#pokemon ranger (2006)

[dotted-clouds]

I played Pokemon Ranger again today so have 2am doodles :3c

[pokemon-anniversaries]

Pokemon Ranger was released in Australia 18 years ago today! (December 7, 2006)

[doyouknowthisgame]

[smoshidiot]

hey guys: i ranked every smosh video

yes, every. single. smosh video. (every main channel sketch from 2005-2017 + 2023)

here it is under the cut if for some damn reason you're curious

♡ ABSOLUTE FAVES ♡ Paranormal Easy Bake Oven Sleepwalking Disaster Mortal Kombat Theme Food Battle 2006 Food Battle 2023 The Legend of Zelda Rap Axe Murderer Battleship Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme Boxman's Girlfriend Pokemon Theme Ian's Birthday Anthony Gets a Haircut Pokemon Theme REVENGE That Damn Neighbor Assassins Creed 3 Song My Dead Friend Boxman 2.0 Boxman Smosh Short 1: Dolls Unitarded A Very Hairy Situation w/Billy Mays Anthony is Mexican Left Handed Magic Keyboard Food Battle 2007 That Damn Yard Sale Four Years Foreplay Pokemon In Real Life Stuck in a Toilet My Mom's AMAZING Video Sex Ed Rocks Going to the Mountains Stop Copying Me! Cursed Magic 8 Ball We Rule High School Dixon Cider Smosh the Movie Real Death Note Firetruck I Broke My Foot 1 Hour Special Ghostmates Food Battle 2008 The Ultimate Shoedown WTF! I'm Old! Food Battle 2010 Dolls: 10 Years Later The Real Party Song Kiss Currency PRETTY DAMN GOOD

Smash Rap Molester Moon Hand Bomb Sleeping Pill Disaster My Grandpa's Dirty Secret Food Battle 2011 Quest for the Scooter Smosh Found Dead Garrett's Blog How Not to Act on a First Date Longest Staring Contest Ever Extreme Sleepover Hardcore Max Real Voodoo Doll He's Driving Me Crazy First Person Shooters Suck Drink Your Own Piss Parents SuckWe're Stuck Together We Finally Released Our Banned Video Boxman for President Cat Soup I Caught Every Pokemon Ian is Dangerous Ian's First Girlfriend Ian Gets Lucky Manspider Happy Cow Food Battle 2012 Pizza Zombies Food Battle 2013 Evil Fortune Cookie Hardcore Max 2 Food Battle 2014 License Test Toy Airplane Food Battle X Finger Guns Google Glass SUCKS My Mutant Rash The NEW Smosh TV Show That Damn Shower EDITOR! Camp in a Van Sexual Sun Every Smosh Video Ever Addicted to Selfies Hide and Seek My Best Friend is a Robot How Google's Space Ship Failed Business Boy Emoji Curse Human Pokemon Battle Rejected Zelda Games We're Stuck in Fan Fiction

I LIKED THIS ONE

A Hairy Situation w/ Billy Mays Anthony's Death That Damn Prison Break Anthony's Resurrection Evil AI Tried to Kill Me We Summoned a Demon Help I Became an NPC Stranded Transformers Theme How Not to Make a First Impression The Best Car EVER Reunited? The HauntingMale Model Replacement Needed Easy Step April First Evil Chain Letter Power Rangers Theme Life as Ghosts Ep 1-4 Crybaby I'm Not Racist Pokemon In Real Life 2 The BEST Bottled Water Meeting My Identical Twin I Killed the Tooth Fairy Guys' Guide to Hugging Guys My Real Pet Pikachu Homeless Millionaire The Ditto - Movie Trailer Meat In Your Mouth I Love Lou Ferigno Anthony Poses for Playgirl?! Vader and Me Killer Teddy Bear That Damn Punishment Arm Wrestling TO THE DEATH If Superheroes Were Real Worst Twist Endings Ever I'm Naked Pokemon In Real Life 3 How to Cover Up a Murder The World's First Internet Tutorial Motion Games Suck I'm Possessed By a Demon Addicted to Honey Boo Boo Child My New Best Friend is a Robot My Weird Addiction Food Battle 2013 Assassins Creed 4 Song So Many Hickies Guns Suck My Morning Routine Guy's Guide to Being Manly Jurassic Pokemon Magic iPad 21 Things I'd Rather Do Than Smoke Netflix Rap Video Game Items In Real Life My Hot Online Girlfriend Murder Party

[carryonlikewedidbefore]

I found a newspaper article listing the most popular Christmas toys from 1963 to 2015.

