How big is the Pokemon wave?

April 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon PearlHow hot are the new Pokemon games? How about One million copies sold hot?

That’s right! The Pokemon games, which were sitting at more than 500K pre-orders have now blown past one million units sold! This has happened in less than a week! This is the fastest sell through of any Pokemon game yet!

Over 5 million copies were sold in Japan after its release back on September 28, 2006. In all, over 155 million copies of Pokemon games have been sold world wide since the franchise began over ten years ago.

In late June of this year Pokemon will also be coming to the Wii with the Pokemon Battle Revolution game. This game will allow you to use the DS as a controller!

If you don’t have your Pokemon game yet all I can ask is, “why not?” Pokemon is one of the greatest RPG games ever made and, even once the single player mode is finished there is still a ton of game-play in that little package.

With the addition of the World-Wide Wi-Fi connection service I expect to see Pokemon become even more popular than ever! Sites will be popping up all over the net around this game… Just you wait and watch.

PS: Once I complete the game I will be posting my “friend” code so I can battle all of my faithful readers!



Posted by Jolly | Filed Under News 

Pokemon HowTo: Mystery Gifts in Diamond and Pearl

April 25, 2007 | 832 Comments

A feature many people have come to love in the Pokemon games is that of the “Mystery Gift”. This is a feature where you enter a special passcode somewhere in the game that opens up the ability to get special bonus stuff from Nintendo.

This feature (in the past) has been used at the Pokemon Rocks America events to allow you to get special tickets. These special tickets open up new areas of the game to catch the super rare legendary pokemon such as Celebi, Mew, Deoxys and others.

Guess what! It’s back in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and I’m going to tell you how to access it right here and now!

1) Go to the Jubilife TV station in Jubilife City.
2) Go to the 3rd floor.
3) Talk to the man in the lower room (he’s on the left).
4) The first two words you tell him are “everyone” and “happy“.
5) the second two words are “Wi-Fi” and “Connection“.
6) This will then unlock the Mystery Gift feature on the main menu.

NOTE: Some of the above words may not be available right away. Be sure you can go into a Pokecenter basement before trying this.

The Mystery Gift feature has three options:

1) Get from a Friend.
2) Get via Wireless.
3) Get via Nintendo WFC.

Did you catch the last one?

The best (and worst) part about the previous Mystery Gift system has been that you had to go and find a Pokemon event to go to. It’s not that bad for me because I only live about 50 miles from the Nintendo World store in New York City but, for many people, a Pokemon event never comes within 500 miles of them!

As I learn more I’ll let you know more!



Posted by Jolly | Filed Under Tips 

Pokemon HowTo: Trading Manaphy to Diamond and Pearl

April 23, 2007 | 32 Comments

A lot of people are wondering how you go about trading the Manaphy egg from your copy of Pokemon Ranger to your copy of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. Here is the short and sweet of it!

1) Start your Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl game.
2) Go to a Pokemart and save the game.
3) Restart your DS and go to the title menu for your game.
4) Using a second DS start up Pokemon Ranger
5) Enter Ranger Net and check on your egg.
6) Start sending the invitation.
7) Diamond and Pearl will pick up the signal and begin to walk you through the process.
8.) After a few taps on the touch pad the egg will be transferred to your Diamond or Pearl game.
9) Go back into the Pokemart and a man in green will be there to give you the egg!

It is that simple!




What’s that you say? You don’t have Pokemon Ranger? Well there is a way to get a Manaphy that is not quite as good as the real thing. See, Manaphy is the first legendary Pokemon that can breed.

If you know someone who has a Manaphy they can breed it with a Ditto to hatch a Phione (#489). This Pokemon is a more “generic” Manaphy and has base stats 20 points lower than the real thing. It also lacks two of Manaphy’s signature moves; Heart Swap & Tail Glow. Everything else is the same.

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Posted by Jolly | Filed Under Tips 

Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are here!

April 22, 2007 | 84 Comments

DP Bonus 1This morning I took my daughter down to the local GameStop store to buy our pre-ordered copies of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. All I can say is wow! These games are far better than I was expecting.

We had gotten the call a few days prior from GameStop telling us our games would be ready for a 9:00AM pickup… Well, something happened at the local store and they did not open until 10:00AM. Let me tell you, that was a long hour to wait!

Since we were first in line it was a simple in and out for us. We got our two styluses and the stylus holder. they were offering the big guide book for 20% off but, I want this game to be fun and full of surprises so those books are off limits until we beat the game.

