Pokémon Trading Card Game (video game)



The Pokémon TCG seems to have garnered enough attention to have a video game based on it. The game is reminiscent of the various Yu-Gi-Oh video games, only with a simpler less "fate of the world" plot. Based on the actual TCG, it has cards from the early releases, as well as game-exclusive cards. It also came with a promo card that arguably might be a tad unfair in Tournament play. The game was released on the Game Boy Color and allows one to play against a friend, trade cards or use the "card pop" feature which gives rare normally inaccessible cards.

This game's plot is just Red/Blue's plot, but swap actual Pokemon for Pokemon cards. The Pokemon TCG starts you as off a young boy named Mark that is just starting out. You're given a choice of a starter deck that parallels the choice of the starter Pokemon in the Red/Blue games (fire, water, grass). You're taught the rules within the first 10 minutes of playing. You may "battle" NPC's that you meet and win booster packs from them. The main objective of the game is to defeat the 8 Gym Leaders... I mean Club Masters, and eventually the Elite 4, erm... Grand Masters. Upon completing the main objective, the player inherits 4 ultra-rare cards.


 * Artificial Stupidity: The AI, even at its highest level, doesn't understand a stall deck (Even its own on occasions, willing to mill itself to death). It will only retreat to dispel status effects, if totally unable to damage your current Pokémon (but will stay right in place if it does even a little damage, no matter how much better an option it has), or to save important Pokémon with Pokémon Powers.
 * The AI does not consider the offensive power of your Active Pokémon when picking their new Active Pokémon. This means they will gladly throw weak Pokémon up front to be taken down in one hit when they have more durable options.
 * Done purposefully with Imakuni, who has a deck that is quite good at destroying itself.
 * Auto Pilot Tutorial: Your first match against one of Prof. Mason's assistants is played with stacked decks and instructions that forced you to play particular cards. Tool assisted speedruns have completed the entire rest of the game in the time it takes to finish the tutorial.
 * The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Examination of the code reveals the Elite Four Grand Masters have the unique ability to draw a new opening hand if their previous one was legal (it contained a Basic Pokémon) but weak (like having only that basic Pokémon).
 * Creator Cameo Mr. Ishihara is clearly Tsunekazu Ishihara, the game's producer and (by the time of the second game), President of The Pokémon Company.
 * Dummied Out: The Virtual Console re-release took the unusual step of actively disabling content that's inaccessible due to the lack of link support, when virtually every other virtual console re-release was content to let the useless multiplayer connection prompts stay untouched. The extreme methods used to accomplish this, making NPCs have blank text and making a book shelf unreadable unlike every other one in the game, makes one wonder why they didn't just add the Phantom Cards to the post-game Challenge Cup's prize pool instead.
 * Giant Space Flea From Nowhere: Imakuni to everyone outside of Japan is an inexplicable, and totally random "mysterious creature not listed in the Pokédex" that sings and dances while throwing duels in the most annoying manner possible. Those in the game's home region might recognize him as an eccentric musician that promotes the TCG merely making a cameo.
 * Hyperactive Sprite: Everyone in the game walks in place in time to the music.
 * Metal Slime: Imakuni rarely appears, and disappears if a save in front of him is loaded, but grants four boosters when defeated (when most opponents grant only two). While his deck is prone to near deliberate self destruct, inflicting confusion on himself for no gain and using attacks that can fail entirely, it also has its fair share of floodgates that make beating him quickly non-trivial.
 * Poor Predictable Rock: A few duelists take steps to avoid this, including cards that resist their normal weakness (such as Jessica's use of Flying Pikachu), but the overwhelming majority of foes fall into this trap. Team Great Rocket is only slightly less prone to this in the sequel.
 * Joke Item: Most of the Imakuni? cards.
 * Remember the New Guy?: If Mint is chosen as the Player Character for the second, Japan only, game, she is treated as though she was the hero of the first game.