Pokemania.

My Pokemans. Let me show you them.

I’ve never played a Pokémon game before, nor have I had an interest in playing one. Still, being one of Nintendo’s strongest-selling franchises, it’s hard not to wonder what it is I’ve been missing. Can millions of Japanese schoolchildren really be wrong? The answer, of course, is no.

If the recent press is to be believed, Pokémon Diamond / Pokémon Pearl has what it takes to be my very first Pokémon title. With snazzed-up retro-styled graphics, new critters, wireless battles, and simple rock-paper-scissors gameplay in an RPG decidedly not for the hardcore, I think at worst this will be a short-term curiosity being satisfied by an exemplary title in the series. If it turns out to be anything more than that, all the better value for my money.

Do I have time to play another game? The answer, of course, is no. But even as I don’t feel an overwhelming urge to catch ’em all, I do at least want to catch a couple.