Pokémon Stadium 2 and Pokémon TCG are now on Switch Online
Nintendo has dropped a pair of classic Pokémon spin-offs into the Nintendo Switch Online retro game libraries, with Pokémon Stadium 2 and Pokémon Trading Card Game now available to play.
As Game Boy and Nintendo 64 games, these are split up into different tiers of the subscription service. Pokémon Trading Card Game is playable by anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online membership, but Pokémon Stadium 2 requires the higher priced Expansion pack tier that includes N64 games – this follows on from Pokémon Stadium, which was added back in April.
Pokémon Stadium 2 first launched in 2000 (actually the third game in the series in Japan, but the second to get a Western release), and builds upon the similar foundations of 3D battling with Pocket Monsters. This game added the Pokémon from Gold and Silver into the mix, including Ho-oh and Pichu, but similar to the original, it had no real storyline and was more about pitting yourself against a string of battles and Pokémon fights.
Pokémon TCG is an even more oddish spin-off, adapting the tabletop collectible card game into video game form, and throwing some role-playing elements into the mix. The game featured cards from the first three sets to be released, while looking to defeat eight Club Masters and eventually the four Grand Masters in order to earn the four powerful Legendary Cards.
What’s next for Switch Online? It’s not clear when Nintendo will release them, but we do know that 1080º Snowboarding, Excitebike 64 and Mario Party 3 are due to release at some point this year for the N64 game library. It was four long months between additions, but we doubt they’ll wait that long again.
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