Reblog with the toy of the year you were born

1963: Easy-Bake Oven

1964: G.I. Joe

1965: Operation

1966: Twister

1967: Battleship

1968: Hot Wheels

1969: Chemistry set

1970: Lite-Brite

1971: Space Hoppers

1972: Uno

1973: Walkie Talkie sets

1974: Tonka toy trucks

1975: Pet Rock

1976: Connect Four

1977: "Star Wars" action figures

1978: Simon

1979: Atari VCS

1980: Rubik's Cube

1981: Lego train

1982: BMX bike

1983: Cabbage Patch Kids

1984: Transformers

1985: Nintendo

1986: Lazer Tag

1987: Jenga

1988: Starting Lineup figures

1989: Game Boy

1990: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" figures

1991: Super Nintendo

1992: Barbie Dream House

1993: Talkboy

1994: "Power Rangers" figures

1995: Beanie Babies

1996: Tickle Me Elmo

1997: Tamagotchi

1998: Furby

1999: Pokemon cards

2000: Razor Scooter

2001: Pogo Stick

2002: FurReal Cat

2003: Robosapiens

2004: Nintendo DS

2005: Xbox 360

2006: PlayStation 3

2007: iPod Touch

2008: Nintendo Wii

2009: Zhu Zhu Pets

2010: iPad

2011: LeapPad Explorer

2012: Nintendo Wii U

2013: Teksta the Robotic Puppy

2014: Zoomer Dino

2015: "Star Wars" Remote Control BB-8

[spacechannel6]

POV: I show up at your door asking you to return the copy of Pokemon Ranger I let you borrow in 2006

[ranger-kellyn]

you know, i was laughing at my younger self earlier bc when playing pokemon ranger as a kid, i thought joel and aria were a couple. which is funny bc, now. i'm sorry but that's a lesbian and a gay man what are you even tALKING ABOUT LMAO -- but you know. comphet hindsight.

then i thought more about it, and was like...well, i mean. the game did come out in. what. 2006?? gee. i wonder why a lesbian and a gay man would be married in the year 2006. can't possibly imagine why a lesbian and a gay man would be married to each other in the year 2006. that's surely never happened before /sarcasm

[bunnywand]

that said, i feel like it was a lot harder to watch the pokemon movies after the 5th one here as a kid in the 2000s, bcos "jirachi, wish maker" had a delayed dvd release (2006, 3 years after the japanese release and 2 years after the us release) and seems to have been p rare, "destiny deoxys" didn't get released on dvd here until 2012, and "lucario and the mystery of mew" and "pokemon ranger and the temple of the sea" Still haven't been released on dvd here.. 😵‍💫

so unless you caught them on tv (if they were ever shown here?? idk??) or you or ur parents went out of your way to ~acquire~ them, they were p hard to come across.. whereas vhs copies of the first movie were like, omnipresent in my childhood 😭

[buster-loves-pr]

What fashion style would you guys any ranger?

Some ideas imo for Hunter since I feel like the show gave all the budget fashion wise to Blake☠️, thinking like baggy clothes and street wear(but likes some fancy stuff as well like suits but only on specific occasions)

(I got a secret. I basically dress up as a power ranger character- Simple T-shirt/sweater and sweatpants. Literally if I need a casual design drawing , I just bring a random series up and get inspiration from there but.. I’ll try)

Chip- I think he would wear a lot of graphic tees. Maybe Pokemon or whatever stuff was popular in 2006 and is magic related. I think he would wear short cargo pants and like, there’s just a bunch of stuff in each pocket. They’re comfortable enough where he can run around and do stuff without feeling restrained

Xander- I think the guy would wear a lot of collar shirts, maybe with a jacket of some sort to fit it. The guy tries to look fancy so the girls might find him hot and the jacket can have help him with some moves

..Yeah I got no idea on how to do outfits. I’m not really good with clothes with myself to be honest

Tbh I wanted to say something with Rose having like small parts of her interest on her outfit (since she wore like.. anime pins on her episode one outfit) but I really don’t know how to do a outfit with that.

