Review!!
Just like the previous Nintendogs games, and like Kinectimals for Xbox 360, you pick your ideal console pet from a small selection and then start looking after them and playing games to keep them amused. You can use the stylus to tickle them, and make them roll over and do you like your tummy tickled? Yes you do! Yes you do! Who's a lovely cuddly wuddly puppy? You are! Ahem. Sorry about that.
It's not just about tickles and playing fetch. You can train your pet to take part in championships by using stylus movements to get them to sit, roll over, jump and other simple exercises. You can also buy treats to dangle in front of them, just in case they need a bit of bribery.
3D or not 3D?
Nintendogs is one of the cutest games you'll see, and the 3D effect makes them even more lifelike, but it didn't take us long to get a bit bored of our new pet. There's a limit to how much you can do with them each day, but even then it felt like we'd run out of things to do in less than a week. It's worth picking up if the idea of stroking a pretend dog is all you want, but there are much more exciting games you could play with your new 3DS instead.
The other 3DS launch games might be all about swooping and fighting and racing and scoring, but wouldn't it be nice to take some time out and just have a digital puppy cover your face in virtual slobber? Well, grab a towel because Nintendogs + Cats is on 3DS and these critters ain't toilet trained!
Use the AR (Augmented Reality) cards that come with the 3DS and you can use the console's camera to make it look as if your Nintendog (or Nintencat) is really in your house. Aw, how sweet!
You can have up to three pets at any time, and after a while you're able to buy cats as well as dogs. Cats are a bit pointless though, as they don't learn tricks and they almost never do as they're told. Just like a real cat then, but not nearly as awesome (and they don't bring you murdered mice as a present either).
