Review:

There have been many odd videogames since the inception of the home-console, but perhaps none so off-the-wall as Nintendo's Pokemon Snap for Nintendo 64. It is a game centered around Japanese phenomenon turn American pop culture -- Pikachu and gang -- Pocket Monsters (or Pokemon for short). And while this certainly isn't a weird concept in itself, the backbone supporting the game -- that of snapping photos of the crude Pocket Monsters that inhabit it -- is definitely a bit wacky.
Naturally, when IGN64 first previewed the game more than a year ago -- then running on 64DD hardware -- we immediately chalked it up as one of those crazy Japanese fads that just doesn't translate to America. Bear in mind that this was before the craze that is Pokemania had invaded the States and turned our nation's children into Pikachu-starved lunatics hell-bent on anything and everything related to the Nintendo-created monsters. But even if the US had been subject to the Pikachu hype at the time, we probably still wouldn't have predicted a game primarily centered around picture-taking would carry over into the US.

It seems, however, that Nintendo was right and we were wrong.

Pokemon Snap is, at its core, a game about snapping photos of Pocket Monsters in order to earn points -- and it's on rails. But through clever design, intuitive control, lots of traditional secrets and, of course, more than 60 Pokemon to snap pictures of and toy with, it's a game that is a lot of fun in spite of its seemingly simplistic design and nature.

The Facts

Snap pictures of your favorite Pocket Monsters in 3D environments.
More than 60 Pokemon.
Seven levels.
Save 60 of your favorite photos to cartridge.
Interact with Pokemon by throwing objects at them, playing songs, etc.
Loads of hidden characters and secret signs.
Create your own Pokemon album.
In a smart marketing feat, Snap owners can bring in their cartridge and print up special sticker-sheets of their favorite Pokemon characters. Note that this is only available at participating Blockbusters. Click here for details.
Rumble Pak support.

Gameplay:
The premise behind the HAL-developed Pokemon Snap is simple: Players roll through 3D environments (on rails) and try to snap the very best possible pictures of various Pokemon characters. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that. The game features seven big levels (fully 3D polygonal backdrops and characters) and more than 60 Pocket Monsters. That's a lot of picture snapping. Adding strategy to the process, players need to accomplish a number of different tasks before certain Pokemon will respond (either purposefully or accidentally) and pose for the camera. For example, in the game's Beach level, Pocket Monster Snorlax (also known as IGNpocket's Craig Harris) sleeps peacefully as players cost by on rails, unable to take a decent picture of the giant Pokemon as he rests on the ground. The only way to wake Snorlax is to play him a song on the Poke Flute, which isn't attainable until much further in the game. Therefore, players must build points, advance a few levels and grab the flute, at which time it's possible to come back to the Beach, play the flute for Snorlax (Craig), wake him up and snap an award-winning photo. This sort of strategy is common in Pokemon Snap and works wonders to extend the life and replay value of the game.

Players control Todd, a photographer contracted by Professor Oak to travel to Pokemon Island and snap pictures of the Pocket Monsters in their natural habitat. Helping Todd on his adventure is Zero-One, a vehicle built by the professor himself designed with only two goals in mind: One, take Todd for a cruise through all the areas of Pokemon Island and two, keep the Pokemon safe. Because of this, the vehicle comes to a stop whenever players are about to hit a Pocket Monster, giving the creature a chance to escape unhurt.

Todd begins each level with a film roll capable of snapping 60 photos. Players must decide when to take a picture and when to hold off, but they also need to determine what object to use in order to entice the Pokemon to pose for them in any given situation. Some Pocket Monsters, after all, don't respond to the sound of music; others want food; still others only react to pester balls. Each Pokemon may dictate a different course of action in order to capture the best possible picture. Once players are satisfied with the pictures they have snapped, they can take them to Professor Oak for judgement. The better they are, the more he likes them, the more points players are awarded.

Control is very intuitive. As players don't have a say in what direction Zero-One takes them in, nearly all of the buttons are freed up for other purposes. The analog stick is used to control the direction players face as they coast along on rails. The B button throws pester-balls (which are like stink-bombs and generally bother Pokemon). The Z-trigger zooms the camera. The A button throws food (an apple) and, when the Z-button is pressed (thus zooming the camera), the A button snaps photos. C-down plays the flute, which causes certain Pokemon to dance or react and the R button speeds up Zero-One. Everything controls wonderfully and it really is a lot of fun to just try out different methods on the various Pokemon. Or, if you're anything like us, laugh at them after they have been hit with a stink-inducing pester-ball.

