5. Unown - The "Gimmick" Pokémon



4. Beautifly - The "Generic Copy" Pokémon



3. Luvdisc - The "Filler Underclass" Pokémon



2. Probopass - The "Clever Design Gone Terribly Wrong" Pokémon



1. Mr. Mime - The "What Were They Thinking?" Pokémon

Click the link below for a full rundown on why these Pocket Monsters were selected. Surely with all those Pokémon that have been spawned, there must be more crap ones.


Top 5 Lamest Pokemon [1up]

There’s always a ‘but.’ The thing that struck me most about Anne Allison’s otherwise interesting essay was for me –- a “gamer” and someone who writes about games –- was that she clearly had little experience with games themselves. As it turned out, she was apparently inspired to look into the Pokémon phenomenon after her children started playing; beyond purchasing and observing, she herself had no experience with gaming. My criticisms weren’t aimed at her thinking or writing or research, per se – no, my quibble was with nit-picky details that didn’t quite ring true.

On the Inside Looking Out

One of the fascinating bits of being an academic is that we can attain “expert” status while being “outsiders.” For some of us, our outsider status is almost a given. It’s impossible for me to be an “insider” when writing about the late nineteenth century or the 1930s or even the 1980s. And really, that’s OK. Generations of social scientists and academics in the humanities have built careers and a sizeable body of work and solid conclusions while being outsiders. The dissonance comes when dealing with topics where “insider” status is a necessary for “expert” status. In the gaming world, outsiders don’t generally become experts –- writers don’t get picked up just because they can write well on any subject. A certain hands-on familiarity with our subject is demanded of us. It is almost a given that gaming is part of our daily life, independent of writing – something that is impossible to replicate when I’m looking at, say, 1930s advertisements.

Allison, a fine anthropologist who has a fascinating body of work on Japan, was clearly an outsider. And it occurred to me that as people (academics) get more and more interested in gaming of various forms, virtual worlds, and the like, the more of this sort of scholarship we’re going to see. At this point in time, I think many people are still a little too lost when it comes to, say, MMOs to write an article tackling the issue – I chatted with one of my advisors, who is a technophobe in his daily life but reasonably enthusiastic regarding subjects that aren’t widely studied yet (in his case, film, and most recently underground and independent film in China), about my plans to do a more current look at the Chinese gaming milieu. To my great surprise, he thought it was a fabulous idea, and added that plenty of academics would like to look at such issues in China and Korea, but don’t know where to start.

But what about when people do start realizing where those starting points are? Do we have whole books to look forward to that just “don’t get it”? And really, who am I to say another academic just doesn’t “get it,” when their scholarship is otherwise unimpeachable? Am I privileging the fan voice? Am I engaging in the same sort of behavior that privileges the ‘native’ voice –- the idea that, say, my Chinese friends are simply more capable of being good Chinese historians than I? It’s not so much an issue of privileging as a difference on opinion as to what constitutes ‘expert’ status. Anne Allison –- as fine an anthropologist as she is -– wouldn’t stand a chance of attaining ‘expert’ status with her writing about the game industry. It’s clear from her writing that she is an ‘outsider.’ But where oh where are those insiders? How is it that I study at a school that houses people like Noah Wardrip-Fruin of Grand Text Auto, and I still get the curious stare when delineating my weekend responsibilities?

Inside Out, Outside In

Part of my problem when grappling with this issue is that I simply cannot break away from my disciplinary boundaries. Oh, sure, an article here or there is one thing, but the idea of writing my dissertation or staking my career on gaming? Even if I could convince my advisors — a dubious proposition at best — I just couldn’t bring myself to make the leap. I’m sure I’m not the only person facing such a dilemma. While game studies provides a safe haven for many people, it never would’ve occurred to me to go to graduate school for it — I’m not sure I’d even been particularly happy. I like what I study, but I also like branching out — and I have a suspicion that means I’m going to be sandwiched in between two fields that don’t really want my work, at least as it relates to gaming.

