After 3 long years of waiting, Pokémon fever has finally left the shores of Japan, and is quickly infecting millions across North America.

   The monster-breeding RPG for Game Boy has become a mainstream craze in the land of the rising sun, spawning a four billion dollar industry of toys, clothing, candy, dolls, cards, lunchboxes, television cartoons, and, oh yes, a game. The Pokémon cartoon has already begun airing on major US networks (sans seizure-inducing scenes, of course), and the Game Boy title itself began shipping to American and Canadian retailers on Monday.

   Our local Electronics Boutique reported strong sales of Pokémon, with a high number of pre-orders. In order to collect all 150 monsters from the game, players must trade monsters via a link cable between two different cartridge versions: red and blue. Individually, each has 139 creatures to collect and breed. Multiple sources have also informed us that the blue cartridges seem to be outselling the reds fairly significantly.

   Continuing the success of individual message boards for new games, RPGamer has set up a unique message board for Pokémon. Share tips, tricks, and secrets with the whole world, ask burning questions, or express your deeply philosophical views on just how cute Pikachu really is.