I am not the only crazy person out there playing Pokémon out there.  Here is the latest stat sheet from Nintendo.

Pokémon® games have always been best-sellers. But the huge popularity of the portable Nintendo DS™ and the Wii™ home video game system has put the Pokémon craze into a whole new category.

Just check out these statistics:

* According to the independent NPD Group, through July Pokémon Diamond is the best-selling video game of the year on any system, while Pokémon Pearl ranks No. 3.

* The newly released Pokémon Battle Revolution already ranks at No. 5 on the list of best-selling Wii games for the year.

* Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl for Nintendo DS have sold more than 3 million copies in the United States alone.

* Pokémon games have helped boost sales of Nintendo hardware. According to the NPD Group, Wii and Nintendo DS were again the two best-selling video game systems in the United States in July.

“These hard numbers show that the Pokémon franchise and Nintendo’s systems are striking a chord with players of all ages and drawing in huge numbers of new players year after year,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “But anecdotally we’re also seeing that these new Pokémon games are appealing to older players, the same ones who played the original Pokémon games when they debuted in the United States almost 10 years ago.”

Grown men and women with kids of their own proudly announce they are training Pokémon and having a blast doing it. Gamer site www.Penny-Arcade.com ran a four-part comic about the artist’s Pokémania, while Kristin Brandt of ManicMommies.com posted: “I have become obsessed. I have played for many, many hours (I can’t even admit to how many – it’s embarrassing)… And I can’t seem to stop! There are more Pokémon to capture, more levels to conquer and more badges to earn!”

I have to add this note, in working on this article, I came across these skins for the Wii Remote and Nunchuck.  It looks like an oficially licensed product.  But pretty neat!

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today announced it is the first cruise line to offer guests a chance to experience Nintendo’s red-hot Wii™ video game system on board its ships. Since its launch in November 2006, the Wii system from Nintendo has become one of the fastest-selling game systems in the world. With an easy-to-use motion-sensitive controller, Wii draws new players into the world of video games in a very ‘real’ way.

Wii systems are currently on NCL’s newest ship - Norwegian Pearl - and all NCL America ships. Wii will be rolled out on the rest of the NCL fleet by next month. The systems are equipped with Wii Sports™, offering five distinct sports experiences: tennis, golf, baseball, boxing and bowling. Other games available on the ships include Wii Play™, WarioWare™: Smooth Moves and Excite Truck™.

“With its active, engaging and inviting game experiences appealing to every age from kids to parents to grandparents, the Wii from Nintendo is a natural fit for Freestyle Cruising,” said Colin Veitch, NCL’s president and CEO. “With the addition of Wii to our on-board activities, we can now offer bowling, boxing, golf, tennis and baseball across the entire fleet. Cheering, yelling and high-fives will be highly encouraged.”

“Millions of people around the world continue to discover the fun of playing Wii with their friends and families,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Norwegian Cruise Line is a great partner, as they offer us direct access to non-traditional gamers. Our partnership reinforces how Wii’s social phenomenon continues to grow, from the centerpiece of gaming parties, to a workout supplement, to a fun facet of vacation cruises.”

On each ship, Wii systems/setups will be located in the atrium and other public rooms allowing guests to gather and play against each other while viewing the game on large video screens. Each ship’s Kid’s Crew facility will also feature two Wii kiosks providing kids-only fun. The ships will also host tournaments and other activities around the games.

“This partnership with Nintendo is an industry first and another innovation for NCL,” Veitch said. “This continues our mission to dismantle the traditional cruise experience and deliver the most exciting and most customizable experience at sea.”

Very cool. Now if we could get this on airplanes too, I would be even happier

So for those who want either Brian’s “Biib” or Charlie’s “Mii”(Yeah I need to work on that). In fact I need to do a whole plastic surgery re-construction on him lol. Shoot us an e-mail with your Wii Code and we will send you ours. So you show us yours and we’ll show you ours.

Look forward to Miiting you!

How blingy do you want your Wii?