Joystiq takes on Hulkster and the Pokémon [Update 1]
by Joystiq Staff 
{ Aug 8th 2006 at 12:55PM }
Today at Bryant Park in New York City, Joystiq was on hand for Pokémon Day. Playing host to the day's festivities was Pokémon legend, Hulk Hogan. Huh? Yeah, Hulk Hogan is a Pokémon legend.
The event pretty much took over the entire park with kids and parents packed in like sweaty sun-drenched sardines. There were different tents set up for whatever Pokémon activity floated your boat. Also, little Pokémon gamers could test out and see upcoming DS Pokémon games.
Check after the break for pictures and video of the event.
[Update 1] Added more pictures, including a bunch of Pikachu. Enjoy!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Pheonix Gamma @ Aug 8th 2006 1:01PM
Pokemon's dead, Hogan's dignity is dead, and my eyes are dead after that Team Rocket thing. Warn us before you post that crap.
Andrew @ Aug 8th 2006 1:04PM
If Pokemon were dead, it wouldn't be Nintendo's best selling franchise every release.
MadAlive8 @ Aug 8th 2006 1:05PM
lmao at the team rocket guy. and since when has Hulk Hogan been a part of pokemon?
Chessasaur @ Aug 8th 2006 1:08PM
Looks like the new Pokemon games will wear out alot of DS screens. And no pictures of Pikachu? Waas up with that?
Stu L Tissimus @ Aug 8th 2006 1:08PM
I've been watching the stream, it's hilariously bad. Hulk is obsessed with "Pokeymans." They just told me to drink water until I turn into a water-type Pokemon.
And they're allowing ubers into the tournament... X_X
Scott @ Aug 8th 2006 1:13PM
Pokemon is not dead. As long as there are little kids buying up Pokemon games, it is alive and well. My wife's 8-year old cousin has my 4-year old son hooked on Pokemon now. I went to buy him a Pokemon game for his GBA and even the Gamestop employees commented on how they sell out every time a new Pokemon game is released.
Jason T. @ Aug 8th 2006 1:14PM
I met that Team Rocket guy at the grand opening of the Nintendo World Store. Though he was playing as James instead...
-Ombre
PeeeU @ Aug 8th 2006 1:15PM
I almost died laughing great pics guys! I can not belive that Hogan agreed to do that.
Matt @ Aug 8th 2006 1:16PM
Hulk Hogan will, evidently, do anything to try and advertise his daughter's failing music career.
Matt @ Aug 8th 2006 1:17PM
And yes, as an EB Games employee, we do sell out of every Pokemon game ever. That's why we were so excited to hear about Fire Red and Leaf Green's induction to the GBA's Top Seller $19.99 re-release program.
Patrick @ Aug 8th 2006 1:20PM
Hogan is with pokemons?! I hate him since this moment!
Tony Franco @ Aug 8th 2006 1:27PM
Hulk's physique is long gone and I fear the mind is following as well.
GreatFox @ Aug 8th 2006 1:30PM
It can't be dead when these kinds of events get packed. And it's not just with little kids. Heck, they're the minority at these events. Just check out the TCG tounaments (World Championship is next week) and 80% playing are over 15 (I'd even say 75% are over 20). And you wouldn't believe how far some of these people travel for a Pokémon event.
Mike Mayer @ Aug 8th 2006 1:49PM
If you have ever worked with video games you know pokemon is alive and well, and as well it should be, for kids to find an RPG that they can play and enjoy it's rare, its like crack for kids, getting them ready for something more hardcore like WoW.
Seriously though, that kid next to hulk is waaaaay too excited for someone wearing that hat next to hulk. If this is the future of the hulkimaniacs i'm going to throw out my yellow tank top.
Who am i kidding, i'm going to wear it till i die.
Chris Jeffery @ Aug 8th 2006 1:50PM
Pokemon isn't dead, it's just no longer the huge trendy thing it used to be. I myself still play it from time to time.
espionage @ Aug 8th 2006 1:50PM
Seems silly to have the event on a weekday. I wanted to actually check this out since I live nearby and heard Hogan would be there, but I'm at work. In fact, do all of these parents take off work to take their kid(s) to something like this?
OtakuCODE @ Aug 8th 2006 2:00PM
Nintendo certainly knows how to work a franchise. Pokemon came out when I was in high school and I got interested in it, but lost interest after the first game. It was a fun RPG and even starting then if you were a fan of turn-based battles in RPGs, you had to scrounge around for anything you could find. I don't know how they've managed to keep it going for so long, but I'm sure there are a lot of fans out there in their 20s now, or ex-fans at least. It'd be neat if someone would come along and make a franchise with the intention of having it grow with the audience... like have the games get more mature as time goes on. Start out as Pokemon, end with Pokemon Death Brawl 2010. Would be tough to pull off, but it'd be neat if someone would try.
bounchfx @ Aug 8th 2006 2:01PM
people who hate pokemon are stupid
Pheonix Gamma @ Aug 8th 2006 2:02PM
Pokemon's audience and game quality has shifted greatly, IMHO. There's a reason it's not trendy anymore.
