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RipTen Review: Nintendogs + Cats (3DS)

Justin Berube — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:07:05 +0000

Nintendogs + Cats is the sequel to the popular Nintendogs on the Nintendo DS. In this title players will raise, train, play with, walk, dress up, and enter competitions with puppies. Cats are also available but what the player can do with them is more limited.

Upon starting Nintendogs + Cats players will go to a dog kennel where they can choose from a variety of different dog breeds. Each version of Nintendogs + Cats offers a limited set of breeds to choose from at the start, but ALL the other breeds from the other versions can be unlocked through normal gameplay.

After the player selects their dog they can then bring it back to their house. At this point the player will be able to name their dog. In doing so players are required to say their pet’s name out loud. Nintendogs + Cats uses voice recognition so when a player actually say the pet’s name they will respond to it.

D'awwwwww

The game gives players several things to do once settled in at home. One option is to go out shopping. There are several stores to choose from that all offer different items to for players to pick up for their pets. Items range from toys, accessories for pets to wear, new home designs, furniture choices, food and water, grooming supplies, the ability to buy more pets and more.

Players can also choose to go out and walk their dog. This will raise your pet’s happiness but also help players in other ways. While out on walks the dogs can find presents (not that kind) hidden on the walking paths. These presents can contain various items. In addition to normal items you can find recyclable items that can only be found out on walks. These items can be used at a special shop, which can be visited at any time, to make special items that aren’t obtainable any other way.

Good Boy!

Walks also allow the player to train their dog at disc throwing competitions, by practicing throwing a flying disc at different parks, or by practicing for lure coursing competitions by training at a gym. Competitions are the best way to make money in Nintendogs + Cats, so training dogs at these areas on walks becomes extremely important.

Additionally while a player takes their dog for a walk they have the chance to enter special shops. These shops will have exclusive items that can’t be found in the shops that the player can visit whenever they want.

While staying at home the player is urged to feed their pets, play with their pets, and train their pet various tricks. Tricks are learned through a variety of different means but all require the players to use their voice in order for their dog to master the commands. Teaching your dog tricks will not go to waste since a third type of competition is all about doing these tricks so it will help the player to earn money.

Am I Saying Meow!?

New to this game is the addition of cats. While I personally prefer cats to dogs, they seem somewhat useless in this game. While dogs can help players earn money and find items on walks, cats just basically sit at home. I’ve read that the cats can sometimes bring the player various items, but that never happened to me once.

Cats aren’t completely useless however. Nintendogs + Cats scores the player based on how often they play with their pets. Owner Points are awarded to players for walking their dogs, winning competitions, petting their pets, playing with pets, etc. While cats can’t enter the competitions to earn Owner Points, players can use them to earn Owner Points through playing with them or petting them each day. Because of the limitations with cats they don’t end up being as valuable as dogs if the player is looking to earn Owner Points easily.

When players collect enough Owner Points, more things unlock. This can be new breeds of dogs to choose from or new items in the various shops. This keeps players coming back to the game just to see what’s new.

Each version of Nintendogs + Cats has the same items available, but there is a catch. Every version of the game has a few items that are only available in certain colors. For example, in my version I can only buy dog collars in a few specific colors. If I want to obtain the other items I’d have to do so through the Nintendo 3DS Street Pass feature.

No Fair, Gimmie Dat!

Street Passing in Nintendogs + Cats is very straightforward. The player just needs to take a picture of their dog, and create a message, choose an item to share with other players, and decide to turn the Street Pass functionality on. Once a player Street Passes another Nintendogs + Cats player they will be notified through the notification screen on the 3DS.

When booting up the game after Street Passing someone the player can see whom they have passed in their Nintendogs + Cats Journal, where players can also take notes about what they did with their pets each day. If the player clicks the icon for the dog they have passed in their journal, they can play with it at a park and receive a new item from that player. Additionally players can then see whom the met through Street Pass, both person and dog, while taking walks and at the in game competitions.

