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Pokémon Diamond (ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド, Poketto Monsutā Daiyamondo) and Pokémon Pearl (ポケットモンスター パール, Poketto Monsutā Pāru) are the two fourth-generation Pokémon role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. They are the first of the traditional Pokémon role-playing games for the Nintendo DS video game console. The games were earlier released in Japan in 2006. Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl had the most successful launch week of games in the Pokémon series in Japan, and the best launch week for any Nintendo DS game in Japan. Additionally, the games set the record of being the fastest selling Pokémon games in Japan within three months of sales. Set in the fictional region of Sinnoh, the games cover the adventure of a single protagonist embarking on a quest to capture and train Pokémon while simultaneously thwarting the agenda of the criminal organization Team Galactic.

Diamond and Pearl, like the past generations of Pokémon games, add an extensive amount of new features, such as internet play over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, while building onto older game concepts such as Pokémon Contests.

Setting and plot

Diamond and Pearl are set in the region of Sinnoh, which is based upon the Hokkaidō prefecture of Japan. Sinnoh is characterized by both mountainous and snow-covered areas, and contains three lakes central to the plot.

The games contains 107 new Pokémon and chronicle the adventures of a new Pokémon trainer who vies to become the Pokémon League Champion, collecting and training various species of Pokémon along the way. As in most games in the series, Diamond and Pearl feature eight Pokémon gyms led by Gym Leaders, professional trainers whose expertise lies in a particular Pokémon type. Gym Leaders serve as bosses and reward skilled trainers with badges of merit, key to the advancement of the plot. Template:Spoiler Diamond and Pearl begin in Twinleaf Town. After viewing a television report about disturbances at a distant lake by a red Gyarados, the protagonist and his/her rival travel together to investigate the local lake. They spot Professor Rowan, an expert in Pokémon evolution, and the protagonist’s second rival, who is the playable character not selected. After a short discussion the pair exits from the lake, leaving a briefcase behind. The protagonist and his or her rival examines the case when they are attacked by Mukkuru. The player is then given a choice between three Pokémon found in the briefcase, Naetle, Hikozaru or Pochama. After defeating the Mukkuru, they return the briefcase to the professor. Noticing that a bond has been forged between the young protagonist and his/her chosen Pokémon, Rowan offers it to him/her, asking that he embark on a journey and fill his/her Pokédex.

As the plot continues, Team Galactic’s motives are made clear. Team Galactic captures Yuxie, Agnome and Emrit, of Sinnoh’s three lakes, and imprisons them, making it the player’s responsibility to free them. Upon releasing the trio, one is able to travel to the sacred shrine atop Tengan Mountain and enter the cave, where the leader of Team Galactic awakens either Dialga, in Diamond, or Palkia in Pearl. Dialga and Palkia’s powers begin to “overwhelm” Sinnoh, causing the newly free Yuxie, Agnome and Emrit to attempt to stop them. It is then that the player is able to engage in a battle with the version-appropriate legendary Pokémon.

Gameplay

Gameplay is very similar to previous Pokémon RPGs, but there are several changes and additions.

Within a species, Pokémon now feature slight aesthetic differences depending on gender, including aspects such as differently sized or absent distinctive physical features. For example, a female Wooper has smaller antennae than its male counterpart and a male Scizor has a smaller abdomen than a female. New abilities, such as “Belligerence” and “Natural”, were added. Baby Pokémon in Diamond and Pearl, such as Roselia’s pre-evolution Subomie, can be found in the wild, whereas in previous generations attaining one usually required breeding. Pokémon also hatch from their eggs at Level 1 rather than Level 5 as in the previous games.

Pokémon Contests, events where one’s Pokémon compete in a show of sorts to win ribbons, return from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as “Super Contests”, with a few similarities and differences. Super Contests consist of three rounds. In the Visual Judgment round, players utilize the Nintendo DS’s stylus to place accessories and objects on their Pokémon to appeal to a particular genre, such as “Cool” or “Cute”, and earn points. In the Dance Judgment round, one’s Pokémon competes with its opponents in a test of rhythm and balance. The final round, Performance Judgment, is identical in premise to the original; Pokémon use their techniques strategically to appeal to the judges and crowd. Assuming the same role as Pokéblocks in the 3rd generation, a baked substance called Pofin can be made through use of the touchscreen and fed to Pokémon in order to increase certain traits and the likelihood of success in a Contest.

First introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl features sensitivity to the time of day and day of the week, which is reflected in a number of facets, such as the overworld, in the availability of certain species of Pokémon depending on the time of day, and even the lighting during battles. The scale of the day and night cycle has grown substantially, featuring five different time periods: morning, day, afternoon, evening and night.