Systemic change is difficult to affect in academia. Critiques of the ‘traditional’ academic structure abound, and there are plenty of people trying to think ‘outside the box.’ Unfortunately, even the “outside of the boxers” frequently wind up reinforcing the box — it’s difficult to get outside the structure totally. Our studies and careers are predicated on being able to fit into some category or another. Specialization is the name of the game, and once something gets really entrenched, it frequently becomes a means to an end.

The Afterlives of Game Studies?

I admit I harbor some suspicion for ‘_______ studies’ programs, be it ‘Asian studies’ or ‘American studies’ or ‘game studies.’ This stems partly from the fact that area studies (of which East Asian 'studies' is an honored part) is the granddaddy of all those other studies programs — which means we’ve had considerably more time to ruminate on the meaning of our ‘field’ and the benefits and limitations of the (in theory) multidisciplinary approach to a particular area. We also have a collection of books with frightening (for a youngster at the beginning of his or her career) titles such as Learning Places: The Afterlives of Area Studies, with even more terrifying essays contained within. The great cynics of area studies make scientists’ doom and gloom predictions about global warming sound positively cheery in comparison.

One of the greatest critiques is that despite the best intentions of most of these sorts of programs, they frequently wind up becoming an end unto themselves — not a space for a variety of disciplines to gather, but a discipline in and of itself. I have the utmost respect for many of the ‘game studies’ academics I’ve had the pleasure of having exchanges with, but I have to wonder where the field is going to be in 20 or 30 years — will we be seeing a volume entitled Playing Games: The Afterlives of Game Studies? One would hope not, but surveying the scene from the area studies corner of the Academy leaves me with a slightly sour taste in my mouth. While I don’t think Ian Bogost et al. need to worry about being put in service to the 21st century equivalent of the Cold War, I’d be surprised if some of the same things that have tripped up area studies don’t wind up being obstacles for our much younger disciplinary cousin.

Blundering Towards Enlightenment

At the Kotaku pre-E3 party, an MA student introduced himself to me and queried me regarding my academic path. He expressed some surprise when I said I was an historian — ‘Oh, but I thought you were in game studies?’. He looked mildly disappointed when I said no, just a boring modern Chinese historian here. It got me thinking — will ‘game studies’ become an exclusive club, like many other ‘studies’ are? What boxes on the CV are we going to have to mark to be considered valid and serious researchers of games? How is the discipline hierarchy going to shake out?

There are clearly a lot of interesting and creative people currently working on gaming in an academic context, and I sincerely hope that ‘game studies’ continues to be a place where academics from a variety of disciplines (but common research theme) have space to share. I hope that even the older and stodgier disciplines like my own will begin to come around to the idea that games and gaming are legitimate fields of inquiry, and valid sources to draw from. This, perhaps, is the greatest challenge: academics are frequently cranky and highly defensive of their respective disciplines. Many of us do cross boundaries with ease, but it can be a tough row to hoe when it comes to breaking new paths, especially when it comes to what constitutes an appropriate source base. It took quite some time for film to develop into an accepted source for historical study, for example, and students of material culture still find themselves up against a brick wall when talking to certain colleagues.

I’ll admit that I won’t be upsetting the apple cart in history any time soon — I wouldn’t be allowed to write my dissertation on such a ‘new’ topic as gaming or virtual worlds in China, even if I wanted to, and it would probably be academic suicide (at least as far as traditional history departments are concerned). That doesn’t mean I’m not going to throw my hat into the ring, of course — but trailblazing visionary/rebel I am not, at least not when it comes to arguing for games. I already have a little notebook with references, citations, and impressions for my not-so-far-away article, but the constraints of working within a reasonably stuffy discipline mean that until I have tenure, it’s a sideline. An interesting and productive sideline, but a sideline nonetheless. I do hope that there will be room for my future students to maneuver between the rigid, traditional structure and the ‘upstart’ fields like game studies.

Game studies, like any discipline, will be going through growing pains — we’ve been writing histories for thousands of years and it seems that every year brings some new problem that needs to be hashed out. Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer addressed some of these issues in a recent interview that appeared on GameSetWatch:

… there is already a field called game studies, and some of us aren't comfortable with where that's going or don't feel we quite fit in there. Game studies is taking a fairly traditional academic approach to research and scholarship, and as a professor who has done my share of papers and conferences, I'm trying to go another way. I want to write about games at the place where they are being discussed most vigorously, online and amongst gamers. I greatly respect what game studies is doing - and I've benefited from this work - but I've reached the point in my career where I'm not terribly interested in traditional academic research anymore.

In many respects, we’re coming from the same position and, at the same time, pretty far apart. It’s not that I’m not interested in traditional academic research regarding games, I’m simply interested in it on my own terms – and in my own field. I wonder, though, if that leaves me on the outside looking in and the inside looking out. It’s an odd gap to straddle — I just hope it's not an impossibly wide gap to bridge.

Nintendo announced earlier this year that it had sold over 175 million Pokémon games worldwide.

We're thinking Nintendo and Toho might be on to something here. Just a hunch.

'Pokemon' sets record box office [Variety]

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.

In fact, they named it because both the character and the protein are fast acting little guys. And of course, normal transmission of visual information to your brain has a lot to do with gaming, so the name might be an homage to that, too.

Researchers: 'Pikachurin' protein linked with kinetic vision [The Yomiuri Shimbun, via Destructoid, thanks reader Estee W.]

Circuit-bent Pikachu instruments [Pink Tentacle]

I was surprised to see Pikachu, but I really like the character so I'm happy...It's a cool bullet train.

And Pikachu was surprised to see you. Summer 2008, this is the photo op. Hit the jump for a clip of the train in action.

ポケモン新幹線運行　上野駅にピカチュウも [Mainichi via Japan Probe Thanks, RB!]

The Pok´mon Company has announced Pokémon 151, a new brand intended for adult Pokémon fans. An official Web site opens Thursday, and Japanese Pokémon Center stores have begun selling four types of stylized T-shirts. In addition, a Diamond and Pearl battle tournament for ages 15 and up will be held at the Tokyo store July 4.

The four T-shirts currently available for pre-sale feature stylized designs of Hypno, Cubone, Articuno and Mewtwo, respectively.

Yep, Japan only for the time being. Hit the jump for two more shirts.

Pokemon Shirts [Bulba News via NeoGAF via Go Nintendo Thanks, Karoshi!]

The set hits stores on August 20th, with collector's tins arriving in September. Meanwhile, I haven't gotten a new video game installment of the card game for eight years. I ask you, where's the justice?

Diamond & Pearl — Legends Awakened

In Stores AUGUST 20, 2008
MSRP for Theme Decks: $11.99
MSRP for Booster Packs: $3.79

Coming in SEPTEMBER
MSRP for Pokémon TCG Collector’s Tins: $14.99

THE TIME HAS COME FOR LEGENDS TO AWAKEN! Behold some of the most powerful Pokémon of all time when the brand-new Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) expansion Diamond & Pearl—Legends Awakened hits retail outlets nationwide on August 20, 2008. This latest installment of the best-selling Pokémon TCG features a gigantic set of more than 140 cards and is guaranteed to change game strategy for Pokémon Trainers, collectors, and fans everywhere. With the rise of the long slumbering Regigigas and the fire-wielding Heatran, as well as seven new Pokémon LV.X, Diamond & Pearl—Legends Awakened is destined to make for epic battles that soon become legendary!

AND don’t miss your chance to get the specially designed Pokémon TCG Collector’s Tins that will add real power to any collection. Each tin contains four previously released Pokémon TCG booster packs, one of the two new foil promo cards featuring Mewtwo or Rhyperior, and a great window design for displaying your favorite cards!

Features of the new Pokémon Trading Card Game: Diamond & Pearl—Legends Awakened:

* New Diamond & Pearl Pokémon such as Regigigas, Heatran, and Giratina
* Seven new Pokémon LV.X including Mewtwo LV.X
* Two 60-card theme decks—Bombardment and Metal Surge
* Booster packs include 10 randomly inserted game cards for collectors and players alike
* Theme decks and parallel set cards feature an innovative look with holographic treatment

For more information, visit www.go-pokemon.com .

