History YMMV / PokemonColosseum

** Miror B. and his four Ludicolo. The only weakness they have that you have access to at this point in the game is Flying, and only through a near-purified Noctowl/Swablu's Fly. They all have [[HealingFactor Rain Dish]] and know Rain Dance plus a group of restoring moves (Absorb, Leech Seed and Mega Drain) which make the fight take a long time even with Fly, since it's a two-turn attack. You do have access to the Toxic TM as a prize for winning the Pyrite Colosseum, which given enough time can drain the Ludicolos' HP faster than they can regain it, but this battle is a true challenge of patience.

** Miror B. and his four Ludicolo. The only weakness they have that you have access to at this point in the game is Flying, and only through a near-purified Noctowl/Swablu's Fly. They all have [[HealingFactor Rain Dish]] and know Rain Dance plus a group of restoring moves (Absorb, Leech Seed and Mega Drain) which make the fight take a long time even with Fly, since it's a two-turn attack. This battle a true challenge of patience.

** [[spoiler:There are plenty of fans who would've preferred the menacing and much more interesting Nascour to have been the true head of Cipher to the somewhat flat Evice who's reveal was somewhat shoehorned in]].

** A majority of the Shadow Pokémon are from Johto with only a handful from Hoenn and none from Kanto.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** In series canon the entire game and its sequel are one, as they have never been mentioned in any other games and both games have very noticeable quirks and are set in a WorldOfHam.
** In the context of the game, the encounter with [[OptionalBoss Cipher Peon Mirakle B.]] He's a LoonyFan of Miror B. who wears a uniform modified to look like him and randomly shows up to battle you if you go all the way through Pyrite Cave to Miror B.'s hideout after beating Dakim ([[PermanentlyMissableContent but before beating]] the FinalBoss). Beating him gets you nothing, and unlike with Miror B., you don't even get an easy way out of the area.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Wes, the SilentProtagonist. He spends almost all of the game frowning, save for his introduction, where he grins wickedly upon stealing the Snag Machine and wrecking Team Snagem's hideout. His motivation and purpose prior to meeting Rui are complete mysteries.

** The [[https://youtu.be/RHjuA-1MBSw final boss theme]] does an excellent job of highlighting the difficult battle against [[spoiler:Evice]].

* AnticlimaxBoss:
** The last postgame Shadow Pokémon you have to snag is... a Lv 20 Togetic. That's considerably lower-level than the Pokémon you ''started the game with'', and Togetic isn't a particularly strong Pokémon at that. The biggest danger in snagging it is not accidentally knocking it out. (Which is very easy to do, as you're expected to have a Lv 65-70 team at that point)

* SpoiledByTheFormat: Most of the trainers, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard most notably two towards the end]], use Pokémon that were technically available to you when the game was released. So, you'll see evolutions or pre- evolutions of Shadow Pokémon all over the place before you can snag them, sometimes way before. You'll see Spinarak all over the place, including one in the first city, but you get to snag Ariados just about halfway through. Colossseum uses Pokémon that are available in ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' plus all the Gen II ones, including ones that evolve from Gen I Pokémon that are unavailable in ''Ruby and Sapphire''.

** Miror B. and his Ludicolo. The only weakness they have that you have access to at this point in the game is Flying, and only through a near-purified Noctowl/Swablu's Fly. They all have [[HealingFactor Rain Dish]] and know Rain Dance plus a group of restoring moves (Absorb, Leech Seed and Mega Drain) which make the fight take a long time even with Fly, since it's a two-turn attack. This battle a true challenge of patience.

** [[spoiler:Evice]] is very challenging even by FinalBoss standards, especially if you allow Slowking and Slaking out together. Slowking WILL use Skill Swap and Slaking will use its high base stats and freedom from Truant to destroy your team. His others are no slouch either, since they all know moves that will boost their Attack. Examples are his Salamence with Dragon Dance and Double Edge and his Scizor with Baton Pass so it can pass Swords Dance boosts to a teammate, as well as Silver Wind which hits both of your starter Pokémon for super effective damage. Besides from your Espeon your Pokémon are highly unlikely to outspeed his Salamence and Slaking, and there is a massive level gap between him and Nascour. Due to his unique strategies and strong Pokémon he is considered one of the hardest final bosses in the series, alongside [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Ghetsis]], [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Cynthia]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus Volo]].

** [[spoiler: There are plenty of fans who would've preferred the menacing and much more interesting Nascour to have been the true head of Cipher to the somewhat flat Evice who's reveal was somewhat shoehorned in]].

* VindicatedByHistory: On release, mainstream outlets decried Colosseum for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks straying too far from the formula of the main series games.]] At the time the series didn't have a full-3D single-player adventure, so expectations were very high. Once Pokémon's main games ''did'' make the leap to 3D, the series began being accused of [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks the opposite trope]], and the Gamecube 3D models were often cited as more characterful and charming than the style later entries used. Combined with the heavy SequelDifficultyDrop of the main series, Colosseum's NintendoHard story mode was also vindicated. This game is now looked back on very fondly, rather than being just a CultClassic.

