Wii | £39.99 | Nintendo | Out now

Pikachu’s first ever solo Wii game is in the shops now and brings with it a paradise of fabulous mini-games to enjoy! For once, the first time we can recall, the game was launched in Europe before being distributed in the USA. So get ready to join Pikachu for an adventure of a lifetime!

The PokéPark is in trouble and so Mew calls on Pikachu to step into the limelight and help find the missing Sky Prism pieces. Whilst in the park, Pikachu must take on a range of activities like collecting wood for Bibarel or battling against some of the meaner inhabitants of the park. Along the way he’ll get to make new friends and compete in a range of mini-games, races, quizzes and, of course, battles.

With the ever expanding Pokédex of Pokémon characters available to Nintendo’s developers, it may be a little disappointing to find out that only 190 of the 493 Pokémon have made it into the park. However, by befriending the wild inhabitants of the PokéPark, Pikachu can call on their special talents to help him complete certain tasks or take part in mini-games for him. Many fan favourites are included in the game and all of them look spectacular in glorious 3D!

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Without a doubt, PokéPark Wii is one of the most stunning Pokémon games ever to be released on any console. The graphics are so beautifully cute and appealing, making the game a real pleasure to play. It would be fair to say that PokéPark is not the most challenging of games available on the Wii and has clearly been aimed at the younger generation of Pokémon fans. However, the story is very entertaining and looks so good that gamers of all ages will be quite happy to spend hours playing with Pikachu and his Pokémon friends.

Trial of Strength…

Once inside the park, you must take part in several different Trials of Strength in order to make new friends to help you on the way. There are five different trials in which to compete in total, each one requiring you to master new skills – so let’s take a closer look…

Battles
In this trial you have just 99 seconds to defeat your Pokémon opponent. You can do this by using distance attacks like Thunderbolt to weaken or stun your opponent, before charging in to finish the job with your Quick Attack or Iron Tail.

Tag Races
The Tag Races are immense fun as you must chase down opponents and then hit them in order to win. This is made really tricky when Ghost-type Pokémon disappear or leave traps like poisonous gas clouds for you to avoid as you chase them down.

Hide and Seek
In this trial you must simply locate your Pokémon friend’s hiding spot to win. This trial
is fairly easy providing you have your volume turned up, since many of the Pokémon make little noises as you get closer to them. They just can’t help themselves!

Quizzes
There are a few Pokémon in the park that will refuse to join you unless you prove you are a Pokémon master. Each question is Pokémon related and once you have successfully answered three in a row you will gain an additional team member.

Jump Challenges
These trials are also fairly easy as all you have to do is complete the obstacle course within the set time limit. This includes jumping from platform to platform and avoiding items being thrown at you as you make your way to the finish line.

In the Zone…

The PokéPark is a vast area and is split into several different zones for you to explore. Each area has different Pokémon inhabitants and challenges for you to complete. Let’s go on a quick tour around the park…

Meadow Zone
Lush grass areas and small forests are the setting for this very scenic zone. It will be the first zone you uncover and houses no fewer than 31 Pokémon friends.

Gathering Place
The Gathering Place is based around a tree and holds gates to access all the other zones in the park. These gates are locked until you achieve certain goals, but there are also a few stalls that you can use to improve Pikachu’s skills.

Beach Zone
This is packed with Water Pokémon and is accessible after you have answered Corsola’s quiz questions correctly. There are another 30 of your Pokémon friends in this area, and the entrance to the Iceberg Zone via Lapras.

Iceberg Zone
This zone is based on an icy mountain slope and contains many Ice-type Pokémon for you to interact with. In fact, there are 26 Pokémon pals in this area of the park.

Cavern Zone
This zone is set underground in an abandoned mine. Of course, there are many Ground and Rock Pokémon here, plus a very sleepy Snorlax that is blocking the tracks, preventing the mine cart working.

Magma Zone
This fiery zone is the home to 28 Fire-Type Pokémon and can only be accessed after fixing the mine cart in the Cavern Zone. There are several machines here that need fixing in order to get the volcano working again.

