Hands-On With Pokemon Diamond and Pearl

You've read about the first ten minutes of the game, have undoubtedly seen countless videos, and now it's time to get into the real meat of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Our weekend was filled with battles and adventure (after all, we want to be the very best, like no one ever was) and as we're now more than 15 hours into the DS sequel we've got plenty to share.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl follow the adventures of an unnamed soon-to-be champion (that's you) as he/she trek through the land of Sinnoh. It's a new world with new species, but for Pokemon veterans it's going to look very similar to any of the other locals from previous games. The goal is to capture as many pocket monsters as you can, raising them to do friendly-but-deadly battle with other Pokemon, and collect badges from Pokemon Gyms across the lands. Along the way you'll battle rivals, thwart the plans of the new "Team Galactic", and capture and raise your army of critters in hopes of becoming the greatest Pokemon master the world has ever seen. Epic, huh?

From the get-go, Diamond and Pearl play out very similar to their predecessors. You'll select a name for yourself and your rival, eventually select a starter Pokemon (through a crazy series of events this time), and be on your way through the world of Sinnoh. Per usual a player can carry up to six Pokemon with them as a team, and all other Pokemon captured will be blasted to a storage computer for later use. Any monster that battles gains experience, and can eventually learn new techniques and evolve into stronger Pokemon.

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