Review: Nintendogs

The unique elements of Nintendo's Dual Screen handheld have led to titles with very different gameplay. Warioware Touched and Kirby Canvas Curse typify the ways that Nintendo wants game designers to begin thinking about using their hardware. There are still new directions that Nintendo wants to push gaming, though, and they're not content to sit back and let others find the path. Non-game games, then, are what seems to be in store for the DS. Titles like Electroplankton, the music-making system, and the tamagotchi-esque Nintendogs are intended to bring non-gamers into the fold with interactive software that they can enjoy but aren't necessarily games. In the spirit of the non-game games, then, read on for my non-review of Nintendogs.

By non-review, I mean I'm not going to give this game a score. Moreover, if I was to give this game a score it would be a meaningless act. Unlike say, Daikatana (pause for laughter), where my opinion of the game could bear some relation to what your opinion of the game is likely to be, Nintendogs is a very different animal. If you don't like dogs, don't play this game. If you require long sweeping narratives with grandly composed music in your gaming chowder, don't play this game. If the thought of having to bathe a virtual creature gives you the shivers, don't play this game. Because, in a nutshell, Nintendogs is a virtual pet simulation where you pretend to have a dog. You feed the dog, you walk the dog, you play with the dog. And that's about it.

All that said, it is easily the most enjoyable Tamagotchi ripoff I've ever played with. When you first start the game, you're presented with a trip to the puppy mill. There are three versions of the game, and each one has different dog breeds available to play with. I got "Miniature Dachshund and Friends", and along with the title breed you also get the option to adopt Shih Tzu, Golden Retrievers, Beagles, Pugs, or Siberian Huskies. Even if you choose a larger breed, you needn't worry about ruined furniture; the dogs in this game are eternal puppies. Once you've gotten a puppy, the game puts you through a quick tutorial ... and then you're on your own. If you just want to sit around and rub your dog's tummy all day, that's cool.

On the other hand, if you just have to do something constructive with your puppy you can teach your critter tricks. By moving the stylus in certain ways, you can get your pup to approximate certain positions (sit, lie down) or actions (roll over, chase your tail). When they perform the trick with your stylus prompting, a little light bulb shows up on screen. If you press the icon, you're given the chance to say something into the built in microphone. Say roughly the same thing enough times, and your dog will associate that vocal imprint with the trick. The key with this is that, as good an idea as it is, the microphone isn't all that great. Multiple words (like "sit down" or "chase your tail") with distinct sounds are the best way to get the wee canine to do what you want.

Once you have it following your voice you can do what every dog owner dreams of: enter it in contests! Actually, the contests are phenomenally boring and are hosted by two incredibly annoying virtual yahoos. The only reason to enter a contest is if you want money ... and you're going to need it. In order to pick up dogs from the kennel, you need to spend money on them. At the start of the game you have more than enough to buy one dog, but if you want to buy any more you're definitely going to need to enter a few contests. Despite the annoyance factor, you've just got to do it. Having two dogs in the house is part of the whole fun of the game. The easiest contest is the obedience contest, which asks you to have your dog perform certain tricks in a specific order prompted by the game. You also have the option of entering your pooch into a frisbee competition or an obstacle course event. The frisbee toss is relatively easy once you get the hang of it, but the control for the obstacle course is terrible. Even with practice it's hard to know what the dog is going to do. Whether it's going to understand your stylus clicks enough to go through the little doggie tube in a timely fashion is critical to success in the contest, and the control just isn't there.

Personally, I much preferred one-on-one time with my dog (a Siberian Husky named Lupus) in the house or taking it for walks. Going for a walk isn't a terribly interactive event, but your dog enjoys it a whole lot. From your house you plan out the walking route, and can aim yourself and your dog at places like the park or the obstacle course arena. At the park you can play catch or practice with your frisbee, and at the arena you can get in some time with the awful jumps and tubes for the obstacle course competition. There are also cheaper second hand stores than the corner store near your place, where you can buy toys, food, and water. A walk mostly consists of you holding the dog's leash while it chugs along, occasionally stopping to wizz or poop. There are occasional points of interest, where your dog might find a gift for you or run into another dog owner out for a walk. The presents are cute, ranging from odd objects that you can use to play with your dogs to even odder fashion items that you can cruelly place on your animal. The other dog owners are know-it-alls, and seek to give you unasked for hints about how you should best play the game.

