Nintendo releases second Pokemon iOS app

An interactive Pokemon encyclopaedia called Pokemon Zukan has been launched on the Japanese Apple App Store.

It’s the second Pokemon-themed release on Apple’s portal following the arrival of Pokemon Say Tap last year. This new title, however, is the first paid-for Nintendo iOS app, though purists will argue that it’s a Pokemon Company production which if of course a Nintendo subsidiary.

The app offers a visual guide to 650 different Pokemon characters and is only available in Japan.

The kicker for Nintendo loyalists may be the price, however. The app costs just 170 (around 1.30). That compare that the 3DS’ downloadable Pokedex 3D Pro, which cost 13.49.

However, the pill will be easier to swallow when gamers realise that the initial purchase only grants access to 150 Pokemon. The rest are available in four different 500 (3.90) downloads.