According to marketing materials, the limited edition black DS comes with a few other goodies, including a matching carrying case, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DVD, a poster featuring Grovyle, and a GameStop exclusive Pokémon shirt. You simply cannot lose.

The collection of things can be had for $129, which our GameStop tipster says may be "eligible for the 'Trade in GBASP or Old DS Get DS Lite for $90' deal." Call your store. They'll know.

From June 20 and June 22 and June 27 and June 29, people can bring in their Ds with a copy of Diamond or Pearl to a GameStop and download Deoxys for free.

I'm not really a Pokemon player myself and my son, he's more of a Pokemon rancher, so I don't know. Is Deoxys really that rare or does everyone who plays the game have like a dozen by now?

Did You Know?

Pokémon Fans to Catch Rare Character at GameStop Stores

There are many ways to catch a Pokémon, but for two special weekends in June, there’s only one failsafe way for fans to get one of the most unique characters in the enthralling Pokémon® universe on their Nintendo DS™.
From June 20-22 and June 27-29, Pokémon players are invited to bring their Nintendo DS systems and Pokémon® Diamond or Pokémon® Pearl games to the nearest GameStop store where they can receive Deoxys™, a legendary character with transformative powers and an impressive set of battle-ready moves.
With an imaginative roster of characters and richly interactive game play, the blockbuster Pokémon game series has attracted millions of fans worldwide. According to the independent NPD Group, Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl have sold more than 4.2 million combined in the United States alone, while Nintendo DS continues to be ranked as the nation’s top-selling hand-held game system.

Laser Pokémon? Count me in, at least until June 30th when I realize I never made it to the store!

Thanks to Gene for sending in this picture of the official advertisement. Thanks to him I'll be very curious as to why I set my DS on my bedside table come Monday following the event.

Pokémon USA will be offering the spooky little nightmare-guy at Toys R Us stores nationwide from noon to 4 PM on May 31st and June 1st. That's this weekend, so grab your DS and your Diamond or Pearl game and get ready to line up.

...I sound dangerously excited about this, I know. Hey, I ain't ashamed. Full details after the jump.

Official Press Release | May 28, 2008

It's a Pokémon player's dream come true! Pokémon USA, Inc. is offering an opportunity to receive the Legendary Pokémon Darkrai, during a two-day event at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide from 12 noon - 4 pm. During this time, all Pokémon aficionados who bring their Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl Game Card, along with their Nintendo DS, to any Toys"R"Us store in the United States have a chance to add one of the most sought-after characters in the Pokémon Universe, Darkrai, to their game. Darkrai, best-known for lulling people to sleep and causing nightmares, is the star of the latest movie, Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, now available on DVD, and is featured in the new Pokémon Trading Card Game Diamond & Pearl-Majestic Dawn.

Who: All Pokémon fans

What: Darkrai distribution for your Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl Game Card

When: May 31 and June 1, 12 noon - 4 pm

Where: Toys"R"Us stores nationwide

Pokemon Global Trading Station Website [Nintendo - Online Now!]

DISCOVER THE ULTIMATE POKÉMON TRADING DATABASE!

- Brand New Pokémon Global Trading Station Website To Launch -

14th September 2007 - Over 10 million people globally are enjoying the phenomenon that is Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl and in Europe, 1.6 million copies have been sold in just 7 weeks since launch. For the first time in the Pokémon series, these games have allowed fans to trade Pokémon with anyone in the world via the Global Trading Station, using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Now an all-new and exciting Pokémon service is being made available, as fans are invited to visit the Pokémon GTS website - www.pokemon-gts.net - where they can keep up-to-date on the global Pokémon trade.

From Friday 14th September, 5pm CET, the Pokémon GTS website will be the place to go for fans across the globe, giving them access to top trading information such as the most traded Pokémon, most deposited and wanted Pokémon at the Global Trading Station, as well as discovering which Pokémon are being traded most in each country. The top 50 most traded Pokémon, as well the top 50 most wanted and most deposited Pokémon in the world.

