Once upon a time, you were not only the best Pokemon trainer (and champion) of the games in the franchise, but also the king of the casinos! Today, the latter title has been lost since the casino slots mini-games have been abandoned in the new editions, including the latest, Pokémon Let’s Play Pikachu and Pokémon Let’s Play Eevee. For fans of the old school gameplay, you will have to bring out your Nintendo DS or your old Gameboy to play slot machines, from Kanto to Johto, via Hoenn and Sinnoh..
So travel with us in the world of Nintendo’s flagship saga to remind yourself of how entertaining it was to play at the casinos in Pokemon.
Game Corners To Fill Your Pokedex
Available since the first generation in the Kanto region, casinos have occupied a stronghold in the Pokémon saga. The first known in the games Blue, Red and Yellow allowed all aspiring trainers to have fun and win jackpots in Celadon City. Thanks to a slot machine, luck was the only way to get a Porygon! Basically, casino games have always allowed your character to obtain Pokémon that were more or less rare/hard to catch, even if it was sometimes necessary to be patient to obtain a sufficient number of chips to exchange for them. From the simple Abra and Ekans, until Dratini, Eevee, and TMs like “Giga Impact” or “Psychic”, for example, the casinos of Celadon, Goldenrod, Mauville and Veilstone have certainly spoiled us!
Simple but lucrative slot machines
Although the first casinos have served as the hideouts of Team Rocket’s evil members, the Gold, Silver and Crystal versions have enabled the introduction of the first slot machines in Pokémon games. In the image of the universe created by Nintendo, aligning different promised various rewards. For example, three 7s could earn players the jackpot of 300 chips, while three Pikachus only rewarded you with 8 coins. It was quickly possible to accumulate the chips to buy out the rarest Pokémon in the casino’s shop! We just had to remember to find the chip box that was hidden somewhere during our adventure.
The big turn for Pokémon Platinum!
Unfortunately for the players who had a lucky star, the fourth generation of the Pokémon saga on portable consoles marked the end of casino games. While the Diamond and Pearl versions offered only one slot machine in the city of Veilstone, the Platinum edition has permanently eliminated the gambling mini-games.
The cause? A law that prohibits minor children from play gambling games. In order to make the casino less addictive, but also to respect its all-public gambling commitment, the developers of Pokémon have modified the establishments, then removed the casino games for the European versions.
Other mini-games then slowly replaces the casinos of Celadon CIty and Goldenrod City, and now you can only have fun with mini games. Luck games are no longer a way to fill your pokedex (unless you decide to try you luck at the Wonder Trade trading system).