Pokemon Diamond & Pearl Versions (Nintendo DS)
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl Versions (Nintendo DS)

 

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Pokemon Diamond
ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド
Pokemon Diamond BoxPokemon Pearl
ポケットモンスター パール
Pokemon Pearl Box Art
General information
 Platform  Nintendo DS
 Developed by  Game Freak
 Published by  Nintendo
 Players
 1-4
 Generation  Generation IV
 New Pokemon  107
 New Moves  113
 New Abilities  47
 Predecessor(s)  Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire
 Successor(s)  Pokemon Platinum
 Release dates
  Australia  June 21st, 2007
  Europe  July 27th, 2007
  Japan  September 28th, 2006
  United States  April 22nd, 2007
Quick menu: Story / Official Description / Gameplay Features / Interaction with other titles / Pokemon / The Sinnoh Region / Team Galactic / Gym Leaders / Elite Four / Videos / Trivia / Sales / Review Scores / Media & Artwork / Other Articles & Guides

Pokemon Diamond title screenPokemon Diamond and Pearl are the core series Pokémon titles that kicked off Generation IV. The games take place in the mountainous setting of the Sinnoh region and along with 107 new Pokémon, 47 new abilities and 113 new moves also introduces a rather major overhaul of the battle system amongst its changes and new features.

The Legendary Pokémon Mascots for Diamond and Pearl are: Dialgo for Diamond and Palkia for Pearl. This is another instance of the first letter of the Legendary mascot Pokémon's name start with the first letter of it's games title. X and Y is another example of this.

Diamond and Pearl were released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on September 28th, 2006, the USA on April 22nd, 2007 then in Australia on June 21st, 2007 and finally in Europe on July 27th, 2007. They would be later followed up by sister-title Pokémon Platinum around 2 years later, although this is not a direct sequel.

Plot / Story

The game starts with the player watching a newscast about the sighting of a red Gyarados in Johto's Lake of Rage. The player then makes their way to best friend Barry's house and continues to Lake Verity with him to search for a Legendary Pokémon. As they arrive, they see that Professor Rowan and his assistant (Lucas or Dawn, depending if the player is male or female) are there discussing the professor's work and that he is searching for something in the lake. As soon as the duo notice the player, they rush off, leaving behind a briefcase. Barry approaches the briefcase and is startled when two wild Starly suddenly start to attack. Barry and the player then open the briefcase which contains three Pokémon; they must quickly decide what to do if they are going to fight off the attacking Pokémon. Dawn

The player picks a Pokémon from the briefcase and Barry takes one (he takes one that has a type advantage over whatever you choose actually, as he is already at this point plotting to become your rival later on in the game!). Together they face down the attacking Starly's. As the battle ends, the professor's assistant will appear for a brief moment and comment that the Pokémon have been used before leaving with the briefcase.

Barry and the player then return to Twinleaf Town; upon arriving, the player's mother gives him or her a pair of Running Shoes before the player leaves for Sandgem Town. The player then meets with Professor Rowan in Sangdem Town, there the professor gives the player the Pokémon they chose at the lake and a Pokédex. The player then leaves, ready to explore Sinnoh and defeat Gym Leaders in order to advance the plot further, as well as challenging the Elite Four and maybe even becoming the Champion of Sinnoh.

Throughout the course of the game, there are many encounters with the evil Team Galactic and its leader Cyrus. When the power of Dialga or Palkia is summoned by Cyrus, you will see that this power will begin to overwhelm Sinnoh. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf appear and negate the power flow, meaning the player is then forced into a battle with the Legendary Pokémon.

When the player eventually defeats with Elite Four, there will be further activities open to the player. These will mainly consist of the capturing of Pokémon that have been previously been unavailable. There will be additional features including the Poké Radar, exploration of previous places that have not been accessible such as the Fight, Survival, as well as Resort Areas and the quality of the battle skills demonstrated in the Battle Tower.

