======================================================================== ||||| ||||| ||| Pokemon Mini Japanese Games FAQ ||| ||||| ||||| ======================================================================== | | | by Titney titney@pocketheaven.com | | 2002-08-01 | | version 1.0 | | | ======================================================================== * Contents * - Introduction - Introduction - Notes on the Unit - Where to find the games - Notes on Translation - Pokemon Tetris - Features - Language - Game - Controls - Menu Descriptions - Game Modes - Start of Game - Strategy Hints - Pokemon Puzzle 2 - Features - Language - Game - Menu Descriptions - Puzzle Types - Strategy Hints - ETC - More Info - Copyright ======================================================================== ||| Introduction ||| ======================================================================== * Introduction * This is an FAQ for two of the games out in Japan for the Pokemon Mini console, Pokemon Tetris and Pokemon Puzzle 2. The games are fully in Japanese. The Japanese carts work fine on my American unit, so there seem to be no issues with regions or lockouts. * Notes on the Unit * - Screen: The screen only has two colors, black and white, but by oscillating the pixels on and off they managed to get two shades of grey too, just like the original gameboy. This only works on static graphics however. It's used a lot more in these newer games than in the four original release games. The title screens and the pokedex in Pokemon Tetris looks pretty plush in four shades of grey. - Lighting: unlike the Gameboy Advance this little baby will work in almost any lighting conditions, in fact, it looks better with reflected light, so ambient light is fine, no need to sit directly under a lamp. - Controls: The cross pad control on the pokemon mini is very small, and unfortunately it's very easy to press down instead of right or left etc. In most of the actual games they seem to have worked around this and it isn't an issue, but sometimes in menus etc you notice it. The only actual game I noticed problems in is the dancing game in Pokemon Party. Neither of the games included here are affected. - Accessories: I highly recommend the zipper pouch that comes with the Pokemon Mini set in the USA, and can be bought separately in Japan. It protects the screen and can easily hold up to five game carts along with the Pokemon Mini unit! A carrying strap if of course mostly a fashionable gimmick, but it also makes the little unit easier to grab hold of and harder to drop or lose. A huge variety of straps are available in Japan. The Pokemon Center even has several straps specifically for Pokemon Mini. The batteries last forever, no need to go out and buy a pack of spares right away. They say 60 hours but I used mine for 6 months with the original battery and no signs of it running out yet. * Where to find the games * In Japan. I got them through a contact in Japan. http://www.pokemoncenter-online.com/ in Japan got them for sale, but they don't ship internationally. Outside Japan they are pretty much impossible to find. I seen one of them for sale on eBay once. Your best bet is probably to watch eBay closely or ask speciality or game import stores to order them. * Notes on Translation * The games are all Japanese, and I don't know too much Japanese, so the FAQ is mostly made from trial and error. Any additions, corrections or more accurate translations are most welcome, just e-mail. ======================================================================== ||| Pokemon Tetris ||| ======================================================================== * Features * - Infra Red for VS play and high score trading - Shock sensor for flipping pieces - Vibration when lines are cleared or pokemon caught - Uses 1 save page in the Pokemon Mini - Includes clock function - Automatic interrupt save; when you shut the Pokemon Mini off it automatically saves your position in the game. You can't remove the cart though, or the save is gone. * Language * The language is all Japanese with some minor things in English. There are no in-game dialogues though, and the actual game is purely graphical, so once you get through the menus it's straight sailing. * Game * The object of the game is to get high scores, and at the same time collect pokemon. Clear 4 or more lines and you catch a pokemon. The pokemon up for catching appears to the right of the playing field. Pokemon you haven't already caught appears blacked out, so these are the ones to look out for. As a bonus for pokemon fans you can play "who's that pokemon" and try and guess which one it is before you catch it. It also features some bonus stuff not in classic Tetris. In some modes pieces can have up to 5 squares instead of just 4, and you can also flip the pieces to their mirror image by shaking the unit. * Controls * - Left/Right: move piece to left or right - Down: speed up piece falling - Up: