Well I'm not sure if anyone else on the site has done a Retro Review yet, but this is my first one and I though that Pokemon Snap would be a great one to start with.  The game was just recently released on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console and was orignally for the Nintedo 64.  When this game came on the scene, it wasn't exactly the console game that Pokemon Fans wanted, but it was a pleasant surprise.  Read on to see the full review.

The game plays in first person perspective as if you were looking through the lens of the camera.  You are in a machine that is on rails so you have only control over movement in your camera.  Pokemon will move across the screen or be sitting by the side of the rails and you take pictures of them.  Now that sounds boring, but more things get added in the mix.  You are scored for your best pictures.  If the picture is more interesting  you get more points, if the Pokemon is centered in the picture you get more points, and if the Pokemon is prominent in the picture then you get more points. Also outside items get introduced like apples that you can throw to lure or scare unlock new Pokemon.

Pokemon Snap has not aged well.  For a Nintendo 64 the game is about average in the graphics department, but that is not to say that the game looks bad.  When in the menus everything is 2D, the character model for Professor Oak looks like it was pulled straight out of the anime.  But when snapping pictures in the Pokemon world, everything is full 3D.  The Pokemon seem to transfer flawlessly into 3 dimensions.  They are the best looking part of the game.  The different environments in the game have a varety to them, but they look nowhere near as good as the Pokemon that inhabit them.

The sound in this game is much better than any other Pokemon game to date.  The Pokemon don't just shout out random electronic sounding voices (like they do in the newest Pokemon Battle Revolution).  The Pokemon sound like they do in the anime, they yell out their appropriate name and it sounds just great.  The sound may be the high point in the game, but the low point in the game has to be the lack of a multiplayer mode.

The lifespan of the game is pretty moderate.  The point system in the game promotes multiple play through to get the best score possible on all of the Pokemon in the game.  Also while playing the single player game you will have to go back to certain levels once you have received certain tools to capture pictures of new Pokemon.

Snap is a great addition to the Pokemon spin-off series and is a great retro game in its own right. Pokemon made its way into the world of 3 dimensions and it paid off.  This game was a staple of the Nintendo 64 and now of the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console and will be a favorite for all Pokemon fans, but with the new control scheme of the Wii I still wonder...when is Pokemon Snap 2 coming out?

Story 7/10
Gameplay 9/10
Graphics 7/10
Sound 10/10
Multiplayer: N/A
Lifespan: 8/10

Overall: 8.2/10