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Pokémon Trading Card Game

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Title Screen

Pokémon Trading Card Game

Also known as: Pokémon Card GB (JP)
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Game Boy, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Color
Released in JP: December 18, 1998
Released in US: April 10, 2000
Released in EU: December 15, 2000
Released in AU: April 7, 2000


CharacterIcon.png This game has unused playable characters.
CodeIcon.png This game has unused code.
DevTextIcon.png This game has hidden development-related text.
GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
TextIcon.png This game has unused text.
DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.
Carts.png This game has revisional differences.


DCIcon.png This game has a Data Crystal page

Pokémon Trading Card Game is a Game Boy rendition of the classic card game played on schoolyards around the world.

Sub-Pages

PKMN TCG Debug Coords Option.png
Debugging Material
Leftover functions used to test out various things.
PokémonTCG Unused Duel Icon.png
Unused Graphics
Bootleg medals, and a good amount of unused font characters.
Pokemon GS-Pokedex.png
Unused Text
Left. Right. Left. Right...
PokémonTCG CardPop-JP.png
Version Differences
Graphical tweaks here and there.

Build Dates

These ASCII strings show the date that each version was built. The AXQP version contains English, French and German, while the AXQX contains English, Spanish and Italian, but they both share the same build date.

Japan 0x2A81 USA 0x7401 Europe 0x7354
VER 10/31 17:21
VER 12/20 09:36
VER 10/11 11:47

Lowercase Letters

Ptcg-text.png

While all the text is displayed in capital letters only, the text in the North American version of the game is actually stored in mixed case ASCII. There is an unused WRAM switch to enable the use of lowercase letters (alternatively, one can use GameShark code 00000DCD). This makes it the first game to spell the word Pokémon as "Pokémon", and not "POKéMON", at least internally. The European versions, in comparison, have all their text stored in upper case only.

(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Promotional Rarity Symbol

In this game, cards have one of three rarity symbols, with Common (●), Uncommon (♦), and Rare (★). However, internally there are four rarity ranks, though for some reason the one assigned to promotional cards is an empty string.

(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Unused Save Checker

Hmmm...
To do:
Get the Japanese string.

There exists a routine that was commented-out, which upon loading a save file would have checked whether or not the save was corrupted. If so, an error message would have been displayed, appropriately stating that the save data was lost.

Japanese English French

Your Data was destroyed
somehow.

The game cannot be continued
in its present condition.
Please restart the game after
the Data is reset.
VOS DONNEES ONT ETE DETRUITES.

LE JEU NE PEUT PAS ETRE CONTINUE
DANS L'ETAT ACTUEL DES CHOSES.
VEUILLEZ RECOMMENCER APRES LA
REINITIALISATION
German Italian Spanish
DEIN SPIELSTAND GING
VERLOREN.
DAS SPIEL KANN UNTER DIESEN
BEDINGUNGEN NICHT FORTGESETZT
WERDEN. BITTE LADE DAS SPIEL
NOCH EINMAL.
I DATI SONO STATI
DISTRUTTI.
IL GIOCO NON PUÓ CONTINUARE
IN QUESTE CONDIZIONI.
RICOMINCIA IL GIOCO DOPO
AVER RESETTATO I DATI.
DESTRUIDOS TUS DATOS
POR ALGUNA RAZÓN.
NO PUEDES SEGUIR CON
ESTA PARTIDA.
REINICIA EL JUEGO UNA VEZ
BORRADOS LOS DATOS.
(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Dummy Overworld Location

The first entry in the overworld map's location list is unused, though there does exist a placeholder cursor script for this id spot. As defined, pressing any direction on the d-pad would move the cursor over to the Science Club (though there is no corresponding player movement script).

(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Unused Move Animations

The following animation pointers are not linked to any moves:

# Animation
03 Default impact.
09 Thunder/Thundershock copy.
0B Thunderstorm copy.
17 Blizzard copy.
1B Psychic Hit copy.
1F Default beam.
2A Multiple Slash copy.
31 Needle moves copy.
33 Smoke moves copy.
34 Smoke moves copy.
3A Powder moves copy.
3B Powder moves copy.
3C Powder moves copy.
3E Goo moves copy.
40 Goo moves copy.
42 Bubble copy.
44 String Shot copy.
49 Confuse Ray copy.
4D Supersonic copy.
67 Poison Fang copy.
68 Poison Fang copy.
69 Unused copy of the animation script for needle moves.
70 Thunder Wave copy.
77 Stubbed-out animation.
8F Stubbed-out animation 2.
90 Stubbed-out animation 2.

Moreover, some animations themselves go unused, though they're only variants of already existing used scripts:

# Description
76 Plays the Waterfall/Surf animation, but without any screen shaking or damage impacts.
81 Plays the question mark animation on the opponent's side, and nothing else.
89 Plays the Poison status animation on the user's side, but with an added damage impact.
8B Plays the Sleep status animation on the user's side, with an added command to update the HUD.
(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Unused Screens

Test Screens

PokémonTCG Unused Color Wheel Screen.png PokémonTCG Unused Color Bars Screen.png PokémonTCG Unused Color Palette Screen.png PokémonTCG Unused Color Palette Screen - Alt.png

The first two screens were more than likely used to test out the GBC's color range, in the form of a color wheel and TV color bars. The third one, meanwhile, simply displays the palette is it assigned (default palette is shown first, with the last picture being an example of what this screen looks like with a different palette assigned, here, the color wheel's.

The scene values for these screens are $0C, $0D, and $1B respectively.

(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Unused Copyright Screens

Early Later Final
PokémonTCG Unused CopyrightScreen 1.png PokémonTCG Unused CopyrightScreen 2.png PokémonTCG Final CopyrightScreen.png

No less than two unused copyright screens, each with their own unique graphics. The first one is incredibly barebones, and was likely the earliest attempt. The second screen, meanwhile, looks essentially finalized, and is clearly styled after the copyright screen from the contemporary mainline games.

The second screen also has a dedicated routine associated to it, where it would have remained on-screen for 300 frames, and could be skipped by pressing Start. The final game would ditch the concept entirely, instead moving the copyright info to the title screen. However, the company details seen after the end credits are an evolution of that concept.

The scene values for these screens are $16, $19, and $17 respectively.

(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Unused Title Screen

Unused (GBC) Unused (SGB)
PokémonTCG Unused TitleScreen CGB.png PokémonTCG Unused TitleScreen SGB.png
Final (JP - GBC) Final (JP - SGB)
Ptcg-titleJ.png Ptcg-titleJ SGB.png

Data for a fully finalized unused titlescreen exists, complete with a unique palette, and different graphics for both Game Boy Color and Super Game Boy modes. Differences include the energy icons being static graphics instead of moving objects, the lack of the Poké Ball outline, and the copyright info being nowhere to be found.

The scene value for this unused title screen is $18, with a copy also found at $1a.

(Source: Pokémon TCG Disassembly)

Unused Card

Hmmm...
To do:
Document this bug (and other ones too) on a dedicated bugs subpage.

Pokemon TCG Venusaur Phantom.png

Venusaur Lv64 was intended to be obtained through the game's Card Pop feature, but is not due to a programming error. This in turn makes the Mysterious Pokémon deck in the Pokémon Dome's Auto-Deck machine unbuildable, as it requires two Venusaur Lv64 cards. GameShark code 01xx0AA1 (where xx is the desired number of cards in hex) will add the card to the player's album.

Venusaur Lv64 would later be properly obtainable in the sequel as a prize at GR Island's Game Center.