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If you play Pokemon games, you may be interested in the article below:
Pokémon (video games)
The Pokémon video game series is a role-playing game franchise from
Nintendo. The series as a whole has sold millions of games and ranks as the
2nd best-selling franchise of all-time. The series is unusual in that games
are commonly released in pairs, each with slight variations. First released
in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, the franchise has continued with at least
two new games for each Game Boy generation.
History
In Japan, Pokémon was first released as Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター, Poketto
Monsutā?) in 1996. This name would have carried over to North America, but
another company had trademarked the name "Monster In My Pocket," making it
impossible to use "Pocket Monsters". Since many Japanese players had already
shortened the name to "Pokemon" (ポケモン), Nintendo chose the name "Pokémon"
(with the e accented to clarify its pronunciation) for the North American
release.
The first games introduced the concept of becoming a Pokémon Trainer and
catching all 150 of the original Pokémon (a 151st, Mew, was only available
either from Nintendo-sponsored events like tournaments, or through glitches
in the game). These first games also introduced the idea multiple game
versions, with some variation of Pokémon availability in each. The original
games available in Japan were Pocket Monsters Aka (赤 "Red"), Pocket Monsters
Midori (緑 "Green"), and a remake version called Pocket Monsters Ao (青
"Blue", which was only available from Japan's Nintendo website). The Aka and
Midori versions were released with Blue's enhancements as Pokémon Red and
Blue.
Generations
The original Pokémon games were Japanese RPGs with an element of strategy,
and were created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy. These role-playing
games, and their sequels, remakes, and English language translations, are
still considered the "main" Pokémon games, and the games which most fans of
the series are referring to when they use the term "Pokémon games."
All of the licensed Pokémon properties overseen by The Pokémon Company are
divided roughly by generation. These generations are roughly chronological
divisions by release; every several years, when an official sequel in the
main RPG series is released that features new Pokémon, characters, and
gameplay concepts, that sequel is considered the start of a new generation
of the franchise. The main games and their spin-offs, the anime, the manga,
and the trading card game are all updated with the new Pokémon properties
each time a new generation begins. The franchise is currently in its fourth
generation.
The Pokémon franchise started off in its first generation with its initial
release of Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy in Japan. When these games
proved extremely popular, an enhanced Blue version was released sometime
after, and the Blue version was reprogrammed as Pokémon Red and Blue for
international release. The games launched in the United States on September
30, 1998. The original Red and Green versions were never released outside of
Japan.[2] Afterwards, a further enhanced remake titled Pokémon Yellow was
released to partially take advantage of the color palette of the Game Boy
Color, as well as to feature more of a stylistic resemblance to the popular
Pokémon anime. This first generation of games introduced the original 151
species of Pokémon (in National Pokédex order, encompassing all Pokémon from
Bulbasaur to Mew), as well as the basic game concepts of capturing,
training, battling, and trading Pokémon with both computer and human
players. These versions of the games take place within the fictional Kanto
region, though the name "Kanto" was not used until the second generation.
Spin-off first-generation titles include Pokémon Pinball, an adaption of the
Pokémon Trading Card Game for Game Boy Color, an on-rails photography
simulator for Nintendo 64 titled Pokémon Snap, a Nintendo 64 Pokémon-themed
adaption of Tetris Attack named Pokémon Puzzle League, a 3D Nintendo 64
incarnation of the handheld RPGs' battle system named Pokémon Stadium, and a
co-starring role for several species in the Nintendo 64 fighting game Super
Smash Bros.[3]
Screenshot of Pokémon Crystal, portraying a player's Level 18 Croconaw
battling a Level 13 Snubbull.
Screenshot of Pokémon Crystal, portraying a player's Level 18 Croconaw
battling a Level 13 Snubbull.