A new device called the Pokétch, resembling a wristwatch, can be obtained and plays host to a variety of features, including a time management system, a calculator, a map, a counter, a wireless link up search, and drawing pad.

Below Sinnoh is an underground world, used for multiplayer gaming. Players can create and decorate “secret bases”, like they could in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, and participate in minigames, one of which will allow the player to unearth fossilized Pokémon. Initially, only one fossil can be found in each game; the Shield Fossil (Zugaidos) in Diamond, and the Helmet Fossil (new Pokémon Tatetops ) in Pearl. However, after unlocking the National Dex it is possible to find the Dome Fossil (Kabuto), the Helix Fossil (Omanyte), Old Amber (Aerodactyl), Claw Fossil (Anorith), or the Root Fossil (Lileep) in both versions.

Diamond and Pearl employ support for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing players to trade, battle and communicate through “voice chat” online. The main system for trade is Global Trade Station trading system. This allows trainers to search for any Pokémon they have seen from a world-wide scale, with the resulting list showing people that are willing to trade that Pokémon, as well as the Pokémon they want in return for it. The trade does not have to be instant and an offer can be left for other players to browse and complete, even while the player is offline. Some centers serve different purposes - one allows the player to enter battles against friends over an internet connection, while another allows the player to enter the Pokémon Union, allowing the player to enter a chat room to communicate with other players on the player's Friends List.

Along with the 50 existing Technical Machines (TMs), which teach Pokémon a new move, 42 new TMs have been added to the game while the previous 50 have been left intact, boosting the total amount to 92. This marks the first time an entire 50-TM set has been left intact between generations of the games. 2 of the 8 Hidden Machines (HMs), which, like TMs teach Pokémon a new move (but permanently), have also been changed, one former HM having been downgraded to a TM.

Connectivity to other games

Diamond and Pearl boast compatibility with many other Pokémon games. They can connect with the Game Boy Advance Pokémon RPGs after earning the National Dex, where the Pokémon Game Boy Advance cartridge is inserted into slot 2 (the Game Boy Advance and accessory slot of the Nintendo DS) while Diamond or Pearl is in slot 1 (the DS game slot). After uploading 6 Pokémon, players go to an area called Pal Park and must capture them in the wild. Pokémon uploads are restricted to six per day per GBA cartridge, and the player will have to re-capture such transferred Pokémon in Pal Park with a special Park Ball that has 100% chance of capture before transferring from another GBA game. Pokémon cannot be transferred from an English GBA game to a Japanese DS game. The player cannot transfer any of the Pokémon back to the GBA cartridge once they are transferred to Diamond or Pearl, as the transfer is permanent.

Certain Pokémon transferred from a foreign GBA Pokémon game to a Japanese GBA game that are then uploaded via Pal Park will have extra Pokédex descriptions matching the language of the foreign game. A new function added to the player’s Pokédex with that specific Pokémon allows switching of the descriptions between different languages. These languages include Japanese, English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

The use of Pal Park is necessary if a player wishes to obtain the starter or legendary Pokémon from a previous generation of Pokémon games. All other Pokémon can be found and caught/obtained in Diamond and Pearl, however some are only available while the player has a Game Boy Advance Pokémon RPG inserted in Slot 2 of the Nintendo DS.

Diamond and Pearl are able to connect to Pokémon Ranger. Using this feature a player will be able to send a Manaphy egg from Pokémon Ranger to Diamond or Pearl.

Diamond and Pearl feature Wi-Fi connectivity with the Wii Pokémon title Pokémon Battle Revolution.

Pokémon

See also: the List of Pokémon by Sinnoh Pokédex number, the List of Pokémon by National Pokédex number, and Category:Fourth-generation Pokémon

On May 14, 2004, the first Pokémon of the fourth generation, Munchlax, was revealed. Following the pre-evolved form of Snorlax a score of other new Pokémon to appear in Diamond and Pearl were revealed in articles in CoroCoro Comic. Early in production, it was intended that Pokémon introduced in previous generations of the series would receive new, pre-evolved forms; Pokémon available from as far back as Pokémon Red and Blue can now be bred to produce new infantile species, such as Chansey who is preceded by Pinpuku and Mr. Mime by Mime Jr.. Pokémon have been given new, further evolved forms; for example, Electabuzz can now evolve into Elekible and Roselia can now evolve into Roserade. The games introduce more legendary Pokémon than any set of games before them.

