The time is here! Following the most successful launch of any Pok�mon title in Japan ever and with over one million games flying off the shelves in the first week of launch in the US, the ultimate Pok�mon adventure, Pok�mon Diamond and Pok�mon Pearl, arrives in Europe this week. With brand new features never seen before in a Pok�mon game, players can expect to meet over 100 new Pok�mon and battle prized Pok�mon with friends online, as well as having the opportunity to chat with them anywhere in the world through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.
Pok�mon Diamond and Pok�mon Pearl is a brand new and exciting Pok�mon adventure crafted to specifically utilise the features of the Nintendo DS, including its unique touch screen, online capabilities and microphone ? enabling Voice-Chat capabilities for the first time. Played using a combination of buttons and stylus, this allows players to quickly and accurately control their battling Pok�mon. The games are also fully compatible with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service allowing players to battle, trade and chat with friends from across the globe! If that was not enough, using the Nintendo DS’s local wireless connection, players can also compete in numerous alternative gameplay opportunities ranging from cooking ‘Poffin’ with up to three other friends, or why not explore a huge network of underground tunnels with up to seven friends?
In this epic adventure, players assume the role of a Pok�mon Trainer on the beautiful region of Sinnoh where they soon encounter the Pok�mon obsessed Professor Rowan. His mission is to document all the species of Pok�mon using his special Pok�dex and he needs all the help he can get, so enlists players to lend a hand. This means leaving their home in Twinleaf Town and travelling around Sinnoh, however while doing this, players must also work towards their ultimate goal of becoming Pok�mon League Champion. This prestigious honour is only bestowed upon players who have battled and defeated all eight Pok�mon Gym Leaders as well as the Elite Four and the current Champion!
Collecting and battling Pok�mon is a crucial part of the game and with over 100 new Pok�mon to catch it’s essential to hone your training skills. Pok�mon Diamond and Pok�mon Pearl also allows previously captured Pok�mon from all the most recent Pok�mon series on the Game Boy Advance (Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire versions, FireRed & LeafGreen versions and Pokemon Emerald version) to be imported, meaning a true Pok�mon fanatic can capture well over 400 Pok�mon in the game!
Pok�mon Diamond and Pok�mon Pearl also see the addition of a new exclusive Pok�mon to capture! Pok�mon Trainers who have completed the Manaphy Egg mission in Pok�mon Ranger on Nintendo DS will now be able to transfer the Manaphy Egg to Pok�mon Diamond or Pok�mon Pearl. Here it will hatch into Manaphy, an extremely rare Pok�mon who can’t be captured any other way, so make sure you don’t miss out! Check out www.manaphy.eu ; for details.
An all-new exciting element for all Pok�mon fans is the opportunity to visit the Pok�mon Centre Wi-Fi Club within the game. By swapping Friend Codes, here for the first time in a Pok�mon adventure players will be able to engage in Voice-Chat with friends while battling and trading Pok�mon! There’s also the all new Global Trade Station where you can trade Pok�mon safely and anonymously with any other player from around the world. And if you can make it to the Battle Tower you’ll have the chance to pit your wits against other Trainers from anywhere in the world, by downloading their Pok�mon data via the Nintendo WiFi Connection service.
Great online opportunities are not all Pok�mon Diamond and Pearl has to offer. Using the local wireless network, link up with friends close by in the Pok�mon Wireless Club Union Room to not only battle and trade, but also send messages and draw. Something else friends can do is visit the Pok�mon Contest Hall in Hearthome City to take part in the Pok�mon Super Contest, where trainers can enter their Pok�mon into a talent contest. Going head to head in this contest with up to three other people makes this the ultimate Pok�mon competition!
If setting out on an adventure of this scale seems a little overwhelming, don’t worry. The official Pok�mon scenario guide is out on the same day to help you navigate your way through Sinnoh without missing a single elusive Pok�mon! With detailed maps of every region of the game, this book is a must-have if you want to complete your Pok�dex.
The UK sees an exclusive launch event at Hamleys, London on Thursday 26th July. For 200 lucky fans in the UK, not only will they be able to get hold of the game one day early, but chart topping sensation McFly will also be making a special appearance. To avoid disappointment and to gain entry to this limited pre-sale event, fans will need to pre-order their copy of Pok�mon Diamond or Pok�mon Pearl now at GAME in Hamleys (02072875486) or GAME Oxford Street (02076377911.) *
So get ready to catch Pok�mon Diamond and Pok�mon Pearl as they land in store across Europe on Nintendo DS this Friday 27th July 2007 at an estimated retail price of around �24.99.
For further information please contact the Nintendo Press Office on 020 73073103
*The first 200 customers to pre order the either Pok�mon Diamond or Pok�mon Pearl in GAME Hamleys or GAME Oxford Street will be allowed access to the signing. This 200 will be made up of 100 Diamond pre-orders and 100 Pearl. Tickets are only available while stocks last.