LOST Pokémon Center NY | Event Distribution Machine Found & Preserved!

The Pokemon Center New York's "Gotta Catch 'Em All! Station" was thought to be destroyed. Fortunately that was not the case. Today we showcase the station's hardware, NR GameCube discs, cartridge writer, and event distribution campaigns for Pokemon generations 2 & 3 - Gold/Silver/Crystal & Ruby/Sapphire.
Special thanks to:
RetroAli
/ retr0ali
/ retroali
/ ali
/ retr0ali
Pokemon Center NY imagery courtesy of:
www.pokemoncenternewyork.com/
/ mewisme700
/ tolovelfromvine
[e-mail]
Project Pokemon/Project Pokemon Event Research Team projectpokemon.org/
Gridelin / / gusseven7
Sabresite / / sabresite
Ajxpk
Support the Show ►►
Patreon: / h4g
T-Shirts and MERCH: teespring.com/stores/hard4game...
SOCIAL ►►
Facebook: / hard4gamesentertainment
Twitter: / hard4games
Instagram: / hard_4_games
Game Saves
www.dropbox.com/sh/u5em4acrxv...
--------
New videos every Saturday morning!
----------------
PO BOX:
Hard4Games Entertainment LLC
200 W 2nd St
Unit 2150
Royal Oak, MI 48068
Disclaimer: Do not send us anything to borrow without our advanced agreement/notice.
#Pokemon #PokemonCenter #RetroGaming #Gaming #Nintendo

[@hard4games]

Hope you all enjoy! Remember - you can use code H4G10 for 10% off your Hard4Games MERCH. 😎hard4games-merch.creator-spring.com/

[@LuigiTechProductions]

I love that you guys destroyed a resale market that never should’ve existed in the first place. Now the masses can enjoy the experience.

[@sakon14]

Not really. The market is for the originals that were obtained 100% legitimately, which is often times near impossible to prove. Any Pokemon that wasn't distributed in NYC during the original event dates is not considered 100% legitimate. The only thing potentially on sale here is the pseudo-legitimacy of the partially original software that some people may find valuable. In reality, anyone can hack copies of these event pokemon anyway so the true value is being able to prove authenticity of an original.

[@MrTeeleer]

im going to have to disagree with you here, while its great that Hard4Games is giving out these event pokemon, people will always want things that are scarce. If its not one thing its another, saying that there never should have been a market for it in the first place is the same as saying any misprints of cards, money, stamps,etc,etc should not exist or be collected by people, but that is the whole reason people collect these things in the first place, because it has history, a story to tell and exclusivity.

[@blzt3206]

@@sakon14 fucking pokemon weeb omfg its goddamn 0s and 1s.

[@mythcraft3445]

@@blzt3206 imagine having 0 passion for anything and not being able to understand why someone would enjoy something that you dont. youre not even a human youre not living. just another copy of a collection of influences youve seen online and tv

[@CodeAsm]

@@sakon14 proving you got it orignaly from NY, is now near imposible. Especialy when you where not allowed to take pictures back then, so you must have gone outside, take a picture with your self and said gameboy displaying the just recieved pokemon. Or got it sealed and locked in a locker/safe that somehow must prove you had it and never copied or altered data. With todays knowledge, anything digital can be copied, modified and altered. Other effidence or clues are needed to prove either data was not altered or very unlikely and being a new copy of something. Hardware is tricky, if it contains firmware, most of those chips can be read or dumped. And some people recreate hardware too. Eventualy this collector scene is weird and I would suggest people only to pay for nostalgia reasons and for hardware. software... only if its nostalgia or to make your hardware work. Ive seen prototype software being sold only to discover its an already released or leaked proto modified to look like an earlier build. Sad, people are crazy for money and I hate them.

[@EmceeTimmyT]

The whole "Pokemon Center Exclusive Events" always bothered me as a kid, and still bothers me today thinking back on it. Outside of Japanese exclusives, these things were like the ULTIMATE pay wall in gaming history.

[@austinduvall2422]

Solemn Pharaoh reminded me that if you were a poor kid from Ohio you never had a chance to get to New York to get a free Pokemon lol it was definitely bothersome as a kid

[@froddobaggins]

Bro it sucked. I grew up in Peru so when DPPt came out I was happy because I could just connect to the internet and check for mystery gifts.

[@mrsuperheatran2794]

@Joeseph Lambert I mean, I'd rather have availability over "special"ty. It's frustrating Japan still gets craploads of exclusive content despite the ease of distribution. It's frustrating. May as well delete the special raid den for anyone outside of Japan while we're at it, I have never actually seen use for it....

[@MrHack4never]

At least the games could be completed in a reasonable timespan without "borrowing" mom's credit card, But yeah, region exclusive offers are BS, especially if you live far away from an event-place, or even the wrong country

[@Zanji1234]

well you can't compare that: i mean except for Mew and Celebi (which where mytical) you could totally get a full pokedex without going to an event. ...

