Japanese Earthquake Update - the Pokemon perspective

I'm sure everyone has seen pictures of the devastation wrought by the recent earthquake in Japan, and let me tell you, words can hardly describe it. It may sound crass or tasteless to some, but images of Hiroshima spring to mind. Yes, the damage was that severe.

As you might imagine, this has had an effect on the people who helped make the Pokemon games possible. I'll start off with what needs to be said: contrary to what some media outlets have said, Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon's creator, if you didn't know this by now) is alive and well. Two of the artists involved, however, ran into problems: Ken Sugimori, head artist for the Pokemon games, was stuck in Naha Airport in Okinawa for a few days, whereas Midori Harada (one of the better artists for the Pokemon TCG) couldn't leave her office for 3 days due to a damaged elevator. Both are now home safe.

The main Nintendo headquarters suffered no damage from the quake.

Earthquake/Tsunami in Japan

Since this is a disaster of major importance and since Pokemon is a Japanese game, I simply have to blog abot this.

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that a magnitude 8.9 earthquake and its accompanyting tsunami struck Japan yesterday, causing untold destruction and great loss of life. As always, my prayers and condolences go out to the victims of this disaster. Let's hope all the great Pokemon TCG players escaped unharmed.

More Evolution Packs are out!

(Less than a week before Pokemon Black and White come out in the US...the anticipation is killing me!)

Anyway, two new Evolution packs have come out, this time featuring Blastoise and Torterra from HS: Unleashed. Each comes with a HGSS-series booster pack and a full line of their respective Pokemon (including a holofoil Stage 2). The Blastoise is excellent with Feraligatr Prime from HGSS; the Torterra, alas, has no such combos. Still, if you're a promo hunter like me, you may want to pick these up. At $5 a pop, the price is right.

I'll take "Reasons the World Is Screwed" for $200, Alex.

Well, the first part of a historical Jeopardy! match between IBM's Watson supercomputer and puny humans Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter has just finished, and I must say, I'm impressed. It didn't turn out to be the curbstomp many expected, but Watson sure gave his human opponents a run for their money.
Depending on how the rest of the 3-day series turns out, this could be an important milestone in the development in human-level AI. This could have implications for the future of search engines: imagine a search engine that can handle questions in plain English when you have no clue what the answer to your question is. Once they iron out some of the kinks, that is....

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

More Pokemon Black and White-related downloads

Good news for those who were unable or unwilling to go to a Gamestop last month: the Shiny Legendary Beasts will be available for download over Nintendo WiFi. Raikou will be available from now until February 13, Entei will be available next week, and Suicune the week after that.

A special Celebi will be downloadable in North American Gamestop stores from February 27-March 6, as well as in a few European venues (e. g. Spaceworld stores in Norway from February 14-March 4). This little green fairy does double duty: not only will it unlock a bit of Team Rocket-related backstory when downoaded or traded to Heart Gold or Soul Silver, when it's transferred to Pokemon Black or White, one can obtain a level 10 Zorua from a young boy in Castelia City.

Also, the first Nintendo WiFi download for Pokemon Black and White has been announced. The Liberty Pass will be available in North America from March 6-April 10 and in Europe from March 4-April 22. This item will allow you to travel to Liberty Island where you can capture Victini.

It's going to be a busy month for Pokemon players. Hope y'all have Pokemon Black and White preordered!

Reminder: Pokemon Black and White release dates

Pokemon Black and White will be released in Europe on March 4, 2011, in North America on March 6, 2011, and in Australia and New Zealand on March 10, 2011. Mark your calendars accordingly.

Pokemon Black and White Sneak-Peek Tins coming out in March!

A new set of tins is coming out in March, and they look better than ever! The Black and White Sneak-Peek tins are going to be packed: Not only will they come with 4 booster packs (1 Call of Legends, 3 older but still Modified-legal packs) and 1 of 3 exclusive promos (Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott), they will include a figure and a mini-pack containing 5 preview cards of the upcoming Black and White set, all featuring 5th-generation Pokemon. Because of this, these tins will be a bit more expensive than their earlier counterparts ($15.99 each).