It’s been a while since the original Pokemon games for the Game Boy arrived. “Pokemon Blue” and “Pokemon Red” came out and since then it’s grown much larger with the game being turned into all sorts of merchandise such as a long running Anime series and even a theme park! Game Freak hasn’t stopped with their RPG however and for the past few years they have been releasing new versions of the game following the same formula. Towards the end of September, we receive their latest offering, “Diamond” and “Pearl” (referred together as “Pokemon DP” from here onwards) for the DS with Wi-Fi support.

As with most of the other Pokemon games in this series, you start off by meeting Professor Nanakamado before you are sent into a world inhabited by creatures known as “Pocket Monsters (Pokemon)” who live alongside humans. In this world, people known as “Pokemon Trainers” work to tame wild Pokemon by capturing and keeping them inside devices known as “Pokeballs”. They then use them to battle one another or help with some other kinds of tasks. It’s also what is needed to understand these creatures more. After choosing your gender, your rival’s name and being offered a little explanation about the game, you find yourself in a house and the story begins.

After watching a special programme on TV about Legendary Pokemon appearing in the lakes of the Shinou Region, your friend (and rival) calls you out to go to one of the nearby lakes in the hope of catching sight of one of these Legendary Pokemon. While waiting there, they are attacked by wild Pokemon and are forced to pickup a Pokeball out of a nearby suitcase. As with previous games, you have 3 Pokemon to choose from and a little while after the event, you are again tasked with helping complete the Pokedex, an encyclopaedia of every Pokemon there is.

The main game takes you throughout the new Shinou Region and of course, there is a new organisation of bad guys and this time they’re “Team Galaxy”. Upon opening up the main game menu, you’re greeted by a number of big colourful looking icons and checking your main ID Card, you can have a look at your Gym Badge wallet via the touch screen. Tapping the button opens it up revealing slots ready for all those badges you can earn by beating those Pokemon Gym Leaders around the region as you make your way to the Pokemon League. There are a total of 8 to beat and you’ll find that each of the badges make a different musical note when you tap them.


Tap a tune with the new musical badges.
The Pokedex has also been given a new look allowing you to either scroll through it using the touch screen Pokeball or just the traditional buttons. New functions include one where you can manipulate a Pokemon’s voice a little before playing it back and comparing its weight with someone else. You can also find plenty of details about the Pokemon you tamed here such as when and where you met it along with what type of personality it has. Most Pokemon can be male or female and once left at the nursery, you could find yourself with an egg! In this new release of Pokemon, there are around 150 Pokemon to be found in the new Shinou Region although later in the game, you can import all the Pokemon from previous games to increase the number to over 450.