The prices of video games can get pretty high these days, and Pokemon games are no exception, especially new Pokemon games like the upcoming Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. However, a few sharp-eyed fans recently spotted a small but noticeable price discrepancy between Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that seems to have struck them as more than a little odd.
Redditor baddiebusted shared a screenshot of what appears to be a price listing for both Pokemon Gen 4 remakes. Everything seems fairly straightforward until one takes a look at the prices, which show Shining Pearl as costing $59.99 and Brilliant Diamond $59.88, 11 cents cheaper than its counterpart.
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Generally speaking, different Pokemon games are priced the same so that players have to choose a title based on other factors, so fans immediately began debating the implications of this bizarre price discrepancy in the comments section. While Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl may bring updates to the original Gen 4 gameplay and mechanics, those updates have also historically been balanced between titles. It appears that many fans had difficulty finding a solid reason for why Brilliant Diamond would be cheaper by such a small margin, so they turned to find humorous reasons why this might be the case.
Why is Brilliant Diamond 11¢ cheaper than Shining Pearl? from
pokemon
As of this writing, the most popular joke theory appears to be that Pokemon Diamond's Legendary Pokemon Dialga, which has control over time, traveled through various timelines to find a world where Nintendo charges cheaper prices for its modern games–the punchline being that 11 cents cheaper is the best Dialga could find. Many fans immediately began a chain of responses to this post reading “Nintendo, I’ve come to bargain,” in reference to the movie Doctor Strange. Another user claimed that Pokemon Pearl-exclusive Pokemon Purugly cost 11 cents and provided their source as an aunt's dog that allegedly works for Game Freak.
The image has no source provided and is difficult to track down, placing its legitimacy in question. Both Amazon and the official Nintendo eShop have Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl listed with the same price: $59.99 USD. If the apparent screenshot was photoshopped, one might be inclined to wonder what the motive behind it was. There's a distinct possibility that the image was created specifically to draw a reaction out of Pokemon fans, but if so, the attempt may have backfired. It seems that few fans are truly upset over the apparent price discrepancy, with most of them simply joking around and making references.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release on November 19 for the Nintendo Switch.
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