Pokemon video games are a series of role playing games played both as party games and single player games, published by Nintendo, which have already sold over 175 million units as of April 23, 2008. The development work is done by Game Freak and Creatures Inc. for new generation releases.

These video games were first created as role playing games by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy. The new releases kept getting categorized under generations of chronological orders as and when new characters with new gameplay concepts kept getting introduced in the games. Currently the fourth generation is under progress in the franchise.

The first party games/ single player games in the series were Pocket Monsters Aka and Midori for the Game Boy in Japan. When they went extremely popular, they were reprogrammed as Pokémon Red and Blue for international release on September 30, 1998 in the United States. Then came Pokémon Yellow completing the first generation as it is known today as its chronological name.

The second generation started in 2000 featuring Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver for Game Boy Color. Later in 2001 Pokémon Crystal was added to the list introducing 100 new species of Pokémon making it a total of 251 Pokémon to collect along with many other new features incorporated.

In 2003 came the third generation with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance, adding Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen in 2004, Pokémon Emerald in 2005, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team in 2006; introducing 135 new Pokémon and thus taking the total to 386.

In 2006 came the fourth generation with the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for Nintendo DS to be expanded later with Pokemon Dash, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Pokémon Platinum, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky, along with Pokémon Battle Revolution for Wii (with Wi-Fi connectivity); introducing 107 new species of Pokémon and thus taking the total to 493.

Players choose any one of three different Pokémon at the start of the game depending on the type of Pokémon their rival has chosen in order to be able to take advantage of their week points in the game. Only Pokémon Yellow is an exception in which the player gets a Pikachu and the rival gets an Eevee every time.

Pokemon video games as role playing games both as party games and single player games were awarded eight records in Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008, including "Most Successful RPG Series of All Time", "Game Series With the Most Spin-Off Movies" and "Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused By A TV Show".

Associated Deals on eBay

Pokemon Platinum Version (Nintendo DS, 2009)    US $10.50

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Pokemon Stadium, (Nintendo 64, 2000) Used, Game only!    US $3.99

Nintendo DS Pokemon Ranger Games Lot of 2 Shadows of Almia & Guardian Signs    US $24.95

Wii Games are the best selling video games today played both as party games and single player games. The most popular ones among them are Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Fit, Wii Music, Wii Chess, Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Party 8, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Link's Crossbow Training and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

By December 31, 2008; 312.22 million Wii Games had already been sold by Nintendo and the count is still on. Here is an introductory mention of the most unique of these video games by Nintendo:

Wii Sports is a collection of five sports games, the sports being Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Bowling, and Boxing. Players operate Wii Remote to follow styles adopted in real life sports using features for training and fitness along. Each game features a standard play mode, a training mode, and a multiple player option turning them into party games to play.

Wii Play is a collection of nine video games, each of them having been designed for two players to play. The games are Table Tennis, Laser Hockey, Fishing, Find Mii, Pose Mii, Shooting Range, Billiards, Charge!, and Tanks!.

Wii Fit is a game that guides players to follow an exercise regimen. The regimen comprises Aerobics, Strength Training, Yoga, and Balance Games, for which a Wii Balance Board is used. The game has been described as a "way to help get families exercising together", imbibing the spirit of party games into it.

Wii Chess is the simplest game in the list, based on the most complex game of the world that involves its players into its subtle complexities in an addictive way. The game uses a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection as well in order to play online against other players.

Wii Music is a collection of games in which musical instruments and their operations playing music are simulated. The tools that are used for the purpose are Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Wii Balance Board. The game offers sixty-six instruments to play both in the single as well as multiplayer modes. The instruments that can be simulated are violin, cowbell, clarinet, harmonica, piano, guitar, trumpet, harp, shamisen, maracas, sitar and marimba along many other unconventional ones.

Also Wii Sports Resort is going to be the next addition to the Wii Games, which will be released in 2009 as a sequel to Wii Sports, incorporating Disc Dog, Power Cruising, and Sword Play in it through the use of Wii MotionPlus accessory.

Associated Deals on eBay

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Punch-Out Wii pal New Factory Sealed - Balance Board Compatible Boxing Game    US $18.18

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Dance Dance Revolution series - in short DDR - comes under party games as popular music video games on Arcade, Sony PlayStation, Sony PlayStation 2, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows; first introduced in Japan in 1998 and later in North America and Europe in 1999.

There is a stage called the dance platform and all the players stand on it. They are supposed to hit with their dancing steps the colored arrows that are laid out in a cross as they get a cue of the music either auditory or a visual one. If they do it right and well they are judged as having passed the round and are authorized to choose the next round of music.