The mascots of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were confirmed as Dialga and Palkia, like Groudon and Kyogre or Ho-Oh and Lugia before them, when video game packaging for the games was released in late June. Dialga represents Diamond, as its name suggests, and Palkia represents Pearl, following in the trend of the past two generations.Template:Endspoiler

Music

Music in Diamond and Pearl was scored by Hitomi Satō and Junichi Masuda under the supervision of Gō Ichinose. A two-disc soundtrack featuring music from the games was released on December 22, 2006.

Reception

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl have been met with positive reception in Japan. Though two million copies of the games were shipped for Japan alone, there were still shortages in response to a large demand. The games became the fastest selling Nintendo DS titles in Japan for the first week of sales since its release, a record previously held by New Super Mario Bros.. Within forty-six days, the games sold three million units, becoming the fastest DS game to do so, and by the end of the year, the number increased to five million units in just under three months, marking itself as the fastest- and best-selling Pokémon game in Japan alone.

Glitches

Nintendo released a statement detailing glitches found in Japanese releases of Diamond and Pearl. The glitches lead to players being stuck in a wall in-game and as a result, possibly losing saved data. Nintendo has officially released patches to certain retailers in Japan to rectify these glitches.

See also

• Pokémon Card Game DP
• Pokemon Battle Revolution

Notes and references

1. "New Pokémon to Make Diamond-and-Pearl-Studded Debut". Nintendo.com. 2006-12-20. Retrieved 2006-12-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
2. ^ Template:Ja icon"Famitsu - Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl record sales". Famitsu. 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2006-10-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. ^ Template:Ja icon"Pokémon Diamond and Pearl reach 5 million units in sales". Famitsu. 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2007-01-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. ^ "Pokemon (sic) Diamond/Pearl: 5 Million Copies Sold in Japan!". Pokémon Elite 2000. 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2007-01-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. ^ "Pokémon Diamond Preview". GamerNode. 2006-09-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. ^ "Pokémon Diamond/Pearl - Pokémon Contests". Serebii.net.
7. ^ Names are taken from the Japanese language games and are subject to change during translation and localization.
8. "Pokémon Diamond/Pearl". Serebii.net.
9. "The time of day". Serebii.net. Retrieved 2006-06-27.
10. "Pokémon Diamond/Pearl - The Pokétch". Serebii.net.
11. "Pokémon Diamond/Pearl - Shinou Underground". Serebii.net. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
12. "Global Trade Station trade system". Yahoo! Kids Japan. 2006-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. "IGN: Pokemon (sic) Pearl Preview". IGN. 2006-09-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. "Pokémon Diamond/Pearl - Pal Park". Serebii.net. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
15. "Foreign Pokémon and foreign Pokédex entries". Serebii.net.
16. "Pokémon Diamond and Pearl - Unobtainable Pokémon". Serebii.net. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
17. "Pokémon Diamond and Pearl - GBA Pokémon Insertion". Serebii.net. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
18. ""Manaphy Official website". Pokémon USA. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
19. "IGN: New Pokemon (sic) Announced". IGN. 2006-06-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
20. Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl Instruction Booklet (Japanese). Nintendo. pp. 58–59.
21. Template:Ja icon"Nintendo DS Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl Super Music Collection". The Pokémon Company. 2006-12-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
22. Template:Fr icon"Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl Sold Out". NGCFrance.com. 2006-09-28. Retrieved 2006-09-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
23. Template:Ja icon"Nintendo Japan - Pokémon Diamond and Pearl error statement". Nintendo Japan. 2006-10-24. Retrieved 2006-10-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
24. "IGN: Nintendo on Pokemon (sic) Bugs". IGN. 2006-10-24. Retrieved 2006-10-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Pokemon.com: The Official Pokémon Website
• Diamond & Pearl subpage on Pokemon.com
• ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール | ニンテンドーDS | ゲーム | ポケットモンスターオフィシャルサイト Template:Ja icon (Official Pokémon Diamond/Pearl Page on the Japanese Pokémon Website)
• ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール Template:Ja icon (Official Pokémon Diamond/Pearl Page on Nintendo of Japan’s website)
• ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール公式サイト Template:Ja icon (Official Japanese Pokémon Diamond/Pearl Page hosted by Yahoo)
• ポケモン、「ポケットモンスター」シリーズ最新作DS「ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド」、「ポケットモンスター パール」今秋発売予定 Template:Ja icon (GameWatch page on Diamond/Pearl)
• Bulbapedia (a Pokémon-centric Wiki)’s Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Entry
• Pokémon Diamond/Pearl at fansite Serebii.net

Template:PokémonGames

• 2006 computer and video games
• Nintendo DS games
• Nintendo Wi-Fi games
• Multiplayer online games
• Pokémon video games