There are two
kinds of people in the world: dog people and cat people. Both parties can sit
and talk about the great things about canines or felines but there’s one thing
they can pretty much all agree on and that is the fact that puppies and kittens
are so darn cute. Personally, I’m a dog person but I melt whenever I see a
kitten. So Ubisoft has brought us two very distinct games in their Petz series.
One caters to all kitten lovers out there while Dogz cater to those who
love puppies. As it turns out, Dogz just doesn’t have what it takes to
surpass the best pet simulator on the Nintendo DS … Nintendogs.
Dogz
is a children’s title that first has you picking from a male or female child
avatar and then picking clothing options as well as giving your avatar a name.
You begin the day excited about the prospect of owning your first dog and your
parents are good-natured enough to buy one on the condition that you take care
of your puppy’s every needs. The next morning you’re at the pet store deciding
what kind of dog you’d like to purchase. As you’ll find out, there is a nice
amount of dog breeds to chose from and once you find the right one for you it’s
off to deal with all the things that come with a new pooch.
There are
18 breeds to pick from so if you’ve always loved a Yorkshire terrier,
Pomeranian or even a Welsh Corgi you’re in luck. Like the real thing, each breed
of dog has their own unique personality whether they’re shy or highly energetic.
The game does a great job of taking gamers through the first steps in teaching
your dog the basics as well as learning where the dog food is stored in the
house as well as teaching your dog why it’s wrong to “make a deposit” on the
carpet. As your avatar’s parents clearly make it known, it is you who will be
taking care of all your furry friend’s needs.
One of the first
things you’ll be doing is teaching your dog his name and you can do this by
either touching your character with the Stylus or calling your dog by his or her
name using the microphone the way you do in Nintendogs. You can touch the
screen and tap your avatar to bathe and brush your dog. Oh, but you can teach your
dog a few tricks. At your command, your dog will sit and stay. Icons above your
pet’s head will reveal their feelings. In short, your puppy will reveal its
emotional state and it’s your job to keep him or her happy.
What the game
does right is the way in which it stresses many important factors in raising a
dog. When your pet does something it’s not suppose to you have the option to
scold your dog. You can also praise your dog if it’s doing something right.
You’ll go to the vet to get shots so you can go out and play with your puppy and
you can teach your dog how to interact with other dogs. You’ll encounter other
kids with their dogs and your avatar will be interacting with others as well. In
a way, Dogz is like an instructional game for kids who want a dog.
The problem with
Dogz is that it is way too repetitive, often repeating the same 30-day
cycle. This is too bad really, since there are some cute features like throwing
a dog party for all your pet’s friends and a dog competition complete with a
race that includes fences and tunnels. You can even go to the pet shop to
purchase toys for your dog. There’s even a multiplayer mode that allows players
and a friend to trade items as well as play two mini-games.
On the graphics
front, Dogz looks more like a GBA game than a Nintendo DS game and that’s
not good. Sure, it’s a colorful game with cute human characters and even cuter
pups but we’ve seen better-looking DS games. The game also has some Ok sound
effects, including some decent dog barks. Unfortunately, the soundtrack can get a
bit grating, although I hardly think young gamers will care.
Dogz
for the Nintendo DS
tries hard to be interesting as well as fun but ultimately falls short in many
of the things that could have made this a great alternative to Nintendo’s other
“game.” Yes, there are a number of cute puppies here and it can be fun playing
with them for awhile but sadly, this game is just way too repetitive that
younger gamers might abandon the game way too soon. Still, if you love dogs or
have been looking for a game that teaches kids about the responsibilities of
taking care of a puppy then you might want to buy this game. Everyone else
should consider buying or dusting off their copy of Nintendogs.
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Gameplay: 5.2
The game uses
the Nintendo DS features but not as creatively as we would have wanted and the
puppy rearing just doesn’t seem as fun. If anything, Dogz is a decent
training tool for kids thinking about getting their first dog. Besides, who
doesn’t love puppies?
Graphics: 4.0
The game’s
visuals aren’t the best you’ll see and sometimes even the different breeds of
puppies will start looking alike. The human characters and the backgrounds look
like they would fit right at home on the Game Boy Advance.
Sound: 4.0
The music will
drive you out of your mind but younger gamers won’t mind it at all. There are
some cartoon-like sound effects and barking noises.
Difficulty:
Easy
Some pups are
easier to train than others are and some might take a long while to learn new
tricks. Bonding with your dog isn’t very hard and there’s nothing here that will
have really young gamers scratching their heads wondering what to do next.
Concept: 4.5
You can dress
up your pooch and parade them outside for further humiliation and you can teach
your dog new tricks but the heart of Dogz is in the way it teaches kids
that taking care of a dog means you’ll have to go out of your way to feed, wash
and care for their every needs. There are even a number of breeds to pick from
and they’re all adorable. Oh, and there’s even wireless multiplayer.
Multiplayer:
4.5
You can trade
items you earn while playing solo with a friend but the real treat comes in
playing the two mini-games. Match-A-Pup is a memory card game while Puppy Puzzle
is a nice game where you move puzzle pieces to form a picture of a puppy.
Overall: 5.5
Dogz
never quite reaches
the fun and innovation that Nintendogs brings to the Nintendo DS. It does
teach kids that having a new puppy means new responsibilities but, in the end,
there could have been a lot more to this game.
