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https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Natu_(McDonald_Pack_15)
Oh boy, the e-Reader cards! I was always curious about those as a kid but I never had an e-Reader to try them myself. It's a gimmick, sure, but I bet I would have been absolutely enthralled with it if I'd had one.
If anyone's wondering what's in the e-Reader data for this card, the short strip gives you an interface that shows the Crystal Pokédex entry + card info, including a dictionary which defines any game-specific jargon:
Screenshots
Screenshots transcript
There are eleven screenshots, all showing the software that results from scanning the e-Reader short code om the promotional McDonald's Natu card. The text is primarily in Japanese.
The interface (common to all screenshots) has a gold border with a logo that reads "e-viewer" in the upper left-hand corner. On the bottom, the current screen's name is show in the center, with left and right arrows in the corresponding corners showing what screens the player can navigate to. These are all written in English.
The first screenshot (named simply "pokémon") shows the Pokédex information from Pokémon Crystal alongside a sprite of Natu, which seems to be based on its official Ken Sugimori watercolor illustration rather than a sprite taken from any of the games. It also indicates that we can see the "Evolution Info" screen by pressing A:
ネイティ
NO. 177
ことりポケモン
体調. 0.2 m
体重. 2.0 kg
きように きのみきを かけのぼる。
えださきに できた あたらしい
きのめを このんで ついばむ。
The second screenshot shows the Evolution Info screen, using the same sprite for Natu but a flat and simple three-color sprite for Xatu (called ネイティオ in Japanese). The interface also indicates that the player may return to the "Pokémon Info" screen by pressing B.
The third and fourth screenshots show a textual description of the actual Pokémon card, which is a bit wordier than the card, although it contains the same information. The fourth screenshot is simply the same screen scrolled down to reveal the rest of the text. Keywords are written in red text (below indicated by bolding). The currently selected dictionary entry further has a flashing underline, and the selection can be changed by pressing the L and R buttons (although this is not indicated in the interface):
ネイティ
HP. 40
ID. M-10-#
(Psychic energy icon)
◆「ウイングカッター」は、コイントスが必要だけど、「おもて」ならエネルギー1個で20ダメージも与えるワザだよ。 ◆「にらんでつつく」は、相手に10ダメージを与えて、コイントスが「おもて」ならマヒにするワザだよ。
The fifth through tenth screenshots show the dictionary entries (which, on this particular card, are the Japanese TCG's terms for "Coin Toss," "Energy," "Move," and "Paralysis"), each of which indicate that the player can return to the "Card Info" screen by pressing the B button. There are more screenshots than entries because the last two entries required scrolling to reveal all text:
コイントス
コインを投げて、「おもて」か「うら」かで判定すること。
エネルギー
ポケモンが、ワザを使うときや、「にげる」ときになどに必要とするもの。
基本的には「エネルギーカード」によって、ポケモンに与えられます。
ワザ
ポケモンが持っている能力の1つ。
自分の番に一回だけ使うことができ、使ったら、自分の番が終わります。
ワザを使うためには、そのワザに必要なぶん以上のエネルギーが、そのポケモンについていなければいけません。
ワザをを使っても、特に説明されていなければ、エネルギーカードはそのポケモンにつけたままにしておきます。
マヒ
特殊状態の1つで、ポケモンが「マヒ」している状態のこと。
「マヒ」状態のポケモンは、そのめじるしとして、カードを横にします。
「マヒ」状態のポケモンは、ワザを使うことも「にげる」こともできません。
自分の番を一回「マヒ」状態ですごしたポケモンは、その番の後のポケモンチェックで「マヒ」から回復します。
また、ベンチにもどったポケモンは、「マヒ」状態から回復します。
The eleventh and final screenshot shows the "data" screen, which simply displays a message indicating that the long code can be used for a Construction e-Reader game (i.e. a game that can be played solely with e-Reader cards and not requiring a GBA game cartridge); the equivalent English message is "This side Dot Code contains data for construction function blocks.":
このカードのサイドコードはeゲームZEROのファンクションブロックです
and the long strip contains data for Construction: Melody Box (just plays a short one-voice melody).
Ngl, I actually learned something about the TCG game when reading and transcribing those Japanese dictionary entries. I only ever properly played the card game on the Game Boy (Color) game Pokémon Trading Card Game (which absolutely SLAPS across gameplay, graphics, and especially music, btw), and in that game status effects are indicated by a little icon underneath the card art. But apparently, in the physical card game you're supposed to tap your card to indicate paralysis. Are there different ways you're supposed to indicate the other status effects, or does tapping cover everything?
Anyway, on the subject of the e-Reader, here's a few interesting technical videos on e-Reader cards in the original Animal Crossing from Hunter R.:
Cracking Animal Crossing's e-Reader Cards
Creating e-Reader Villagers in Animal Crossing
I've gotta say that the choices for western classical music could not be more random. Abra with Beethoven's 9th? Diglett with Ride of the Valkeries?
Hey, put some respect on Diglett's name!
...but yeah, there does not seem to have been any rhyme or reason to the music choices—seems like they just had a list of popular classical musical selections and assigned them at random. I bet they both used The Blue Danube and gave it to a non-Water Pokémon.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
One of my favourite games ever tbh.
I've only gotten back into playing offline tcg with my niece so I don't actually know how to indicate status effects (the training decks we bought don't cover it). I assumed they use status effect tokens?
https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Special_Condition_(TCG)
Tap left for sleep, right for paralyse, upside down for confusion. Poison and burned have status tokens
Same here! I played it so much back in the day that I got my GBC confiscated, something not even Pokémon Blue was able to accomplish. Still need to finish the English translation of the Japan-only sequel. And relevant to this post, there's even a romhack for Neo that I wanna tackle next! Games aside, I still listen to the music regularly, and I've even been transcribing and analyzing some of the pieces. Ichiro Shimakura pulled some absolute wizardry on that soundtrack. If anyone wants to give them a listen, here's the first and here's the second; what's neat about that site is that, by clicking the "Settings" tab you can toggle individual voices (which really demonstrates the trickery Shimakura employed to get such a big sound with only three melodic voices) as well as tweak the stereo width to your liking.
Thanks for hunting down the info—a mix of tokens and card rotation, then! Well, should I ever find myself in an impromptu face-to-face game of Pokémon TCG, I"ll know what to do.
fantastic! And so nostalgic. Crunchy, warm and inspiring I love the chiptunes
I found YouTube links in your comment. Here are links to the same videos on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Link 1:
Link 2: