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The skinny on Pokemon transferring
While the latest Pokemon release causes massive amounts of excitement in fans, it has also been known to cause severe depression, brought on by the fact that Gold and Silver, along with Ruby and Sapphire, just did not allow you to transfer your pokemon. Well, with the impending release of Diamond and Pearl, Nintendo will finally correct the issue.The transfer will be achieved by placing one of the GBA games into the GBA slot of your DS, with either Diamond or Pearl resting comfortably in its respective place Upon start up, you want to go into Diamond/Pearl and make sure you meet the requirements needed in whichever GBA game you're using to trade pokemon. Also, it is important to know that in Diamond/Pearl you must achieve a certain in-game task before you are able to utilize the transfer system, which should not be confused with trading at the Pokemon Center. Finally, all of your pokemon in Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed or LeafGreen will live on and be saved from the cold, dark cartridge you left them in so long ago.[Via 4cr]
Invade your Toys 'R Us for free Mew
One of our fine readers sent us in a scan from Nintendo Power that tells of yet another promotional team-up with toys conglomerate Toys 'R Us. This time around, rather than handing out gifts for your virtual town, DS Fanboys may hit up their local chain for a free Pokemon. While the news that this Pokemon is not in fact a real living, breathing, lightning-shooting creature upsets us, we'll still take it.So those of you who decide to brave the elements and arrive at a Toys 'R Us on the 30th of September will be rewarded with a free download of the pokemon Mew. Arming yourself with a Pokemon game of choice (as long as that choice is either Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, or LeafGreen), you'll be free to get with the downloading come the 30th.[Thanks Ali!]
Viva Pokemon, Piata explored [update 1]
I flipped on my TV this past Saturday, and what did I see? Lo and behold, it was Viva Piñata. Naturally, it was my journalistic duty to watch an entire episode. Seriously, it had nothing to do with me being a full grown adult who still feels a powerful need to watch cartoons. Microsoft has reiterated time and again that Viva Piñata is their most important game of 2006. Gears of War? That's peanuts to Viva Piñata. Microsoft hopes to hook millions of kiddies on the show, and thus the impending video game. The question is, will it work?
Pokemon release dates for Europe
Europe! Now is the time to yell Huzzah! for you have Pokemon release dates! We all know that you poor gamers are usually the last to get, well, anything, but we can try to brighten your day with release dates for Pokemon. Ends up, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team is headed your way November 10th. To add more glory to that day, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue team is also being released November 10th for GameBoy Advance. Pokemon -- its what makes the world go 'round. [Via Go Nintendo]
Wii battles 360/PS3: kicks ass, doesn't care to take names
Converted from an animated gif file originally to the video you see above, this viscious German console brawl shows the Wii go up against a combined force of the Xbox 360 and PS3. As the Wii's "console master," Shigeru Miyamoto's hard work and dedication to leveling up his console is evident as barely a scratch is received by the unit during the scuffle as it easily dispatches the consoles. Hey, even our own Ludwig's Anatomy of Shame remote gets included in the battle!Anyone want to translate the text? Is it...is it funny?
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Wi-Fi details
Some details about Pokemon Diamond/Pearl's battle and trading systems have been revealed for all of you chomping at the bit needing your daily Pokemon fix. The Global Trading system sounds like it would be a worldwide type of thing but unfortunately its not. It's regional only. But, it is a great way to barter Pokemon. Trainers type in the Pokemon they are looking for and are shown a list of trainers that have that Pokemon in possession. They can approach a chosen trainer and either have their deal accepted or rejected. The Battle Tower is pretty interesting and the best thing about it is that you are friend code free! Using the Battle Tower does not require you to use friend codes. You only have to use them in the basements of Pokemon Centers. You will use voice chat to communicate and talk all the trash your heart desires. In the Battle Tower your team is uploaded and only those trainers around your level will be chosen to battle with you. Pokemon fans get ready! Sounds like Diamon and Pearl are going to be larger than life. [Via QJ Net]
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops previewed
