January - July 2002

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Pokemon Festa 2002 at Japan (and 2 New Pokemon)! – 07/25/02 In Japan, Nintendo have already started their “Pokemon Festa”, like a festival, but of course, with a Pokemon twist. This huge event in Japan begins on July 20, and ends in August 11. There will be 5 festival days, at 5 different locations in Japan. The main focus of the Pokemon Festa, is the highly anticipated Pokemon game for the Gameboy Advance, Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire. There will be areas set up, where people can actually play the game. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire will be released in Japan November 21 of this year. So what else is there to do at the Pokemon Festa? Well, a TCG tournament is held, areas you can play the TCG or Gameboy games for fun, meet other people to trade and such, game stations, live stage plays, and even a movie theater will be set up. Quite a huge event, really shows how strong Pokemon is still doing in Japan. Also, two new Pokemon were announced at the Pokemon Festa, one of them is a grayish dog (Japanese name is Pochena), and the other is bluish bird (Japanese name is Subame). Here’s a list of the places the Pokemon Festa will be visiting: -Sopparo, at Everytime Theater, July 20 -Tokyo, at Tokyo Big Site, July 27 -Nagoya, at Port Messe, July 31 -Osaka, at Textile Osaka Complex, August 3 -Kitakyushu, at Western Exhibition Hall, August 11 Newest Season of Pokemon! – 07/16/02 A new season of Pokemon was announced and a picture gives a quick glimpse of what we can expect, but it won’t make it to the US anytime soon. This new season seems to relate to the game Ruby/Sapphire, the professor in the game and this new season are the same. The newest season of Pokemon will feature a lot of the Pokemon beyond 251. In the picture, you see Ash, and by his side are Brock and the female trainer from Ruby/Sapphire. Which raises the question, where’s Misty? We’ll see what happens. Above the three trainers are three Pokemon, that are most likely the new three starting Pokemon, from appearance, it seems that the first one is a fire type Pokemon, then a grass type, and the third one is a water type. Also, the new professor can be found in the picture on the right, and a young boy on the left, maybe a “side kick” of the professor or some sort, that’s my guess. Notice the change of outfits for both Ash and Brock. The next season of Pokemon is scheduled for this fall here in the US, it’s called “Pokemon: Master Quest.” It will feature 52 new episodes. So this new season will be right after Pokemon: Master Quest... New Pokemon & Screenshots! - 07/15/02 New Pokemon pictures and screen shots for the Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire game has been released. Three new Pokemon currently have official Japanese names, however, no English names has been given to them yet. Their Japanese names are Pelipper (looks like a pelican), Samehader (looks like a shark), and Kinococo (looks like a mushroom). The new eight screen shots released show many different aspects of the game we haven’t seen before yet. There are two screen shots of two cities, one looks like an old fashioned city while the other looks like it’s near the beach. Also shown is the new three Pokemon in battles scenes, as well as two on two battle scenes. Some things we already know is that there will be 100 new Pokemon, two versions which are Ruby/Sapphire, and there will be two on two battles, which we don’t exactly how that will work out yet. As always, if any new information comes along, you’ll be sure to hear about it here in the news... Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire! – 07/14/02 No more rumors, it’s done. The Pokemon 5th movie was released over the weekend in Japan, along with that movie, new information about the new Pokemon games were announced, the names for the Pokemon games for GBA are finally revealed. Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire is the next Pokemon games coming. Although already announced a November release in Japan, a more exact release date was released: November 21st in Japan. Also newly announced, is the new feature of two on two Pokemon battles that means using two Pokemon at once. Not many details on how that will work out yet. Just to recap on what we already know, the game will feature 100 new Pokemon which brings a grand total of 351 Pokemon, and obviously improved graphics on GBA. The game is scheduled to be released in the US, May 2003. So there you go, Ruby/Sapphire, you’ll be sure to hear about any updates about Ruby/Sapphire here in the news... New Latios & Latias Themed GBA in Japan! - 07/10/02 A Latios and Latias themed GBA will be released on July 13 in Japan. The release celebrates the 5th Pokemon movie, which is also making its debut in Japan July 13. The price is 8,800 yen, which is about 73 dollars. The 5th Pokemon movie features Latios and Latias, both legendary Pokemon. The release for the 5th Pokemon movie has not been officially announced yet for the US, however, the 4th Pokemon movie (titled “Pokemon 4Ever”), will makes it’s debut in the US in October 11, 2002. Pokemon 4Ever will feature Celebi and Suicune... Pokemon TCG World Championship! - 06/29/02 There is now more information about the upcoming Pokemon Trading Card Game World Championship Tournament. This event is really special, only players around the world that have received an invitation can participate in the tournament. To earn an invitation, players must have placed really high in other TCG tournaments that has been going on. However, even if you don’t have a invitation, everyone is welcomed to go there anyways, as there are many other things going as other than the tournament itself. This event will take place on August 3rd and 4th of this year. It is being held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center Hall 4C (take the escalators up to the 4th floor) 800 Convention Place, Seattle, WA. For complete details on this event, click here: [Wizards of the Coast] Pokemon 4Ever Movie! - 06/29/02 The fourth Pokemon movie, titled “Pokemon 4Ever”, is scheduled to be released on October 11, 2002. The movie will feature Celebi and Suicune, and of course, Ash and the others are back at it again. No surprise, it has been confirmed that a Celebi promo card will be given out to people who go to see the movie. This will be the first Pokemon movie not released by Warner Bros, the company that released the previous movies. Miramax is the company in charge for this movie, and that company is also expected to release the 5th movie as well in the future. The release for the 4th movie has been delayed for quite a while now, from a possible December 2001 release to early 2002, and now finally it’s set at October 11 of this year. The delay is probably due to the change of companies from Warner Bros to Miramax. Anyways, be sure to catch Pokemon 4Ever... Two New Screen Shots for Pokemon GBA Game! - 06/20/02 That’s right, more screen shots of the Pokemon Gameboy Advance game. The newest released screen shots show the male trainer in a battle with a hiker, and another with the female trainer in a battle with a girl. The Pokemon game for GBA will be released in Japan in November of this year. While the release for the game in the USA is scheduled for May 2003. The game will obviously feature better graphics on GBA, along with 100 new Pokemon, which makes a grand total of 351 Pokemon. In the beginning, Nintendo had hoped to release the games simultaneously in both Japan and the USA, but that’s not the case anymore. The first Pokemon beyond 251 to make its first debut in the TV series will be Kecleon, the chameleon looking Pokemon. The episode featuring Kecleon is expected to be aired sometime during July... More Screen Shots For Pokemon GBA Game! - 06/02/02 More screen shots of the Pokemon game for Gameboy Advance has been released. The new pictures include some battling scenes and some pictures of surrounding environments. The Pokemon game for Gameboy Advance does not have an official name yet. The game will be released in two versions, like they did in the past with Red/Blue and Gold/Silver. With Red/Blue, Yellow soon came afterwards. With Gold/Silver, Crystal soon came afterwards. Although there hasn’t been any info of any game that will be released after the two versions for Gameboy Advance, it seems likely that a “special follow up version”, like Yellow and Crystal, will follow. Anyways, back to the story, the Pokemon game for GBA is scheduled to be released in the USA in May 2003. The game will feature 100 new Pokemon, making total of 351 Pokemon. Be sure to check back for any updates... New Pokemon Names Officially Announced at E3! - 05/24/02 What is E3 you say? E3 is known as Electronic Entertainment Expo (three E’s, so E3). The E3 location is at Los Angeles, California. This huge event, arguably the most important event in the electronic entertainment industry, is not open to the public. This is a gathering of developers, retailers, investors, media, etc. Basically, companies such as Nintendo and Sony show off their products, also a good time to announce many important things such as release dates. Nintendo