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90-418: As the development process of video games as a whole changed drastically from the 2D era of the fourth generation of video game consoles to the 3D era of the fifth generation , so did the development of Pokémon Puzzle League . The increased capabilities for artificial intelligence (AI) compelled the developers to create multiple levels of difficulty for the game, and it was implemented successfully in all but

180-489: A player character protagonist or set of protagonists, one or more rival characters, a hometown "Pokémon professor" who introduces the mechanics of the game, and a large selection of fellow Pokémon trainers, " Gym leaders ", and villainous teams to battle against. Characters that were introduced in the video games Pokémon Red , Green , Blue (1996), Yellow (1998), FireRed , LeafGreen (2004), and Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (2018), which are set in

270-485: A battle; she later helps the group fight against Team Galactic. Cyrus (Akagi ( アカギ ) ) is the nihilistic Leader of the villainous Team Galactic and the main antagonist of the Sinnoh games. Although he seems to want to work with his team to create a new dimension, his true goal is to create a dimension solely for himself; devoid of emotions that he sees as weak and useless. " Looker " ("Handsome" ( ハンサム , Hansamu ) )

360-541: A drop in software sales in subsequent years. This generation ended with the discontinuation of the Neo Geo in 2004. Features that distinguish some fourth generation consoles from third generation consoles include: Additionally, in specific cases, fourth generation hardware featured: The PC Engine was the result of a collaboration between Hudson Soft and NEC and launched in Japan on October 30, 1987. It launched under

450-743: A group of elite-level trainers at the end of the game, which is called the Elite Four. This team includes the Ice-themed Lorelei ( カンナ ), Fighting-themed Bruno ( シバ ), Ghost-themed Agatha ( キクコ ), and Dragon-themed Lance ( ワタル ). Giovanni (Sakaki ( サカキ ) ) is the Leader of the villainous Team Rocket. He runs the Viridian City Gym in Pokémon Red , Blue , Green , Yellow , and their remakes. He later disappears and

540-498: A heavy rainfall that will flood the landmasses and expand the oceans. Characters that were introduced in the video games Pokémon Diamond , Pearl (2006), Platinum (2008), Brilliant Diamond , and Shining Pearl (2021), which are set in the fictional Sinnoh region. Lucas ( コウキ , Kōki ) and Dawn ( ヒカリ , Hikari ) are the male and female protagonists of Pokémon Diamond , Pearl , Platinum , Brilliant Diamond , and Shining Pearl . Barry ( ジュン , Jun )

630-462: A series of increasingly difficult opponents and become the Puzzle Master. "2P Stadium" allows two players to choose one of 15 Pokémon trainers to play as, and battle one another using different gameplay rulesets. Other game types include "Marathon", which challenges players to continue playing as long as possible before the blocks fill the screen; "Time Zone", in which players attempt to achieve

720-638: A sick Ampharos named Amphy that provides light for the city lighthouse . She challenges the player after they get Amphy proper medicine from Cianwood City. Jasmine reappears as a minor character in Pokémon Diamond , Pearl , Platinum , Brilliant Diamond , and Shining Pearl , giving HM07 Waterfall in Pokémon Diamond , Pearl , and Platinum , or TM99 Waterfall in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl . She

810-484: A specific theme music; these differences are purely cosmetic and do not affect gameplay. Non-playable characters include Professor Oak, who provides tutorial information to the player; Nurse Joy , who hosts the game's "Pokemon Center" options menu; and less-seen Team Rocket members Butch and Cassidy , who appear as special opponents in the Spa Service mode. Ash and Pikachu are on vacation when they are called on

900-472: A team of several Pokémon of similar type or theming. Particularly notable Gym leaders of the Kanto-based games are: In addition to Brock and Misty, the other gym leaders are Lt. Surge ( マチス ), Erika ( エリカ ), Sabrina ( ナツメ ）), Koga ( キキョウ ), Blaine ( カツラ ), and Giovanni ( サカキ ). Each main-series Pokémon game, aside from Pokémon Sword and Shield and Pokémon Legends Arceus , also includes

990-557: A training arena hosted by Tracey Sketchit that demonstrates techniques and allows players to practice. The 16 playable characters in Pokémon Puzzle League are directly taken from the Pokémon anime, including characters that originally debuted in previous Pokémon games, such as Misty , Brock , and Giovanni . Ash Ketchum is the only playable character in the 1P Stadium mode, whereas other characters are available in