[@TheAzureVon]

This is literally the coolest thing ever, I lived in a small town in Australia as a kid so I naturally never got experience any event of any kind until Wi-Fi became a thing in the later gens. Until recently I was really interested about the lost events so to see this is kinda a dream.

[@PandaXclone2]

Same here. Aussie who as a kid was definitely interested in all these distribution machines over the years. It's amazing and unbelievable that this has come to light.

[@lanceknightmare]

For me there were a few events within driving distance. Though, I could not attend due to lack of transportation. Most of the events I would have missed since I am a late adopter of the Pokemon games. My newest game for the series is currently Pokemon X. While my favorite three are White 2, Black 1 and Crystal in that order.

[@SolidIncMedia]

I was lucky because I was able to go to the 1999 Poké Tour for Red & Blue in Melbourne. I lived about 2 hours drive away, and dad needed to go to Jaycar for some stuff, so we went the event after he was done. It was in a shopping centre, though I don't remember which one (Northland? Southland?). Everyone lined up and got a little showbag with a comic inside (which was just the first episode of the anime, in comic form), a Pikachu trading card (with 1999 Poké Tour embossed in gold), a few temporary tattoos, and we also got Mew from one of their distribution machines, which was a SNES in a special housing (see my question about it here: gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/207978/what-sort-of-hardware-was-used-to-transfer-mew-at-pokemon-red-blue-worldwide-e) Almost 21 years on, I still think back on that event and how cool it was, and wish I could have picked up that distribution machine and taken it with me.

[@Cruznick06]

Grew up in a smaller Midwest town in the USA. The first ever event Pokemon I got is a Jirachi for Pokemon Platinum that was an event via wifi at Gamestop. I remember begging my dad to drive me there after school so I could get it. I still have that Jirachi and cherish it.

[@misfit665]

Von dont Feel bad i grew up in New York and still never been to an event 😕 lol

[@TheMasterKrook]

9:24 if you listen carefully, you can hear the exact moment his heart breaks from the mere idea of losing that now lost data

[@lightyagami3492]

This is why we need a time machine lmao. For archival purposes

[@Charlie-hv3dh]

pso has that effect :(

[@therealmr.incredible3179]

Fucking Bitch, Can’t that Data be recovered?

[@lightyagami3492]

@@therealmr.incredible3179 sadly it cannot.

[@UJustGotGamed]

@@therealmr.incredible3179 well, deleted files aren't actually deleted, but rather marked as deleted so they can be overwritten; it's likely the saves ended up overwriting those original saves

[@tychothefriendlymonolith]

You might want to send a copy of this to Jason Scott at the Internet Archive. He's the go-to guy for software preservation.

[@jacobprayer8656]

No piracy for you Mr.!

[@Goomatora]

@@jacobprayer8656 oh no completely outdated copyright laws which only exist to milk money out of people! I will personally pirate every Nintendo game just to spite you

[@jacobprayer8656]

@@Goomatora I will inform Mr. Miyamoto immediately.

[@RetroAli]

Thanks again so much for inviting me to work on this, it was a blast!

[@ix8750]

this is so awesome thanks for helping them out homeslice!

[@RetroAli]

Kyle Simmons thanks!

[@ladiesmn54]

This is so awesome!

[@RetroAli]

@@GaryOfPallet Thanks!

[@tswan137]

Ayyee, you're a shiny hunter! Subbed!

[@brojoe44]

imagine loving phantasy star online so much you overwrite your boyfriends rare data instead of buying a new memory cart.

[@austind2161]

She's going to hell for that

[@taleuwhoisadog845]

AND it was PSO episode THREE. The god damn card game!

[@timjennings4342]

Wonder if this is why she’s the ex?

[@mammoth-puppy3246]

I have never wanted to strike someone more

[@dragon091327]

I had to go back twice to be able to comprehend that simple piece of knowledge.

[@MrRom92DAW]

In 2001 I visited the Pokemon Center NY, they were NOT happy about having pictures taken there. Security almost asked for the film out of our camera! Got some anyway.

[@RetroAli]

You should definitely share those pictures online if you can! There aren't a lot of pictures of PCNY out there. Definitely reach our friends over at pokemoncenternewyork.com if you plan on sharing em. :)

[@MrRom92DAW]

Retro Ali given their strict policing of any parent with a camera, I’m not too surprised. We got the impression they were afraid we’d sell photos of the store or something. Having those pics and finding them might be two very different things, but I do know they exist! Maybe one day I’ll be able to turn them up or something. I think it’s funny to note the change in attitude over time. 2001, you’d get harassed by security for a quick snapshot in a store. Nowadays, brands/companies couldn’t be so lucky to have you take and share photos. They actively try and encourage people to do that! I did attend several events there as a kid, and continued to do so after it became the Nintendo World Store. I don’t have any memories of ever getting any gen 2 distributions but definitely remember some gen 3s, like the special ticket that let you catch ho-oh and lugia. Another memory was the Pokemon Mini which I believe was exclusive to the PCNY store for a while, got that and some wacky accessories… also remember the release event for Pokemon Box, which was only available at that store for a pretty short time. I think that’s the rarest NA retail GameCube game. Still have my complete copy of course! Nearly complete anyway… child-me tossed the outer cardboard box but the case and special colored memory card are all still there

[@RetroAli]

@@MrRom92DAW Ahh I love hearing these stories. Apparently there was a "big box" version of Pokemon Box, I assume you got that one? I just have the normal case with the memory card haha.

