Buy Two, Get One!

This week, Toy's R Us is offering a Buy 2 DS games special. If you buy two games at the same price you get a third equally price (or less than) DS game free. Until this Saturday, both online and in stores are offering this deal.

For those of you who have not purchased Diamond and Pearl, this is the week to buy it. If you buy both Diamond and Pearl you can get either Pokémon Trozei, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Blue or Pokémon Ranger for free.

Just add three games to your shopping cart and it will automatically set the third games price to free.

PBR Realeased!

PE2K Quoted TXT:

Press Release Online Gaming Storms Onto Wii With Pokemon Battle Revolution Epic Franchise Reaches Several Firsts Today's launch of Pokémon® Battle Revolution heralds a number of firsts for Nintendo's hot-selling Wii™ video game system. Pokémon Battle Revolution is: - The first online Wii game in the Americas. - The first Pokémon game for Wii. - The first Wii game to wirelessly link to Nintendo DS™. - The first Wii game that lets players use their Nintendo DS as a controller. Pokémon Battle Revolution is set to become a groundbreaking smash hit this summer. In battles using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's wireless gaming service, players can use their Wii Remote™ to compete with friends after exchanging friend codes, or against players of comparable skill. The game automatically searches for other players who are online. The sights and sounds of the game bring the action to life as well: The beautiful graphics show each move in full detail, while the action is narrated by the same announcer from the Pokémon TV show. The game contains a number of battle modes for different kinds of play. In Colosseum Battle Mode, players have 10 different Colosseums in which to stage their epic challenges. In Nintendo DS Battle Mode, players battle Pokémon that they have raised in their Nintendo DS Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl games. Up to four players can use their Nintendo DS systems as a wireless controller, which uses the same battle interface found in the DS games. "Already more than 2 million copies of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl have sold in the United States alone," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The arrival of Pokémon Battle Revolution brings those players a whole new set of challenges and, for the first time on Wii, online battles." Online setup is extremely easy, even for novices. With a few clicks, players are instantly connected, whether they're using a Wii Remote or a Nintendo DS as a controller. Trainers are fully customizable. Players can select one of three female or three male Trainers and outfit them with clothing, hats and glasses after earning points during competition. Players can even create personalized in-game text for their Trainers to use when they win or lose a battle. Pokémon Battle Revolution, rated E for Everyone, launches June 25. For more information about the game, visit www.pokemon-games.com. The Official Nintendo Pokémon Battle Revolution Player's Guide is now available at retail.

Pokemon Battle Revolution - Screenshots (Click to Enlarge)

Release Date Note

Although the official release date is today (the 25th), many stores do not have the game available yet as of today (though some have said it would be available the next day on the 26th). You should check with your local store to see if the game is available.

Related Links

Pokemon Battle Revolution

www.pokemon-games.com/pokemonbattlerev/ - Official Pokemon Battle Revolution Website

PBr Quesions

If you didn't pre-order PBR, you couldn't get it today. It tecnically comes out tomorrow and Wednesday here!

Pokémon Battle Revolution

Pokémon Battle Revolution comes out tomorrow!

Pokémon Center Releases PBR P-Os

I retract my pervious post, the Pokémon Center is taking pre-orders for Pokémon Battle Revolution, something tells me thought, I reminded them about it with my é-mail!

私は生きている!

I'm alive, and the PokéCenter.com will not be taking pre-orders for Pokémon Battle Revolution, but will be carrying it upon release date.

Pokémon Success: Video Games, Trading Card Game, Show, and Toys!

Pokemon USA released a press release showing the success of Pokemon in the video games, trading card game, the TV show, and the toys. It's a long read, but that's because Pokemon has a long list of successes!