Anime Season's which loosely tie in with Diamond and Pearl (in terms of locations, NPCs such as gym leaders and Pokémon)
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Season 10 Logo Pokemon Battle Dimension Season 11 Logo Pokemon Galactic Battles Season 12 Logo Pokemon Sinnoh League Victors Season 13 Logo


Official Description

Welcome to the next generation of Pokémon!
As a rookie Pokémon Trainer, you will need to catch, train and battle Pokémon on your journey to become the Pokémon League Champion. You will face many challenges along the way, as you search for the Pokémon that rules time or space in Pokémon Diamond Version or Pokémon Pearl Version.

Discover more than 100 new Pokémon in the Sinnoh region!
Meet goals and earn the ability to import Pokémon from your GBA versions!
Battle and trade with your friends around the world using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection!
Watch as day turns to night with the return of the real-time clock feature!

Gameplay and Features

Within Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, the game follows a similar gameplay pattern to older games like Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, with the player's goal reaching the top and catching all the Pokémon. These games though showcase quite new features and revive others.

  • The Night And Day System: This feature that was once present in the second generation of Pokémon games, makes its return, with smoother and more accurate shifts that affect the gameplay and the Pokémon spawns heavily.
  • New Battle System: The games also spotlight new battle mechanics, where some skills are completely changed from special to physical. Hyper Beam which is a Normal-Type move which should make it automatically a physical attack, is now shifted into a special move while still being a Normal-Type attack. Although this feature is highly controversial, it still added a lot of versatility to the Pokémon attacks, making some Pokémon more useful and way stronger than they ever were.
  • Internet Connectivity : As the Nintendo DS has a Wi-Fi system, it allows the games to connect to the internet. This unlocks several options for the player, like chatting with other players online, battling them or even trading Pokémon through the Global Trade System (GTS) where a player puts a Pokémon Online for trade and will receive a trade request if someone finds and wants that Pokémon.
  • Super Contests: The Pokémon Contests that were once featured in the third generation games are now called Super Contests with changed mechanics. The contests now follow three rounds. The first round is the Dressing Round, where the player has to dress their selected Pokémon according to a certain theme with different apparel and accessories, within a time limit. The second round is the Dance Round, where the Pokémon selected by the player has to mimic the dance moves of the lead dancer or try to make moves hard to mimic if they are the lead dancer. The third round is the Appeal Round, which is similar to the contests in the third generation games, where Pokémon will use their moves to appeal to the judges. This round now features three judges instead of one, and four appeal tries instead of five. If the player's Pokémon is the only one to appeal to a certain judge, this will earn them extra points.
  • Breeding System changes: The breeding system changed slightly in the Diamond and Pearl versions as the Pokémon hatching from the eggs will now have a level of 1 instead of 5. The games also re-use few breeding mechanics that were only present in Pokémon Emerald. If the player attaches Everstone to the female bred Pokémon, they will increase the chance of passing one of the parents Natures to the egg. Moreover, having a Pokémon with the Flame Body Ability or the Magma Armor Ability on the team with an egg, will lower the number of required steps to hatch it.

Interaction with other titles

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl both offer very versatile connectivity options, as they can be linked to titles from the fourth and the third generations. The games can also connect to the Nintendo Wii console few of its games like My Pokémon Ranch and Pokémon Battle Revolution.

Fourth Generation Connectivity: Through the Nintendo DS internal wireless connections, the games can be linked to each other, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold, Pokémon SoulSilver and the Pokémon Ranger series. This allows the trade of Pokémon in between these versions, along with the items equipped to them.

Third Generation Connectivity: It is one of the features Pokémon Players always waited for, as this allows them to transfer their Pokémon from the older generations of the game into these ones, using the Pal Park. It is important to know though, that the trade goes only one way, as the Pokémon can only be transferred from the third generations to the fourth, and not the opposite.

Can I catch them all?

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl feature a total of 493 Pokémon, with 107 new ones that appear for the first time in Pokémon games. Quite a few of these Pokémon are game exclusive while there are certain ones that can only be obtained through unique ways, including the Swarm Pokémon and Mansion Pokémon.

