The inevitable has become official: the people of North America will see their own copies of Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire for the GameBoy Advance on March 17. Sources in Japan have indicated that Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire is the most anticipated game west of the Pacific, and Nintendo is confident that North America is just as eager.

The English names of the three starter Pokémon have also been confirmed. The small fire type bird is named Torchic, the gecko-like grass type is appropriately called Treecko, and the orange-gilled water type is named Mudkip. In addition, the Pokémon on the game boxes have been identified. Groudon will dominate the Ruby box, and Kyogre will grace the cover of the Sapphire box.

While North America must wait until springtime for the pocket monsters to migrate east, Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire hits Japanese stores today.