Europe and the UK are set to receive the smash-hit DS games Pokémon Black and White on March 4th, a whole two days before the US.

Following a week of rumours surrounding the release of the next main instalments in the Pokémon franchise, Nintendo have confirmed that Pokémon Black and White will indeed see a European release on the Nintendo DS on March 4th 2011, two days before its US release.

Europe is also expected to receive the Nintendo 3DS in March, which will be entirely backwards-compatible with these games. Playing Black and White on the 3DS or DSi will unlock enhanced game features, including WPA compatibility for online play, and support for online video chat.

The games have proven to be, inevitably, incredibly popular, selling through 2.6 million units in Japan in two days, and earning a prestigious 40/40 score from respected Japanese magazine Famitsu.