| Title | Pokémon Snap (ポケモンスナップ, “Pocket Monsters Snap” in Japan) |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Nintendo 64; re-releases on Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U) and Nintendo Switch Online (Nintendo Classics) |
| Developer | HAL Laboratory, in collaboration with Pax Softnica |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Genre | Photo safari (rail shooter) |
| Players | 1 |
| Release in Japan | March 21, 1999 |
| Release in the United States | July 26, 1999 (June 30, 1999 according to Poképédia) |
| Release in Europe | September 15, 2000 |
| Release in France | September 15, 2000 |
| Wii Virtual Console | December 4, 2007 (Japan), December 10, 2007 (United States), December 11, 2007 (Europe) |
| Wii U Virtual Console | April 6, 2016 (Japan), August 18, 2016 (Europe), January 5, 2017 (United States) |
| Nintendo Switch Online | June 24, 2022 (worldwide) |
| Languages of the European version | English, German, French, Spanish, Italian |
| Rating | PEGI 3 (CERO A in Japan, ESRB E in the United States) |
| Hardware | Nintendo 64 controller; photos saved on the cartridge |
| French manual reference | NUS-P-NPFF-NFRA |
| Worldwide sales | 3.63 million copies (VGChartz estimate) |
This sheet gathers the reference data for Pokémon Snap: release dates by region, successive editions, required hardware, rating and team. Where sources disagree, we say so, since this game’s dates have appeared in several versions on specialist sites. For the development story, see the history of the game page.
Release Dates
Pokémon Snap first came out in Japan on March 21, 1999, under the title “Pocket Monsters Snap” (the Japanese logo carries this name beneath the title in katakana). It reached North America in the summer of 1999: Bulbapedia, Serebii and Wikipedia give July 26, 1999, while Poképédia gives June 30. According to IGN, as relayed by Wikipedia, more than 151,000 copies were sold there in three days at the American launch.
Europe had to wait longer. Bulbapedia and Poképédia give September 15, 2000, a date confirmed by the Gamekult review’s info box (“available September 15, 2000”). This is also the release date in France. Several sources give different dates for Australia: September 1999 according to Bulbapedia, March 23, 2000 according to Poképédia. Serebii even gives 1999 for Europe, which looks like an error.
Re-releases
| Edition | Japan | North America | Europe | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 64 | March 21, 1999 | July 26, 1999 | September 15, 2000 | Cartridge, saves on the cartridge |
| Wii Virtual Console | December 4, 2007 | December 10, 2007 | December 11, 2007 | Photos sent to the Wii Message Board; purple Jynx |
| Wii U Virtual Console | April 6, 2016 | January 5, 2017 | August 18, 2016 | No sending to the Message Board; screenshots on Miiverse |
| Nintendo Switch Online | June 24, 2022, worldwide | Nintendo Switch Online subscription with Expansion Pack | ||
According to Bulbapedia, Pokémon Snap was the first Pokémon game to appear on the Virtual Console, and the first in the series to join the Nintendo Classics catalog on Switch. It is also the only Nintendo 64 Pokémon game to have been re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console. The Wii Virtual Console stopped being available on January 30, 2019, and the Wii U’s on March 27, 2023. The playing today page takes stock of what you can do now.
The Boxes and the Manual
The American box is red and white, in the colors of a Poké Ball, while the European box has a blue background showing an unrolled strip of photographic film, according to Wikipedia. On the European cover, you can make out Pidgey, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Psyduck and Gyarados, as well as a film cartridge marked “64”.
The French manual bears the reference NUS-P-NPFF-NFRA on its cover. Poképédia lists NUS-P-NPDD-NFRA, but the NPFF mention is what you read on the document put online by Nintendo Europe. The booklet runs to 26 pages, as Wikipedia’s entry notes, and carries the print mark “08.00”, which points to August 2000. It is made up of several sections: Professor Oak’s letter, the presentation of Pokémon Island, starting a game, using the controller, how a course unfolds, scoring, building an album, useful items and the gallery. Our getting started page draws heavily on it.
Hardware and Saving
A single Nintendo 64 controller is enough: the game is designed for one player. The manual says to plug it into port 1. It also gives a precaution: when the console is switched on, the stick must be left at rest, in the upright position, otherwise the game registers an incorrect reference position. Photos are not stored on a memory card: they are saved on the cartridge itself, which the manual calls the “Game Pak”. You must choose the Save command in the lab before turning off the console, or the photos may be lost. The game also offers options for the screen, sound (stereo, for example), Z trigger settings and stick direction.
Rating and Languages
Pokémon Snap is rated PEGI 3 in Europe, CERO A in Japan, ESRB E in the United States and G in Australia. The European version offers five languages: English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. According to the credits list compiled by Bulbapedia, separate teams handled the German, Spanish and French text, while European coordination was entrusted to several people. For the French version, the credits also mention two voices, J. M. Delhausse and Fanny Roy, without specifying which role each plays.
The Team
| Role | Names |
|---|---|
| Producers | Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, Kenji Miki |
| Executive producer | Hiroshi Yamauchi |
| Directors | Yoichi Yamamoto, Koji Inokuchi, Akira Takeshima |
| Designers | Shigezo Kawase, Takeyuki Machida, Masanobu Yamamoto, Shizu Higashiyama |
| Sound | Ikuko Mimori, Tadashi Ikegami |
| Modeling | N64 Modeling Center Tokyo, with Benimaru Ito as chief |
| Supervisor | Kensuke Tanabe |
| Pokémon created by | Satoshi Tajiri (Pokémon Producer: Tsunekazu Ishihara) |
Reception and Sales
VGChartz’s sales estimates, relayed by Wikipedia, give 3.63 million copies worldwide: 2.23 million in North America, 0.68 million in Europe and 0.66 million in Japan. These figures are not official. In the United States, the game joined Nintendo’s Player’s Choice line in early 2001, which lowered its price. For reviews, see the critical reception and sales page.