And really, who cares what they think? Nintendogs is entirely about what you can get out of it. Whatever makes you laugh or get warm fuzzies is the right thing for you to do. For example, for a reason that escapes me Nintendo thought that it would be important for you to know every place in the neighborhood that your dog has peed. They're marked by little blue dots on the mini-map showing your progress on your walk. The more your dog pees in a certain spot, the larger the dot gets. Though I know it isn't always the case with Nintendogs, Lupus only peed in places he'd already done so. By the time I was ready to write this article the mini-map resembled a smurf's version of mapquest.

The intelligence and responsiveness of the virtual puppies, as well as their individual personalities, is quite a sight to behold. Not only can you derive enjoyment from your interaction with the dogs, but if you have more than one in your house you can watch them play with each other. Some dogs are playful, some are lazy, and some are troublemakers. Together, a pair or trio of dogs is almost more than you can comprehend. You can only actually play with one dog at a time, but that doesn't stop the puppies from getting right up against the touch screen and struggling for your attention. Lupus and my wife's dog Erin would constantly battle each other for chew toys, affection, and (thanks their exuberant natures) who got to be standing at any given time. If you like animals at all, it's hard not to smile at the image of two happy puppies literally warring for your attention. Nintendo has really captured something intrinsic to the appeal of having a dog for a pet here, and everyone I've shown the game to has had a hard time putting it down. Even without the voice element (the voice commands only work for the dog's owner, obviously) it's hard not to be drawn in by their enthusiasm and wagging tails.

In the end, this unique title for the DS is all about who you are and the connection you can form with little virtual critters. If the idea of a virtual puppy isn't appealing to you, you're probably not going to get a lot of enjoyment out of Nintendogs. If the venerable PC titles "Catz" and "Dogz" were your thing back in the day or you were one of the people that made sure your Tamagotchi was fed regularly, these pups will be right up your alley. Judging by sales numbers the non-hardcore market has already adopted this title, and a dog of their own. Your mileage may vary, but Nintendo has a real accomplishment here.

Re:non-game games

[grumbel]

'Non-game' refers to games that have no clear goal or end, but which are more like a sandbox, give the player a few toys and let him play, without dictating the direction into which the player plays.

Thing to note about microphone

[Overly Critical Guy]

Some people have been having trouble with their dog recognizing vocal commands, until they realized they were leaning forward and practically yelling into the DS mic. The mic is very sensitive, and you only need to speak clearly at room-level volume with the DS at a normal distance, and the game will recognize your voice much more clearly.

Foxtrot

[dividedsky319]

The nice thing about this game is that it can appeal to gamers and non gamers alike... Nintendo is really trying to reach out to the people that typically wouldn't pick up a gaming system, which is smart IMO. An untapped sector of the market.

Last week, the comic strip Foxtrot dealt with the mom and her wanting to play Nintendogs... it was pretty funny. Here's the first day's comic [ucomics.com], click "next date" to read the days following.

Re:This sucks....

[imsabbel]

There are 100s of those games, for every kind of system in japan...

(although the more extreme ones arent on platforms that want to keep a "clean" image)

But you want a schoolgirl rape simulator complete with tactical map for stalking and capturing? No problem there...

Re:Old Concept Revisited with more schmaltz

[pete6677]

This seems to be the trend in "virtual pets". A certain type becomes very popular for a short period of time, only to be forgotten when the next techno fad comes along. Then, someone takes the exact same concept and reinvents almost the same virtual pet and it becomes very popular again, and the cycle repeats. I myself have never understood the obsession with a fake pet; it just doesn't do anything for me.

the obstacle course is not that hard

[MirrorSpock]

If you think the obstacle course is hard you are doing it wrong.
You are probably doing what I was doing, just tapping and hoping your puppy will go there. The trick is to keep the stylus on the screen and drag the route, your pup will follow it and you can guide it perfectly. (after a few tries for the pup to learn)

Also remember to slow your pup down on the see-saw bye dragging the stylus to a point behind him after he crosses the middle, to let it drop, or your pup will get scared and jump off. /me is off to go to a real training class with my pup now //much cuter than any virtual pet

Offtopic comment re: puppy mills

[smooth wombat]

When you first start the game, you're presented with a trip to the puppy mill.