Press Release (June 18, 2007) Pokémon Top-Selling Video Game for Second Consecutive Month After 10 years in the marketplace, Pokémon continues to enjoy the kind of popularity and recognition that have earned it the envious toy industry moniker of "evergreen property" -- no easy feat, given the trend and fad driven world of toys and games. With a decade under its belt, a new generation of kids are playing, watching, collecting and trading their Pokemon, while the brand has surged to the top of the charts in a number of categories. According to independent sales data released late last week by the NPD Group, Pokémon Diamond(R) is the #1 selling video game across all formats for the second consecutive month, with sales of 331,000 units in May. Year-to- date, in terms of number of units sold (January - May, 2007), Pokémon Diamond is the best-selling title, with Pokémon Pearl(R) ranking at number four over the same time period; even more significant given that the two related titles exclusively for the Nintendo DS(TM) hand-held game system were not released until April 22, 2007. To date, the two games have sold a combined total of 2,330,000 units in the U.S., with over 1 million copies sold within the first five days of release. Findings from a study conducted for Pokémon USA, Inc. by NPD in March 2007 show that more than nine out of 10 kids, ranging from first graders to high school seniors (ages 6-17), are aware of the Pokémon brand. Interesting to note is that children progress through different product categories and grow with the brand. A new generation of Pokémon fans are engaging with the franchise at a particularly young age. For example, Pokémon toys and the animated TV program are appealing to kids at a low entry age (ages 6.1 and 6.2 respectively), and as they grow older, other aspects of the brand are of interest. "Research has shown that Pokémon's cross category brand strength is driven heavily by its loyal kid fan base, particularly ages 6-11. In addition, according to the research, it is the likeability of the Pokémon characters -- their cuteness and variety -- that give rise to the appeal of the products and the brand itself," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. Pokemon brand categories include video games, a trading card game, an animated TV series on Cartoon Network, DVDs and licensed toys and merchandise. In addition to stellar sales of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl video games, Pokémon USA, Inc. is announcing other strong results in advance of Licensing International Expo 2007: * ICv2, a source for information on the business of pop culture products, ranked the Pokemon Trading Card Game as the #1 collectible trading card game as of spring 2007. Current trading card game sales are running upwards of 400% over last year. * Pokemon expanded its TV viewership -- airing seven days a week -- when it moved from broadcast to cable in 2006, joining Cartoon Network's Saturday morning and weekday lineup. In its first season the show premiered with Saturday morning ratings growth of +29% for Boys 6-11 and +39% for Kids 2-11, consistently ranking as the top show in its timeslot. Season 10 of the animated series -- "Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl" -- debuted June 4 and was the #1 show for Boys 6-11 on all channels (cable and network) for the entire day with a rating of 5.4. * Jakks Pacific became Pokemon master toy licensee in January 2007 and launched the new Pokemon toy line at mass; sell through numbers for the new figures ranged from 21% to 27% in the first three weeks on shelf, without TV advertising. Sales continue to increase, and in July, Jakks will release the first of a series for the latest collection of toys for "Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl." Arcadia Investment Corp. analyst John Taylor attributes Jakks' stock climb to the Pokemon master toy license. In other video game news, Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl will soon expand the Pokémon universe to Wii(TM), Nintendo's new home video game system. Diamond and Pearl owners will be able to use their Nintendo DS hardware units as controllers for Pokémon Battle Revolution -- launching June 25 -- the first Pokémon game available for Wii. Players also will be able to export characters to the Wii game.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Pikachu's Final Smash!

The official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website revealed new screenshots of Pikachu's Final Smash attack: Volt Tackle.

Volt Tacklie Description: What is Volt Tackle? It’s Pikachu’s Final Smash! That pretty much describes it. You don’t need an Electric Ball to unleash it, but you do need a Smash Ball. Pikachu transforms into a ball of light. You can now control that ball of light for a brief period. Hunt them! Hunt them down! It’s quite speedy while airborne. This... can be dangerous. It flies through the air wildly, so take care not to lose control. If it gets cancelled in midair, something terrible will happen.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii is planned to be released sometime in 2007.

Pokémon Continues its Upward Growth Trends

With a decade under its belt, a new generation of kids are playing, watching, collecting and trading their Pokemon, while the brand has surged to the top of the charts in a number of categories. Pokemon brand categories include video games, a trading card game, an animated TV series on Cartoon Network, DVDs and licensed toys and merchandise.

