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Nintendogs features
puppies from the most popular dog breeds, like Chihuahuas, Labrador
retrievers, beagles and German shepherds. The pups will vary in gender,
coloration and personality. Players care for and train their puppy by
petting it, walking it and buying it supplies to play with. As a puppy
competes in obedience and agility trials, owners can win money to
purchase other puppy breeds.
This year's most intriguing offering from Nintendo's homeland will
undoubtedly be Nintendogs for the DS. The game is a pet simulator akin
to the mid-90's Tamagotchi sensation. But instead of raising little
egg-based monsters, you'll be taking care of your very own canine. The
game starts off allowing you to pick from five different breeds of dog
(15 will be available on three different versions of the game). Once
you select your pooch from popular breeds like Labrador, Golden
Retriever, Chihuahua and even Dachshund, you head on home and get to
work.
First you need to teach your dog his name. This makes full use of the
Nintendo DS's microphone, as you'll have to shout your pup's name over
and over until he gets the right idea. From there, you can start having
fun. Playing with your pooch is key for keeping his temperament nice
and cheery, so make sure you give it a good scratch with the stylus
every once in a while. Over the course of horsing around, you may see
your pet sit or roll-over, at which time you can reward them and repeat
the command to try to get them to learn it. After a few hours, you'll
be able to hammer these commands home and your pet will be able to do
any number of tricks with just your preset words. Pretty nifty.
Once you've got a nice, well-behaved mutt, you can take him out for a
stroll to meet neighborhood dogs, or to just do their dirty, sinful
business. The dogs are pretty autonomous insofar as they'll eat and
drink when they need to, so you don't have to handhold them quite as
much as most other life simulators. This gives you more time for the
fun stuff.
Entering contests is another key portion of Nintendogs, as it allows
you to learn cash for new toys and even unlockable breeds. Some of the
competitions involve obedience, while others are more based on doggie
agility, catching Frisbees and so forth. Once you win a contest, you
can go to the store and pick up ribbons, balls and even hats for your
pet. Fancy!
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Nintendogs, though, would have
to be its multiplayer component. Using the DS's wireless communication
device, the game will let you know if any nearby digital dog owners are
around. If so, you can have your two pups meet up in-game and have a
grand ol' time, with plenty of sniffing and rolling to be had.
Release Date: 22/09/2005
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