pokemon

.:.pokemon diamond and pearl.:.
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 new Pokémon 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 badges of merit, key to the advancement of the plot.

Diamond and Pearl begin in Twinleaf Town. After viewing a television report about a media-conducted search for a Red Gyarados spotted at a distant lake, the protagonist and his/her rival travel together to check the local lake for a Pokémon like it. They spot Professor Rowan, an expert in Pokémon evolution, and the protagonist’s second rival, who is the playable character not selected: Dawn (girl) or Lucas (boy). 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 the main antagonist, Team Galactic, although their motives are unclear. (However, as the player progresses through the game, it is made gradually more obvious that the leader, Cyrus, desires to end all life on the world so that he alone can form a more perfect, conflict-less place.) Team Galactic captures Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit, 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 Mt. Coronet 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 Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit to attempt to stop it. It is then that the player is able to engage in a battle (and has a chance to capture) with the version-appropriate legendary Pokémon.

Having completed this, and after meeting requirements set by the Elite Four, the player is able to contend with them, fighting its members and then the Pokémon League Champion, Cynthia.

As with all generations of Pokémon games to date, new species of Pokémon have been gradually introduced, bringing the total number of Pokémon to, as of Diamond and Pearl, 493 species.

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 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.

As in Pokémon Crystal and Emerald, opposing Pokémon each have a short animation (e.g., a Geodude will flex its arms, Golduck will jump around) when entering battle. New abilities, such as “Rivalry” and “Unaware”, have been added. Baby Pokémon in Diamond and Pearl, such as Clefairy’s pre-evolution Cleffa, can be found in the wild, whereas in previous generations attaining one usually required breeding.

The gameplay of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl is very similar to that of previous Pokémon role-playing games (RPGs), with several changes and additions.

In previous generations, Pokémon attacks were deemed "physical" or "special" based on their type (for example, all Fire type moves were special and all Ground type moves were physical). Starting with Diamond and Pearl, moves are now catergorized into three groups based on how they are executed. Examples of this include the move Fire Punch now being Physical, Gust being Special, and moves that do no damage are now in a new group called Status, or Other.

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 third generation, baked goods called Poffins 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 (Rotom can only be found at night, while Drifloon is only available on Fridays), 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, evening, night, and late 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 Cranidos and Shieldon. These Pokémon, as well as Spiritomb, 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 basement of all Pokémon Centers provides access to a list of a player's Friend list to engage in these activities.
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

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. This gives the games a total of 100 machines to learn moves from.

Piczo