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Snap Judgment: Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
I can't remember a single game release I ever anticipated more in my life than Pokémon Gold and Silver. By the time the game hit U.S. store shelves in 2000, I'd been rendered a shivering addict to versions Blue and Red for nearly two years. The promise of new pocket-sized monsters and new areas to explore thrilled me to the central of my very being -- and thankfully, the franchise's massive second generation did not disappoint.
I'm a decade older now, and while I've retained most of my love for the franchise since my middle school career, I worried that the recently released remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver, wouldn't have the same intoxicating properties as their source materials. Now that I've spent about eight hours in the game, I feel confident in reporting that these remakes possess the same gripping magic as the originals -- partially due to the infusion of new elements introduced in later generations of the series, and, surprisingly, due to the bundled Pokéwalker peripheral.
I'm a decade older now, and while I've retained most of my love for the franchise since my middle school career, I worried that the recently released remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver, wouldn't have the same intoxicating properties as their source materials. Now that I've spent about eight hours in the game, I feel confident in reporting that these remakes possess the same gripping magic as the originals -- partially due to the infusion of new elements introduced in later generations of the series, and, surprisingly, due to the bundled Pokéwalker peripheral.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Pokemon TV spots

Oh, you don't believe us? Well, that hurts our feelings, but, by all means, check out the full list of this week's content past the break for yourselves. We'll just wait for you in the corner with our broken heart.
Nintendo leading fans on wild Pokemon chase in New York City

Nintendo's usual launch events take place at the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Center, but this one is located in (and around) the Times Square Toys 'R' Us. Should you show up at the NWS, you'll just have to do a little extra walking.
Nintendo Media Summit 2010: The Recap Post

Dante's Inferno for $40 at Target next week
If you've been putting off that trip to Hell for financial reasons, it looks like Target might lend you a hand next week. Starting this Sunday, Dante's Inferno will be on sale for only $39.99, a full $20 off the normal retail price. Not a bad deal for a game that has thus far drawn passable reviews.
The store is also knocking ten bucks off the the price of NBA 2K10, making it a cool $29.99. Just be warned, while the price is right, you might be waiting a while before you can play a proper game online. Oh, you can also snag a free Ho-Oh or Lugia Pokémon if you pre-order either Pokemon SoulSilver or Pokemon HeartGold. We suggest you do that and pick up Dante's Inferno. It'll be really confusing to the cashier.
The store is also knocking ten bucks off the the price of NBA 2K10, making it a cool $29.99. Just be warned, while the price is right, you might be waiting a while before you can play a proper game online. Oh, you can also snag a free Ho-Oh or Lugia Pokémon if you pre-order either Pokemon SoulSilver or Pokemon HeartGold. We suggest you do that and pick up Dante's Inferno. It'll be really confusing to the cashier.
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Pokewalker caught on video
If you're hoping to learn more about the device which you'll soon be hiding within your deepest, darkest pocket, filling you with terror that, while withdrawing your keys, you'll accidentally expose the accessory, bringing your reticent Pokémaniacal tendencies to light, forcing you to ... wait, what were we talking about again? Oh, yes, the Pokéwalker accessory which comes with HeartGold and SoulSilver was recently demoed in a video released at the Nintendo Media Summit, and posted above. Looks like it has some neat functionality beyond just step-counting.
Oh, the games themselves also received their own trailer, which is posted after the jump. We've seen most of the footage shown there before -- though the music is new, and totally triumphant.
Catch Jirachi at your local GameStop on February 27
Is your elite Pokémon fighting force lacking a certain adorability factor? Starting this coming Saturday, February 27, GameStop will have the perfect remedy to your problem -- the retailer will offer a free download of the legendary Psychic/Steel-type Jirachi for anyone who treks to the store with a copy of Pokémon Pearl, Diamond or Platinum in tow. The promotion will run until March 13 -- the day before HeartGold and SoulSilver hit store shelves.
As an added bonus, trainers who have Jirachi in their collection will have access to a special training route on HeartGold and SoulSilver's bundled accessory, the Pokéwalker. That might just be enough to give us the courage required to suffer the judgmental looks of our local GameStop's customers and employees.
As an added bonus, trainers who have Jirachi in their collection will have access to a special training route on HeartGold and SoulSilver's bundled accessory, the Pokéwalker. That might just be enough to give us the courage required to suffer the judgmental looks of our local GameStop's customers and employees.
Pokemon Video Game Championships return this spring
Justin McElroy: The first details are out on the return of the Pokémon Video Game Championships slated for this spring, in which players will compete for the first time using Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. To help me make sense of the gobbledygook on the official site, I turned to confirmed Pokémaniac Griffin McElroy. Thank you for joining us, Griffin.
Griffin McElroy: My pleasure. Also, please don't use my real name.
Who's that Pokemon? It's Zoroark!