Nintendogs + Cats also can take advantage of the Nintendo 3DS Pedometer. When choosing to walk one of the dogs, the player can opt to use the pedometer function. When using this feature, players will be forced to put their 3DS in Sleep Mode and just walk around with their 3DS. The game will track how many steps were taken and give out items when the player is done. The more steps taken, the greater the prize.

One last feature of the Nintendo 3DS that Nintendogs + Cats takes advantage of are AR Cards. Players have the ability to place their AR cards on a table and to take pictures of their virtual pets in the real world!

Fido Wins!

Nintendogs + Cats is a fun game that was designed to be played a little bit each day. The game only allows each dog to enter each of the three competitions twice a day, and each pet can only earn the player 200 Owner Points in a single day. So the game will limit the player in that sense.

Those wishing to obtain the ability to buy all the unlockables will find that the time it takes will vary depending on how many pets they own and how hard they work at it. With my two dogs and one cat it took me about a month of playing every day to get enough Owner Points to unlock everything. (100%. Total Victory)

Nintendogs + Cats is a fun game that CAN hook the player if they want to see all the content, but at the same time it does turn into a bit of a chore due to how much repetition is required. A typical Nintendogs day for me ended up being, taking each dog for two walks, enter all the competitions, pet each pet until they get bored, play with the pets and their toys, and clean/feed the pet if necessary.

Last, but not least – another one of the fun things about the game is that there are some Nintendo themed items that can be unlocked. As a big Nintendo fan this added to my sense of fun and nostalgia within the game. My only complaint is that there isn’t more of it.

Overall, Nintendogs + Cats is a fun game if the player can get into it. The problem is that I know many players will not find this type of game truly fun. However, for the audience that this title is targeted at it’s a great title. Nintendogs + Cats isn’t the perfect title as it certainly leaves room for improvement in some areas, but it’s still a great game that is packed full of fun regardless.

Here’s The Rundown:

+ Takes awhile to unlock everything.
+ Nintendo references.
+ Cats!
+ Uses multiples 3DS features.

- Can be repetitive.
- Not enough to do with cats.
- Could use more Nintendo references.
- Not enough Archie Hubbs.

nintendogs + cats was developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game released in the United States on March 27th, 2011 with an MSRP of $39.99 USD. The copy used in this review was purchased by the reviewer. The game was played to completion.

I Have Seen The Future of Gaming. It’s Adorable. It’s Name … is Wappy Dog.

Dave Oshry — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:11:40 +0000

I don’t care how manly you think you are. I don’t care how hardcore you think the games you’re into are. There are certain things that transcend all boundaries and just make you go “D’awww”. In what is perhaps the most D’awww worthy creation since Charlie Bit Me – Activison and SEGA have teamed up to bring you, Wappy Dog.

When I stopped by the Toy Fair in NYC last week to meet with Activision and SEGA, I wasn’t expecting much – but I certainly wasn’t expecting this. If you love Nintendogs, you’re going to love Wappy Dog. Wappy sings, Wappy dances, Wappy plays whack-a-mole – and he does it all through your Nintendo DS.

Remember those Tamagotchi things you had in middle school? You know the virtual pets you had to feed and play with or else they would get all cranky and beep at you? Well, Wappy is kind of like that – except far more advanced, and infinitely more adorable.

Here’s what Activison had to say before they gave me a hands on demo at the Toy Fair:

Wappy Dog brings forth the next generation of interactive toys, connecting a physical toy with the virtual world, where young gamers care for and raise their very own interactive puppy to adulthood through an immersive experience communicated through the Nintendo DS and truly touching both the toy and videogame audiences. Each Wappy Dog is a personalized experience enabling players to customize both the virtual version with different colors and outfits, as well as the physical dog with spots, colors and accessories. Players train and care for their Wappy Dog to determine their pet’s constantly evolving personality, skills, and happiness, as well as use their game system to communicate with their dog.