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.

Essentially, the ranch provides a tooth-jarringly adorable 3D environment for your Pokemon on Wii. Don't have Diamond or Pearl? Ranch-hand Haley, who runs the whole works, will start you off with six random ones, and will bring a new Pokemon to the ranch every day.

For the DS Pokemon fans, though, the DS can link up to the Wii so that you can pick as many Pokemon as you'd like from your storage boxes to drop into the ranch.

Here's what you do when they're there:

First off, Pokemon may either be stored in the ranch or in your DS game's storage box, so you'll have to take the Pokemon back out of the ranch if you'd like to use them again in Diamond or Pearl. And no, you cannot exploit the ranch to swap Pokemon from one of your DS games to another, and you cannot steal Haley's Pokemon and put them in your DS, either, so smack those ideas right out of your head. If you somehow lose your original save game, the Pokemon can never get out of the ranch.

The ranch, basically a barn and a green field with a great big fence around it, will get larger depending on how many Pokemon you put in. In addition to Haley, you can add up to four Miis of your own to play with the Pokemon.

And that's basically it - the Pokemon walk around and interact with each other and the Miis, with captions providing running commentary on who's doing what. Pokemon will ride on top of one another's heads, express interest in each other, sleep, play and even fight or frighten one another. For example, I had an extra Banette that I dropped in, who went about casting ghostly spells on my poor little Pichu and Cleffa.

The type of interaction Pokemon have with one another is often determined by their type - Haley's gapemouthed Magikarp was excessively interested in following Ground-type Phanpy around, usually sending Phanpy fleeing to the corner of the fence, little tears springing out of his face.

Every so often, the ranch interaction automatically pauses so that the Pokemon can act out a little scene with Haley and the Miis - like "Totem," where they all stack up on top of one another for absolutely no reason, or "Attention," where they all turn to stare wide-eyed at the camera from different angles as peaceful music plays.

There isn't too much the player can do - by pointing the Wii remote at a Pokemon or Mii and pressing A, the camera will then follow only that one's movements and interaction, and there's a camera icon that you can press to snap a photo at any time you catch them at a cute moment. The game will also tell you information about each Pokemon and who its trainer is.

You can press a horn icon to gain everyone's attention, making any Pokemon or Miis in the frame look your way for the photo op. You can share albums with your Wii friends, but largely the main point here is to just watch them play around, it seems. You can also pick an option that will let the Miis hold a parade with the Pokemon associated with them, with flags and confetti.

The most interesting part is how ranch-hand Haley will give you instructions and a deadline for catching DS Pokemon that aren't already in your Dex. She'll give you a list, and the in-game BBS will show you location information on each Pokemon. The location info in words is a bit easier to read than the multicolored, flashing Diamond and Pearl map, so it can help you zero in on the Pokemon you're missing. Nothing like getting a mission to rekindle your "Gotta Catch 'Em All" obsession. Haley says if you catch the ones she's asked for and bring them to the ranch, then "something good" will happen.

It seems that Haley will trade you one of the Pokemon she has, if you don't have one yet, when you bring her the ones she asks for.

Finally, every time you leave the ranch, Haley asks you for some hints about what kind of Pokemon she should bring next time ("A scary Pokemon?" "A paralyzing Pokemon?"), and you can tell her yes or no. Once you've decided, a silhouette is shown of the next Pokemon who'll be arriving - like during the commercial breaks of the TV show.

You know, not that I know about that kind of thing. Anyway, My Pokemon Ranch seems like a good way for DS Pokemon players to re-engage with the game, and it makes for cute background TV. I can't see those who don't play Diamond or Pearl finding that the Pokemon Ranch is worth an entire 1000 Wii Points, though - unless they really just like getting their cute on.

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.