Haunted Zone
The Haunted Zone is set in a haunted house and contains 39 Ghost and Dark-type Pokémon. There are loads of things to do in this creepy place, including a number of fun mini-games.

Granite Zone
This stony place is an abandoned castle on the edge of cliffs and is inhabited by many Pokémon. To get through this area you must discover three passwords from the Pokémon here and then give them to Flygon.

Flower Zone
On top of the hillside is the gorgeous Flower Zone. There are 14 Pokémon in this area, including another appearance by Shaymin. He’ll transform into his Sky Forme and grant you access to the very last zone.

Sky Garden
The Sky Garden is the final area of the game and is only accessible after you have beaten all the other challenges. There are a few mini-games here that you’ll need to complete to finish the game!

Packed with Mini-Games…

PokéPark Wii is packed with many amazing mini-games, all of which you’ll need to master to befriend all your Pokémon pals. Let’s take a closer look at all the games that’ll keep you entertained for hours!

Bulbasaur’s Daring Dash
This is one of the first mini-games you’ll discover in the Meadow Zone. This simple game is a straight-up race to the finish with you and several other Pokémon competitors. Simply shake the Wii Remote to keep a steady pace and cross the line in first place to take the win. Your best times are recorded so you can see how they compare with those of your friends!

Venusaur’s Vine Swing
The second mini-game is Venusaur’s Vine Swing. This  is a simple swing and jump contest. You have 30 seconds to get the vine swinging at a decent speed, then you must choose when to let go of the vine and launch yourself into the nearby field. The distance covered is determined by the speed of the swing and by the angle at which your Pokémon releases the vine.

Pelipper’s Sky Flap Race
This fun mini-game can be found in the Beach Zone area of the park. Pelipper’s Sky Flap Race is a race for Flying Pokémon where you must direct your Pokémon to the finish line, collecting as many coloured rings as possible as you fly. Yellow hoops are worth ten points, red hoops are worth 100 points, while the multicoloured hoops will net you 1,000 points.

Gyarados’ Aqua Dash
Gyarados’ Aqua Dash can also be found in the Beach Zone area of the park. This watery race is for Water-type Pokémon
and basically you need to get to the finish line as fast as possible while avoiding all the obstacles on the course. Once again, your scores are recorded so you can see how your times compare with those set by your friends.

Empoleon’s Snow Slider
This slippery event can be found in the Iceberg Zone area of the PokéPark and is very similar to Gyarados’ Aqua Dash. Simply make your way to the finish line as quickly as possible while avoiding the obstacles in your way and using as many of the boost gates as possible to keep your speed up!

Bastiodon’s Panel Crash
Bastiodon’s Panel Crash can be played in the Cavern Zone area of the park and is immensely fun to play. Balls are launched at you and you must deflect them at the various panels on the field to score points. You have a total of three balls to use and once all three have been lost, your score is totalled up and recorded.

Rhyperior’s Bumper Burn
This crazy game is in the Magma Zone area of the park and is hugely enjoyable. You control a Pokémon in a ring and must knock the many Pokémon that fall into the area out of the circle. Points are awarded for each Pokémon you knock out of the area and bonus multipliers are awarded for each Pokémon you knock out without being punched out of the ring yourself.

Blaziken’s Punching Rock
This is another game you can find in the Magma Zone. Your Pokémon is thrown into a dangerous area of the volcano where rocks are being hurled at you from different directions. Your task is to shake the Wii Remote at the right time to destroy the incoming rocks. Once again, multiplier bonuses are awarded for destroying many rocks in succession without missing any.

Tangrowth’s Swing Race
The first game you’ll discover in the Haunted Zone is Tangrowth’s Swing Race. This is very similar to Venusaur’s Vine Swing, only this time you need to swing from rope to rope to get to the finish line as fast as possible. Once again, your best time is recorded so you can see how your swinging compares with your mates’.

Dusknoir’s Running Crash
Another game you’ll find in the Haunted Zone is Dusknoir’s Running Crash. This is another simple race against other Pokémon, similar to Bulbasaur’s Daring Dash, only this time you’ll need to bash through walls and avoid the Spinaraks that’ll try their hardest to slow you down.