The second generation of Pokémon began in 2000 with the release of Pokémon
Gold and Silver for Game Boy Color. Like the previous generation, an
enhanced remake titled Pokémon Crystal was later released. It introduced 100
new species of Pokémon (starting with Chikorita and ending with Celebi), for
a total of 251 Pokémon to collect, train, and battle. New gameplay features
include a day-and-night system (reflecting the time of the day in the real
world) which influences events in the game; full utilization of the Game Boy
Color's color palette; an improved interface and upgraded inventory system;
better balance in the collection of Pokémon and their moves, statistics, and
equippable items (a new addition); Pokémon breeding; and a new region named
Johto. Unique to the second generation games is the fact that, after
exploring Johto, the player can enter and explore the original Kanto region,
which lies to the east of Johto. Spin-off second-generation titles include
the Game Boy Color adaption of Pokémon Puzzle League named Pokémon Puzzle
Challenge, a Nintendo 64 pet simulator named Hey you, Pikachu!, the Pokémon
Stadium sequel Pokémon Stadium 2 for Nintendo 64, several Pokémon mini-games
for the e-Reader, and a co-starring role for many species in the Super Smash
Bros. sequel Super Smash Bros. Melee for Nintendo Gamecube.[4]
Pokémon entered its third generation with the 2003 release of Pokémon Ruby
and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance and continued with the Game Boy Advance
remakes of Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and an
enhanced remake of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire titled Pokémon Emerald. The
third generation introduced 135 new Pokémon (starting with Treecko and
ending with Deoxys) for a total of 386 species. It also features a much more
visually detailed environment compared to previous games, a new 2-on-2
Pokémon battling mechanic, a special ability system applying to each Pokémon
in battle, the Pokémon Contest sub-game, and the new region of Hoenn.
However, this generation also garnered some criticism for leaving out
several gameplay features, including the day-and-night system introduced in
the previous generation, and it was also the first installment that
encouraged the player to collect merely a selected assortment of the total
number of Pokémon rather than every existing species (202 out of 386 species
are catchable in the Ruby and Sapphire versions). Third-generation spin-off
titles include Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance;
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS; Pokémon Dash,
Pokémon Trozei! and Pokémon Ranger for Nintendo DS; Pokémon Channel and
Pokémon Box for Nintendo GameCube; and a separate RPG series for Nintendo
GameCube, consisting of the games Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of
Darkness.
In 2006, Japan began the fourth generation of the franchise with the release
of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for Nintendo DS. The games were subsequently
released in North America on April 22 and in Australia on June 21st. 2007.
The game is also set to be released in the UK on the 27 July 2007[5] The
fourth generation introduces another 107 new species of Pokémon (starting
with Turtwig and ending with Arceus), bringing the current total of Pokémon
species to 493. New gameplay concepts include a restructured
move-classification system, online multiplayer trading and battling via
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the return (and expansion) of the second
generation's day-and-night system, the expansion of the third generation's
Pokémon Contests into "Super Contests," and the new region of Sinnoh, which
has an underground component for multiplayer gameplay in addition to the
main overworld. Currently, spin-off titles in the fourth generation include
the Pokémon Stadium follow-up Pokémon Battle Revolution for Wii (which will
have Wi-Fi connectivity as well[6]) and a confirmed co-starring role for
Pikachu in the 2007 Wii fighter Super Smash Bros. Brawl.[7]
Game mechanics
Starter Pokémon
One of the consistent aspects of most Pokémon games – spanning from Pokémon
Red and Blue on the Nintendo Game Boy to the Nintendo DS game, Pokémon
Diamond and Pearl – is the choice of one of three different Pokémon at the
start of the player's adventures; these three are often labeled "starter
Pokémon." Players can choose a Grass-type, a Fire-type, or a Water-type,
Pokémon indigenous to that particular region.[8] For example, in Pokemon Red
and Blue, the player has the choice of starting with Bulbasaur, Charmander,
or Squirtle. The exception to this rule is Pokémon Yellow (a remake of the
original games that follows the story of the Pokémon anime), where players
are given a Pikachu, an Electric-type mouse Pokémon, famous for being the
mascot of the Pokémon media franchise; in this game, however, the three
starter Pokémon from Red and Blue can be obtained during the quest by a
single player, something that is not possible in any other installment of
the franchise.[9]
Another consistent aspect is that the player's rival will always choose as
his or her starter Pokémon the one that has a type advantage over the
player's Pokémon. For instance, if the player picks grass-type Bulbasaur,
the rival will always pick fire-type Charmander. Of course, the exception to
this is again Pokémon Yellow, in which the rival picks an Eevee, but whether
this Eevee evolves into Jolteon, Vaporeon, or Flareon is decided by when the
player wins and loses to the rival.