First and foremost, WiiWare gets one of its most eagerly anticipated titles with My Pokémon Ranch (1,000 points), the prequel to My Pokémon Creamy Caesar. This relaxing title lets your Miis and Pokémon hang out together on a ranch, which sounds like a splendid way to spend an afternoon. Players will be able to link up with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for the DS and deposit up to 1,000 Pokémon onto your ranch, leaving you up to your neck in Pokémon droppings.

On the older games front we have two NES games at 600 points each, Dig Dug, which involves inflating your enemies until they are dead, and the Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, a game never released outside of Japan that involves inflating your enemies and riding on top of them. Two games whose heroes truly blow.

Wii-kly Update

One WiiWare Game and Two Virtual Console Games Added to Wii Shop Channel

The latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel offer a remarkable array of characters you won’t find just anywhere. A fresh WiiWare™ title gives Pokémon lovers a whole new way to wrangle and enjoy their little pals, while a pair of imported Virtual Console™ releases will pump up the action quotient—literally—for fans of NES® classics.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare™

My Pokémon™ Ranch (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The Pokémon phenomenon debuts on WiiWare with My Pokémon Ranch, a game that lets you watch as Pokémon and Miis interact with each other for the first time. Enjoy the relaxing ranch life by viewing your ranch and its Pokémon, taking pictures and sending those pictures to your friends via the Wii Message Board. The more Pokémon and Miis you bring to your ranch, the more fun it becomes. My Pokémon Ranch can be linked with the Nintendo DS™ Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl Game Cards to deposit the Pokémon you’ve caught in these games in your ranch. You can deposit a maximum of 1,000 Pokémon from up to eight different game cards. Make your ranch livelier by playing with your friends and family.

Virtual Console™

DIG DUG™ (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Become Dig Dug, the champion of love and justice, as you drill up, down, left and right, defeating any enemies in your path. Avoid the persistent Pooka and the deep-dwelling but whimsical Fygar as you defeat all the enemies in order to clear each stage. Defeat enemies by hitting them with the harpoon and pumping air into them, or by dropping rocks on them from above. Receive bonus points by getting the vegetables that appear in the middle of the stage. Receive high points for defeating deep-dwelling enemies or by defeating Fygars from the side with the harpoon. Pass through inflated enemies or defeat enemies in an adjacent passage for an even higher score. Lure multiple enemies and defeat them with a single rock from above in this thrilling action game.

BIO MIRACLE BOKUTTE UPA (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 600 Wii Points): BIO MIRACLE BOKUTTE UPA is an action game released in 1988, but it was never available outside of Japan. Players take on the role of baby Upa, a prince of the Akuyo kingdom. Prince Upa must take on an adventure spanning seven different worlds in order to rescue the kingdom from the dangerous demon Zai. Upa must defeat the enemies he meets along the way by inflating them. Upa can then use these floating enemies to his advantage by bouncing off of or riding on top of them. The prince must also avoid deadly thorns and pits while keeping an eye out for helpful items such as milk (to restore health) and bells (for temporary invincibility) if he hopes to succeed. If you’re looking for a cute and solid platformer with a hero unlike those in most other games, then look no further than BIO MIRACLE BOKUTTE UPA.

An employee of the Store just confirmed to us that Darkrai will be available there until the end of June. So if you haven't snagged that lil' Legendary yet, there's still time! If you live in New York, of course. If not, you have given all six or seven million residents of the nation's Empire just one more reason to think we're so great.

Aw, I kid, I kid. Come visit! Walk, bike, run, you'll get here in time! You can all crash on my couch! Everybody! It's a Pokemon, come on!

(Extra special thanks to Rayuen for passing on the tip over at Sexy Videogameland)

Especially funny are the pirate "mega-carts," which can contain up to 52 pirated games in on a single cartridge, giving you a hilarious label list of names like "Pokemon Snoopy," "Play Spider," "Man Spider," "Nice Castelan" "Mr. Dr. Mario" and "Robot Dr. Mario."