** The abandoned mine hideout of Miror B. is a maze of tunnels and bridges and caverns and they all look alike. The random trainers scattered throughout will have you jumping for joy when you stumble onto the heal machine before the boss battle. Although you get a cutscene skip to Duking's house after battling Miror B, you have to find your way in and out on your own when you go after [[BonusBoss Mirakle B.]] And if you thought you could use an Escape Rope like in the handheld games... you can't in this game.

** In the context of the game, the encounter with [[BonusBoss Cipher Peon Mirakle B.]] He's a LoonyFan of Miror B. who wears a uniform modified to look like him and randomly shows up to battle you if you go all the way through Pyrite Cave to Miror B.'s hideout after beating Dakim ([[PermanentlyMissableContent but before beating]] the FinalBoss). Beating him gets you nothing, and unlike with Miror B., you don't even get an easy way out of the area.

See also the franchise-wide HilariousInHindsight page [[HilariousInHindsight/{{Pokemon}} here]].
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** [[spoiler:Evice]] is very challenging even by FinalBoss standards, especially if you allow Slowking and Slaking out together. Slowking WILL use Skill Swap and Slaking will use its high base stats and freedom from Truant to destroy your team. His others are no slouch either, since they all know moves that will boost their Attack. Examples are his Salamence with Dragon Dance and Double Edge and his Scizor with Baton Pass so it can pass Swords Dance boosts to a teammate, as well as Silver Wind which hits both of your starter Pokémon for super effective damage. Besides from your Espeon your Pokémon are highly unlikely to outspeed his Salamence and Slaking, and there is a massive level gap between him and Nascour. Due to his unique strategies and strong Pokémon he is considered one of the hardest final bosses in the series, alongside [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Ghetsis]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Cynthia]].

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: There are a little over 50 Shadow Pokémon, a lot of them aren't particularly powerful, and the purification mechanics mean investing in ones obtained later in the game is a hassle. While they're still perfectly useable, most players prefer to just run with teams consisting of one or both starter Eeveelutions, Makuhita/Hariyama, a Johto starter (usually not Bayleef), Flaafy/Ampharos, and Quagsire. All of them come at the beginning of the game and pull there weight throughout. Any or all of the Legendary Beasts may also get used since they're far more powerful than most of the Pokémon the game has to offer.

** The reveal of the BigBad. [[spoiler:It's not the tall, cool-looking Nacour; it's the short, fat, ugly mayor of Phenac City. Who somehow floats. [[DifficultySpike And has the toughest team in the main story, somehow]]]].

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: To quote {{LetsPlay/Chuggaaconroy}}, Colosseum has limited options. There are a little over 50 Shadow Pokémon and a lot of them aren't particularly powerful. While they're still perfectly useable, most players prefer to just run with teams consisting of one or both starter Eeveelutions, Makuhita/Hariyama, a Johto starter (usually not Bayleef), and any or all of the Legendary Beasts since they're far more powerful than most of the Pokémon the game has to offer. Flaafy/Ampharos, Quagsire, and Vibrava/Flygon are also frequent choices.

** Every Shadow Pokémon knows the move Shadow Rush, which inflicts [[CastFromHitPoints recoil damage]] to the user. Because the catching mechanics heavily encourage bringing a Pokémon's HP down as low as possible, a badly timed Shadow Rush from the AI can knock out your quarry and deny you a Snag.
** Hyper Mode forces you to forfeit a turn to dispel it, which can be frustrating if the Shadow Pokémon that contracted it is at low health and gets KO'd because of it.
** All battles being double battles. As double battles aren't as streamlined as they would be in later games, this makes matches drag on much longer than they should.

** [[spoiler:Evice]] is very challenging even by FinalBoss standards, especially if you allow Slowking and Slaking out together. Slowking WILL use Skill Swap and Slaking will use its high base stats and freedom from Truant to destroy your team. His others are no slouch either, since they all know moves that will boost their Attack. Examples are his Salamence with Dragon Dance and Double Edge and his Scizor with Baton Pass so it can pass Swords Dance boosts to a teammate, as well as Silver Wind which hits both of your starter Pokémon for super effective damage. Besides from your Espeon your Pokémon are highly unlikely to outspeed his Salamence and Slaking, and there is a massive level gap between him and Nascour. Due to his unique strategies and strong Pokémon he is considered the hardest final boss in the series, alongside [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Ghetsis]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Cynthia]].

** The abandoned mine hideout of Miror B. It's a maze of tunnels and bridges and caverns and they all look alike. The random trainers scattered throughout will have you jumping for joy when you stumble onto the heal machine before the boss battle. Although you get a cut scene skip to Duking's house after battling Miror B, you have to find your way in and out on your own when you go after [[BonusBoss Mirakle B.]] And if you thought you could use an Escape Rope like in the handheld games... you can't in this game.