didn’t waste anytime, as they went ahead to release the names of some new Pokemon that will appear in the Pokemon game for Gameboy Advance. The game is scheduled to be released on May 2003. Here’s the list of the officially announced Pokemon names by Nintendo: -Kecleon: Looks like a lizard. -Azurill: The baby form of Marrill. -Wailmer: Looks like a whale. -Volbeat: Looks like a beetle and ladybug combined. -Wynaut: The baby form of Woobuffet. Great Deal on GBA and Crystal! - 05/19/02 If you have been planning to get either Gameboy Advance or Pokemon Crystal, or even both, this is the best time to make your move. The Pokemon Center store at New York City is now selling Gameboy Advance and Pokemon Crystal all for just $70. This is a good bargain, since the Gameboy Advance system sells for about $70 itself. Basically, you’re getting the Pokemon Crystal game for free. Can’t get to the Pokemon Center store at New York City? Your other option is to buy it from their online store at: “www.pokemoncenter.com”. There are some other options to add on to this deal, you can add an extra $10 to get a brown zippered carry case for your GBA, or add $6 for a clear zippered carry case. Catch this good deal while you still can... TCG World Championships in Seattle! - 05/19/02 The Pokemon trading card game World Championships tournament is back again. Wizards of the Coast announced that the World Championships for the Pokemon trading card game will be held at Seattle, Washington, on August 3rd and 4th. The tournament will last through both days at Seattle. The main tournament will feature the best players around the globe. The main tournament is invitation only, meaning you must get an invitation from Wizards of the Coast to participate in the main tournament. What does that mean? If you participate in the tournaments before, you should be familiar with the DCI ranking, which basically ranks you with other players. Only the top people from DCI rankings will be invited to the tournament. So, if you have been keeping up with tournaments and been doing well, here’s your award for a job well done. The cost of the trip and accommodations is all paid for, to the people invited along with a guardian. You don’t have to worry if you’re not invited, everyone is welcomed to the event, as there are also many other things going on other than the main even, the World Championships. There will be areas set up so people can play the TCG game and the Gameboy games. For more information about the World Championships, go to: “www.wizards.com/pokemon”. If you’re invited or you live near Seattle, get ready for the World Championships in August 3rd and 4th... New Trading Card Game Set: Legendary Collection! - 05/19/02 The newest Pokemon trading card game set is almost here. The Legendary Collection set will feature cards from the first four sets that started it all, which includes Base, Jungle, Fossil, and Rocket. The release date is set for the last week of May, so expect the release to be sometime May 27 to May 31. Since some stores decide to release it on their own decision, to much of Wizards of the Coast disapproval, the release varies from store to store. One card that is in the Legendary Collection, is obviously the infamous Charizard card from the Base set. Some other notables include Alakazam, Articuno, Venusaur, Dark Blastoise, Dark Raichu, Machamp, and more. And of course, the ever so common Bill and Potion trainer cards are back again in this set. Look for the Legendary Collection at a retailer near you late this month... Pokemon Game for GBA in May 2003! - 05/05/02 The expected release date for the Pokemon game for Gameboy Advance for the United States was late 2002 to early 2003, but it looks like it won’t be this year or anytime soon. Nintendo has pushed back the game to a later release date than expected, to early May 2003, which is a year from now. Hopefully, it won’t be pushed back ever further, as May 2003 is still a long way to go. Although it is a disappointment to many fans, many still don’t mind. With the release of Nintendo’s Gamecube and Gameboy Advance, it’s no surprise that some fans are short on cash currently. The Gameboy Advance system now sells for $70, which is about a $10 decrease since it was released. Most GBA games sell for $25 to $30. Well, sit back and relax, because the game won’t come until May 2003. A more closer date for a Pokemon release is the Pokemon 4th movie, which will be in theaters October of this year… Say Hello To Kecleon! - 04/22/02 A new Pokemon episode was aired in Canada, and for the first time, a Pokemon beyond 251 has an official English