Trying to work out which Pokémon are the best to collect? Using the GTS site, you can simply click on the image of the Pokémon being traded to gain all the information you could ever need, including Pokémon name, type, moves learnt and the time, date and country it was deposited in. What's more, users have the opportunity to bookmark any Pokémon discovered, adding them to a 'favourites' folder to look out for next time they visit the GTS in Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl.

Using the interactive globe element, users can rotate and research Pokémon trading action from many parts of the world. By simply spinning the globe and clicking an area of interest, users can find out more details about the Pokémon but also discover facts about many countries, including capital city, population, language spoken and local greetings!

So log on and discover a whole new world of trading everyone's favourite Pokémon! Visit www.pokemon-gts.net from 14th September.

Pok mon Diamond and Pearl are the series' first real foray on the DS. Already a huge hit in Japan, there is no question that bajillions of copies will sell in America. But we don't care about sales charts around these parts (true only because it rhymes). All we need to know is if the game any good. Hit the jump to find out the answer in our Frankenreview—plagiarism that's A-OK.

Pocket Gamer UK
Pok mon Diamond (and Pearl)...mimic their predecessors' graphical style to the point where, early on, they're almost indistinguishable from a Game Boy Color game. Even when the environments start to lift into the third dimension, it never approaches the quality of comparable DS titles. The pok mon themselves retain their...but the lack of any battle animations is pretty galling considering the hardware the game's running on.

Game Daily
In the single-player mode, gamers tired of the franchise probably won't find enough new content to warrant a purchase, but Pokemon loyalists will be drawn in by sweet touches...the ability to dress-up Pokemon, a Super Contest that allows people to compete in Visual Dance and Acting competitions, and a day/night cycle that encourages around-the-clock play in order to locate all of the Pokemon.

Nintendo World Report
Relatively early in the game, the coolest new feature becomes available; the Global Trade Center. Players can make Pokemon available for trade and state their minimum requirements for that exchange. Did you pick Piplup as your starter but wish you could have a Chimchar too? Chances are someone who picked Chimchar is having a similar thought... [and] you'll get your wish in only a few hours.

1up
Diamond and Pearl feature a fantastic array of multiplayer options. You can do the standard one-on-one battles, sure — but you can also link up for double-team fights, too. You can explore the vast Sinnoh underworld and play capture the flag... Being on DS affords the ability to play wirelessly, a huge relief after the Game Boy family's clumsy and unreliable link cables. More importantly, the wireless battles can be linked across the Internet — which tends to be laggy, but not unforgivably so...

Game Revolution
Is it just me, or does anyone else find the whole process of catching Pokemon and training them to become your own personal militia slightly disturbing? Everyone in the game acts as though the little beasties should be happy to help us otherwise defenseless humans, but honestly, how could that be? I mean, how would you feel if you were minding your own business, walking through the tall grass, and some kid showed up and beat you to within an inch of your life, then imprisoned you in a tiny sphere and only let you out to fight against his enemies - including your own brothers and sisters?!

On Sunday, just before eight in the morning the line stretched from the doors of the Nintendo World store at Rockefeller Plaza, more than half way down the block towards Sixth Avenue. Keep in mind, that's one of mid-town Manhattan's big blocks.

I saw a little over two hundred people lined up, waiting for the release of the latest Pok mon games, Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl. It was crowded then, but nothing like what it would become that afternoon.

At the the front of the line was Japan's TV Tokyo interviewing Jack Smith, the 17-year-old who was first at the store after arriving at three in the afternoon on Saturday. I didn't talk to Jack until two in the afternoon, when he had been up for over twenty-four hours, but still "thrilled" describes him best. After all, he'd been doing TV and press interviews all day, not to mention a lot of attention from other Pok mon fans.

Jack was in the middle of what Nintendo, according to a press a release issued four days before launch, anticipates (and hopes) "to be among the top-selling games for all of 2007." If Nintendo's claim that 533,000 pre-orders have been placed for the games is correct, than that hope may just come true.

Clearly Nintendo is feeling celebratory about something. Part of the Pok mon celebration this Sunday was a party at one o'clock, open to all. A party that Bruce Loeb, Vice President of Marketing for Pok mon USA, claimed drew "solidly 5000 people."