Apparently Pokemon games are a pirate fave - sadly "Diamond and Jade" is not canon. One knockoff even features Meowth singing an evil version of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". You can't make this stuff up:

The game revolves around beating enemy critters and collecting their phone number. The original idea from Telefang is a little bizarre as it stands, but the hackers decided to replace the call for aid with small talk between the protagonist and his collection of monsters.

The boxes were thrown together in typical pirate fashion with an image from Miyazaki’s anime “Princess Mononoke” as a sample monster. While a large number of the cartridges are filled with game crashing bugs, and despite the subpar translation, Pokemon Diamond and Jade are at least playable and the only way to play these Pseudomon clones in English.

Bizarre Bootlegs - The Lighter Side of Piracy [British Gaming Blog]

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

Hit the jump for a totally non-game related clip from YouTuber tokyocooney. A totally brilliant non-game related one.

"Pokémon strives to create fun products and events for players of all skill levels and interests," said J.C. Smith, director of marketing for Pokémon USA, Inc. "The Pokémon Video Game Showdown provides the most skilled Pokémon players an opportunity to determine who is truly the best."

POKÉMON ANNOUNCES VIDEO GAME SHOWDOWN BETWEEN U.S. AND JAPAN

The Most Talented Pokémon Players Will Compete in Los Angeles and New York for a Chance to Battle the Best Players from Japan

Bellevue, WA - May 15, 2008 - Pokémon USA, Inc., has announced the first-ever Video Game Showdown, pitting the most skilled Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl players from the United States and Japan in a battle to determine the ultimate champion. The Pokémon Video Game Showdown will take place August 16 in Orlando, Florida and will feature 32 of the most talented players from each nation.

To win a seat in the Pokémon Video Game Showdown, players must compete and win at one of two Qualifier Tournaments taking place in Los Angeles and New York on July 12 and July 19, respectively. A total of 256 players in each city will battle for sixteen paid trips for two to Orlando to compete in the Pokémon Video Game Showdown. To enter for a chance to play in the Qualifier Tournaments, players must register and complete a Pokémon online quiz at http://showdown.pokemon.com.

"Pokémon strives to create fun products and events for players of all skill levels and interests," said J.C. Smith, director of marketing for Pokémon USA, Inc. "The Pokémon Video Game Showdown provides the most skilled Pokémon players an opportunity to determine who is truly the best."

More information, including prizes, tournament locations, times, and rules, can be found by visiting http://showdown.pokemon.com.

[Pokemon Platinum Official Site]

Wii-kly Update: Two New Classic Games Added to Wii Shop Channel

Which is more important: brains or brawn? Before you answer, check out this week's awesome additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel, which give you ample opportunity to flex both. One game features frantic puzzle action with a Pokémon® twist, while the other invites players to brawl and battle in the name of justice. If you're anxious to test your mental mettle or your action-adventure muscle, these classic titles are just the ticket.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Pokémon Puzzle League (Nintendo 64®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Get ready for a new kind of Pokémon battle where the power and speed of your brain are just as important as the strength of your Pokémon. Join Ash, Brock, Misty and many more characters from the Pokémon animated series as they gather in Puzzle Village to compete for the title of Pokémon Puzzle Master. Just match three or more blocks of the same color in any direction. Sounds simple, right? But the actual game play is surprisingly addictive and deep (chains and combos anyone?), especially when you're facing off against a human opponent. Choose from six different modes offering a wide range of action, from story or puzzle modes to continuous play or timed play. If that's not enough, take on the challenge in 3-D and get ready for more blocks than ever before. Featuring animated cut scenes combined with bright, fun graphics, there's enough to satisfy any fan of Pokémon or puzzle games.

Renegade™ (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): Renegade follows the story of a vigilante who fights his way through countless gangs in order to bring peace back to his city. Battle your way through subways, parks, alleyways and parking lots. For added fun, there's a wild motorcycle ride to challenge you. Use your arsenal of kicks, punches (including the infamous sit-on punch) and jump kicks, as well as a variety of throws to knock your opponents into submission. Along the way, pick up items like a hamburger that restores your life, a heart that increases your lives by one, a power-up to increase your attack strength, and a speed item that gives you a speed burst while on your motorcycle. You'll need all the help you can get to take out your aggression on street punks, thugs, outlaw bikers, killer kung-fu females and an array of bosses standing in your way. Take the law into your own hands to defeat countless scumbags and take your city back like the renegade you are.

