As expected, the US Pokemon Pearl and Diamond launch went beautifully. New York City's Nintendo Store held a Pokemon launch party, where hundreds of people were present to get their hands on the new games, as 1UP posts today. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl have been met with huge delight in Japan. Two million copies of the games were shipped for Japan alone and there were still shortages compared to the demand. Imagine that. The games became the fastest selling Nintendo DS titles in Japan for the first week of sales since its release. The record number in sales was previously held by New Super Mario Bros.

What makes them so special is that 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 gamers to search for any Pokemon they have seen anywhere in the world.

But let's get back to the new packs. Pearl and Diamond also feature a new 'Manaphy' Pokemon, which will be unlockable. All gamers have to do is complete the story mode on Pokemon Ranger and pop in the Manaphy Egg Code.

The first to buy a Pokemon Pearl and Diamond for his DS was Jack Smith, from New Jersey. He stood in front of the store for 17 hours to get his copy and in return, he also got two free tickets for a Yankees game. Check out the pictures on your left taken by 1UP's Anthony Parisi.