NPD Analysis and Sales Data Show Brand's Strength in Video Games, Trading Cards, TV Series and Movies

According to independent sales data released late last week by the NPD Group, Pokemon Diamond(R) is the #1 selling video game across all formats for the second consecutive month, with sales of 331,000 units in May.

ICv2, a source for information on the business of pop culture products, ranked the Pokémon Trading Card Game as the #1 collectible trading card game as of spring 2007. Current trading card game sales are running upwards of 400% over last year.

In its first TV season the anime show premiered with Saturday morning ratings growth of +29% for Boys 6-11 and +39% for Kids 2-11, consistently ranking as the top show in its timeslot. Season 10 of the animated series -- "Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl" -- debuted June 4 and was the #1 show for Boys 6-11 on all channels (cable and network) for the entire day with a rating of 5.4.

Jakks Pacific became Pokémon master toy licensee in January 2007 and launched the new Pokémon toy line at mass; sell through numbers for the new figures ranged from 21% to 27% in the first three weeks on shelf, without TV advertising. Sales continue to increase.

Pokémon Battle Revolution Site

The official Pokémon Battle Revolution website has just opened. On the site, there are many explanations of the different types of battle modes in Battle Revolution, including videos that explain everything and show off the game. There are also a couple of downloadable wallpapers of the different arenas and their leaders. Remember, Pokemon Battle Revolution will be released in stores next Monday, June 25th, so if you want to start battling people over Wi-Fi, you better build up your team over this next week (which is what I will have to do, since I need to beat the Elite 4 right now because of the lack of time I have).

Pokémon Learning League Wins Yet Another Award

Pokémon Learning League Wins Distinguished Achievement Award for Science Website From Association of Educational Publishers. Read the press release below:

NEW YORK, -- June 18, 2007 -- Pokémon USA, Inc., has won a Distinguished Achievement Award given annually by the Association of Educational Publishers to recognize the most outstanding materials in the field of teaching and learning. Its online educational initiative, Pokémon Learning League [ http://www.pokemonlearningleague.com ], earned top marks in the Science Instruction-Technology-Websites-K-5 category for its science lessons. The suite of animated, interactive lessons covers science, math, language arts, and life skills for grades 3-6. The award was presented during the AEP Annual Educational Publishing Summit on June 12, 2007, in Washington, D.C.

Pokémon Learning League leverages its high-interest animated characters and adventurous story plots to engage students in challenging, core curriculum lessons. The combination of the Pokémon brand's enduring "kid appeal" with sound educational content provides educators with an effective instructional resource that is unmatched in the education market.

Although Pokémon Learning League is new to the education market, it has already earned two awards recognizing the product's educational excellence. In May, Pokémon Learning League won a BESSIE award from ComputED Gazette, honoring it as an innovative, content-rich product that uses technology to foster learning.

"Our team has worked diligently with our educational advisors to develop an instructional product that captures students' popular interests while supporting classroom teaching," said Yves Saada, vice president of interactive media for Pokemon USA, Inc. "This recognition shows that the market is ready to embrace new approaches to learning."

The Association of Educational Publishers, founded in 1895, is a national, nonprofit association devoted to serving and advancing the supplemental educational publishing industry. The annual Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize the best educational materials -- such as books, educational toys, software and websites -- within specific categories. All products are rigorously judged by educational experts.

PokémonCenter.com É-Mail

Happy Summer!

Today was my last day of school, and if nnot already, soon you'll be on summer vacation. You wierdoz that go to year-round schools, go away. JRBnet would like to wish you a happy summer vacation!

Japanese 10th Anniversary Collection

Starting July 14th in Japan, a small portfolio containing 11 cards of Pokemon featured from the past nine movies will be sold, each for 1,000 yen. The Pokemon that will be available within the portfolio are Mewtwo, Lugia, Entei, Celebi, Latias, Latios, Jirachi, Deoxys, Mew, Lucario and Manaphy, with an empty space for Darkrai, all on Diamond and Pearl card templates. Click the picture to the right for a larger image, and if the text is large enough for one of our translators, we may have translations later. Darkrai is not present in the collection - it will be given out in theaters to fill in the empty slot, and you can view the actual card below (it has a built-in item!).