[@MrRom92DAW]

Retro Ali yep, I believe it was only like that so they could pack in the GBA/GC link cable along with the standard case. I don’t remember if there was anything else in the big box but I don’t think so... I don’t even remember how I found out about the release event, probably the internet? Or maybeeee Nintendo Power? It was kinda low key but the workers there would lead groups of kids up to the stations upstairs and give us demonstrations on a big screen. It was basically a sales pitch, I don’t know how they managed to make a box organization utility look exciting to kids but they did it lmao

[@RetroAli]

@@MrRom92DAW Oh wow nice! I've seen the big box version of Pokemon Box once in my life and apparently it's super rare. That's hilarious that they basically giving you a sales pitch though.

[@killroy814]

imagine some guy finding that dev kit scheme gamecube thinking it was some special edition and throwing it away thinking it's broken.

[@bluebomber875]

As sad as it is, that’s probably what happened to most of these rare things

[@404_11]

Nintendo; Ok here's this software we made, we'll never ever release it again, we have all the source files but hopefully the ones we sent out burn. Archivists; We found probably the last copy in existence and preserved it. Nintendo; OMFG PIRATES THAT'S ILLEGAL I'LL SUE YUOOOOOO

[@clintonleonard5187]

Disgusting...I mean, I know they need to protect their assets, but just let us archive this for posterity!

[@404_11]

@@GaryOfPallet Cries in Satellaview

[@differentlyabledmuslimjewi4475]

Copyright laws are insane and need to be chilled out. Sadly, Mickey Mouse is about to come out of copyright, so that means Disney will be spending millions of dollars to increase the strangle of copyright laws in the USA and probably around the world too further in order to keep things out of the public's hands....What a wonderful Dystopia.

[@jessezarzycki2409]

@@differentlyabledmuslimjewi4475 none of that is true. when something come out of copyright it doesnt just magically become free game. the original owner has the right to to renew the copyright before anybody else. Re copy writing mick mouse will cost them nearly notthing.

[@raddog1478]

sooner or later maybe 30-100 years later nintendo will be no more lol.

[@lPsychoMax]

Imagine someone preserving all these machines in a museum, that you can use on your older games whenever you visit! It would be awesome!

[@xRooze]

that's one way to ensure it either gets stolen, or sued by nintendo in which it would get destroyed

[@lPsychoMax]

@@xRooze Tbh nintendo would sue anyone for anything. They literally issued a takedown on someone showing off a manual from over 30 years ago. That and people will steal anything if they can get away with it. But surprisingly not if the person is giving it away for free; only if it has a price. Thieves are weird sometimes.

[@xRooze]

@@lPsychoMax facts, but like you said it would be cool in a dream to have such a museum where people could get event pokemon

[@mobious01]

Would be cool but useless since you cant move them up and the battery would die anyway

[@NazoXIII]

This takes me back. I remember going to the Pokémon Center back in 2001 and getting a Celebi and Shiny Mew in my Silver and Crystal versions. It was the coolest experience ever, or at least 8 year old me thought 😅 Hard to believe that was nearly 20 years ago

[@mastershockvalue6499]

Nazo I been there in 2003 it was a very beautiful store

[@megadethrocks1239]

@@mastershockvalue6499 did the launch for pokemon gold and silver pokemon island or whatever. I feel old now🤣

[@trippytv1482]

Dude were getting old lmao im 28

[@PokemonFan1986]

I live in the Caribbean, so even though I would have loved to get the event pokemon for gen 2/3 I missed out. :(

[@NazoXIII]

@@PokemonFan1986 damn, you probably would've loved it, it was a sight to behold. That and the gigantic 42 street Toys R Us were magical places that sadly were way ahead of their times (The Toys R Us had an indoor Ferris wheel) and were taken from us too soon 😭

[@broshmosh]

I am absolutely stunned by the level of preservation this project put together. You and Allie make a formidable team. Thanks for releasing your saves too Tony, that's the right thing to do!

[@Shinycelebi]

I live in NY and went to the PCNY store many times. For the record, Nintendo wanted to open their first store in America and branch out into more than just Pokemon. When the Pokemon Center closed, it did reopen after a remodel as the Nintendo World store and then again later as Nintendo New York. They turned the download area into a museum for Nintendo stuff last I was there.

[@Sean-D78]

9:15 So that's why she is his' ex

[@MaddyBlackbart]

@@GaryOfPallet I know how dumb do you have to be to do that shit...honestly.

[@s8wc3]

Why was the card even in the GC, hell why was it even *near* it?

[@GetPhiledIn]

"Girl gamers"

[@jessbanette4976]

God dang it, it physically hurts that someone would do something like that. If my boyfriend did that I don't know what I'd do. I'd just be heartbroken.

