The Pokémon franchise from Game Freak is a revolving door. Someone is always going in for the first time, while someone else is on the way out. There’s a new mainline entry or remake every few years, which keeps interest levels high. Sooner or later, most of us cave and try a Pokémon game. Then we’re stuck in that universe alongside everyone else.
My own entry came with Pokémon Pearl and Pokémon Diamond. Those titles arrived in Japan on Sep. 28, 2006, two decades ago. And although plenty of newer titles have come along with ambitious new twists, those classic Pokémon games are still a perfect starting point, even 20 years later.
My game of choice was Pokémon Pearl. The cover art featured Palkia, a warrior lizard with sturdy legs and an extended neck. I wasn’t completely enamored with its design, but it interested me more than Pokémon Diamond’s Dialga, which more closely resembled a plant-eating dinosaur. I wanted the other monsters to fear my starter, not eye it as a possible addition to their lunch menu.
Besides those attractions, the games added a bunch of other new Pokémon to the mix. There were 107 new monsters in total, and players had to pick up both games if they wanted to “catch ‘em all” and complete their Pokédex. Either that, or they needed to trade with friends who owned the other version, using the Global Trade Station feature with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
In 2006, most of my friends weren’t playing Pokémon games. That didn’t stop the fun, though. I easily could have spent a bunch of time trading and battling with strangers, because plenty of other people picked up one or both titles. In fact, Pokémon Pearl and Diamond remain two of the most successful entries in the franchise, even now, with roughly 40 million copies sold between the DS and Switch versions combined. They outsold both their immediate predecessors and successors by millions of units.
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