** The move Shadow Rush inflicts [[CastFromHitPoints recoil damage]], which can deny you a Snag if the computer used it after you whittled a Shadow Pokémon down to low health.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: To quote {{LetsPlay/Chuggaaconroy}}, Colosseum has limited options. There are a little over 50 shadow Pokémon and a lot of them aren't particularly powerful. While they're still perfectly useable, most players prefer to just run with teams consisting of one or both starter Eeveelutions, Hariyama, a Johto starter, and any or all of the Legendary Beasts since they're far more powerful than most of the Pokémon the game has to offer. Ampharos, Quagsire, and Flygon are also frequent choices.

* UncannyValley: The way Rui's eye bulge to the sides makes her face quite unsettling.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X67YWv5C6qQ Miror B.'s Retro Groove]]. It's probably the most well-remembered theme from the game.
** The [[https://youtu.be/0U5f_XivxDk Cipher Peon Battle theme]] is such a banger that it's easy to forget that these guys are ''{{mooks}}'' and not minibosses...at least until the later parts of the game when they start appearing so often that they're practically falling from the sky.
** Few songs have ever utilized a harmonica quite as effectively as the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0HmO8MaCVo Shadow Pokémon Lab theme]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QR-cfd6hCs Pyrite Town]], a catchy, jazzy number painting the vivid picture of [[ViceCity the smoky, sneaky town of crime.]]
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um0pkcPFCLs final boss theme]] does an excellent job of highlighting the difficult battle against [[spoiler:Evice]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: A fair amount of Shadow Pokémon are in the possession of ordinary Trainers who don't know what's wrong with their Pokémon. After you snag them, you never explain to them why you did so (in fact, some of these trainers don't seem to even ''notice'' that you took their Pokémon, instead just thinking they disappeared for no reason). While it's understandable for Wes, it's downright bizarre for Rui (and also Michael, from the sequel).

** The tattoo(?) Wes has, a horizontal white stripe over the bridge of his nose and cheeks, does not look intimidating at all.

** [[spoiler:Evice]] is very challenging even by FinalBoss standards, especially if you allow Slowking and Slaking out together. Slowking WILL use Skill Swap and Slaking will use its high base stats and freedom from Truant to destroy your team. His others are no slouch either, since they all know moves that will boost their Attack. Examples are his Salamence with Dragon Dance and Double Edge and his Scizor with Baton Pass so it can pass Swords Dance boosts to a teammate, as well as Silver Wind which hits both of your starter Pokémon. Besides from your Espeon your Pokémon are highly unlikely to outspeed his Salamence and Slaking, and there is a massive level gap between him and Nascour. Due to his unique strategies and strong Pokémon he is considered the hardest final boss in the series, alongside [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Ghetsis]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Cynthia]].

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Nascour is easy to mistake for a woman, having long flowing hair, wide hips, and a sizable bustline due to being muscular, in a game where female bodybuilders are rather common as trainers and [=NPCs=].

** Nascour and Evice's Shadow Pokémon are a Metagross and a Tyranitar. While those are powerful Pokémon in their own right, it's not that impressive when you remember that three of their Admins had Legendaries.

* CommonKnowledge: The BigBad villainous organization in this game is never once referred to as "Team Cipher", only "Cipher" with no "Team" in front of it. The confusion likely comes from most other villainous team in Pokemon following this trend, including Team Snagem from the same game.

** The Shadow Pokémon Lab has a very linear layout but has two major annoyances. First there is only one PC where you can save with, located at the beginning and ''no heal machine at all''. The only way to heal your Pokemon without exiting the Lab outright is by ''very'' tediously depositing your party into the PC and withdrawing them afterward. Then there is the other problem of Cipher Peons dropping in (literally) and ambushing you when your Pokémon are weak.

* UnderusedGameMechanic: Theoretically, Snagging allows the player to capture any Pokemon. In the game proper, though, Rui prevents the player from trying it on non-Shadow Pokemon, and there are only around 50 Shadow Pokemon. It would have provided an interesting dynamic if players had the freedom to Snag whatever they wanted, possibly with a reward to Snagging only Shadow Pokemon. They even [[NoFairCheating could have programmed it so]] Snagged non-Shadow Pokemon can't be traded over to the main series games.

** The fact that shiny Shadow Pokémon probably won’t remain shiny once caught because the mechanics behind shininess. It was actually an oversight relating to the personality value and fixed in the sequel with a shiny lock for Shadow Pokémon. Non-Shadow Pokémon actually retain regular shiny chances like in other Generation 3 Games.

* MemeticBadass: Wes, even moreso than [[FirstInstallmentWins Red]] depending on who you ask. Between his very first action in the story being a SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfAwesome, to taking down the single most evil villainous organization in the history of Pokémon who effectively already controls the entire region, to the fact that he's a teenage AntiHero with a BadassLongcoat who steals Pokémon, he is arguably the single most badass character in the series history.

* BestBossEver: The final battle against [[spoiler:Evice]] is one of the hardest bosses in the series, but unlike some bosses, the fight contains legitimate strategies that actually has you think of your feet. The music is amazing, and highlights the end of the adventure and difficult fight ahead and the background and tension for the battle is awesome.