Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
From Ultimatewiki
Pokémon Diamond (ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド, Poketto Monsutā Daiyamondo?, Pocket Monsters Diamond) and Pokémon Pearl (ポケットモンスター パール, Poketto Monsutā Pāru?, Pocket Monsters Pearl) are the two fourth-generation Pokémon role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. They are the first of the traditional Pokémon role-playing games for the Nintendo DS video game console. The games were earlier released in Japan in 2006. Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl had the most successful launch week of games in the Pokémon series in Japan, and the best launch week for any Nintendo DS game in Japan. Additionally, the games set the record of being the fastest selling Pokémon games in Japan within three months of sales. Set in the fictional region of Sinnoh, the games cover the adventure of a single protagonist embarking on a quest to capture and train Pokémon while simultaneously thwarting the agenda of the criminal organization Team Galactic.
Diamond and Pearl, like the past generations of Pokémon games, add an extensive amount of new features, such as internet play over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, while building on older game concepts such as Pokémon Contests.
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Setting and plot
Diamond and Pearl are set in the region of Sinnoh, which is based upon the Hokkaidō prefecture of Japan. Sinnoh is characterized by both mountainous and snow-covered areas, and contains three lakes central to the plot.
The game contains 107 new Pokémon and chronicles the adventures of a new Pokémon trainer who strives to become the Pokémon League Champion, collecting and training various species of Pokémon along the way. As do most games in the series, Diamond and Pearl feature eight Pokémon Gyms led by Gym Leaders, professional trainers whose expertise lies in a particular Pokémon type. Gym Leaders serve as bosses and reward skilled trainers with gym badges of merit, key to the advancement of the plot.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Diamond and Pearl begin in Twinleaf Town. After viewing a television report about disturbances at a distant lake by a red Gyarados, the protagonist and his/her rival travel together to investigate the local lake. They spot Professor Rowan, an expert in Pokémon evolution, and the protagonist’s second rival, who is the playable character not selected. After a short discussion the pair exits from the lake, leaving a briefcase behind. When they are attacked by wild Starly, the protagonist and his or her rival examine the case. The player is then given a choice between three Pokémon found in the briefcase, Turtwig, Chimchar or Piplup. After defeating the Starly, they return the briefcase to the professor. Noticing that a bond has been forged between the young protagonist and his/her chosen Pokémon, Rowan offers it to him/her, asking that he embark on a journey and fill his/her Pokédex.
As the plot continues, the protagonist encounters Team Galactic, and their motives are made clear. Team Galactic captures Yuxie, Agnome and Emrit, of Sinnoh’s three lakes, and imprisons them, making it the player’s responsibility to free them. Upon releasing the trio, he/she is able to travel to the sacred shrine atop Tengan Mountain and enter the cave, where the leader of Team Galactic awakens either Dialga, in Diamond, or Palkia in Pearl. Dialga or Palkia’s powers begin to “overwhelm” Sinnoh, causing the newly free Yuxie, Agnome and Emrit to attempt to stop it. It is then that the player is able to engage in a battle with the version-appropriate legendary Pokémon.
Gameplay
Gameplay is very similar to previous Pokémon RPGs, but there are several changes and additions.
Within each species, Pokémon now feature varying levels of gender dimorphism, including aspects such as differently sized or absent distinctive physical features. For example, a female Wooper has smaller antennae than its male counterpart and a male Scizor has a smaller abdomen than a female. As in Pokémon Crystal and Emerald, opposing Pokémon each have a short animation (e.g., a Geodude will flex its arms) when entering battle. New abilities, such as “Belligerence” and “Natural”, have been added. Baby Pokémon in Diamond and Pearl, such as Roselia’s pre-evolution Budew, can be found in the wild, whereas in previous generations attaining one usually required breeding. Pokémon also hatch from their eggs at Level 1, rather than Level 5 as in the previous games.
Pokémon Contests, events where one’s Pokémon compete in a show of sorts to win ribbons, return from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as “Super Contests”, with similarities and differences. Super Contests consist of three rounds. In the Visual Judgment round, players utilize the Nintendo DS’s stylus to place accessories and objects on their Pokémon to appeal to a particular trait, such as “Cool” or “Cute”, and earn points. In the Dance Judgment round, Pokémon compete with opponents in a test of rhythm and balance. The final round, Performance Judgment, is identical in premise to Pokémon Contests of the third generation of games; Pokémon use their techniques strategically to appeal to the judges and crowd. Assuming the same role as Pokéblocks in the 3rd generation, a baked substance called Pofin can be made through use of the touchscreen and fed to Pokémon in order to increase certain traits and, consequently, the likelihood of success in a relevant Contest.
First introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl features sensitivity to the time of day and day of the week, which is reflected in a number of facets, such as the lighting of the overworld and locations of non-player characters, the availability of certain species of Pokémon, and even the lighting during battles. The scale of the day and night cycle has grown from the original cycle of morning, day, and night; Diamond and Pearl's cycle features five different time periods: morning, day, afternoon, evening and night.
