As Pok mons Diamond and Pearl approach the 4 million sold mark in Japan, Nintendo finally sends word of an official North American ship date for the first proper pocket monster Nintendo DS entries.

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.

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