Pokémon Battle Revolution

Pokémon Battle Revolution is a turn-based strategy game in the Pokémon series, developed by Genius Sonority and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. It launched for the Wii on December 14, 2006, in Japan, followed by North America on June 25, 2007, Australia on November 22, 2007, and Europe on December 7, 2007. As the franchise’s first Wii title, it also became the first Wii game in North America and Japan to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and the second Wii game to wirelessly connect with a Nintendo DS handheld.

The game is set in a Pokémon-themed park called Pokétopia, which contains eleven colosseums. Each colosseum has its own special effects—like randomizing a player’s Pokémon order, letting the player choose the opponent’s order, or imposing level limits. The Crystal Colosseum runs a 16-player single-elimination tournament, while the Gateway Colosseum only opens to rental pass holders. The Neon Colosseum uses a wheel to decide which Pokémon each side will use. As players advance, the rental Pokémon become stronger. Instead of a story mode (unlike Pokémon Colosseum or Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness), players earn Poké-Coupons, which can be spent on customizing their character’s appearance with clothing, face paint, and hair color.

Pokémon attacks are more varied here, with each Pokémon having its own animation for most moves. Some animations show both the attacker and defender on screen at the same time, unlike earlier console games that cut away after the attack. Players can also connect to Nintendo DS games (like Diamond and Pearl) to use their own Pokémon, and they can win special Pokémon—such as a Pikachu with Volt Tackle and Surf (unlocked by beating every colosseum once) or an Electivire and Magmortar (via special codes)—and transfer them back to the DS via Mystery Gift. Items like Technical Machines and evolution items are also available for purchase.

Online, Pokémon Battle Revolution was the first Pokémon console game to go online in the United States and the first online Wii game. It offers two modes: Battle with a Friend (using friend codes) and Battle with Someone (random opponents). After a random battle, players can exchange trainer passes, but only if both agree.