Nintendogs
All the cuteness of puppies without that wet dog smell
Tags: Nintendogs Categories: GBA Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 12th, 2005
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendogs (title page) | 2 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Simulation | No | ||
 |
Nintendogs is not a game. There are no “levels” and there is no end boss with a climactic finish. Instead, this is a pseudo-sim, one that borders on the semi-realistic and watered down strategy. That’s not to say Nintendogs isn’t enjoyable. On the contrary, it is highly entertaining. Going in with notions that the “game” can be played and completed would be folly.
Players get a puppy, and with a bevy of cash already in the bank, store up supplies (food, shampoo, toys, etc.) and begin to interact and train the cute canine. This is the greatest part of the game, as it affords the easiest portions of enjoyment. Seeing the puppy play blissfully unaware that several tasks are awaiting him or her is sure to bring a smile to nearly everybody that views it. It is almost impossible not to be filled with even a small amount of a warm glow as the puppy’s charm exudes from the DS.
 |
While there is plenty of cuteness and charm while interacting with the puppy, it can become frustrating when it comes to attempting to train the critter. There are several basic commands, and while this is all well and good with the stylus acting as the owners hand guiding the puppy (though in real life, two hands would be used, the first real and drastic break with Nintendogs being a true sim) the microphone is used to teach the puppy what the action is, and to learn the command from a vocal cue.
The voice recognition is spotty. If players do not recreate the volume, pitch and timbre of the command every single time it will not only take what seems like forever for the puppy to learn the command, but executing it is next to impossible. And forget about trying to use the voice in public. Forgetting how silly it appears to be telling your DS to “roll over” while on the bus, but the background noise makes the task much harder than necessary.
 |
The voice is perhaps the biggest drag with initial play of Nintendogs, creating a barrier of frustration that some players may not be able to overcome. Getting past this, and working with the puppy to become an obedient little showpiece does have its rewards – as that is where the gameplay starts to take off, after the players has proven mastery at vocal commands.
The trick to longevity of play in Nintendogs is the training. Without any training players can not even think of entering their puppies in the various contests in order to win money – money with which new supplies are to be purchased in order to keep the puppy happy and alive. Well, I’m assuming alive, as I don’t have it in me to not feed even a virtual pet.
This is one of the bothersome things for me about the game… using that word for lack of a better term. Why does the player have a large wad of cash at the beginning but no resource other than exploiting the efforts of their new friend? If one needs to get more money to buy food for the pup, why doesn’t the player need to eat?
 |
This is just one of those things where Nintendogs comes up drastically short in the “sim” department. It just doesn’t make sense why these tournaments are needed to make money.
Also rather silly is the need for bottled water. Animals have been doing just fine with tap water for years, so requiring the player to purchase bottled water sucks.
Players take their puppies out for walks, train them, teach them to fetch and eventually enter them in competitions, earning money to sustain existence. Sounds much like life with kids. I should know, I have three. Okay, so I don’t enter my children in competitions (that you can prove, anyway), but the basis of the game is that of daily interaction. After a few days of neglect (i.e. not turning the DS unit on) my puppy was not only unresponsive it was rather filthy. It sure didn’t act like a starving animal though, as most dogs would be begging for food after a day, but these virtual pups are content to scamper about ignoring the player.
Playing through the game (again, for lack of a better term) will unlock more and different types of puppies for players to purchase and train. Up to three canine companions can be had at a given time if so inclined. There are also a number of other items (toys, etc.) that can be “ulocked” through continued play as well.
 |
Nintendogs appeal not only is in the interaction with the puppies, but in its visuals as well. This thing exudes cuteness and charm from every pore. The dogs each look cute and cuddly, even if they appear to have stunted growth since they never mature.
Attempting to be a sim-style game by placing limitations on a the pup’s activities, such as being able to go out for a walk every 30 minutes because they are tired, needing to raise money in order to buy food, and the pup being able to learn so many tricks in a day are offset by the various things that pull the player out of this environment (such as the puppy’s stunted growth, having to buy bottled water, etc.). That said, Nintendogs is a fun way to spend time with your Nintendo DS, even if you aren’t one that cares too much for pets of the canine persuasion.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Cute "sim" style of interaction + Great virtual pet for those that are inclined to that kind of thing |
8.4 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Falls far short of actually playing like a puppy simulation - Not very deep - Voice commands rather spotty |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| I had a Tamagotchi back in the day. This is much the same thing, but a bit more complex with the advances in technology. | |
[ Post the first comment | View related posts ]
Tags: Nintendogs
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Sep 12th, 2005 and is filed under GBA Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
