Pokémon Colosseum is the GameCube incarnation of the Pokémon video game franchise. It follows the idea of the Nintendo 64 Pokémon Stadium video game series.

Characters from Pokémon Colosseum.

The game was released in Japan on November 21, 2003, and was released in North America on March 23, 2004. Pre-orders for the game started on February 9, 2004 and those who pre-ordered the game were able to receive a special bonus disc that contains the normally unattainable Pokémon Jirachi, as well as a fix for the now infamous time/berry bug in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Europeans saw the game released on May 7, 2004, but without a bonus disc.

This title features support for the Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen games.

It features all 386 known Pokémon as of the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald era. The game feature a first for the Pokémon series, a true 3D role-playing game mode that allows the player to capture Pokémon that cannot be captured in Ruby and Sapphire, allowing them to eventually be transferred into said games. This includes Legendary Pokémon such as Ho-oh. There is a rumor that Celebi may be obtainable in the game, but it only makes a couple of non-obtainable appearances in the game. In Japan, people who pre-ordered received a bonus disc with various items and Pokémon, including Celebi. It also adds a new Pokémon type, Shadow Pokémon, which cannot be traded to any game until they lose their Shadow type.

While it is the first 3D Pokémon video game with an RPG mode, it doesn't allow the player to use rental Pokémon the way the Pokémon Stadium games did. This was probably done because Pokémon are obtainable in the RPG mode, thus meaning that use most of the features in the game are still usable without a Game Boy Advance Pokémon game or rentals.

Pokémon Colosseum also puts significantly less importance on the non-RPG aspects of the game than Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2. For example, there are no minigames, nor is there a Gym Leader Tower, and there does not appear to be a "Round 2".

This new RPG takes place in the arid Orre region, and features new Shadow Pokémon and a brand new criminal organization, Team Snagem. They are similar in some respects to Team Rocket of previous games. This team is attempting to turn all Pokémon into evil Shadow Pokémon by closing their hearts off, and it is the player's job to stop them. In another twist to the Pokémon series, this is be the first game ever where other Trainers' Pokémon can be captured—or snagged, as they call it in this game. This only applies to Shadow Pokémon, and the purpose of capturing the Shadow Pokémon is so that they can later be purified, changing them back into normal Pokémon. The player's character has a female partner who has the ability to see the dark aura surrounding Shadow Pokémon.

While it will have limited storage ability, the other GameCube game, Pokémon Box, has taken over the storage duties from the Pokémon Stadium games.

Sequels

The long rumored Pokemon XD was announced when a Nintendo Executive said in an interview with IGN that the game will be like Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire

External links

• Pokémon-Games.com special
• nintendo information page
• Pokémon.com article