Darkrai to be limited to the first 4.2 million movie viewers only

Details of additional gift Pokémon for the Japanese 10th movie have been announced.

According to Pokeani, the July issue of CoroCoro has revealed that the gift Pokémon available for moviegoers seeing Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai this summer are a Mew that knows Teleport, a Lucario that knows Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse and Water Pulse and a Lv.50 Manaphy that knows Heart Swap.

The Pokémon distributed will depend on the time of day, and only one of the three will be downloadable to each copy of the games.

Additionally, a Darkrai knowing Spatial Rend and Roar of Time will be distributed to the first 4.2 million viewers.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2: Box Art and Screenshots!

Here's the box art for the second Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games: Time Exploration Team and Darkness Exploration Team. New screenshots of the game are available on the official Japanese Pokemon website:

Official Japanese Pokémon Website: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/special/dungeon/world/index02.html

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Time Exploration Team and Darkness Exploration Team will be available in Japan this fall. There is currently no US release date available.

10th Pokemon Movie: New Images!

10th Pokemon Movie (Click to Enlarge)

The official Japanese Yahoo Pokemon website released new pictures from the 10th Pokémon movie: "Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai." You can view more here: http://event.kids.yahoo.co.jp/pokemon2007/picture/index.html

The movie will be released in Japan on July 14, 2007. There is currently no official US release date available.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: Top Sellers for May!

Pokémon Diamond took the top spot as the best selling game by selling 331,000 units for the month of May, while Pokemon Pearl took the fourth spot with 238,000 units sold. Here's the chart:

Top Ten Selling Video Games for May 2007

1. Pokémon Diamond (DS) - 331,000 units

2. Mario Party 8 (Wii) - 314,000 units

3. Spider-Man 3 (PS2) - 249,000 units

4. Pokémon Pearl (DS) - 238,000 units

5. Wii Play (Wii) - 227,000 units

6. Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360) - 217,000 units

7. Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360) - 184,000 units

8. Spider-Man 3 (Xbox 360) - 140,000 units

9. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (Xbox 360) - 138,000 units

10. Guitar Hero II (PS2) - 131,000 units

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: 10 Million Trades Between US and Japan!

Over 10 million Pokémon Diamond and Pearl trades have been made between the US and Japan on the GTS (Global Trade System). That's a lot of Pokémon being traded, how many of those trades were you responsible for?

Australia and Europe

Even more traders will come into the fray as Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl will be released in Australia next week on June 21st, and Europe will get it next month on July 27th.

Yay! School is out!

Yay! Schools is out!

PMD News

The July issue of CoroCoro has revealed further details regarding the upcoming Nintendo DS games, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Time and Darkness Expeditions.

As previously reported, a new game mechanism will be guilds, in particular, the Guild of Wigglytuff. The player and the partner form an expedition team, and train at the guild. The guild building consists of an above-ground room and several underground rooms, in which the guild members, including the player and the partner, live and dine. More...

While an exact release date is not known yet, we can expect to see this tile out in Fall of this year.

For more details and some screen shots, see our Mystery Dungeon: Time and Darkness Expeditions Page.

10 Million Pokémon Trades and Counting!

10 Million Diamond and Pearl Pokémon have been traded over the GTS.  Woot!  I'm having problems with the Safari beta and posting, I'll try to fix it!

Limited edition Pikachu DS Lite system to hit Japan

We all knew this one was just a matter of time, but it sounds like the Japanese faithful will finally have the opportunity to purchase a glaring yellow Pikachu DS Lite system in the not too distant future. Of course, this isn't the first time the infamous Pokemon has taken over a Nintendo handheld, but getting your palms around this machine will be even more difficult than those other hard-to-get hues. The limited edition machine will reportedly sport Pikachu's face on the bottom right corner of the cover, include a matching yellow stylus, and in order to procure one, you'll have to show up in person at the Japanese Pokémon Center and submit your name into a lottery system. Supposedly, the winners will be able to pay their ¥16,800 ($139) and walk out happy starting on July 20th, and afterwards, the rest of you can shell out small fortunes on various auction sites if you just can't do without.

