Hey You, Pikachu! is a Nintendo 64 game in which you talk to Pikachu through a microphone. Released in Japan on December 12, 1998 and in the United States on November 6, 2000, it was never sold in Europe, probably because of the difficulty of adapting its voice recognition. Here are the game’s details.
| Japanese title | Pikachu Genki Dechu |
|---|---|
| Platform | Nintendo 64 |
| Japan release | December 12, 1998 |
| North America release | November 6, 2000 |
| Europe release | None |
| Developer | Ambrella |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Genre | Simulation, adventure |
| Players | 1 |
| Accessory | Voice Recognition Unit and microphone, included with the game |
Talking to Pikachu
The game was sold with a microphone and a voice recognition unit that plugs into the controller. The player, a kid who has just moved near Viridian City, becomes friends with a wild Pikachu. You guide it and talk to it: the game recognizes around two hundred words. Pikachu reacts to its name, to encouragement, to items and to the Pokémon you name. If you insult it, it gets offended, with no consequence for the rest of the game.
Three difficulty levels
The game is divided into days, with three levels: “Pikachu’s Discovery Days” (easy), “Pikachu’s Play Days” (medium) and “Pikachu’s Daring Days” (hard). Each day features one activity. See The levels.
Why not in Europe?
Our article at the time explained that translating and adapting the voice recognition for each language would have required enormous work, while the Nintendo 64 was nearing the end of its life in Europe. The game therefore never came out here, nor in any European language other than American English.
