Nintendo of America just finished up its first big giveaway (Darkrai with Toys R Us) and is quickly springing another one on us (Deoxys at GameStop)! One of our excellent forumites spread the word that Deoxys will be distributed at participating GameStop stores on the weekends of July 20 and 27.

After the Darkrai giveaway, we were surprised to learn that people did not take advantage of soft resetting to get an optimum Darkrai. Some people weren't even sure what soft resetting was. In order to prevent people from making the same mistake with Deoxys, we'll spend this week's Pokemusings talking about soft resetting.

Above: Get a special Deoxys at participating GameStops

What is Soft Resetting?

Soft resetting is manipulating a certain point in the game in order to get the desired result. In the case of Mystery Gift giveaways, you want to save right before you talk to the deliveryman holding your prized Pokemon gift. In the case of legendary Pokemon you face in battle, you want to save just before the big showdown.

Now that you have your save point, go ahead and accept the Mystery Gift or battle the legendary Pokemon. (The latter is infinitely more preferable with a Master Ball.) Once the new Pokemon is in your possession, check out its stats and nature. If the nature isn't what you want and if the individual values (IVs) are poor then turn off your Nintendo DS (without saving!), turn it back on, and acquire the Pokemon again. This process - which might seem cheesy - is what soft resetting is all about.