N64 What can you tell me about Pokemon Snap?

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Pokemon Snap was one of the few games (along with Banjo-Kazooie and SMB 64) that made me want to get a Nintendo 64, yet it only took seeing it in action once (through a review show on TV) to permanently burst that bubble.

Just so we are clear: I think it's a lovely idea with tons of potential to it, but something has to have gone terribly wrong in development to make the final product that dull and uninteresting, at least on the surface. And once I heard that this safari-like game didn't even feature the whole available roster of Pokemon (!!!), that seemed to confirm it.

I'm not one to just take my own opinion as fact and move on, however, and so I ask you to tell me about your experience with it (specially if you played it back in the day) to try and get me to give it a second chance.

 

[VampireLord1024VampireLord1024's icon]

I had it many years ago and I really liked playing it on my Nintendo 64. I thought it was pretty cool to take pictures of the Pokémon in the different environments within the game and it was fun throwing the apples and the pester balls trying to get the pictures too. I did want to actually be able to explore the level without being on that track, kind of like a free roam.

 

[MasterEn]

it's not a bad game. it would be more enjoyable with friends. i watched the runawayguys play it and their reactions to professor oak grading their pictures was pretty funny.
it has more of an arcade feel to it, but nothing along the likes of star fox 64 or any other of the best arcade games. i think it's meant to be more relaxing than anything else.

 

[Boo Man]

well my best friend at school had a N64 and he was a major Pokémon fan as everyone was at the time
i remember he got Pokémon Snap for his birthday and we played it for the first time together
we were both super excited but after a little while we were both thinking the same thing.. is that it?
he was trying to convince himself it was still good but i could see he was trying not to cry
i also remember being shocked at the price tag on the box

 

[Bakuma1997]

A kind of neat experience, think of it like a kid-friendly rail shooter, i never cared on beating the levels, i just picked a course and snapped photos to keep them, ah Project 64, simpler days... that was one of the games that got fucked by me not havign a joystick, so i had to tap the arrows to simulate light tilt

 

[Boo Man]

im sure its a decent game if you go back and play it these days but for its time i think it was highly disappointing considering the price and hype around Pokémon
the gimmick was you gotta catch em all not take photos of em all
that was a big miss in my eyes

 

[Tonberry]

It kind of rocks. It's one of those games that you can play over and over and over again as a kid because it feels new every run (the level plays out the same every time unless you do tricks you unlock later on, but we didn't care as kids), but as an adult it might get stale having to redo the levels all the time if you want to get high scores.

All in all I'd say it's a pretty quaint and unique experience for what it is. Pokémon is at its best when it's got that safari feel to it, and this was the closest we ever got back in the day.

 

[SoThankful]

i watched the runawayguys play it and their reactions to professor oak grading their pictures was pretty funny.

I can totally imagine how that goes.

 

[HarmonieGirl]

I got and played this game shortly after I got in Pokemon (so... like 1999) and I found it fun back in the day, but have never really had any urge to revisit it since.

For me to enjoy such a thing nowadays, I'd want it to be a full adventure, as opposed to being on-rails. Unfortunately, they went and made another Pokemon Snap that just followed the same formula as the last and thus I haven't played it.

 

[MasterEn]

I got and played this game shortly after I got in Pokemon (so... like 1999) and I found it fun back in the day, but have never really had any urge to revisit it since.

For me to enjoy such a thing nowadays, I'd want it to be a full adventure, as opposed to being on-rails. Unfortunately, they went and made another Pokemon Snap that just followed the same formula as the last and thus I haven't played it.

they did that because i guess there is a 10 to 20 year processing method on getting feedback for their games. it's the only thing that makes sense about the new installment being a retread of the first game.

 

[dkpopman]

Played it like 6-ish years ago with my girl. It's very laid back and cute, but not deep in the slightest. We passed the controller back and forth per level, and had a great time seeing the funny little guys move around and interact with each other.

It's a pretty graphically impressive game for the system, seeing as it's levels are so contained. I could see that being a selling point for it when it released. Nowadays, if you want to play something like this, the newer switch pokemon snap title would probably be the better game to play. It's got a little more going on, and the photo rating system is a little more advanced. Lacks the soul of the original though.

My biggest gripe with the game was very granular. As a half amateur/half educated photographer, The fact that framing and following the rule of thirds doesn't effect your score bothered me, but it makes sense for them to not count that, honestly. No kid in 1999 was worrying about that stuff.

I'd say give it an honesty try and see what it feels like for you. Maybe save it for a moment when you're in the mood for a very casual, arcadey experience.