First Impressions:

When Nintendogs debuted in 2005 the franchise was partly responsible for the big success of the the DS. The object of this game is to adopt, train, walk, bathe and play with a cute, life-like, virtual puppy. This innovative title makes use of all the unique functions of the DS, giving Nintendo a good way to showcase the benefits of the interface. The sales of Nintendogs and the DS surpassed the competing Sony PSP with its achievements.

Overall Nintendogs is lots of fun. It is a must have for any DS collector and it is great for showing off your DS to family and friends. If you don't have a real life dog then you might find Nintendogs to be a good way to have the feeling of owning a puppy since the pups look and act so realistically that it is uncanny.

In Fall of 2006, Nintendo released a limited edition of Dalmatians and Friends version of the game, along with the "cutest pups" selection from previous versions. The most popular dogs from the previous versions of the game (which were Dachshund and Friends, Labrador and Friends and Chihuahua and Friends) appear in the limited edition new game. The German Shepherd, Boxer, Yorkshire Terrier, Beagle, and Golden Retriever pups are the Dalmatian's Friends.

I've played both Dachshund and Friends, as well as the new Dalmatians and Friends for review. I adopted a female Dalmatian with brownish looking spots who I named "Pecans". There is a choice of six breeds to own and 14 more to be unlocked. Nintendogs Dalmatian & Friends Edition has the previously hard-to-unlock Dalmatian as one of the initial adoption choices. However the games are all identical. There is no new content, no additional content and almost no difference between the versions of the game. It isn't a "gotta collect 'em all" set.

Gameplay:

You use the stylus to train, care for and pet the dog. By rubbing the screen with the stylus on the puppy's fur the pup will respond happily. You can buy toys, take the dog for a walk, and manage a simplistic money system to get the pup's supplies. You also take it for walks, train for agility and obedience trails in the parks and then take your pup to competitions. Sit, Stay, Lie Down, Roll Over, Jump and Play Dead are a few of the tricks that the pup learns. Petting and training the doggie is fun. You teach it to come to its name by saying your dogs name into the mic on the DS.

"Pecans Come!"

The shopping that you can do at the pet shop and discount store has limitations. You can find other places to shop when you take your puppy for longer and longer walks. After a while the prize money becomes superfluous since there isn't much to spend it on. You will discover a few new places to go as well as getting the occasional "presents" that your dog finds interesting. Although while going for walks one of the highlights is picking up the little droppings that the puppy will leave on the sidewalk.

When the puppy spots something like old friend chicken or a bread crust on the street you don't have anyway to stop it from eating the bad thing and getting sick. The dog walking seems underdeveloped and it could be done better. The camera also doesn't give you much of a view or let you see where you are going or what the puppy is responding to that is off screen but supposedly right in front of you.

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