Pokémon Diamond and Pearl to IPO on February 20

Nintendo Co Ltd's (ADR: NTDOY) Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo DS will debut on the simExchange on Tuesday, February 20, 2007. The two versions of the game will trade as a single stock and be categorized under the Role-playing genre. Shares will open for purchase at 1,250 DKP (forecasts 12.5 million copies combined of the two versions sold worldwide over lifetime). The release of both versions is scheduled for April 22, 2007 in North America. Pokémon Pearl and Diamond were released in Japan on September 28, 2006 and combined have already sold over 4.8 million copies according to VGCharts. The listings were contributed by zukaus, gamer_anthony, Gaara42. The summary of the game is:

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are the fourth generation installments in the Pokémon series of role-playing games where players take the role of up and coming Pokémon trainers hoping to be Pokémon League Champions. Pokémon RPGs have the player’s character building their Pokémon collection (used like summons in many Japanese RPGs) and developing their Pokémon through combat. Diamond and Pearl are essentially the same game but different Pokémon are available in each (Pokémon games have always been released this way).

The player now explores the world from a 3D view, rather than the traditional top-down view. The controls are similar to previous titles, with the d-pad controlling movement and the other buttons performing various functions. The touch screen will be used for four functions outside of battle: a real time clock, a pedometer, standard health readouts, and a calculator. In battle, the touch screen can optionally be used to control your actions.

Diamond/Pearl is set in Sinnoh, which is based on the Hokkaido prefecture of Japan, a snowy mountainous region with three lakes. The story is largely the same. The player can choose between a male or female character and then name him/her. You then start your adventure with a starter Pokémon and journey to various Pokémon gyms to battle their leaders and gain new abilities. The game features eight Pokémon gyms and 107 new Pokémon. Diamond/Pearl also features “Super Contests” where your Pokémon can compete in three rounds of mini games to judge their appearance, dancing ability, and performance. The game also features time of day and week like former Pokémon games.

As the first Pokémon game for the DS, players can now battle against other players and trade their Pokémon over Wi-Fi. Pokémon Diamond/Pearl is the first to include Global Trade Stations located around the game world where players can post their Pokémon up for trading. Diamond/Pearl also offers connectivity with GBA Pokémon games. Players can upload up to six Pokémon per day from their GBA cartridge and let these Pokémon roam free in Diamond/Pearl for them to capture.