Pokémon Diamond, Pearl get patched

TOKYO--Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are the hottest-selling games in Japan at the moment. The games sold an unprecedented 1.6 million copies their first week and have since gone on to ship around 2.5 million units in Japan.

The official Pokémon Web site issued a statement yesterday regarding a problem in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl software.

Although occurring only rarely under special conditions, according to Nintendo, the bug causes players to become stuck in walls in certain rooms. In some instances it can even lead to the malfunctioning or loss of saved game data. The games' Web site gives instructions on how to get around these issues.

In addition, it was announced that a patch will be distributed through DS Stations at participating stores throughout Japan and at all Pokémon Center branches on October 27.

It seems unlikely that these problems will affect North American or European gamers, because the fixes will almost certainly be added to the games before they go on sale.