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1080-560: A wild Pokémon and drops his bag, resulting in the player having to use one of his Pokémon to save him. In the anime, he gives May her Torchic. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, he is the father of Sapphire. Norman (Senri ( センリ ) ) is the Petalburg City Gym Leader and an expert on Normal-type Pokémon. In the games, Norman is the protagonist's father. In the anime, he is the father of May and Max . In

1170-518: Is a Pokémon Professor who studies Pokémon Trainers and the dreams of Pokémon. The player encounters her when Team Plasma abducts a Munna from her research facility to use its Dream Mist powers. She gives access to the games' wireless capabilities and online systems . Alder (Adeku ( アデク ) ) is the former Champion of the Unova Region, who helps the player battle Team Plasma throughout Unova. N successfully challenges him to battle and wins, forcing

1260-557: Is a Pokémon Researcher and the grandfather of Blue in the Kanto-based games. He is described as the leading Pokémon expert, specializing in Pokémon behavioral science. Alongside his research, he is also authorized by the Pokémon League to give new Pokémon Trainers one of the three starter Pokémon: Bulbasaur , Squirtle , or Charmander . In the anime, he gives Ash Ketchum his Pikachu after he arrives too late to receive one of

1350-571: Is a list of recurring characters in the Pokémon video game series . Characters may appear in multiple continuities within the Pokémon franchise, such as the animated adaptations, films , manga , and books. In these spin-offs, the characters may take on the same basic role, such as with Professor Oak and Giovanni in the Pokémon TV series , and sometimes different roles, such as with Misty and Brock . Each main-series Pokémon game features

1440-695: Is a member of the Interpol who appears in Pokémon Platinum, where he is investigating Team Galactic. He appears again in Black and White , seeking the player's assistance in apprehending the seven sages of Team Plasma. In X and Y , he poses as a detective to investigate a Team Flare scientist. In Sun and Moon , he comes to Alola to assist the player with capturing the Ultra Beasts that were unleashed there. Characters that were introduced in

1530-515: Is defeated, he helps the group reform. He returns in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon , helping the player character defeat Team Rainbow Rocket in the post-game story. He has a larger and more antagonistic role in the anime, as he builds a device that would allow Ghetsis to control Reshiram and takes control of various Pokémon, including Team Rocket's Meowth . Characters that were introduced in the video games Pokémon X and Y (2013), which are set in

1620-514: Is identified by Ho-Oh as being pure of heart. He is the son of Giovanni, with the Celebi event in HeartGold and SoulSilver showing their past. Professor Elm (Professor Utsugi ( ウツギ博士 , Utsugi-hakase ) ) is an absent-minded Pokémon Researcher and former student of Professor Oak. In Pokémon Gold , Silver , and Crystal , he is authorized by the Pokémon League to give new trainers one of

1710-500: Is not seen again, though Team Rocket attempts to locate him in Pokémon Gold , Silver , Crystal , and their remakes . He also appears as the main antagonist of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon 's postgame story. Giovanni is a recurring character in the Pokémon anime series, where he is the boss of Team Rocket. Jessie (Musashi ( ムサシ ) ) and James (Kojirō ( コジロウ ) ) are a pair of Team Rocket grunts who originate from

1800-629: Is one of the rival characters in Pokémon Black and White, and is one of the player's childhood friends. He is intelligent and trustworthy, often giving the player character advice and battling them to test his skills. Like the player, he aims to become Champion. Two years later, in Black 2 and White 2 , he becomes Aspertia City's Gym Leader. His name is derived from the Bulgarian word for black: черен ( cheren ). Bianca ( ベル , Bel )

1890-406: Is primarily composed of instrumental arrangements of tracks from the 1999 soundtrack album Pokémon 2.B.A. Master . Other featured tracks include an arrangement of "Catch Me If You Can" from Pokémon: The First Movie ' s short feature Pikachu's Vacation , and other instrumental tracks from the Pokémon anime. The game also features animated full-motion video cutscenes, along with voice acting by

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1980-473: Is the Leader of Team Plasma. He is a mysterious Pokémon Trainer who shows up throughout the player's journey and believes that humans and Pokémon should be separated. He was forced to grow up with abused Pokémon, as a plot by his adoptive father Ghetsis, so that he would want to liberate Pokémon from humans. By following through with the plan, he befriends Zekrom in Black or Reshiram in White to help him alter

2070-542: Is the Pokémon Professor in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games, having returned to Sinnoh after four years of traveling abroad. He is a senior researcher to and old friend of Professor Oak, and is known for his research on Pokémon evolution. He is authorized to give trainers one of three Sinnoh starter Pokémon, Turtwig , Chimchar , or Piplup . In the anime, he gives Dawn her Piplup. He has an assistant, either Lucas or Dawn, depending on which player character

