Pokémon is a franchise founded on collecting: from toys to trading cards to digital monsters, the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” mentality permeates every product. But one collecting market that some fans might not be aware of is the arcade, particularly in the Pokémon Battle-and-Catch style arcade games. Spawning from the first series of machines in 2007, these games not only translate all the battling fun from the dedicated games to a quick and simple arcade style, but have physical cards to trade and collect.
Let’s take a quick look at what these machines offer and how the games have evolved over the many iterations.
Launched in Japanese markets by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. in 2007, Pokémon Battrio set the foundation for the gameplay and collecting style all further iterations would follow. Battrio was a dedicated battling game, similar to Pokémon Stadium or revolution. Each play would cost ¥100 (approximately $1) and upon starting each game, the machine would distribute a physical small plastic disc featuring a random Pokémon. Each Pokémon disc featured basic stats most players would be accustomed to: typing, level, attack, and defense. Usually, the rarer pucks would be more powerful. Pucks could either be collected from the machines, or special promo ones would be bundled with guides or handed out at movies, promotional events, or tournaments. The rarity of pucks was indicated with stars from one to five on the front, and usually featured flashier art.
Battles featured two teams of three (Battrio being a combination of “battle” and “trio”) and the player could face off against either a CPU opponent or a second player on the same machine. Players could place up to three discs onto an infrared scanner on the machine, and the Pokémon on the pucks would then appear in game.
Multiple updates to the machines were released, adding gameplay tweaks and brand new game modes. Beyond the basic battling mode were longer form adventures, requiring the purchase of a special memory key that can be inserted to store progress so players could continue their journey over multiple play sessions. Many expansions to the pucks were introduced, allowing fans to continuously work towards collecting newer and stronger monsters.
In 2012 Battrio machines were phased out in favour of a substantially updated machine with new collectables, Pokémon Tretta.
Released in 2012, Pokémon Tretta featured very similar gameplay to Battrio but with improved graphics and different strategies for battling. Mega Evolution was a new gameplay mechanic, and randomized wheels would appear during the game allowing the player a chance of increasing their power on attacks.
The circular pucks from Battrio were replaced with square tiles. Battrio pucks weren’t compatible except for specialized Bridge Pucks introduced in the final Battrio expansion. It still cost ¥100 to start a game, but now titles weren’t distributed until after the battle was complete.
There were two game modes you could pick upon starting: Battle and Catch, which was the standard battling portion, or Quick Catch which allowed one to quickly collect tiles. Players could choose different environments to find Pokémon, with each one having unique creatures in them.
Players would try and defeat all three Pokémon, with a chance at catching however many they beat. A randomized wheel would spin with different levels of Poke Balls on it, and any caught Pokémon could be distributed (with an additional ¥100 fee if more than one was wanted.)
After a healthy life Tretta was discontinued after a few years for yet another new machine, Pokémon Ga-Olé.
Pokémon Ga-Olé launched in 2016, featuring a much larger screen than previous machines and a flashy Pokeball-shaped peripheral for catching. Gameplay remained very similar to Tretta but was now slimmed down to two-on-two battles.
The new collecting mechanism were Ga-Olé disks, though they were rectangular more so than circular. The distribution process was different too, where machines would store a series of blank disks of different colours denoting strength or rarity, and would print a Pokémon onto the disc before spitting it out. Disks now also featured the type of ball each Pokémon was caught in, offering a vast amount of unique disks to collect. All Pokémon information was now scanned through a QR code, and this same code could be scanned by the QR Reader in Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon. The new printing process often resulted in errors or misprints, which could be highly sought after by collectors.
Game modes were similar to Tretta, but now individual tiles could evolve during gameplay. If evolved, a new disk of the evolved Pokémon could be printed. Fully evolved Pokémon could have even stronger version or Mega Evolutions which could also become new disks.
Ga-Olé lived another four years before being replaced by the newest and currently final updated machine.
Pokémon Mezastar launched in 2020, featuring very similar gameplay to the previous iteration. Three-on-three battles returned and now the machines were constructed as two separate machines adjoined next to one another.
Long rounded tags replaced the disks, and older disks were even compatible. Mezastar tags now featured a sixth level rarity, more powerful than the five that the old version featured.
If both machines were used at the same time, there was a chance of a Special Tag Battle activating, where both players would have to team up against a powerful Pokémon. If they won and successfully caught it, they would both receive a special tag.
Memory Tags were the newest save function, featuring mostly the same features as the older Passes.