Game Exclusive Pokémon: These Pokémon are either in Pokémon Diamond or in Pokémon Pearl.

Pokémon exclusive to the Diamond version
86Seel 87Dewgong 261Poochyena 262Mightyena
123Scyther 198Murkrow 304Aron 305Lairon
212Scizor 246Larvitar 306Aggron 352Kecleon
247Pupitar 248Tyranitar 408Cranidos 409Rampardos
430Honchkrow 434Stunky 435Skuntank 483Dialga

Pokémon exclusive to the Pearl version
79Slowpoke 80Slowbro 365Walrein 371Bagon
127Pinsir 199Slowking 372Shelgon 373Salamence
200Misdreavus 228Houndour 410Shieldon 411Bastiodon
229Houndoom 234Stantler 429Mismagius 431Glameow
363Spheal 364Sealeo 432Purugly 484Palkia

Swarm Pokémon: If the player visits their rival's house and talk to their sister, she will inform them of certain Pokémon swarming a specific area. A different Pokémon appears each day, and these Pokémon can only obtained in the game, through this manner.

 Swarm Pokémon Area Swarm Pokémon Area
16Pidgey Route 229 225Delibird Route 216
81Magnemite Fuego Ironworks 231Phanpy Route 207
83Farfetch'd Route 221 238Smoochum Lake Acuity
84Doduo Route 201 263Zigzagoon Route 202
96Drowzee Route 215 283Surskit Lake Verity
98Krabby Route 226 287Slakoth Eterna Forest
100Voltorb Route 218 296Makuhita Route 225
104Cubone Route 203 299Nosepass Route 206
108Lickitung Lake Valor 300Skitty Route 222
177Natu Route 224 309Electrike Valley Windworks
206Dunsparce Route 208 325Spoink Route 214
209Snubbull Route 209 327Spinda Route 227
220Swinub Route 220 359Absol Route 213
222Corsola Route 230 374Beldum Route 228

Mansion Pokémon
: There is a special mansion in route 212 with tall grass in its backyard, there the player can encounter Pichu, Pikachu, Kricketune, Mukubird and Roselia. If the player talks to the man in the right room of the mansion, he'll leave. If the player leaves and re-enters the mansion, the man will be there and will tell the player that a special Pokémon is inhabiting the location today. If they search the grass, they will encounter one of the special mansion Pokémon. These Pokémon have low encounter rate and will change every day. The player up can find up to two special Pokémon, one being the special Pokémon of that day, and the other being the special Pokémon of the day before.

Mansion Pokémon
35Clefairy 39Jigglypuff 183Marill 298Azurill
52Meowth 113Chansey 311Plusle 312Minun
133Eevee 137Porygon 351Castform 438Bonsly
173Cleffa 174Igglypuff 439Mime Jr. 440Happiny

Pokémon obtained through In-Game trade: These Pokémon are obtained in exchange of certain Pokémon. They have unique names and will hold either berries or an item.

 Pokémon obtained Pokémon required in exchange Trade Location
441Chatot 418Buizel Eterna CIty
129Magikarp 456Finneon Route 226
63Abra 66Machop Oseburgh City
93Haunter 308Medicham Snowpoint City


Region / Setting

The games take place in the Sinnoh region, which is located north of Johto, Kanto and Hoenn. It is a mountainous region with most of its routes being on land ones. The Sinnoh region is stated to be the first one to be ever created and is associated to the legend of the creation of the world and its Pokémon. Legends tell that within the deep nothingness that once filled the world, a special Pokémon Egg appeared from in the void. From the Egg hatched Arceus, the first of all Pokémon. The powerful Arceus then created Palkia, Dialga and Giratina and gave them the power to control respectively, space, time and dimensions. Giratina was very violent and was banished for that reason. Then, Arceus created Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie representing respectively Emotion, Willpower and Knowledge.

