Meloetta Get!

Last weekend, once again we went through the humiliating ritual of busting down to the nearest GAME with our DSi and copies of Pokémon White and Pokémon Black Version 2 to download Legendary 'mon Meloetta. That takes us up to a sweet 648/649 (Deoxys aaargh) in our eternal mission to Catch 'em all, this generation of Pokémon is the closest we've come.

In all our years of playing these ridiculous games, Nintendo seem to have finally realised that yes, Europe is a viable region and that some people do play their multi million selling game series. For previous generations we'd get shafted over special events and event only Pokémon meaning that unless you turned to an Action Replay you were destined to have to live with empty spaces dotting the pokedex.

That's not to say that all regions are treated equally. Oh no. With Pokémon Black and White Version 2 there's now a multitude of ways to receive special gift pokémon and items from Mother Ninty. gifts can be distributed through the Pokémon Global Link (the PC client), via Nintendo WFC (over the internet without having to go to the internet) and via local WiFi- i.e. you have to schlep to a certain place at a certain time to download a piece of code. All three methods have been used to essentially unlock free DLC and presumably maintain interest in the game series. Our preffered method is either through the Global Link or Nintendo WFC because there's nothing more embarrassing than having to use your DS publicly (especially when we're 20 years older than the other participants). However, through the local WiFi downloads it's getting a bit like LARPing, the rarity of GAME stores make finding a participating store like the in game actions of hunting down rare and legendary pokémon.

Europe and non US or Japan parts of the World receive far less of these online, in store and NWFC content which is odd considering it can't be that much effort to broadcast a bit of code. 

So we don't know if we're idiots for caring about these things in the first place or idiots for having a Stockholm Syndrome relationship with the Nintyship. Should we be angry for not getting the same content as Japan or boot-lickingly grateful for getting anything at all? Amateur psychologists email us at the usual address.