Celebi Bonus Disc

[Silktree]

Some of you may already know that Colosseum contains many unused pieces of data, among which is the data for the Celebi Bonus Disc event. Although not directly used in the main game, it seems that the Bonus Disc reads the images that are stored in the Memory Card file--the Bonus Disc would not operate if it were not for the existence of this data. Also relevant is the fact that the dialogue was actually translated to English.

Compared to previous games, there has been very little research on XD in attempt to locate data of interest. In fact, asides from those who compiled information that is readily available, loadingNOW is the only one to have extracted data from the game. Thanks to him, I have become aware of the presence of the Bonus Disc data in XD, not unlike Colosseum. It is currently unknown how much of the data in Colosseum is also located in XD, so it is hard to determine whether this, in particular, is anything more than leftover data. This does, of course, open room for the re-release of the Celebi Bonus Disc.

Hopefully, the data was kept in XD for a purpose--the Bonus Disc will be redistributed in Japan, only this time for Colosseum as well as XD. If that is the case, it is likely that the same will also happen in the US, seeing as the dialogue was translated to English. The question that directly comes to mind is why the reservation package does not include the Bonus Disc, following the procedure with Colosseum. The answer is that if the reservation package included the Bonus Disc, customers would not feel the need to buy the actual game when they could use it in conjunction with Colosseum.
The solution is quite simply to distribute the Bonus Disc after the game has been released. If to compare, the Eon Ticket was redistributed in Japan for the benefit of Emerald players (using the Mystery Gift system, which was made available at various retail stores; Ruby/Sapphire players could also receive it through record mixing). More recently, both the Eon Ticket and the Mysticticket were redistributed, again for the benefit of Emerald players.

At this time, I have no knowledge of whether the data stored in XD is exactly identical to that which is stored in Colosseum. If the data is different, however insignificantly, it obviously raises the likelihood of the Bonus Disc being redistributed. Other than that, it has already been established that the current Bonus Disc is incompatible with XD; the Memory Card cannot manipulate between XD and Colosseum save files. An updated Bonus Disc would have to read XD and Colosseum save files separately, and so the data in XD might as well be different. This Bonus Disc would be programmed to read the same images from a Colosseum save file as the current Bonus Disc does, but would essentially be different. It has occurred to me that this is supported by two lines of text which also lie in Colosseum's pile of unused data:

Please insert the POKeMON COLOSSEUM NINTENDO SPECIAL DISC in the Nintendo GameCube.
Please insert the POKeMON COLOSSEUM EXPANSION DISC in the Nintendo GameCube.

These are supposed to be displayed on the menu screen when loading the save file, apparently when an error has occurred while saving the file externally (from either one of the said discs). "Pokémon Colosseum Nintendo Special Disc" is the translated title of the current Bonus Disc, whereas "Pokémon Colosseum Expansion Disc" is non-existent as of yet. It is quite reasonable to believe that the updated Bonus Disc will hold this name (or more generally, "Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD Expansion Disc").

Other than offering Celebi (in a quantity of 48, one per a game with the ability to connect to GBA Game Paks), the Nintendo Special Disc entails additional prizes. In Colosseum, by collecting certain numbers of Poké Coupons the Bronze, Silver and Gold titles are earned; the Nintendo Special Disc offers a PP Max, a Pikachu holding a Light Ball, and a Master Ball for these titles, respectively. As a reminder, Poké Coupons can also be saved to GBA Game Paks through Colosseum's Battle Mode.
However, these titles are absent in XD, replaced by seven titles corresponding to Orre Colosseum's seven rounds. Additionally, due to the lack of a true Battle Mode, theses titles cannot be saved to GBA Game Paks. Of course, this must mean that the Bonus Disc data in XD is different (there should also be 83 Celebi, matching the increased amount of Shadow Pokémon). Presumably, the same event as that of the Nintendo Special Disc is yield when the Expansion Disc reads a Colosseum save file, and a new one is yield when the Expansion Disc reads an XD file. The Celebi Relic event should be kept relatively the same, but the Poké Coupons Exchange is bound to be changed altogether. Whether the exchange still applies to the GBA games and which new prizes are offered, remain to be seen.

