Pokemon Pearl

The ultimate Pokemon finals are ongoing, and you may have a chance to enter. See, The Pokemon Company and Pokemon USA teamed up to create this super challenge, the Pokemon Video Game Showdown 2008, where 16 US players and 16 Japanese players of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl would duke it out for glory. While the official entry period for players closed, additional players who attend the Qualifier Tournaments.

Pokemon Pearl

Pokemon Pearl

There are two Qualifier Tournaments being held in the US, and they’re on both coasts. The California Science Center in Los Angeles will be having one on July 12, 2008, and the Altman Building in New York will be having one on July 19, 2008. Both tournaments start at 8am. People will be broken into Junior (born after 1996) and Senior (born before 1995) divisions, and up to 128 alternates from each division will be chosen to participate.

Pokemon Pearl

Pokemon Pearl

Pokemon Battle

Pokémon Battle Revolution (ポケモンバトルレボリューション, Pokemon Batoru Reboryūshon?) is the first Wii incarnation of the Pokémon video game franchise. It is also the first Wii game to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in North America and Japan and the first Wii game to wirelessly interact with the Nintendo DS handheld.

Pokemon Battle

Pokemon Battle

Pokémon Battle Revolution features eleven different colosseums in a new land, a Pokémon-themed theme park called Pokétopia. Other features include stadiums that have their own special effects, such as randomizing the order of one's Pokémon. Some other effects are choosing the order of an opponent's Pokémon and setting level limitations.

Pokemon Battle

Pokemon Battle

This was the first Pokémon game to be rated 7+ by the PEGI: all other Pokémon games rated by them were rated 3+.

Pokemon Battle

Pokemon Battle

Pokemon Cards

The Pokémon Trading Card Game (Pokémon TCG) is a collectible card game based on the Pokémon video game series, first introduced in Japan in October 1996, then North America in December 1998. It was initially published by Wizards of the Coast, the company that produces Magic: the Gathering. Although Wizards of the Coast lost the licence to publish the game in July 2003, sets continue to be published under the jurisdiction of Nintendo and Pokémon USA, Inc. (PUI).

Pokemon Cards

There are five types of cards in the game - supporters, trainers, stadiums, energies and pokémon. These card types can be sub-categorized like so:

Trainer - trainer, pokemon tool, technical machine, Supporter - supporter, Stadium - stadium, Energy - basic energy card, special energy card, Pokémon - basic pokémon, Stage 1 pokémon, Stage 2 pokémon, pokémon ex, pokémon Lv.X

Pokemon Cards

Though only Basic Pokémon cards are necessary in a deck, both Energy cards and Trainer cards are important to achieving victory. A player's 60-card deck may only contain four cards with the same name, with the exception of Basic Energy cards.

Pokemon Cards

Pokemon Cards

Pokemon Blue

Blue is the commonly referred-to name of a major character in the various games. He is the rival of Red and the grandson of Professor Oak. His style is mixed, and he does not specialize in any type. He is a non-playable character in both the first and second generations of Pokémon games. In the Japanese video games, he is most commonly known as Green, and has alternate name choices of "Gary" and "John". (In Blue Version, the default names are switched, Blue is the protagonist and Red is Oak's grandson.)

Pokemon Blue

Blue is the main antagonist of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen. Although the player can change his name at the beginning of the game, the game will generically refer to the character as “Blue”, “Red”, or “Green” depending on the game version. He serves as a repeated foil and recurring boss for the player.

Pokemon Blue

Pokemon Blue

As per the storyline, Blue is a 10 year old from Pallet Town and grandson of world renowned Pokémon researcher Professor Oak. Blue and Red, his next door neighbor, were once friends but drifted apart due to differences. Blue’s adventure as a Pokémon trainer begins one day when Professor Oak calls him and Red to his lab. At the lab, both boys are then each given a choice of Pokémon and a Pokédex to start out their journeys as Pokémon trainers. Like Red, Blue roams the area of Kanto, defeating Gym leaders and catching newer Pokémon. Blue saw Red as his rival, and when gave the chance, tested his skills against the latter. After collecting all eight Kanto Gym badges, Blue challenged and defeat the Elite Four, becoming the Pokémon League Champion. When Red eventually makes his way through the Elite Four, Blue challenges Red, but is defeated, losing his title as the Leauge Champion. Afterwards, Blue reconciles his lost to Red.

