Hey You, Pikachu!

Hey You, Pikachu![a] is a virtual pet video game developed by Ambrella and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. A spin-off in the Pokémon franchise, it was released in Japan on December 12, 1998, and in North America on November 6, 2000. The player is asked to help Professor Oak test the PokéHelper, a device that lets humans communicate with Pokémon. The game is set in the Kanto region between Pewter City and Viridian City, where the player is introduced to a wild Pikachu. The player is able to communicate with a 256-word database through the Voice Recognition Unit (VRU), a Nintendo 64 hardware accessory that, when paired with a microphone, can comprehend and analyze human speech.[3] Along with speaking with Pikachu, the VRU allows the player to move around and gather items. Hey You, Pikachu! is one of only two games to utilize the VRU, with the other being Densha de Go! 64. The game had a mixed reception from critics. Though no direct sequels have been made, the virtual pet game Pokémon Channel, first released for the GameCube in 2003, resembles Hey You, Pikachu! and shares similar gameplay, with the exception of the microphone peripheral.