The above content admittedly exceeds the limit of desirable amount of information per one post, but I do believe the general idea has been made clear. If to summarize, the Expansion Disc will complement XD in adding the proper reward for purifying all Shadow Pokémon, as well as for completing Orre Colosseum, the equivalent to Emerald's Battle Frontier. Like its predecessor, the Nintendo Special Disc, it will also be compatible with Colosseum.
I am positive that we will hear news on the Expansion Disc in the near future, which to me signifies that there is more to come of the third generation of Pokémon games.

 

[nYoo]

Ah this is quite interesting and I hope this will really happen. Back when Colosseum was announced in Japan I didn't know about the Bonus Disc and therefore didn't even think about importing it. So I hope there will be a second bonus disc and I hope it will be available for everone to purchase or atleast so that play-asia or lik-sang will be able to get some and re-sell them. If it's again just a bonus to something I'll really get mad (although I can't think of anything which would fit besides maybe packs of XD e Cards which would include the disc if you order a bunch at the pokemon center or so. But that's not very likely as there are no people mentioned in the XD credits who were working on e Card features, so ... Well, is there anything known about e Card features in XD making it atleast compatible with Colosseum's e Cards? But then again, there is nothing about e Cards in XD's credits)

 

[Silktree]

Well, is there anything known about e Card features in XD making it atleast compatible with Colosseum's e Cards? But then again, there is nothing about e Cards in XD's credits)

Not only is XD incompatible with Colosseum e-Cards, but there is also no indication of e-Reader features. The room at Phenac Stadium that was reserved for the e-Cards in Colosseum, is no longer there in XD. It seems as though the e-Reader has been dispensed in Japan, as well.

This actually strengthens my point--the third generation games have so far been followed by the release of an e-Card set, and XD is evidently to make an exception. The release of the Expansion Disc will more than compensate for this.

 

[Doctor Oak]

The release of such a disc outside of Japan would also be a smart idea....

Maybe the west could see it in pre-order bonuses this time?

Then again, the Americans are getting that Casewraps skin... so maybe that counts that out now.

Maybe European?

XD, at least the game's suitably named for that concept.

 

[Silktree]

Interestingly, it is stated on the official Japanese site that further content on XD will be added on September 16; I am inclined to believe this will not be limited to a new wallpaper download.

I would not know if the lack of replies is the result of members not willing to read my long post, or of some impression that this is nothing more than wishful thinking. I will just say that it is much harder to extract data from the Gamecube games, and consequently, there is no telling what else the game could contain. Meowth346 is quite likely the only one to have gone through all the data in Colosseum, and if it had not been for his research I would have not become aware of all these facts. Regrettably, his absence is ever so apparent now that XD has been released and so much remains unknown. In light of this, I collected available information and made my own logical inferences. I am confident in the validity of my conclusions and feel that others should review them as to have a good idea of what can be expected.

 

[nYoo]

Interestingly, it is stated on the official Japanese site that further content on XD will be added on September 16; I am inclined to believe this will not be limited to a new wallpaper download.

Sadly the further content is just another wallpaper and some minor additions to the XD pages, such as more on the game's story.

 

[Silktree]

Sadly the further content is just another wallpaper and some minor additions to the XD pages, such as more on the game's story.

I did fear that would be the case. It seems to me that with the release of XD the news coverage deteriorated from a state of abundance to that of a drought, and from this statement you can infer how I view the spin-off games (Toroze and Mystery Dungeon) compared to the traditional games (XD and even Diamond/Pearl, which received some spotlight in July). I sincerely hope that we will not have to wait until the Mystery Dungeon games are released before we see signs of development in that direction.

I am as much convinced as before that the Expansion Disc will be released. It appears that the vast majority of players are certain that the third generation has reached its end with XD, and it is only a matter of time until it is no longer in the center. However, it should be noted that the same consensus held true in the period after FireRed/LeafGreen, and then again after Emerald. Myself, I strongly believe that Gamefreak has its reasons for postponing the release of Diamond/Pearl--there is even more to expect of the third generation. This includes the XD Expansion Disc, a theory supported by the presence of particular data in XD.
Unfortunately, no one has truly delved into XD's data, and so any further contents in the game remain a mystery. It is quite aggravating to know that the answer lies right beneath our nose, yet we are unable to see it.