Pokémon Channel: Together with Pikachu looks set to be one of the most obscure games ever created. Next to Animal Crossing, Pikmin, and Hey You Pikachu! The plot, if you can call it that, is that the Pokémon TV channel has lost parts of their most popular TV shows and it's up to you and Pikachu to find the clips and get them back on the air. There are many things to do in the game - you can watch TV, go to the forest, or give Pikachu some advice. It appears that in order to make a good TV channel, you must watch video clips and play games.

Of course, you have to make your TV channel, "together with Pikachu", and accordingly, Pikachu watches the TV and plays the games with you. There are numerous locations in the game all based upon Hoenn; where Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are set. These include beach areas, mountainous areas, and forests.

You can actually watch the TV shows too, and there appears to be something for everyone: news, quiz shows and tele-shopping. Perhaps the most exciting thing is a Pichu Bros (from the 3rd movie) cartoon in DVD quality. Two other somewhat sub-features of the game include being able to re-colour the TV shows, play a virtual Pokémon Mini.

I have managed to track down a list of the games content:

A studio-based quiz show. No further information exists other than what we can interpret from this a screenshot.

In what appears to be a parody of the AOL Time Warner owned CNN. News reports are said to be of a more "human interest" nature.

Wouldn't a Castform be better suited to this? Castform is the Pokémon that changes according to the weather. Looks like Slowpoke tells you the weather. This is a cute little show.

You watch Pikachu, watching you, watching Pikachu. That, or we don't know at all what this could be.

Of course, Pokémon Channel features a special Pichu Brothers cartoon that is full length and on the disc!

The GameCube clock is finally being used! It's used for controlling the weather and Pokémon that appear around the world you play in. There are several locations including woods, the seashore and a mountain.

There is also some sort of painting task where you can use a Smeargle's tail to paint pictures.

There is also a virtual Pokémon Mini- where you can play Pokémon Mini games. Apparently it is also a clever marketing trick- as it includes demos of other Pokémon Mini games. Nintendo have always been ones for clever marketing, with the saturation of adverts ever since the GameCube has launched.

Personally I can't wait for this game. But there is a risk of it not coming to PAL as Hey You Pikachu didn't. This was because of the difference between the American, British, Down-Under dialogue. Plus all the different languages in Europe. Now with improved technology hopefully this will not longer be a problem.

This game is recommended to anyone who likes Animal Crossing or obscure games. But I will say 'import it' when it gets a American release on 01.12.2003.