Pokemon - A Brief History of a Global Cultural Phenomenon

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two decades, you must have already heard of the global phenomenon, Pokeman. Pokeman, a brand owned by Nintendo (the makers of Wii, and another famous video game brand - Mario), was launched in 1996. It was originally a set of role playing games for GameBoy, but soon morphed into an entire industry of video games, playing cards, collectibles, toys and other merchandize. Today, it is arguably one of the most recognizable brands in the world with followers in every country of every age group. From six year olds in Sweden to thirty somethings in Turkey, Pokeman is known and loved the world over.

The name Pokeman is derived from the Japanese 'Poketto Monsuta', which means "pocket monsters". Pocket monsters, of course, refers to the wide variety of 'monster' species that populate the Pokeman world. Originally, there were 649 such species and the list has been growing longer every year.

Pokeman is based around collecting, training and battling your own monster species. In this Universe, the trainer can collect monster species by using a specially designed ball called the 'Poke Ball'. Maybe you've even see this 'Poke Ball' - a red, white and black contraption that is a common sight around the world. Once collected, the monster species are trained and battled against each other. Each monster has special attacks and defenses, and winning a battle allows them to 'level up' to gain even more power.

Initially released as a role playing game, Pokeman soon evolved to include a very popular anime series. This series followed a trainer called Ash Ketchum collecting and battling monsters in a fictional world. Ash's first Pokeman is called 'Pikachu' - a furry, yellow creature that soon became the symbol of the Pokeman brand. Even today, most people associate Pokeman with Pikachu.

Besides anime, a number of full length feature films have also been made on the Pokeman Universe. A set of trading cards and manga comics further strengthened the brand's appeal. The cute, cuddly monsters appeal a lot to kids, who are the primary consumers of toys and merchandize related to this brand.

The popularity of Pokeman has been declining over the past few years. Nevertheless, many of the monsters - especially Pikachu - remain cultural icons throughout the world. In Japan, for instance, you can find everything from airplanes to theme parks dedicated to this brand.

Pokeman as a global phenomenon has left a significant impact on pop culture. It has been featured in everything from South Park and The Simpsons to VH1 and even a live action show ("Pokeman Live!") in the US. Despite controversies over the brand glorifying occult and violent themes, Pokeman continues to remain well loved throughout the world.

Read More

Cheat Codes for "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time" for the Action Replay

Go on a Pokemon adventure in "Pokeon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time." "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time" is a game for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi. In the game, Pokemon fans are taken on an adventure with secret missions, hidden items and opportunities to connect wirelessly with friends over the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Pokemon fans with Action Replay cartridges will find a number of cheat codes available for the game that they can download from the Codejunkies website. In total, there are over 1,000 cheat codes available for players to download. To use the cheat codes, you must know the game's unique identification code, which is "YFTE-ABF3F3F2."

Whether you want maximum money, maximum HP or a maximum belly, there are Action Replay cheat codes for "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time" that will increase your advantages in the game through maximum or infinite qualities. For max/infinite money, use cheat code "0229c120 3b9ac9ff." For max HP, use cheat code "9237211c f7ff0800 121acc54 000003e7 d2000000 00000000" and for max belly use cheat code, "9237211c f7ff0800121acd86 000003e7d2000000 00000000." Other cheat codes that give you maximum abilities include max IQ, max attack, max defense and max experience.

Before adding Action Replay codes for Pokemon hero modifiers to your Action Replay cartridge, it's important to ensure you have plenty of available memory on the cartridge; these codes can take up a significant amount of space. Some of these hero modifier codes include Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charmelon, Charizard, Squirtle, Wartorle, Blastoise, Caterpie, Metapod and Butterfree. Each of these heroes has a unique Action Replay code such as, "122ad6e8 0000000d," the code for Weedle, or "122ad6e8 00000010," the code for Pidgey.

If you want to change your Explorer Rank Code in "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon," there are two cheats for you to utilize. For the Quick Hyper Explorer rank, use the code, "322a2e38 00003a97 022a2e38 00003a97 d2000000 00000000." For the Instant MASTER Explorer Rank, use the code, "322a2e38 000156e0 022a2e38 000156e0 d2000000 00000000."

If you want to change your hero in the game, you can do so by activating the "Change Hero" cheat code. After you enter the code, "94000130 0000fdff 9229ab5c 0000ffe0 da000000 022ad6e8 d4000000 ffffffff d7000000 022ad6e8 d2000000 00000000 94000130 0000fdff 94000130 0000feff da000000 022ad6e8 d4000000 00000001 d7000000 022ad6e8 d2000000 00000000," press down either the "L" or "R" button on your controller for two seconds.