[@dlobelow760]

Me: oh hey babe whatcha doin Her: oh, playing some Phantasy Star Me: oh cool. Wait, which memory card are you using? Her: *points to the event memory card* this one. I already overwrote a save. Me:....... *Pack your shit, bitch. You're gonna be homeless.*

[@alexiep2422]

OMG ! Year 2000; my dad brung my cousins and there ! We lived in Boston and this was a real treat. They in fact did not let anyone take pictures in there but my dad snuck a few of us playing on the game cubes. My older cousin has a shiny Charizard that he got from that machine. I got a Wartutle from it ! We both still have them and we have had kids in the neighborhood BEG us to trade. Never letting them go. Thanks for the trip down memory lane tony ! We really did live in the thick of the golden age of video games and tv shows guys. It’s a blessing.

[@RetroAli]

This is so awesome! I would highly recommend backing up your saves so those event Pokemon can be preserved. You can learn more on projectpokemon.org :)

[@oukn6293]

Make clones of them 😏

[@SmEiF-]

Legit we who was kids and teens during 90s andnearly 2000s were blessed with the peak of movies shows games and even music. Not sure where it all went wrong.

[@TankEngine75]

Nice

[@JB-nj7nq]

Brought

[@lordeilluminati]

I think the gen 3's less elaborate presentation is just because the gen 2 had all pokémon modeled because of Pokémon Stadium and gen 3 didnt (I remember that not all new pokémon were modeled in Colosseum and all of the old ones that appeared in this game were borrowed by Stadium)

[@RetroAli]

That's a really great point! :D

[@Home_Rowed]

I don't know but it's also likely that these Gen III events happened before Pokémon Colosseum. Does the machine work at all with FireRed, LeafGreen, or Emerald?

[@RetroAli]

@@Home_Rowed There were FRLG events but not ones for Emerald since it released after the center closed.

[@Geneolgia]

This is pretty amazing even though i've never been into Pokemon, and the fact that PCNY Pokemon are so rare while Tony casually gets them with his super rare GC hardware is hilarious.

[@Ma121Hunter]

I love it when guys like you find such rare and valuable tech and data. The game companies dont give two brown grimer's about preserving pieces of history like this. You guys really are the only hope for such info. Thank you for sharing all this with us

[@Treeckoboi1]

By brown Grimer you mean sh*t? That's very funny.

[@Coolio_Ash]

Part of me really misses the experience of going to places to get event pokemon. Also... all of me misses actual events to go alongside said pokemon

[@PokemonFan1986]

I live in the Caribbean, so even if I wanted these guys, no way of getting them. :(

[@TrunkJunky]

Problem with the older events was that they were VERY limited. Like "buy a $500 plane ticket + hotel accomodations to fly across the country" limited. I don't miss that at all.

[@meaculpa7779]

Pokemon go has in person events. Community days and special events.

[@Zultzify]

Saw this on tv as a kid and was dying to go to it. The idea of going and getting pokemon from a machine fascinated me. Thanks for the blast from the past!

[@clintonleonard5187]

Especially since that's exactly how people traded pokemon in the games. Now that I think about it, the digital storage and trading of Pokemon was totally not necessary, except as a way to explain pc boxes and trading. But in the reality of the pokemon world trading would just be handing over pokeballs, and you could just keep pokeballs in boxes in your closet, lol.

[@maskedHERO99]

I lived in California...never known

[@Takomaster87]

Wow. It's so amazing when stuff like this pops up out of nowhere

[@InsaneNutter]

You and Ali did a fantastic job on this, it's great to get an insight in to something we thought was lost forever!

[@RetroAli]

Thank you for all your help! :D

[@MATTHIASATNIGHT]

Are you going to dump it on digiex?

[@TheGekijouban]

I want to know more were the did it from so many years later

[@TheGekijouban]

GBA Distro dump?

[@user-ns1um8kq7i]

I'm from new york, and when I was really young my parents once brought me to the pokemon center in nyc and I got an articuno that day ❤️ Still one of my favorite pokemon to this day. This video is peak nostalgia

[@DesCobra]

In the new games your favorite get a Galarian Form it comes out toward the end of the year part of DLC expansion

[@user-ns1um8kq7i]

@@DesCobra i know!!! it looks so epic! a low key sentimental moment for me

[@MAZZ0Murder]

I remember always feeling so frustrated that you'd need to go to New York to get the event Pokemon... since I couldn't ever get there. I'm glad this history has come to light/has been preserved. Just as amazing as the Gold/Silver beta :O

[@hard4games]

Hey all! Please check out our collaborators in the description! ALSO - my saves are available to download in the description. They have a ton of these PCNY Pokemon for you all to play with.

[@MrDinosaur25]

I’m blown away thank you for your work man

[@2810Mad]

why are you in your kitchen?

[@zman1261993]

Are these pokemon able to be brought into sun and moon? How cam i get one if i cant create saves

[@hard4games]

Plot twist: that isn't my kitchen

[@BlueSatoshi]

@@zman1261993 For Gen 2 saves, you'll need to copy those over a Gen 2 save on a 3DS, then use Pokémon Bank to extract them, if you wanna go the "official" route.