name. Canada is a bit ahead of airing the new episodes than in the US. The episode including the new Pokemon, Kecleon, is expected to in the US shortly. Kecleon is featured in the 4th Pokemon movie short, along with Rururi and Hoeruko (Japanese names). This trio of new Pokemon beyond 251 was the first to been confirmed as Pokemon beyond 251. The three Pokemon is widely known as the “Three New Pokemon.” The 4th movie is scheduled to be released theaters in October of this year... New Pokemon Game for GameCube! - 04/22/02 A Pokemon game for GameCube is coming soon. The game titled “Pichu Bros: Party Panic”, is scheduled to be released in the US late this year. There is hardly any info on what kind of game it will be. Nintendo has not released any information concerning the game, only that it does exist, and will be coming soon. Some suspect that it might be a Mario Party type game, as the title hints. The most recent Pokemon or Pokemon related game for the GameCube system is Super Smash Bros Melee, featuring yet again Pikachu and Jigglypuff, with Mewtwo and Pichu joining in the staff of characters. Though little is known about Pichu Bros: Party Panic, more Nintendo is expected to release more information about the game during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, which is during the month of May. Be sure to check the news here for any updates… More New Pokemon Advance Screen Shots! – 04/15/02 The well known Japanese magazine, Coro Coro, featured some new never before seen screen shots for the upcoming Pokemon game for Gameboy Advance. It was not long ago 3 screen shots were released. For the first time, screen shots of the game in battles are seen. The battle scenes haven’t changed much, but it is different. Another screen shot shows fog inside caves, which is a nice add on. A glimpse is caught of the buildings and some character themselves, definitely improved in terms graphics. The game will again have the feature of choosing a male or female trainer, like Crystal version. The Pokemon game for Gameboy Advance is planned to be released in Japan late this year or early 2003. Nintendo is trying their best to push a US release on the same time, or something really close to the release to that of the Japan release. The game is expected to do well both in Japan and US… Miramax Acquires Rights to Pokemon Movies! – 04/06/02 Stop the guessing game whether the next Pokemon movies will be in theaters or video or when it’s going to come out. Miramax has come to save the day. Miramax, a company owned by Walt Disney Co., completed a deal with Pokemon USA Inc. to acquire the distribution rights to the next two Pokemon movies, which is the 4th and 5th Pokemon movies. Warner Bros distributed the last 3 movies, and was bidding for the next ones also. However, Miramax was the one that came out the doors with the rights to two Pokemon movies. Miramax might come out to be one of the best things that ever happened to Pokemon. Warner Bros marketed the Pokemon movies horribly, very rarely, would you see a commercial on TV for the Pokemon movies back then. Some fans didn’t even know about the Pokemon movie release, especially the second and third movie, until a week after the release. It was definitely a clear and obvious mistake on Warner Bros part, and Miramax has promised to do better to improve that, “We'll come up with a bolder, smarter marketing campaign," said Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, “For us, this is a big fish and a valuable brand.” The movie features Celebi, as well as Ash and others in this adventure. The movie, titled “Pokemon 4”, will be in coming to theaters sometime in October of this year… Pokemon for Gameboy Advance Still in the Works! - 4/05/02 Although the some screen shots for the upcoming Pokemon game for the Gameboy Advance system has been released, it should be reminded that the game is still in the making. The final product has yet to be finished, with the months to come, the screen shots of the game might be different than the final product. The game it set to be released late 2002 or early 2003, for Japan, and possibly the US. There is no doubt that the game will be released in the US, but the question is when. Nintendo has said it’s still too early to predict when the game will make it to the US. However, they are trying their best to push out the Pokemon game for GBA in Japan and US at the same time or something close to that. An official name for the Pokemon game for GBA has not been given yet, most refer it to as “Pokemon Advance”. So we are still awaiting the final product, as well as the official name for the