2160-646: Is the adoptive father of N, Anthea, and Concordia, He initially appears as one of the Seven Sages devoted to Team Plasma's cause. During the climax of the first games, it is revealed he manipulated N and Team Plasma as part of his plan to rule over the world via N. He is arrested after being beaten by the player, but escapes thanks to the Shadow Triad. He returns in the sequels as the leader of Neo Team Plasma, wanting to use Kyurem to freeze and rule over Unova. He reveals himself after Colress' defeat and retreats to

2250-519: Is the grandson of Professor Oak and the player character's childhood friend. He is pushy and competitive, but generally a good Pokémon Trainer. He briefly precedes the player character as the Champion of the Kanto Region, waiting for the player to challenge him. Blue is the basis for Gary Oak in the anime. IGN listed Blue as the 98th best villain in video games, though they stressed that it

2340-486: Is the other rival in Pokémon Black and White , and alongside Cheren is one of the player's childhood friends. She is spontaneous and sometimes unreliable, but she develops over the course of the journey. She also has a strong side, which she shows when she goes on a Pokémon journey against her father's wishes. Her father wants her to stay at home, believing the world to be unsafe, until Elesa eventually convinces him to let keep Bianca go on her own journey. Two years later, in

2430-506: Is the rival character in Pokémon Diamond , Pearl and Platinum . He is often impatient and is determined to be the best Pokémon Trainer. He is best friends with the player, who he aids throughout their journey. His father, Palmer , owns the Battle Tower in Sinnoh. He tends to accidentally crash into people, and often tries to fine people for being too slow. Professor Rowan (Professor Nanakamado ( ナナカマド博士 , Nanakamado-hakase ) )

2520-630: Is the rival of the Johto-based games. He steals his first Pokémon from Professor Elm and tends to see Pokémon as tools to use and discard. Unlike Blue before him, Silver is depicted as a mediocre trainer, though the Sprout Tower sage and Lance see talent and great potential in him. He eventually realizes his wrongdoings and changes his ways by treating his Pokémon with respect. Silver also appears in Pokémon Masters EX , in which he

2610-478: Is warped back to his vacation spot. Ash initially believes the experience to be a dream, until he discovers a Pokémon Puzzle Master trophy awarded to him by Mewtwo. The game's engine was originally built for an unpublished Panel de Pon title for Nintendo 64; this version was ultimately released as part of the Nintendo Puzzle Collection compilation for GameCube . The in-game soundtrack

2700-634: The Pokémon Adventures manga, he is the father of Ruby and a close friend of Professor Birch. Wallace (Mikuri ( ミクリ ) ) is the Sootopolis City Gym Leader in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire . He is an expert on Water-type Pokémon , a skilled artist and Pokémon Contest star. In Pokémon Emerald , Wallace becomes the Hoenn Pokémon League Champion, leaving the post of Gym Leader to his mentor, Juan . In

2790-773: The 16-bit era , began on October 30, 1987, with the Japanese release of NEC Home Electronics ' PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx-16 in North America). Though NEC released the first console of this era, sales were mostly dominated by the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo across most markets: the Sega Mega Drive (known as the Sega Genesis in North America) and the Super Nintendo (known as

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2880-611: The Mega Drive/Genesis console, the Super NES eventually took the top selling position, selling 49.10 million units worldwide, and would remain popular well into the fifth generation of consoles. Nintendo's market position was defined by their machine's increased video and sound capabilities, including exclusive first-party franchise titles such as F-Zero , Super Mario World , Star Fox , Super Mario Kart , Donkey Kong Country , The Legend of Zelda: A Link to

2970-523: The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack . Pokémon Puzzle League features the same gameplay as in Panel de Pon . The objective is to clear blocks from the playfield by arranging them in horizontal or vertical lines of three or more blocks. A continuous stream of new blocks pushes up from the bottom of the playfield, causing the entire playfield to rise continuously. If the blocks reach

3060-607: The Pokémon anime series. They appear as antagonists in Yellow , Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! . Their English names are a reference to outlaw Jesse James . Their Japanese names are references to two famed swordsmen in Japanese history, Sasaki Kojirō and Miyamoto Musashi , who famously fought each other on the Island of Ganryū in 1612, resulting in Musashi's victory and Kojirō's death. Characters that were introduced in

3150-835: The Satellaview and the Super Game Boy . The Satellaview was a satellite service released only in Japan and the Super Game Boy was an adapter for the SNES that allowed Game Boy games to be displayed on a TV in color. Nintendo, working along with Sony , also had plans to create a CD-ROM drive for the SNES (plans that resulted in a prototype version of the Sony PlayStation ), but eventually decided not to go through with that project, opting to team up with Philips in