[monadoboy16]

Old Tech Blog 2: Nintendo DS

Hello everyone, MonadoBoy16 here.

Time for another Old Tech Blog.  This blog will be about the second best-selling game system (as of writing this blog post) of all time and the best-selling handheld of all time.  The Nintendo DS.  Released in 2004.  This system was a childhood favorite of mine.  I remember getting the blue PHAT ds with Big Brain Academy.  What made this system special is its dual screen, which is nothing new for Nintendo, they did that concept back with the Game & Watch series with the Multi-Screen series.  The DS has a touchscreen and a stylus, which became a big selling point for the system, especially in the US with the infamous “Touching is Good!” slogan.  Speaking of which, DS not only stands for Dual-Screen, it also stands for Developers’ System, as Nintendo believed it gave game developers more innovative ways to develop games for the system.  That also resulted in lots of shovelware for the system.

The DS has two cartridge slots: one for the DS game cards and the other for GBA Backwards compatibility. The GBA cartridge slot is also used for some accessories like the Rumble Pak and the Guitar Hero On Tour Guitar Grip.  Because of the use of dual-cartridge slots, the DS is the first Nintendo handheld to have a menu, where you can select either the DS or GBA game depending on which is inserted.  The same menu is where you can use Pictochat, Download Play, or adjust settings (including an option to set the DS to Auto or Manual mode).  The big appeal of playing the DS is with the DS Games:  Some games require the stylus like The Pokemon Ranger Games, Kirby Canvas Curse, or WarioWare: Touched.  Others use it optionally like Tetris DS.  While Some rarely use the Stylus like Mario Kart DS or Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (In fact, the latter DOESN’T EVEN use the touch screen 99% of the time). The DS still had some big system sellers like New Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and The Mainline Pokemon Games.

I should rant a bit about New Super Mario Bros. for a bit.  While the first game, released in 2006, was creative and all (heck, it was the first 2D Mario title in like 14 years), the name New Super Mario Bros. became synonymous with the Toad-Infested, Candy-hill, cash-grabs starting with New Super Mario Bros. Wii in 2009 and it affected the entire Mario franchise (including spin-offs) until 2017 with Super Mario Odyssey (well, almost (Looking at you Paper Mario: The Origami King)) and a warning sign of this nostalgia pandering bullshit.

Anyway, rant over. Time to continue with this blog, in 2006 due to overwhelming demand, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, the most popular model of the DS family.  The DS Lite is smaller and lighter than the original phat DS, hence the “Lite” in “DS Lite”.  In addition, the system also has a proper brightness adjustment.  There is still the same GBA Cartridge slot (now being covered by a dust cover for convenience), and the stylus and power (the latter is now a slider) are now moved to the right of the system.  To compensate for the lite’s smaller size, the two screens are slightly larger.  However, there is one thing that the PHAT DS has over the DS Lite, and that’s the charging connector.  The original DS uses the same connector as the GBA SP, which was released a year before the DS, making them easier to find.  But, the DS Lite uses a proprietary charger, making it the only member of the DS family to use a proprietary charger due to the different connectors.  That was so stupid back then, but then again, since the DS Lite is the most popular model in the DS family, finding used DS Lite chargers is still considered easy.