I know that this comment will be trashed to hell and back and yes, I know that Zonk was just using a phrase but please, those of you who are considering getting a pet do not go to puppy mills (or kitten mills).

The animals are kept in cramped, deplorable conditions. Instead of having some semblance of a decent life the females are impregnated as fast as they can. It doesn't matter if the one doing the impregnating is one of her offspring, so long as she is pregnant is all the breeder cares about.

If you're considering getting a pet please go to either your local Humane Society or a reputable non-profit animal shelter. Your new companion will thank you for giving it a good home where it is wanted.

Also, please remember to spay/neuter your new friend. If that simple act were done the tens of thousands of animals a year who are dropped off at shelters or abandoned along a road would be significantly reduced.

I now return you to your normally scheduled rantings about whatever you think is worthy of your time.

Re:This sucks....

[KDR_11k]

If I remember that correctly it's a gambling game where the big price is a minigame where you touch the female lead (a character that apparently has gained a fanbase in Japan already). Basically the next step for strip poker except it involves anime girls (and some non-poker games).

No Thanks... I will just settle for my...

[Cutting_Crew]

ch ch ch chia [chia.com]

There is no wireless.

[Blackwulf]

Did the non-reviewer try out the wireless mode of play, or would that make the non-review a true review?

There is not much wireless to speak of. Both my GF and I have DS's and Nintendogs, and the extent of "Bark Mode" is that you transfer your dog and trainer info over to the other person's DS and then the wireless shuts off. It then becomes identical to meeting another dog in the park where you play with your puppy and the other person's puppy.

We figured this out the hard way when my GF asked me if she saw the amazing catch my dog made with the frisbee, when I was throwing a tennis ball around on my screen. Eventually the dogs "go home" and that's the end of Bark Mode. Pretty disappointing.

Re:Old Concept Revisited with more schmaltz

[KDR_11k]

Try Creatures for the PC, allows you to do stuff you couldn't (legally) do in real life like injecting heavy metals and seeing how the organism reacts or firing random neurons and trying to induce a seizure.

Re:Minigames

[nerdup]

Check out Puzzle Pirates: http://www.puzzlepirates.com/ [puzzlepirates.com]. It sounds like pretty much what you describe: a MMORPG where everything in the game, from sailing the ship to swordfighting to manufacturing is accomplished via Bejewelled-esque puzzle games. It's a great concept, and it works really well.

For the brief period that I played, I got into two ship-to-ship combats. You can have several people on the same ship, in the roles of sailing, carpentry, gunnery, bilge pumping, etc. etc. Each of these tasks is tied to a specific mini-game... you play the sailing game better, you go faster. You play the swordfighting game better, you defeat your enemies.

The only thing that I think keeps Puzzle Pirates from going huge is the cutesiness of the characters, who look like little lego men. If the game was still cute and friendly, but maybe a bit more "serious"-looking, it might attract a much larger fanbase.

Re:Offtopic comment re: puppy mills

[briansmith]

I agree 100% with this guy. Do NOT go to a puppy mill to get a dog. You are NOT guarenteed any quality and you ARE encouraging breeders to increase the dog population while other dogs are being put to death in animal shelters.

My family went to a puppy mill that was selling some kind of "certified" or "registered" 100% purebred beagles. We thought that this was pretty cool. However, after a few months, our dogs started having TONS of health problems: liver problems, digestion problems, kidney problems. Then, one of the dogs started having SEISURES and the other dog suddenly WENT BLIND for seemingly no reason.

Our vet says that this incredible storm of health problems is probably the result of inbreeding.

While we love our dogs tremendously, in retrospect we should have avoided paying hundreds of dollars to BUY them, and instead spent $50 to SAVE THE LIVES of two puppies at the animal shelter.

Re:You're forgetting about...

[dfenstrate]

After a few times of playing the sock game with a certain cat, it learned to use it's paws to remove the sock.

Took a while though.