News

News: Darkrai to be Distributed at Toys R Us

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:56:29 -0400

By Justin V.

The time has come! After many months of anxious anticipation and patient waiting, the legendary pokémon Darkrai will finally be available to the general public! On May 31st (Saturday) and June 1st (Sunday), every participating Toys R Us will be handing out "Inn Keys" that will help you unlock the highly desired Darkrai in-game. From Noon to 4 pm, Toys R Us will be handing out these "Inn Keys" in order to promote the release of the newest Pokémon DVD on May 27th: The Rise of Darkrai.

Darkrai is a purely Dark-Type pokémon that has a particularly high stats in Special Attack and Speed. His special ability is "Bad Dreams," constantly reduces a sleeping opponent's HP. This ability compliments his signature technique: "Dark Void", which has 80% accuracy (10% higher than Hypnosis), and automatically puts every opposing pokémon to sleep.

So, for all you virtuous non-hackers out there, you can finally get your hands on this master of nightmares!

Site Announcement: Route 5000

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:43:09 -0400

For the entire month of April, we would like to celebrate a milestone for The Pokémon Times. In the month of March the website was viewed by over 5000 people! A big thank you is in order for all of our readers/viewers/listeners, new and old. Thanks, also, to all of our staff members for creating the excellent content that makes this site great!

We’ll see you at 10,000.

News: Everyones Pokemon Ranch Channel Released in Japan

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 00:08:46 -0400

By Justin V.

Finally, Everyone's Pokémon Ranch has been released in Japan, and just like what happened with Brawl, numerous amounts of details have been leaked to the inquiring American audience.

Fortunately, it seems like Everyone's Pokémon Ranch has quite a bit more depth to it than what was initially expected. What was once thought of as a slightly updated version of Pokémon Box (a simple pokémon storage tool for the GameCube) has now been revealed to be a highly interactive experience with your stored pokémon!

As you start to fill in your ranch with your extra pokémon, they will begin to interact with each other from within the boundaries of the game. They'll start walking around, talking with each other and acting as if they lived in their own little world. You can also bring your own Mii's into the game and have them play with your pokémon as well.

Fortunately, you can save those little interactions through a picture-taking system. At anytime in the game, you can take pictures of the screen and save it onto an SD card. The SD card can then be accessed from the computer and saved as if it was a typical image file. Think of the possibilities!

Pokémon Ranch's most useful function is obviously the ability to store one's pokémon onto an easily-accessible database. Through wireless connectivity that was implemented in Pokémon Battle Revolution, any pokémon trainer can transfer up to 1000 (and possibly more) of their little friends from their Diamond and Pearl games directly into the ranch. Since the boxes in Diamond and Pearl can only store 540 extra pokémon, this software will be a valuable asset, especially to those who are heavily into breeding.

In the end, Everyone's Pokémon Ranch will cost about 1000 Wii Points, which is the equivalent of $10 U.S. Dollars. Though this game was released in Japan on the 25th of March, there is currently no release date for an American release.

Feature: Master Cheaters Never Prosper: An in Depth Look at Hacking Pokemon Games

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 12:33:22 -0400

By Jeremy Sheer

Imagine you are having a Pokémon battle. You throw out Dialga. Your opponent throws out a tyranitar. ‘This should be an easy win for me,’ you think. You command Dialga to use Roar of Time. However, the move only cuts Tyranitar’s HP down by 5. ‘What in the world?’ you think to yourself. Tyranitar is then is commanded to use Crunch - only this time, Crunch knocks out your Dialga in one shot. How can this be?

Welcome to the world of hacking! ‘Hacking,’ in the world of Pokémon, is to manipulate or change certain parts of the game by using third-party software like Action Replay, Gameshark, Pokesav, which are not endorsed by Nintendo.

