Gears of War #10 Written by Mike Capps and Joshua Ortega. Drawn by Liam Sharpe.

Summary Via Publisher Wildstorm Entertainment:
Delta has located survivors from the Jilane massacre, and it’s a motley crew filled with far more people than expected! With an anticipated Locust attack, does Delta have the firepower to hold out until help arrives? Further exploring the world of the sensational hit video game!

Sonic The Hedgehog #206 Written by Ian Flynn David. Drawn by Steven Butler.

Summary Via Publisher Archie Comics:
“On the Run Part Two”: Sonic and Tails face off against the full might of the Iron Dominion! The prize: the addled Dr. Eggman! Will Sonic let his most feared nemesis fall into the hands of these new, unpredictable foes? Are they even willing to deal?!
PLUS: “Birthright Part Two”: Lien-Da discovers the cruel secret of the Iron Queen’s gift to her people. Her next choice will save – or doom – the Legion!

Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrioer! Animanga Written and Drawn by Makoto Hijioka.

Summary Via Publisher Viz Media:
Shaymin, the peaceful Gratitude Pokémon, lives happily in forests and fields of flowers. But one day Shaymin is accidentally drawn into a battle between the Legendary Pokémon Giratina and Dialga. Whisked away far from home, Shaymin is found by Ash, Dawn and Brock, who soon discover that this new Pokémon is full of surprises! Of course Team Rocket wants to get their hands on Shaymin, and so does a mysterious man named Zero. Even Giratina is in hot pursuit of this little Pokémon-and just what do Giratina and Shaymin have to do with the dimension known as the Reverse World?

Sky Pirates of Neo Terra #2 Written by Josh Wagner. Drawn by Camilla D’Errico.

Summary Via Publisher Image Comics:
After his unexpected attack on the Grassland’s village, Wurl reveals that the Light Crystal may hold the key to rescuing Ricket’s father. Stubborn as ever, Billy heads off to find the crystal on his own. Based on the Nintendo DS game, “Sky Pirates of Neo Terra.” (PIC via Atomic Comics)

Street Fighter II Turbo #9 Written and Drawn by Ken Siu-CHong, Chamba and Alan Wang.

Summary Via Publisher Udon Entertainment:
On sale October 28th, Street Fighter II Turbo #9 is filled with more non-stop fights that any issue yet! Cammy VS Guile, Ryu VS Honda, Fei Long VS Chun-li, Dhalsim VS the Dolls, and more! Plus another Street Fighter 3 backup story, this time featuring the mystic hermit Oro!

Called Poke Park Wii Pikachu no Daibouken (Pikachu’s Big Adventure), the 3D game stars popular Pocket Monster Pikachu. Poke Park Wii was developed by Nintendo subsidiary Creatures and will be released on December 5 in Japan for ¥4,800 — around $58.

This latest film is dubbed Pocket Monster: Diamond & Pearl Platinum — there has already been a Diamond & Pearl triology, ending with this past July’s Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.

According to the official website, Pokemon movie director Kunihiko Yuyama has been travelling to Belgium and The Netherlands for research. Yes, they need to research these Pokemon movies!

ポケモン最新作映画2010年夏公開決定！公式サイトリニューアル [最新アニメ情報 via ANN]

Free Realms #1 (of 12) Written by J.S. Lewis. Drawn by Jon Buran.
Summary Via Publisher Wildstorm Entertainment:
SONY teams with WildStorm and best-selling fantasy author J.S. Lewis (the Grey Griffins series) for an exciting adaptation of Free Realms, their new MMORPG! This 12-issue series mirrors the nonstop action of the game, offering exciting adventures, battles with vicious monsters and, of course, the allure of gorgeous fairies!

The story begins when a young boy is abducted and dragged into a darkened forest teeming with twisted monsters. It’s up to a relic hunter and a pixie to save him, but their mission is cut short when a horde of troll-like creatures captures them!

