Exclusively on Nintendo DS, the new generation of Pok?mon is taking the world by storm in Pok?mon Diamond and Pok?mon Pearl! With more than 100 new Pok?mon, Touch Screen gameplay and online play over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, this is the biggest Pok?mon adventure ever! Pok?mon Diamond and Pok?mon Pearl challenge players to explore the Sinnoh region in an incredibly deep RPG adventure. New Pok?mon are everywhere! Making their debut are such Pok?mon as Mime Jr., Lucario, and Weavile, and the three starter Pok?mon are new as well. Players will choose from Fire-type Chimchar, Water-type Piplup, and Grass-type Turtwig to begin their adventure. One of the best aspects of Pok?mon games is the ability to trade and battle with other Trainers, and Nintendo DS lets you connect with other Pok?mon fans wirelessly, either locally or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players can now trade and battle with other Trainers around the world! Pok?mon Diamond and Pok?mon Pearl also feature voice chat capabilities so players can communicate with their online friends. In Pok?mon Diamond and Pok?mon Pearl, Trainers can also earn the ability to play with Pok?mon they've caught in previous Game Boy Advance Pok?mon games Pok?mon Emerald, Pok?mon FireRed, Pok?mon LeafGreen, Pok?mon Ruby and Pok?mon Sapphire. The new Pok?mon adventure is big, it's exciting, it's on the DS - and it's going to be everywhere!

You might not see the supporting merchandise so much nowadays but Pokemon is still the most successful games franchise in history. Diamond and Pearl sold 5 million copies in Japan in under three months and 1 million in America in just one month, breaking all records for the year and the series. At first sight though this looks disappointingly similar to the existing games, with only a subtle 3D effect for the game world and largely static 2D battles. However the gameplay has undergone a complete overhaul, adding numerous new features and reintroducing others from Gold/Silver/Crystal, that had previously been removed.

The basics are still the same though, as you venture out into the world (called Sinnoh this time) in an attempt to catalogue each and every pokemon and battle the evil Team Galactic. Catching and training a pokemon for combat also works the same as before, although beauty and talent contests have been greatly expanded for those that prefer as little violence as possible. The game includes a day and night cycle, which severely impacts the appearance of pokemon, and you are given a new gadget called a poketch which starts as a simple watch but can be upgraded to everything from a scanner to a map. Secret bases are back and considerably more sophisticated than before but the most important new feature by far is the online mode. You can now trade, chat and battle with fans from around the world ??? proving that progress is not always just a case of better graphics.
Harrison Dent

Pok??mon :o)

As a younger child I used to love playing Pok??mon on my fatty Game Boy and Game Boy Advance! And at 19 (shh!) I still do!

So almost everyone has played Pok??mon before or even seen the cartoon that was shown on TV years ago (yes, I watched that too!). and I'm sure everyone knows what the whole Pok??mon fantasy is, and the Storyline.

- The Pok??mon History! -
Pok??mon was first released in Japan for the Game Boy all the way back in 1996. There have now been 100s of million sales of the Pok??mon franchise. Originally in Pok??mon, you played a young boy (you could pick his name) who was sent by a Pok??mon Professor who was trying to learn about all of the Pok??mon in the region you are in. Somehow you will receive your very first Pok??mon from the Professor as well as a Pokedex which record information about each Pok??mon you catch. I say somehow because in each different game (Pok??mon Red, Blue, Green etc.), there are slight variations such as the professor's names, an evil teams name (Team Rocket, Teams Magma and Aqua, and Team Galactic), and how you receive your Pok??mon.

You have a choice of three for your starter Pok??mon. They are three different types, Fire, Water and Leaf. Each different type of Pok??mon (such as fire, water and leaf) has a different effect on a different type of Pok??mon when battling. For example, water Pok??mon have a very damaging effect on fire Pok??mon, fire Pok??mon have a very damaging effect of leaf Pok??mon and electric Pok??mon have no effect on ground Pok??mon. Classically, there are 17 different types of Pok??mon, but as I said, there are some variations throughout the games.

