Nintendogs features puppies from the most popular dog breeds, like Chihuahuas, Labrador retrievers, beagles and German shepherds. The pups will vary in gender, coloration and personality. Players care for and train their puppy by petting it, walking it and buying it supplies to play with. As a puppy competes in obedience and agility trials, owners can win money to purchase other puppy breeds.
This year's most intriguing offering from Nintendo's homeland will undoubtedly be Nintendogs for the DS. The game is a pet simulator akin to the mid-90's Tamagotchi sensation. But instead of raising little egg-based monsters, you'll be taking care of your very own canine. The game starts off allowing you to pick from five different breeds of dog (15 will be available on three different versions of the game). Once you select your pooch from popular breeds like Labrador, Golden Retriever, Chihuahua and even Dachshund, you head on home and get to work.
First you need to teach your dog his name. This makes full use of the Nintendo DS's microphone, as you'll have to shout your pup's name over and over until he gets the right idea. From there, you can start having fun. Playing with your pooch is key for keeping his temperament nice and cheery, so make sure you give it a good scratch with the stylus every once in a while. Over the course of horsing around, you may see your pet sit or roll-over, at which time you can reward them and repeat the command to try to get them to learn it. After a few hours, you'll be able to hammer these commands home and your pet will be able to do any number of tricks with just your preset words. Pretty nifty.
Once you've got a nice, well-behaved mutt, you can take him out for a stroll to meet neighborhood dogs, or to just do their dirty, sinful business. The dogs are pretty autonomous insofar as they'll eat and drink when they need to, so you don't have to handhold them quite as much as most other life simulators. This gives you more time for the fun stuff.
Entering contests is another key portion of Nintendogs, as it allows you to learn cash for new toys and even unlockable breeds. Some of the competitions involve obedience, while others are more based on doggie agility, catching Frisbees and so forth. Once you win a contest, you can go to the store and pick up ribbons, balls and even hats for your pet. Fancy!