Nintendogs

Caption	European box art for Dalmatian & Friends
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Director	Kiyoshi Mizuki
Producer	Hideki Konno
Composer	Hajime Wakai
Platforms	Nintendo DS
Released	}}

Best FriendsDalmatian & Friends}}}} |genre=Pet-raising simulation |modes=Single-player, multiplayer |ratings= }} is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America, Australia, Europe, and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions: Dachshund & Friends, Lab & Friends, and Chihuahua & Friends. It has been re-released twice since then, first as a bundled release with a special edition Nintendo DS with a new version called Nintendogs: Best Friends, and then later as Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends.

Nintendogs utilizes the DS's touchscreen and built-in microphone. The touch screen allows the player to pet a dog, as well as to use various items that can be found or purchased. These range from balls and frisbees, to toys, to grooming supplies to keep the dogs happy. The microphone is used to call to the player's dog by speaking the name given to the dog in the beginning of the game as well as to teach the dog commands such as "sit" or "roll over". Players can bring their dogs on walks and to the park if they so choose. They may interact with other players in multi-player by using the DS's wireless linkup. It also uses the DS's internal clock and calendar to allow the dog to grow hungrier or dirtier based on the elapsed time.

Nintendogs received mostly positive critical reception. It has an aggregate score of 85% at Game Rankings, and has won many awards, including the 2006 Innovation Award from PC World and Best Handheld Game from the Associated Press. As of March 31, 2009, all versions of Nintendogs combined have sold 22.27 million copies worldwide, making it the third best-selling standalone game of all time. Because of Nintendog''s success, Nintendo has made several related products, including Nintendogs toys and a series of Nintendogs trading cards. At E3 2010, it was announced a sequel, titled "Nintendogs + Cats," would be released for the Nintendo 3DS.

Gameplay

Using the touchscreen, the owner can play with, train, pet, walk, brush, and wash a virtual dog. With the microphone that is built into the DS, the player can create voice commands which the puppy will understand and, if properly trained, follow. Dogs can be walked to the park where they can practice their disc catching skills, and to the gymnasium to practice dog agility.

Nintendogs features a variety of contests, which are the player's main method of earning money and trainer points. There are three contests: Disc Competition, Agility Trial, and Obedience Trial. In each of them, there are 5 classes: Beginner, Open, Expert, Master, and Championship. Each contest is commented on by two men, named Ted Rumsworth and Archie Hubbs. (It was said that Archie sometimes eats dog treats. ) If the player's dog places 3rd or higher in whatever class who is in, the dog will proceed to the next class, where the contest increases in difficulty level. Prize money earned differs depending on which contest has been entered, what place is finished, and the class the dog is in. If the player does not place at least 3rd, they will be dropped to the previous difficulty level, unless they were in the Beginner class, at which point they will remain there. Dogs that are especially dirty or hungry are not able to participate in contests.

Nintendogs supports a link-up method through the Nintendo DS's built-in wireless networking capabilities. A player can link one's system with that of another person who owns a copy of Nintendogs to let the players' puppies play together. This is called Bark Mode. If connected with a player who has a dog not in the current player's kennel, that dog will become available. Also, players can use an item called the "White Record" to record a message. This can be used to say something to the other player. Dogs may also carry a present to give away for good to the other player.

Development

Nintendogs began as a technical demo on the Nintendo GameCube long before it was considered for the DS. It made its way to the handheld when the DS was still in development. Shigeru Miyamoto originally came up with the idea for the game when he and his family bought a dog, which inspired him to create the project. The game's producer, Hideki Konno, looking for a game to take full advantage of all of the Nintendo DS's features, decided on a dog simulation game. Nintendogs, first called Puppy Times, was originally designed to have 15 different versions, one for each breed of dog. Satoru Iwata suggested this to convey the feel that the player was choosing a dog from a kennel. However, the debugging process for each version would have been too time consuming to be feasible. After going back and forth between numbers of versions, they eventually settled for three, with six dogs each and the rest available after completing in-game goals.

Reception

{{VG reviews | title = Nintendogs: Chihuahua & Friends | subtitle = | state = | GR = 85.27% It also received an 8.5 out of 10 in Nintendo Power. Game Informer gave Nintendogs an 8 out of 10, reflecting on the game's lack of an ending. Game Oracle gave it 85% and a recommendation saying that unlike most sims, it has a lot of depth.