After that, Arceus created the Sinnoh region and split it into two sections with Mt. Coronet. During this split, Stark Mountain formed and Heatran appeared beneath its volcanic depth. Finally, Arceus created the three legendary orbs (Griseous, Adamant and Lustrous orbs) and went into an eternal sleep within the Hall of Origin. Similarly to Arceus, Mew came to being by itself later on, and within its DNA, it had the essence of all Pokémon to ever exist.

A map of the Sinnoh Region from the Pokémon Platinum Official Artwork
A map of the Sinnoh Region from the Pokémon Platinum Official Artwork


It is said that the Sinnoh region is also the birth place of human civilization, which started flourishing from there and spreading on the other regions that started forming. The region has many famous and important locations, some of which are related to its legendary Pokémon. The Spear Pillar is linked to the trio of creation Dialga, Palkia and Giratina and is said to be their birthplace, also the path to the Hall of Origin, where Arceus slumbers. There are also the three legendary lakes, Lake Acuity, Lake Valor and Lake Verity supposedly inhabited by three spirit Pokémon respectively, Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit.

Team Galactic

Team Galactic GruntsTeam Galactic is the evil criminal organization that bases itself in the Sinnoh region, it doesn't simply aim to control the Pokémon world like Team Magma, Team Aqua or Team Rocket, as they aim to completely re-create the universe itself according to their own rules. Their mad motives are issued from the Team Galactic Leader, Cyrus whose hunger for power is unmatched. To realize their goal, they seek to awaken and use the legendary Pokémon that control time and space, Dialga and Palkia. The high executives in Team Galactic are named after objects within the solar system and they are as follows : Saturn, Mars and Jupiter.

It will become part of the players task to keep these guys in check and prevent and mitigate their evildoings as much as possible as they adventure through Sinnoh.


Gym Leaders

The eight gym leaders of the Sinnoh region. Stronger than average trainers who each specialise in certain types of Pokémon, you'll have to defeat all of them to obtain enough badges to take on the Elite Four in the Pokémon League.

 Roark Oreburgh Gym: Roark
A specialist in Rock type Pokemon, and a name that sounds vaguely like Rock. He likes to be known as Roark the Rock. He is the son of Byron, the Gym Leader from Canalave City, and his grandfather is the Underground man. His team consists of: Geodude (Level 12) a rock/ground type, Onix (Level 12) a rock/ground type, and Cranidos (Level 14) a pure rock type.

Defeat Roark in order to obtain the Coal Badge and TM76 (Stealth Rock), the ability to use Rock Smash outside of battle will also be unlocked at this point.

"Welcome! This is the Oreburgh Pokémon Gym! I'm Roark, the Gym Leader! I'm but one Trainer who decided to walk proudly with Rock-type Pokémon! As the Gym Leader, I need to see your potential as a Trainer. And, I'll need to see the toughness of the Pokémon that battle with you!"

Gardenia Eterna Gym: Gardenia
Gardenia's area of strength lies in the training of Grass type Pokemon. Defeat her to earn the Forest Badge, TM86 (Grass Knot) and unlock the ability to use Cut outside of battle. Gardenia loves being outdoors and spends most of her time exploring Eterna Forest when she's not training/battling at her Gym, locals know her as the "Master of Vivid Plant Pokémon". Gardenia requires that the player beats all of her students in the gym before they can challenge her. Her team is made up of: Cherubi (Level 19) a pure grass type, Turtwig (Level 19) a pure grass type and a Roserade (Level 22) a grass/poison type.

"You kept me waiting! I'm Eterna's Gym Leader, Gardenia, the Grass-type master! When I first saw you, I was convinced you'd find your way to me. My hunch was right on the money. You have a winning aura about you. So, anyway, this will be fun. Let's have our battle!"