In 2009 (2008 in Japan), Nintendo released an overhauled version of the DS called the Nintendo DSi. The “i” in DSi stands for “Individual” and not the cameras (making this the first Nintendo handheld to have such cameras built-in). Most likely due to the overhauled DS menu, aforementioned cameras, and Built-in Wifi.  With the DSi came the DSi Shop, where you can download games called DSiWare (until 2017), though, the free apps, Web Browser and Flipnote Studio, were later pre-installed. In addition, some DSi Models have DSiWare games pre-installed.  I remember my Metalic Blue Black Friday model having 5 pre-installed Mario Titles: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, WarioWare: Snapped, Dr. Mario: Express, Mario Calculator, and Mario Clock.  Those were the days.  However, the DSi removed the GBA cartridge slot, making accessories that require it useless.  The DSi also removed Auto Mode, but that makes a little more sense due to the fact that you can return to the DSi Menu at any time.  The next year after the DSi was released, Nintendo released the final model in the original DS family, the Nintendo DSi XL.  As the name suggests, it’s a larger version of the DSi with larger screens.  Other than the size of the system and also coming with a slightly larger stylus, it’s the same as the original DSi.  I should point out that there are a few DSi exclusive cards (colored white) and DSi enhanced games that take advantage of the DSi’s cameras and better wifi (at the cost of them being region-locked (unless if you’re playing the DSi Enhanced games on a DS or DS Lite)).  One thing I need to mention about both DSi models, is that they use the same charger as the 3DS family of systems, making them easier to find.

As for the accessories, we have that use the GBA cartridge slot like the Rumble Pack and the Guitar Hero On Tour controller, carrying cases from a simple handbag to a bowling ball bag under liscense from Brunswick, and even stylus that looks like a clickable ballpoint pen.  Carrying cases and collectable stylus’ can sometimes use licensed properties like SpongeBob and Star Wars.

The last DS game to ever be released on a game card was Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay.  Released as a tie-in to the Big Hero 6 movie by Disney.  Noticed that I said “game card” in the first sentence of this paragraph, because the last DSiWare game to be released was Crazy Train, released one year BEFORE the DSi Shop was discontinued.

As for collecting DS stuff, I recommend you pick up all 4 models of the DS family for collecting purposes or retro gaming.  However, it’s important to note that only the DS and DS Lite are the ones backwards compatible with GBA games for obvious reasons.  For DS games, only the NTR Cards are region-free and will work in all 4 models regardless of region.  However, the DSi Enhanced cards (TWI) are only region-free on the DS and DS Lite, while they’re region-locked on the DSi and DSi XL.  DSi Exclusive cards and DSiWare titles are also region-locked for obvious reasons.  For the accessories, while you can pick up some starter kits, collectable stylus’, or carrying cases.  I should point out that some accessories, like the rumble pack, will only work on the DS and DS Lite for obvious reasons.  And yes, the 3DS family of systems can play almost all of the DS games.

Off topic here, but did you notice the color of the phat DS I used in the top image.  Well, I actually had that color as a kid.  I regret accidentally breaking it though.

Well, that’s it for today’s Old Tech Blog.

[dotted-clouds]

I know people barely know of Pokemon Ranger (2006) but I wanted to do a little doodle fanart of my favorite Ranger Leader of Fall City

[lemonjelloarts]

Last chance for any of my Go-Rock Quads’ fans to catch a peek at the spot piece I made for Tiffany for @fireblastzine!!

Pre-orders close tomorrow, and the zine is jam packed with awesome arts, so I definitely would recommend checking it out! 🔥

[sewagewader]

Waterworks - Pokémon Ranger (2006) (EU 2007) Developer: HAL Laboratory and Creatures, Inc Publisher: Nintendo Found under Fall City, the player visits the waterworks during the game's third mission to clear out the Grimers that had been released into the sewers by the villainous Go-Rock Squad. The player may also have to capture other wild Pokémon to help them make their way through the tunnels and confront a Muk that acts as the mission's boss. The Waterworks' entrance can be found in the western section of Fall city near the Ranger Base.

[marinecorvid]

!!!!!!!!!!!!! GENU INE 2006 POKEMON RANGER STYLER !!!!!!!

[themattress]

Eras of a Franchise:

1996 - 1998: Generation I (1998 - 1999 US) - Pokemon: Red/Green is released in Japan early in 1996, and proves successful enough that an updated version, Blue, gets released by the end of the year alongside the first set of a Trading Card Game. In 1997, the anime adaptation begins airing and several manga series such as Pokemon Adventures begin serialization. In 1998, another updated version of the game based on the anime, Yellow, was released in Japan while the franchise finally made its way to the US with Red/Blue, which were actually the Japanese Red/Green remade with the Japanese Blue’s engine. The TCG, anime, manga and Yellow followed suit in both that year and the following year of 1999.