The Legend of Zelda: Vol 7…
Summary Via Publisher Viz Media:
Four Swords, Part 2

The Green, Red and Blue Links reach Death Mountain, where they challenge Shadow Link and Violet Link in battle. Then, inside the Fire Temple they learn a terrible secret about the Dark World and the evil power behind Vaati. To defeat this great enemy, the different coloured Links must find a way to become one again in order to harness the power of the Four Sword!

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Adventures Vol 5…
Summary Via Publisher Viz Media:
R to L (Japanese Style) New friends, new lands, and all-new Pokémon-the next chapter of one of the greatest adventures! Most kids spend their days at school, but not Hareta. Raised in the wild by Pokémon, he can climb as high as an Aipcom, swim as fast as a Magik

Who will catch the Legendary Pokémon Dialga?Hareta’s battle with Mitsumi comes to an end, but will Mitsumi stay loyal to Team Galactic or her old friend Hareta? Either way, the race to find the Legendary Pokémon Dialga continues! Cyrus, Team Galactic’s leader, is determined to catch Dialga and seize its power for himself. Can Hareta and his friends beat Cyrus to the final prize? New friends, new lands, and all-new Pokémon: Return to one of the greatest adventures!

Sonic the Hedgehog #205… Written by Ian Flynn. Drawn by Steven Butler
Summary Via Publisher Archie Comics:
“On the Run Part One”: Bunnie is back, but worse for wear with her wounds being tended in the hospital. Luckily, her friends are by her side… but not for long, as a less-than-lucid Eggman attacks in his Egg-Tortoise walker! Sonic and Tails spring into action, while Iron Queen and crew watch with wide eyes. Why are they so interested in seeing Eggman captured? It’s the start of a new pulse-pounding tale guest-starring Nicole, Antoine, Monkey Khan, Espio and more!

PLUS: “Birthright Part One”: Now it can be revealed: the long-held secret of the disappearance of Lien-Da’s father!

The last two thumbnails in this gallery are videos. Watch them. They are key to understanding the Pokemon experience that we had here in Tokyo. No sign of this juggernaut faltering.

The three words electrifies the crowd. The children swarming in the front yard of the Denver suburban house run to the curb. They crane their necks, point, howl with excitement.

The one-ton truck eases its way through the last turn and straightens, a 13-metre trailer in tow.

As the truck rolls down the street past quiet homes and neat yards the excitement grows and the vehicle’s detailed decorations begin to come into focus.

Carefully detailed creatures painted in neat rows line the entire hood of the truck. Swirls of colour, a galaxy of stars spread from the hood down the sides of the truck and to its trailer.

The trailer, all 13 metres of it, is festooned with 2.4-metre tall animated children, fantastic creatures and images of steel multi-hued balls. But more important than the spectacle of a rolling cartoon, than the chug of the one-ton truck are the words written in fire and gold across the side of the truck: “Bakugan Brawlers”

Last year Bakugan was the it present for children 8 to 12. The holidays saw national sellouts of the toys, a combination of trading cards and marbles based on a Japanese cartoon. This year game developer Activision hopes to fuse the wild popularity of the toy with a video game and create a new franchise that could possibly one-day give Nintendo’s Pokemon a run for its money.

“Pokmon have a head start on us, so it’s not an apples to apples comparison,” Activision spokesman Bill Linn said. “That said, the Bakugan toys have shown great strength in the marketplace in the States and continues to dominate in retail, so it’s certainly on track to give Pokemon a run for its money.”

“The two brands certainly share an audience amongst kids. What kid doesn’t like monsters and battles?”

Pokemon, Nintendo’s most popular game franchise after Mario, was initially created by Nintendo in the mid 90s as a video game and later spawned movies, cartoons and a collectible card game. Bakugan, though, started out as a cartoon and went on to spawn a card and toy game and finally a video game.

