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Pokemon Snap Retro Review

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You know what I just realized.  There are a lot of games based around photography.  From Beyond Good and Evil to the Fatal Frame series, there seems to be a lot of shutterbugs starring in video games these days.  Whether they're photographing ghosts, aliens, or exotic fauna, you can bet none of them have jobs halfway as cool as that of Todd Snap.  Who is Todd Snap?  He's Professor Oak's crack Pokemon photographer and star of the N64 gem, Pokemon Snap.

In case you haven't already guessed, Pokemon Snap is a photography game set on Pokemon Island, where you, as Todd Snap, will, get this, take pictures of Pokemon.  It's a research expedition headed by the ever-industrious Professor Oak.  From the safety of a specially designed  ATV, you will explore the various areas of Pokemon Island looking for the best snapshots of its inhabitants, all the while keeping an eye open for the elusive Mew.

To that end, you'll be taken through six stages on-rails, a tour of each Pokemon habitat, if you will.  During your tour, you have to take pictures of wild Pokemon as you pass them by.  Since you can't slow or stop your vehicle, you don't have a lot of time to situate yourself for an ideal shot.  You have to work quickly to get as much of the Pokemon in frame while still keeping it as focused on the subject as possible.  You can take up to sixty pictures for each trip, so it's best to snap multiple shots of each Pokemon so you have more choices to choose from to show to Professor Oak at the end of the level.  You'll be graded on the quality of these photos, so you have to be sure to pick the best ones.  It's not a terribly challenging formula, but it doesn't have to be.  Pokemon Snap is a relaxing kind of game, more like a calming nature hike than a thrilling adventure.  It has a leisurely sense of fun about it.

The thing is, not all Pokemon are dancing out in the open waiting for you to snap their likeness.  Some have to lured out with bait or smoke balls.  Having one of your favorite Pokemon hop out of the tall grass or finding one of the legendary birds is weirdly exhilarating.  And that's where Pokemon Snap delivers its joy, in the uncovering of secrets.  Going through a level, you can influence the environment by throwing stuff.  Usually, it'll just trigger slight reactions from the Pokemon, but, other times it may reveal a hidden event you've never seen before.  You can throw an apple between two Pokemon and they'll fight each other over it.  Knock a Charmeleon into a lava pit and he'll evolve into a Charizard.  You may even open up a secret path to a new level.  Speaking of doing horrible things to Pokemon, it's sadistically fun to pummel Pokemon senseless with apples and watching their dazed or enraged reactions.  Now I'd better wrap this review up quickly before PETP starts coming after me.

If there's one thing where Pokemon Snap falls short it's in its roster of pocket monsters.  Of the original 151, only 63 are present.  Imagine how huge this game would be if the others were included as well.  Heck, just imagine how crazy a modern Pokemon Snap would be with even just half of the Pokemon in existence.  The environments are limited as well.  There's only six, but even then, a couple of them seem to repeat the themes of previous levels a bit.  There are two river-themed levels and two cave-themed levels, for instance.  A little more environment variety would have helped the game considerably.

But that's Pokemon Snap.  It's not a life-altering masterpiece, by any means, but a fun, leisurely stroll through what life is like for the average wild Pokemon.  There's plenty of fun to be had in uncovering secrets and tormenting wildlife.  The small roster of Pokemon and environmental choices are a bit disappointing, but it's a charming game all the same.  And just imagine what they'd be able to do with Pokemon Snap on current gen hardware.  All 700+ Pokemon scattered across several unique environments...Dang, now I know why everyone wants Pokemon Snap 2.
Oh, Snap!  It's Pokemon Snap!
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