3240-603: The Super Famicom in Japan). Cartridge-based handheld game consoles became prominent during this time, such as the Nintendo Game Boy , Atari Lynx , Sega Game Gear and TurboExpress . Nintendo was able to capitalize on its success in the third generation , and managed to win the largest worldwide market share in the fourth generation as well. However, particularly in the lucrative North American market, there

3330-738: The 2P Stadium mode. Ash's rival Gary Oak 's Pokémon, a Nidoran♀ , Growlithe , and Krabby , appear fully evolved into Nidoqueen , Arcanine , and Kingler when playing 1P Stadium on Hard difficulty or higher, although these evolved forms are not available when playing as Gary in 2P Stadium. The game's difficulty setting determines who the player faces as the final opponent: Giovanni in Easy mode, Bruno in Normal mode, Gary in Hard mode, and Mewtwo in Very Hard and Super Hard modes, which upon his defeat rewards

3420-584: The 3D modes of the game, in which the AI becomes erratic at times. Local multiplayer capabilities are also available for one-on-one Puzzle League battles. Pokémon Puzzle League received mostly positive reviews from critics. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge , a companion puzzle game, was released for the Game Boy Color in 2000. Re-releases of the game followed in 2008 for the Wii via Virtual Console , and in 2022 on

3510-652: The American and Japanese NTSC standard to the European and Australian PAL standard. Companies such as Konami , with large budgets and a healthy following in Europe and Australia, readily optimized several games (such as the International Superstar Soccer series) for this audience, while most smaller developers did not. Also, few RPGs were released in Europe because the market for the genre

3600-481: The Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo decided to censor the game's gore, but Sega kept the content in the game, via a code entered at the start screen. Sega's version of Mortal Kombat received generally more favorable reviews in the gaming press and outsold the SNES version three to one. This also led to Congressional hearings to investigate the marketing of violent video games to children, and to

3690-549: The Giant Chasm with Kyurem. After his attempt to freeze the protagonist is interrupted by N and his legendary Pokémon, he uses the DNA Splicers he armed Kyurem with to merge them both. After beating it and Ghetsis, he snaps completely and is transported away by the Shadow Triad. Colress (Achroma ( アクロマ , Akuroma ) ) is an independent Pokémon Researcher and a proxy Leader of Neo Team Plasma, who works to learn about

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3780-485: The Hedgehog , pushing the Genesis as the "cooler" alternative to Nintendo's console and inventing the term "Blast Processing" to suggest that the Genesis was capable of handling games with faster motion than the SNES. Their advertising was often directly adversarial, leading to commercials such as "Genesis does what Nintendon't" and no scream at all. When the arcade game Mortal Kombat was ported for home release on

3870-604: The Mega Drive in Japan to concentrate on the new Sega Saturn . While this made perfect sense for the Japanese market, it was disastrous in North America: the market for Genesis games was much larger than for the Saturn, but Sega was left without the inventory or software to meet demand. Nintendo executives were initially reluctant to design a new system, but as the market transitioned to the newer hardware, Nintendo saw

3960-550: The Past and Super Metroid . The CD-i format was announced in the late 1980s, with the first machines compatible with the format being released in 1991. The Philips CD-i's main selling point was that it was more than a game machine and could be used for multimedia needs. Due to an agreement between Nintendo and Philips about an abortive CD add-on for the SNES (which eventually evolved into Sony 's PlayStation ), Philips also had rights to use some of Nintendo's franchises. The CD-i

4050-441: The Puzzle Master. After battling Tracey and Team Rocket , Ash challenges the supposed Puzzle Master, Giovanni, and defeats him to win the last badge. Soon after, he defeats the Elite Four, including the current Puzzle League Champion, Gary. Upon Gary's defeat, Ash is named the new champion and presented with a trophy, which immediately warps him into a final challenge with the true Puzzle Master, Mewtwo . After defeating Mewtwo, Ash

4140-699: The Turbo Duo, ceased manufacturing in North America by 1994, though a small amount of software continued to trickle out for the platform. The Mega Drive was released in Japan on October 29, 1988. The console was released in New York City and Los Angeles on August 14, 1989, under the name Sega Genesis, and in the rest of North America later that year. It was launched in Europe and Australia on November 30, 1990, under its original name. Sega built their marketing campaign around their new mascot Sonic