Maylene Veilstone Gym: Maylene
Maylene is a martial master and trainer of fighting type Pokemon, she is known by locals as "The Barefoot, Fighting Genius!". Maylene's father is an unnamed gentlemen who likes to frequent The Game Corner. Although visually appearing as a cute little girl, Maylene is well respected amongst the residents of Veilstone City for her prowess in battle. Her team consists of: Meditite (Level 27) a fighting/psychic type, Machoke (Level 27) a pure fighting type and Lucario (Level 30) a fighting/steel type.

If you can defeat Maylene you'll get a Cobble Badge and TM60 (Drain Punch) for your efforts. You'll also unlock the ability to use Fly outside of battle.

"Hello. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Maylene, and I'm the Gym Leader. I don't really know what it means to be strong, or how I got to be the Gym Leader. But I will do the best I can as the Gym Leader. I take battling very seriously. Whenever you're ready!"

Crasher Wake Pastoria Gym: Crasher Wake
Crasher is an avid trainer of Water Type Pokemon, and is known locally as "The Torrential Masked Master!". His team consists of: Gyarados (Level 27) a flying/water type, Quagsire (Level 27) a ground/water type and Floatzel (Level 30) a pure water type. Defeat Crasher to earn his Fen Badge.

If you can withstand the watery strength of Crasher and his team you will earn yourself a Fen Badge and TM55 (Brine). You'll also unlock the ability to use Defog outside of battle.

"Welcome! I don't get challenged very often! The glory you are now beholding is the Pastoria Gym Leader! That's right, I'm Crasher Wake! My Pokémon were toughened up by stormy white waters! They'll take everything you can throw at them and then pull you under! Victory will be ours! Come on, let's get it done!"

Fantina Hearthome Gym: Fantina
In the eerie setting of the Hearthhome Gym you will face Fantina and her team of Ghost type Pokemon. She is known as "The Alluring, Soulful Dancer!" and it's said she's from lands very far away; not just a different region from Sinnoh, but from another country entirely. When she first arrived in Sinnoh she was a contest performer, dressing up in fancy outfits and dancing. She considers herself a Contest Expert infact. Her team consists of: Drifblim (Level 32) a ghost/flying type, Gengar (Level 34) a ghost/poison type and Mismagius (Level 36) a pure ghost type.

Hold your nerve against Fantina and her ghost types in order to obtain the Relic Badge and TM65 (Shadow Claw). The ability to use Surf outside of battle will also be unlocked.

"Ohohoho!! Finally, you have arrived! Since I came to this country, always I try to learn new things. They hold Contests in this city? I say to myself, enfin, I will excel. That is why I dress this way. C'est une performance! Also, I study Pokémon very much. I have come to be Gym Leader. And, uh, so it shall be that you challenge me. But I shall win. That is what a Gym Leader does, non?"


Byron Canalave Gym: Byron
Byron wields the formidable strength of Steel type Pokemon.Byron is the father of Roark, the Oreburgh Gym Leader, and he is the son of the Underground Man. Some call Byron the "The Man with the Steel Body!" a title owed to his chiselled physique. His team consists of: Bronzor (Level 36) a steel/psychic type, Steelix (Level 36) a steel/ground type and Bastiodon (Level 39) a rock/steel type.

If you can break the steely resolve of Byron he will reward you with the Mine Badge and TM91 (Flash Cannon). You will also unlock the ability to use Strength outside of battle.

"Ah! That's Oreburgh's Gym Badge! I see, I see! You've defeated my son. But that's no surprise. He still has much to learn. In place of my son Roark, I, Byron, will take your challenge!"
Candice Snowpoint Gym: Candice
In the blizzards of Snowpoint City, lies the Snowpoint gym led by Candice, a strong trainer of Ice type Pokemon. Candice prides herself on being extremely focused in whatever she does, be that Pokémon battles, her fashion sense or even romance. Candice breaks the stereotype of the mannerisms one would expect from an ice type gym leader, she is fairly warm and friendly where an ice type leader may be expected to be cold and distant. Her team consists of: Snover (Level 38) a grass/ice type, Sneasel (Level 38) a dark/ice type, Medicham (Level 40) who interestingly isn't an ice type but a Fighting/Psychic - bit of a curveball there, and finally Abomasnow (Level 42) a grass/ice type.