The first canonical Metal Gear Solid portable game was unveiled at E3 earlier this year. The idea of a real non-Acid non-graphic novel Metal Gear has made it one of the most-wanted games for the system, even without too much information to work with. The unofficial Metal Gear Solid site has a new preview, with a few new screenshots. The game takes place six years after Snake Eater, and has Big Boss arrested after FOX Unit begins a revolt in South America. With the help of his comrades in the FOXHOUND Unit, it will be their responsibility to stop the bad guys from using their "ultimate weapon." This game will be a crucial part of the Metal Gear series' storyline, as it'll explain how Big Boss went from good guy to bad guy in Metal Gear. With cutscenes in the same style of the Digital Graphic Novel, Portable Ops seems like it'll be an interesting ride, to say the least.Portable Ops will feature a more distant camera so that players have a better view of their surroundings. Interestingly, it won't be a one-man sneaking mission anymore: you'll recruit and command other soldiers to help you take on your missions. Not only will you have generic soldiers at your disposal, but you'll also get more familiar faces, like Ocelot to join you. But be careful, in Fire Emblem style, if a character dies, they're dead for the rest of the game. There's also multiplayer, in which you can trade your partners ala Pokemon. According to the unofficial site, new trailers for Metal Gear Solid 4 and Portable Ops will be shown at Leipzig Games Convention, so expect more info very soon.[Via 1UP Boards]
Improv sketch comedy at Pokemon Day
The wacky sketch-comedians over at Olde English were going to film a sketch in New York's Bryant park this weekend when they ran smack dab into Nintendo's Pokemon Day. Instead of going home dejected, they made the best of the situation and did some improv Pokemon comedy on the spot. Die-hard pokefans might not like the disrespectful tone of some of the jokes, but anyone who can't laugh at the kid who's jealous of the level 200 Rayquaza probably has no soul.
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl sites
Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon. Seems like that's all you hear about today besides Final Fantasy. Well, we have some more Pokemon stuff for you, loyal reader. If the thought of more Pokemon makes you want to regurgitate the last thing you ate, don't check this out. If you are a true Pokemon fan and swear to stand by the series until the bitter end when Pikachu has to be admitted to rehab, this is for you... The Pokemon Diamond/Pearl site is up! Yes, we know not many of you speak Japanese (neither do we) but you can check out some screens, character designs and observe a device that looks quite similar to your very own DS.
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl scans leaked
Who doesn't like inside men? They get you all sorts of good stuff including scans of the Pokemon Diamond/Pearl starters. This particular inside man, who none of us know, got these scans out days before the Japanese magazine they are featured in (CoroCoro) goes up on the shelf for sale. That's some skill. Some people have approached this with skepticism since there have been unconfirmed rumors floating around for a bit regarding the actual starters. Here is your evidence folks. The starting Pokemon are: Grass-Type Naetle Fire-type Hikozaru Water-type Pochama Yeah, we thought you'd like that. [Via bulbagarden; Thanks Archaic!]
Gotta catch 'em all!
With the Pokemon theme song running tirelessly, through our minds, we realize that Pokemon will never go away. Ever.While some die-hard Pokemon fans are rejoicing at the thought that you truly never can catch them all, we are wondering how much farther you can go.The answer? Pokemon colored DS Lites. We have seen the special Pikachu DS Lite and now it appears that the gaming mag, NGamer, has "confirmed" two new DS Lite colors in a small snippet.Be warned and take this with a grain of salt. Nothing is official yet. We aren't surprised Nintendo want to release all sorts of DS Lites for us collectors (hence daily visits to Play-Asia to see if they are preordering the special Final Fantasy DS yet). So why not rake in the cash with special edition systems?[Via Go Nintendo]
And the Lites keep on coming
So first the Japanese get several different colors to choose from, then Europe gets a super-cool black DS Lite, and then the Japanese get noble pink. As if that wasn't enough, yesterday word hit that the Japanese would be able to acquire a special Final Fantasy III DS Lite. Now we find that there's a special Pokemon edition as well?! I mean, come on Nintendo, we aren't asking for much here! Throw us a bone! Give us some variety. Haven't you heard, it's the spice of life?[Thanks creamsugar!]
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: Return of the Friend Codes
Japanese magazine Corocoro has several scans that reveal a plethora of information regarding the upcoming Pokemon incarnations Diamond and Pearl. While plenty of trivial boring inconsequential details were given about specific Pokemon and moves, the highlights are as follows: The tentative Japanese release date for both games is September 28th, 2006. The new legendary (read: boxart worthy) Pokemon are Diaruga (Diamond Version), who controls time, and Parukia (Pearl Version), who controls space. The antagonists are known as Team Galaxy, who will be featured in Pokemon Ranger as well. In battles, the bottom screen will be used for menus and the like. Easy viewing of other Pokemon's status? WiFi features will be in full force, but they utilize...gulp...the dreaded Friend Code system. That's right, folks, Friend Codes are back. Nintendo seems unwilling to let go of this rather archaic system, though it might be slightly more excused in the Pokemon universe...a grand list of fifty thousand players offering and looking for certain Pokemon types might make things a bit too easy. The ability to pick up a quick match with a stranger, however, would not be unwelcome...[Thanks Nushio, Matt T., and Thousand Dragoon Link!]