In Bakugan players place metal cards on a playing field and then take turns rolling the Bakugan balls toward them like marbles. When a ball rolls across a metal card, a magnet inside the plastic ball releases allowing the ball to spring open and reveal a creature.

“The game’s popularity is really tied to its design,” Linn said. “Bakugan blends the classic game of marbles, the collector card craze and a little bit of Transfomers into one activity. Any one of those would be fun, but when you combine all three, it adds a level of depth and interactivity that really appeals with kids.”

Linn says the video game was created to appeal to fans of the card game and TV show.

“In story mode, kids to create their own character and play through a plot scripted by the writers of the animated show,” he said. “It’s like playing through a season of the cartoon, with you as the main character. In the battle arena, we’ve really brought the world to life through power ups and other special activities that make this much more than just rolling a ball.”

It was important, Linn adds, for the video game to also capture the physicality of Bakugan.

The Wii version of the game, which is also coming to the DS, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360, has players mimicking a throwing movement with the console’s motion-detecting remote to toss a marble at the playfield. Once on the move, players can guide the Bakugan around the interactive field to pick up power-ups and then try to stop on the virtual cards. As in the physical game, when the ball hits the card it springs open.

“The play mechanic really gives the player a lot of control in battles,” Linn said. “When throwing, they can have a standard, power or special throw that will affect how the ball enters the arena. Players can then control the ball by twisting the controller and tapping the B button. This gives the ball a nudge, but is not unlimited. And finally, when your opponent plays, you can shoot his ball and affect their trajectory.

“For the other platforms, we optimised the game to the controller. With Xbox 360, you can use both analogue sticks. For the PS3, we use the Sixaxis control and the analogue stick at the same time.”

And Bakugan: Battle Brawlers, due out on October 20, will be just the first video game built around the franchise.

To help promote the birth of this new video gaming franchise, Activision launched the Roll Across America Tour earlier this month.

The nationwide tour gives fans of the toy and show a chance to play the Wii and DS version of the game on flat screen panels mounted inside a 42-foot long trailer.

The Bakugan-decorated truck and trailer, which features four Wii connected to flatscreen televsions, two DS, a couch, track lighting and hardwood floors, will travel more than 7000 kilometres this fall to promote the game.

During a stop in Colorado last week children and parents crowded inside the air-conditioned trailer taking turns playing the game for four hours. Many spent the entire four hours gaming.

Everyone, parents and children alike, seemed to enjoy the video game, staying around until the sun set and the stars in the sky almost equaled those painted on the truck.

Well Played is a weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

That, dear readers, is a blue flannel custom made Pokémon-themed menstruation pad. Don’t worry, Pikachu won’t end up like Sissy Spacek in Carrie, he’s on the other side of the battle. I think.

I think. Hell, I’m less qualified to talk about menstruation than I am about Warcraft. I haven’t had a serious girlfriend in four years, and she preferred tampons. Handmade, washable menstrual pads seem to be a green alternative to buying up Stayfree and chucking them in the landfill. But Pokémon?

Unbelievable.

Flannel 10.5in Regular Cloth Menstrual Pad – Pokemon w/ Navy Blue [Etsy, via Kreemzeek]

Actor Ernie Hudson might be best known for his role of Winston Zeddemore in the sci-fi comedy franchise Ghostbusters. But there is much more to the man that that.

There’s Pokémon.

Here, Hudson tells website Everything is Terrible! about his Pokémon card game strategy — just to make our heads exploded, we think. What, is this guy trying to destroy the awesome meter or something?

Ernie Hudson’s Pokémon Strategy [Topless Robot]

In they’re first two days on sale, Soul Silver and Heart Gold sold 1,408,980 copies of the game. The title sold out at locations across Japan, so the demand is even higher than those sales indicate.

The games are remakes of Gold and Silver, which sold 23 million copies worldwide.

『ポケットモンスター ハートゴールド・ソウルシルバー』発売2日でミリオンを突破 [ファミ通.com]