Game Modes
Pokémon Stadium 2 continues on from both of its predecessors in providing a variety of features on the game. These features include multiple different areas to battle and several other areas that can provide new features for your game or just to play.
Some of these features require you to be saved at the Pokémon Centre while others may require you to have a GameBoy game. However, unlike the predecessor, most of the modes can work without a GameBoy game.
| Battle Now | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: No The Battle Now mode, has you battle with a random assortment of Pokémon against Cal, the trainer from Gold/Silver, who also has a random assortment. You can play this alone or with another player. In Round 1, you get chosen some not fully evolved Pokémon at Level 40 while in Round 2, you get fully evolved Pokémon at Level 70. |
 |
||||||||||||
| Event Battle | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: Yes The Event Battle mode is a quickway to battle between two players. Here, you need to select a set of rules based upon the cups in the Stadium. Both players need to have a GameBoy game plugged into the Transfer Pak in their controller and the game will use the current party of the game. You can play these in various rule combinations, including Rules you can create yourself within options under "Rule Edit" This mode also allows for time constraints to be set so that the battle can progress more rapidly, creating even more strategies by requiring quickthinking.  |
 |
||||||||||||
| Mystery Gift | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: Yes The Mystery Gift feature requires you to have a Pokémon Gold, Silver or Crystal game. When you go to this mode, each day you can get specific items that can be sent to your game or used for decorations in your room. |
 |
||||||||||||
| Mobile Stadium | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: Yes The Mobile Stadium is only accessible in the Japanese version of the game. As Pokémon Crystal utilised the mobile adaptor for online battles, it also featured a precursor to the Vs. Recorder where you could save and view recorded battles. Once you've selected Mobile stadium, you have to connect and download the matches on Crystal through the mobile adaptor and it'd then, when you enter Crystal into the Transfer Pak again, you can view these battles in 3D rather than the default Crystal look |
 |
||||||||||||
| Stadium | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: No The Stadium Mode is the main mode of the game. This mode is single player and allows you to battle within four different cups. These cups have varying rules and varying opponents requiring a lot of strategy. The cups are as follows Little Cup: Battles for Pokémon Level 5 |
 |
||||||||||||
| Gym Leader Castle | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: No The Gym Leader Castle is a feature continuing from Pokémon Stadium where you have to face up against the various Gym Leaders of the Johto region, opening more gyms as you progress. Once you finish the Elite Four, it also opens up the Kanto Gym Leaders. These battles tend to have focused types and strategies. |
 |
||||||||||||
| Free Battle | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: No The Free Battle is an open mode for you to battle in any way you want, utilising the various Pokémon in your games or rental Pokémon. These can be played to any of the rule sets in the game, including the ones created yourself. This mode is up to four player, allowing people to join together to have large teams in a 4 player battle. You can select the Stadium used as the backdrop out of a list of all the . Anything Goes: Battles for Pokémon Level 1-100 - No restrictions |
 |
||||||||||||
| Mini-Games | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: No The Mini-Games is a collection of 12 mini-games and some quizzes. These mini-games can be played against the computer in one of four difficulties or against other players. This mode doesn't have to utilise any of the GameBoy games and just works as a competition, but you can use Pokémon from within your game if desired. It has an extra mode where you have to win a certain amount of mini-games to win the overall tournament. Finally, it has special Pokémon knowledge quizzes you can play on your own or against friends |
 |
||||||||||||
| Pokémon Academy | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: No The Pokémon Academy provides an area for you to learn all about the different mechanics of Pokémon Battles. This includes strategies, and tests based on those strategies. It also includes a massive comprehensive database of every Pokémon, move and item within the games |
 |
||||||||||||
| GB Tower | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: Yes The GB Tower allows you to play the games on the big screen. This can also be augmented with several upgrades to the GB Tower earned throughout the game. These upgrades increase the speed of the gameplay, but with Gold, Silver & Crystal, does it by removing the colour and borders.
|
 |
||||||||||||
| Your Room | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: Yes The "Your Room" part of the game links up to your Pokémon Gold, Silver & Crystal games and allows you to view your room in New Bark Town in glorious 3D. In addition to viewing it, you can also re-decorate the room using the items you have obtained within Gold, Silver & Crystal  |
 |
||||||||||||
| Pokémon Lab | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: Yes The Pokémon Lab takes the functions utilised within the various modes of Pokémon Stadium's predecessor and fits them within one area. This area is mostly just for organisation and facts. In addition to giving extras, you have multiple boxes on the N64 game itself which you can use to save your excess Pokémon. |
 |
||||||||||||
| Vs. Rival | |||||||||||||
GameBoy Game Required: No This small mode unlocks after you have beaten all of the cups in the Stadium mode and have cleared the Gym Leader Castle. Once those are complete, the path to the cave in the south-east will open up and you'll discover your rival within the area. Defeat him and it unlocks Round 2 |
 |
||||||||||||