Pokédex
The Pokédex is a fictional electronic device featured in the Pokémon video
game and anime series. In the games, whenever a Pokémon is first captured,
its data will be added to a player's Pokédex, but in the anime or manga, the
Pokédex is a comprehensive electronic reference encyclopedia, usually
referred to in order to deliver exposition. "Pokédex" is also used to refer
to a list of Pokémon, usually a list of Pokémon by number.
In the video games, a Pokémon Trainer is issued a blank device at the start
of their journey. A trainer must then attempt to fill the Pokédex by
encountering and at least briefly obtaining each of the various different
species of Pokémon. A player will receive the name and image of a Pokémon
after encountering one that was not previously in the Pokédex, typically
after battling said Pokémon, either in the wild or in a trainer battle (with
the exceptions of link battles and tournament battles, such as in the Battle
Frontier). In Pokemon Red and Blue, some Pokemon's data is added to the
Pokedex simply by viewing the Pokemon, such as in the zoo outside of the
Safari zone. Also, certain NPC characters may add to the Pokedex by
explaining what a Pokemon looks like during conversation. More detailed
information is available after the player obtains a member of the species,
either through capturing the Pokémon in the wild, evolving a previously
captured Pokémon, hatching a Pokémon egg (from the second generation
onwards), or through a trade with another trainer (either an NPC or another
player). This information includes height, weight, species type, and a short
description of the Pokémon. Later versions of the Pokédex have more detailed
information, like the size of a certain Pokémon compared to the player
character, or Pokémon being sorted by their habitat (so far, the latter
feature is only in the FireRed and LeafGreen versions). The GameCube games,
Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD, have a Pokémon Digital Assistant (P*DA)
which is similar to the Pokédex, but also tells what types are effective
against a Pokémon and gives a description of its abilities.
List of Pokémon Games
Handheld game consoles
1st Generation (Game Boy)
* Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue (JPN 1996)
* Pokémon Yellow (JPN 1998)
2nd Generation (Game Boy Color)
* Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver (JPN 1999)
* Pokémon Crystal (JPN 2000)
3rd Generation (Game Boy Advance)
* Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire (JPN 2002)
* Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen (JPN 2004)
* Pokémon Emerald (JPN 2004)
4th Generation (Nintendo DS)
* Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl (JPN 2006)
Video game consoles
1st & 2nd Generations (Nintendo 64)
* Pokémon Stadium (JPN 1999)
* Pokémon Stadium 2 (JPN 2000)
3rd Generation (Nintendo GameCube)
* Pokémon Colosseum (JPN 2003)
* Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (JPN 2005)
4th Generation (Wii)
* Pokémon Battle Revolution (JPN 2006)
Unobtainable Pokémon (Some Obtainable with Mystery Gift)
Four Pokémon, Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, and Deoxys, are extremely rare and were
nearly impossible to get in the Game Boy Advance era. Pokémon Diamond and
Pearl added five new extremely rare Pokémon, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai,
Shaymin, and Arceus. These Pokemon can be obtained by getting the Mystery
Gift, then going to the Nintendo World, and receiving the gift there then
use the Mystery Gift searcher. They can all be obtained by using a GameShark,
Action Replay or similar cheat device; in some cases, exploiting a glitch in
the game itself; or from special Nintendo people at special events. Players
are not required to own these 11 Pokémon in order to have a complete Pokédex.