The games in the Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) series have become a fad for the health conscious generation used as an exercise tool in many gyms and schools and not only as party games for entertainment. Hundreds of home home video game console releases have come up since its first introduction into the market. There is no dearth of arcade-based releases all through the world as well. It has won a global fan base of millions of enthusiasts who have created original simulators of the game to make the experience much richer both in quality and quantity.

If you could successfully hit your arrows in time with the music, the Dance Gauge goes filled up; but if you failed, it gets drained. Draining it full loses the game for you and you are barred from playing any more music. If you could avoid draining till the end, your performance is rated with a letter grade as well as a numerical score. Depending on your performance you may get another chance to play the music again and dance to its tune on the arrows once again trying to improve your performance further.

There are many levels of difficulty one can play along named as "Beginner", "Basic/Light/Standard", "Another/Trick/Standard/Difficult", "Maniac/Heavy/Expert" and "Challenge".

There are also quite a few gameplay modes that have kept being introduced with the introduction of new additions in the Dance Dance Revolution or the DDR series with the passage of time as these popular music video games kept widening their base, and are named as Nonstop modes, Workout Mode, Event Mode, Unison Mode, Battle Mode, Step Battle Mode, and many mission modes in the recent home versions of these popular dance party games.

Associated Deals on eBay

Dance Dance Revolution Mario mix Nintendo gamecube CIB    US $59.99

Dance Dance Revolution PS3 Bundle + 2x DELUXE 1" Thick Pads + Game CD *NEW*    US $76.99

Dance Dance Revolution II Wii Bundle Game +Dance Mat Controller NEW FREESHIP DDR    US $57.77

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Mario Party 8 is one of the latest party video games for Nintendo Wii console. It is the 11th game in the Mario Party series. The game was released on May 29, 2007 in North America and on June 22, 2007 in the European Union. In UK it was released on July 13, 2007 but then was recalled and later re-released on August 3, 2007. Australia saw its release on July 19, 2007 and Japan, on July 26, 2007.

The game is designed to be played by four players playing four different characters. If the players are less than four, the computer can take over this role on its shoulders defined by the difficulty level and the handicap it is going to play at/with. The dice is rolled and the players move on the game board trying to collect as many stars as they can.

Toward the end of the game, the stars are replaced with coins to be used as a tiebreaker. You can also trade coins for stars at certain locations like in hotels that award stars only if you are making the highest current investment. The player with the maximum number of stars becomes the winner.

There are also some random elements like Shy Guy's Perplex Express, which can reorder the game board through reordering its train cars making them up in case you land up on a certain location. It can just change the entire scenario of the relative positions of all players as they were till the moment of change!

You can also surpass the game board altogether and play as many minigames as you feel like playing, adding their winnings up to the final victory in the game overall. There are eight of them in all named 4 player free-for-all, 1 vs. 3, 2 vs. 2, Battle, Duel, Challenge, Extra, and Last.

Mario Party 8 has been a real big hit in the genre of party video games on Nintendo Wii and is one of the bestselling games in the international markets at the moment.

Associated Deals on eBay

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WII Spiel Mario Party 8 guter Zustand + OVP    US $60.89

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Nintendo TWLSO8T1 DSi / Mario Party Bundle - Orange    US $53.00

Party video games on Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles are popular as party games both among kids and adults alike. It all started in 1981 when Starpath came up with Party Mix for the first time in this genre through braving the famous video game crash of 1983.

Right now Mario Party series is going most popular in parties as well as other gatherings where its games are played in multiplayer mode.

Different games are played on different consoles, which are handheld electronic controllers controlling the visual output of a physical action on a video monitoring screen.

These interactive games gathered momentum with the introduction of Super Spike V'Ball in 1989 on the console named Nintendo Entertainment System, which further developed as Super Nintendo Entertainment System with the introduction of Super Bomberman in 1993.

Then came Nintendo 64 with Mario Party series in 1999, and along came a horde of new console with new games like Crash Bash on PlayStation in 2000 and Fuzion Frenzy on Xbox in 2001, with Nintendo developing to Nintendo GameCube with the introduction of Super Monkey Ball in 2001.

Once it gathered its full momentum in the year 2002, there was no looking back and newer consoles with still newer games proverbially with every passing day have become the craze of the day today.

I'll be covering them all in my posts to come.

Associated Deals on eBay

NEW NINTENDO WII CONSOLE+ FIT HD GAMES 4 PLAYERS BUNDLE    US $639.01

Nintendo Wii White Console (NTSC) Hunter Game Extras    US $118.15

RED NINTENDO WII LIMITED EDITION** BUNDLE **    US $200.00

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