New Pokémon DS details

Some new snippets of info regarding DS titles Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl have emerged.

According to an article in Japanese magazine Coro Coro, partially translated by Serebii.net, the action takes place in the region of Shinou, which is based on the real life island of Hokkaido. As in Pokémon Gold/Silver, the time of day will change as you play, but this time it'll go from morning to noon to afternoon, evening and night-time.

You'll be guided by a brand new character called Professor Nanakamado, and Manaphy will return with a new move, Heart Swap, which swaps status effects amongst all the Pokémon on the playing field.

You'll get a new gadget to play with - a watch type thing called a Pokétchi, which you can use not only to tell the time but to monitor how your Pokémon are doing in the breeding centre, amongst an estimated 20 other things.

The new Shindou Pokédex will appear on both of the DS's screens, and includes a weight comparison feature. You can input your own height and weight to see how you match up to your Pokémon.

There are both male and female Pokémon to collect - you can tell the difference between them because they'll have different markings or have different sized features.

And, as previously announced, you'll be able to take Diamond and Pearl online and use your DS as a controller for forthcoming Wii title, Pokémon Battle Revolution.

Coro Coro gives a Japanese release date for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl of September 26th - so with a bit of luck, it could be out here in time for Christmas.