hired by professor Oak to take pictures for a Pokémon report. For some reason though, Oak is only interested in the Pokémon found on this particular island, which excuses the game to only have around 63 of the original 151 Pokémon there were at the time. The professor gives you this vehicle to ride in called the Zero-One, which follows a rail, but can float in the air and over water and… I don’t know how it works. Anyways, this turns the game into a rail shooter (mind the pun) since you can’t stop the Zero-One, pick your direction or change your speed (until you beat the last level at least).
However, this does not mean that this game is entirely un-interactive, many times to get pictures of certain Pokémon you’ll have to make certain events happen by interacting with the Pokémon’s environment. You’re given three devices to achieve this: food, the pester ball and a poke flute. Sometimes it can be rather obvious how to get some Pokémon, like playing the poke flute near Snorlax to get a distinguishable shot of him. Other times it’s just experiment and see what happens, like for the Garydos picture.
Also, don’t think you can get away with taking an off-centre picture of a single Charmander 10 yards away: despite this game’s otherwise simplistic nature, Professor Oak’s rating system is somewhat sophisticated. He rates you based on what’s going on in the picture, how big the Pokémon appears, if there are any addition Pokémon of the same species in the photo and if it’s centered or not. It’s scientific, yet artistic at the same time: once you can SEE why he gives you certain scores, you can figure out HOW he’s going to rate your picture. So, all and all, the game play is less boring then perceived by concept alone, but probably less fun then it could have been.
Since this game is all about taking pictures of Pokémon and that the big hype was it was the first 3D Pokémon game, the graphics are pretty important. I have to say they live up to the expectations, but definitely don’t surpass it. For example, Slowpoke and Slowbro look really good in this game, though close enough you can see they’re made of polygons. Electrode is one I had a problem with, since he’s supposed to be perfectly rounded. Also, his eyebrows really look flat and pixelated. But generally, the Pokémon looked really cool and like what I expected them to (as I’ve said for my Pokémon Stadium review). The sounds in this game are amazing. The environmental ambiance is perfect for the scenic view and the music is just at the right level to complement it but not over power it. Also, the Pokémon in this game say their names, like in the show, but unlike most other games. This was an interesting choice, but I’m glad they went in that direction: it makes this game stand out just a bit more.
Pokémon Snap was a fun game, but it definitely hasn’t aged well. Its real weakness comes from its concept; I mean, Pokémon PHOTOGRAPHY? But, as stupid as it sounds, it’s also what makes it so unique and fun to play every once in a while (though, since it severely lacks in reply value, you’ll usually start a whole new game when you do). This was a good way to tide the Pokémon fans over until stadium for their 3D fix, which kind of makes me surprised there was never a Pokémon Snap 2; it would have been a clever way to tease the fans with some second generation Pokémon and would sell well if it did that. Anyways, I’m getting off topic. The gameplay is good… for what it is. You really get immersed in the environment and it’s all really well pulled off even though there were less than half of the Pokémon at the time in this game. If you grew up with this game, then you know how nostalgic it can feel, but if you didn’t, you’ll either find it lame or like how unique it is. I give Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 7 levels out of 10.
I’m Leo Melanson, and I promise, next time I talk about a Pokémon game, it’ll be one of the actual main series games.
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