game… Fake Screen Shots Rumors Proven Wrong! - 03/30/02 Some of you may have catched a rumor flying around saying the recent release of the new Pokemon Advanced game screen shots may have been fakes. Well, I can assure you, that they are not fakes. After seeing the Japanese Gamefreak (the head company of the Pokemon games) site with the new Pokemon Advanced screen shot, there was only one picture, but that’s enough to prove the screen shots are real. The other part of the rumor was that the three screen shots that was released by a Japanese magazine/website, was being sued by Nintendo. I have not yet found any reliable sources confirming that. However, it is possible that Japanese magazine sneaked out the pictures somehow from Gamefreak. It doesn’t quite make sense to release screen shots of such high significance other than the official sites. So that’s what been happening, the picture you see here in this news is from Gamefreak, a much more high quality picture with the Gamefreak stamp. Bottom line, the Pokemon Advanced screen shots are proven real by Gamefreak… The First Screen Shots of Pokemon Advanced! - 03/20/02 Although the Pokemon game for Nintendo’s Gameboy Advance isn’t expected to be released until late 2002 or 2003, we are getting a bit of insight of what we’re going to get. Nintendo released three screen shots of their Pokemon game still in early production stages. In the three screen shots, some new effects are clearly in sight. Such as the reflection in a puddle of water, footprints walking over sand, and casting shadows. Although these are nice new elements, much haven’t changed in the game, especially the scenery hasn’t changed much. Battles scenes are yet to be shown to the public, most of which are concerned if the battle scenes will even change at all. “I just hope they make the battle scenes a bit livelier than to Gold/Silver/Crystal. I want battles to be similar to that of Pokemon Stadium,” said Nick, a Pokemon fan. Pokemon Stadium’s very lively battles contributed to Pokemon Stadium success for the best selling game for the year 2000. Nintendo states that Pokemon Advanced is still in “early stages of development.” Lets hope they can make yet another great game to the Pokemon series… Two New Pokemon Introduced In 5th Movie Short! – 3/20/02 The Pokemon 5th Movie will feature two new legendary Pokemon, and maybe even more Pokemon, but the mini-movie before the main movie will introduce their own new Pokemon as well. The Pokemon 5th Movie short will debut two new Pokemon that will be beyond 251. So far, we have learned that Latiosu and Latiasu (Japanese names), they are the legendary birds and stars of the Pokemon 5th Movie. Sonano has already been confirmed as a pre-evolution of Wobbuffet. Recently, the movie poster has been made public. The two other new Pokemon in the Pokemon 5th Movie short has confirmed Japanese names: Balbeet, a grass type, and Yomawaru, a dark type. No official English names for these Pokemon yet. The Pokemon 5th Movie is scheduled to be released in Japan on July 13, 2002. A town erupts into chaos after a priceless jewel that keeps the town in harmony is stolen. Floods and panic destroys a town in which the people used to live in peace. Ash and friends will once again be caught in a very difficult situation. There is no official release date for it in the US, as we are still waiting for the 4th Movie… A Chance to Have Your Snorlax on a Real Card! – 03/02/02 Calling all artists, here’s your chance to have your Snorlax be on a real Pokemon Trading Card. The card will be released as a Promo card at Pokemon TCG Leagues. To enter the contest, you must be a member of the TCG League (free membership). Pick up a contest application, that has all the rules and details. All entries must be postmarked before Martch 21, 2002. In Japan, similar contests like this has been around for a while. If I remember correctly, this will be the first ever American fan made Pokemon card. For more details about the contest, go to a TCG League store near you or go to Wizards of the Coast’s Pokemon website at: http://www.wizards.com/pokemon. Good luck to everybody that are participating in the contest… Pokemon TCG League Coming Back to Toysrus? – 03/02/02 As many may know already, there are what is called Pokemon Trading Card Game League that is set up all across the country. These leagues, set up in stores such as Toysrus and other retailers, offer players to meet other fans to play, play tournaments, free promo cards, etc. Membership is free. In an effort to increase the big toy retailer’s popularity again, Toysrus has been remodeling all their