Hey You, Pikachu!

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Hey You, Pikachu!
Hey You, Pikachu!
Developer(s) Ambrella
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Release date(s) Flag of Japan December 12, 1998
Flag of United States November 6, 2000
Genre(s) Simulation
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: Everyone (E)
Platform(s) Nintendo 64
Media Cartridge
Input Microphone

Hey You, Pikachu! (ピカチュウげんきでちゅう Pikachū Genki dechū?) is a Nintendo 64 game released in 2000. It was developed by Nintendo and Ambrella. Its Japanese name is Pikachu Genki dechū, a pun on "Pikachu genki desu" (Pikachu is fine). It stars Pikachu of Pokémon fame. The game features voice-recognition technology; this is used to talk to Pikachu. It is also the only game that utilizes the N64's Voice Recognition Unit (VRU). Besides talking to Pikachu, the player can move around and pick up items. Despite being geared towards small children, there was a pamphlet included with the VRU that mentioned how the microphone may be unable to pick up younger voices. A game called Pokémon Channel was released three years later on the Nintendo Gamecube; Pokémon Channel is often considered to be the spiritual sequel to this game.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The game begins when the main character has to try out a new device of Professor Oak's that is used to talk to Pokémon. The player then meets a wild Pikachu and befriends it. The Pikachu's trust must be earned, then it will come and live in the player's house. There are three different areas to explore, each with their own things to do. They are Pikachu's Daring Days, Discovery Days, and Play Days. Through the course of the game, the player can earn Pika Points, which is the currency used at Abra's Shop.

Eventually, if you play up to day 365, Professor Oak appears on the tv when the player wakes up, and says that Pikachu has to be released, as it is a wild Pokémon. Then, the player has to go to the woods where Pikachu was found. The player has to say "goodbye" a couple times, and then Pikachu realizes he can't live with the player anymore, and sadly leaves. After the credits, while the player is looking around the front yard and reminiscing about Pikachu, it returns, and the game continues as if Pikachu was never released.

[edit] Characters

  • Mom The main character's mother. She does not come into the storyline much, but does say "Good morning" to the player every morning.
  • Professor Oak The professor who invented the PokéHelper, the device used to talk to Pokémon.
  • Pikachu The partner of the main character, Pikachu and the player go on many adventures together, such as fishing trips and picnics.

[edit] Items

Throughout the game, the player collects many important items that can be stored in the toolbox:

  • Ball:
    • This is Pikachu's beach ball; Pikachu gives it to the player early in the game.
  • Cupcake:
    • This is a treat for Pikachu.
  • Fishing Hook:
    • This is used for fishing.
  • Harmonica:
    • This can be given to Pikachu for him to play different tunes.
  • Lucky Hook:
    • This hook is used to catch rare Pokémon.
  • Megaphone:
    • This is used to talk to Pikachu when it runs away. It can only fire sound in a straight line, and does it too loudly for normal use.
  • PokéHelper:
    • This device is used to talk to Pikachu.
  • Watering Can:
    • This is used to water Oddish and Gloom in the different parts of Springleaf Field. It can hold 5 servings.
  • Watering Pail:
    • This is used to water Oddish and Gloom in the different parts of Springleaf Field. It can hold 30 servings.
  • Flying Acorn:
    • Most likely the last item to be purchased from Abra's shop. Its availability is dependent on the amount of days spent with Pikachu. It is a brown acorn with three leaves sprouting from the top. The item works very similar to the Frisbee but will cut off fruit from trees with which it comes into contact.

[edit] Reception

Videogame review aggregators like Metacritic and Game Rankings gave the game mixed reviews. [1] [2] Some complaints included the simplistic music and graphics, the controls, and the limits of the voice-recognition technology, which only understood about 200 words. Because of this, and due to the many different languages in Europe and other territories, it was never released outside of Japan and North America.


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