Puppies For Sale!

Nintendogs, definately one of the more 'off beat' titles to be released in the past year, while at the same time, being instantly familiar as something we've "sort of seen before" in other pet simulation experiences, although, compared to anything that has come before it, Nintendogs really does stand out.

Story:
Unfortunately, this is the weakest part of the game, as there is almost no story atall. You begin the game entering the kennel to choose your new friend from quite a nice sized selection. With your choice made (you can eventually keep 3 at home while others stay over at a 'hotel') you head home to start your new life together. Thats pretty much it. There are no world saving quests to undertake, no damsels in distress to rescue, no evil villain to take down, but then again, this is a pet simulator, so it doesnt need any back story. So you'll have to forgive the game in this respect, as any story Nintendo could have thrown in would probably have been dull and pointless given the circumstances.

Gameplay:
This is the most important part of this (and any) game. Your job is to interact with your new puppy, and generally keep it happy and healthy. Most interaction is done using the touch screen, this game just wouldnt be the same on any other console, and no where near as fun. Besides the usual petting, stroking & tickling, theres an enormous amount of things to do while simply playing with your dog. Another major advantage for the game is the inclusion of voice recognition. This works surprisingly well, allowing you to name your dog with sound as well as text. Your pup will respond to its name being called and as you teach it tricks, you can assign each 'move' a tag. Call out that tag, such as "sit", and your dog will do just that. Its a great system and adds alot to the interaction of you and your puppy.

Taking him/her for walks (while keeping your pup happy) will also provide you with new toys & gifts, which are 'found' along the route or purchased from stores. These can be used at home or at the local park and include many items such as balls & frisbees upto radio controlled Mario Karts!
Another big part of the game are the accessories you can dress your pup up with. Theres are a couple of hundred available including bows, wigs, glasses and many many more besides. (As well as special extras such as Marios red cap). This customisation is a welcome addition, but it could have been better with simple changes. One problem you will notice is the inability to combine items, such as a hat and a pair of sun glasses. You are only able to use one accessory at a time. This really makes no sence and feels like such a minor detail which could have been fine tuned.

Looking after your pups health also takes some attention. If you want to keep your dog healthy your going to be feeding and watering it regularly, as well as bathing and grooming, all of which adds extra believability to the game as well as some responsibility. The game doesnt just run while your DS is powered up (as strange as that sounds), as it acts as though your pups are continually active. Meaning, if you dont play for a few days, then return, your pups will be very hungry, thirsty and cranky, and may even run away for a short while. So you cant forget about the game too long if you want to raise a healthy, happy pup.

Another way to keep busy is to enter your dog into competitions. There are three available. A frisbee competition in which you throw a frisbee and your dog simply runs and catches it (hopefully atleast) and you gain points based on how far you throw and catch successfully.
An agility trial, almost like horse show jumping, in which you guide your pup around an obstacle course using the touch screen. Tap on the various poles and he'll jump up over it, as well as run through tunnels and over see-saws, all timed ofcourse. Any finally, an obedience test. This is the most difficult trial as you must say commands to your dog for it to perform. This can be a little hit and miss depending on you remembering just how you sounded when you recorded the tag, and your dog recognising your tone.
All in all there could have been alot more on offer as recreation for your pup, but it does get the job done.

'Bark Mode' is Nintendogs multiplayer mode, allowing you to wirelessly (ofcourse) connect to another DS (with its own game card) and let your puppies play together and interact. Again its pretty basic, but a welcome addition to break up the day to day nurturing of your pups.

Graphics:
A mixed bag here. The puppies themselves look outstanding. They look just like thier real life counterparts and animate wonderfully. They run around the house believably and play together without any clipping or collision issues such as dissapearing into each other. Each has their own patterns and textures giving more individuality to each dog.
The environments however, are not as well presented. The houses you inhabit (should you wish to move elsewhere from your original home) are bland and uninteresting, with low detail, poor textures and give a very emptry feel, which to an extent is understandable since your pups need alot of room for running about, but the DS is capable of much more.
Outside environments have the same problem. While more intesting and busy than your home, they have no cohesion. When walking your dog, the backgrounds will fade into new areas, such as from an office block to a group of houses, with no flow atall. They might aswell be jpg backgrounds in a slide how. If your walk actually travelled through a city, or park which had a beginning, middle and end, the game would greatly benefit.

Sound:
This is a similar situation to the graphics. Your dogs sound great, yapping and barking with individual tones and pitch, to the point where you can tell them apart easily. However, the music used is terrible. Bland synth based tunes endlessly repeat in the background and really are bad. This too, should have been thought about a little more, as you'll spend alot of time caring for the pups and therefore alot of time listening to the music. More variety would have been welcome.

Lastablity/replayability:
While there might not be much to actually do during long play sessions, there is so much to collect that it will take you quite a while to get hold of everything. Even then, there are new breeds to raise and expand your collection.
As far as replayability is concerned, well, the game never actually ends. Your puppies never grow old, and so, never die. So you'll never need to think about starting a new game. In a way this is unrealistic, as obviously all dogs grow up, but it also means that you'll have your puppies, litterally, for life, and they'll, for the most part, stick with you aslong as you want them.