Interviews With Tsunekazu Ishihara!

Tsunekazu Ishihara, President and CEO of The Pokémon Company, at Party of the Decade

Tsunekazu Ishihara, President and CEO of The Pokémon Company, is quite the busy man nowadays. He was in the UK to promote Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which will be released on July 27th, 2007. Here's an interview with Tsunekazu Ishihara by the Times Online:

Times Online Interview With Tsunekazu Ishihara “The key to Pokémon’s success is that it is not a solitary experience,” Mr Ishihara, 49, explains. “Since the first title in 1996, we have designed video games for people to play together. New technologies, the internet, will make this stronger.” The sales figures back him up. When the first Pokémon game (the name is a contraction of “Pocket Monster”, the first that title Mr Ishihara produced) emerged, its meteoric rise, first in Japan and then worldwide, looked to have all the trappings of a fad. Now, having sold more than 165 million units, it looks like an unstoppable juggernaut, albeit one steered by nearly 400 cute, made-up monsters.

To read the entire article, go here: Master of the Pocket Monster Universe Puts Success Down to Better Experience

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GameSpot UK also has an interview with Tsunekazu Ishihara:

GameSpot UK: Pokémon has been an incredibly long-running franchise. Why do you think it has managed that longevity when many other series have been forgotten? Tsunekazu Ishihara: I think perhaps the continued success is due to the fact that every time we create a new game there's always a new surprise, something new to discover, and a new element of fun. That's something that we always try to have in mind when we evolve the game. For example, every time there is a new iteration of the game, a new region and therefore new Pokémon are discovered. If you look at what's happening at the moment, there are many intellectual properties that have made these crossovers between TV, movies, and games, and I think have applied similar methods [with the Pokémon brand]. So, we have to continue to look at new ways and ideas so that we don't get left behind or snowed under by these copies. So we have to keep topping ourselves. ..... GSUK: Any plans for a Pokémon massively multiplayer online game? TI: At the moment it's not in that exact style, but I already feel that the fact that Pokémon can now be played worldwide, exchanging Pokémon and so on, that it is essentially a massively multiplayer online game already. GSUK: What's next for the Pokémon series? TI: Right now [in the UK] Diamond and Pearl will be made available soon, then the Wii Pokémon Battle Revolution is coming, which can connect with the DS versions. I have ideas for the next Pokémon games after that, but I can't disclose them at the moment.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Pikachu Screenshots!

The official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website revealed new screenshots (as seen above) of Pikachu in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii is planned to be released sometime in 2007.

Pokémon Shop @ Toys 'R' US NY

Pokémon Figures and Pokemon Plush from JAKKS Pacific

The Pokémon Shop will be available from June 6th through July 5th, 2007, at the Toys "R" Us at New York City's Times Square. The Pokémon Shop offers various Pokémon products including video games, figures, plush, backpacks, t-shirts, and more. The new Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl figures (including Manaphy, Buizel and Pikachu) are also available at the Pokémon Shop. The Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl 3-Pack Booster Blister will premiere at the store on June 15th, a week earlier than other stores. Remember, the Pokémon Shop will be there until July 5th, 2007, so drop by if you have the chance! I might!

Good outlook for Pokémon Toys!

An article from newratings.com concerning the good outlook of Pokémon toys from JAKKS Pacific:

Analyst Jeffery Blaeser of Morgan Joseph maintains his "buy" rating on JAKKS Pacific Inc (JAKK.NAS). The target price is set to $29.

In a research note published this morning, the analyst mentions that the company holds exclusive US rights to action figures, play sets, accessories and other products at the Pokémon boutique, which will remain open until July 5. Contribution from JAKKS Pacific’s new Pokémon license is likely to be the highest among the company’s categories, if JAKKS toy sales are as robust as those of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, the analyst says.

Need 'papers?

Need a Pokémon wallpaper for your desktop? Try the 2007 Pokémon TCG World Championships wallpaper:

Choose Your Size Below:

800x600

1024x764

1280x1024

For more wallpapers, go to the official Pokémon Organized Play website: Kanto Season Downloads