Not only will these two be featured in the new DS game (about which almost nothing else is known), Zoroark is the title character in the latest movie, Phantom Champion Zoroark.
Let's all analyze this new Pokemon's silhouette
We apologize for any and all spelling or grammatical errors this post may contain. We're not at our usual razor-sharp level of literary acuity this morning, due to the fact that we stayed up all night to analyze the image you see above. According to Siliconera, that silhouetted figure up there is the first new fifth-generation Pokémon, and we need to know what it is. We'll find out during the February 21 episode of Pokémon Sunday -- but we both know that we can't be expected to wait that long.
So, let's just start riffing. It looks bipedal, right? That could indicate that it's a fighting-type -- then again, look at its plumage. Kinda looks like the trappings of a fire-type, doesn't it? Then again, it could just as easily be a new evolution of Lucario! Or -- wait, you know what it actually resembles? Our shame.
So, let's just start riffing. It looks bipedal, right? That could indicate that it's a fighting-type -- then again, look at its plumage. Kinda looks like the trappings of a fire-type, doesn't it? Then again, it could just as easily be a new evolution of Lucario! Or -- wait, you know what it actually resembles? Our shame.
English Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver gets exclusive mini-game
We've always thought the regular inclusion of slot machines in the kid-friendly world of Pokémon to be bit strange, and apparently we weren't the only ones. According to Official Nintendo Magazine, the English-language versions of Heart Gold and Soul Silver have had their gambling devices replaced by a new mini-game which, according to the magazine, is surprisingly fun.
In the new game, players must flip over panels in a five-by-five grid. Some panels hide multipliers for the player's coins. Some, however, hide Voltorbs, which end the round and cause the player to lose all coins accumulated to that point. You can guess where each Voltorb is hidden using numerical clues at the end of each row and column -- it other words, its Picross meets Minesweeper. Meets Pokémon. Yes, please.
In the new game, players must flip over panels in a five-by-five grid. Some panels hide multipliers for the player's coins. Some, however, hide Voltorbs, which end the round and cause the player to lose all coins accumulated to that point. You can guess where each Voltorb is hidden using numerical clues at the end of each row and column -- it other words, its Picross meets Minesweeper. Meets Pokémon. Yes, please.
Latest Nintendo software sales report features large numbers

Well, that sure didn't work. Fine, we'll break down each of the games highlighted by Nintendo's recent financial report (warning: .pdf link) and post their FY2010 sales and life-to-date sales after the jump. (Fun fact: All of the Wii games actually have "Wii" in the title. It's like the Nintendo 64 days all over again!)
We're not going to freak out about a new Pokemon game
Unfortunately, it's become commonplace among my coworkers to mention me in any posts relating to Pokémon. Let me make one thing clear: I don't have an unhealthy obsession with the franchise. I just think it's an incredibly deep and compelling series of turn-based RPGs, and while there may have been a time in my youth when I watched the anime or bought the merchandise, I'd like to think I've grown older and wiser since the late 90s. I only wish my coworkers would treat me as such.
Now, let me just check my news feed real quick, and I'll ... I'll ...
Holy CRAP! You guys, they announced a new Pokémon DS game -- not like a crappy offshoot like Trozei or Snap, but a totally new generation -- can you BELIEVE IT? Well Snap was okay, but anyways. Nintendo's announcement said there'd be new Pokémon and that "everything is planned to be born anew," and while I don't know what that means, I think my heart stopped a little when I read it! AHH!! It's coming this year. 2010! I knew when this year started that it was going to be the BEST YEAR EVER.
[Via IGN]
Now, let me just check my news feed real quick, and I'll ... I'll ...
Holy CRAP! You guys, they announced a new Pokémon DS game -- not like a crappy offshoot like Trozei or Snap, but a totally new generation -- can you BELIEVE IT? Well Snap was okay, but anyways. Nintendo's announcement said there'd be new Pokémon and that "everything is planned to be born anew," and while I don't know what that means, I think my heart stopped a little when I read it! AHH!! It's coming this year. 2010! I knew when this year started that it was going to be the BEST YEAR EVER.
[Via IGN]
Hey Griffin, Pikachu-colored Pichu downloadable at GameStop
There are all kinds of different reasons for choosing to write one story over another. For instance, I'm telling you about a Pokémon-centric GameStop promotion solely to irritate Joystiq co-worker and co-brother Griffin McElroy with my ignorance. It's a pretty big sacrifice for a major gaming website with millions of readers, but Griffin loves Pokémon more than you love most members of your immediate family, so it's absolutely worth it.So, apparently, if you take Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl (are there really that many?) into GameStop between January 30 and February 14, you can get a Pikachu-colored Pichu. That Pichu will also give you access to the mythical, spiky-eared Pichu in Pokémon Heart Gold and Pokémon Soul Silver (There are more of them? And they're called that?!). So make sure to say "Hi" to Griffin and his girlfriend there.
Oh, and by the way: That thing to the right is a Pichu. I don't know how to break it to you, Griffin, but he is Pikachu-colored and has spiky ears.
British girl has record-breaking Pokemon collection
For years we've waited for the news, patiently biding our time, but we need wait no longer. Somewhere in Hertfordshire, UK, 21-year-old Lisa Courtney ... has caught 'em all. Her 12,000-piece Pokémon memorabilia collection has landed her in the Guinness Book of World Records 2010 Gamer's Edition, and if a 12,000-piece set doesn't constitute 'em all, then we don't want to know what does.
Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go tell Griffin about this so he can start writing Lisa creepy love letters.
Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go tell Griffin about this so he can start writing Lisa creepy love letters.


