1999: Gen II Adjacent (2000 US) - Generation II ended up taking longer to develop than expected, and so we got a strange year (1999 in Japan, 2000 in the US) that wasn’t quite Gen I but wasn’t Gen II either.  It was a good time for spin-off games though, as we saw the releases of Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Pinball, Pokemon Puzzle League and Puzzle Challenge, and the Pokemon franchise’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros.

2000 - 2002: Generation II (2001 - 2003 US) - Mainline games of Gen II were Gold/Silver, released at the very end of 1999 in Japan and late 2000 in the US, and Crystal, an updated version released in 2000 in Japan and 2001 in the US. Spin-off games curiously dried up almost completely at this point, with Pokemon Stadium 2 being essentially the only one.

2003 - 2006: Generation III (2004 - 2007 US) - Mainline games of Gen III were Ruby/Sapphire, released at the very end of 2002 in Japan and early 2003 in the US, Gen I remakes FireRed/LeafGreen released across the world in 2004, and Emerald, an updated version of Ruby/Sapphire released in 2004 in Japan and 2005 in the US. Spin-off games returned with a vengeance, including Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Box RS, Pokemon Dash, Pokemon Trozei, Pokemon Channel, Pokemon Ranger, and the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games.

2006 - 2010: Generation IV (2007 - 2010 US) - Mainline games of Gen IV were Diamond/Pearl, released late 2006 in Japan and early 2007 in the US, Platinum, an updated version released in late 2008 in Japan and early 2009 in the US, and Gen II remakes HeartGold/SoulSilver released in late 2009 in Japan and early 2010 in the US. Spin-off games, as plentiful here as in Gen III, included Pokemon Battle Revolution, Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky, My Pokemon Ranch, Pokepark Wii, and Pokemon Rumble.

2010 - 2013: Generation V (2011 - 2013 US) - Mainline games of Gen V were Black/White, released late 2010 in Japan and early 2011 in the US, and sequels Black 2/White 2, released across the world in 2012. Spin-off games were less prevalent during this gen than the previous two and included Pokemon Conquest, Pokepark 2, Pokemon Rumble Blast and Rumble U, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, and Pokemon Dream Radar.

2013 - 2016: Generation VI - Starting with this gen, the mainline games began to launch worldwide simultaneously. They include X/Y in 2013 and Gen III remakes Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire in 2014 (a Z duology of X/Y updated versions was planned to be developed and released in 2015, but was scrapped). Spin-off games include Camp Pokemon, Pokemon Battle Trozei, Pokemon Shuffle, Pokemon Rumble World, Pokken Tournament, Pokemon Picross, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, and of course Pokemon GO, which actually brought Gen I level mainstream attention to the franchise again.

2016 - 2019: Generation VII - Mainline games of Gen VII were Sun/Moon in 2016, updated versions Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon in 2017, and new Gen I remakes Let’s GO! Pikachu/Eevee in 2018. Spin-off games include Pokken Tournament DX, Pokemon Talk, Pokemon Quest, Pokemon Rumble Rush, and Pokemon Masters, later upgraded as Pokemon Masters EX.

2019 - 2022: Generation VIII - Mainline games of Gen VIII were Sword/Shield in 2019 which underwent DLC expansions in 2020, Gen IV remakes Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl in 2021, and Legends: Arceus in 2022. Spin-off games included Pokemon Cafe, New Pokemon Snap, Pokemon UNITE, and a 3D remake of the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games.

[super-famicom-star-inactive]

Friday Special #14

March 19th, 2021

Hello friendos, and welcome back to another Friday Special!

So with the recent announcement of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl for the Nintendo Switch as well as Pokemon Legends: Arceus, for this episode, we’ll be taking a look into the original titles of Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum for the DS and how they forever changed the Pokemon world.

The year is 2004.

The Pokemon movie Destiny Deoxys was just released in Japan and it’s the newest Pokemon movie to be released at that time. The Pokemon anime would  still be in Gen 3 (Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald) for a few more years. 

