Diamond and Pokemon Pearl had the most successful launch week of games in the Pokemon series in Japan and the best launch week for any Nintendo DS game in Japan. Also, the games set the record of being the fastest selling Pokemon games in Japan within three months of sales. Set in the fictional region of Sinnoh, the games cover the adventure of a single protagonist embarking on a quest to capture and train Pokemon while thwarting the agenda of the criminal organization Team Galactic.

The new packs, 'Pearl and Diamond' will feature a new 'Manaphy' Pokemon, which will be an unlockable feature. All you have to do is complete the story mode on Pokemon Ranger and pop in the "Manaphy Egg Code." If all this is done correctly (as Eurogamer's interview with Nintendo spokesmen implies), you will find yourself in the new Diamond/Pearl game as fast as you can say "ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド", that's Pokemon or something in Japanese.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl have been met with huge delight in Japan. Though two million copies of the games were shipped for Japan alone, there still were shortages in response to a large demand. The games became the fastest selling Nintendo DS titles in Japan for the first week of sales since its release, a record previously held by New Super Mario Bros.

Diamond and Pearl provide support for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing players to trade, battle and communicate through voice chat online. The main system for trade is Global Trade Station trading system. This allows trainers to search for any Pokemon they have seen anywhere in the world.

The two new Pokemon Pearl and Diamond games will be released in US on 22nd of April and you mustn't forget that Pokemon Ranger is to hit the shelves of European shops on 30th March.