- This article is about the Mega Drive/SNES game called Pocket Monster. For the Famicom game of the same name, see Pocket Monster (Famicom).
Pocket Monster is an unlicensed platformer based off the Pokémon series for the Mega Drive and SNES. The SNES version is credited to DVS Electronic Co., while the Mega Drive iteration seems to be developed by ex-workers from Chuanpu and published by X Boy. The game appears to have been released in 2000, as hinted by details on the box art.
Overview
Pocket Monster's Gameplay (Mega Drive version).
Like the Famicom 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 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 Mega Drive 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 Mega Drive, Pocket Monster II. The ending is an image of some Pikachus.
The graphics are ripped from numerous sources. The backgrounds are ripped from numerous Mega Drive 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 Mega Drive version seems to be mostly original, although the opening theme is based on the Goten vs. Trunks theme of Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden 3 (also used in the bootleg Dragon Ball: Final Bout), and there is music from Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan (2nd stage, bosses and last stage, also used in Mortal Combat 5) and Hercules 2 (3rd stage). Strangely, in the Mega Drive 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.
Differences Between Mega Drive/Genesis And SNES Versions
- The Mega Drive 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 Mega Drive version having a mix of original music and music from Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan and Hercules 2, 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 Mega Drive 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 Mega Drive 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 Mega Drive version while there's an ending message in the SNES version.
- In the Mega Drive 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 Mega Drive 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 Mega Drive version features a picture of Pikachu traced from the cover of a N64-exclusive 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).
Trivia
- The box of the SNES version from DVS Electronic uses the same image of Pikachu and the smaller "Pocket Monsters" logo also found on the Pocket Monster Go! Go variation of Monster Go! Go! Go!!.
- The enemy with brown armor and a red fez was taken from a Sega Genesis game Syd of Valis.
- When tested on a AtGames Sega Genesis Ultimate Portable Game Player, The game just loads a black screen.
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