Players choose between “Home Mode”, which enables them to engage with the physical dog through the Nintendo DS, or “Outing Mode”, which gives on-the-go Nintendo DS players a chance to continue caring for and playing with their pet virtually. When players reunite their system with their physical pet, the two entities sync to enable the same dynamic personality and status giving players constant access to their pet.

So when you’re in “Home mode” you can communicate and play games with Wappy and he’ll interact with both you and the DS. I played Whack-a-Mole with Wappy … and won. I was happy to have beaten him, but just then his cheeks turned blue, he dropped his head and went “Wap … wappu” as he got saddened by his epic defeat. Feeling bad for my new virtual companion – I fed him a treat via the DS interface. Suddenly, Wappy perked up, his cheeks turned red and he exclaimed, “Wap, Wappy!!” It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. I reached out to pet Wappy on his head, obviously not expecting him to respond to anything but the DS, but low and behold the magnificent contraption looked up at me and went, “Wappu!” Apparently he responds to physical interaction as well. I was impressed.

Wappy also has the aforementioned “Outing Mode”, because lord knows you can’t bring your robo-dog everywhere. This allows you to take the same care and play the same games with Wappy, without the physical dog. Instead he will just respond on the DS. However, once you get home everything you’ve done with Wappy will be synced with the actual dog – so he knows if you’ve been taking good or bad care of him and will react accordingly.

All in all, I must say that Wappy Dog certainly appears to be a step in the right direction for virtual pet gaming. Not only does it seem work well and play well, but it teaches kids how to care for a pet without it making a mess on your rug – all the while looking downright adorable.

I did have one final question for SegaVision after my demo of Wappy Dog however. “Will their be Wappy PvP!? I asked. “You know, if you have two Wappy Dog’s can you make them fight each other!?” They just kind of stared at me . . . I think maybe I missed the point.

Wappy Dog will be available later this year. A price has not yet been set – but they did say it would likely be less than $99, which is far less than a real dog . . . or an NGP.

Nintendogs + Cats (3DS) Impressions

Justin Berube — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:09:02 +0000

The Nintendogs + Cats demo displayed at the NYC 3DS announcement was quite limited. Players were given the chance to pick between three pairs of dogs and cats. Once picked, the player had the opportunity to pet the adorable animals, dress them with a variety of accessories, or play with them using toys. This demo was in Japanese.

The animals behaved as one would expect and the 3D looked nice. The coolest 3D visual effect I experienced came from playing with the boomerang toy. Players could throw the toy out and watch as the dog would chase it. If thrown hard enough it would come back to the user.

While Nintendogs + Cats may not seem like the most exciting title to most gamers, it will probably sell like hotcakes. You might not be it’s targeted demographic. My girlfriend is excited and the previous Nintendogs were smash hits.

Want to stay up to date on my Nintendo and Nintendo 3DS news, info, previews, reviews, editorials and more? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook. Be sure to tell me how you feel about Nintendogs + Cats.

Kevin Butler: Sony’s Hilarious Vice President of Animal Control

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 22:34:30 +0000

Kevin Butler, Vice President of Animal Control, is in a new commercial advertising the PS3′s Move compatible Eyepet game. Did I hear a few not too subtle digs on Nintendogs – naw, Kevin Butler would never do that.

Nintendo Confirms 3DS Launch Titles

Dave Oshry — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:01:57 +0000

Have you been wondering just what games will be available on the day the 3DS comes out? Well wonder no longer!!

Here’s the list!!

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS – Nintendo

Nintendogs + Cats – Nintendo

Pilotwings Resort – Nintendo

Pro Baseball Spirits – Konami

Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle – Level 5

Ridge Racer 3D – Namco Bandai

Samurai Warriors Chronicle – Tecmo Koei

Steel Diver – Nintendo

Super Monkey Ball – Sega

Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition – Capcom

Don’t worry, our resident Nintendo expert (fanboy) Justin Berube already has each title as well as the console on super double secret pre-order!!

