Hamsterz: Life
Score: 79% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment Developer: Digital Kids Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 2 (Wireless) Genre: Family/ Simulation/ Themed
Graphics & Sound: So, next to Dogz from Ubisoft's Petz series, I found Hamsterz: Life to be the most oddly entertaining and interesting. Though far less realistic and more imaginative, they still have a solid virtual pet element. Though on the DS, the first thing that got me was the very well done animation for the hamster's movement. The rest is cartoon-like in appearance and looks as well as could be expected. The music was upbeat and didn't make me want to throw the DS. There was a voiceover associated with the hamster actually speaking back to you, and that too was done clearly and believably, well as believably as a hamster talking back to you can be.
Gameplay: In Hamsterz: Life, you start out by choosing your name and of course then picking out your rodent. There are five different hamster species to choose from and, of course, the gender as well. Once you pick your flavor, you will be taken to your room where your hamster will wait for you in its very own starter cage. Since this is a virtual pet, you have every opportunity to care for and train your hamster. Feed it, water it and keep the cage clean. You also have the opportunity to free your hamster in your room and watch it scurry around and maybe even discover a few hidden items it can use. Training the hamster involves getting it used to words by saying them into the mic. and then having the mutant rat finally repeat them back. Cute, but kind of off the expected path. Currency to buy the things you need comes from playing various mini-games. I thought these were cool. A little break from the norm of just watching the fuzzball run around and eat. Use the coins to buy a new home and even a new city for your hamster to run. Kind of gave me that Hamtaro feeling with the talking rats and miniature city.
Difficulty: The mini-games involved in Hamsterz: Life are surprisingly difficult and simple at the same time. My favorite to play, and one that best exemplifies what I am trying to say, involves a pendulum system. One hamster would rotate around another hamster, in a circular motion, until it came into contact with another obstacle. Once it hit something, it swung the other direction. You hit your "A" button to switch the hamster that is swinging around, thus creating a walking motion across the screen when timed properly. You maneuver through a boxed area, with some obstacles, to collect all of the seeds before time runs out. Simple, elegant and frustrating as hell sometimes. But again, very fun.
Game Mechanics: Hamsterz: Life uses the microphone, and with my experience with Dogz's microphone, I was leery. But I was surprised it actually worked far better than the mic did in Dogz. The village system is interesting as well. You create your own self-contained world for your hamsters. Where it isn't a Sim to any extent, the mechanism it brought forth is more of the community feeling. I enjoyed this one, almost as much as Dogz, but more than the others in the series. It's step into the fantastic is what makes me place it where I do. I think they could have had more content of the virtual pet aspect, but they created a very good game around the whole idea. I would pick this up for my loved ones without any fear of it not thoroughly entertaining them and keeping their attention.
-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd
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