Simon @ Sep 15th 2006 6:18PM
MY EYES! ZEE GOGGLES DO NOTHING!
I have nothing against the Pokemon games (or at least the GB games) but that cosplay pic was unnecessary.
DG @ Aug 8th 2006 2:06PM
I don't have much to say about Pokemon except that Pikachu is adorable and those DS display screens are pretty neat.
Why all the hating on Hulk Hogan? What did he ever do to you? And to the person who said Hulk's physique is gone, I'd like to see you look like that when you're 50+.
Sam Goldman @ Aug 8th 2006 2:25PM
WHATCHA GONNA DOOO WHEN POKEMON RUN WILD ON YOUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
clo1_2000 @ Aug 8th 2006 2:25PM
A moment of silece for all former Hulkamanics...
Jtatooine @ Aug 8th 2006 2:26PM
That game doesn't look very fun :(
Chad @ Aug 8th 2006 2:26PM
I consider Pokemon to be the equivalent of Gi Joe and Barbie now. It's there for the kids (mainly) and will continue to be for kids. You can bash it all you want once you get older if that makes you feel better, but Nintendo know what they're doing with this franchise.
Ian @ Aug 8th 2006 2:30PM
If pokemon were dead it wouldn't be the #2 best selling game last year, only second to madden.
supremespleen @ Aug 8th 2006 2:45PM
Hogan said this morning on TV, that his son is a Pokemon fan.
I believe that has something to do with his involvement.
Seroth @ Aug 8th 2006 2:49PM
On "Hogan Knows Best", they present the excuse that his family doesn't want him to wrestling anymore to bring in the money, so he tries other things, like selling grills, and this Pokémon thing.
I haven't played a Pokémon game since Gold and Silver, but I'm hyped for Diamond and Pearl.
White Rose Duelist @ Aug 8th 2006 3:10PM
I was at the Boston location. The tournament was divided into 12 and under and 13+, and most of the latter category was adults (myself included). I suspect that when Nintendo next holds an event like this, it will be divided into 0-12, 13-17 and 18+ to give teens a chance.
Level 50 is the way to go for serious battlers... no ubers, more strategy. Anyone can raise a Mewtwo to 100 and throw Psychics. Talk to me when you can win with Gengar, Marowak or Ludicolo.
Anyway - yeah, D/P looks to be an awesome game. Some of the best roleplaying games in the last decade have been Pokemon titles, and anyone who refuses to try because it looks juvenile is missing out.
vinnybushes @ Aug 8th 2006 3:18PM
I walked by bryant park earlier today and the place was pretty packed. A little while later i grabbed some lunch at a food cart and wandered over to rockefeller center, where I saw a pretty big procession of people from the pokemon event going into the nintendo world store. I"d been there a couple times before but i wanted to see if there was anything new because of the event.The place was packed. The only truly unique thing i saw was a "have a conversation with mario " display that was set up. from the looks of things it seemed like they had charles martinet doing the mario voice somewhere and looking through a camera while an onscreen mario mimiced his actions. I know they've done things like this at e3, and I'm pretty damn sure that it was him, otherwise it was a pretty incredible voice synthesiser. It defintely wasn't preprogrammed (apparently mario likesa the salmon, and knows where the microphone is located). sorry for the long rambling story but it was definetly the only cool thing about the event (I'm really happy I didn't see the team rocket guy).
Mark @ Aug 8th 2006 3:23PM
Uhmmm yeah. Pokemon was cool 7 years ago. When I was a kid. It's still cool for kids. I'm not gonna play another rehash of the same Pokemon Blue I owned when I was little.
MetaHuman @ Aug 8th 2006 3:29PM
Pokemon outlasted fad status. That is good, meaning they have an established, serious fanbase.
Because something is not trendy doesn't mean it has to be successful. In fact it might be considered a strong trait if a game is successful without capturing mainstream attention.
Hogan's always been cheesy, even as Hollywood Hogan. Pokemon changes none of that.
http://hulkhoganraps.ytmnd.com
supadude5000 @ Aug 8th 2006 4:09PM
I really respect Hogan for doing this, that is if he actually wanted to do this. If he is just doing this for money but doesn't really care about the people there then crap on him. Though, if he is actually enjoying himself, I say more power to him for helping some people have a good time and not caring...pretty much because he can still beat the crap out of most of the people here.