*Note: This is the Japanese list, the US list may contain less and perhaps even more launch titles!!

Source: My Nintendo News via Softpedia

Nintendo Collectors Journal 8/9/2010

Justin Berube — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:52:18 +0000

Many people know that I’m a big Nintendo Fanboy and that I collect Nintendo games, goods, memorabilia and more. If it says Nintendo on it, and it’s official, I want it. That’s what the Nintendo Collectors Journal is for. From this point on I’ll be documenting all the exciting Nintendo items I gather on my travels. I come across things both new and old so be sure to check back to see what I’ve come across.

Nintendo Collectors Journal 8/4/2010

Nintendo Collectors Journal 8/24/2010

I thought this was going to be a slow week for me, but instead I ended up getting a ton of cool Nintendo stuff. The first three items shown in this week’s main picture are Nintendo 3D jigsaw puzzles. I was able to obtain one from Mario Power Tennis, one from Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and one from Nintendogs.

I also attended the Best Buy Dragon Quest IX Map giveaway this week at my local Best Buy store. The event wasn’t too big but there was free swag to be had as well as the in game map. The coolest piece of swag is a big Dragon Quest IX Poster.

I was also given this Dragon Quest IX Party Slime T-shirt that is very cool. The back of the shirt, not pictured, has the Dragon Quest IX Logo near the top.

The final item I received at the event was a Dragon Quest IX sticker sheet that features stickers of many of the in game enemies.

The last thing I got this week was the Premiere Issue of the Pokémon Official Magazine. I got this item from my girlfriend who happened to obtain two of them.

Club Nintendo Reward Review: Nintendogs Greeting Card Set

Justin Berube — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:30:48 +0000

Previous Club Nintendo Reward Review: Animal Crossing Playing Cards

Next Club Nintendo Reward Review: Bowser Folder Set w/ Bookmarks

The Nintendogs Greeting Card Set is one of two greeting card sets currently available for members of the North American Club Nintendo. The set includes four copies of each of the three different greeting cards and enough envelopes for them all. The dogs included are the Labrador Retriever, Dachshund, and Chihuahua.

Overview

Name- Nintendogs Greeting Card Set
Cost- 300 Club Nintendo Coins
Official Description-
Share puppy love with your (non-puppy) best friends!

These greeting cards feature a Chihuahua, Dachshund, and Labrador Retriever. Open up the card to find puppy paw prints and your puppy’s favorite fire hydrant. All greeting cards are designed and created exclusively for Club Nintendo members.

Each set contains 4 of each card for a total of 12 cards
• Each card measures 5.5″ x 4.125″
• Includes 12 matching envelopes

Usefulness- 2 out of 10

I don’t think anyone is going to send these through the mail, but the fact that Nintendo gives out enough extras may give it some use. People who end up getting this reward are, most likely, collectors or big Nintendogs fans so I cannot see them being used for their intended purpose by most people.

As A Collectable- 3 out of 10

This item does have some collectable value, but not much. First of all it’s exclusive to Club Nintendo members who purchase this reward. Secondly, it features the official Club Nintendo logo on the back of each card. I feel what hurts the item in the category is the fact that people who get this are given four of each card. That means for each person who orders this reward there will be enough spares in the set to give out to other people.

Overall Value- 3 out of 10

This item is a bit pricey at 300 Club Nintendo Coins. What helps it out though is the fact that, as mentioned earlier, it comes with four of each card. This means there are extras that could be traded with other collectors or that a person could use them for their intended purpose.

The biggest problem I have with this item is the cost. For just 50 more Club Nintendo Coins members could get one of the two available poster sets. Also for just as many coins, or less, members can get many other items that I feel are just better than this Greeting Card Set.

