The Pokemon craze is slowly starting to dwindle, thank God. You knew Nintendo couldn't milk this cash cow forever, and soon Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Charmander will be things of the past. To this day, I'm still not exactly sure why I bought this game. Perhaps I just take a sick, demented pleasure in watching Pokemon get their butts kicked in full 3-D (their little death animations are great!). Maybe I should see a professional about this?
The Gameboy Pokemon was WAY too easy. All you had to do was bulk up your Pokemon and you could beat the computer every time. Stadium isn't nearly as easy. The challenge has been upped several notches, complete with a considerably smarter computer and an emphasis on Pokemon strategy rather than brute force. With the exception of a few early matches, you must create balanced teams of many types of Pokemon or the computer will give you a serious stomping. Those "immortal" Pokemon you likely had on the Gameboy may not make it very far in Stadium unless you really pay attention to the offensive and defensive capabilities of each of your Pokemon.
Graphics are good and the sound is decent, except for that damn announcer! Mercifully, you can turn it off (and you'll want to). The game is OK on its own, but it's much better if you own a copy of the Gameboy game and upload your home-grown Pokemon to fight with. The so-called "rental" Pokemon just aren't powerful enough to beat some of the tougher computer opponents. The stategy components of this game are certainly commendable, and they can make this game appealing even to non-Pokemon fans.