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Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
| Title | Pokémon Diamond and Pearl |
|---|---|
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Release | July 27, 2007 in France |
The complete guide to the Diamond and Pearl versions: the Sinnoh region, the 493 Pokémon of the national Pokédex, Team Galactic, Super Contests, the Pokétch and the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. This is the generation that gave birth to Pokémon Life and its friend code trading community.
The Sinnoh region
Sinnoh is a mountainous northern region split in two by Mt. Coronet, with snowfields in the north, the great lakes of Verity, Valor and Acuity, and the mythology of Arceus woven through its landmarks. It is the first region designed around the DS dual screen, with the Underground running beneath the entire map.
What the fourth generation changed
Diamond and Pearl introduced the single biggest mechanical change in the history of the series: the physical/special split. Before 2007, a move's damage category was tied to its type; from this generation on, every move is individually physical or special, which redefined the competitive value of hundreds of Pokémon. The generation also added 107 new species, including long-awaited evolutions of older lines such as Electivire, Magmortar, Togekiss and Gliscor.
Daily life in Sinnoh brought its own tools: the Pokétch and its apps, Super Contests, Poffin cooking, the day and night cycle, and the Underground where players dig fossils and build secret bases.
Version exclusives
| Diamond | Dialga, Murkrow, Stunky, Cranidos (Skull Fossil) |
|---|---|
| Pearl | Palkia, Misdreavus, Glameow, Shieldon (Armor Fossil) |
Online play and Pal Park
The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection made trading worldwide through the GTS, battling friends by friend code and receiving event distributions part of everyday play. Pal Park let players migrate their Pokémon from the Game Boy Advance versions, making the 493-species national Pokédex realistically completable.
Legacy
With more than 17 million copies sold, Diamond and Pearl rank among the best-selling games of the DS era, and the generation was remade in 2021 as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. For this site, it is simply the home generation: Pokémon Life opened its doors months after Sinnoh did.