Rotom’s Pulse Shoot System
This is the third attraction in the Haunted Zone and is the first event that utilises the Wii’s infrared features. You must fire at the Pokémon that fly at you and score points for each direct hit. Gastlies are worth 100 points, Haunters will gain you 300, while the Rotoms are worth a huge 1,000 points each. As soon as one Pokémon breaks through your defences, the game ends.

Absol’s Hurdle Succession
This fun Pokémon mini-game can be found in the Granite Zone area of the PokéPark. Absol’s Hurdle Succession is another dashing race where you must get to the finish as fast as possible by shaking the Wii Remote. However, this race has many obstacles – in the form of Dugtrio and a variety of panels – that you must avoid or jump over as you race.

Salamence’s Air Ace
This is another fun game that can be found in the sky flying sections of the PokéPark. In this game you control a Flying Pokémon through the mountains, aiming at targets around the course. Simply score as many points as you can before reaching the finish line. Small targets are worth 300 points while large targets are worth 100 points each.

Rayquaza’s Balloon Panic
The last mini-game  found in the Flower Zone. In this fun game you must run around a large balloon, collecting the targets and avoiding the Voltorbs and Electrodes that are trying to stop you. Yellow targets are worth 100, red 300 and multicoloured targets will gain you 1,000 points.

PokéPark Wii is Pikachu’s greatest adventure to date on any platform and will definitely have you smiling for hours. All the Pokémon are dreadfully cute and while it’s not the most challenging of games, there is so much fun to be had here. There are just loads of excellent mini-games to compete in, many different Pokémon to battle and befriend and, of course, many helpful tasks to complete to help get the attractions back to perfect working order. You are able to photograph the Pokémon in the wild and save your pictures to your memory card, plus you can post all your best times to challenge your friends to beat them. A wonderful Pokémon experience and one we’ll be playing for hours and hours!

Play as Pikachu and save the PokéPark from a terrible danger

OFFICIAL NINTENDO PRESS RELEASE: 28th May 2010: Get ready to run, jump, and smash your way through Pikachu’s latest action-packed adventure for all ages when PokéPark™ Wii: Pikachu‘s Adventure launches on Wii on 9th July.

Playing as Pikachu, you must solve the crisis that has befallen a strange new place, the PokéPark.  Along the way, you’ll befriend key Pokémon as you take part in Skill Games and the many challenging Attractions to be found in the PokéPark.

Up until recently, the PokéPark was protected by an item called the Sky Prism. But the Sky Prism shattered, and its pieces were spread all across the PokéPark. In order to save this magical place, you, as Pikachu, will need to explore the PokéPark and collect all of the Sky Prism Pieces.

PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure is the first Pokémon adventure title for Wii.  As well as pulling you into a deep and engaging action adventure story, you will meet and talk to a wide variety of Pokémon.

As you work your way through the story, you’ll explore various zones within the PokéPark, each very different to the last.  Whether in Beach Zone, Iceberg Zone, Lava Zone or Haunted Zone, you’ll find various Attractions, which comprise the main challenges in the game.

Each Attraction is a mini-game, such as a footrace, a test of strength or an obstacle course, designed to test your skills to the max. Beating the high score in an Attraction is often a way of receiving a Sky Prism Piece. Shake and tilt the Wii Remote to fly, swim and skate your way through a whole host of fun Attractions, such as:
Rhyperior’s Bumper Burn – Pokémon fight on a stage. You have to try to push opponent Pokémon off the stage!
Bulbasaur’s Daring Dash – What could be better than a Pokémon footrace! Shake the Wii Remote to accelerate.
Salamence’s Air Ace – Shoot airborne targets while flying high in the sky during this intense shooting game! Hitting targets while controlling the Pokémon is a serious test of your skills.
Venusaur’s Vine Swing – Timing is everything in this test of your vine-swinging skills.  Get the momentum right if you want to achieve a long jump.
Gyarados’ Aqua Dash – Race against the clock, avoiding obstacles and using boosts to set the fastest time you can on this aquatic course!