See, that is one of the best things about getting a new pokemon game, the wonder. Yeah, I know now what types some of the new beasties are but, when you first encounter a new pokemon you have to guess its type until you actually catch one. That’s the fun part for me. It’s not about beating the pokemon it’s all about meeting them and facing the unknown!

After about seven hours of playing this game (I got Pearl) I have now beaten two gyms. My pokemon are near level 20 and I’m having a great time!

I went with Chimchar as my starter and my daughter took Piplup. One of her friends took Turtwig so, eventually, we will all have one of each starter.

Interestingly enough, within a half hour of play time my daughter managed to catch her first shiny pokemon ever, a Shinx! She was so excited she started calling her friends. I was excited for her as well because I know how rare it is to get a shiny pokemon.

For the main gameplay areas you do not need your stylus. In fact, even when I need to use the touch pad for something I just use my finger or the control pad. Most everything can be done with the control pad. I find it faster and easier that way.

Not messing around with the old GBA link cables is awesome!

The Wi-Fi section is also awesome! It’s about time they added a world-wide connection center for the pokemon games.

I’ve just started dabbling in the underground areas so I do not have a strong opinion about that area yet. I’ll let you know more as I know more.

One big difference that I am finding is the lower EXP payout from most encounters. My speed record for beating Pokemon Ruby is about 12 hours. Within six hours my pokemon (in Ruby) were already well past level 26, not so in Pearl. I’m just not getting the EXP payout like before. Not sure if there are simply less trainer battles or what…

If you are a pokemon fan you should already have these games!

I’m going to be posting some more Diamond and Pearl articles in the near future so stay tuned!!!

Posted by Jolly | Filed Under Diamond, News, Pearl 

Looks like Pokémon is still hot!

April 18, 2007 | 6 Comments

Pre-orders for the upcoming Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl video games for the portable Nintendo DS™ have topped one half million in the United States!

The last two GBA games; Fire Red and Leaf Green, didn’t even have pre-order numbers half of that and they went on to sell 3.4 million copies in North American alone.

Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl have consistently ranked among the top-selling video game products on Amazon.com, and there are still four days until launch.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl have already sold millions in Japan and I expect that trend to be duplicated her in North America, and world wide.

Why is Pokémon an unstoppable juggernaut?

  • It’s a great RPG.
  • It’s all about collecting things.
  • Some of the things you collect are rarer than others.
  • Replay is near infinite by starting the game with different team varieties.
  • It encourages sharing because each game has certain Pokémon that are only available in the other game.
  • You can complete the story mode in about 10 hours.
  • They added Wi-Fi!!!
  • You will now be able to battle against anyone in the world who has the same game!

I could go on and on but I’ll stop there and direct you to all of my other Pokémon articles here on the site.

The Official Nintendo Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Player’s Guide also will be available at retail on April 22. For more information about the games, visit www.Pokemon-Games.com



Posted by Jolly | Filed Under News 

It’s all about the Pokemon!

April 10, 2007 | 10 Comments

DP Bonus 1For those who do not know, the new Pokemon games for DS come out on April 22, 2007. Here is some late breaking information for all the Poke-fans out there!

WHAT:

Nintendo celebrates the launch of the new Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl games for the hand-held Nintendo DS™ system with an afternoon of festivities for gamers and Pokémon fans of all ages. These games have already sold millions in Japan, and are expected to be among the top-selling games of the year in the United States. More than 5,000 Pokémon fans are expected to attend this fun-filled event.

Rockefeller Plaza will become a Pokémon fan's paradise with interactive game play stations showing off the brand new games, Trading Card Game play area, a movie lounge featuring the new Pokémon movie, Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, and a special Kids Zone for younger Pokémon fans.

Attendees can be among the first to pick up their pre-ordered copies of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl at the Nintendo World store, participate in a Poké Ball™ scavenger hunt, take photos with favorite Pokémon costume characters, and win prizes including exclusive Pokémon Nintendo DS Lite units, Pokémon gear and tickets to summer sporting events.

