Nintendogs
Nintendogs is a pet simulation video game, similar to a virtual pet, for the Nintendo DS portable game system. The player is given the ability to interact with virtual puppies using the DS's touchscreen and microphone. It began as a project for the GameCube, but was later scrapped and re-worked for the dual-screen portable. The game made its debut at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo as a tech demo for the system. At one time, the North American version was to be titled Puppy Times, but this was changed back to Nintendogs before the game's release.
Versions and reception
There are 3 different versions of Nintendogs; In Japan, their subtitles were Chihuahua and Friends, Dachshund and Friends and Shiba and Friends. In North America, two of the game subtitles are maintained, but Shiba and Friends was changed to Labrador and Friends, a more recognizable breed in North America. Nintendogs has since had a new version bundled with teal or pink (in the US, the pink version is only available at Target Corporation). Nintendo DS models, titled Nintendogs: Best Friends. This bundle has been used in both North America and Europe.
The game has been well received by critics. In the May 2005 edition of the Famitsu, a popular Japanese gaming magazine, Nintendogs received a perfect 40/40 score. Only five other games have attained this score: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Soul Calibur, Vagrant Story, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Final Fantasy XII. It was also one of the three DS games to earn an Editor's Choice award on GameSpot, with Advance Wars: Dual Strike and Mario Kart DS.
Gameplay
The gameplay variety in Nintendogs makes for great interaction between the user and the puppy. Using the touchscreen, the owner can play with, train,(the nintendog can ONLY learn up to 14 tricks) pet, walk and wash the dog. Using the microphone that is built into the DS, the player can create voice commands that the virtual puppy will understand and (assuming it is properly trained) follow. Outside of the player's virtual home, the puppy can be put on a leash and taken for a walk around the neighborhood. Competitions are also an entertaining aspect of the game, as one can play flying disc with the dogs and enter them in agility contests or obedience shows.
Nintendogs supports two link-up methods through the Nintendo DS's built-in wireless networking capabilities(aka Wi-fi conection). A player can link his or her system with that of another person who owns a copy of Nintendogs to let the players' puppies play together. One can also enable the other link-up system, "Bark Mode", in the game options and then close the DS. Instead of going to sleep, the DS will continue to look for other Nintendogs users. If another Nintendogs game in Bark Mode is detected, the two systems will exchange information to be used later when gameplay is resumed. Bark Mode also works while the DS is open.
Available dog breeds
Nintendo, likely based on the success of this method with Pokémon, chose to release Nintendogs in multiple versons with minor variations from one another. While all versions of the same language are able to link to one another, each release of Nintendogs features a different set of dog breeds that are available at the beginning of each game. The Japanese editions each start with five breeds, while the North American and European editions each have six. But you can earn other dogs when your trainer points increase.
When the player first starts the game, he or she is brought to the kennel to choose a dog. The player then selects one of five or six available breeds, and is shown three dogs of that breed, varying in gender, personality, and color. Once the player comes to a final decision, the dog is taken home, and the player is allowed to name his or her new pet.
The different versions of Nintendogs have different breeds initially available to the player. The dogs can range from German Shephards and Yorkshire Terriers to Shiba Inus and Labrador Retrievers. For example, in the American/European version of Dachsund & Friends, the Beagle, Golden Retriever, Miniature Dachshund, Pug, Shih Tzu, and Siberian Husky are available from the start. (The Japanese versions have slightly different selections; for example, the Japanese Dachsund & Friends has the Miniature Schnauzer and Yorkshire Terrier instead of the Beagle and Shih Tzu.) Except for the hidden breeds (one in the Japanese release, two in other releases), all of the breeds are available in at least one version of the game, and in each game the breeds not initially available can be unlocked by "doing bark mode" also known as linking with a different version of Nintendogs.
As the player accumulates funds throughout the game, more dogs may be purchased from the kennel. However, only three dogs may be kept at the player's in-game dwelling, and five dogs may be stored (but not interacted with) at the "Dog Hotel" for free. The player may not have any more than eight dogs at a time, but dogs may be "donated" to free up space for more pets. Donating a dog removes it from the player's possession and is an irreversible action.
Sales information
In the first week of its release in Japan (April 18 to April 24), its sales totaled over 168,000 units (Nintendogs: Shiba & Friends — 75,000 units, Nintendogs: Miniature Dachshund & Friends — 49,000 units and Nintendogs: Chihuahua & Friends — 44,000 units). This title game also boosted the Nintendo DS system sales by over 4.2 times the previous week to 95,000 units, up from 22,000 [1].
Nintendogs also had very successful launches in North America and Europe, with first week sales of over 250,000 [2] and 160,000 [3] respectively, making it the fastest selling Nintendo DS game in both regions to date.
Since its debut in each of the main markets, Nintendo sold 2 million units in Europe [4], 1.5 million units in North America and 1 million in Japan [5], bringing worldwide sales to at least 4.5 million units.
On March 23, at GDC 2006, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata announced that Nintendogs sales had reached 6 million worldwide. [6]
Trading Cards
In late 2005/early 2006, Nintendo released Nintendogs "6-Card Fun Paks". Three different pack designs (each based on the US-released designs of the DS game) contains an assortment of "Collectable cards, stickers & more!". Each pack randomly contains two of 18 different 'Breed' cards, one of nine different 'Trainer Tip' cards, one of six different 'Miscellaneous' cards, one of 18 different 'Pop-Up' Cards, one of six different sheets of stickers, one of four different temporary tattoos and one Sweepstakes card.
The 18 'Breed' cards and 18 'Pop-Up' cards cover all 18 basic breeds of cards from the Nintendogs video games. The 'Trainer Tip' cards each feature a 'tip' for playing training the pup in the Nintendogs games. The 'Miscellaneous' cards consist of three different 'checklists' (the checklists simply contains a list of the six dogs that can get into the corresponding version of the DS game), a "Nintendo Kennel Club" membership card and two 'other fun cards'. The six sticker sheets each contain three different stickers of the dogs in the game. Between all six cards, all 18 different breeds are covered. Combining the six sticker cards together will form a picture-puzzle featuring some Nintendogs. The four Temporary Tattoo cards feature various dog and paw-print designs, along with the Nintendogs logo. The Sweepstakes card gives one the chance to instantly win either a Nintendo DS or a Nintendogs T-Shirt. These cards are sold where other cards are sold.
The cards retail for about $2 a pak.
Plush Toys
A line of Nintendogs Plush Toys were released in Japan featuring the most popular breeds in each game. They are also available at the Nintendo World Store in New York City for $9.99 . Also, various Nintendogs T-Shirts are available at the Nintendo World Store as well and retail for $15.00 dollars.
Gallery
See also
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