In this episode we review Pokemon Christmas Bash with Steve from PIRN, a streaming internet radio station.
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By KC and Jowy
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the notorious Pokémon seizures incident in Japan.
On December 16th, 1997, approximately 685 Japanese people (mostly children) were rushed to the hospital after reporting symptoms such as convulsions, vomiting and eye irritation while watching the Pokémon anime on TV. This was caused by strobing red and blue lights that induced seizures even in people with no history of epilepsy. Many victims were hospitalized for more than a day and ranged in age from 3 to 58.
Kids having seizures is not funny. However, it is hysterical that the news was stupid enough to show the scene again that night, setting off another wave of seizures.
In the aftermath of these events, Pokémon went into a four month hiatus. When it finally came back on the air, TV Tokyo, the network that airs Pokémon in Japan, started to include health warnings telling viewers that watching the cartoon could cause fainting and nausea. Video game companies soon followed suit and added similar warnings to games.
Since then, the epileptic episode, Denno Senshi Porygon (Electric Soldier Porygon) has not been shown on TV. It has, however, been referenced countless times in popular culture—most notably on a Simpsons episode called, “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo.”
Here at The Pokémon Times, we are still not totally convinced whether the kids were having a medical affliction or simply overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of Porygon.
By KC
Visitors to pokemon.com may notice that they’re being shadowed. Not by that creepy neighbor of theirs who hides in the bushes, but rather, by something that could be the bringer of good tidings to American trainers.
The silhouette of a Darkrai, which hovers about the site, may mean the elusive event pokémon will soon be available to Americans in conjunction with the tenth movie, which is to be announced here soon.
Trainers may remember a similar event before the North American release of Manaphy in 2006. At that time, an egg from the legendary pokemon could be seen on the site.
Exactly what the presence of the mysterious silhouette means is uncertain at this time, but we’re all hoping this could be the answer for one of the most requested event pokemon.
In what is possibly our longest episode ever, we pack all the usual great segments, plus a great new one called Blaine’s Gym. Happy holidays!
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By KC
Pogs have made a comeback…sort of. Don’t worry, this is more than just some slammers with Pikachu’s face on it. Pokémon Battrio (Battle Trio) is a coin-op game—found in arcades, toy stores and shopping malls across Japan—that has become the latest hit for the series.
First released on April 11 of this year, Pokémon Battrio cost about 100 yen (about $1) to play. For that price, players get a pog-like disk with a pokémon’s picture and stats labeled on it. Players can then place up to three of their disks on a special grid that scans information stored inside them. The pokémon, as well as the formation the player placed them, is then transferred onto the game screen. The game lets players compete against the computer or a human opponent in battles that last approximately five minutes.
The rules are only in Japanese so far, but from the few English accounts we can gather, the position players place their team in can grant them certain bonuses, such as attack and defense boosts. Players can also give their team a bonus by using specific type combinations. more…
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