User Manual

Summary

The complete edition of Pokémon's fourth generation and a personal favorite. Darkness arrives in a realm where space and time duke it out. It established the best era of Pokémon on the DS and there is no better Champion battle than Cynthia.

Acquisition

Bought at a local game shop on June 15, 2026 using store trade-in credit; the cartridge was valued at around $150, and I bought a matching box separately for $37.95 to complete it.

Memories

This is a big one in my life. And since I no longer have my original copy of Pokémon Diamond or Platinum, this page will have to serve as the lore dump for both of them.

As a youth, my parents made a decision in my elementary school years to forbid Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda series. You can hear that whole hilarious affair on the debut episode of Chapter Select Season 6 - Pokémon. This meant that while I did play my fair share of Pokémon Blue I missed out on the likes of Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Sapphire and Pokémon LeafGreen when the games came into their own and, arguably, entered the series' golden era.

That did not mean I was oblivious to the franchise. Far from it. I got Nintendo Power. I read news sites. And before my thirteenth birthday, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl was being released in the states—also that year was The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I made a big play and printed out tons of pages and made my case for why, at the ripe mature age of thirteen, I was ready to return to these video game worlds. My case was approved and I could get those games. The only problem was, at the time, we lived on St. John of the U.S.V.I. and getting copies imported was too expensive for a fledgling teenager.

That summer my aunt from Florida visited and surprised me with birthday gifts of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Ranger. I was beyond elated and began to pour myself into these games. I did everything I could possibly do in Diamond and then some. When I ran out of official things to pursue, I used an Action Replay to do the rest. I was immersed in the world of Sinnoh. It was my Pokémon game the way Gen III was for my friends and peers.

When we moved back to the mainland, I started a podcast called But Our Princess is in Another Castle which was a Nintendo focused show. I followed the news and rumors for Platinum with religious fervor. I even proclaimed that I'd be impoting the game from Japan to play sooner, despite not knowing how to import a game or, you know, read Japanese. Needless to say, I did not do that, but I did buy the game and relive the Sinnoh experience.

At some point in high school, I made the foolish decision to sell my Pokémon games to GameStop for the high trade-in value of $45~ a pop. I will forever regret that decision.

I wouldn't come back to Sinnoh until Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond. They were games that made my heart happy, flaws and all. I wouldn't actually re-buy the DS cartridge until June 2026. Like as a youth, I traded games in to a local shop and I reclaimed Platinum for my collection. I hope I don't come to regret those trades as much. I doubt I will.

Related Posts

• S6E7 - Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
• Guest Appearance on The Very Best Podcast with Jerrad Wyche

Versions

• Pokémon Brilliant Diamond
• Pokémon Shining Pearl

Miscellaneous

• Sinnohvation by insaneintherainmusic is one of the all-time great cover/arrangement albums. A constant in my musical rotation and it deserves a spot in your library. Seriously. Here's Music and Spotify and YouTube.
• How Cynthia's Theme Terrorized a Generation by 8-bit Music Theory