Pokemon Colosseum

I was so excited for Pokémon Colosseum when it was originally released on the GameCube. It felt like a lifetime had passed since Pokémon Stadium on the Nintendo 64 and this right here would really be the first proper Pokémon game to hit a console. Which when you think about it was not done again until Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Switch!

Say Hello To The Bad Guy

I think that Pokémon Colosseum has one of the best openings to any Pokémon game as the character you play as is part of a gang! Ok, so you are technically not a bad guy and you betray your gang, but after an explosion as you make your escape you get pulled into a conspiracy where an evil corporation is turning Pokémon into “Shadow Pokémon” and you decide to set out and save them all!

I think the story is pretty solid and it kept me invested the whole time through. My only criticism and this is a personal thing here, I was not super into my starters being Umbreon and Espeon, but hey I know some people love these Pokémon.

Full 3D Baby!

The presentation of Pokémon Colosseum is fantastic. It may look a bit dated by today's standards, but back when it was released this was such a massive leap not just from the Pokémon games on the GameBoy Advance, but the Pokémon Stadium games on the Nintendo 64 as well. This world may not be super detailed, but there is more than enough to keep you interested.

I love the way the Pokémon look and while the sound may leave a bit to be desired. This for a very long time was the best that Pokémon had ever looked. The actual battles look really cool and more spectacular than we had ever seen before. As good as the Pokémon look though the roster is paper-thin with a little under 50 to catch!

Double Up!

The “gimmick” of Pokémon Colosseum is that you need to try and turn Shadow Pokémon back to normal. Not only this, but double battles are what you will be doing. I like and get frustrated by this. On one hand, the double battle system is a lot of fun, but on the other side of this when you have to turn a Shadow Pokémon, this can be a bit frustrating as I always felt like I was vulnerable.

The whole game is a damn fine RPG in its own right. You meet interesting characters, go to many different locations and of course, there are a ton of Pokémon for you to capture. It has everything you like about the Pokémon games on the handheld consoles and brings it to your TV perfectly.

I really enjoy Pokémon Colosseum and think that it is one of the more underrated and forgotten about Pokémon games. I know that the small roster of Pokémon is a bit of a downer. However, I do think that this is a great adventure and one that is really worth playing through. It has one of the most exciting openings of any Pokémon game you will ever play that is for sure!

Final Score: 8.5/10

Pros:

• It is a full 3D Pokémon adventure
• The Pokémon look great
• The double battles are very well done
• It has a truly epic opening
• You will be entertained from start to end

Cons:

• A very small roster of Pokémon
• The graphics are a little dated