* Mew can be found in the Red, Blue, and Yellow versions using the Mew
glitch. In addition, it is possible to get a ticket (actually an Old Sea
Chart) in Pokémon Emerald at one of Nintendo's promotional events and use
this to travel to Faraway Island (known as World's Edge Island in Japan),
where Mew can be caught. On September 30, 2006, Mew was also given out at
Toys "R" Us stores throughout the United States[10] in recognition of the
release of the new movie, Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Other
than those three methods, there are no ways to obtain Mew without using a
cheating device or obtaining it directly from Nintendo at promotional events
(which are no longer ongoing in Japan). Several of these promotional events
also took place in major shopping malls in Australia and the United States.
* Celebi can be found through the use of the GS ball (only obtainable in the
Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal through a cell phone network service),
which can be placed in a shrine in Ilex Forest to summon it, or by using a
cheating device. It is also available in the Japanese Pokémon Colosseum
bonus disc, which was available with pre-orders. For the Gold, Silver, and
Crystal games, Celebi has been provided as a promotional Pokémon at special
events, but it has not been obtainable outside of Japan for the Game Boy
Advance generation with the exception of a promotional 10th Pokémon Journey
Across America.
* Jirachi can only be obtained legitimately with the Pokémon Colosseum bonus
disc (which was available with preorders) in North America, which allows a
player to trade this Pokémon into the Ruby and Sapphire games. PAL region
gamers can get it by finishing Pokémon Channel, after which Jirachi will be
downloadable to the GBA games.
* Deoxys can be caught on Birth Island to the south of Kanto in the FireRed,
LeafGreen, and Emerald versions, provided the player has an Aurora Ticket,
which was a bonus for pre-ordering a ticket to see the 7th movie in Japan.
In America, the ticket was given at Pokémon Rocks America 2004 and on
Halloween 2004 at the former Pokémon Center. Europeans were able to find it
by a promotion called "The Hunt for Deoxys." Strangely enough, Nintendo of
Europe gives out the tickets to those who mail their games in. Due to the
universal encoding of a Game Boy Advance, American cartridges can receive
Deoxys too. An event took place at the Houston Space Center that gave out
Deoxys on March 10 through 19 of 2006. Deoxys was also given away to owners
of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl as a bonus for pre-ordering a ticket to see the
10th Pokémon movie. This Deoxys came in the exclusive Cherish Ball and had
the moveset Psycho Boost, Zap Cannon, Iron Defense, and Extremespeed; a
moveset which consists of four moves, each one learnable by each of the four
forms of Deoxys.
* Ho-Oh and Lugia were also relatively unobtainable until the Pokémon games
for Nintendo GameCube were released. In Gold, Silver, and Crystal, Ho-Oh and
Lugia can be caught if the player completes a special sidequest; however,
these games cannot trade with the Advanced Generation. In FireRed, LeafGreen,
and Emerald, Ho-Oh and Lugia can be caught on Navel Rock to the south of
Kanto if the player has a Mystic Ticket, which can obtained by using Mystery
Gift near a Joyspot. Mystic Tickets were also made available to US players
at the Nintendo World grand opening in New York City on May 14, 2005. When
Pokémon Colosseum was released, players could also catch Ho-Oh by Snagging
and purifying all 48 Shadow Pokémon and then beating Mt. Battle with an
in-game team. In Colosseum's sequel, Pokémon XD, Lugia is prominently
featured and can be caught within the game, then can be traded to a GBA game
after purification.
