POKEMON 2000 TOUR
February 7, 2000

The Pokemon characters hit the road this past weekend as Nintendo of America Inc.'s mall tour returns, bringing the "battle" experience to life with the new Pokemon Stadium video game for Nintendo 64. The tour will act as an exclusive preview for fans to play the game before its launch on March 6. The Pokemon 2000 Stadium Tour focuses on the third phase of the Pokemon experience with friendly competitions between already captured and trained Pokemon characters. It will visit 20 cities in 10 weeks and is expected to draw larger crowds than last year's tour, which attracted more than 300,000 children.

Two concurrently traveling tours provide advanced tournament-style Pokemon play for new and experienced players. Tour rules require participants to bring their own Game Boys and either their Pokemon Red, Blue, or Yellow game paks to compete in three different levels of tournament play. Participation in the Poke, Pika, or Prime Cup depends on the abilities of their selected Pokemon characters. Pokemon fans will also have the chance to receive the rare 151st Pokemon character, Mew, among other Pokemon collectibles and materials.

"Pokemon is as popular as ever, and we want children to continue the journey and participate in the ultimate competition," says Gail Tilden, Nintendo's vice president, product development and acquisition. "Kids love Pokemon because they can share the fun with their friends, and our new mall tour will enhance that passion and turn everyone into Master Trainers."

In addition to the tournament play, kids can visit with Pikachu and the popular Pikachu car, or enter the Pokemon Arcade to play Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Snap, and Pokemon Pinball. Pokemon Trading Card Game, a new Game Boy version of the popular trading card game, will also be previewed during the tour while traditional fans strategize in the Pokemon trading card play area.

The tour cities include: New Orleans, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento, Portland, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Baltimore, Orlando, Miami, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis.

Fans who have trained their Pokemon in the Red, Blue, and Yellow versions on their Game Boy, are now able to battle their characters in 3-D environments on their Nintendo 64 through the use of the new Transfer Pak. With Pokemon Stadium, newcomers to the Pokemon world can learn the basics of Pokemon training and battling in the game's training mode. At home, players can transfer data from their Game Boy games to their N64 or battle using the "Rental Pokemon" already programmed into the game.

The highlight of Pokemon Stadium is the game's "Free Battle," where up to four players can compete. Players can also choose to engage in a number of mini-games and a single-player mode.