The Pokémon Bank app has finally escaped from Japan! Nintendo has been working on getting the hugely anticipated app to gamers across the world after a snafu late December led to them pulling it from the service (and shutting the entire Nintendo Network down!), but now it's a little bit closer to North American gamers. 3DS owners in Europe, Australia and New Zealand are reporting that it's now available to download on the Nintendo eShop.
This goes with recent reports from Nintendo of America that work on the Pokémon Bank app is continuing and they're getting closer to release. Gamers in have until March 14th to download it for free- afterwards it will be a paid subscription. That subscription will be yearly and cost $4.99 (US and Canada), £4.49 (UK), €4.99 (Europe), AU$6.50, or NZ$8.50,.
Download it you'll get a rare Celebi Pokemon as a bonus, a special one that knows Hold Back, which is an exclusive move similar to False Swipe. Japan got the Legendary Giratina, so it's a possibility that US and Canadian gamers will get a different Pokemon as well.
The app allows you to upload up to 3,000 pokemon from Pokemon X and Pokemon Y onto Nintendo servers. You can split them up into 100 different boxes that carry 30 Pokémon each, and sort those into various customized groups. It's a great tool for anyone heavily into the game, as many are, and allows you to better store and sort them. The fact that they're stored online mean that you'll never lose them even if you switch Nintendo 3DSes for whatever reason, since the account is tied to your Nintendo Network ID.
The Bank also comes with the Pokémon Transporter that lets you upload Pokémon from Pokémon Black, White, Black 2 or White 2, although once you do so you can't transport them back.