[@Matando]

I remember going to the Pokemon Center in December of 2005. It was the last trip I got to go on with my grandmother before she died of cancer 2 years later. The trip was a Christmas present for myself, my brother, and sister. The stop at the Pokemon center was an extra thing we got to do and was completely unplanned. I'm glad we got to go because while the upstairs of the store was closed (I don't even remember it being there) but I purchased a copy of "Pokemon Box: Ruby and Sapphire". It's super rare and I still have it. I also remember doing a Mystery Gift with my Pokemon Leaf Green and got an egg(I think it was an egg, it's been a long time) that hatched an Exeggcute that knew an egg move it couldn't normally learn.

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

Lucky

[@keanulee2347]

I hope you still gave that ruby and sapphire still I have my emerald still

[@Salku_Chaotix]

I owned Gold & Silver and wished I lived close to these actual events. I wouldnt mind replaying this on original hardware and to do this and live this moment, I am pretty sure other people would join me on that.

[@doomfatlikesbluesphere9984]

This is bloody rad. Even with all the research I've done on these different events and machines- the stuff shown here still blows all of my found knowledge out of the water. Good show guys. Great work👍

[@SuperTrainStationH]

2:30 - the no photography policy HAD to be Pokemon Company's own doing, as that policy went STRAIGHT out the window once it became Nintendo World, with the exception of specific events like E3 viewing events during certain years where Nintendo's PR company Golin Harris or the PR companies pf 3rd party publisher partners they were running events with happened to be involved and wanted more control.

[@RetroAli]

This is a great point and doesn't surprise me at all about TPC.

[@Mahado]

We allowed all visitors to take photos, this video made a false claim on that. I even help took photos for all the visitors that came in to the store personally.

[@RetroAli]

@@Mahado Oooh interesting! Based on your previous comments it looks like you actually worked at the store? I'd love to hear any of your stories if you want to reach out on Twitter/email. (@retr0ali & [e-mail]) :D I wasn't 100% sure on the photo policy because it's been a rumor thrown around for ages but glad to get actual confirmation! Thank you!

[@RetroAli]

@@Mahado Oooh interesting! Based on your previous comments it looks like you actually worked at the store? I'd love to hear any of your stories if you want to reach out on Twitter/email. (linked on my channel in the About section) :D I wasn't 100% sure on the photo policy because it's been a rumor thrown around for ages but glad to get actual confirmation! Thank you! (reposting this because I think the KZbin spam filters ate it)

[@DumpsterKing1121]

This is an amazing find. A lot of these images and animations have never been see by a lot of people. I definitely couldn't get up to NYS when I had crystal and Ruby. Thanks a bunch for this!

[@meaculpa7779]

NYS?

[@DumpsterKing1121]

Yeah New York City had a Pokemon Center. You had to go there or the Pokemon Center in Tokyo.

[@user-re3ux2ob3q]

praying for earthbound 64 every night

[@ladiesmn54]

шарлотка amen!!!

[@Matteomax]

I hope one of those prototype carts leaks one day, would probably sell for an absolute fortune online.

[@user-re3ux2ob3q]

@@Matteomax i would be the buyer

[@user-re3ux2ob3q]

@Lambda Core i like eb64 better

[@nathanhamman418]

@@user-re3ux2ob3q If you do happen upon it, find someone that can rip the rom, the prototype cartridges are volitile and every time you power it on, you risk erasing it.

[@FloppydriveMaestro]

This is amazing. Its just a shame its fairly useless without all the special hardware. I hope someone can mod this software so it can work on a regular gamecube and use a GBA instead of the writer.

[@Rappoltt]

Someone absolutely can. Developers had to be able to get games onto retail discs somehow, so it'll be a similar process, but a whole lot easier, since they won't be putting any protections in place.

[@SavageColeTrain]

I absolutely love this channel. I never thought I'd see half the stuff you show off. Keep up the fantastic work. And thanks for the save files!

[@piplup10036]

An absolutely amazing video. Really cool to see this in action after all these years wondering about it. Thanks so much for taking the time to document this amazing piece of pokemon history. Also small bummer that it only works on an NR reader and with the writer pad.

[@AdrianDX]

Omfg. Gen. 2 legendary distribution... I live in Norway so I never had the chance for any of these special distributions. I hope I one day I’ll be able to receive a legit Mew and Celebi🤯

[@Infindox]

Do you have a 3DS? The Crystal VC release patched in the Celebi event, and you can bring it up to gen 7 (then 8 soon).

[@MundaneMuser]

You can get a legit Celebi in Gen 3. All you need is a Gamecube, GBA console, GBA-Gamecube link cable, a Japanese copy of Colosseum and Celebi bonus disc, a Japanese save file of Colosseum with all Shadow Pokemon purified, and a Japanese Gen 3 main series cartridge with data saved after defeating the Champion.

