PoKéMoN SnAp

Pika Pika Cheese!

This summer Nintendo will invite you to take a trip to Pokémon Island, where an exciting safari adventure awaits. The island is home to the world's most exotic and popular Pokémon, and you're charged with the task of helping Professor Oak by photographing the wild creatures in their natural habitats.

Unexplored Territory

Pokémon Snap is a completely new kind of game, based on collecting pictures of different kinds of Pokémon as they behave in the wild. The game takes you on guided safaris through seven different environments on Pokémon Island, in a versatile vehicle that can travel in the water, on land, and through the air.

Armed with your trusty camera and 60 exposures of film, you are free to look around the car in any direction and take pictures of Pokémon. Since these are wild Pokémon, many of them are not willing to pose for the camera. You'll have to find creative ways to get them positioned for the perfect shot, and sometimes you'll need to perform special tasks to get a particular type of Pokémon to appear.

Once you take a picture of a Pokémon, even if it's a very poor shot, that Pokémon will be listed in Professor Oak's report. Your goal is to take the best possible picture of every Pokémon on the island.

Professor Oak's Lab

When you complete a safari, you can only choose one photo of each type of Pokémon to submit for Professor Oak's approval. The Professor will scrutinize each photo and assign it a score based on the following factors:

• Size - How close is the Pokémon to the camera? The bigger, the better.
• Pose - Is the Pokémon facing the camera? Bonus points are awarded if the Pokémon is doing something special.
• Technique - Is the Pokémon centered in the middle of the frame?
• Bonus - Is there more than one of the same kind of Pokémon in the shot?

The picture with the highest score is displayed in a special frame. This is an excellent photo becuasue more than one Magmar has been captured on film, and they are engaged in an exciting pose

Professor Oak saves the number of Pokémon you've photographed in the Pokémon Report, and keeps the picture with the highest score on file. In addition to the pictures in the Pokémon Report, you can store up to 60 photographs in the Pokémon Album. No matter where a picture is stored, it can be enlarged and examined whenever you choose.

Work it.

When you begin your safari adventure, the camera is your only tool. As you prove that you're no stranger to the shutter, Professor Oak will give you special tools which can be used to take better pictures.

These wild Pikachu are very excited. Professor Oak will reward you if you're able to entice Pokémon into special poses like this

You can toss apple-shaped Pokémon food into the environment to entice Pokémon out of hiding places, or you can use Pester Balls to get a Pokémon's attention. Sometimes the only way to find secret Pokémon is to use these items in particular places. For example, sometimes a well-placed Pester Ball or two can drive a Pokémon out of its hidden home. Environmental groups would probably disapprove of this kind of intrusion, but luckily no Pokémon are on the endangered species list.

Professor Oak will give advanced players a Poké Flute, which can entice Pokémon to perform for the camera. Special tools like this combined with the natural wild spirit of Pokémon create a unique experience each time players travel through a particular safari zone. The number of potential Pokémon poses is monstrous.

The end of boring vacations.

Unlike your family excursions to visit the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota, your vacation to Pokémon Island is designed to keep you coming back for more. Each safari zone is loaded with secret things to discover, and it will take you quite a while to solve the puzzle of how to get some Pokémon to pose.

Often you'll have to get Pokémon to interact with one another to unlock hidden passages. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, but the key to success in Pokémon Snap is experimentation and patience.

Stick it to 'em.

One of the coolest features of Pokémon Snap is that you'll be able to turn your best pictures into actual stickers. All you have to do is build up a portfolio of snapshots, then take your cartridge to the nearest Blockbuster video store and print out a sheet featuring 16 stickers of your four favorite Pokémon.

You'll get 16 stickers for a measly three bucks -- prices will be slightly higher in Canada -- and the process takes no time at all. Be sure to look for the Pokémon display at your local Blockbuster store to start your sticker collection.

The Pokémon experience goes 3D this July, when Pokémon Snap is scheduled pop up on store shelves. Nintendo Power Source wouldn't send you on a safari unprepared, so be sure to check back for photography advice as the release date approaches.