Nintendo also produced modified versions of other, not so rare Pokémon to
serve as promotional icons. One of these was a surfing Pikachu, which was
originally available only through a Nintendo Power contest. However, it was
later provided as an unlockable secret in Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Box and
Pokémon Battle Revolution. Similarly, for a short time in Japan, there was a
giveaway providing flying Pikachu. Flying Pikachu were also given away at
Journey Across America's New York City stop.
Codes and glitches
There are many different glitches that can be triggered in the Pokémon
games, especially in the older Red and Blue versions. These glitches allow
players to duplicate Pokémon or items, catch unobtainable Pokémon, and other
otherwise impossible feats.
Additionally, a vast number of fake glitches and codes for the Pokémon games
(again, especially for Red and Blue) exist. The creation of such codes is
often used to trick credulous players into deleting their save file,
releasing their Pokémon, or performing other supposed requirements. Many of
these glitches involve the catching of unobtainable (entirely fake) Pokémon;
in many cases, the credibility of such codes was increased by falsified
screenshots from the in-game Pokédex. Essentially all of these codes have
been proven false, and since then numbers of false glitches for later games
have dropped significantly. This is probably a result of the relative
stability of the later games' code, which is less susceptible to the
glitches that were rampant in previous versions.
Impact
A subculture exists which is devoted to the study of Pokémon battling and
strategy. Usually research centers around Internet bulletin boards, most
notably the GameFAQs forums, www.serebii.net, www.smogon.com, and
www.veekun.com. As well, multiple methods of online Pokémon battling exist,
such as linkable Game Boy emulators, an IRC channel based program called
RSBot, and Pokemon Netbattle: http://www.tvsian.info/netbattle/index.htm .
Bootlegs
Two additional, difficult-to-find Pokémon games for the Game Boy Color are
Pokémon Diamond (which has no relation to the Diamond version for the DS)
and Pokémon Jade, but despite the packaging and title screen being similar
in appearance to previous Pokémon games, they are actually bootlegged
English translations of the Power and Speed versions of Keitai Denjū
Telefang. Telefang can also be considered a Pokémon clone, as the two share
the same basic game mechanics. Pokémon Chaos Black is a fan-game (which was
not intended to be sold) sold in a package as a bootleg multi-cart for GBA
that cannot be completed because it stops the player at Mt. Moon. Pokémon
Quartz is another bootleg game based off Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Other
games include Pokémon Adventure, Pocket Monsters Go! Go!, a fake Crystal
version, and a Sapphire version for Game Boy Color. Many fan-made Pokémon
roms are made into cartridges and sold on the black or grey markets, often
sold on auction sites such as eBay as if they were genuine official games.
Some of these games use profanity, making it obvious that it was not made by
Gamefreak.
References
1. ^ MacDonald, Mark; Brokaw, Brian; Arnold; J. Douglas; Elies, Mark.
Pokémon Trainer's Guide. Sandwich Islands Publishing, 1999. ISBN
0-439-15404-9. (pg73)
2. ^ "Pokemon Green Info on GameFAQs" gamefaqs.com URL Accessed February 23,
2007
3. ^ Super Smash Bros. Product Information .ASIN B00000J2W7. Accessed April
19, 2006.
4. ^ Super Smash Bros. Melee Unlockable character guide Nintendo.com. URL
Accessed April 19, 2006.
5. ^ "New Pokémon to Make Diamond-and-Pearl-Studded Debut" URL Accessed
February 7, 2007.
6. ^ "Cubed3 Pokémon Battle Revolution Confirmed for Wii" Cubed3.com. URL
Accessed June 7, 2006.
7. ^ Super Smash Bros. Brawl screenshot gallery Ign.com. URL Accessed May
11, 2006.
8. ^ Pokémon Ruby review (page 1) Gamespy.com. URL Accessed May 30, 2006.
9. ^ Pokémon Yellow Critical Review Ign.com. URL accessed on March 27, 2006.
10. ^ Mailbag: The Mystery of Mew!, Pokémon.com. URL last accessed March 4,
2007.
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