[@T1GWBJAH]

I know at least in Sweden Bergsala the scandinavian distributor did an event tour with Mew and Celebi. Still have my Mew from that event but the Celebi's are long gone due to save battery dying. Curse that Real Time Clock

[@Bobshnogen]

You can catch two different "mews" in gen 1. I don't remeber if it works in yellow but it definitely works in red and blue. Look it up it's just around the 2nd gym. You need an abra so you can use teleport.

[@xyanide1986]

Time to open up your underground pokemon center and run from the nintendo goons each time they find your base. This is pretty exciting stuff.

[@RetroAli]

I am so here for this idea.

[@MaaveMaave]

Gotta give it a Team Rocket theme

[@cullbear55]

@@MaaveMaave Or Cipher

[@Sonicfoxtrot]

Literally insane that his ex gf wrote over that data. What luck

[@AdrianDX]

Viddi O games - At least we know how the relationship ended ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@ladiesmn54]

Viddi O games maybe that’s why she’s the ex gf now haha

[@Kimarnic]

Women, amirite? xd ecksdee

[@jesushuerta4379]

Man as soon as I heard that my heart sank...

[@DasAntiNaziBroetchen]

@@Kimarnic There is really no reason for you to start this kinda feminist shit.

[@TimmyHD]

This is why I love this channel, all the obscure event software and hardware is nuts! And just being able to find it today is even more nuts!

[@lucca5367]

This video was a very comfy video to watch. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside after watching it. Sad on missing out my chance on your distro but super happy to have stumbled upon this vid!

[@mammoth-puppy3246]

I’ve never been so throttled than hearing a historical card was rewritten. ...

[@HEADRUSH444]

I knew about those Pokemon events as a kid but never lived in a place where I could get any of the Pokemon! So cool to see the the soft- and hardware behind it all!

[@Da12thKind]

This is so awesome! It's always a great day to here about new event software that was thought to be lost found and archived! Great video and thank you so much for preserving these!

[@Gulaghar]

It's so cool to see this kind of stuff surface after so long. Great work to you and everyone else involved in the investigation and preservation.

[@ProfJermZ]

For real, I thought I was crazy! I remember when the internet was young, and I found out there was a Pokémon Center NY. I dreamed of going! Not until 2016 was I able to go, but of course it's the Nintendo store now. I thought that maybe I imagined everything, but when I got there the door handles are Pokéball shaped and I thought that maybe I wasn't crazy haha But now I know for a fact that it really existing. I still wish I could've gone when it was just a PC.

[@thepokeball]

This has been something I've wondered about for nearly 10 years and now I can sleep soundly!

[@thesolidnick]

Wow!! That's absolutely amazing! I remember reading about all these events back in the day and dreaming about being able to be a part of one... great to see people working to preserve such an important part of gaming history

[@ShopHeirlooms]

Used to get my Dad to take me to the Pokémon Center at Rockefeller Center every other weekend back in the day. That place was heaven for us Pokémon fans, especially if you pulled up during an event and you got a mystery gift.

[@KaiCyreus]

10:28 Hah, so they displayed a GameBoy in the store to make it look like it was coming from there, cool. I went to the Darkrai event in 2008 and they had a DS on display for the distribution, except the Pokémon was actually coming from that system because it had one of those distribution DS Cards inside. It was nice to hear about the Pokémon Centre, I was just at Nintendo NY a few weeks ago and recognised it in the video immediately.

[@EposVox]

This is so cool! I got to visit the PCNY in 2003, but didn't get to use this machine.

[@chrxsfn]

wow, a verified youtuber without a single like? I'll like your comment :)

[@willofthewind]

Thank you so much for bringing this old data back from the depths and being kind enough to make the pokemon available to us all! It's wonderful to see that you have the mentality of a true fan.

[@shawnstone7243]

Dude thank you guys for not just making content that gets views and giving us actual gold content from game history and preservation, So appreciated and I wish more people understood the significance of what all you guys are doing.

[@namlemonade]

This is so beautiful! What an amazing discovery! Those gen 2 presentation would have had me floored! But then again just going to a pokemon center as a kid would’ve had my jaw drop lol. Thank you for preserving Pokemon history! This is beautiful!

[@KururuJi]

I'm so excited to see this! EDIT: Another theory (that comes from just... thinking about it, no evidence) about why the Gen III presentation is lesser is that unlike with Gen II, they didn't have the new 3D models for Colo done yet, by the time they changed the machines up. But wow... this truly is amazing. I'm glad to know that this machine is in such good hands. I do wonder, however, how the machine reacts to a cartridge which has no save on it, or another game.

[@RetroAli]

That's a really great theory especially considering the models used are from Stadium for the Gen II distributions. :)

[@EnigmaBarry]

Thanks for finding these. I found this vid very informative, and it's great seeing the Gen 2 era events as even the pokemon are likely not preserved.

[@YokaiTheGameGuy]

I was just talking about these to some friends of mine ! I remmeber going to Six Flags New England for the Celebi distribution event! Good times, good times!

