Yeah I hate to break the news but Nintendo reported slightly decreased sales on Pokemon items over the holidays. At least, that's what I heard. My mom works at a school and she says that none of the kids there talk about Pokemon at all any more.
I look at it this way. The concept of Pokemon as a game is not a terrible one, but it is one that doesn't leave many directions for the future. You can add a few new types and call that a good reason to make a new game, but I don't buy into that cheapo mentality. I think its a corporate sell-out really.
At least Mario has *some* semblance of a story beyond simply a generic character catching small animals and teaching them tricks. That's all I'm saying on this flame-war fodder.
James