Pokemon Snap does have a fair amount of problems, however. The biggest of which lies in game-depth -- or, as it were, lack of it. The title features only seven levels and takes roughly a few hours to complete. Though developer HAL has done its best to enhance replay value with hidden goodies, the overall quest is far too easy.

Courses include:

Beach
Tunnel
Volcano
River
Cave
Valley
Rainbow Cloud
Imagine each course takes an estimated three to five minutes to run through. There is no getting around it, Pokemon Snap is a short experience.

Worse yet, Pokemaniacs are bound to be disappointed with the selection of Pocket Monsters in the game -- roughly 62 out of a possible 151 in all. It looks as though Nintendo 64 owners will have to wait for the US release of Pokemon Stadium before they'll have the chance to play with all of the monsters.

Pokemon Featured in the Game (and their accompanying number):

Bulbasaur (001)
Charmander (004)
Charmeleon (005)
Charizard (006)
Squirtle (007)
Meatapod (011)
Butterfree (012)
Kakuna (014)
Pidgey (016)
Pikachu (025)
Sandshrew (027)
Sandslash (028)
Vulpix (037)
Jigglypuff (039)
Zubat (041)
Vileplume (045)
Diglett (050)
Dugtrio (051)
Meowth (052)
Psyduck (054)
Mankey (056)
Growlithe (058)
Arcanine (059)
Poliwag (060)
Weepinbell (070)
Victreebel (071)
Geodude (074)
Graveler (075)
Rapidash (078)
Slowpoke (079)
Slowbro (080)
Magemite (081)
Magneton (082)
Doduo (084)
Grimer (088)
Muk (089)
Shellder (090)
Cloyster (091)
Haunter (093)
Ecectrode (101)
Koffing (109)
Chansey (113)
Kangaskhan (115)
Goldeen (118)
Staryu (1200
Starmie (121)
Scyther (123)
Jynx (124)
Electabuzz (125)
Magmar (126)
Magikarp (129)
Gyarados (130)
Lapras (131)
Ditto (132)
Eevee (133)
Porygon (137)
Snorlax (143)
Articuno (144)
Zapdos (145)
Moltres (146)
Dratini (147)
Dragonite (149)
Mew (151)
Depth, quite frankly, is our only complaint about Pokemon Snap. Had the game been longer and featured more Pocket Monsters, we would have only criticized the fact that everything runs on rails, which is not really as bothersome as one might think.

Graphics:
Pokemon Snap takes place in full Polygonal 3D environments with a graphic style that screams, "I might very well be running on the Super Mario 64 engine." What we mean by this is that levels are generally very bright in appearance and polygon models are equally low in detail and construction. This creates a somewhat generic overall 3D terrain that HAL has done its best to avoid with lots of variation in textures and overall atmosphere, but has not been entirely successful. Hills and grass are a clear-cut example of this as both lack proper curves, giving off an appearance that is much more blocky and polygonal than most games of this type.

With all of this said, Pokemon Snap is by no means an ugly game. Think Super Mario 64, add in more texture variety, improved animation and the like. The characters themselves are what really make the experience worthwhile, and they look exactly as they should only in full 3D. You'll laugh wholeheartedly as Pikachu jumps out in front of you in polygonal glory and you send a pester-ball his way, knocking the creature off his feet. Or maybe you won't... but we will.

Sound:
Happy. Generic. Funny. All three of these words sum up the audio in Pokemon Snap, which is, for all purposes, neither bad nor particularly good. Throwing objects results in your standard "throw object" sound -- a cross between a beep and a flute. Balls bounce off Pokemon with a clunk. Pikachu says, "Pikachu!" Other Pocket Monsters sing in harmony. It's everything you'd expect and nothing more. On another level, some character reaction sounds are amusing and the music, which is definitely repetitive, is not terribly annoying.

Angry Jigglypuffs
At the cave level save one or more jigglypuffs . Then at the end of the level throw a pester ball at them or play the flute and watch them get offended.

Arcanine and Growlithe
At the end of the volcano level you'll see 3 small volcanos on your right. Throw pesterballs into all 3. Sometimes a Growlithe will appear and sometimes an Arcanine will appear. It is possible to get three Growlithe and three Arcanine, but that is difficult to do.

Chansey
To get Chansey, go to the beach level. After the bridge and the long grass Eevee is chasing a white ball throw a Poke food at the ball and if you hit it, the ball will turn into Chansey.

