Dogz
Score: 81% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment Developer: MTO, Co. Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 2 (Wireless) Genre: Family/ Simulation/ Themed
Graphics & Sound: Dogz has been, by far, my most rewarding title to play in the Petz series from Ubisoft. It is a virtual pet game for kids, but if you find yourself playing one for whatever reason, this is a good one. It combines a simple and clean story element and provides all of the fun of a virtual pet. This title more than the others has stiff competition with Nintendogs being the... dare I say "Big Dog" on the block. The graphics are cartoony in nature, but they look great with a clean and clear characterization of the animals. There are more breeds of dogs than I actually expected, so choice was never an issue. Each breed and gender are well represented by the graphics. Well, you can't really ask for too much from the music in a virtual pet game, but it wasn't hard to sit through. As my friend The Fat Man, George Sanger, says, sometimes not hearing anything bad is good.
Gameplay: Well, this game has gone to the Dogz! I have been waiting to use that. As is custom, you choose your name, your dog and their name. Then from there you live life. This was the part I liked. In the midst of working with your dog and getting them trained and housebroken, you also have to attend school and live a normal life. As a parent, I liked how they subtly worked this in without destroying the virtual pet fun of the game. You will have to feed your dog, of course. You teach him to wait until you tell him he can or cannot eat. The training process is very realistic, utilizing repetition and reward to strengthen the good habits, while scolding the bad ones. You will also utilize the microphone on the DS to teach your dog his name and many other tricks to do at your command. Part of your training also includes every pet owner's dream of cleaning up dog mess from the carpet. Too bad the DS doesn't have a smell generator. There is nothing more fun than virtual poo.
Difficulty: Dogz is not played for its challenges. The game provides you with a straightforward virtual pet experience mixed in with some real world considerations. There is more to the game than deciding what to dress your dog in or what color ribbon to tie it's ears back with. I thought this was important, as it strengthened the notion of regimen and what you have to do with a pup in order to get them to listen to you and respect you. And, of course, vice versa. Keep up with everything that the dog needs and everything you need to do in the day and all will turn out alright.
Game Mechanics: As I mentioned before, Dogz utilizes the microphone for a lot of commands. Unfortunately, this proved to be pretty frustrating. I repeatedly shouted commands at the DS like an idiot, while it would recommend try to speak more slowly or clearly. Not fun. The speaker is a necessary tool, so you would just have to deal with it. The actual game is not that hard, and is played more like an experience than an actual game. Patience and respect will win over your pup. This was a good game. It had a good virtual pet experience. It also had a realistic training model. And, it provided fairly realistic experience that kids can use to gauge how they treat their own animals in the future.
-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd
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