That was a brief look at the incredibly addictive collecting world of the Japanese Pokémon arcade games. It’s unclear why there’s never been an attempt to introduce these into Western markets, especially considering some of the machines feature full English translations. It can be assumed the lack of a dedicated arcade market outside of food venues such as Dave & Busters or Chuck E. Cheese are to blame. If the cycle continues we should see a new machine in three years’ time, with brand new mechanics and a whole new type of plastic pass to collect.
Are you interested in trying some of these games? Maybe looking to collect some of the older disks or passes?
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Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering exploded onto the scene in 1993, creating such a lucrative market that endless other toy companies scrambled to match its success. Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokémon still represent the height of TCG success, and there have been countless competing TCGs that just couldn’t cut it in America. Whether you have been tracking every release overseas before getting your hands on them yourself, or were just happy to enjoy a brand new card game entering the market, it’s always a shame to become invested in a TCG just to see it fade away.
So let’s take a look at some of the card games that appeared briefly on your favourite toy store shelves.
Duel Masters originated from the manga of the same name in 2002 in Japan and 2004 in America. Published by Wizards of the Coast and Takara Tomy, it shared many similarities with Magic, but floundered in a flooded market this side of the ocean, eventually being cancelled in 2006. The franchise was rebooted in 2012 as Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, featuring an entirely new aesthetic and play style. Its efforts to simultaneously distance itself from the failures of the first launch as well as attract existing Duel Masters fans didn’t succeed, and it was cancelled again in 2014. It remains a juggernaut to this day in Japan, but fans hoping for a third English relaunch will have to keep waiting.
After achieving plenty of success using other people’s franchises, Wizards of the Coast parent company Hasbro decided to enter the TCG market using their own hallmark franchise: Transformers. After a few special pack releases at conventions, Hasbro and Wizards’ Transformers TCG launched in September 2018 to the delight of fans, which quickly dissolved into frustration when they tried to actually purchase them.
Distribution was unable to meet fan demand and retailers were constantly sold out of them, forcing anyone who wanted to actively pursue collecting to shell out for big dollars on the aftermarket. Compound this with the additional issues plaguing production pipelines throughout 2020, and Hasbro officially put the kibosh on the game with the final release of the Titan Masters Attack set in May 2020. Transformers fans looking to get their card game fix can thankfully enjoy the brand new Transformers Deck-Building game recently launched in 2021.
Trading card and multimedia company Bushiroad dropped its popular Cardfight!! Vanguard game in 2011, and then soon after announced two new TCG projects: Weiß Schwarz and Future Card Buddyfight. The intention had been to market each of the three card games towards different demographics. However, their English releases instead all competed together in the same niche market. Cardfight Vanguard and Weiß Schwarz managed to sustain themselves.
However, despite everything, Future Card Buddyfight struggled as just another alternative to very similar card games. Bushiroad announced its wind down in mid-2020 much to the surprise of the small dedicated fan bases, with the remaining card sets launching together in September 2020 and support for tournaments stretching all the way out until June 2021. Sadly, an ongoing lawsuit between Bushiroad and series creator Yoshimasa Ikeda probably limits any likelihood of the series making a comeback in the near future.
Initially starting in Denmark in the early 2000s as a collector series called Dracco Heads, the card game we would come to know as Chaotic would begin in 2007. The creator of Dracco Heads partnered with trading card executive Bryan Gannon to form Chaotic USA, who then partnered with much beloved and derided anime dubber 4Kids Entertainment to help craft the card game and animated show.
The series had an innovative design where stats on monster cards were randomized, making each trading card distinct. Each card feature a code printed on it that could be entered into the web version of the game, allowing you to play with their exact deck both in person and online.
The demise of the series wasn’t due to lack of fans or sale, far from it. 4Kids, only being a partner to the franchise, sued Chaotic USA for ownership of Chaotic. Throughout the protracted legal battle, no Chaotic products were allowed to be produced, forcing the physical cards, the television series, and the web game to go dark.
Despite 4Kids losing their own lawsuit and even needing to file for bankruptcy, Chaotic had just been dormant for too long and unceremoniously vanished. Chaotic still holds a very passionate fan base who maintain a fan-server of the web game, and Bryan Gannon has made efforts to revive the franchise. The future remains to be seen on if these efforts will bring back the beloved game for a new generation.
Being one of the only franchises to come close to rivaling Pokémon’s success, the first Yo-Kai Watch game from Level-5 launched on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in 2013 and immediately exploded into a multimedia juggernaut. Video games, manga, anime, toys, movies, mascots, and events, it had all the hallmarks of becoming the newest “it” franchise.
