It might be hard to believe, but Pokemon has been out in the United States for nearly 10 years. It seems just yesterday that Pikachu, Ash, Misty and Brock invaded our televisions, Game Boys and… well, then every other consumer product category known to man. But through all of this, the actual games derived from the franchise have been somewhat limited. Until just recently, there were two primary elements - the videogames and the collectible card game. Just a few weeks ago Pokemon USA added a third tier to its strategy - the Trading Figure Game (TFG). Drawing upon the core elements of its predecessors, this game uses small figures depicting various creatures and trainers to simulate the battles that have become so addictive to millions across the globe.

It's just as addictive and collectible as the videogame franchise. Welcome to an entirely new Pokemon addiction. by Richard George There are two things about this game that you need to understand before you render any judgment. First, it's addictive. We hadn't considered the TFG (mainly due to time constraints) until Bozon came to us, praising the game endlessly. We gave it a shot. He was right - it's incredibly addictive despite being easy to learn (keep in mind that there's just a base set out - as you'll read below, there are plans to evolve the mechanics). The second key thing here is that these figures are absolutely stellar. We're sure many of you have picked up figurine games only to be a bit depressed by the somewhat messy interpretations of characters you know and love. Not so with this Pokemon game. Not only do the creatures and trainers look absolutely perfect, many of them come in incredible poses, featuring some great "element type" effects. Check out some of our pictures in the article and gallery to see what we mean. To gather more information on the game, ranging from its mechanics to future plans, we chatted with J. C. Smith, the Director of Marketing for Pokemon USA. IGN will have plenty more on the TFG as time rolls on, so stay tuned for more! IGN Comics: What led Pokemon USA to tackle a trading figure game? What experience does this offer that the trading card game does not? J.C. Smith: Collectors and players alike have been asking for a Pokemon figure game for a long time; we're just now able to give them a game that we feel meets Pokemon's high-quality standards of collectability and gameplay. IGN Comics: Where can fans purchase the Pokemon TFG? Smith: The Pokemon Trading Figure Game is available at major retail stores such as Target, Wal*Mart and Toys 'R' Us, as well as local game stores.

You can read the rest of IGN's interview by visiting their website article. Source: http://comics.ign.com/