4230-479: The TurboGrafx advertising from 1990 to 1994. The platform was well received initially, especially in larger markets, but failed to make inroads into the smaller metropolitan areas where NEC did not have as many store representatives or as focused in-store promotion. The TurboGrafx-16 failed to maintain its sales momentum or to make a strong impact in North America. The TurboGrafx-16 and its CD combination system,

4320-1503: The amount of translation required. Popular US games imported at this time included Final Fantasy IV (known in the US as Final Fantasy II ), Final Fantasy VI (known in the US as Final Fantasy III ), Secret of Mana , Street Fighter II , Chrono Trigger , and Super Mario RPG . Secret of Mana and Street Fighter II would eventually receive official release in Europe, whilst Final Fantasy IV , Final Fantasy VI , Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG would be released in Europe years later on other consoles or formats outside of this generation. US$ 399.99 (Silver version) (equivalent to $ 890 in 2023) Game Boy (using Super Game Boy ) Hudson Soft HuC6280 A (based on 8-bit 65SC02 ) 1.79 MHz (0.77  MIPS ) or 7.16 MHz (3.08 MIPS) 32X Add-on: SA-1 enhancement chip : Upgrades: Enhancement chips : Hudson Soft HuC6280A PSG 32X Add-on: 32 KB main, 128 KB video RAM Upgrades: Enhancement chips: Upgrades: Enhancement chips: Upgrades: Hudson Soft HuC6280 A (based on 8-bit 65SC02 ) 1.79 MHz (0.77  MIPS ) or 7.16 MHz (3.08 MIPS) Philips SCC68070 @ 15.5 MHz Motorola 68000 @ 12.5 MHz (2.19 MIPS) Philips SCC66470, MCD 212 Sega ASIC coprocessor Oki MSM5205 MCD 221 Ricoh RF5c164 Super CD-ROM²: Upgrades: 1 MB RAM CD BackUp Ram Carts: Kanto Gym Leaders This

4410-695: The anime, he does not appear until the Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl anime series , where he is a Contest Master from the Hoenn region who holds a Contest called the Wallace Cup. Steven Stone (Daigo Tsuwabuki ( ツワブキ・ダイゴ , Tsuwabuki Daigo ) ) is the Champion of the Hoenn Region in Ruby , Sapphire , Omega Ruby , and Alpha Sapphire . He is the son of the president of Devon Corporation and aids

4500-464: The art of advanced chains and combos will take a long time. Pokemon and puzzle game fans will appreciate this fun and challenging N64 game." The game was nominated for the "Best Console Puzzle Game" award at The Electric Playground ' s Blister Awards 2000, which went to Mr. Driller . Fourth generation of video game consoles In the history of video games, the fourth generation of video game consoles , more commonly referred to as

4590-447: The best puzzlers on N64." Miss Spell of GamePro said the game "is designed for young gamers, encouraging creative puzzle-solving—something parents will love. Older puzzle fans who have a high Jigglypuff tolerance will also enjoy this well-structured offering." In another GamePro review, Human Tornado said, "Even though it's yet another take on Tetris , Pokemon Puzzle League has enough game modes to give it extra depth, and learning

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4680-450: The cast of the anime series. Pokémon Puzzle League received "generally favourable reviews", according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Fran Mirabella III of IGN said, "I'm totally addicted and thrilled with Pokémon Puzzle League ." Blake Fischer of NextGen called it "a surprisingly fun experience, if a little on the cute side. It may not be up to Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo [ sic ] standards, but it's one of

4770-529: The console only accessible to a niche market. A less expensive version, retailing for $ 399.99, did not include a memory card, pack-in game or extra joystick. Nintendo, NEC and Sega also competed with hardware peripherals for their consoles in this generation. NEC was the first with the release of the TurboGrafx CD system in 1990. Retailing for $ 399.99 at release, the CD add-on was not a popular purchase, but

4860-454: The creation of the Interactive Digital Software Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board . Sega concluded that the superior sales of their version of Mortal Kombat were outweighed by the resulting loss in consumer trust, and cancelled the game's release in Spain to avoid further controversy. With the new ESRB rating system in place, Nintendo reconsidered its position for the release of Mortal Kombat II , and this time became

4950-472: The development of the add-on instead (contrary to popular belief, the CD-i was largely unrelated to the project). The fourth generation was also the era when the act of buying imported US games became more established in Europe, and regular stores began to carry them. The PAL region has a refresh rate of 50 Hz (compared with 60 Hz for NTSC ) and a vertical resolution of 625 interlaced lines ( 576 effective), compared with 525/480 for NTSC. Because