Pokemon Blue

Pokemon Blue

Pokemon Red

Pokémon Red (Poketto Monsutā Aka?, "Pocket Monsters Red") and Pokémon Blue (Poketto Monsutā Ao?, "Pocket Monsters Blue"), released in Japan as Pocket Monster Red and Pocket Monster Green (Poketto Monsutā Midori?), are the first two installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. They were first released for the Game Boy in Japan on February 27, 1996 and later released in North America on September 30, 1998, in Europe on May 10, 1999, and in Australia in 1999. Pokémon Yellow, a special edition version, was released roughly a year later in each region. These three games (Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow,) along with Pokémon Stadium, form the first generation of the Pokémon video game series. Red and Blue have subsequently been remade for the Game Boy Advance as Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, released in 2004.

Pokemon Red

The games are set in the fantasy world of Kanto and follow the progress of the central character in his quest to master Pokémon battling. Both games are independent of each other but feature largely the same plot and, while they can be played separately, it is necessary for players to trade among the two in order to fully complete the games' Pokédexes.

Red and Blue received strong reviews, with critics praising the multiplayer options, especially the concept of trading. The games' releases marked the beginning of what would become a multi-billion dollar franchise, jointly selling millions of copies worldwide.

Pokemon Red

Pokemon Red

Pokemon Ruby

Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Ruby and Pocket Monsters Sapphire (ポケットモンスター ルビー・サファイア, Poketto Monsutā Rubī, Safaia?), are both the third installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing games, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The games were first released in Japan in late 2002; they later released to the rest of the world in 2003 (North America, Australia, and Europe). Pokémon Emerald, a special edition version, was released two years later in each region. These three games (Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald), along with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, form the third generation of the Pokémon video game series, also known as the "advanced generation".

Pokemon Ruby

The gameplay is mostly unchanged from the previous games; the player controls the main character from an overhead perspective, and the controls are largely the same as those of previous games. As with previous games, the main objectives are to catch all of the Pokémon in the games and defeat the Elite Four, a group of Pokémon trainers. However, new features, such as double battles and Pokémon abilities, have been added. As the Game Boy Advance can handle more powerful graphics than its predecessors, four players may be connected at a time instead of the previous limit of two. Additionally, the games can be connected to an E-Reader or other advanced generation Pokémon games.

Pokemon Ruby

Pokemon Ruby

Pokemon

The Pokémon anime series and films are a meta-series of adventures separate from the canon that most of the Pokémon video games follow (with the exception of Pokémon Yellow, a game based on the anime storyline). The anime follows the quest of the main character, Ash Ketchum (known as Satoshi in Japan) a Pokémon Master in training, as he and a small group of friends travel around the fictitious world of Pokémon along with their Pokémon partners. The original series, titled Pocket Monsters, or simply Pokémon in western countries (often referred to as Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'Em All to distinguish it from the later series), begins with Ash's first day as a Pokémon trainer. His first (and signature) Pokémon is a Pikachu, differing from the games, where only Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle could be chosen.

Pokemon

The series follows the storyline of the original games, Pokémon Red and Blue, in the region of Kanto. Accompanying Ash on his journeys are Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader, and Misty, the youngest of the Gym Leader sisters from Cerulean City. Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands follows Ash's adventures in the Orange Islands, a place unique to the anime, and replaces Brock with Tracey Sketchit, an artist and "Pokémon watcher". The next series, based on the second generation of games, include Pokémon: Johto Journeys, Pokémon: Johto League Champions, and Pokémon: Master Quest, following the original trio of Ash, Brock, and Misty in the western Johto region.

