March 23^rd, 2004 (12:00am) - Nintendo of America is proud to announce the release Pokemon Colosseum, the first-ever Pokemon game with role-playing elements, made exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube

In Pokemon Colosseum, the highly anticipated new video game, Pokemon of all shapes, sizes and abilities will be trained for and tested in battle. Yet regardless of who wins the conflict, the Pokemon franchise continues its reign as the undefeated champion in the hearts and minds of its fans.

"From the teens who grew up with Pokemon to the youngsters who are discovering it today, the appeal of these characters endures," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "With both battle and role-playing elements, Pokemon Colosseum is sure to enjoy broad popularity among fans of all ages."

The game contains both an exciting Story Mode and a ferocious Battle Mode. In the single-player Story Mode, players take on the role of the Hero, whose Partner has the ability to identify Shadow Pokemon. The Hero then snags and purifies these Pokemon. The storylines in this deep role-playing mode provide more than 30 hours of play. In Battle Mode, players can transfer all 201 Pokemon from their Game Boy Advance Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon SapphireColosseum. Up to four players can compete in Single, Double or Multi modes of battle.

The rich environments in this first 3-D Pokemon title for Nintendo GameCube pulsate with explosive power and nearly blast off the screen.

The older characters lend themselves to a grittier cinematic feel, thanks to the development team of Genius Sonority

Pokemon Colosseum, Rated E for Everyone, is available now at an MSRP of $49.99.