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by Michael Moore

I've been wanting to get a pet for a while now, but because of school it's not really possible. But this game may be the next best thing.

Nintendogs is probably the most inventive game to come out of Nintendo in a while. In it you buy a dog, and then take care of it. There are three different versions of the game, each with 6 different breeds of dogs. You can get all the dogs by connecting with people who have the other versions of the game. And by seeing a different breed then you already have, it then unlocks that dog allowing you to buy it.

So I bought myself a Shiba Inu dog, each dog has its own personality which dictates how well they learn new things, or act towards other dogs. When you first get your new dog you first have to teach them their name. This is done using the microphone built into the DS. It can take a little while to figure out how to talk into the mic so the game can recognize what you are saying, and so your dog can understand what you are saying.

After teaching your dog its name, you can then start to teach your dog tricks. Using the stylus on the touch screen you show your dog how to do certin tricks, like sit, laydown, shake, etc. Then you attach an oral command to the tricks, much like how you had to with your dogs name. Once your dog learns a trick, all you have to do is say that word and the dog will perform the trick.

Of course you also have to feed and give your dog water, as well as clean them. You can also play with your dog, by using various toys and items that you can buy or that your dog will find on your walks. You can also dress up your dog with various accessories (but only one can be equiped at a time) if you are into that sort of thing.

The best way to make money to pay for food, and toys, and enhancements to your home, is through the three kinds of contests. There is a frisbee contest where you throw a frisbee to your dog, and you get points for it catching the frisbee. The farther the throw and catch, the more points. Then there is the agility contest where you must navigate your dog over, and through various obsticles trying to beat the clock. There is also the obedience contest where your dog must perform certin tricks to gain points, the dogs appearance also plays a role in the amount of point you get.

Nintendogs is a fun game, especially if you like dogs. It can be a little annoying trying to teach your dog certin tricks, but as the game progresses your dog gets smarter, and things tend to become easier to accomplish. Probably one of the best aspects of this game is that you don't really have to play it for very long, like 10 to 15 minutes here and there, but in a way thats also its downfall. It's really just a very advanced virtual pet/tamagotchi. So if you are looking for a game that you have to play a lot at each sitting, this really isn't the game for you. But if you like dogs, or virtual pets, this is probably the game for you.

Rating: 8/10

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Title
Nintendogs: Lab & Friends

Copyright
Nintendo

Distributed by
Nintendo

Release Info
Release Date: Aug , 2005
Catalog #: 257862
No. of Players: 1-2
System: Nintendo DS
MSRP: $29.99

Links
Official Nintendogs site


 
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