…And so did Sarah and Mikey!

I know what you’re asking yourself: why should I care? Well, if you plan on getting Pokémon Black or White there is a very good reason.  Namely, that Pokémon Dream World thing I mentioned not too long ago.  According to a recent press release by Nintendo, we will be getting access to the Pokémon Global Link in the West, but it will be tied into a Pokémon Trainer Club ID.

What this means is that come March 3rd, when millions of copies of Pokémon Black and White enter the grubby hands of Poké-fans across the nation, people will be applying for these accounts like mad.  So if you want to get a cool name like “Tom Nook” — instead of something lame like “BulB0zur69BALLS” — then now is the time to act!

Once you have created your account you can play some games to earn credits to dress up your trainer.  Oh, and you can also pick your six favorite pokémon.  But really, all this is secondary to what the Pokémon Global Link will bring:

• Dream World: This new area in the Pokémon Global Link web site comes alive after you tuck a Pokémon into bed using the Game Sync feature of Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version.  You can then enter that Pokémon’s dream online.  Inside the Pokémon Dream World, players can customize their pokémon’s home, grow Berries, and befriend other Pokémon by playing various mini games.  Players can bring Pokémon they’ve befriended and items they’ve found back into their copy of Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version.  Pokémon transferred from the Pokémon Dream World can even be trained for battle!  Pokémon Trainers will also be able to communicate and share items with other players exploring the Pokémon Dream World.
• Global Battle Union: Players will be able to earn a Worldwide Rating, which is calculated based on a player’s battle score, and see where they stack up against Pokémon Trainers from all over the world.  Aside from bragging rights within the Global Battle Union, top-performing players may qualify for invitations to live regional and national tournaments in the Pokémon Video Game Championship series for the opportunity to advance to the Pokémon World Championships in San Diego, California, in August.
• Global Trade Station: Players are given the ability to track Pokémon trades all over the world, currently scheduled to launch later this year.

That’s right.  You get to tuck a Pokémon into bed.  This is the future, people.

Needless to say I am pretty excited about this.  If a new generation of Pokémon wasn’t exciting enough, a new generation of technology behind it, bringing more ways to interact and play certainly is.