Anyway back to your starter Pok??mon, after you have picked your starter Pok??mon, you will have a friend (you also get to pick his name) who is also working on the Pokedex who will pick the stronger type of Pok??mon against your chosen Pok??mon (so if you picked a fire Pok??mon, your rival would pick water). You will meet your rival several times throughout the game and he will always seem to beat you.

After you have got your starter Pok??mon, you will be able to catch other Pok??mon using Poke balls whose data will be recorded on your Pokedex. There are two aims of the game, to collect all the Pok??mon in your region, and to complete all the gyms which are in each town, then to complete to Pok??mon league (which consists of the region's Elite Four and the Pok??mon Champion). In the first few Pok??mon games, after completing the Pok??mon league, the credits are rolled and that is the end. However on the newer games such as Pok??mon Diamond, you can carry on playing, doing extra challenges.

The last thing I'll say about Pok??mon is the Pok??mon Gyms. Altogether there are 8 Pok??mon Gyms. The Pok??mon Gyms are situated in a different town. In the Pok??mon Gyms you must defeat the Gym Leader who has a reputation of being a great Pok??mon trainer. In each Pok??mon Gym, the Gym Leader will own and specialise one certain different type of Pok??mon. After defeating the Gym Leader you will receive a Gym Badge. This lets you use a "HM" which is a move for your Pok??mon but also a special power that can be used outside of battle. After you have each Gym Badge, you can battle the Elite 4 and Pok??mon Champion. These are the best Pok??mon Trainers in the whole region.

- Pok??mon Diamond -
I think I've said enough about the Pok??mon series now, so know I'll get on with the game!

Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl are the joint fourth generation of the Pok??mon series.

Set in the region of Sinnoh, in Pok??mon Diamond you must find and catch each Pok??mon possible (there are 493 altogether) as well as destroying Team Galactic, the criminal syndicates of Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl. Team Galactic plan to create a new world order and you must stop them!

The game starts with Professor Rowan telling you all about the world of Pok??mon. Traditionally, in Pok??mon you could only play a boy but in Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl, have a choice of being a boy or girl. After picking your name (and sex), you be shown your friend who is your Pok??mon rival. He will be the opposite sex of you and you will pick his name.

After that you are in your house in Twinleaf town. You will go downstairs to find your mother watching a television documentary about the rare Red Gyarados that had been spotted at Johto's Lake of Rage. Your mother then tells you to visit your friend (the boy or girl who's name you picked at the very beggining of the game) so you do so. Then your friend and you go to a lake just outside your town hoping to see Red Gyarados. Whilst you are there, you see Professor Rowan and his assistant (who will be either a girl, Dawn, or a boy, Lucas depending on your sex) talking at the lake. They leave, leaving behind a case in the wild grass. Your friend convinces you to go into the grass although you are not sure it will be safe because of wild Pok??mon. And just as you reach the case, a wild Pok??mon appears (two actually)! Panicked, you open the case to find three Poke balls. After picking your Poke ball you must battle the wild Pok??mon with your chosen Pok??mon. Just as you've defeated the Pok??mon, Professor Rowan's assistant comes out, noticing you have used the Pok??mon. Later, after speaking to Professor Rowan you get to keep the Pok??mon as Professor Rowan has seen that your chosen Pok??mon is very fond of you. This is where your adventure begins!!

You will then go on to battle the Gym Leaders and Team Galactic, as well as some other extra missions.

- Glitches -
In the Japanese version of Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl, there were various glitches found. However, most of these glitches were fixed by Nintendo, and the European versions of the games seem fine.

- New Features -
In my opinion, there weren't as many new features as I would have liked. The new features include, playing multiplayer as well as online multiplayer. To play in multi-player, there is an underground area beneath Sinnoh. In multi-player, mini games can be played as well as making secret bases (secret bases have been in various other Pok??mon games, it is a secret home that you can decorate). You can play online using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in which you can trade, battle and communicate through voice chat online.

