<P> The third generation introduced 135 new Pokémon (starting with Treecko and ending with Deoxys) for a total of 386 species . It also features a more visually detailed environment compared to previous games, "natures" which affect Pokémon stats, a new 2 - on - 2 Pokémon battling mechanic, a special ability system applying to each Pokémon in battle, the Pokémon Contest sub-game, the new region of Hoenn, the ability to select the protagonist's gender and Secret Bases: customizable "rooms" where the player can display items they have collected in game and battle against real friends . Secret Bases can be found in bushes, trees or small cave openings in landscapes by using the Pokémon move, Secret Power, which can be taught to virtually all pokémon . However, this generation also garnered some criticism for leaving out several gameplay features, including the day - and - night system introduced in the previous generation (which was removed due to internal - battery save problems), and it was also the first installment that encouraged the player to collect merely a selected assortment of the total number of Pokémon rather than every existing species (202 out of 386 species are catchable in the Ruby and Sapphire versions). </P> <P> Third - generation spin - off titles include Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire for Game Boy Advance; Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS; Pokémon Dash, Pokémon Trozei! and Pokémon Ranger for Nintendo DS; Pokémon Channel and Pokémon Box: Ruby & Sapphire for GameCube; and two RPGs for the GameCube, consisting of the games Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness . </P> <P> In 2006, Japan began the fourth generation of the franchise with the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for Nintendo DS . The games were subsequently released in North America on April 22, 2007 and in Australia on June 21, 2007 . The game was then later released in the UK and Europe on July 27, 2007 . Other main series games in the fourth generation include Pokémon Platinum, a director's cut version of Diamond and Pearl in the same vein as Pokémon Yellow, Crystal, and Emerald . It was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on September 13, 2008, in North America on March 22, 2009, and in Australia and Europe on May 14, 2009 and May 22, 2009 respectively . It was also announced that the Generation II games Pokémon Gold and Silver would be remade for the Nintendo DS as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver . First released in Japan on September 12, 2009, the games were later released to North America, Australia, and Europe during March 2010 . </P> <P> The fourth generation introduces another 107 new species of Pokémon (starting with Turtwig and ending with Arceus), bringing the number of Pokémon species to 493 . This generation is the first to have 3D graphics in a main series game, although it is still a mixture of both 3D graphics and sprites . New gameplay concepts include a restructured move - classification system, online multiplayer trading and battling via Nintendo Wi - Fi Connection, the return (and expansion) of the second generation's day - and - night system, the expansion of the third generation's Pokémon Contests into "Super Contests", and the new region of Sinnoh, which has an underground component for multiplayer gameplay in addition to the main overworld . Secret Bases also appear in Sinnoh but can only be created and housed in Sinnoh's underground . HeartGold and SoulSilver also introduced the Pokéathlon to the Johto region, which consists of many Pokémon based sporting events making use of the stylus . </P>

How many pokemon games are there in total