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 | Nintendogs Nintendo DS Nintendo  The basic concept of 'Nintendogs' goes back at least as far as the Tamagotchi, but no virtual pet has ever reached the level of interaction that 'Nintendogs' does. Originally a tech demo for the DS system, 'Nintendogs' utilises every aspect of the DS to make your digital puppy feel like a real one. When you start the game you're taken to the Kennel to choose a puppy from among six different breeds of scampering cuteness. The breeds you have available to you at the beginning of the game depend on the version you're playing, though all versions can eventually unlock all 18 types. After picking your pooch and paying the adoption fee, you then head home to bond with your new bundle of joy. The first thing that you need to do is give your puppy a name using the DS's built in microphone. After repeating its name a number of times, your puppy will learn it and will respond whenever you call its name. After this, you can begin teaching it tricks, as a puppy performs an action it can learn as a trick, a lightbulb icon appears in the corner of the screen. Quickly tapping this icon lets you record a command to associate with that action; for example, saying the word "sit" to when the dog sits down. Then it's a matter of associating that same word with the same action multiple times until your puppy learns it. After teaching your puppy a few tricks you can begin preparing your dog for the various contests available. There are three different types: Obedience, which rates your dog on how well it follows verbal commands; Disc, which lets you show off your dog's mad Frisbee skills; and Agility, where you guide your dog through an obstacle course. How well your puppy does depends on how much you've been practicing a given activity and how strong your doggy bond is. Since the puppies easily get tired, you're restricted to entering three contests a day; you can only take your dog out for a walk every 30 minutes or so, and your dog can only learn so many tricks in one day before it has had enough. But if want more action than one puppy can possibly provide, you can have up to three puppies at once. So when one puppy gets tired, you can move onto the next one. Graphically, 'Nintendogs' features some seriously impressive 3D that really makes the puppies come alive on the DS screen. The puppies appear incredibly lifelike thanks to the attention to detail both in their modelling and in their animation cycles. It's hard not to become emotionally attached to these dogs right from the start because they truly act the part of looking adorable and latching onto their owners. I could go on, but simply, this game is definitely worth buying a DS for. 'Nintendogs' is clearly focused on the mainstream market than the truly hardcore, but no matter who you are there's a lot of enjoyment to be had out of this truly unique game.  | |
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