Pokémon Colosseum, like the
Pokémon Stadium games that begat it, is primarily a way of seeing the Pokémon you've caught in
Pokémon Ruby and
Sapphire in full 3-D on your GameCube. By connecting a Game Boy Advance to your GameCube (link cable required) you can upload all your data from the portable games so that it appears on your GameCube and on the big screen. This means you can examine your Pokédex of over 200 Pokémon in full 3D, swap and trade items and Pokémon, view extensive tutorials, set out your hidden base, use e-cards and, most importantly, battle.
Pokémon Colosseum features a range of battlegrounds, ranging from out in the middle of Petalburg Woods to within a giant stadium with thousands of onlookers. You choose to fight the battles either against the computer, a friend or in a team battle with four people, but whatever you decide suddenly your Pokémon and all their amazing moves will be in super realistic 3-D-–they look even better than they do in the cartoon. Using either the GBA or the normal GameCube controller makes the battles really come alive as you fight for honour or one of the many unlockable secrets.
The only problem with Pokémon Colosseum is that it's out so long after Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, but if you can wait that long this an absolute must-have for any Pokéfan. --David Jenkins
