Like prior entries in the series, Pokémon Stadium 2 utilizes turn-based RPG gameplay. Teams of up to six fictional creatures called Pokémon can be used in battle, either against computer controlled opponents or against other players. Players can use these creatures' special moves against an opposing Pokémon, with these moves having many effects, such as doing damage or by inflicting status conditions; for example, a Pokémon can be poisoned, which causes it to take small amounts of additional damage each turn. Pokémon can also be affected by elemental "types", which modify damage taken by a species from a given attack. For example, a Grass-type Pokémon takes more damage from a Fire-type attack than it would another move. Players may switch out their active Pokémon for another in their team, though this uses up their turn.[1]
Pokémon Stadium 2 does not have a storyline. Progress can be made by winning trophies in the Stadium, a tournament mode consisting of four "Cups", as well as completing the Gym Leader Castle, where the player earns badges by defeating Gym Leader characters who first appeared in the various Game Boy Pokémon games, culminating in a battle against the character Red. When all Stadium trophies have been won and the Gym Leader Castle is completed, the player's rival will want to battle. Defeating the rival will unlock Round 2, in which the player must re-challenge the Stadium, Gym Leader Castle, and the Rival at a higher difficulty level.[2] Players can also utilize the "Battle Now!" mode to engage in quick battles with random Pokémon,[3] while Free Battle mode allows players to either practice on their own or against another player. Up to four players can battle each other, though players must share control of a team with another player if more than two participate. If players play as a tag team, players select three Pokémon each from a team of six; players can only swap Pokémon out with their partner's, at which point the partner controls the Pokémon on the field.[4]
Additional features
Pokémon Stadium 2 makes use of the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak (pictured) to communicate with the Game Boy Pokémon games like its predecessor.
The Mini-Game Park mode allows up to four players to play twelve different Pokémon-themed mini-games.[2] Examples include a game where a top-like Pokémon named Hitmontop must be used to knock other Hitmontop off of the arena, and a game where a Pokémon named Delibird must sort and deliver gifts, with the player who delivers the most gifts being crowned the winner.[5] Players can use their Pokémon from the Game Boy games in these mini-games instead of the standard species; for instance, a player can use their own Scizor in the species' respective mini-game.[2] A new mode, called "Mini-Game Champion", allows players to play these mini-games while also attempting to collect coins, with the player with the most coins being crowned the winner. Mini-Game Champion also features event-based mechanics, similarly to the Mario Party series; one event is capable of causing players to lose some of their coins and give them to other players.[2] Stadium 2 also introduces quizzes, which allow players to answer Pokémon-themed questions to see how many can be answered while under a time limit. Quizzes can also be played with multiple players, and difficulty options for questions can be selected.[2]
The Game Boy Tower feature returns from the prior entry, Pokémon Stadium. Using the Transfer Pak, players can connect to the games Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, and Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow and transfer their Pokémon from those games into Stadium 2. Once transferred, players can use these Pokémon in battles in Stadium 2. Additionally, players can use the Pak to play the Game Boy games on the Nintendo 64 console.[2] The Pokémon Laboratory mode also returns, which allows players to organize their Pokémon storage in the Game Boy games through Stadium 2 as well as view 3D world maps of the Game Boy games and all 251 species' 3D models. Players can also use the lab to trade Pokémon between the Game Boy games without the need for a Game Link Cable.[2]
Other features include Earl's Pokémon Academy, which teaches players about battling mechanics; My Room, in which players can view and decorate their bedroom from Gold, Silver, or Crystal in 3D; and the Mystery Gift function, which allows players with Stadium 2 to send items to Gold, Silver, or Crystal once a day.[2] In the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, players could use the Mobile Adapter GB peripheral to battle other players remotely over the Mobile System GB network service; replays of these battles could then be recorded and transferred to Pokémon Stadium 2's "Mobile Stadium" mode to be viewed in 3D.
