Pokémon Darkrai rises on Nintendo DS at Toys-R-Us and Target

David M Williams
Monday, 27 October 2008 12:30

Your IT - Entertainment

The way of Pokémon is to “catch them all” and soon Australian Nintendo DS gamers will be able to catch the brand new pocket monster Darkrai for free at two major retail outlets. But who is Darkrai and how do you get him?

Pokémon is a media franchise owned by Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri around 1995. Originally it was released as pair of interlinked Game Boy role playing games but has since become the world’s second most successful and lucrative video game-based media franchise behind only Nintendo’s Mario series.

Pokémon properties have since been merchandised into anime, manga, trading cards, toys, books and other media. The 10th anniversary was celebrated on February 27th 2006 and cumulative sales of the video games have exceeded 180 million copies.

The name “Pokémon” comes from a contraction of the Japanese brand, “Pocket Monsters.” This refers to both the franchise itself and the hundreds of fictional species that much to the chagrin of parents Pokémon enthusiasts are exhorted to collect.

Since 1999 there have been 10 movies and the 11th is due for imminent DVD release, titled “The rise of Darkrai.”

The movie synopsis advises that Ash may think he’s seen everything when it comes to Pokémon – but is he ready to face the mysterious Darkrai in his latest adventure?

To coincide, Nintendo gamers can receive Darkrai for free over a 10 day period. Here’s who he is, and how you can get him!

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