Awards

In addition to recognitions from publications such as Entertainment Weekly, BusinessWeek, and the Chicago Sun Times, Nintendogs also won a wide variety of awards. E3 2005 Game Critics Awards: Best Handheld Game. TheG33ks Bronze Award for best Nintendo DS game. Associated Press: "Best Game of 2005" 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival: Excellence Prize PC World: "2006 Innovation Award" D&AD;: Yellow Pencils Award 2006 PETA: Best Animal-Friendly Video Game 2006 IGN: Editors' Choice Award IGN: Best use of touch screen for Nintendo DS GameSpot: Editors' Choice award

Sales information

In the first week of its release in Japan (April 18, 2005 to April 24, 2005), the three versions, Shiba & Friends, Miniature Dachshund & Friends, and Chihuahua & Friends, sold 75,000, 49,000, and 44,000 respectively, totalling 168,000 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. It was the 91st best-selling game in Japan in 2008, selling 142,591 copies combined, with lifetime sales of 1,850,984 combined. Nintendogs also had very successful launches in North America and Europe, with first week sales of over 250,000 and 160,000 respectively.

On March 23, 2006 at GDC 2006, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata announced that international sales of Nintendogs sales had reached 6 million. By March 31, 2008, the game was the best-selling Nintendo DS game published by Nintendo. As of January 30, 2009, all versions of Nintendogs combined have sold 21.67 million copies worldwide, and it has retained its status as Nintendo's top first-party title for the DS.

Legacy

Trading cards

In late 2005, Nintendo of America released the first series of Nintendogs "6-Card Fun Paks". Three different pack designs (each based on the US-released designs of the DS game) contains an assortment of "Collectible cards, stickers & more!". Each pack randomly contains two of 18 different Breed cards, one of nine different Dog in Training tip cards, one of six different Miscellaneous cards, one of 18 different Pop-Up Cards, one of six sundry sheets of stickers, one of four temporary tattoos, and one Sweepstakes card.

Another series of these cards were released in early 2007 by Enterplay, LLC. These cards, officially licensed by Nintendo, were created by the same individuals who worked on the first series. As such, the cards greatly resemble the first series. Keeping the "6-Card Fun Pak" name, each package contains two of 20 different At the Kennel cards (which feature all eighteen breeds from the games, including the Dalmatian and Jack Russel Terrier), one of nine Dog in Training tip cards, one of four Miscellaneous cards, one of 20 Pop-Up Cards, one of six sheets of stickers, one of four temporary tattoos and one Sweepstakes card. The next series also features three sundry packages, this time with a Dalmatian, Beagle, and Pug on the front of the package.

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. Various Nintendogs T-shirts were also made available at the Nintendo World Store. In Europe and Australia, a series of plush toys with an electronic sensor were released, and when the owner shook the bone, the dog would walk and bark. Nintendo has also released a set of plushes through Earthwood Toys.

In other games

There's a microgame in , in which the player must make the dog give the paw. There are the icons "Home" and "Supplies" on the screen, but the player's hand is visible, and that's something that doesn't exist in the game. A Nintendogs Labrador Retriever puppy also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an assist trophy; owing to the nonviolent nature of the Nintendogs game, rather than fighting actively, the dog "plays" in front of the screen, blocking view. Also, there are multiple Nintendogs downloadable content available in the game .

Future

It was announced during Nintendo's 2010 E3 presentation that Shigeru Miyamoto is currently working on a new Nintendogs project, involving some new innovations. The game, titled Nintendogs + Cats was just finished for the Nintendo 3DS and was released to Japan on February 26, 2011.

References

External links

Official Nintendogs site (English, US)

Official Nintendogs site (English, UK)

Official Nintendogs site (Australia)

Official site for the Nintendogs first series trading cards

Official site for the Nintendogs next series trading cards, Enterplay, LLC

The Nintendogs Wiki

Category:2005 video games Category:Dogs in popular culture Category:Interactive Achievement Award winners Category:Nintendo DS games Category:Nintendo DS simulation games Category:Nintendo DS-only games Category:Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development games Category:Touch! Generations Category:Virtual pets