[@ix8750]

I wonder what the shiny pokemon rate is for this, if its the same as the gen 2 games the fact that you got one is pretty insane.

[@yugiohdeloestepr]

I think chances were much much common than 1/8k

[@bcfed]

From what ive heard they were 1/100

[@kyles7087]

I love this so much ❤I’ve watched it before but I’ve rewatched multiple times now and it just blows my pokémind! RetroAli is amazing!! I hope there’s more on this!!

[@ryschy1059]

Another awesome video Tony! We appreciate all of your guys hard work figuring these things out!

[@NatsumenoKage]

I was there during a late Gen 2 distribution. The distribution machine wasn't working. It had the big display running but putting your cart in did nothing.

[@RetroAli]

Seems like the machines being broken is a running theme throughout these comments from people that visited haha.

[@tolovel]

This project was so awesome to work on! Amazing video and very excited to see what comes next~ - Julie (@toloveLfromVine)

[@RetroAli]

Thank you for all your help!

[@jn07513]

I can't belive i lived in ny and never knew about this center im so happy you guys preserved this historical content.

[@ShankMods]

Incredible work guys! Thank you for your preservation efforts

[@Whurlpuul]

This is so amazing to hear, it's a great piece of gaming history that's been dug up from the sands of time. The ancient Egyptians had tomb thieves, the pokemon distribution has that dude's ex girlfriend and phantasy star. Is there anyway to get the distribution to run on a retail gamecube? that would rule! Also how do I get one of these pokemon? I have a link cable but i also live like 2000 miles away

[@CaptainBlackBread]

You're gonna need a longer link cable.

[@hard4games]

Links to save states with the pokemon in the description

[@TheMatrixcube]

Multibon Media Epic comment bro 😂😂😂

[@connorbeith3232]

I think I know why the girlfriend became an ex lol

[@dycast8561]

I wish mystery gift was as exciting as this

[@JoeHoeDoesSomething]

Same

[@DivisibleByWaffle]

You're a freaking champion for posting those saves! I'm not going to sell them, but I'm sure as hell going to enjoy them on both my cartridges and my Virtual Console games! :)

[@spatz473]

This is amazing! I was always curious about the pcny pokemon after learning about them on Serebii. Thank you for preserving it!

[@TheRiotDX]

Ah, TPC used to be very strict about how the brand was represented, and now they don't seem to care that the mainline games themselves represent the series poorly

[@ErroneousClique]

Main difference b/w NR reader and standard Gamecube was the laser assembly. That is where all the "magic" happens. JAP and US can be toggled on the same NR reader because they are both NTSC. PAL dont toggle. I own a few NR readers/GDEVs lol.

[@Home_Rowed]

So can you swap the lasers and then a retail GC is essentially an NR Reader, or are the parts not compatible? Then you could mod the retail GC with a region switch.

[@obsidianchao]

I always wanted to go to PCNY as a kid and never got the chance to. This episode brought up a lot of old memories. Thanks dude.

[@95szn]

Thanks for the saves man! Amazing find and work.

[@KevinArcade87]

Now to find a Gen 1 - 2 Pokémon Distribution Machine! Also known as Mew Machine / Celebi Machine. Used in Japanese and European events!

[@dan7327]

Ah the memories. Also fyi there was a shiny legendary dog event so all the dogs you received were shiny ;)

[@dragon091327]

Dan L I did one of those I got suicoon.

[@littleman7514]

Cheetahs, lions and Sabertooth cats are my favorite dogs.

[@cullbear55]

@Edward Gary Dogs :)

[@125SonGoku]

I’m glad I still have my Pokémon Center and Lucky Stadium Promos from the New York Pokémon Center. If nothing else they have fond memories for me and a fun and unique story to tell others when I show them. Surprised we don’t at least have small pop up store Pokémon Centers with how popular Pokémon has remained and still is.

[@MundaneMuser]

Will the data on the discs and memory cards be available to download online? The cartridge saves are nice but I don't think they're nearly enough.

[@hidde1626]

Awesome, let's hope this happens with the Wii startup disc, too

[@johnmichaelguest]

just got back into pokémon crystal again after having not played it since like 2004. loved your video and i’m in shock this machine/software is still around! i was reading about it and searched, and found this video. never thought i’d even get to see the software with my own eyes. fulfilled my childhood. so cool, thank you for sharing! 🙂

[@DarthPaperBoy]

So cool to see this video. I managed to get Celebi at Pokemon NY back in the day and I was totally amazed to see the animation of the machine for the first time since that evening during a family trip long, long ago. Also glad to see the save files distributed so that people can get them easily. I lost my Celebi due to the save battery issue that plagued Gen 2 carts, so if I can ever figure out how to actually get one of these transferred to a modern game that would be pretty cool...

[@krcsirke]

9:22 understandable why exgf :D About save files, really thanks for that, maybe one day when I will replay Pokémon Crystal, that Mew can be handy.

[@mrniceguy7168]

OH GOD ITS HAPPENING MY BODY ISNT READY

[@gwockamol]

This was AWESOME! Thank you guys for all your work!!!