Beat Candice and she will yield the Icicle Badge and TM72 (Avalanche). After beating her you'll also be able to use Rock Climb outside of battle.

"You want to challenge Candice? Sure thing! I was waiting for someone tough! But I should tell you, I'm tough because I know how to focus. Pokémon, fashion, romance... It's all about focus! I'll show you just what I mean. Get ready to lose!"

Volkner Sunyshore Gym: Volkner
Volkner is the leader of the 8th and final gym of the Diamond and Pearl Games. He is the strongest gym leader in Sinnoh, and well aware of it; however Volkner's love for Pokémon Battles has faded somewhat by the time the player gets to challenge him - and it sounds as though thats mostly because he hasn't had any challengers good enough to make him break a sweat. He is known by some as "The Shining, Shocking Star". Although he is a specialist in Electric Type Pokemon, his team isn't quite as stereotypically electric as you might think. Here's what he's got: Raichu (Level 46) a pure electric type, Ambipom (Level 47) a normal type, Octillery (Level 48) a water type - presumably included to counter ground/rock attackers against his electric mons and finally Luxray (Level 49) another pure Electric type.

If you can overcome the force of Volkners interesting selection of mon's you'll gain a Beacon Badge and TM57 (Charge Beam). You'll also unlock the ability to use Waterfall outside of battle.

"...All right, challenger. It's not often, but some Trainers manage to come and challenge me. But they've all been boring battles. I didn't break a sweat beating them. ...Sigh... I'm Volkner, the Gym Leader. They say I'm the top Gym Leader in Sinnoh, but... Anyway, I guess we'd better get this done. I hope you're the Trainer who'll make me remember how fun it is to battle!"


Elite Four & The Champion


Elite Four Aaron, master of bugs The first member of the elite four you will face in Sinnoh is Aaron, the Bug type Master. His team consists of Dustox (Level 53) a bug/poison type, Beautifly (Level 53) a bug/flying type, Heracross (Level 54) a bug/fighting type, Vespiquen (Level 54) a bug/flying type and finally Drapion (Level 57) a poison/dark type.

"Hello! Welcome to the Pokémon League! I'm Aaron of the Elite Four. It's good to meet you. Oh, I should explain, I'm a huge fan of bug Pokémon. Bug Pokémon are nasty-mean, and yet they're beautiful, too... Would you like to know why I take on challengers here, in this room? It's because I want to become perfect, just like my bug Pokémon! Ok! Let me take you on!"
Elite Four Bertha, master of ground types Once you've burned out the bugs, you will reach Bertha, the second member of Sinnoh's elite four and master of the Ground type. Her lineup is: Quagsire (Level 55) a water/ground type, Whiscash (Level 55) a water/ground type, Golem (Level 56) a rock/ground type, Sudowoodo (Level 57) a pure rock type that includes absolutely no wood and Hippowdon (Level 59) a pure ground type.

"Well, well. You're quite the adorable Trainer, but you've also got a spine. Ahaha! I'm Bertha. I have a preference for Ground-type Pokémon. Well, would you show this old lady how much you've learned?"
Elite Four Flint, master of fire Flint awaits in the third chamber, a fire type master with more of a mixed team than you'd think. His lineup is: Rapidash (Level 58) a pure fire type, Steelix (Level 57) a steel/ground type, Lopunny (Level 57) a normal type, Drifblim (Level 58) a ghost/flying type and finally Infernape (Level 61) a Fighting/Fire type. So only 2 of his mons are actually fire? But that Infernape alone should show why he burns so brightly in the Elite Four.

"Yo Trainer! You had me counting the days on my fingers waiting for you to come. I heard from Volkner what you did in Sunyshore. You managed to light a fire in that guy's heart again. How could you not expect me to look forward to seeing you in battle?
Elite Four Lucian, master of psychic types Lucian is the final member of the Sinnoh Elite Four. He is a master of the Psychic type. His lineup is: Mr. Mime (Level 59) a psychic/fairy type, Girafarig (Level 59) a normal/psychic type, Medicham (Level 60) a fighting/psychic type, Alakazam (Level 60) a pure psychic type and Bronzong (Level 63) a steel/psychic type.

