02.09.99
File this under sad, but true. From last September through the end of 1998, games featuring Pokemon characters for Game Boy outsold any game for the PlayStation.

According to independent sales data, the blue and red versions of Pokemon combined to sell an estimated 1.3 million carts in America. Compare that to one million for Crash Bandicoot, a little under a million for Metal Gear Solid, and less than 750,000 units for Tomb Raider 3 and the results are clear -- Pokemon will consume all, leaving only a greasy smudge in its path.

"Simply stated, there has never been a portable game pheomenon like Pokemon," said Peter Main, Nintendo of America executive vice president of sales and marketing, while doing some weird math on an abacus. "During its time on the market last year, Pokemon sales represented one of every five games sold for all portable systems. And its popularity continues unabated into 1999."

Oh yeah? Well we got three words for ya: Cabbage Patch Kids.