Pokemon could inspire new DS Lite colors, in Japan [update 1]
Following last week's revelation that DS Lite will begin shipping in pink later this month (in Japan) comes rumor that the upcoming Pokemon Pearl/Diamond game will usher in two additional colors.According to an ad scanned from a Japanese publication, 'pearl' (even lighter blue) and 'diamond' (gold tinted) colored DS Lite models will be manufactured to celebrate the release of the new Pokemon titles -- no word yet on a game-bundled package. For now, expect availability to be limited to Japan.Update: According to TotalPokemon, via Go Nintendo, the scan is a fake. [Thanks Spuky & vidGuy]
Old Budweiser commercial still ripe for laughs
I don't know how many of you folks liked the "Wassup" Budweiser commercials back in the day, but I was most definitely a fan. Call me a sucker for cheesy humor, but the timing and well-timed editing get me every time. It was truly a sad day when they discontinued those bad boys. Well, in the same vein as the classic Superfriends "Wassup" parody, a video game-inspired version is now up on YouTube. My personal favs: The Duke Nukem appearance and Pikachu chillin' on the chair. For some reason, I just can't stop watching this. Check out the embedded video after the break.[via Kotaku]
New info on Pokemon Diamond/Pearl [Update 1]
Recent scans from the Japanese magazine Coro Coro have revealed a few new game details on the mysterious Pokemon: Diamond and Pokemon: Pearl. Among the translated information is the return of the day/night system, with four distinct periods (dawn, day, dusk, and night) that will affect Pokemon behavior and appearance. In addition, male and female characters will now look different in-game; one of the genders might be larger, be missing certain features, or have different skin patterns. The traditional Pokedex will also be upgraded to include more than twenty features, including time management, type charts, monitoring of Pokemon in the breeding center, and more.The Pokemon games have no confirmed release date in North America, but it shouldn't be too long before the market drops ten gajillion dollars on this tried-and-true franchise.[Thanks Nushio, you tip-crazy fiend you][Update 1: clarified unknown N. American release date]
Pokemon in motion
We're not trying to suffocate you guys with You Tube videos here at The Fanboy, but there are just so many gosh-darn good ones right now that we're forced to link them. Like this Pokemon Battle Revolution footage! It really looks polished and could possibly be the game that gets me back into the franchise. But honestly though, why doesn't that whale just eat everyone?[Thanks Austin!]
DS and Wii: so happy together
Iwata was kind enough to provide even more details on Wii-DS functionality, revealing that the DS will be able to do more things than just download demos from the console. Iwata stated that the DS would be able to act as a touchscreen controller for the console, which we assume would work when navigating the unit's menus outside of playing games, although one game is making it possible for the DS to control gameplay so far. The recent announcement of Pokemon Battle Revolution promises that the player will be able to use the Wi-Fi capabilities of the DS to perform a number of actions. Being the first game to implement features with the DS, we're hopeful that many more developers will take advantage of this properly.
You knew it: Pokemon coming to Wii
Dubbed Pokemon Battle Revolution, it looks like tag-team battle is the emphasis this time around. Also, the game is to be able to utilize the upcoming Pokemon Diamond and Pearl versions to exchange correspondence via Wi-Fi and swap pokemon, along with displaying the 2D battles of the DS game on your TV in 3D through the Wii. Other features are mentioned, but using online translation tools doesn't give the most accurate descriptions, so in fear of reporting something false, we'll just leave the post at that.[Thanks nushio!]
Wii & DS hook up, Pokemon plays matchmaker
Famitsu reports that, according to Satoru Iwata, Wii and DS will share a relationship similar to the one between GameCube and GBA. For select Wii titles, the DS will be used as a bonus touch screen controller. In addition, Wii will potentially expand the playing field for certain DS games and will serve as a hub for downloadable DS demos via WiiConnect24.Pokémon Battle Revolution will be the first Wii game to feature DS connectivity. Owners of a DS and Pokémon Diamond/Pearl will be able to transfer their critters to the Wii's Battle Revolution, and vice versa. Granted, this is a fine bonus, but we'd like to see more innovative uses of the Wii-DS hook up for future titles.