Hacking in Pokémon has been around since the start of the series. But when Diamond and Pearl allowed players to battle and trade pokémon online, the new online features lost some of their appeal because of hacking. Many trainers believe hacking is fine. “You’re not hurting anybody,” they say. In reality, hacking can ruin the enjoyment and replay value of the game.
Many hackers also claim that if you use an ‘über’ pokémon, they will have a fit or stop playing the game. Übers are more legitimate than hacked pokémon, since they are endorsed by Nintendo, but the company will not allow them in tournaments. Hacking has left many fans frustrated because they are beaten easily when their opponent doesn’t deserve to win.

I think training without cheats and hard work is the true way to play Pokémon. If you need an item or you are a masterball short, this is where trading comes in. One of your friends or someone you know may have an extra item you want, so they can attach it to a pokémon they trade you.
What hackers don’t know is Nintendo has warrantees on their games and hardware. If you accidentally break or damage a game or console, there is a toll free number in the product’s instruction booklet you can call to get it replaced. However, If you use an illegal gaming device to manipulate your game or console in any way, which also includes taking it apart, this will void the product’s warranty and eliminate any chance of replacing it.

I myself have been cheated out of a victory by a hacked pokémon. I was using an alakazam with its speed maxed out at 372 (it took me forever to get it that high). I was battling a tyranitar, which has a max speed of 243 (if you use a choice scarf, it goes to 284). But the tyranitar was somehow faster than my alakazam and knocked it out with one shot using Crunch.

This leaves the hard working gamer at a huge disadvantage and takes much of the fun out of playing. If you really need something or really want to be a great trainer, my advice is to work hard or ask one of your fellow trainers for help by trading with you for items you want. Pokémon is supposed to be fun. When battling a hacker, you’re left with a sour taste in your mouth. Some do it because they want to be the best. Egos sometimes get in the way of playing the game, but it’s only a game. If you are really good enough, you can knock out an über with an attack it’s weak to. Telling people, “No übers,” and then hacking and winning leaves you at a loss. I think telling people, “I’m not good enough, so I need to take away all the challenge of the game,” is stupid. Since when was pokémon challenge-free? Games are supposed to be challenging and encourage players to work at getting better. Online games have admins who monitor servers and make sure they are hack free. Nintendo is slowly working toward this goal.

If you are hacker, make sure you are not using your hacked pokémon when battling a legit trainer. How would you feel if the A.I. trainers or gym leaders used hacked pokémon, making it impossible to beat the game? Pokémon trainers should play without using hacked pokémon so they are battling on equal ground. Otherwise, you’re not playing Pokémon, you’re being a cyber bully. You’re defeating the purpose of climbing your way to the title of “Pokémon Master.”

Poll: Myth Contest Results

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:20:32 -0400

Here are the final results for the myth contest!

Site Announcement: WTPT TV Updated

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 11:27:59 -0400

We’ve added to WTPT-TV. Go check it out!

WTPT-TV

Visit Jowy’s blog for even more info about the update.

Livro do Mestre

Poll: Which myth should win the contest?

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:12:30 -0400

Here are the three finalists for the myth contest as outlined on the podcast. The winner will receive their choice of either a French or German language first edition Charizard card. Please vote for your favorite!

“Wishmaker” by Cow-bell

A long time ago after spirit arose. So did feeling. With feeling arose desire. The three did not want to be bothered with desire so they created in their own design the wishmaker.

The wishmaker was soon put in to slumber because of desire. Desire could not be stopped by any thing. Thus arose invention...

“The Pokéball” by Miranda

The pokéball is a design made by
humans and pokémon to make balance
in the existence of the 2 beings

the red is a reminder that no blood should
shed because of the other being

the white stands for love and purity
and a reminder that pokémon should
care for humans and humans for pokémon

the line in the middle stands for balance
the balance of discipline and love.

“The Origin of Pokémon” by Shuaster

They were not always here.

When the human race was young and afraid, and the dominant race had four legs and weapons of claws and teeth; the humans dreaded the place away from their huts. They hunted in the day and the field and were the prey of the night and the forest.

They prayed for an ally and plead with the gods to send a friend among the beasts.

One season the stars answered, and one star fell in the day. Monsters of every sort fled the star on the ground. In every direction they went, they gathered with the humans and grew as friends. Each had love, and each had its power to free mankind.