During the early hours before launch, the line to the store was quiet. Most of the noise heard came from the crowd gathered around the windows of the "Today Show," which shares Rockefeller Plaza with the Nintendo World store. There was the occasional holler or fist pump from the line as staff entered or exited the store, opening the doors as they passed.

Then the store opened.

There was a cheer. Bored faces perked into smiles. There was no mad rush inside though, and when the staff asked for the line to hold and wait for the store to empty, it did, peacefully.

After the early customers bought their copies of the games, nearly everywhere I went, as I wandered through Rockefeller Center waiting for the one o'clock party, there was someone playing Pok mon. In a Duane Reade, the New York pharmacy chain, there was a group of teenagers, from 15 to 19, standing in the middle of the store playing Pok mon. In the basement of Rockefeller Center nearly every table of the food court was taken by someone playing Pok mon. Between a pizzeria and a deli I saw a dark, shaded staircase, and at the top, there was a kid playing Pok mon.

At Dean and Deluca, the high-end deli and coffee shop, I met David, a 12-year-old fan playing the game. He and his mother had arrived at the store at 5:30 in the morning, but David wasn't showing any signs of fatigue.

"She's tired; I'm not tired," he said.

David was dressed in a Pok mon anniversary hat, a Lucario t-shirt, and a Pok mon backpack which he won at a trivia contest.

"He was a shoe-in," his mother said.

David also claimed to be "the expert" in Pok mon trivia at his Hebrew School in Queens; a fact, he proudly told me, which was settled after an impromptu trivia contest between he and a classmate.

While we talked David never set his DS down, until, of course, it ran out of batteries. Then he wanted to switch tables to find an electrical outlet. He decided against it though when he realized he could read his new Pok mon strategy guide. "Little addict," his mother said as he flipped through the pages.

David wasn't the only addict there that day. I saw much stranger.

For instance there was James, a 46-year-old freelance writer from Philadelphia who, when he isn't writing about sports, shows up at Pok mon events dressed as "Jesse." As in the mid-riff baring, woman member of Team Rocket, often drawn in short skirts.

James is six-feet tall, and weighs over two hundred pounds (an educated guess). He gets a lot of looks. James has been a Pok mon fan since he was introduced to the game by his nephews nearly seven years ago; nephews who also dared him to dress as Jesse, inspiring James' cosplay fascination.

James wasn't the only "Jesse," at the event. There was also Voila Viola, a 26-year-old man (who swears that's his name) also dressed as the mid-riff baring member of Team Rocket. When asked about James, Voila said, "I'm dressed a lot better."

Both men, though outside the norm, were nice guys. In fact "nice" describes the event as a whole, which is not surprising for a party definitely aimed at children.

There were stations set up all over Rockefeller Plaza, each one seemingly geared toward a different age bracket. There was the tent full of stuffed animals, all Pok mon of course, for mostly toddlers.

There was a tent with Nintendo staff handing out removable tattoos and stickers for those slightly older, and another with a scavenger hunt for those who could read.

There was a station set up to play the card game, manned by adults who were there to teach the game to kids. Finally there was a station where Junichi Masuda, the game director, and Shigeru Ohmori, the game design lead, signed autographs for those old enough to know who they are. It may have been meant to push Pok mon merchandise (the guys at the card station handed out thin packs of cards to every kid who came by) but it also meant there was something for everyone.

When you pack what Nintendo said was 5,000 people into a small space, especially when many of those 5,000 are children, and don't have one fight (I didn't see one), then something was done right. Or perhaps, as the mother of nine year old Rachel, who traveled two hours by bus from Allentown, Pennsylvania, said of Pok mon fans, "they're a class above."

• Pokemon Diamond (DS) Pokemon, Pokemon! Now in Diamond edition!
• Pokemon Pearl (DS)
  Pokemon, Pokemon! Now in Pearl edition!
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (PC)
  You can be a hobbit, or just look like one!
• F.E.A.R. (PS3)
  F.E.A.R. gets scary on the PS3
• Eureka Seven Vol. 2: The New Vision (PS2)
  Get your mech on...again!
• Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (PSP)
  A new RPG with jobs, customizable armies and three different storylines.
• Rayman Raving Rabbids Those wasscaly wabbids conquer the 360(X360)

GameStop said today that they will be opening more than 3,000 of their stores early on April, 22 (this Sunday) to sell copies of Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Diamond.