5040-442: The erosion of the commanding market share it had built up with the Nintendo Entertainment System . Nintendo's fourth-generation console, the Super Famicom, was released in Japan on November 21, 1990; Nintendo's initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out within hours. The machine reached North America as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 23, 1991, and Europe and Australia in April 1992. Despite stiff competition from

5130-403: The events of Black 2 and White 2 , she becomes an assistant to Professor Juniper and gives the player their starter Pokémon. Her English name is derived from the Italian word for white, while her Japanese name "Bel" is derived from the Russian word for white: бел ( bel ). Hugh ( ヒュウ , Hue ) is the sole rival in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 . He is from Aspertia City and one of

5220-432: The eventual creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board . The emergence of fifth generation video game consoles , beginning around 1994, did not significantly diminish the popularity of fourth generation consoles for a few years. In 1996, however, there was a major drop in sales of hardware from this generation and a dwindling number of software publishers supporting fourth generation systems, which together led to

5310-443: The fictional Kalos region. Calem ( カルム , Karumu ) and Serena ( セレナ , Serena ) are the male and female protagonists of Pokémon X and Y . Shauna ( サナ , Sana ) is one of the rivals/friends of the player character in Pokémon X and Y . She is energetic and curious, but is searching for a goal in life. She gives the player character a nickname at the outset of their journey. Tierno ( ティエルノ , Tierno )

5400-561: The fictional Kanto region. Many of these characters recur throughout the Pokémon franchise. Red ( レッド , Red ) is the protagonist of Pokémon Red , Green , Blue and Yellow and the male protagonist of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen . Red later appears in Pokémon Gold , Silver , and Crystal as a secret boss fight on Mt. Silver, and also appears in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 , Pokémon Sun and Moon , and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon , as well as in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver , reprising his role from

5490-492: The highest score possible within a two minute time limit; "Spa Service", a stage-based mode where the player must clear a target number of lines to advance to the next stage; and "Puzzle University", a puzzle mode where players must clear predetermined block configurations within a limited number of moves. The game also includes modes designed to teach newer players, including "Professor Oak's Lab", in which Professor Oak provides several tutorials on how to play; and "Mimic Mansion",

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5580-566: The maturing video game industry and begin making plans to release consoles of their own in the future. As with prior generations, game media still continued to be distributed primarily on ROM cartridges , though the first optical disc systems, such as the Philips CD-i , were released to limited success. There was additionally technical competition with home computer games on the Amiga and on DOS -based IBM clones . As games became more complex, concerns over video game violence, namely in titles such as Mortal Kombat and Night Trap , led to

5670-418: The name TurboGrafx-16 in North America on August 29, 1989. Initially, the PC Engine was quite successful in Japan, partly due to titles available on the then-new CD-ROM format. NEC released a CD add-on in 1990 and by 1992 had released a combination TurboGrafx and CD-ROM system known as the TurboDuo . In the United States, NEC used Bonk , a head-banging caveman, as their mascot and featured him in most of

5760-472: The originals. In Pokémon Adventures , he is the Champion of the Kanto Region. Leaf ( リーフ , Leaf ) is the female protagonist of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen . Chase ( カケル , Kakeru ) and Elaine ( アユミ , Ayumi ) are the male and female protagonists of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! . Blue ( グリーン , Green ) is the rival character of Pokémon Red , Green , Blue , Yellow , FireRed , and LeafGreen . He

5850-417: The other character taking the role of the main rival. Wally ( ミツル , Mitsuru ) is an additional rival character. He is introduced as a sickly young boy who needs help catching Pokémon. Using a Zigzagoon borrowed from Norman , the player helps him catch a Ralts . He is later taken to Verdanturf Town, where the fresh air helps him recover, though he leaves to keep training his Pokémon. He later battles

5940-439: The phone by Professor Oak , who tells Ash he has been selected as one of the challengers for the official Puzzle League Tournament. Ash races off excitedly with Pikachu to the nearby Pokémon Puzzle League Village. During the tournament, Ash challenges Gary , his first rival, before defeating seven of the eight of the Kanto region gym leaders and earning their badges, learning from them of a legendary undefeated competitor known as

6030-412: The player in Victory Road. Professor Birch (Professor Odamaki ( オダマキ博士 , Odamaki-hakase ) ) is a Pokémon Researcher, known for his fieldwork and research on Pokémon habitual distribution. He is also the father of the rival character. In the games, Birch gives the player character and the main rival a starter Pokémon: Treecko , Torchic , or Mudkip . At the beginning of the games, he is attacked by