But Pikachu isn’t the only one who can challenge the Attractions! As Pikachu befriends other Pokémon, some will become playable in different Attractions, opening up a wealth of possibilities to make strategic use of different Pokémon’s specific strengths.

Many of these Pokémon will also challenge Pikachu to a Skill Game, such as a simple Battle, a game of Hide-and-Seek, or a Chase – all games that will allow you to build friendships with the challenger by defeating them!

Zip across land, sea, and sky to show off your speed and skill in the first ever Pokémon action adventure title for all ages on Wii when PokéPark™ Wii: Pikachu‘s Adventure launches on 9th July 2010.

-Ends-

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.4 billion video games and more than 565 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems.  It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Europe, based in Grossostheim, Germany, was established in 1990 and serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in Europe.

About Pokémon:
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website.  Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world.

There have been new, updated ads running on Japanese TV for the excellent PokéPark Wii, so we thought you would like to take a look at them. Double click on the video screen to watch that ad. We have also been told that PokéPark Wii has been approved for release in Australia, so it’s a dead cert that there will be a UK version of the game coming to the Wii sometime this year. Hooray!

Video ©2010 Pokémon. ©1995-2010 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.

This wonderful Wii game has been enjoyed in Japan since 5 December last year, and we’re still waiting to hear about a UK release, but we thought it would be fun to catch up with what Pikachu is up to in the new PokéPark…

The PokéPark is a bit like a theme park for Pokémon, and is usually a place of fun and frolics, but one day Pikachu gets a visit from Mew who tells him that all is not right at the PokéPark. Everyone’s favourite electric mouse rushes off to see if he can help. It turns out there are problems with the attractions and so Pikachu sets to work to solve them. The Pokémon’s Pika-abilities aren’t enough to solve some problems though, so he has to befriend other Pokémon and get them to use their abilities to help out.

The key to getting on in the game is to make friends with as many Pokémon as you can. This is through taking part in a Trial of Strength. Beat the Pokémon and they will join your ranks of pocket monsters! You need them on your side, as Pikachu can’t solve all of the park’s problems on his own – the other Pokémon each bring with them certain strengths and weaknesses that will make some of the tasks much easier to complete.

The locations in the game are varied in both terrain and look. There are large expanses of park to explore, filled with trees and rock formations; then there are enclosed locations like volcanoes and battle rings. All the Pokémon have been modelled in detailed 3D, so Pokémon fans are going to get a real kick out of seeing their favourites in the park!

While there are reportedly 193 Pokémon in the game, it’s a real shame that Game Freak couldn’t fit all 495 known Pokémon onto the Wii disc. Everyone has their own favourite Pokémon, and there will always be fans who will be disappointed that theirs has not made it into the ranks in the PokéPark.

The game is split into a selection of ‘zones’ for Pikachu to explore. There’s the Green Zone we see here with forest and a river running through it, the Gathering Place has gates and connects to the other areas of the park, the Beach Zone has a bridge you can access once you have completed certain tasks, then on to the Ice Zone with a ski lift and icy mountain, the Mine Zone with mine cart tracks, Magma Zone set inside a volcano, House Zone that you access from a hole in a hot air balloon and is full of ghosts, Stone Zone where Pikachu must deal with an earthquake, the Flower Zone where you get to meet Shaymin, and finally the Sky Garden where you meet a Piplup – but all is not as it seems!

The are lots of extra features in the game that can be accessed by entering a password… Things like a surfboard for Pikachu to ride on, balloons, snowboards and appearances from the Pokémon Celebi, Groudon, Darkrai and Jirachi, and all unlockable through secret passwords. These will soon be hot property at school breaktimes we wager!

One of the main moves that will keep Pikachu moving through the game is the Thunderbolt. Pikachu’s powers do decrease over time, but the plucky Pokémon can visit Electabuzz in The Gathering Place to recharge his special move. It costs 350 Pokédollars each time.