- Price -
As Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are joint, the two games can be bought both together and separately. Both Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Diamond are RRP ??29.99. However, it can be bought cheaper although the cheapest you can find them (separately) is for about ??20.00, so the discount isn't that large. To buy them together (although it is hard to find the set together) it is RRP ??59.98 though I managed to get it at ??48.00 on Amazon, late last year.

- Graphics -
Just like in the old Pokemon games, the games graphics are 2D. However, from playing all of the other Pokemon games I have noticed that the colours are brighter and that there are some 3D effects in the background of the game.

- Audio -
In each different town there will be different background music. Each town has it's own sort of theme, for example, in Floaroma Town, which is the flower paradise, the music is very sweet and floral. The music for each town is quite catchy. There is also music during a Pokemon battle. There is background music which is full of action as well as the Pokemon who make sound effects when they make a move. In battle, in my opinion the music gets quite annoying and I have to turn it off!

- Critics Opinion -
Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl was given very high praise. The lowest score Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl was given was 81%.

- Verdict -
Although there were not as many new features as I would have liked Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl are both excellent games. There is a lot to do to keep you entertained, and the storylines keep you hooked. I would highly recommend both Pok??mon Diamond and Pok??mon Pearl.

okay, I initially thought the game was rubbish, but I bought the game for my nephew as I knew he wanted it, thinking it would end up in the small pile of unused cartridges at the bottom of his bed. I was surprised to hear him still raving about the game even after a number of weeks, one afternoon, I had my ds lite with me and thought I would give it a go - I swear the cartidge must be laced with drugs or something, cant put the damn bugger down! Very addictive game. I find I play it for a while, then get stuck, but it still magically finds its way into my ds lite weeks later. Excellent long term game.

Those fiendish people at Nintendo added a twist to the game, not only can you trade your pokemon with thousands of people online (wi-fi), you can even transfer it to your Wii!!! (pokemon revolution). Im currently feverishly trying to level up my favourate pokemon before christmas so when my nephew comes round for christmas he'll get a huge surprise when he plays me on the wii (he normally kicks my butt on the wii) . . he heh heh heeh . . .(you wouldnt think im a middle aged married man would you!!)

I cannot beleive some people gave this game a 1 star!!!!
You complete weirdo!
Surely if oyu like pokemon previous games for gameboy advanced and S then why on earth dont you like this game!?!?!!?!?
No way is it "exactly like previous games" well the origin is still the same as in an adventure with 2 evil villians and you trying ot catch pokemon, but hey thats why everyone LOVED pokemon games so much!!
and it isnt the same because you do use the stylus i think and theres a different story-line as usual and overall is a well put together game!

If you are a fan of pokemon games this is a must buy!
Really ignore the others, if you look at there other reviews there just moody >:|, lol
xx
(btw im 14 on my dads account :D)

Im not a massive fan of pokemon games, i play them when im in the car when i go on holiday, they pass the time. But i bought this game, simply for the reason that i was bored of my ds games. And well .. i loved it. The 3D is so much better, your pokemon on your poketec actually look like pokemon, and have you seen the houses ? they look so small and pokemon like :L the story is so similar to the ruby and sapphire version, all evil forces trying to change the world and stuff, it's all good fun. I myself never played on it often, mostly because im more into shooting and racing games than having a small cute yellow thing bobbing on the screen thats apparently called itself Pikachu, but thats not the point. It's an incredibly fun game, even if your not a huge fan. It's a lot more straight forward than other pokemon games, and the WIFI is great fun. Overall, a brilliant game. One of the best, if not THE best game on DS.

Well Diamond is just the latest of a long running series, if you get it and understand it and like it this one is no different.
Its the most ridiculously time consuming/addictive/odd video game series.

If you suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder like myself you may well find elements of this game pleasing, in particular the collecting and organizational side of the game.

I rated it 5 for fun but in reality i find it more of a compulsion than fun, its something i have to do daily, much like part of a workout lol.