6120-424: The player in their battles against Teams Magma and Aqua. In Emerald , he has retired from competitive battling, but can be challenged for casual battles. Maxie (Matsubusa ( マツブサ ) ) is the Leader of Team Magma, which aims to awaken Groudon to cause a drought that will dry the oceans and expand landmasses. In contrast, Archie (Aogiri ( アオギリ ) ) is the Leader of Team Aqua, which aims to awaken Kyogre to cause

6210-437: The player to fight N instead. The player can later challenge Alder after finishing the main story of the game. While he does not specialize in a particular Pokémon type, half of his Pokémon are Bug-type and his signature Pokémon is Volcarona . He later reveals he had another Volcarona that died before the games begin. He has retired from his position in Black 2 and White 2 , having been succeeded by Iris. N ( エヌ , Enu )

6300-428: The player with a different ending scene. In addition to Ash, characters playable in the 2P Stadium mode include the eight Kanto Gym Leaders ; Orange Islands companion Tracey Sketchit; perpetual villains Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket ; rivals Gary Oak and Ritchie ; Elite Four trainers Lorelei and Bruno; and Mewtwo, who uses cloned Pokémon. Each character has a unique set of three Pokémon to battle with and

6390-413: The player's childhood friends. Like the player characters, he also seeks to become a Pokémon Master. Throughout the game, the player helps Hugh retrieve his sister's Purrloin, which was stolen by Team Plasma years prior. Professor Aurea Juniper (Professor Araragi ( アララギ博士 , Araragi-hakase ) ) is the Pokémon Professor in the Pokémon Black and White games and the first female professor to appear in

6480-418: The powers of Pokémon and bring out the true strength within them. He battles the player several times throughout the game to test their abilities and the power of their Pokémon. He eventually aligns with Neo Team Plasma, as they will allow him to study Pokémon the way he wishes. In the main story of Black 2 and White 2 , he is the helmsman of Team Plasma's primary mode of transportation. After Neo Team Plasma

6570-517: The preferred version among reviewers. The Toy Retail Sales Tracking Service reported that during the key shopping month of November 1994, 63% of all 16-bit video game consoles sold were Sega systems. The console was never popular in Japan (being regularly outsold by the PC Engine ), but still managed to sell 40 million units worldwide. By late 1995, Sega was supporting five different consoles and two add-ons, and Sega Enterprises chose to discontinue

6660-525: The simulation speed of contemporary game systems was directly linked to the output frame rate , which was in turn synchronized with the TV's refresh rate, this meant that the game would run more slowly on a PAL television. The smaller number of vertical lines in the NTSC signal would also lead to black bars appearing on the top and bottom of a PAL television. Developers often had a hard time converting games designed for

6750-432: The six-block width of the flat 2D field. It also features the original block design from Panel de Pon and Tetris Attack , as well as a Pokémon-oriented design (selected by default). The game features the ability to battle against AI opponents, though their abilities are limited when using the 3D gameplay style. The game includes several modes of play. In "1P Stadium", players control Ash Ketchum as they compete to defeat

6840-483: The three starter Pokémon: Chikorita , Cyndaquil , or Totodile . He specializes in research regarding Pokémon breeding and is credited with the discovery of Pokémon eggs, even gifting the player character a Togepi egg for research. Jasmine (Mikan ( ミカン ) ) is the Olivine City Gym Leader and an expert on Steel-type Pokémon . She initially refuses the player's challenge because she is tending to

6930-452: The top of the playfield, the player loses. The player can temporarily stop the progression of blocks by scoring combos and chains, and in two-player battles, these actions also cause garbage blocks to stack on top of the opponent's playfield. Unlike its predecessors, Pokémon Puzzle League features a 3D mode in addition to the traditional 2D mode. In this mode, gameplay takes place on a cylinder with an effective width of 18 blocks, compared to

7020-437: The usual three starter Pokémon. In Pokémon Yellow , he gives Red a Pikachu after Blue takes an Eevee . A younger version of the character has a major supporting role in the movie Pokémon 4Ever . Each main-series Pokémon game, with the exception of Pokémon Sun and Moon and their 3rd and 4th versions , includes a group of eight "Gym leaders", who award the player character a badge upon defeat. Each Gym leader possesses

7110-465: The video games Pokémon Black and White (2010) and their sequels Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (2012), which are set in the fictional Unova region. Hilbert ( トウヤ , Tōya ) and Hilda ( トウコ , Tōko ) are the male and female protagonists of Pokémon Black and White . Nate ( キョウヘイ , Kyōhei ) and Rosa ( メイ , Mei ) are the male and female protagonists of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 . Cheren ( チェレン , Cheren )

