When I was younger, the Pokémon Trading Card Game craze came down upon me like a million Snorlax-filled pokéballs. Collecting Pokémon cards took the place of basketball cards, and my closest friends were participating. As interesting as it was, there was still an inherent shame that came along with the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It was something we did in secret, far away from the judging eyes of girls we liked. Thanks to the internet, we will be shamed no longer.

Pokemon Black and White may not be released in North America until March 6, 2011, but you can play then next month if you’d like. Nintendo is going to be holding a pokemon mall tour. If you live in the US, then there’s a good chance that you live in the vicinity of one of the 14 malls Nintendo will stop by…

PokePark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure tackles two genres. It’s an adventure game, since players are helping Pikachu explore zones, befriend pokemon and fulfill simple tasks. It’s also a mini-game collection, filled with attractions in each area to play. It’s also inspired by a theme park, also called PokePark, that briefly appeared in both Japan and Taiwan and had rides/attractions based on different Pokemon characters. So players are essentially getting a virtual, pokemon amusement park experience.

Wondering where to stop the next time you’re vacationing in Japan? Perhaps a trip to a Pokemon Center is in order.

Even if you aren’t a fan of the series, which has become one of Nintendo’s most popular handheld franchises, it’s still a place worth checking out, if only for the awe factor. You’ll see more Pokemon merchandise than you ever imagined, even things you wouldn’t have expected to exist.

This week in Important Importables, we’re going to take a quick peek at these Japan-only locations. Perhaps, after reading, you’ll be interested in stopping by one when you’re in the area…

Title: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of DarknessPrice: $34.99 (each)System(s): DSRelease Date: April 20, 2008Publisher (Developer): Nintendo (The Pokémon Company)ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for mild cartoon violence.Pros: It has “Pokémon” in the name, the character and town graphics are good and attacks can be mapped to buttons.Cons: You have to buy two games, the gameplay is more frustration than fun and the dungeons graphics are really bad.Overall Score: One thumb sideways, one thumb down; 62/100; D-; * 1/2 out of five.

The game is technically adequate but the blandly generated dungeons don’t do the franchise justice. Also, for all of the well-intentioned features and pretty decent graphics (as is expected at this point from any Pokémon DS game), I played this for a few days, put it down and then never wanted to pick it back up. I had zero care as to the level of my avatar or getting through the next random dungeon. Instead, I am pretty content to leave it as-is, which is a really bad sign for a role-playing game that is intended to be enjoyed for months.

Click through for the full review…