The film features a new Pokemon that was never seen before: Munchlax, who was the first revealed Pokemon for the next Generation, Gen 4 (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Heartgold, and Soulsilver).

Munchlax wasn’t the only Pokemon teased before Gen 4′s release, however.

That following year in 2005, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew was released and it prominently featured several new Pokemon to the gaming public such as Lucario, Weavile, Mime Jr., and Bonsly. This now was five new Pokemon revealed to the gaming public. 

Then came 2006, the crunch year.

Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea was released and it introduced more new Pokemon in the forms of Mantyke, Buizel, Chatot and the Legendary Manaphy. Also revealed that year were the first of Gen 4 Legendaries Dialga and Palkia for the new games’ box art. 

In the end, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl were officially released in Japan on September 28, 2006, in North America on April 22, 2007, in Australia on June 21, 2007 and in Europe on June 27, 2007. Diamond and Pearl would also be the very first Pokemon games to be released in South Korea on Valentine’s Day in 2008, setting the precedent for future Pokemon games to be released in the region. 

Diamond and Pearl were the first Pokemon games not only to begin a new Generation but also on a brand-new console, the Nintendo DS. In order to capitalize on the new system of choice and its capabilities, Diamond and Pearl were the very first Pokemon games to utilize 2.5D graphics (the effect can best be seen in various objects like buildings and the train in the Great Marsh in Pastoria City). Speaking of sprites, new and never-before-seen trainer sprites were added as well to ever-growing list of types of trainers. The list of Pokemon expanded as well, thanks to the addition of 107 new Pokemon exclusive to the Sinnoh region. 

As the introduction goes for both games, you are greeted by Professor Rowan and you have the choice of either going as Lucas or Dawn, though the player does have the option to create their name for their chosen character. Their rival, Barry, also can be named by the player like in previous versions. 

The game starts with your character watching a broadcast about Johto’s Lake of Rage and its elusive Red Gyarados. You then meet up at Barry’s house, who is also your best friend in addition to being your rival, and the pair go off to Lake Verity to search for Legendary Pokemon. There, you are greeted by Professor Rowan once more along with his assistant and they accidentally leave behind their briefcase and before the pair can retrieve it and return it properly, they are attacked by two random Starly and the player has to pick one out of three Pokemon to fight them with and succeed. Once the battle is concluded, the assistant comes back to retrieve the suitcase, aware of the Pokemon being used and leaves the pair with their new chosen companions. Back home, the player’s mother gives them a pair of Running Shoes to traverse faster across the land and instructs them to meet with the Pokemon Professor in Sandgem Town. Upon arriving, Prof. Rowan bestows upon you the Pokedex, sending you on a quest to retrieve data for the Pokedex of every Pokemon in Sinnoh. 

Thus, the Adventure begins.

In the games, you face Battles, attain Gym Badges and work your way to defeating the Elite Four as well as the Pokemon League Champion. Along the way, you have to defeat Team Galactic, an evil organization who want to erase the entire universe in order to create a new, more perfect universe, and they need the power of the Legendaries in order to accomplish this massive and frightening goal. By defeating them, your home region of Sinnoh, and the universe at large, will be safe. 

Some of the features to make a comeback in a newer fashion was the day/night system first introduced in Gen 2 (Gold, Silver, and Crystal), Pokemon Contests from Gen 3 (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Leaf-Green and Fire-Red) and even a new battle system which allowed for a more versatile set of moves for a Pokemon but ran into trouble with older fans as the attacks were now labeled as either physical or special instead of just by type alone. 

The pair of games were met with commercial and critical success upon release with particular praise being given to the soundtrack, story, the inclusion of Wi-Fi, the voice chat function. Unfortunately, it landed criticism with the graphics with IGN being quoted as saying “everything still has that Game Boy look to it” (Which in retrospect made the games more appealing as they still appeared timeless without looking too dated). Famitsu gave it a 35 out of 40. 

With this massive success, there was a growing need to continue the Generation.

In response, Game Freak created Pokemon Platinum, an enhanced version of the Diamond and Pearl. 