Some stores will open as early as 8 a.m.

Are people going to be standing in line for these games? No, I'm not being facetious. I just don't get it. I am trying to get it. I've actually been playing the game since last week. Unfortunately, I keep falling asleep. It probably doesn't help that I've forgotten to save twice and accidentally put the wrong game (Pearl not Diamond) in my DS once so I've had to sit through the tremendously annoying intro four times. Once, was way too much.

I'm just starting out now, so maybe once I get past the dribble that settles for plot in the game I'll start enjoying it. I'm holding out hope, but keep in mind I also detest Animal Crossing.

Alright, shout out if you like the game and please help me figure out how I can enjoy it too. Brian Crecente

I believe this might very well be the world premiere of this commercial. Or maybe not. Kinda creepy in a cool sorta way. I expected those eggs to break open and unleash a plague of face-eating nasties... sadly that doesn't happen. Brian Crecente

I received this nice little surprise from Nintendo today: Professor Rowan's Briefcase. Inside a delicious collection of Pokemon goodies. The box included copies of Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Diamond as well as the two free pre-order styli and the very swanky Nintendo DS headset.

I haven't had a chance to dig into the games, but I can say the headset feels awfully comfortable and the wire connecting the headset to the DS Lite seems plenty long enough.

I promised to give this Pokemon a try and I will, and will post back once I do. Brian Crecente

I've never been a fan of Pokemon, but this time around I'm going to give it a real chance, swear!

Fortunately, Nintendo's games don't live or die on my personal foibles. In fact, Pokemon continues to be a MONSTER hit. To celebrate the launch of the latest pair of Pokemon games, Diamond and Pearl, Nintendo is hosting a little party at their World Store at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

The party, which runs from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 22, will include an afternoon of "festivities for gamers and Pokemon fans of all ages." The store will be loaded up with interactive game play stations, trading card game play areas, a movie lounge featuring the new movie, Pokemon Ranger and The Tempe of the Sea, and a kid zone.

Attendees will be able to pick up pre-ordered copies of the game, participate in a Poke Ball scavenger hunt, take photos with characters from the game and win prizes. Brian Crecente

Thousands Gather in Rockefeller Plaza to Celebrate Arrival of Hot New Video Games

WHAT: Nintendo celebrates the launch of the new Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl games for the hand-held Nintendo DS system with an afternoon of festivities for gamers and Pok mon fans of all ages. These games have already sold millions in Japan, and are expected to be among the top-selling games of the year in the United States. More than 5,000 Pok mon fans are expected to attend this fun-filled event.

Rockefeller Plaza will become a Pok mon fan's paradise with interactive game play stations showing off the brand new games, Trading Card Game play area, a movie lounge featuring the new Pok mon movie, Pok mon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, and a special Kids Zone for younger Pok mon fans.

Attendees can be among the first to pick up their pre-ordered copies of Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl at the Nintendo World store, participate in a Pok Ball scavenger hunt, take photos with favorite Pok mon costume characters, and win prizes including exclusive Pok mon Nintendo DS Lite units, Pok mon gear and tickets to summer sporting events.

WHO: Parents, kids, Pok mon fans and video game fans of all ages

WHEN: Sunday, April 22
Nintendo World Store Opens: 8 a.m.
Event: 1 to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Nintendo World store
10 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020
646-459-0800
www.nintendoworldstore.co

Nintendo just sent me this big fold-out fact sheet for Pokemon Diamond and Peal. It's mostly stuff we already know, like that it will let you use WiFi to battle, voice chat with friends via VoIP and feature new 3D environments. The one thing I hadn't seen before were pictures of the free stylus you receive if you order either game. Kinda dorky, but if you're a fan of the franchise I'm sure this will make you faint. Brian Crecente

Kids and the rare adult into breeding fictitious animals for adorable fantasy cockfights should set aside April 22nd of next year for a day of Pok mon training and local wi-fi play. Former trainers will also have the option of importing their old pocket monsters via the GBA slot.

