Pocket Monster (Mega Drive/SNES)

Pocket Monster (Mega Drive/SNES)
Publisher	DVS Electronic Co. (SNES version)
Developer	DVS Electronic Co.
Console	Sega Mega Drive/Genesis / SNES
Sound engine	High Seas Havoc (Mega Drive) Bonkers (SNES)

Pocket Monster (not to be confused with the Famicom/NES pirate of the same name) is a pirate game based off the Pokémon series for the Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES, the SNES version being credited to DVS Electronic Co. The game appears to have been released in 2000, as hinted by details on the box art.

Overview

Like the Famicom/NES pirate, the player controls Pikachu through numerous sidescrolling levels. There are 5 levels in total, with a boss at the end of each, as well a mini-boss in the first level of the Mega Drive/Genesis version. Pikachu can jump on enemies and use a special move which clears all of the enemies on the screen, although the latter can only be done when the charge meter is full (indicated by a power bar at the top of the screen of the SNES version, or a numeric counter in the MD version, which is full when it hits 20.) The player can start either 3 and 5 lives and continues each, and there's a difficulty setting in the options menu. A sequel to this game was made for the MD, Pocket Monster II. The ending is an image of some Pikachus.

The graphics are ripped from numerous sources. The backgrounds are ripped from numerous MD games, including Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure, Mr. Nutz, Quackshot, Magical Taruruuto-kun and Monster World IV. The graphics from the latter aren't present in the SNES version. The level graphics of the fourth and the last stage of the SNES version was ripped from Skyblazer. Some of the enemy sprites are ripped from Syd of Valis, and one of the enemy sprites appears to be taken from Super Metroid. The intro, as well as several other graphics are taken from the Pokémon anime.

The music in the MD version seems to be mostly original, although the opening theme is based on the Goten vs. Trunks theme of Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 3, and there is music from Mortal Combat 5. The title theme of the MD version resembles one of the songs from Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden 3, suggesting that Dragon Ball Final Bout may have predated this game. Strangely, in the MD version, Pikachu constantly says his name on the title screen, when hit and upon losing a life while he's mute in the SNES game. This is probably because the SNES version's audio is an unedited rip from the game Bonkers and it might've been too difficult to do digitized audio on the system.

File:PocketMonsterMDGameplay.png

Pocket Monster's Gameplay (Mega Drive version)

Differences Between Mega Drive/Genesis And SNES Versions

• The MD version doesn't credit any company to making it, while the SNES version claims to be made by DVS Electronic Co.
• The music is completely different in both games, with the MD version having a mix of original music and music from Mortal Combat 5, while the SNES version takes the music from Bonkers.
• The sound effects are also different in the two games, although with both they're in PCM format. One of them in the MD version is taken from Michael Jackson's Moonwalker.
• The "Pikachu" sound effect isn't present in the SNES version, but is replaced with a "Yow!" sound clip from Bonkers.
• There are numerous minor graphical differences between the two versions.
• The MD version is set to Normal difficulty by default, while the SNES version is set to Easy.
• The mini-boss in the first level isn't in the SNES version.
• Many of the bosses in the SNES version are smaller and follow a set movement pattern.
• The fourth and fifth levels are completely different, aside from boss of level four.
• In the ending, the background scrolls in the MD version while there's an ending message in the SNES version.
• In the MD version, Pikachu can jump in mid-air before he falls down after touching an enemy. This is also present in Pocket Monster II.
• In the MD version, you fight Onix as the final boss. In the SNES version, you fight recolors of the previous bosses with A.I. differences.
• The boxart of the MD version features a picture of Pikachu traced from the cover of a Japan-exclusive N64 title Hey You, Pikachu! as well as several logos such as "New Game" and "2000", all covering the cover art of another N64 exclusive, Pokemon Stadium 2, as well as the original Nintendo and N64 logos. One half of the game's logo also comes from Hey You, Pikachu!, making its' title half-Chinese and half-Japanese; in its' entirety, it reads as 皮卡丘 げんきでちゅう (Píkǎqiū Gen Ki De Chu).

Gallery

Mega Drive cartridge

SNES cartridge with Dream House Games label

Box and Cartridge

Alternate Megadrive cart