Summary
- The Pokémon franchise has taken the world by storm since 1996, with various forms of media including video games and trading cards.
- Some Pokémon games, such as Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Trading Card Game 2, were only released in Japan but are great entries in the series.
- Pokémon games like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Squad! And Pokémate have unique features and gameplay that make them worth playing for fans of the franchise.
The Pokémon franchise exists in many forms, from the popular Anime series to the string of Pokémon video games to Manga and a trading card game, among others. Pokémon originates from Japan as the creation of Satosh Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, who developed the first Pokémon video game in 1996.
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Since 1996, Pokémon has taken the world by storm, and most subsequent games have been released worldwide on popular Nintendo platforms like the Nintendo DS and so forth. Some Pokémon games, however, never left Japan, even though they are great entries in the series catalog.
9 Pokémon Stadium (1998)
The Combat Of Pokémon Game Boy Titles In A 3D Arena
The first of the Pokémon Stadium games, which were eventually released worldwide, was Pokémon Stadium, released only in Japan in 1998 for Nintendo 64. The game primarily focuses on Pokémon battles that the player can have against the CPU or friends.
With its various features, which include a Pokédex as well as an "organize" function, which allows the player to transfer their Pokémon and items between parties and storage systems, the game has a lot to offer. This game became the precursor for other great Pokémon Stadium games to follow.
8 Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: Here Comes Team GR! (2001)
A Deck-Builder Based On The Pokémon TCG
Released for Game Boy Color in 2001, this game is the sequel to the Pokémon Trading Card Game, released in 1998, also for the Game Boy Color . While the first game was released worldwide as a spin-off based on the popular Pokémon trading cards, the sequel only had a Japan release.
Pokémon Trading Card Game 2 expands on the original, with a variety of new cards to build your deck with, a larger in-game world, and the ability to choose between a male or female avatar. This game also introduces a new antagonist not found in the original - Team Great Rocket. For lovers of the Pokémon trading card game, this is a great title to have.
7 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Squad! (2009)
A 3-Game Collection Of Pokémon RPGs
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Squad! Is a set of three Pokémon games released for the Nintendo Wii console in 2009. While all other Pokémon games for the Wii had worldwide releases, this fun trio of games was released only in Japan. Like most Pokémon games, depending on which of the three games players choose - Wildfire Adventure Squad, Tempest Adventure Squad, or Radiant Adventure Squad - the Pokémon that players can bring into the dungeons will differ.
For these three games, the player's home also ranges from a Pokémon Beach to a Pokémon Village to a Pokémon Garden, depending on the game. As the titles of the game suggest, the featured Pokémon are either fire-types, water-types, or electric-types. With 15 dungeons per game and other unique features, like four save slots, this trio of games is a great collection of Pokémon games released for WiiWare.
6 Pokémon Card Game: How To Play DS (2011)
An Extended Tutorial For The Pokémon TCG
In 2011, The Pokémon Company published a game for the Nintendo DS that teaches players how to play the Pokémon trading card game. This interesting concept for a video game is basically one long digital tutorial for the Pokémon trading card game, released only in Japan.
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Once the player has completed various stages of learning the trading card game rules, they can play the game against any of the five CPU characters available. With the addition of a digital rule book as well, this game is a great place for beginners to start playing the Pokémon card game.
5 Pokémate (2006)
The Test Run For Pokémon GO
Despite not receiving much attention from the Japanese press, Pokémate, released as a mobile messaging application in Japan in 2006, is an important entry in Pokémon games, as it is arguably the predecessor of what became the internationally successful mobile game, Pokémon GO.
Pokémate was initially set to be a Pokémon-themed messaging app but turned out to be so much more. The game allows players to capture Pokémon, take care of them, and chat with friends. As a messaging application, Pokémate features chat rooms, email functionality, and avatars; one's captured Pokémon are also displayed with one's avatar for friends to see.
4 Pichu Bros. Mini (2002)
A Mini-game Collection For The Pokémon Mini Console
In 2001, the Pokémon Mini handheld console was released (if one can call it a console). It came in three colors and featured ten Pokémon games, ranging from mini-games to puzzle and strategy games. One of the most fun Pokémon Mini games is Pichu Bros. Mini, released in Japan in 2002.
Pichu Bros. Mini features six mini-games, with the star of the game being Pichu and some other Pokémon such as Pikachu and Cubone. The mini-games are each different, ranging from skateboarding with Pichu, to getting Smoochum to kiss Diglett, making it one of the most engaging Pokémon Mini entries.
3 Togepi's Great Adventure (2002)
A Pokémon Mini Game Famous For Its Difficulty
Released in Japan in 2002 for the Pokémon Mini console, Togepi's Adventure is a notoriously difficult Pokémon Mini game. Using only the four arrow buttons and the two action buttons on the console, players have to navigate a Togepi out of a castle while avoiding various traps and overcoming obstacles.
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The obstacles include different types of Pokémon, as well as everything from cracked floors to sinkholes to sticky or bouncy walls. Each tower also has up to 100 different areas to get through, making this mini-game both challenging and satisfying for players who dare to try it out.
2 The Thieves Of The Thousand Pokémon (2014)
A Free Movie Tie-In Game On The 3DS eShop
The Thieves of the Thousand Pokémon is a Japan-exclusive Nintendo 3DS game that was released in 2014. The game was free to download for a limited time on the 3DS eShop and was loosely based on the Pokémon movie, Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, released in the same year.
The gameplay involves taking a few Pokémon into a stage and overcoming various obstacles. The more stages players clear, the more Pokémon they can store, with a maximum capacity of 999 Pokémon. For a free game, The Thieves of the Thousand Pokémon had a lot to offer.
1 Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo (2016)
The Precursor To The "First" Detective Pikachu Game
Many players might be familiar with the popular Nintendo 3DS game, the Pokemon spin-off Detective Pikachu, which was released worldwide in 2018. Detective Pikachu - Birth of a New Duo is the predecessor to the game, which was released exclusively in Japan in 2016, two years earlier.
Birth of a New Duo is basically the first three chapters of the worldwide-released Detective Pikachu, and players owning this game in Japan received a sizable discount on the full game released in 2018. As the predecessor to the beloved Detective Pikachu, Birth of a New Duo is one of the best Pokémon games released exclusively in Japan.