If I were just about 20 years younger, or my name were Brian Ashcraft, I'd be wetting myself right about now. Instead, I'm off to check the Wikipedia entry on "Pok dex" to find out exactly what that is. Michael McWhertor

NEW POK MON TO MAKE DIAMOND-AND-PEARL-STUDDED DEBUT

Gotta Catch 'Em All! The Next Generation of Pok mon Soon Will Be Here

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 20, 2006 - Pok mon trainers of the world, unite! How else will you manage to complete your Pok dex and challenge the sinister plot of Team Galactic? On April 22, Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl, the Pok mon series for the best-selling Nintendo DS game system, become available in the Americas. These two titles represent the latest adventure in the popular Pok mon franchise.

Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl offer a number of exciting new features to please both experienced and new Pok mon fans alike. Set in an entirely new region called "Sinnoh," players can choose to begin their adventure as either a boy or girl Pok mon trainer on a path to becoming Pok mon League Champion. The adventure continues as players can bring Pok mon from their Game Boy Advance Pok mon games to Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl using the GBA game slot on their Nintendo DS.

As players trade and collect Pok mon to complete their Pok dex in this new challenge, for the first time they'll have the chance to catch new Pok mon, Munchlax and Weavile . They also can play via local wireless with up to eight other trainers while new moves and abilities deepen strategy.

"After recently celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Pok mon franchise continues to get stronger," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "These two new titles represent the best that Pok mon has to offer, and a great opportunity for Game Boy users to upgrade to Nintendo DS."

Unique pre-sell styluses featuring new Pok mon from the new series will be available by reserving the game early at participating retailers. Stay tuned for more details about this special offer. Pok mon games continue to be wildly popular around the world, with more than 155 million units sold worldwide through September 2006. Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl are currently shattering sales records in Japan since their September launch.

Pok mon Diamond and Pok mon Pearl for Nintendo DS will be available April 22, and are Rated E for Everyone.

Pok mon USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Pok mon Company in Japan, manages and oversees the property outside of Asia, which includes licensing activities, brand promotions, publication of the Pok mon Trading Card Game, TV animation, home video entertainment, the official Pok mon.com Web site and PokemonCenter.com, an e-commerce site. Nintendo of America manages marketing and distribution of Pok mon video games.

Pok mon was launched in Japan in 1996 for play on Nintendo's Game Boy and has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Pok mon was introduced in North America in September 1998 and has since generated more than $26 billion in worldwide retail sales. More than 40 million Pok mon video games have been sold in the United States, including Pok mon Emerald, which was the No. 2 best-selling video game of 2005, according to the NPD Group. The Pok mon Trading Card Game, fueled by Pok mon Organized Play programs around the world, has spurred global sales of more than 14 billion cards to date, while the Pok mon animated series set to debut its ninth season, Pok mon: Battle Frontier, on Cartoon Network this fall, consistently ranks within the top three shows for boys ages 6 to 11. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii , Nintendo DS , Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario , Donkey Kong , Metroid , Zelda and Pok mon . A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

You know, that Pokemon Diamond WiFi chat system seems to work pretty well. Of course, you know it's going to take absolutely no time for the air of camaraderie to devolve into hysterical "FUCK YOU!"/"NO, FUCK YOU AND YOUR PIKACHU!" screaming matches between ten year olds half a world away. Florian Eckhardt

Today, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl went on sale in Japan. Over a 150 people (they counted, I'm sure) lined up at Shinjuku's Yodobashi Camera. And the store got some DS Lite units in as well. And at the Pokemon Center, something like 800 folks lined up. People bought the game. Lots.

SHOCKING, huh?

Personally, I don't like Pokemon. Not even passively or as a joke or even a passive joke. My three year-old absolutely adores it. (Yeah, I was pissed.) Thing that makes it palatable is that he's unable to say "Pikachu" and instead calls the character "Pichaku." Cute, I know. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Famitsu]