Shame on You, Pikachu!
While the Pokemon franchise continues to endure, it’s fair to say that over the course of its legacy, there have been a few misfires. Most of these unsurprisingly come in the form of spin-offs that deviate from the normal exploration/battle formula and just feel like cheap cash-grabs. We’re guessing Pikachu regrets putting his face on some of these products.
#5: “Pokèmon Dash†(2005)
A Pokemon racing game sounds great on paper, but the one time the franchise attempted it, the game tripped and fell flat on its face. The game’s first strike, is that it’s a racing game where you can only play as Pikachu, despite the franchises vast cast. The 2nd strike is it’s terrible touch screen only control scheme, that shows just how messy the races truly are. You’ll frequently find yourself wondering where the next checkpoint is in the race only to end up losing your lead a few moments later. The experience quickly becomes frustrating, and soon enough, you’ll end up quitting. In hindsight, we would have settled for another kart racer.
#4: “Pokèmon Dream Radar†(2012)
In “Pokemon Dream Radarâ€, players use the 3DS’s camera to break apart Dream Clouds in order to find and capture Pokemon. Yeah, even by “Pokemon’s†standards, this concept doesn’t make much sense. Zap clouds so you can zap Pokemon? Ignoring the bizarre idea, “Dream Radar†isn’t just a bad “Pokemon†game; it’s one of the worst 3DS titles to date. Even for three dollars, it isn’t worth the amount of boredom and fatigue that quickly sets in. Besides, there’s already an augmented reality game that came with your 3DS for FREE: “Face Raidersâ€, remember?
#3: “Pokèmon Shuffle†(2015)
The “Pokemon†franchise has seen some decent puzzle games. However, this free to play title is not one of those. Players must match at least three Pokemon to pull off of various combos and increase their score and capture Pokemon. Unfortunately, you’ll quickly feel cheated out of moves, and it’s reliance on microtransactions and wait timers make the game irritating. Levels will quickly become difficult, and you’ll end up having to grind for more experience points early on. It’s tedious, it’s boring, and it does almost nothing to set itself apart from other match-3 puzzle games.
#2: “Hey You, Pikachu!†(2000)
One of the selling points of “Hey You, Pikachu!†is that you could talk to Pikachu. If only it was as enjoyable as it sounds. Using the microphone packaged with the game, players must command Pikachu to do different things, such as fishing or collecting food…or yelling obscenities at your screen because the rat won’t listen!! Yes, the game’s main attraction is its biggest flaw! If you somehow managed to beat the game (and you must be a VERY patient person for doing so), your special reward is an extensive cutscene of Pikachu just wandering around. What a monumental waste of time.
#1: “Pokèmon Channel†(2003)
Can we even call this a game…? “Pokemon Channel†isn’t what you may think it is. No, you’re not running your own TV network for Pokemon and it’s not even an adventure game. Your job is to sit there and watch TV with Pikachu, and nothing else. You can watch episodes of the anime or some of the awkward skits like Meowth doing news reports and Slowpoke’s weather forecast. There’s just nothing for players to do, which makes its so hard to justify its fifty-dollar price tag! Seriously, it’s baffling…
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Pokemon Video Game Battles.
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