After the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl editions have ravaged wallets all across Japan, this marketing phenomenon will now make its way across the Pacific to the U.S., riding on sales figures that are about to breach the 4,000,000 mark. Of course, the Pokémon tsunami will not arrive until April 22nd next year, but this news is more than enough to get gamers into a frenzy as Diamond and Pearl will be the first proper Pokémon title for the Nintendo DS platform. Looks like the strange fetish of catching ‘em all has not abated - in fact, it seems as though the fever has spread all the more as long as the game developers keep on munching on magic mushrooms and designing new Pokémon to keep up with the demand.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl will feature both old game mechanics that made it a huge hit back in 1996 as well as new gameplay that will definitely enthrall beginners and seasoned veterans alike. The game will take place in a new region called Sinnoh, and as usual, you can start off as a double X chromosomed human or one of the XY variety who is raring to embark on the path of becoming the next Pokémon League Champion. Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond Pearl on the GBA can be transferred over via the GBA game slot, adding a totally new dimension to gameplay.
New Pokémon includes Munchlax and Weavile, while the availability of local wireless play enables up to eight other trainers get together for some time of quality fun. With a rating of E for Everyone, you can expect Pokémon fever to sweep across U.S. when April 2007 rolls around. I remembered my college days where I had plenty of fun trying to catch them all, and getting good ol’ Magicarp to gain enough experience to reach level 20 was a hoot. This will definitely be one of the hottest DS titles next year.
Source: Kotaku
Source: Pokémon Diamond, Pearl to arrive Stateside next April
Originally published on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 18:05:17 GMT