Charizard
To photograph a Charizard, throw an apple at the Charmeleon by the lava pool near the end of the volcanic level. If you knock him in the lava he will evolve into a Charizard.

Charmeleon
Volcano Level- If you want to see a Charmillion before the end of the level, throw an apple between the Magmar and the Charmander. Magmar will kill Charmander and he will evolve into Charmillion

Dancing Snorlax
While going by Snorlax, play your pokeflute to watch him dance. He will dance diffrently when you play the different songs on your pokeflute. The first song scores the highest.

Ditto
In the begining of the cave level, throw Pesterballs at the Bulbasaurs and they will turn into Ditto.

Double K.O. Magmars
Right after you pass the Moltres egg you`ll see on the right two Magmars.Throw food between the two Magmars.If done correctly get ready for some fast photography,because the two Magmars will K.O. each other with flamethrowers.I got over 5,000 pts.with this shot.If done incorrectly one magmar will pick up the food and the other will pummel it with flames.A good shot but only worth 4,000 pts.

Dragonite
In the valley stage, when you get to the whirlpool, throw some pester balls into it and Dragonite will appear.

Dratini
To get a photo of dratini, go to the stage where you photograph the dragonite. Photograph it then throw pester balls to the left of it and a dratini will pop out.

Dugtrio
In the Tunnel Stage,photograph the Diglett that pops up next to the Pikachu. The Diglett will run away and then the Pikachu will run after it. Photograph the Diglett again. Repeat this process until Dugtrio finally comes up.
Note: If you miss a photo of Diglett once you will have to start all over again!

Get Muk
In the Cave there are two grimers. Take lots of pictures of them. When the third appears near the three bulbasaurs, take a picture. Now throw lots of pester balls at him. He will evolve into Muk.
submitted by Shane

Goldeen
At the beginning of the Valley stage after the squirtle shells, throw pesterballs into the middle of the lake. Goldine will appear and disappear very fast, so Snap fast!

Group of Charmanders
In the volcano level, the Moltres egg will stop your vehicle. You can sit here as long as you want. Throw an apple near a Charmander, and it will tell all it's buddies there's food to be had. Throw food at the other one and he'll call even more. You can get up to six Charmanders, and you can lure them closer with the pokemon food. To get them to hold still and look straight at you for an AWESOME picture, play the Poke Flute.

Gyarados
First, at the beginning of the level you have to hit a Magikarp at the Mankey. Then later on, by one of the waterfalls the Magikarp will fall down. Throw a pesterball at it and he will go into the waterfall. Then, out comes a Gyrados.

How to Pass the River Stage
At the end of the level on the right side you see a switch. Above the switch you will see a bump on the wall. Throw a pesterball at it and a porygon will jump out and land on the switch

How to hit the Valley Switch
At the beginning of the level, throw pesterballs at the squirtles to make them leave the river. Further down the river you'll find the squirtles sunning themselves at the base of a steep hill. At the top is a mankey. As you pass the squirtles, throw pesterballs at them, causing them to roll up the hill. If your timing is right, the mankey will fall down and land near the switch. As you approach the switch, throw another pesterball at the mankey, knocking him backwards onto the switch.

Lapras
At the beginning of the beach course, look at the ocean to the right until a Lapras appears. It can barely be seen. Snap it about 5 or 6 times. Then, after the Meowth, focus on the ocean to the right until a Lapras appears more close up. Snap it about 5 or 6 more times. Then, at the bridge, look at the ocean to the right. If no Lapras appears, the trick has worked right. A little while farther at the Kangaskhan, look at the ocean to the right. Two Lapras will appear kind of far away. Snap the one on the right a couple times and another Lapras will appear really close-up for an excellent photo!

Magneton
In the tunnel level, throw apples at the 3 magnamites. Lure them together and they will form a triangle,take a picture and it will be a magneton.

Mew
While traveling in the Rainbow Cloud, hit Mew with apples or Pester Balls untill he leaves his Psychic Barrier. As he flies to get back in, throw a Pester Ball at him he will Spin with Sparkles. Keep doing this, it's a Great Photo opportunity!
submitted by Andrew Grey

Mythical Birds
Each of the three birds will be in an egg.

