Pikachu Genki de Chu U.S. bound?

[07.08.99] » Work may have begun on a translation of Nintendo's quirky virtual pet title.

   Largely forgotten in the avalanche of other Pokémon-related games and merchandise, Pikachu Genki de Chu actually marked the first appearance of Pikachu and friends on the N64. Released in December of '98 in Japan, it followed soon after Zelda as one of the N64's few noteworthy Japanese releases. The extensive voice recognition system used in the game required an incredibly ambitious localization, apparently killing the chances of a U.S. release. Or so the gaming world thought...

   Now that Pikachu has a strong foothold on US shores, tentative work seems to have begun on bringing Pikachu's N64 debut to U.S. gamers. When commenting on the near future of the Pokémon franchise, Tsunekaz Ishihara, President of Creatures, Inc. stated that "my team has also started doing research on an English version of Pikachu Genki de Chu." Is this a formal announcement? Well, no, "since the system was originally developed for the Japanese language; it is not easy to transfer to English". The result of this exploratory work remains to be seen, but even the fact that research is being done should bring new hope to Pokéfans everywhere.

   A voice recognition headset, which was packaged with the Marigul-developed game, is the only way to communicate with Pikachu. This makes importing the title an impossibility unless the player can communicate in Japanese. Spoken commands from the player control Pikachu's activites, moods, and even an array of mini-games and interaction with other Pokémon. If kicking Pikachu in Smash Brothers wasn't enough, Pikachu Genki de Chu will allow you to scream obscenities at him.

   Who wouldn't want a U.S. release?