Getting about the PokéPark quickly is achieved by standing by a kind of bus stop and calling a Drifblim. At first the Pokémon will charge you 20 Pokédollars for a ride to another part of the park, but once you have made it your friend, the price goes down to 10 Pokédollars! Visit Misdreavus at his stall and you will get a camera to take photos of your adventures around the park. You simply hit the ‘-’ button on the Wii Remote to take a shot!

All the Fun of the Fair…

There are so many cool attractions in the PokéPark, you’re going to be spoilt for choice! From sliding to flying to smashing to targets to batting balls – you will need to make friends with a lot of Pokémon, as some are better than others at each attraction.

Bastiodon’s Panel Crash

Empoleon’s Snow Slider

Rhyperior’s Heat Up Fight

Salamence’s Super Sky Race

Venusaur’s Rope Swinging

A Trial of Strength!

As Pikachu wanders around the PokéPark he will come across 193 Pokémon. You can make these Pokémon join you if you beat them in a Trial of Strength. There are five trials in all, and each one offers some radically different gameplay to master. If you beat the Pokémon, you can then challenge them over and over again for fun!

Battles
This is the main trial and sees Pikachu battling against all kinds of Pokémon with various health bars and moves. Pikachu will always start off with a Thunderbolt, stunning the opponent so you can follow up with a Quick Attack or Iron Tail!

Tag Race
You’ve got to catch up with another Pokémon in this trial, which can be quite tricky when they are Ghost-types and disappear, or Flying-types and take off so you can’t touch them! Some Pokémon will also use attacks on Pikachu to make the trial even tougher.

Hide & Seek
Some Pokémon just love to play Hide & Seek! Accept a game and they will run off to hide. You have simply got to find them – sometimes they are easy to find, other times they will be behind objects, but listen out as you will be able to hear their cries.

Quizzes
Some Pokémon will join you if you answer a quiz question from them. Most Pokémon Trainers will know the answers to their Pokémon questions, but if you get one wrong, they will tell you the answer afterwards so you can remember it for next time.

Jump Challenge
This is the most tricky, and rarest, trial in the game. You have 99 seconds to jump across a series of platforms. There’s plenty of time, so take it slowly and get it right first time. If you fall, you will start again with the timer continuing to count down.

These Japanese only (at the time of writing) Mystery Dungeon games for WiiWare download have the longest titles ever seen on a Pokémon game! Here we go… Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Keep Going! Blazing Adventure Squad! Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Let’s Go! Stormy Adventure Squad! and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Go For It! Light Adventure Squad! They are 1200 WiiPoints each and contain lots of exciting Pokémon in glorious 3D graphics including Arceus!

Video ©2010 Pokémon. ©1995-2010 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.

Pokémon Rumble is a brilliant WiiWare game that is available to download now, if you have your Wii linked up to the internet. If you’re still wondering whether it’s worth the WiiWare points, here is a promo video for the game to help you make your mind up…

Video ©2010 Pokémon. ©1995-2010 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.

Some are calling it the greatest Pokémon game to ever appear on the Wii, and who are we to argue… we think it looks simply superb! Catch up with some great gameplay footage of PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Great Adventure with these TV ads from Japan.

Video ©2010 Pokémon. ©1995-2010 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.

Wow, we want this game right NOW! Here’s an exciting promotional video with two and a half minutes of glorious gameplay footage of PokéPark Wii. The game came out just before Christmas 2009 in Japan and looks like the most exciting Pokémon game to ever grace the Wii with lots of fun activities for Pikachu and the other Pokémon to take part in. Enjoy the movie…

Video ©2010 Pokémon. ©1995-2010 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.

Some more exciting gameplay footage of

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Keep Going! Blazing Adventure Squad! Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Let’s Go! Stormy Adventure Squad! and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Go For It! Light Adventure Squad! for you!

Video ©2010 Pokémon. ©1995-2010 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.

Melee! Pokémon Scramble is the Japanese name for Pokémon Rumble (no, we don’t know why they change the names of some games either!) and here’s a tasty little tidbit of a TV ad for you, showing off some of the ace gameplay.

Video ©2010 Pokémon. ©1995-2010 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc.