Nintendogs

* *Labrador*.
* *Dachshund*.
* *Dalmatian*.
* *Best Friends*.
* *Shiba Inu*.
JP: April 21, 2005
US: August 22, 2005
EU: October 7, 2005
AU: September 22, 2005
KR: May 3, 2007
CN: December 12, 2009
***Best Friends***
US: October 24, 2005
***Dalmatian & Friends***
US: October 16, 2006
EU: June 16, 2006
AU: November 2, 2006

***Nintendogs*** (Japanese: **ニンテンドッグス**, *stylized as *nintendogs**) is a pet simulation game developed by Nintendo EAD1 for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in three versions; ***Chihuahua and Friends***, ***Labrador and Friends***, and ***Dachshund and Friends***. *Labrador* was replaced with ***Shiba Inu and Friends*** in Japan. These games were released on April 21, 2005 in Japan, August 22, 2005 in North America, September 22, 2005 in Australia, October 7, 2005 in Europe and May 3, 2007 in South Korea. It was released on the iQue DS and the iQue DSi in China on December 12, 2009, only as *Labrador and Friends*.

A fourth edition, ***Dalmatian and Friends*** was released on October 16, 2006 in North America, June 16, 2006 in Europe and November 2, 2006 in Australia. A bundle-exclusive version, known as ***Best Friends*** was released only in North America on October 24, 2005.

A follow-up, titled ***Nintendogs + Cats*** was released in March 25, 2011 as one of the Nintendo 3DS's launch titles and like the original game, it was released in three versions.

Like most simulation videogames, this doesn't have an ending sequence, nor a story mode.

## Development

* A Cavalier in the beta version of *Nintendogs*.
* A Toy Poodle in the beta version of *Nintendogs*.
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*Nintendogs* originally started out as a tech demo for the Nintendo GameCube.

## Basics

In the game, the player starts out by getting their first dog. After it is bought, it has to be cared for by giving it food and water. Dogs can do a lot of things, like perform tricks involving the use of the Nintendo DS's Microphone and participate in competitions.

The player can also make money via selling items that can be found on walks, or winning cash prizes in contests. If they have a certain amount, they can buy another dog to take care of or buy a new house at the Interior Decorator.

## Adopting a Dog

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The game starts out at the kennel, where the player must adopt a dog of their own. Depending on the version, the breeds for the dogs will be different, resulting in different personalities and long or short-haired coats, which can affect performance while teaching the dog tricks or participating in contests. Once a dog is adopted, another one cannot be bought until later on in the game.

Also, the player can interact with the dogs available at the Kennels by tapping "Look". There, three different dogs (Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever (Shiba Inu in (JAP)) and a Miniature Dachshund) can be interacted with and played around. As the dogs are owned by the Kennel, they cannot be bought.

Once the player has adopted their first dog, they'll need time to get used to the surroundings inside the room. After some time has passed, the player will need to think of a name for the dog, using the Nintendo DS's microphone. Once the dog recognises the name that the player has given, they will need to call the dog via it's name without using the whistle in order to advance.

After the dog has learned the name, the player will need to teach the dog a tricks. That can be done by making the dog sit, pressing the lightbulb icon at the top-right screen and saying the command. When the command is learned, the player will have to make the dog sit, using voice commands rather than manually making the dog sit. When the dog recognises the command, the player will be able to go out and do various things with the dog.

## Care

The care category is all about taking care of a dog's needs. Fulfilling a dog's needs may include feeding them, bathing them, walking them, and more. As real-life time passes a dog's hunger/thirst level and coat cleanliness will fall, so the player must check up on their dogs on a regular basis. Dogs will not age nor die, but the player will lose Trainer Points if they fail to take care of their pets for a long period of time. It's up to the player to take care of their pets.

Most of the basic supplies a player will need can be found at the Pet Supply, which can be accessed through the Shopping Menu. There is also the Discount Shop, a cheaper version of the Pet Supply that can be found on walks.

## Home Menu

This is the menu every player will see whenever they start the game, save for when they're creating a new save file. From here the player can save, check their Supplies List, access the Go Out Menu to go to different locations, call their pet over, or check their pet's status by clicking their names.

Additionally, at this menu the player can rotate the camera with the D-pad and look at their dogs. They may also have a lightbulb icon in the upper right corner of the Home Menu if their dog ever performs a trick.

## Go Out

The Go Out Menu can be accessed from the Home Menu. Here, the player can go shopping at various dog-related locations, take one of their dogs for a walk, use Bark Mode to communicate with other *Nintendogs* players, participate in a competition, check their general info, or look at how much money they have (which is found in the bottom left corner of the screen).

The player cannot interact with their dogs from this menu, though they can look at them and rotate the camera to get a better view.

### **Shopping**

At this menu the player can see five different locations to go to, that being the:

* Pet Supply
* Secondhand Shop
* Kennel
* Interior Decorator
* Dog Hotel

All of these locations can only be visited from this menu, save for the Pet Supply which has a Discount Shop variant that can be found on walks.

### **Walks**

Although walks are not vital to a dog's physical health (in this game), they are still highly encouraged for every player. On walks the player will find items that they can normally find at stores, such as a variety of rare accessories. Not only that, but there are many locations that can only be visited on walks, with those locations being the Discount Shop, gym, and the park.

On walks the player may meet a neighbor's dog, though the owner will never be shown on-screen. There isn't much benefit to meeting neighbors, but it does give some potentially interesting dialogue and the player's dog can make a new friend (or enemy).

### **Competitions**

Competitions test a dog's skill in certain areas and are typically the main way of making money in *Nintendogs*.

### **Bark Mode**

Players can communicate with someone else who owns a copy of *Nintendogs*. This can be done by allowing the player to send a gift, or give the option to record a five-second message on the white record. This process can be done many times, and can be a way to get version-exclusive items.

The player can also interact with the other dog as long as they like, in a location that isn't seen anywhere else in the game. Unlike other Nintendo DS titles with wireless communication, this one doesn't keep track of the timing between the happenings of the two owners.

Stored "friends" are kept in Contacts, which is found in the info section at the "Go Out" menu. The player can view the other dog's stats, the Trainer Points, date of birth, and competition results.

## Starter Breeds

Depending on the version the player gets, the breeds they start out with may be different. The rest of the Breeds can be unlocked either by acquiring Trainer Points, completing special requirements or communicating with another dog with a breed the player hasn't unlocked via Bark Mode.

\*Exclusive to the American, European, Korean and Chinese version.

## Other Editions

### *Best Friends*

On October 24, 2005, the Nintendogs DS Bundle was released in North America containing a special edition of the video game, known as ***Nintendogs: Best Friends***. This bundle came in two colors, Pearl Pink and Teal and included a special skin and a cleaner.

While the game itself is mostly-unchanged, the starter breeds are different (Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Beagle, Yorkshire Terrier and Miniature Dachshund.) and includes a unique title screen. Also, the version-exclusive items that can be found are the same as *Dachshund & Friends*.

The bundle was released again in North America on November 23, 2007, this time with a Nintendo DS Lite coming in Metallic Pink or Cobalt Blue color. While the DS Lite itself has a paw print marked on it, the cleaner strap wasn't included in the bundle.
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### Dalmatian & Friends

***Dalmatian & Friends*** was first released in Europe on June 16, 2006, released on October 16, 2006 in North America, and November 2, 2006 in Australia. Unlike Best Friends, the game was released as a standalone.

The game includes the elusive Dalmatian breed that is available from the beginning of the game along with the rare fireman's hat. The version-elusive items that can be found in the game are taken from *Chihuahua & Friends*.

## Reception

Nintendogs received positive critical acclaim from various video game critics. Most of the praise comes from the usage of the Nintendo DS's Microphone, which allowed the person to communicate with the pet in a technological fashion.

Japanese gaming website Famitsu gave the game a full 40 score. It is very rare for a game to get a full rating on Famitsu, and only a handful of video games from the past few decades have been known to get it.

Gaming website IGN gave the video game an 8.8 rating, citing the "stylized look", which made the pets look "incredibly lifelike", though the review criticized the lack of proper things to do once the main objective was completed. Japanese gaming website Famitsu gave the game a perfect 40 score. It is very rare for a game to get a full rating on Famitsu, and very few games have been known to get it.

### Awards

This game received four nominations for the Designer of the Year, Most Addictive Game, Best Handheld Game and the Best Breakthrough Technology at the 2005 Spike Video Game Awards.

## Promotion

A special event known as "*Nintendogs Tricks and Treats Weekend*" was held across over 3,600 GameStop stores all over the United States on the weekend of October 28, 2005 until October 30, 2005. Nintendo of America donated $50,000 towards the ASPCA for the event, that goes towards real-life pets with various issues.

For whom who participated in the event, players could use Bark Mode when they entered GameStop and get themselves star sunglasses from Haylie Duff's Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Bentley along with a special White Record message from herself.

Even after the event, players could still get special reward in fewer GameStop stores until sometime in 2007.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/26/nintendogs-halloween-swag
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwCkq3wnf\_U