dump piece straight to the bottom - A: rotate piece clockwise - B: rotate piece counter-clockwise - C (shoulder button): pause game - Shake the unit: flip the piece to its mirror image * Menu Descriptions * - Startup screen Left, Start Right, Options - Options First screen 1. Background music 2. Sound effects 3.Vibration 4. Light - Options second screen (scroll down with pad) 1. Name entry (press A to exit without changing, B to erase, left right to select letters) 2. Time set (press A to move to next item, up and down to change) 3. Data Reset (clears all saved data! the default option to the right cancels, left confirms) - First Menu after start Pokeball: 1P Game Explosion: VS Game Pikachu: Pokedex (the number at the bottom is caught Pokemon) Computer screen: Data (stats, highscores) Pokemon Mini: Control instructions (in japanese) - 1 Player Game Marathon (endless) 20 Lines (time challenge) Pyramid (clear 1,2,3,4 lines time challenge) In each mode you the size of the pieces 4 is normal old-school tetris, 4+5 has both 4 and 5 square pieces. - VS Game Did not try this but you select mode the same way as in 1 Player - Pokedex A to switch between full pic, blacked out icon and caught icon. Up/Down moves one pokemon at a time Right/Left moves ten pokemon at a time (unfortunately easy to hit by mistake) Under each caught pokemon there are two numbers. The first is the usual pokemon number, the second is how many times you caught this particular pokemon. - Data Menu 1. Play Data Pokemon numbers of unique caught, total caught VS Game ? ? (haven't played vs game) Lines Total number of lines cleared Percentage of lines being 1,2,3,4,5 lines Play Time Hours:Mins Games, numbers of games played 2. Ranking Marathon high scores Total high score chart (after trading with other people) 3. Trade Scores (with infra red, not 100% sure of this) - In-Game Pause Menu 1. Return to Game 2. Retry Game (shows intermediate screen with stats for the game) 3. Exit (to start menu, shows intermediate screen with stats) * Game Modes * - Marathon Endless mode, just try to catch as many pokemon as possible without filling the screen. Gets faster and faster the more lines you clear. At the game screen, the number at the top is level, below that lines, and at the bottom is the current score. - 20 Lines Get 20 lines in as short time as possible. No scoring so only time matters, not how many lines you clear at once. At the game screen, the number at the top is the numer of lines already cleared, at the bottom is the time. - Pyramid Clear exactly 1,2,3, and 4 lines in as short time as possible. No scoring on lines either. At the game screen the number on top is lines cleared, bottom is the time. Between those is the pyramid. The parts you need to clear are white, while the already cleared parts are black. That is, clear two lines at once and the two-parter in the pyramid will turn black, etc. * Start of Game * If you haven't set the clock before you need to set it. A to move to the next item, B to move back, up and down to change. Next you need to enter your name. Left and right to select letters, A to enter them, B to erase, press A on END once you're done. This name is used when you play against others or trade scores. * Strategy Hints * Compared to the classic Tetris for Gameboy this version seems to have more long 4 tetris pieces. Probably because they are more central here with the pokemon catching. There is also the mirror switching by shaking the unit. This might seem like a simple cheat at first but it actually makes things interesting (and building up for getting 4 lines at once a lot easier). At the faster levels its quite a hard choice whether to waste time flipping a piece or not. The basic strategy is to always keep at least 4, preferrably 8, lines ready to be cleared at any time. Keep a one piece wide opening to the right or left of the screen to minimize clutter. Try to wait with doing a tetris clearing till you have an uncaught pokemon up. Work slowly when there is a caught pokemon up for grabs (to keep the screen clean), and fast when there is an uncaught one (to get a long 4 piece). I am not 100% sure about this one, but it seems that different pokemon appear more in different modes. In marathon mode mostly pokemon from the first 150 appears, in the 20 lines challenege pokemon from 150 up appears. The 20 lines mode is kinda counter intuitive, since the real objective is to get a low time, but to catch any pokemon you must get 4 lines at a time, so you usually end up with a crap time but a new bunch of pokemon. At least if you're like me and mostly focus on the pokemon catching. For the purists who like their classic tetris, just stick to the 4 piece modes, and simply ignore the flip feature by holding the unit still. All in all the pokemon catching does add a surprisingly exciting aspect to the whole tetris gaming, especially if you're into clearing 4 lines at a time. ======================================================================== ||| Pokemon