32_Footsteps @ Aug 8th 2006 4:12PM
Considering how many overhauls (at least half of which were desperately needed, unless your idea of fun was watching level 100 Mewtwos trading Psychic for a half hour) the series went through, anyone who has given more than 15 minutes to the games know that we aren't just fiddling around with Pokemon Red/Blue anymore.
I still love it for the strategizing. Though the fact that this tourney was strictly level 100 and only banned Event catches (Mew, Celebi, Deoxys, and Jirachi) made this particular one a bit cheesy. As WRD said, the best matches are at the level 50 point, where you see people pick things that aren't all legendaries, and the strategy is much more intense.
John Lucas @ Aug 8th 2006 4:23PM
And Whatcha Gonna Do, BROTHER...
When Bulbasaur...
Runs Wild...
On You...GRRR GRRR!
John Lucas
P.S.: Well, ya know somethin' Mean Rob....
White Rose Duelist @ Aug 8th 2006 4:25PM
Of course, I also remember the R/B tour, where the level requirements were a little odd... I was in the section with a max individual level of 20, with the team's total level below 55. I think they phased that out simply because too many people had illegal teams because the level combinations were wrong.
mandarin @ Aug 8th 2006 4:56PM
Whoa that kid beside him is bigger than him...
The Astro Creep @ Aug 8th 2006 7:12PM
Didn't you guys know? The US is getting an exclusive North America Pokemon known as "Hulkémon."
The Echidna @ Aug 8th 2006 7:36PM
You know, the real disturbing thing is, the guy dressed up as Jessie... I remember him from YEARS ago at the STS events...
...back then he used to dress up as James thought... ._.
Mussa @ Aug 8th 2006 7:42PM
Does anyone know if Hulk Hogan was limping, he supposedly is injured which is why he wasnt on Monday Night Raw this week.
The Dude @ Aug 8th 2006 8:28PM
Yeah, todays event was great! Went there at 9 o'clock and it was already packed, got a bunch of swag too~
The Dude @ Aug 8th 2006 8:34PM
@ Mussa- Didn't look like he was limping to me. He seemed ok o.o
Robert Summa @ Aug 8th 2006 8:46PM
Yeah, I didn't notice any limp either in his step.
Tom @ Aug 8th 2006 10:46PM
so i herd you like mudkips
Donald @ Aug 8th 2006 11:56PM
Hogan must be suffering from random jobberitis of the knee.
Also, when Diamond/Pearl come out next year, I think a lot of the people here are going to be shocked at how many people are playing it over the Wifi connection.
DarkPen @ Aug 9th 2006 6:03AM
huh.... Hogan.... and pokemon.... reminds me of elementary school in more than one way.
Just for the humor of it, can you post a link to the copy of that photo w/ hulk in it, but in the photo's orignal size? That'd be awesome.
Pheonix Gamma @ Aug 9th 2006 9:26AM
I liked it when Hulk was talking about waking up on e day as Pikachu...and the girl said he was "more of a Machamp" and then Hulk said he was Pikachu cause he's got red and yellow...
He's at that phase the guy who played Batman was in when he was doing all sorts of pathetic crap like being shot out of a cannon as Batman after the show was cancelled. Hulk's doing this cause:
1) he needz munniez
2) his daughter needz publicity, thus makin g her more famous and getting him...I mean...her...more munniez
3) he needs some time away from pitching different energy drinks and immitator grills.
april @ Aug 9th 2006 11:11AM
i went to the pokemon party yesterday.
my boyfriend and i met playing it... so it was only right.
well i was there when hulk hogan was arguing with the lady about what pokemon he would be if he woke up one day and had to be one.
i was laughing sooo hard.
u can find the video of it on youtube.com but it doesnt show the whole argument he had with the poor woman, who was prolly following the 'script' because of the whole "id think ud be a machamp" and she wouldnt let up on it. he was quite adamant of waking up as a pikachu. i dont know why sher persisted to argue.... would u persist to argue with him knowing he can throw anything at you?
calthaer @ Aug 9th 2006 2:02PM
Dude, I like the Pokemon games - they're great strategy games. And getting the Celebi download, and a lot more shots at getting a Suicune with good stats, was worth the tour.
BUT
What in the name of all that is holy is up with that porcine anime freak dressed up like a girl? He was at the NYC grand opening, he was at the Pokemon event at King of Prussia outside Philly, too. SO weird...just bizarre. That dude needs some serious psychological help, along with a gym membership. And a court order to stay away from Ho-Hos and Twinkies.
AJ @ Aug 10th 2006 1:39PM
MUSSA, Hogan faked the injury to avoid drug testing, which took place on monday. He's fine.