Adorable isn't usually an adjective that comes to mind when playing a videogame. In the case of Nintendogs, a new game for Nintendo's handheld DS system, no word seems more appropriate. Addictive, innovative and downright cute, Nintendogs is the first game everyone with a DS will want to own.
Designer Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. series, Zelda series) has created a game that is a Tamagotchi for the 21st century. In Nintendogs, players take dogs home from the kennel, then train, care for and play with them. Eighteen different breeds of dog are available (though only six are accessible from the start), and the game boasts photorealistic graphics that immediately endear players to the puppies onscreen. These puppies never grow old but do require food, water and bathing in order to form a close bond with their owner, you.
Nintendogs is the first game to truly take advantage of the Nintendo DS hardware. Most of the action is controlled using the stylus, which allows players to do everything from navigate menus to pet their puppies. Dogs in the game also can be trained to respond to voice commands and will come to their owner when called by name, as well as perform certain tricks when commanded. The use of both the touch screen and built-in microphone provides a unique experience that is extremely intuitive and easy to pick up by gamers and non-gamers alike.
Nintendogs is far more than a simple pet simulator, and players will have no problem finding a wide variety of gameplay activities. Dogs can be entered in three different competitions: obedience trials, obstacle courses and frisbee-catching. Obedience trials test the puppy's ability to respond to voice commands while the obstacle courses and frisbee tournaments challenge the dog's physical abilities. The dogs can also be taken on walks, where they practice for competitions in the park, meet and play with other dogs, find presents and engage in other activities.
One of Nintendogs' strong points is "bark mode." Here, the DS searches for other Nintendogs puppies within wireless range and allows one dog from each game to play together in the park. Friends can play with each others' puppies and exchange presents, bringing a social level to a game already rich in content.
In addition to rewarding gameplay, the graphics in Nintendogs are phenomenal. The dogs in the game are lifelike both in appearance and in their fluid motions. Playing the game, it's easy to suspend disbelief and forget that you're actually looking at an animated puppy. The game's music is pleasant and upbeat (though repetitive), but the puppy sound effects are authentic and enhance the game's immersive quality.
Less a "game" in the traditional sense and more of a simulation, Nintendogs, the most innovative game of the year so far, is a joyful experience not to be missed.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
