Pokémon Stadium

The first game of the series, called Pokémon Stadium (ポケモンスタジアム or Pokémon Sutajiamu in Japanese), was released in Japan in 1998. This version featured only 42 Pokémon instead of the full 151 Pokémon from the Game Boy versions. The game uses the Transfer Pak to link to the Pokémon Red and Blue Game Boy games. This version was not released outside of Japan, and as such the numbering of subsequent Japanese releases is ahead of the U.S. releases. This game was originally intended for the Nintendo 64DD format, but as the 64DD was a commercial failure, Pokémon Stadium transferred to cartridge format. There was also a Pocket Monsters Stadium Expansion Disk, a proposed add-on for the 64DD but was unreleased.