WHO:

Parents, kids, Pokémon fans and video game fans of all ages
WHEN:

Sunday, April 22
Nintendo World Store Opens: 8 a.m.
Event: 1 to 5 p.m.
WHERE:

Nintendo World store
10 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020
646-459-0800
www.nintendoworldstore.com

KEY INFORMATION

  • Collect, Train and Battle with More Than 100 New Pokémon: For the first time, players have the chance to catch new Pokémon Munchlax™, Weavile™, Lucario™, Mime Jr.™, Bonsly™ and many others.
  • New Region: Set in an entirely new region called Sinnoh, the Sinnoh Pokédex has 151 Pokémon total – some old and more than 80 new. This means the National Pokédex could now have more than 480 Pokémon. Overall there are over 100 new Pokémon, even some that aren't in the Sinnoh Pokédex! How do you find them all?
  • 3-D World: The game now has a 3-D look to the environments, making the world of Pokémon jump off the screen like never before.
  • Worldwide Battles/Trading Using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection: Once Friend Codes have been registered, two players can then battle and trade while talking.
  • Night and Day: Using the DS clock function, the game transitions from morning, day and night in real time.
  • Intense Battles: Many new dual-type Pokémon, new and refined moves and new special Abilities add to the already deep strategy of Pokémon battling.
  • Bring Pokémon from GBA: Players can bring Pokémon from their Game Boy® Advance Pokémon games to Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl using the GBA game slot on their Nintendo DS.

Game storyline: In the Sinnoh region, there are two Pokémon that symbolize the region. They appear in the Sinnoh region's myths and old folklore. One is called Dialga, and is said to have the power to control time. The other is called Palkia, who is said to have the ability to distort space. The sinister organization called Team Galactic is trying to rule the region by using the power of these two Pokémon. During the adventure to complete the Pokédex and become the Pokémon League Champion, these two Pokémon, and Team Galactic, will intertwine into the story and lead players on a fantastic journey across the Sinnoh region.

Characters: More than 100 new Pokémon make their debut in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl. Many are new, and some are even evolutions and pre-evolutions of characters from past games. The player can choose to be a boy or girl trainer. There are eight new Gym Leaders, as well as a new Professor and a new rival. Team Galactic takes the role of the new villains this time around.

How to progress through the game: Players start out as an aspiring Pokémon Trainer (either a boy or a girl) and aim to become the Pokémon Champion. They choose from one of the three starter Pokémon. As they journey through the Sinnoh region, they will catch and level up Pokémon and battle with other Trainers and Gym Leaders to make their way to the top. The story unfolds as the player goes from town to town, across towering mountains, through muddy swamps and deep into caves beneath the earth.

Special abilities/moves/features:

  • Worldwide battles and trading using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
  • Real-time clock feature changes the time of day based on the DS clock. The Pokémon characters players can catch vary based on the location and time of day. Also, the power of certain Pokémon moves changes based on time.
  • More elaborate Pokémon Contests. Players can use accessories and dress up their Pokémon. Players make “Poffins” out of Berries to raise their Pokémon's contest stats.
  • New dual-type Pokémon, new/altered moves and new special abilities add to the already deep strategy of Pokémon battling.
  • 3-D environments and updated graphics.

Communication Features:

  • Once the player has completed the Sinnoh Pokédex and become the League Champion, he or she can use the dual-slot feature of the Nintendo DS to import Pokémon from Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon FireRed, Pokémon LeafGreen and Pokémon Emerald. Once players enter an area called Pal Park, they can see and capture their Pokémon from previous games, which are then permanently transferred to Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl. Up to six Pokémon per day can be transferred to Pal Park and then captured in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl.
  • Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl are fully Wi-Fi compatible, allowing players to trade and battle worldwide. Also, the games use local wireless to battle and trade with up to four players (eight in the underground game). Also, when using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, two players can chat using the DS microphone.
  • If players own Pokémon Ranger, they can enter a special code (found on www.Manaphy.com) to unlock a mission to receive a special Manaphy Egg from Pokémon Ranger and then hatch it in Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl.

With Friend Codes: If players are connected through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, they can trade or battle as they talk to their friends. They have to exchange their “Friend Code” with their friends first.

Without Friend Codes:
Global Trade Station (trading without Friend Codes): The Global Trade Station uses Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and allows players to trade Pokémon with others who have Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl anywhere in the world. They post Pokémon they want to trade on a board, and they can browse through Pokémon other players have posted without directly interacting with other players.

Battle Tower (battling without Friend Codes): The Battle Tower allows players to battle with seven Trainers who have registered their player data in the Wi-Fi Battle Dome. After players battle, they can then upload their data so that other Trainers can battle “them.” The more players win, the higher their rank rises. Players can register where they live on a terrestrial globe called Geonet in the Global Trade Station. If players exchange data with players from other areas, their location will be registered on the Geonet as well.

Posted by Jolly | Filed Under Diamond, News, Pearl