While not technically a trading card game, Yo-Kai Watch featured a popular series of collectable “medals” – plastic medallion-like that worked in conjunction with toy replicas of the titular Watch. There’s no battle mechanic involved, but the medals enjoyed a consistent release in bling bags or released as promos distributed at events, tournaments, movie launches, or packaged with toys.
The first game would come stateside in 2015, two years after its initial launch in Japan, with Hasbro localizing all the merch, and especially the medallions. The series was never able to achieve the same fervor over here as it did in Japan, possibly due to the consistent lag between Japanese and English releases. Hasbro finally phasing out all their merchandise in 2017. The game and anime still get localized releases, though with very little fanfare, and with major delays between games even in Japan, it’s unclear if Yo-Kai Watch will ever have its massive return.
There are countless other TCGs that for one reason or another just couldn’t achieve success in this market. Were there any games on this list you were highly anticipating, only to see them disappear? Any card games you’ve been longing for overseas, just waiting for its chance to shine here? Let us know, and don’t forget to support your favourite card games to make sure they stick around for a long time!
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Pokémon fans know to look forward to the franchise’s anniversary years, not only because it’s a wonderful time to celebrate the continuing evolution of the beloved series, but because the anniversaries always bring with them a slew of reveals and surprises. 2021 marks the 25th anniversary, and while this year’s festivities have been understandably muted, let’s look back at the celebration that marked the 10th anniversary: the Journey Across America.
The Pokémon 10th Anniversary Journey Across America was exactly as it sounds: a 24-stop tour at different American malls. It started on February 25th in Miami, Florida, then moved westward across the country, then wrapped back around through the Mid-West, finally culminating in New York City on July 22nd.
The mall pop-ups were a bonafide dream for any young Pokémon fan. They consisted of a video game section to play Generation 3 Pokémon on Game Boy Advance, as well as Pokémon Trozei on the Nintendo DS, and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness on the GameCube. There was also a TV lounge to watch episodes of the show and a preview of the upcoming Lucario, and the Mystery of Mew movie. There were mascots to take photos with, a drawing and colouring booth, a TCG battle segment, and, of course, a merch shop.
Not only was there a giveaway to attendees (an exclusive black star promo Pikachu card with the 10th Anniversary logo emblazoned on it), but video game fans could also receive any of 20 Pokémon distributions. They mostly consisted of legendaries and starters, but what’s a Pokémon anniversary without yet another Charizard? Alongside those 20, this was also the first opportunity for American players to receive the Mythical Pokémon Celebi for their games.
The piece de resistance of the tour were the competitive video game tournaments held in each city. Additional tournaments were held at Nintendo’s Rockefeller Plaza location, as well as the Houston Space Center, which featured a special Deoxys distribution, and a 10th anniversary branded Space Center TCG card. One winner would move on to compete in the national tournament in New York at the tail end of the tour.
On August 8th, 2006, Pokémon launched its biggest in-person celebration on American soil: The Party of the Decade.
The event was hosted at New York City’s Bryant Park. The party contained everything the individual tour stops did but turned up to 10: bigger spaces, more costumed mascots, pre-release demos of the upcoming Pokémon Ranger and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, and a slightly modified selection of the 20 fan-voted distribution Pokémon.
WWE star Hulk Hogan was the party’s host, who claimed he was a big Pokémon fan (or at least was paid to say he was), and the massive Pikachu balloon featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade soared atop the park in its final appearance before being retired for an updated design. There was even a special Pikachu distribution that featured the move fly to commemorate the event.
You can see a lot of the event commemorated in this classic news report from The Associated Press:
The video game tournament national finals took place on the main stage in front of a huge crowd, with the two victors winning a trip to Tokyo. This was not only the most exciting presence Pokémon has ever had in the West, but a fitting celebration of the franchise’s first decade.
Sadly, Pokémon has never had a presence like this across North America ever since. None of the subsequent anniversaries have had such an elaborate event, and Pokémon’s one major American footprint – Pokémon Center New York – remodeled into the more generally focused Nintendo World in 2005.
One bright shimmer of days gone by has been the rise of Pokémon Go, which has kept the spirit of the Journey Across America alive by hosting a slew of in person Safari Zone and Go Fest events across the world. Our very own Montreal was even the host city to Canada’s first and only Safari Zone at Parc Jean-Drapeau back in September 2019.
Even without physical events to celebrate the occasion, this year is proving to be a phenomenal celebration of the series. We will be seeing a brand new Pokémon Snap game, not one but two exciting Pokémon role-playing games at the end of the year and the beginning of 2022, and some phenomenal card sets such as Shining Fates, Chilling Reign, and the upcoming aptly titled Celebrations set.
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