Pokémon Snap

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Pokémon Snap

Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release date(s)	March 21, 1999 July 1, 1999 July 1, 1999 September 15, 2000
Genre(s)	First person rail shooter
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E) ELSPA: 3+
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Media	128Mb (16MB) cartridge
Input	Nintendo 64 controller

Pokémon Snap (ポケモンスナップ, Pokemon Sunappu^?) is a video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is part of the Pokémon series, and was first released in North America on July 27, 1999.

1 Story
2 Gameplay
3 Levels
4 Critical reception
5 Sticker promotion
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Story

Todd Snap, a fledgling Pokémon photographer is summoned by Professor Oak to an unusual island in order to help him with a report. Oak needs quality pictures to accompany his scientific findings, and from past experience knows Todd is the right person for the job. Pokémon Island, which contains a variety of climatic and geographic regions, is a place where Pokémon live relatively undisturbed by humans. Using a motorized, amphibious buggy named the Zero-One, Todd explores the island and takes photographs of the wide variety of Pokémon that inhabit its environments.

[edit] Gameplay

From Professor Oak's central research hub, the player can select between the game's various levels and features using a menu system. The path through the levels is largely pre-determined, and is similar to a rail shooter. Up to 60 pictures can be taken on each course. After completing a course, the player selects their best pictures to present to Professor Oak. He rates the photographs on a variety of criterion and gives the picture an overall score. Scoring well in Oak's report and photographing a wide variety of Pokémon is vital to progressing in the game.

[edit] Levels

Pokémon Snap only features seven levels. However, the staggered acquisition of items from Professor Oak ensures that the player must re-explore the courses to discover new material. Any of the first six levels has immense replay value if the gamer hopes to locate hidden Pokémon, alternate routes, or photographic opportunities that yield the best scores. Each of the first six levels (Beach, Tunnel, Volcano, River, Cave, Valley) contains the hidden likeness of a certain Pokémon in the environment (called a "Pokémon Sign"). When the player photographs all the signs and presents them to Professor Oak, the seventh level (Rainbow Cloud) is unlocked.

[edit] Critical reception

**Review scores**
Publication	Score
IGN	7.8 of 10
GameSpot	8 of 10
Compilations of multiple reviews
Game Rankings	79 of 100

Pokémon Snap has been praised for its originality and fresh ideas.^{[citation needed]} The game is also praised for its high production value, such as featuring voice-acting for each individual Pokémon (corresponding with their voices in the animated series).^{[citation needed]} Pokémon Snap has, however, been criticized for including only 63 of the original 151 Pokémon and having only seven levels.^[1]

[edit] Sticker promotion

Upon the game's release, Nintendo launched a marketing campaign in which owners of Pokémon Snap could bring the game cartridge to a retail store and print a sheet of 16 stickers featuring the photos they'd taken. Nintendo partnered with Blockbuster in North America, Lawson in Japan and Toys "R" Us and Myer in Australia for the promotion. Stores in these franchises carried "Pokémon Stations" which could print the stickers for a fee of three United States dollars. In North America, the promotion ran through the US Thanksgiving of 1999 in more than 4,500 Blockbuster stores.^[2]