Photo Credit Jim McIsaac/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images Read Next:

Copyright © 1999-2011 Demand Media, Inc.
Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Ad Choices en-US

Read More

The Way To Enjoy Pokemon Games Online

Pokemon games online are in a rampage since its release over the internet. For all those who don't know, Pokemon became the next big thing since Nintendo's Mario games.It was Nintendo that released Pokemon as well and with these two great games under their wings, the company successfully continued its reign as one of the world's premier gaming giants.

Pokemon was initially created as a media franchise, not really a video game series. But since Nintendo is Nintendo, whatever they come out with will eventually find its way into the gaming market. Pokemon then became the primary game in Nintendo's Game Boy consoles. This game followed the evolution of such console from its first days when all it has was a black and white screen, all the way to the newer Nintendo DS.

Pokemon games online were not available immediately though. Several years have passed before the game got famous over the online gaming world. Online gamers belong to an entirely different league. They are the ones who surf and play - usually for hours - until they find the game that they would like to download and share. The discipline of online gamers is different. They are not like the conventional players who buy a game from a store and enjoy it through their consoles at home. The online gamers tend to try the game first and decide later if it is indeed one they want to play with for an extended period of time.

But no matter what your preferences are, whether you consider yourself a true internet gaming addict or a dedicated console player, there are Pokemon games online that would interest you. These games are created carefully to provide an answer to your gaming needs. Pokemon is the first-ever role playing game ever introduced to gaming fans. It practically set the platform to most of the RPG games that are very popular online. Online gamers should definitely pay their homage to the father of RPG's, which undoubtedly is Pokemon.

Play Pokemon games online to have a feel of what made it a huge craze back then. This game franchise is still popular right now, thanks to the tons of merchandise that hit the market since its release. Everybody is reminded of the cute little monsters that it features, which can be trained and molded into battle gears yet remain loving and caring like what a true pet should be.

Online Pokemon games use several of the 250 characters that the franchise introduced. However, the most popular one is Pickachu, which is the leading Pokemon and the primary pet of Ash, the game's main protagonist. If you would like to enjoy this game, just look for these two characters - Ash and Pickachu. Together, they can take you to the colorful world of pocket monsters which can be both enjoyable and intimidating at the same time.

Pickachu and Ash are all that you need to enjoy Pokemon games online. But of course, if you would like to play this game like a true aficionado, try catching all the 250 monsters with special Pokeballs and keep them all in your Pokedex.

Luciano Figallo - Developer, webmaster and owner of several entertainment sites including music, video and gaming. Do you want to play Pokemon games online? Then visit Play Pokemon and find the funniest Pokemon Games on the net.

Read More

How to Tell If a Pokemon Can Have a Perfect Stat

Let's start off with your Pokemon's IV. IV stands for individual value. It's a number chosen at random that affects what your Pokemon's stat can be at its best. An IV can be anywhere from 0-31. There is no way to change this IV, and there is no way to easily find out. However, I can give you some tips and tricks on how to find out if your Pokemon has a stat that can have an IV of 31.

Let's talk about its characteristic. When a Pokemon has a certain characteristic, it can tell you which of your Pokemon's stats has the highest IV and what its IV is. There are 30 characteristics, but only 6 of them mean that your Pokemon has a iV of 31. If your Pokemon's characteristic is Often dozes off, your Pokemon's highest stat is HP, and could possibly have an IV of 31. If your Pokemon's characteristic is Likes to thrash about its attack is its highest stat, and could possibly have an IV of 31. If your Pokemon's characteristic is Capable of taking hits, its defense is its highest stat, and could possibly have an IV of 31. If your Pokemon's characteristic is Alert to sounds, its speed is its highest stat, and could possibly have an IV of 31. If your Pokemon's characteristic is Mischievous, its special attack is its highest stat, and could possibly be 31. If your Pokemon's characteristic is Alert to sounds, its speed is its highest stat, and could possibly have an IV of 31. If your Pokemon's characteristic is Somewhat vain, its special defense is its highest stat, and could possibly have an IV of 31. This means that if your Pokemon's characteristic is anything but the characteristics mentioned in this article, you can instantly tell that none of its stats can possibly have an IV of 31.