stores. Even built a huge Toysrus in New York. The huge store is comparable to that of FAO Schwarz, and that’s what Toysrus intends to do. Their goal is to imitate the success of FAO Schwarz, offering toys for guests to try out, make the store more interactive, a fun environment, exclusive products, and friendly sales people. Due to the major project, it was unfortunate that many Toysrus had to halt the TCG League. Toyrus has said that any of their stores that want to have a League, can do so. This is a smart idea, because it fits nicely to their “interactive” plan. Whether there the Leagues in Toysrus will increase has yet to been proved, lets hope that after all the remodeling, most Toysrus will once again sponsor the Pokemon TCG League… "Pokemon: Master Quest", and Neo Destiny! – 02/23/02 With the unquestionable success of Pokemon, KidsWB picked up the 5th season of Pokemon. The “Pokemon: Master Quest” will feature 52 new episodes, and will start airing Fall 2002. Ash will continue on his journey, meeting new friends, facing tough challenges, and encountering more Pokemon. In other news, Neo Destiny has finally been released. Two theme decks will also be available, Light Theme and Dark Theme. The new Neo Destiny will without a doubt create more strategic plots, and creative decks. A new version of Pokemon, Light version (Light is not a Pokemon type, it is a version, for example: Dark version Pokemon in the Team Rocket set), will be featured for the first time. Light version Pokemon are more conservative in battle, healing and other aids play a big role for Light version Pokemon… Pokemon 3rd Movie the Last of It's Kind? - 02/16/02 4Kids Entertainment, who owns the rights to Pokemon, held a news conference and has announced they will distribute the Pokemon 4th and 5th movie on their own. Warner Bros have distributed the last 3 Pokemon movies, including the recently released movie, Mewtwo Returns on DVD/VHS (the movie went straight to video in Japan also). 4Kids is considering some options, one of them includes skipping theater release and go directly to video, and the other option is air the movies on television, both the old movies and yet to be released movies. It seems unlikely they will release on it video, as they are probably not capable of handling it right now since they just started their own video distribution company. This may be bad news for some, or good news. Seems like Pokemon the 3rd Movie will be last Pokemon movie in theaters. But make no doubt that the 4th and 5th will make it here in America, in video or aired on television. Well, this answers the question why Warner Bros have been slow on the 4th movie. Let’s hope 4Kids will make up the time lost by releasing the already delayed movie soon… Pokemon TCG Set Neo Destiny To Be Released! – 2/10/02 Neo Destiny will be released on February 15, 2002. Just another new Pokemon TCG set? Not quite. The Neo Destiny expansion will offer 105 cards total. What makes this set different from other sets is that it these cards will offer new strategic ideas that weren’t possible with the current cards. A new version of Pokemon cards are introduced, “Light” Pokemon, as well as “Dark” Pokemon (first introduced in the Team Rocket Set). Light Pokemon have healing abilities and some helpful powers. Also, a new type of energy card is newly introduced in this set, the Miracle Energy card, which allows players to double the powers of their Pokemon. Neo Destiny will offer two preconstructed decks, Light theme and Dark theme. With the new Pokemon version and energy card, it will surely create new strategies… Details of the 5th Pokemon Movie Released! – 01/30/02 Not that we are all over the old news of the announcement of 350 Pokemon (yea right, 350 Pokemon, yay!), lets talk about the 5th Movie, which was the main focus of the press conference. The 5th Movie will star two new legendary birds. One is colored blue, and other colored red. Based on how it looks, it’s not an elemental bird like Articuno, Zapdos, or Moltres. It resembles more like Lugia, but with a more futuristic look (ok, maybe that’s not helping describing how it looks like). Anyways, the two Pokemon are siblings, the blue one, Japanese name is Latiosu, is the older brother. And the red one, Japanese name is Latiasu, is the younger sister. These two Pokemon are the protectors of this town. A one of a kind jewel, translated from Japanese to english literally means “teardrop of the hear”, keeps the town in harmony free from floods. When the “teardrop of the heart” is tampered with (probably stolen), all chaos breaks out. And that’s where we get left off. The