The first Mythical bird is Moltres (he is in the Volcano level), he will be easy to find since his egg is blocking your path. all you have to do is hit the egg with pokemon food or pester balls and a moltres will emerge from the hot lava

To get Zapdos you must lure pikachu to the egg sitting in the tunnel then play a pokeflute. If you did it right pikachu will hit the egg and he will shoot the egg out and the egg will blow up revealing Zapdos.

Articuno: Play your Pokeflute when you see the Jynx and the egg.

Porygon
In the River past the second Slowpoke turn to your right and thorw pester balls until a Porygon comes out.

Porygon in its True Colors
About halfway through the River level, you will get a chance to scare two Porygons out from their hiding place. When the come out, they will look like grass and wood. Keep throwing Pester Balls at them, and eventually their camoflauge will fall off and they will look their normal pink and blue colors.

Posing Pikachus
It seems everyone's favorite Pokemon is just looking for a photo op. Here's some locations for some very special photographs.

To see Pikachu rolling on a ball go to the Tunnel. When you start the stage take pictures of the Pikachu immediately. He should move farther down. Keep taking his picture. He will stop and jump on a rolling Electrode.
To see Speed Pikachu go to the River. At the very end on your left you should see Pikachu hiding behind a tree. Throw an apple at Pikachu and it should fall down. Then he will run back and forth as the Speed Pikachu.
To see Pikachu surfing go to the Beach. Throw apples at the first Pikachu you see. Throw the apples on the right side of your tracks. There will be a surf board there so try to lead him there. If you do it right he will surf.
To see Pikachu on a stump go to the Beach stage. The first time you see Meowth chasing a pidgey out of the long grass, throw pester balls into the long grass to get Scyther. After you get Scyther, 2 Pikachus should come out to the stump on your left side. Lead them with apples and play the poke flute.
In the cave, towards the end, you will see a zubat carrying Pkachu. Hit the zubat with apples and pesterballs until he drops Pikachu. Pikachu will sprout balloons and fly away.
Save Pikachu from the Zubat in the Cave and awaken Articuno from his egg by playing the Pokeflute. When you get to the end of the level next to where Jigglypuff's stage is, turn around and you'll see Pikachu riding on Articuno.

Rainbow Cloud Stage
To get to the secret level (Level #7 The Rainbow Cloud Stage) take pictures of these following landmarks on all of the 6 stages:
Stage#1 - The Kingler rock formation is on the left after you pass Pikachu's surfboard.
Stage#2 - The Pinsir shadow will appear some time after you release the Zapdos from the beginning of the level. You will see the Pinser shadow on the right after you pass the second Electabuzz.
Stage#3 - The Koffing cloud appears on the left at the very beginning of the level. Look for a volcano with purple smoke coming out of it. Toss a few pester balls into the volcano until a face appears.
Stage#4 - The Cubone rock formation will be above the Vileplume you see (to see the Vileplume play the Pokeflute in front of a large purple bag you see near the beginning of the level.)
Stage#5 - Mewtwo's energy form will appear on the left soon after you see the Weepinbell.
Stage#6 - The Dugtrio Rocks are right in front of you when you start the level.

Sandslash and Sandshrew
On the River stage hit all the Geodudes with Pester Balls. This will allow you to get great shots of them, but it will also bring Sandshrew and Sandslash out of hiding in the ground.

Save the Jigglypuff
On Level 5 there will be a koffing chasing a jigglypuff in three different spots. Throw pokemon food or pester balls at the koffing to make them stop. If you free all 3 jigglypuff they will sing for you at the end of the level.
submitted by Akai Sashi

Scyther
In the beach level , when you first see meowth coming out of the grass keep on throwing pester balls into the bushes. when the grass ends u will see leaves poping out and scyther will come out.

Slowbro
In the River level, lead Slowpoke to the Shellder sign with Pokemon food. It will go fishing. Then a Shellder will bite onto it's tail and it will evolve into Slowbro.

Snorlax
In the beach level when you see the big black blob on the right of Pikachu's surfboard play the poke flute.

Starmie
Take one picture of Staryu on the valley course. After that follow Staryu to the whirlpool, and you'll Staryu go into it and Starmie will come out.

Victreebell
To take a picture of Victreebell, knock the Weepinbell on the Cave stage into the water where it will evolve into a Victreebell. Take lots of pictures of it. The Weepinbell is found after the three transformed Dittos, which are Bulbasur, you will first run into the Koffing and the Jigglypuff.

Vileplume
In river on your right you will see a red mushroom inhaling poisinous gas. Use the poke flute and Vileplume will jump up and start dancing