Holy Grail for Retro Pokémon Fans Found
Have you ever heard of Pokémon Fishing Contest DS (also known as PokéPark Fishing Rally DS)? If not, that is completely natural: the game was only available at special events and Pokémon Center stores for a few months in 2005. The Pokémon Company used the project exclusively for score-based tournaments, and it was never planned for a commercial release.
How Did the Game Work and Why Was It Considered Lost?
In 2005, users could download this game onto their Nintendo DS via the Download Play feature. The catch was that the game remained in the console's memory only until the power was turned off. Because of this, the project effectively disappeared from the community for over 20 years.
However, a unique developer cartridge with the game recently appeared on eBay. The seller is asking $9,000 for the rarity.
- The game was never officially released on physical media for regular players;
- The cartridge was intended exclusively for staff and distribution station hardware;
- The archival community hopes that the buyer will preserve the ROM and release the dump online for public access.
New Details from Collectors
Shortly after the listing was published, another independent collector confirmed having a copy of the PokéPark Fishing Rally cartridge as well, sharing relevant video and photo materials. Now, there is a real chance to preserve this forgotten piece of Pokémon history for future generations.
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