According to some screenshots in Famitsu magazine, the new Pokemon games for the Nintendo DS - Diamond and Pearl - are going to be Wi-Fi compatible thus allowing Pokemon players to compete with their assembled team of critters with people around the world.

To be blunt, I think this is an interesting step for Pokemon if handled correctly. Now, to be fair, I haven’t played a Pokemon game since I was addicted to Pokemon Yellow on my Gameboy Colour, but I can see some good and some bad coming from an online Pokemon game.

On the one hand, you have the opportunity to battle and trade with a large assortment of “trainers” from around the world, making the game an experience that does not lose value after you’ve completed the main storyline’s various gym matches.

On the other hand, multiplayer matches could become redundant and unfair. If every trainer is merely packing a team of Lv. 100 Pokemon X (a hypothetical powerhouse Pokemon), then the game will become extremely tiresome. With a lot more evening out of different Pokemon’s abilities, and more focus on strategic planning, Pokemon Diamond (or Pearl) might be a game I’d add to my library (despite the amateurish RPG nature).

It will be interesting to see some screenshots and gameplay videos as we get closer to the Japanese release date in September and - hopefully - an announcement of a North American release.