Final Score-

Miyamoto Has a Seat, Hangs Out, and Offers Advice to Aspiring Developers

David Oxford — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:39:28 +0000

The L.A. Times recently ran an article– a profile, if you will– of Nintendo’s Senior Managing Director, Shigeru Miyamoto. Among the topics discussed within the profile are how Miyamoto came to work for the company, as well as some words for those who aspire to become video game designers themselves.

Following are some of Miyamoto’s quotes from the article, as translated by Bill Trinen of Nintendo.

On defying his instructors’ expectations as a student:

“I made a lot of strange things in school. We were given an assignment to create a chair. Most of the other students would examine chairs from a historical perspective and create a chair that was an evolution of that. When I got the assignment, I thought about what it would be like to sit on a rope. So I tied some ropes together and made a chair. I don’t think it was very comfortable.”

Wii Sit confirmed?

Miyamoto goes on to discuss how he applied for his job at Nintendo, which of course came before the company had stepped into the world of video games. Rather than bringing a résumé with a portfolio of drawings or photos, he instead brought an invention: a clothes hanger designed for children who were too small to reach the bar of a closet, as well as too young to be handling hooked wire hangers:

“I made a wooden hanger that had a little cross shape which would fit into a notch on the wall. I painted pictures of elephants on them.”

“Nintendo really liked them and decided to hire me.”

Look for Wii Hang next holiday season.

Finally, Miyamoto offers some of his own advice for those who aspire to enter the wide world of video game development:

“It’s really important to find things that are fun and interesting to you personally, and then apply those fun aspects to a game.

When we first got our puppy, I took him to a training class. I found out that it wasn’t a place to train your dog. It was a place to teach people how dogs behave. I thought that was interesting. As a result, I made a lot of friends who were passionate about dogs. I also started going to the pet shop to buy things for my dog. Then I thought it would be nice to make a game people can buy while they’re at the pet store.”

Expect to see Nintendogs– oh, wait. Right.

Incidentally, has anyone ever seen a copy of Nintendogs while at the pet store? This reporter hasn’t, but that would actually be pretty cool.

For a little bit more about Miyamoto (which you may or may not already know), check out the link to The L.A. Times below.

Source: The L.A. Times (via GoNintendo)

Japanese Magazine Famitsu Gives Super Smash Bros. Brawl Perfect Score

Dylan Duarte — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:53:27 +0000

Only six games had ever walked away from Famitsu with a perfect score and Super Smash Bros. Brawl just became the seventh.

Check it out:

Famitsu seems to know what’s what when it comes to good gaming. The other six games that earned themselves perfect ratings are – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Soulcaliber, Vagrant Story, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Nintendogs, and Final Fantasy XII. All great games, very deserving of – wait, what?

Nintendogs? What the hell? Are you kidding me? I mean, yeah, I enjoyed Nintendogs and I still dream about Doctor Scratches, but a perfect score?

Well, at least the rest of the list is solid, so I guess I’ll let it slide. As if I wasn’t already too hyped over Brawl. And now we have to wait until March.

Criminy.

Seriously, Nintendogs?

Via N4G, Vooks

Two New DS Models Announced — Zelda and Doggie Fans Rejoice!

Josh Pankratz — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:26:59 +0000

Bundled deals and a pink DS! Have we got your attention yet?

In case you haven’t already bought one of the 53.64 Million DS units already sold, here is your chance to get a snazzy new piece of gaming hardware.

Featuring Triforce Artwork and Puppy Paw prints, each unit is bundled with a free game. The Triforce branded DS will ship with a copy of Phantom Hour Glass, while the Puppy version will include the popular Nintendogs title.

The new handheld consoles will be released Black Friday (November 23rd) at a price point of $150. So make sure you get your preorders in for your Puppy DS before then. We’re pretty sure they are going to sell quickly, and nothing is worse than going home crying because you missed your chance at a pretty pink new toy. Trust me, I know.

Source: DSFanboy.com