Now about its nature. There are 25 natures in the game, 20 of which affect your Pokemon's stats. There are 4 natures that increase the attack stat of a Pokemon - Adamant, Brave, Lonely, and Naughty, and 4 that decrease it - Bold, Calm, Modest, and Timid. There are 4 natures that increase the defense stat of a Pokemon - Bold, Impish, Lax, and Relaxed, and 4 that decrease it - Gentle, Hasty, Lonely, and Mild. There are 4 natures that increase the speed stat of a Pokemon - Hasty, Jolly, Naive, and Timid, and 4 that decrease it - Brave, Quiet, Relaxed, and Sassy. There are 4 natures that increase the special attack stat of a Pokemon - Mild, Modest, Quiet, and Rash, and 4 that decrease it - Adamant, Careful, Impish, and Jolly. There are 4 natures that increase the special defense stat of a Pokemon - Calm, Careful, Gentle, and Sassy, and 4 that decrease it - Lax, Naive, Naughty, and Rash.

Now, let's wrap it up with EV's EV stands for Effort Value. You can get up to 255 effort points per stat and 510 total. However, since you get an EV for every 4 effort points, it would only make sense to get 252 effort points in a single stat. Different Pokemon give out different kinds of effort points when you beat them. Go to http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net and look up any Pokemon to find out more

In conclusion, there are many ways to find out if your Pokemon has a perfect stat. My way, however, should be the easiest.

Read More

Why Everybody Needs To Play Pokemon Games

Pokemon is a coined term for Pocket Monster. Video gaming giant Nintendo created it and it became a very successful franchise indeed, ranking next to their own Mario series. Pokemon was more of a media franchise than a game series though. But ever since Game Boy released Pokemon, role-playing video games were born. Pokemon games were indeed one of the firsts to introduce role playing games on consoles, until they penetrated the internet as they do today.

The game concept of Pokemon is very simple. A Pokemon is a monster on the wild and there are hundreds of them ready to be caught. Players can take care of them and make them their pets. These little monsters have special abilities. With proper caring and training, they would grow to be tamer, stronger, and ready for battle. In Pokemon games, players pit their pets against other trainers. The goal is to determine which trainer is the best. Teamwork is very essential to win tournaments.

If you love role playing games, then Pokemon games are perfect for you, especially the original one developed for Game Boy by Game Freak. Such games will take you to a surreal world where Pokemon can be caught on grasslands, mountains, caves, and similar areas. Go around the map and find rare monsters. It is also possible to catch young ones and make them evolve into a monster with immense skills and abilities.

But as stated earlier, Pokemon are not intended to be just a video game. There were plans for a TV series and eventually, several movie releases as well. Because of this, Pokemon merchandise is everywhere. And for that reason alone, everybody needs to be familiar with these cute little monsters. You can't understand Pokemon unless you play the game. Watching TV or the movies alone simply isn't enough to complete the whole gaming experience.

Pokemon has successfully penetrated the anime world. It is one of the premier manga games ever released in both the American and Japanese broadcast networks. Along with that, there are other print media created as well like books, magazines, and comics. Pokemon toys became very popular too.
Pokemon games are very successful and the proof of that are the 200 million copies sold all over the world. From its humble beginnings as a regular Nintendo Game Boy game, newer versions were created to support Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo Wii.

Aside from all of these reasons, everybody who got interested with Pokemon would be even more intrigued to know that there are at least 251 monsters to catch through a Pokeball and collect via the Pokedex. So if you want to know a Pickachu from a Rattata, be sure to get your hands full with Pokemon games. It is a game that you would definitely enjoy. In fact, you would find it hard stop yourself from completing all of your trainer adventures. The internet is so full of Pokemon games so in case you're interested in having a feel of the concept of this game, go online and start playing.

Luciano Figallo - Developer, webmaster and owner of several entertainment sites including music, video and gaming.
Do you want to play Pokemon games online? Then visit Play Pokemon and find the funniest Pokemon Games on the net.

Read More

How to Get a Lugia Using Cheats in "Pokemon Platinum"

Since Lugia isn't available wild in "Pokemon Platinum," catching one without cheats is impossible. To get one without cheating, you either need to trade or to transfer one from a third generation title such as "Pokemon Emerald" or "LeafGreen." Since transferring isn't possible on the DSi or 3DS, getting Lugia is just that much harder for many players. If you don't have anyone to trade with, use an Action Replay device to catch the legendary Pokemon.

Read More

Walkthroughs for "Pokemon XD" to Purify Shadow Lugia

In the game "Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness," you hear your enemy whispering about XD001, a very powerful experimental Pokemon that's also known as Shadow Lugia. Your foes, Team Cipher, capture Pokemon and seal their hearts to make shadow Pokemon. You purify most regular shadow Pokemon using one of several methods, but Team Cipher says there is no way to purify Shadow Lugia. Despite their claim, you can purify Shadow Lugia using Professor Kane's purification center.

Read More