Pokemon Platinum was released in Japan and Taiwan on September 13, 2008, in North America on March 22, 2009, in Australia on May 14, 2009, and in South Korea on July 2, 2009. Like its predecessors, it also received high praise, and was both commercially and critically successful.

There were a few notable differences between the original Diamond and Pearl versions and Platinum:

On the TV in Twinleaf Town, instead of a special about the Red Gyarados, the special instead talks about Prof. Rowan’s arrival back to Sinnoh from Kanto. 

The outfits of the main characters change to be more suited to a colder environment.

Instead of recovering a suitcase in the forest and fighting Starly, you meet up with Prof. Rowan and receive your Pokemon at that time. 

The sprites of important Trainers (like Gym Leaders or the Pokemon League) have their own individual animations like the Pokemon do.

Instead of facing either Dialga/Palkia depending on the version, your Legendary Battle will be with Giratina instead and it will be down in the Distortion World (more on that in a moment).

Platinum also expanded on previously introduced features such as:

Allowing up to 20 people at one time in the Wi-Fi Plaza (it was only a few people before)

Allowing your starter Pokemon to be admitted into Amity Square in Hearthrome City (in Diamond and Pearl, only a select number of “cute” Pokemon were considered)

Players can now challenge other Trainers in certain Pokemon Centers (first game in the mainline series to do this)

Faster animations with HM Moves such as Surf and during Battles

to name a few.

In regards to new Pokemon, 59 Pokemon were added to the Sinnoh Pokedex, rounding the number of entries to 210, including Legendary Pokemon. Legendary Pokemon like Shaymin were also added and other Pokemon like Rotom were enhanced either with new abilities or new forms. 

So about that Distortion World bit from earlier...

For those unfamiliar, the Distortion World is only available in Platinum and it was how the player fought Giratina. The Distortion World level in particular was considered impressive at the time for the Pokemon community as it utilized 2.5D graphics that almost looked 3D.

How did they do this?

They allowed the character to move up walls in order to complete the current level as there were multiple levels. 

Here is a video of the entire Distortion World walkthrough (the video is a little gritty as it was published way back in January of 2009 and it’s the original Japanese version):

At this time, this was considered insane for Pokemon in 2008/9 and it was one of Platinum’s biggest selling points. Although it may look a little dated with today’s newer titles, this the was bridge that connected GBA-styled graphics to more modern 3D ones. 

So with that, Generation 4 was well underway and these games, as well as the ones that followed by the names of Heartgold and Soulsilver (a topic for another time), are still remembered fondly by fans to this day. 

Thoughts From The Head

When I first got into Pokemon, I got into Pearl, making me a Gen 4 kid. I have very fond memories playing this game with my friends back in elementary school as they either had Pearl like I did or Diamond. When Platinum dropped, it was the hottest game to get on DS and I remember everyone and their mother clamoring to get a copy of it. I never did because I was broke at the time, so I wound up having enough to get a copy of Soulsilver, which I just rediscovered the Pokewalker (remember those?). 

I remember the Distortion World bit like it was yesterday. A friend of mine had gotten far enough in the game to get to that point and I remember all of us crowding around behind him and glued to the screen as he traversed into this strange, new world. 

We were blown away to say the least. 

We also utilized the crap out of those Action Replay devices (which I used to max out both the Sinnoh and the International Pokedexes as well as the inventory), making the Champion Fight with Cynthia almost a breeze with the maxed out Rare Candies we had to boost the levels to Level 100 for the entire party. Now a couple friends of mine had managed to even hack the Platinum game to not get the special event Pokemon like Shaymin and Arceus without the special event in question, they were even able to clone Pokemon as well as steal other Trainers’ Pokemon outright with no issues (still not sure how they pulled those off). 

Thanks to the announcements of the Gen 4 remasters and a mutual of mine playing Pokemon Diamond for a YouTube stream via Desmune emulator, I rediscovered my Pearl game and now I’m currently playing my second run! As of this post, I am about to take on Fantine of Hearthrome City so wish me luck!

Here’s the photos of my copy of Pearl!

I was in the process of leveling up my Chatot so she ain’t looking too good right now.

So do y’all think about all of this? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Thank you for reading!