Pokémon Channel, released in France on April 1st, 2004, was the first Pokémon game on GameCube in Europe. There are no battles or catching: you watch television with a wild Pikachu who has moved in with you. Aimed at the youngest players, this casual game has also become a collector’s item for fans, thanks to its bonuses. Our original review gave it 13 out of 20.

The Pokémon Channel box art.

Watching TV with Pikachu

Professor Oak picks you to test Pokémon Channel, a bouquet of channels for humans and Pokémon. Every day, you have to watch the programs and send him a report. A wild Pikachu, attracted by the television, barges into your room and becomes your companion: it reacts to the shows, has its moods, and you discover the world through it. The player is represented only by a pointing finger.

Pikachu.

A bouquet of channels

Psyduck‘s news show, Smoochum‘s statistics, Squirtle‘s shopping channel, Wobbuffet‘s quizzes, the exercise show, the Mareep farm, the Egg Channel, the weather or the art channel: the programs are varied and full of humor. Each day you have watched everything, new channels and a new episode of an original short film by the Pichu Brothers appear.

Psyduck.
Smoochum.

Leaving the room

Bus tickets unlock places to visit: the garden, the meadow, Viridian Forest, the Cobalt Coast and the Snowy Peak. You meet around a hundred Pokémon there, who speak with their voices from the animated series, and you can win virtual cards featuring them. The locations can only be explored through a simple camera movement, though.

Bonuses for fans

The game offers Pokémon mini games, bought from the shopping channel. Above all, the European version lets you download a Jirachi to Ruby or Sapphire, which also fixes the clock bug in those games. See Jirachi and bonuses.

Jirachi.

Should you play it today?

For young children and collectors, yes. Everyone else will find it repetitive and without challenge: about ten hours is enough to see everything.

12/20

Our verdict

A charming casual game for little ones and a nice collector’s item, but too thin for everyone else.

What we like

  • A lovable Pikachu, with the voice from the series
  • Programs full of humor
  • The Jirachi and the Ruby and Sapphire bug fix
  • The Pokémon mini games

What we like less

  • No challenge
  • Very short
  • Locations that are barely explorable

Our original review is still online.