Puzzle 2 ||| ======================================================================== * Features * - Vibration - Uses 1 save page in the Pokemon Mini - Includes clock function - Limited Interrupt save If you leave the game until it goes into sleep mode the game will be interrupt saved where you left off. But if you turn it off manually it will return to the boot screen. If you turn it off on the clock screen however it will always return to it on power on. * Language * The language is all Japanese with some minor things in English. There are no in-game dialogues though, and the actual game is purely graphical, so once you get through the menus it's straight sailing. * Game * Four types of mini puzzle games in one cart, 20 puzzles of each type. Two types are familiar from Puzzle 1, Anime Puzzle (Motion puzzle in the English version) and Silhouette Puzzle (Shadow puzzle in English version). Pika Puzzle and Stretch Puzzle are new types. * Menu Descriptions * - Start Screen Change selection with left and right Press C shoulder for clock screen 1. Game Start 2. Options 3: Minidex - Clock Screen Press A for menu 1. Game (returns to start screen) 2. Options (set the time, select item with A and B, change with up and down, return to clock with B. Note that you can change the pokemon picture also) - Game Select Up and down to select which type you want 1. Anime Puzzle 2. Pika Puzzle 3. Stretch Puzzle 4. Silhouette Puzzle (not available until you clear parts of the other types) - Puzzle Select Use gamepad to select which puzzle you want C shoulder button for instructions (in Japanese) - In-Game Pause Menu Press C or B to return to game, A to select in menu. 1. Instructions (B to return) 2. Save (power off to save, you can safely remove the cart) 3. Exit (to puzzle select menu) 4. Options (same as the main options menu, C or B to return) - Options 1. Background Music 2. Sound Effects 3. Vibration 4. Light - Minidex This is a mini version of the Pokedex. Up/Down to change pokemon A for selection menu 1. View (shows the pokemon image or movie) 2. Play (starts the puzzle game the pokemon is featured in, if you exit the game from the pause menu you will return to the minidex) * Puzzle Types * - Anime Puzzle Move the pieces to complete the moving image. Press A to grab a piece and A again on another piece to make them switch places. B to cancel out a grab. - Pika Puzzle Move Pikachu to connect all the pokeballs with the grey line. Move him forward with the gamepad and erase backwards by pressing B repeatedly. - Stretch Puzzle Fill the screen by stretching arms out from the numbered squares. Move the marker with the pad. Position it over a numbered square and hold down A while moving the pad in the direction you want the arm to stretch. To suck the arm back in hold down B and move the pad. - Silhouette Puzzle Grab the pieces and fill up the silhouette shape with them. Select the pieces with A and move them with the game pad, use B to rotate and set them down again with A. Move them out of the field in any direction to remove them. * Strategy Hints * Since all puzzle types features easy back-stepping, it's easiest and most fun to just have a go at the game and then backstep when you see it doesn't work. For instance in stretch puzzle, just stretch all the pieces out till you see in which places it doesn't work. The anime puzzles are much harder here than in Puzzle 1. Try to keep track of one step of the animation and arrange the pieces to that. Look for bottom parts of the pokemon and try to place those first. In the silhouette puzzle try to find places where the pieces fit in a non-obvious way, particularly in the later levels this is usually how they work. Put the obvious small pieces first (such as pieces in separate ears/arms etc), then the biggest trickiest pieces, save the smaller fillup pieces for last. ======================================================================== ||| ETC ||| ======================================================================== * More Info * Steve Vilbig's Pokemon Mini FAQ (available on GameFaqs.com) www.pokemonmini.com (official US site) www.pokemon-mini.com (official Japanese site) www.pokemoncenter.com (official US store) www.pokemoncenter-online.com (official Japanese store) babel.altavista.com For translating japanese sites In UK and Germany the English version of pokemon mini is availble from www.amazon.co.uk and www.amazon.de respectively. (sadly not these games though) See GameFaqs.com and search google.com for more in depth tetris strategy guides. * Copyright * Copyright Titney 2002 All rights reserved. This document may be copied, in whole or in part, by any means provided the copyright and credits sections remain intact. The data contained herein is provided for informational purposes only. This FAQ may not be used on sites or magazines that charge money for access, free or purely ad sponsored sites are fine though.