"Ah, you timed your arrival well. I've just finished reading a book, you see. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lucian. I am a user of the Psychic type. I must say, you've already proven yourself to be outstanding by coming this far. They say I am the toughest of the Elite Four. I'm afraid I will have to go all out against you to live up to that reputation."
Cynthia, The Champion of Sinnoh The Champion!
If you managed to defeat each consecutive member of the Elite Four one final challenge lies ahead before you take the crown of League Champion. And the current champion is a familiar face... Cynthia, a jack of all trades, master of none - or arguably master of quite a few. Her strong balanced team consists of: Spiritomb (Level 61) a ghost/dark type, Gastrodon (Level 60) a water/ground type, Roserade (Level 60) a grass/poison type, Milotic (Level 63) a pure water type, Lucario (Level 63) a fighting/steel type and finally Garchomp (Level 66) a dragon/ground type.

"Have you been keeping well? Thank you for Mt. Coronet. I'm truly grateful. Together, you and your Pokémon overcame all the challenges you faced, however difficult. It means that you've triumphed over any personal weaknesses, too. The power you learned... I can feel it emanating from you. But that's enough talk. Let's get on with why you're here. As the Pokémon League Champion, I accept your challenge!"


Videos

Check out these Pokemon Diamond and Pearl videos including TV Commercials for the games, and toys plus one explaining voice trading + the intro video for Diamond.

All the unused music from Pokemon Diamond and Pearls data files. This music never made it to the final release versions of the games for varying reasons.

A Japanese TV Commercial for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Toys.

A UK TV Commercial about Voice Trading in Diamond and Pearl.

A U.S TV Commercial for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl

The Intro Video for Pokemon Diamond

Trivia

  • Diamond and Pearl produced a number of firsts for the series:-
- They are the first tiles where your rivals starter Pokémon isn't level 5 when you first battle it.
- The games Pokémon Professor is not based out of a lab in the same hometown as the player
- All three of the games starter Pokémon gain a second type through evolution
- Before you are able to save a new game you must first erase all the saved data.
- Pokémon evolutions which could only previously occur via trading can be directly caught in the wild.

  • Sinnoh's Elite Four sometimes deviate from their specialisations when they battle you, sending out Pokémon of types that they don't specialise in. Pokémon Platinum would later "fix" all but one instance of this, that remaining occurence being when Aaron uses a Drapion (Poison/Dark) even though he's a bug specialist.
  • The international releases of Diamond and Pearl are the first core series titles to properly capitalize the nouns rather than just having them all in caps. For the first time GREAT BALL would become Great Ball and so on. Pokémon names however remained in capitals.
  • Diamond and Pearl feature the best connectivity and compatability with other Pokémon titles in the series to date. They can connect to all the Gen III, IV and V games as well als the Pokemon Ranger titles and even Pokémon Battle Revolution and My Pokémon Ranch!Registeel Not very nazi salute sprite
  • Lopunny is based on Playboy Bunny's or the "Bunny Girls" of Japanese Adult Media.
  • When the player is on Meister's Island, if they trade their Finneon they could potentially end up stranded there if they have no other Pokémon capable of transporting them. It'd be like the Pokémon version of Cast Away.
  • When you fight Barry on route 203 he'll say "Don't get cocky, kid! This isn't over yet!". This is a Han Solo quote from Star Wars, he says it to Luke Skywalker (he definitely says "Don't get cocky, kid" anyway!)
  • In non-English European releases of Diamond and Pearl, Registeel's sprite was changed because the way it holds its left arm supposedly looked a bit like a Nazi gesture (I don't see it myself, see the sprite to the right and judge for yourself). This change was carried over to HGSS versions.
  • Remember in the original versions of the games + Pokémon Yellow the thirsty guard who you had to bring a drink in order to gain access to Saffron City? Well theres another thirsty guard in Diamond and Pearl, this time on 218 in one of the little outpost buildings. Don't go to too much effort to get this guy a drink, as it'll gain you access to nothing!
  • Load up your Diamond and Pearl games on January the 12th of any year and fly to Snowpoint City. Instead of the standard blizzard/snowstorm there will be a rain of glittery diamond snow. This date is the game director's birthday (Junichi Masuda from GameFreak).