[@PocketMonsterSteve]

This was a great video to see on my 25th birthday on the 12th! i loved Pokemon Center NY growing up in the NJ/NY area and brother, cousin and i would go to the center every year around Christmas time. I am so happy to see this again as it gave me memories again from a more fun and magical time in my life. i would love to get a code or something to receive a pokemon from this program as my Crystal version which i still own no longer has its working battery and i lost my Ruby copy that had a pikachu on it! The feeling to get something in a gen 3 game again would be great so i can then transfer it up like i did all my other old pokemon so i could see that old pikachu again in Sword and Shield.

[@ddsjgvk]

Wish I got to live in a big city as a kid.

[@ladiesmn54]

This is amazing...I’m a big Pokémon fan, I started playing at firered but I own almost every single Pokémon game from gen 1- gen 3. Never been to PCNY, always wanted to. Every kid wanted to go but no ones parents wanted to take them to NY for it lol. But still, this is amazing to see. So happy you made this. Hopefully the Nintendo Ninjas don’t come after y’all. Keep up the great work.

[@Tardisntimbits]

I'd be thrilled to have one of these little babies for my own! I never got to go to NYC to see the Pokemon Center, I was working pretty hard, and also I'm in Canada. Thanks for putting in the work to preserve these!

[@Va-purrr-eon]

As someone avid in getting as many of the legit Event Mews possible (as them and Vaporeon were the two I connected with as a kid and still love to this day), this is an incredible find and incredibly kind of you to share the saves for those like myself that never got to experience the events in person, much less go to PCNY when it was still around. The closest I ever got was a couple pokedolls from the website before it shut down for a few years and came back as a different online PokeCenter. While I understand why the in person events existed, and were a lot of fun to go to, they have the unfortunate side effect of leaving many out who couldn’t go or didn’t know they were happening, and then all of the equipment and files being put away or lost to time. They become time capsules in a way, and while I missed out on gen 2 and 3 events, they still hold such strong nostalgia and emotions for me and many others. It goes without saying that preservation projects like this are amazing and super important, not just for giving those who missed out a chance to get these Pokémon, but preserving niche history that some would deem as unimportant. Pokémon has and will be a significant part of pop culture for many years to come, and by proxy should have as much of its history recorded and saved. TL;DR- This is awesome and makes my inner child flip out with glee

[@CosmixReflection]

WE WILL FIND EARTHBOUND 64

[@milojkokitic6991]

Andrew Piccoli and dinosaur planet hopefully :)

[@WhatIThoughtChannel]

Can’t wait to see some of the Gen III distributions show up in Sword/Shield lol

[@marek464]

They’re very hard to distinguish from one another, they don’t have unique abilities and whatnot but then again it is since they look... kinda weird

[@andresreynoso7254]

Or the Gen 2 ones (this one via hacking tho)

[@keyworkcalamity2253]

Man i would kill to have a PCNY event pokemon! So glad you got this going. Also just subscribed! Thank ya for reviving such a gem

[@Krizefugl]

very young me got crystal as soon as it came out. saved my allowance for months in advance. 238 out of 251 pokemon on that edition. i still have my cartridge and my original savefile. never had the chance to visit any events since none came to my country. this brings back memories...

[@truthofdsp]

You have coolest looking GBA I've ever seen.

[@904funny]

Still waiting for the ROM dump

[@zabeon]

I wish I was as big into Pokemon back then as I am now. I've recently went back and bought all the missing mainline games from GB all the way to 3DS, as well as OG hardware, and started playing them and collecting Pokemon.

[@GameBoothUK]

I'm always happy when stuff like this shows up for preservation.. I'm still gutted that I lost the Mew I got from the distribution during the UK leg of the Pokemon Championships way, way back in 2000

[@thepeternetwork]

I wish PCNY had stayed instead of going full Nintendo.

[@ClassicRockerSr101]

Very cool to see. I visited the center and remember this machine... good times. I still have the Pokemon Mini they gave me for my Birthday! Came with EVERY US GAME! :)

[@peterkerasiotispc8217]

huge thanks my friend! its May of 2022 .im from greece and i still play pokemon .. so nostalgic!

[@aq3d-altitude-593]

I still have my emerald version with a blank stat Mew. Untouchable, unavoidable, and completely a max stat team killer. (Tested it)

[@Thatguy101987]

I was able to bring the Crystal save into the Virtual Console version. Unfortunately Mew and Celebi can't be sent through the Poke Transporter, Entei and Raikou can just fine. Wish there was a save with Suicune.

[@Abdurrahman-bf3ji]

How did you end up doing that, if you don't mind me asking?

[@Thatguy101987]

@@Abdurrahman-bf3ji Basically you need a hacked 3ds, and an app called Checkpoint. From there you convert the save to make it compatible with the virtual console either through a hex editor or an online save converter and load it on the 3ds. Then use checkpoint to import the save to the VC version of Crystal. There's a KZbinr Tama Hero that has a video "Can You Move Pokémon from GameBoy to Virtual Console?" that goes into more detail on this process.