Dogsfather @ deviantART [via Dtoid]

decided that every time that I wanted a cigarette, I would turn on my DS and play some Pokémon. But the thing about going from two packs a day to cold turkey is that at first, you always want a cigarette. So the first three days, I did nothing but play Poémon non-stop. My routine was to sleep extra late (because if I'm not awake, I'm not craving a smoke), play Pokémon for about 8 hours with breaks to stretch and eat, read Pokémon walkthroughs, F.A.Q.s, strategies, and websites, and then sleep... After the initial push, it just required the willpower to keep playing Pokémon instead of smoking.

We thought the safety of our customers is our top priority. We deeply apologize for the cancellation.

Hit the jump for another pic.

Pokemon Telegram [Pokemon.co.jp via Japan Newbie]

Well Nintendo is on to them too.

In one case on March 26, law enforcement in New York raided seven stores that were known fronts for faux Pokemon cards, seizing thousands of cards and making several arrests. In another earlier this month a Chinese production facility was raided and nearly 1.2 million Pokecards seized.

Nintendo says that during the past 16 months alone more than 47 million counterfeit pokemon cards have been seized at facilities around the world. One seizure alone in China netted 26 million cards.

"Pokémon wants to send a message to importers and producers that we will not stand for the distribution of fraudulent Pokémon product," says Pokémon spokesperson, J.C. Smith. "Pokémon is committed to ensuring our fans receive the quality product they've come to expect."

Wait, hold the phone! Pokemon have a spokesperson? Where the hell have they been during the long plight of the caged Pokemon. Why haven't they had a word with Gabe?

Check out those shoulder joints. DREAMLAND, no?

Hit the jump for another Pikacap.

Pikachu Cap [Strictly Fitteds]

STOP STOP STOP STOP!!!!

There's have to be some kind of misunderstanding, I'm from Chile (not a pokemon) and I have to say "ponceo" had nothing to do with oral sex. What they do in this parties (thursay or fryday, between 4-5PM to 10-11PM, they are all minorage so they cant be out to late at night, alcohol sell is not allowed) is try to kiss in the mouth (not oral sex, that was a particual case, not even pokemoes involved, only 3 highschool students, 14 or 15 years old) as much different people (of the opposite sex) as they can durring the party.

Bisides, pokemones are not gender-blending nor they costume are related to Pokemones (most of them dont even play videogames, pokemon is known here for the tv animated series) they just are wierd looking.

So I hope that make things much clear and erase the vision of "orgies" with menor age student in my Country, Bye!

Ponceo is about having fun... This time I had seven partners.

March 13, 2008

Nintendo News

Jump into the Next Pokémon Adventure Early and Get a Free Guide

Two new Pokémon® adventures for Nintendo DS™ are on the way, and Nintendo plans to reward fans for ordering early with guides to help them navigate the games. Starting March 16, fans who place an order for either Pokémon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time or Pokémon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness will receive a free, limited-edition Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers Guide*. The guide contains an exclusive collection of tips, interviews and an original manga by Ken Sugimori, main art director of Pokémon video games.

In these two new games, players journey through time and darkness as actual Pokémon as they attempt to find out why they've been turned into a Pokémon. Their epic quest leads them through countless, randomly generated dungeons, encountering more than 490 Pokémon. Players also have the option to send rescue alerts to their friends via e-mail or mobile text message when they are connected to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection. These two new Dungeon games give Pokémon fans another excuse to upgrade to Nintendo DS, which also plays all their favorite Game Boy® Advance games in single-player mode.

Pokémon games remain as popular as ever. Last year's release of Pokémon® Diamond Version and Pokémon® Pearl Version for Nintendo DS sold a combined 4.33 million copies to date in the United States alone.