mini movie before the film will feature, ofcourse, Pikachu. Also, the two Pichus will be in it, and the debut of the pre-evolution of Wobbuffet, named Sonano (Japanese name). Here in the states, we’re still waiting for the 4th movie. Get that thing out soon! It was suppose to be released sometime December 2001. Now its scaled back to Spring or even Summer of 2002… Its Official, forget 251, its 350 Pokemon Now! - 01/30/02 Ever wondered if there would be more than 251 Pokemon? Why not? Lets add another 100 to that, better yet, make it official. In the press conference at Japan for the Pokemon 5th Movie, surprisingly, details of the new Pokemon movie did not make the headlines of the conference, the news that stole the show was the announcement of a Pokemon game for Gameboy Advance that will feature 350 Pokemon (Possibly, again, possibly, 351 later, if one of those “special” Pokemon is yet to be added, example: Mew 150 then 151 and Celebi 250 then 251). By the way, the game is set to be released near the end of the year of 2002. The 5th Movie will without a doubt will feature some great new Pokemon never before seen, including 2 new Legendary Birds that looks like Lugia, and a pre-evolution of Wobbuffet. More about the movie itself in the next news… Pokemon 5th Movie Press Conference Date Nears - 01/26/02 A news conference concerning the Pokemon 5th movie will be held at Japan, January 30, 2002. Many questions will be asked, and hopefully, will be answered. In previous press Pokemon movie press conferences, attracting stages were set up where voice actors and producers of the movie would talk about the movie, as well as answering questions from the media. The last press conference in Japan was for the 4th Pokemon movie. In which the stage’s background had an enormous picture of the movie poster. With many exotic plants to fit into the theme of the movie. Many questions have surfaced on whether there are more new Pokemon coming our way, the answer is yes. There are already confirmed Japanese names for the new Pokemon in the Movie. The 5th movie will be released in Japan on July 13, 2002. No word yet on for a USA release, as we are still waiting for the 4th movie. In the trailer for the 5th Pokemon movie, you catch a glimpse of a Pokemon that looks like a Lugia or Skarmory. It’s evident that this Pokemon and another just like it, whatever it turns out to be, will be the main focus of the movie. Seems to me that we have more legendary Pokemon to discover… President of Nintendo of America Retires! – 01/13/02 Minoru Arakawa announced retirement after working for Nintendo for 21 years. Arakawa, 55, will be replaced by Tatsumi Kimishima, the president of Pokemon USA. In Arakawa’s retirement statement, he praised how the video game industry in America how done well, ``The U.S. video-game industry is extremely strong, and Nintendo of America's position within the industry has never been better,'' Arakawa said. ``The recent impressive marketplace successes of both Game Boy Advance and GameCube, coupled with Nintendo of America's financial and management resources, allow me the opportunity to pursue new endeavors.'' Kimishima will be promoted from head of Pokemon USA to head of Nintendo America. Have a happy retirement Arakawa, and congratulations to Kimishima... Pokemon in Gameboy Advance! - 01/12/02 Theres no doubt that there will be in fact a Gameboy Advance game of Pokemon, the question is: when? A Nintendo representative announced some games for Gameboy Advance that will be released in America soon throughout this year. He is quoted saying, “Looking a little bit further into 2002 you'll see a steady stream of Gameboy Advance software and perhaps even an appearance of Pokemon before the year is over.” Based on that statement, it doesn’t seem that a Pokemon game for GBA will come out soon. Expect it to be released sometime late 2002 to early 2003… Pokemon Elite 2000 Moves to Different Server! - 01/04/02 That’s right folks, Pokemon Elite 2000 has moved to a different server. Welcome to the new locations of Pokemon Elite 2000. The entire website has been moved successfully, and the new website location is working at full power. Because of the new server’s large amount of web space and unlimited data transfer (meaning, the site will never shut down due to too many visitors, which was a problem for the past months), it will provide new opportunities for this site to be even better. You can get to the new location of Pokemon Elite 2000 by using this link: pokemonelite2000.cjb.net . Remember to update your favorites...

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