  • There were 9 items intended to be accessible in Diamond and Pearl that didn't quite make it to the final cuts. Some were replaced by updated versions, some were simply scrapped and some can be obtained if specific criteria are met or in certain situations:-
- Boat Ticket: A ticket for the SS AnneSS AnneThe S.S Anne
- Cherish Ball: It's basically just a standard Pokéball. Pokémon you get from official events usually come in these.
- Contest Pass: These grant the player entry to Pokémon contests.
- Magma Rock: This mystical item can maintain the volcanic activity of the Stark Mountain's
- Park Ball: This ball gives a guaranteed catch for Pal-Park transferred Pokemon. (Can only be obtained but only in Pal Park)
- Red Chain: This mythical item was forged by the Legendary Trio of Sinnoh in order to awaken Dialga and or Palkia.
- Rule Book: This is a user guide for online trading
- Seal Sack: A sack that holds a max of 10 seals
- Treasure Sack: A sack used for holding treasures you get Underground


Sales Figures

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl are the top selling titles for the Nintendo DS, selling a total of 17.67 million units and netting over 762 million USD worth of revenue. D&P outsold the popular remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver by approximately 5 million units overall.
DialgaDialga, Legendary Pokemon of Time & Mascot of Diamond
Diamond and Pearl took Japan by storm, claiming the best Japanese first week sales of any Pokémon title, as well as best first week sales of any Nintendo DS title, it took only 46 days following release for 3 million units of the games to be sold across Japan. By the end of 2006 Diamond and Pearl had broken the 5 million sales mark in Japan, in just 3 months! As a result Diamond and Pearl remain the best selling Pokémon games ever in Japan.

In the United States there were more than half a million pre-orders for Diamond and Pearl (533,000 to be precise), this was nearly 4x that of the pre-orders that FireRed and LeafGreen recieved, and dwarfed the preorders of HGSS even further. Within 5 days of the U.S release more than a million copies had been sold, this made them the fastest selling Pokémon games ever in the U.S prior to the release of Platinum which would knock them off their perch a year or two later. Diamond and Pearl were the 7th best selling videogames in the United States in 2007, moving over 4.27 million copies in total. The U.S sales stats were again measured at the beginning of 2009 and at that point over 5.3 million sales had been recorded.

The final sales stats for Diamond and Pearl were recorded on the 15th of October, 2013 at 17.67 million units, outselling Ruby and Sapphire by around a million copies, and outselling LeafGreen and FireRed by around 6 million.

Review Scores

Diamond and Pearl were recieved similarly well to FireRed and LeafGreen - Ruby & Sapphire, scoring higher than those predecessor titles by a very slim margin. The best score the titles got was 92% from ONM (Official Nintendo Magazine) UK, heres what other major review sites and sources scored them:-

Palkia, Legendary Pokemon of Space & Mascot of PearlPalkia, Legendary Pokemon of Space & Mascot of Pearl.

Media & Artwork

Official Artwork Gallery from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl - A gallery featuring many of the Pokemon and chraracters from the game
Official Artwork Gallery from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl - A gallery featuring characters, items and supporting artwork
Box Art from Pokemon Diamond including numerous regional variations + editions
Box Art from Pokemon Pearl including numerous regional variations + editions
Screenshots from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl

Other Diamond & Pearl Articles

Finding Feebas: A Guide to Catching and Training Feebas
Honey Tree and Munchlax Guide

 

 

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