Pokemon

The saga continues in Pokémon: Advanced Battle, based on the third generation games. Ash and company travel to Hoenn, a southern region in the Pokémon World. Ash takes on the role of a teacher and mentor for a novice Pokémon trainer named May. Her brother Max accompanies them, and though he isn't a trainer, he knows large amounts of handy information. Brock (from the original series) soon catches up with Ash, but Misty has returned to Cerulean City to tend to her duties as a gym leader. (Misty, along with other recurring characters, appears in the spin-off series Pokémon Chronicles.) The Advanced Battle series concludes with the Battle Frontier saga, based on the Emerald version and including aspects of FireRed and LeafGreen. The most recent series is the Diamond and Pearl series, with Max leaving to pick his starter Pokémon, and May going to the Grand Festival in Johto. Ash, Brock, and a new companion named Dawn travel through the region of Sinnoh. In addition to the TV series, eleven Pokémon films have been made, with a twelfth to be released in Japan in July 2008. Collective bonuses, such as promotional trading cards, have been available with some of the films.

Pokemon

Pokemon

Pokemon Diamond

Pokemon on the DS is nothing new -- we've already received Pokemon Dash, Pokemon Trozei, and Pokemon Ranger in the system's two years of life. But it's the RPG design the public's clamoring for, not the spin-offs -- those games were just biding the time while Game Freaks cranked out the enormous, ambitious, real deal Pokemon project. It doesn't matter what's going to be said in the next thousand or so words: Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl will, without a doubt, be the top-selling game released to date on the Nintendo DS. There's absolutely no debate here. Millions of gamers are going to buy this game no matter what the critical word will be, but that won't stop us from calling it like it is: Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are still the "gotta have" portable games, but don't expect to be overwhelmed with a fresh take on the series. The team stuck to its guns and kept the DS game in line with the Game Boy Advance designs, which were, honestly, a modest upgrade to the Game Boy Color game, which, in turn, wasn't a huge step over the game that started it all in black-and-white a decade ago.

Pokemon Diamond

Pokemon Diamond

Pokemon Diamond

For a game that's literally sold countless millions of copies over the past ten years, it's pretty amazing to discover gamers who have yet to experience what Pokemon is all about. Under its kid-friendly, thick sugary coating lies a deceptively deep and addictive design that encourages players to create collections of highly marketable creatures of various species. The core mechanic is an adventure with role-playing game battle mechanics -- these creatures will fight for their owner using their abilities in a turn-based interface, where players choose the best mode of attack or defense that'll get them through the brawl. Winning battles will earn these creatures experience which will, in turn, advance their levels and increase their capabilities...as well as earn their owners some coin for purchases at the shops.

Pokemon Diamond

Pokemon Diamond

Pokemon Emerald

There's no denying the success of Pokémon is based on a very worthy formula, and much to a degree deserves its long running triumph. Nintendo has crafted a game that takes the more accessible elements of children's story narrative (relatable brave child entering a vast and unknown world of discovery), toy/card collecting (you find your Pokémon of varying abilities, train them into a fighting force for combat and trading), and RPGs (slow turn-based battles, and friendly townsfolk who don’t mind you rifling through their houses and taking their items). From these ingredients, Pokémon is cooked into something worth far more than the sum of its parts, if a little cookie cutter several years on from the original.

Pokemon Emerald

Pokemon Emerald

Emerald has the same level of insanely addictive collecting and battling where you catch the creatures and have them fight against other Pokémon in a selection of moves with a top trumps/rock-paper-scissors style stratagem. Poor choices, like selecting a fire elemental Pokémon against a water one, can quickly lose you fights. This is the backbone of the gameplay and it still works wonderfully, as does the ultimate choice of whether to capture or finish off a wild Pokémon when they reach their final vestiges of health; risking a missed imprisonment and prolonged brawl should you fail to get your target. The rarer the beastie, the harder and riskier it is. Obvious, yet well balanced.

Pokemon Emerald

Pokemon Emerald

Layered on top of that is the upgrade system and expansion of your little pets, which sees them grow, adapt and evolve under your tutelage. Some Pokémon can be given special abilities by items, others gain them from experience won in fracas. They become unique to you and thus the true genius of Pokémon pops out and traps you with its compulsion. Within an hour of the game, you're hunting down rare beasts, affectionately giving them silly names, and crushing all-comers, whether those are CPU trainers from the story or link-up/wireless human players. It's fun and addictive. It's also inevitably samey and flawed.

Pokemon Emerald