TOKYO - Last Saturday, GameSpot News and videogames.com went to Makuhari, Chiba, to attend Jisedai World Hobby Fair. Basically, this is a toy show that was held by magazine publisher Shogakukan.

　　There were various kinds of toys on the show floor such as Mini Yonku (miniature racing cars, which could be tuned for competition), Hyper Yo-Yo (yes, a yo-yo), and trading cards. Of course, video games were also included in the mix of items. Sega, SCEI, Hudson, Konami, Jaleco, Enix, Koei, and Bottom Up were all there. Since most of the companies displayed games that are already out (or not-so-anticipated titles), the show's highlight was clearly Nintendo Co. Ltd. Nintendo had F-Zero X, Pokemon Stadium, and Pikachu Genki Dechu on display.

　　At the booth, kids and parents were glued to the presentation of Pokemon Stadium. This game is an upgraded version of Pokemon battle mode from Pokemon Game Boy. In this game you can plug your Pokemon Red/Green/Blue cart into an N64 controller via a 64GB Pak, and you can see the Pokemon battle with your friends in rich and colorful animations.

　　Two pairs of girls played Pokemon Stadium on Nintendo's stage as a presentation. The cart that was inserted on the N64 was a regular-size cart (and the girls seemed to actually play it instead of just show it off). From what this reporter can tell, the cart must be a final copy.

　　The game is not Pokemon RPG but Pokemon battle with play-by-play and Pokemon Guide Book. But many Pokemon lovers in Japan will appreciate the game. The one downside to the game is a result of the cart's limitation: There are only 33 Pokemons available on Pokemon Stadium. (Remember there are 151 Pokemons in Pokemon GB.) There's a fair chance to see a complete version of Pokemon Stadium DD later.

　　But we also heard good news about the game. You can play Pokemon GB on the N64 via a 64GB Pak, only if you set Pokemon Stadium cart on N64. It will act like Super Game Boy. Pokemon Stadium with a 64GB Pak is due out in August for 5,800 yen.

　　F-Zero X, which is due out in about a month, was playable. The ROM was larger than the regular cart (that means not a final copy), and the guy at the booth said it's a near-complete version. Even though no one was allowed to play the game for more than five minutes, it was enough time to judge the game as being quite good. There are lots of quick turns and jumps. But unlike its 16-bit predecessor, F-Zero X has a lot of ups and downs in the courses. It will be a jet coaster ride, literally. There are 30 cars in the race. All have distinctive drivers, names, and shapes. They'll race with no cheats. It looks like a tough and rough ride. F-Zero X is due out on July 14 and will be priced at 5,800 yen in Japan.

　　Pikachu Genki Dechu is another title that many kids were attracted to. This is a virtual pet game where you can talk to your pet via a microphone. The game is set in a fully 3D world, and you can move freely around in it. In some parts of the 3D world, you can talk to Pikachu, and he'll react. Maybe he'll like you when you are polite. But he'll be mad at you when you are not. The concept of the game is playing with Pikachu. In some areas of the game, there is a narrow path that you can't enter. You can ask Pikachu to go in and get items from inside the area you cannot enter.

　　We also had a chance to speak with Umbrella, the team behind the above game. Members of the company first met at Tokyo University and started to make games there. Later, they formed a company called Umbrella. Now they are developing Pikachu Genki Dechu under the funding from Marigul and in cooperation with Nintendo. Muneaki Ozawa, front man of the company, told us about the game.

　　He explained the role of Marigul and Nintendo. "While we are developing the game itself, Marigul took charge of taking care of running a company - like paying the bills, etc. Nintendo was in charge of making the actual microphone. We can't do that kind of thing."

　　According to Ozawa, during the development, they were trying to concentrate on designing a friendly controller scheme for everybody - because the game has a microphone to talk to Pikachu with. If the control was too tough to use, it couldn't have been played by young or old people.

　　He admitted that the whole experience was new and challenging. But he assured us the experience will be both fun and new for the gamer - regardless of one's age.

　　Pikachu Genki Dechu is slated for a fall release.