A new device called the Pokétch, resembling a wristwatch, can be obtained and plays host to a wide variety of features, including a time management system, a calculator, a map, a counter, a wireless link up search, and drawing pad.
Below Sinnoh is a large underground area, used for multiplayer gaming. Players can create and decorate “secret bases” (first featured in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire) and participate in minigames, one of which will allow the player to unearth fossilized Pokémon such as Zugaidos and Shieldon. These Pokémon, as well as Mikaruge, can only be obtained by exploring this underground area.
Diamond and Pearl employ support for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing players to trade, battle and communicate through “voice chat” online. The main system for trade is the Global Trade Station trading system. This allows players to search for any Pokémon they have seen on a worldwide scale, with the resulting list showing people around the world who are willing to trade that Pokémon, as well as the Pokémon they want in return for it. The trade does not have to be instant and an offer can be left for other players to browse and complete, even while the player is offline. Some centers serve different purposes - one allows the player to enter battles against friends over an internet connection, while another allows the player to enter the Pokémon Union, a chat room in which the player can communicate with others on the player's Friends List.
Along with the fifty existing Technical Machines (TMs), which teach Pokémon a new move, forty-two new TMs have been added to the game while the previous fifty have been retained, bringing the total to ninety-two. This marks the first time an entire fifty-TM set has been left intact between generations, and the first time the total number has exceeded fifty (fifty-eight counting HMs). Two of the eight Hidden Machines (HMs), which, like TMs, teach Pokémon a new move (but permanently), have also been changed, and one former HM has been downgraded to a TM.
Connectivity with other games
Diamond and Pearl boast compatibility with many other Pokémon games. They can connect with the Game Boy Advance Pokémon RPGs after earning the National Pokédex, when the Pokémon Game Boy Advance cartridge is inserted into slot 2 (the Game Boy Advance cartridge and accessory slot of the Nintendo DS) while Diamond or Pearl is in slot 1 (the DS card slot). After uploading six Pokémon, players go to an area called Pal Park and must capture them in the wild. Pokémon uploads are restricted to six per day per GBA cartridge. The player will have to re-capture such transferred Pokémon in Pal Park by the means of a special Park Ball that has 100% chance of capture, before transferring from another GBA game. Pokémon cannot be transferred from an English GBA game to a Japanese DS game, and the player cannot transfer any of the Pokémon back to the GBA cartridge once they are transferred to Diamond or Pearl.
In the Japanese versions of Diamond and Pearl, certain species of Pokémon transferred from a foreign Game Boy Advance Pokémon game to a Japanese game and then uploaded via Pal Park to Pokémon Diamond or Pearl will have a Pokédex entry in the language of the game it originated from. In addition, a new function added to the player’s Pokédex allows the player to switch between multiple languages in those same Pokémon's entries, including Japanese, English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.
The use of Pal Park is necessary if a player wishes to obtain the starter or legendary Pokémon from a previous generation of Pokémon games. All other Pokémon can be found and caught or obtained in Diamond and Pearl. Some Pokémon, however, are only available while the player has a Game Boy Advance Pokémon RPG inserted in Slot 2 of the Nintendo DS.
In addition, Diamond and Pearl are able to connect to Pokémon Ranger. Using this feature, a player will be able to send a Manaphy egg from Pokémon Ranger to Diamond or Pearl after completing a special mission in Ranger. Diamond and Pearl also feature Wi-Fi connectivity with the Wii Pokémon title Pokémon Battle Revolution, allowing players to upload Pokémon wirelessly via the Nintendo DS into the game.
Pokémon
On May 14, 2004, the first Pokémon of the fourth generation, Munchlax, was revealed. Following the pre-evolved form of Snorlax, several other new Pokémon to appear in Diamond and Pearl were revealed in articles in CoroCoro Comic. Early in production, it was intended that Pokémon introduced in previous generations of the series would receive new, pre-evolved forms; Pokémon available from as far back as Pokémon Red and Blue can now be bred to produce new infantile species, such as Mr. Mime who is preceded by Mime Jr. and Chansey by Happiny. Pokémon have been given new, further evolved forms; for example, Electabuzz can now evolve into Electivire and Roselia can now evolve into Roserade. The games introduce more legendary Pokémon than any set of games before them.
The de facto mascots of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl were confirmed as Dialga and Palkia, like Groudon and Kyogre or Ho-Oh and Lugia before them, when video game packaging for the games was released in late June 2006; as their names suggest, Dialga represents Diamond, and Palkia represents Pearl.
Music
Music in Diamond and Pearl was scored by Hitomi Sato and Junichi Masuda under the supervision of Go Ichinose. A two-disc soundtrack featuring music from the games was released on December 22, 2006.
Reception
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl have been met with positive reception in Japan. Though two million copies of the games were shipped for Japan alone, there were still shortages in response to a large demand. The games became the fastest selling Nintendo DS titles in Japan for the first week of sales since its release, a record previously held by New Super Mario Bros. Within forty-six days, the games sold three million units, becoming the fastest DS game to do so, and by the end of the year, the number increased to five million units in just under three months, marking itself as the fastest- and best-selling Pokémon game in Japan alone.
