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".

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Pokemon Soulsilver Version (NDS DSi XL) *USED Cartridge Only    US $16.12

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.

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Mario Party 2 is the second board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on January 24, 2000 in North America more than a month after its inaugural release in Japan on December 17, 1999. Europe saw its release much later on October 12, 2000.

There are six playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong who all keep changing their costumes as the new boards keep coming in the play. Bowser and Koopa Troopa never appear on the board though they have other roles to play.

There are many mini-games categorized as four-player, one vs. three, two vs. two, and battle games that come under play depending on the number of characters either gaining or else losing the coins and the stars. If all the four players are either gaining or losing coins, four-player is played. If three are gaining and one is losing or vice versa, one vs. three is played and so on. In all 43 new mini-games are introduced in the second version of the party keeping the old ones intact and some of them renamed. Three new types of mini-games are also introduced named as the Battle mini-game, the Item mini-game, and the Duel mini-game.

New buildings - the Item Shop and the Koopa Bank - as well as new spaces - the Battle Space, the Item Space, and the Bank Space - have been introduced in the game too. They mostly deal with initiating mini-games, depositing and disbursing coins in/on them.

Mario Party 2 - the second board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - has been welcomed all over with its new features that it has come up with.

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Mario Party 3 is the third board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on May 7, 2001 in North America exactly three months after its inaugural release in Japan on February 7, 2001. Europe saw its release much later on January 16, 2002.

There are eight playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and the newly-added Waluigi and Princess Daisy. The game has duel maps in it where the players engage themselves in duels aiming at lowering the opponent's stamina to zero with the help of non-playable characters, e.g., Chain Chomps.

The players hit a dice block and move their characters around the board in order to win coins and stars. After a full round of turns is over, a minigame automatically comes into play.

In the Story Mode, one single player initiates a campaign through every board trying to defeat the computer controlled opponents and earn stamps from the Millennium Star. After 7 stamps are successfully acquired, the player has to defeat the Millennium Star in the final duel of a minigame called the Star Dust Battle. The final target is to turn your character into a Miracle Star that makes you win the game.

In the standard party mode, up to four players play through a board and try to win against one another or else, in teams.

Mario Party 3 - the third board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - won the Console Family Award at the 2002 Interactive Achievement Awards.

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Mario Party 4 is the fourth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on October 21, 2002 in North America and on November 8, 2002 in Japan. PAL region saw its release on November 29, 2002.

Eight characters can be directed on six game boards in the game. Players try to earn the maximum number of stars through purchasing them from a specific space on the board. The roll of a die initiates a turn and after each turn is over; it's time to play a minigame in order to earn money for characters for buying stars and other things.

The playable characters in the game are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Daisy, and Waluigi; out of which any four are chosen by the players.

Minigames fall under any one of the four categories named "four-player", "1 vs 3", "2 vs 2", and "Battle". Battle cannot be played after every turn is over but only after landing on a particular space on the board, in which the players are supposed to contribute their money in a single pool and then later reclaim it by winning the minigame as well as earn more of it.

The story-line of the game is not a very well-knit one and makes it compulsory for the players to pass through the Story Mode to earn birthday presents from the characters, which are to be paid back for by defeating the giver in a one-on-one Story minigame.

Mario Party 4 - the fourth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console - won the Family Game of The Year award of the year 2003.

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Mario Party 5 is the fifth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on November 10, 2003 in North America and on November 23, 2003 in Japan. PAL region saw its release on December 5, 2003.

The multiplayer game mode comprises four players playing seven board games along with many minigames trying to win stars and coins in order to win the game.

The single-player story mode puts a challenge to the sole player to win against the Koopa Kids so that Bowser could be stopped from conquering the Dream Depot.

The characters in the game are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Daisy, Waluigi, Toad, Boo and Koopa Kid. Toad and Boo along with Koopa Kid are new ones coming from their debut in Mario Party 4 and Donkey Kong appears only in DK space.

The Star Guards invite Mario and party to Dream Depot for their skill in dreaming big. They are supposed to challenge the Koopa Kids winning from them in the board games in order to prevent Bowser from replacing dreams with his nightmares.

The target is to deplete the Koopa Kids of their coins in each board game, done so by winning minigames against them.

The game enjoyed quite positive critic reviews as well as many international awards making it a part of Nintendo Player's Choice label in 2004.

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Mario Party 6 is the sixth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on December 6, 2004 in North America and on March 18, 2005 in the European Union. Australia saw its release on September 15, 2005 whereas Japan was first country where it was released as early as on November 18, 2004.

The game is designed to be played by up to four players taking turns to move on the board through various stages including more than 80 minigames divided into 4-player, 1-vs.-3, 2-vs.-2, Battle, Duel, DK, Bowser, Mic and Rare; in order to collect as many stars and coins as possible.

The roles to be played are those of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Daisy, Waluigi, Toad, Boo and Koopa Kid along with a new secret character introduced in the series, named Toadette.

Players can also collect or buy orbs at the Orb Hut, which they can use for stealing coins from opponents, obstructing their competitor's advance, or earning stars in a fast mode.

Brighton and Twila representing the sun and the moon argue over the question of popularity in the Mario Party world, on which Mario suggests to collect as many stars as possible and settle the battle; and thus gets the game set rolling!

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Mario Party 7 is the ninth board game as party video games on Nintendo for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on November 7, 2005 in North America and on February 10, 2006 in the European Union. Australia saw its release on June 8, 2006 and Japan, on November 10, 2005.

The game is played with eight players at the most, playing the roles of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Birdo, Toad, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Boo, and Dry Bones. There are 88 new minigames in it which are of 9 different types named 4-P, 1 vs.3, 2 vs.2, Battle, Duel, 8-P, DK, Bowser, and Rare; out of which 10 minigames make use of the microphone peripheral provided along. Five new worlds have also been included in the game.

Toadsworth - the host of the game - invites Mario and friends to go on a luxury cruise around the world but omits the evil Bowser, who then takes revenge trying to turn their trip a total flop.

Players are divided into teams of two, one player using the left shoulder button and the control stick in mini-games and the other, the right shoulder button and the C-stick.

Players compete with one another to complete the objectives of each board before the others can do them and try to gather stars as much as possible. Once all the six boards are over, the fastest player is decided by adding all to the ranking section.

Mario Party 7 is one of the most sought-after games in the genre of party video games on Nintendo GameCube.

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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.

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