7200-478: The video games Pokémon Gold , Silver (1999), Crystal (2000), HeartGold , or SoulSilver (2009), which are primarily set in the fictional Johto region. Gold/Ethan ( ゴールド/ヒビキ , Gold/Hibiki ) is the protagonist of Pokémon Gold and Silver , and the male protagonist of Pokémon Crystal , HeartGold , and SoulSilver . Kris ( クリス , Kris ) was introduced in Pokémon Crystal , and

7290-405: The video games. She specializes in research involving the origins of Pokémon. She gives the player character, Bianca and Cheren one of the game's starter Pokémon: Snivy , Tepig , and Oshawott . In the anime, she gives Trip a Snivy and allows Ash to keep an Oshawott that escapes from her lab. Her father, Cedric Juniper , was a Pokémon Professor and has since retired. Fennel (Makomo ( マコモ ) )

7380-467: The world. N returns in Black 2 and White 2 in a supporting role, enabling the games' mascot Kyurem to transform. His full name is Natural Harmonia Gropius ( ナチュラル・ハルモニア・グロピウス , Nachuraru Harumonia Guropiusu ) . Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius (G-Cis Harmonia Gropius ( ゲーチス・ハルモニア・グロピウス , Gēchisu Harumonia Guropiusu ) is the true Leader of Team Plasma and the main antagonist of the Unova games. He

7470-539: Was a commercial failure and was discontinued in 1998, selling only 1 million units worldwide despite several partnerships and multiple versions of the device, some made by other manufacturers. Released by SNK in 1990, the Neo Geo was a home console version of the major arcade platform. Compared to its console competition, the Neo Geo had much better graphics and sound, however, the prohibitively expensive launch price of $ 649.99 and games often retailing at over $ 250 made

7560-537: Was a fierce console war that raged through the early '90s, which eventually saw Sega outselling Nintendo in North America by 1991. Sega's success in this era stemmed largely from its launch of its popular Sonic the Hedgehog franchise to compete with Nintendo's Super Mario series, as well as a very stylized marketing campaign aimed at American teenagers. Several other companies released consoles in this generation, but none of them were widely successful. Nevertheless, there were other companies that started to take notice of

7650-740: Was difficult to view him as a villain. He reappears in Pokémon Gold , Silver , Crystal and their remakes as the new Viridian City Gym Leader. Trace ( シン , Shin ) replaces Blue as the rival character of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! . The character is much kinder, offering advice and gifting the player items. When asked about this change, director Junichi Masuda said that Pokémon ' s evolving graphics make rude behaviors by rival characters more intense, and that he personally felt "those kinds of personalities these days are just not as accepted by players as they were back then." Professor Samuel Oak (Professor Yukinari Ōkido ( オーキド・ユキナリ博士 , Ōkido Yukinari-hakase ) )

7740-500: Was introduced to Pokémon Masters EX in 2020. Characters that were introduced in the video games Pokémon Ruby , Sapphire (2002), Emerald (2004), and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014), which are set in the fictional Hoenn region. Brendan ( ユウキ , Yūki ) and May ( ハルカ , Haruka ) are the male and female protagonists of Pokémon Ruby , Sapphire , Emerald , Omega Ruby , and Alpha Sapphire . The player can select which character they want to play as, with

7830-493: Was largely responsible for the platform's success in Japan. The Sega CD was released with an unusually high price tag ($ 300 at its release) and a limited library of games. A unique add-on for the Sega console was Sega Channel , a subscription-based service (a form of online gaming delivery) hosted by local television providers. It required hardware that plugged into a cable line and the Genesis. Nintendo also made two attempts with

7920-498: Was not as large as in Japan or North America, and the increasing amount of time and money required for translation as RPGs became more text-heavy, in addition to the usual need to convert the games to the PAL standard, often made localizing the games to Europe a high-cost venture with little potential payoff. As a result, RPG releases in Europe were largely limited to games which had previously been localized for North America, thus reducing

8010-585: Was not chosen by the player. Cynthia (Shirona ( シロナ ) ) is the Sinnoh Pokémon League Champion. She is interested in mythology and history and spends her time researching and exploring various sites associated with Legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh region. In the games, she helps the protagonist against Team Galactic and assists them when Giratina appears in Platinum . In the anime, Ash first meets Cynthia after she defeats Paul in

8100-524: Was the first female player character in the Pokémon series. Though players at the time paid little attention to the addition of a female character, Kris is considered a meaningful addition by women who grew up with the game. Playing as the character was noted as a formative queer experience for transgender women. The character was replaced by Lyra ( コトネ , Kotone ) in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver . Silver ( シルバー , Silver )

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