nintendogs + cats (Hands-On) (Nintendo 3DS) Preview

Nintendo has managed to make nintendogs + cats pretty much the most adorable game I have ever seen in my life (though Kirby’s Epic Yarn puts up quite a strong fight, too), and if you thought the DS original was sweet, you haven’t seen anything yet. Though the demo was short (just three dogs were available, alongside a handful of things to throw at them or dress them in, and it automatically timed out after a few minutes) it gave an extremely good taste of what is surely mere months away from being a system seller.

The first thing noticeable is the improved realisation of the dogs. They now have properly padded paws and thick coats of soft, realistic fur. They are slightly stylised, and a teensy bit more cartoonish than reality, as with the first game. One look is all it takes to see the improvement thanks to 3DS’ increased power, though. You could almost reach out and stroke them, which is, I am sure, exactly how Nintendo wants you to feel. The 3DS’ 3D is used smartly here; subtlety is the key. The action still predominantly takes place in a house, from what was seen here and in the screenshots released at E3, and the room is afforded a nice depth with the upper screen. Throwing items for your pup to chase takes them far back into the screen convincingly. The dogs themselves are, naturally, also given the 3D treatment. When they come to greet you they may press their paws to the screen, and it actually looks like they’re trying to push out. Noses poke towards you the tiniest amount, but it’s enough to give an increased effect of realism, and definitely enough to make your heart melt and your mouth to spread into an unintentional smile. I played the demo for around twenty minutes throughout the day, and it never failed to make my mouth curve upwards.

As if that wasn’t enough, Nintendo has seen fit to pour on the ‘awww’ factor even more by taking advantage of 3DS’ camera. The system will track the position of your face as you play and, if it likes you and is close enough, your dog will mimic your movements. Tilt your head, it tips the same way. Their eyes even seem to follow you. Then your dog might start licking at you, leaving 3D saliva everywhere. Nice! There is surely plenty more to see of nintendogs + cats yet. For a start, we’ve seen nothing of the walking, dog shows or voice-activated tricks found in the first game that will inevitably make a return. The demo didn’t even have half of the title in it; no meowing could be heard from this event. Then there is the fact that we have yet to see the Bark Mode again, no doubt improved by 3DS’ in-built tag feature that interacts with other systems and the Internet as you carry out your daily business.

A major difference to note is in the way the game is displayed. In the original nintendogs, your furry friend would transfer to the bottom screen when you called it close, allowing you to stroke it directly using a stylus on the DS touch-screen. Taking advantage of the 3D effects of the new console, however, requires the animals to stay on the upper screen at all times. As such, you’ll still be controlling it through the touch-screen, but now a silhouette of your animal(s) appears on the lower screen. You call to them in the same way, with a tap, or presumably a voice command, and use the touch-screen like a track pad, controlling a cursor on the upper screen to pet your dog. Any feelings of a less direct input, however, are offset by the 3D.

Extra Thoughts

The original nintendogs is seen by many as the game that turned around the fortunes of the Nintendo DS system on a global level, long before Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training arrived on the scene to stir up things even more, and in many ways that is extremely true as the world went completely crazy for the canine pet simulation titles (three versions in Japan, whilst a fourth, Dalmatian & Friends milked sales even further in the Western territories). Universally acclaimed, and receiving a coveted perfect 40/40 from Japanese gaming Bible Famitsu Magazine, nintendogs remains one of the biggest selling DS games to date, whilst also proving to be a highly influential product that spurred on sales of many Third Party imitation titles.

Following continued strong sales of all initial iterations, questions were constantly being asked about if creator Shigeru Miyamoto had such love for cats, why then was he not working hard on a successor; a potential nintencats? Well, it seems the Father of Mario was indeed formulating a plan; one that would not completely alienate dog lovers everywhere. Therefore, not only does the game feature both popular household pets, but also comes with a clever touch of 3D to add depth to proceedings, spruced up visuals to add to the realism of playtime, as well as a whole slew of new (plus some familiar) items and toys to mess around with. Dressing my Beagle in Elton John-esque pink star glasses, with a yellow bonnet and bright red scarf was just as enjoyable and heart-warming as in the past, whilst watching the pup look bemused at the flight path of the boomerang toy as it sank deeper into 3D room, before changing direction once more and causing much confusion was still as amusing in a cute way as ever before.

That was all that was on offer in this time-limited demonstration version, yet tucked away was something that was not quite apparent at first. As mentioned earlier, the game uses facial recognition to allow your animal to respond accordingly to strangers or its owner. When it has become comfortable with you, just as before it would start to recognise your voice over time, it will now spot you and come trundling over, pop its paws on the screen, tilt its head from side to side and even go to lick your face to show its happiness at seeing its master. Extra touches like this will definitely appeal to the masses and cause parents to hand over plenty of money to retailers during the holiday period to appease their eager children.

However, for the moment, it is important to remember that the game is far from being in its finished state at the present time and that Nintendo will be likely making numerous changes to the product before it finally hits the retail scene. Therefore, not only do we not yet know exactly how the cat elements of the title will work, but we have not had any light shone on what other features have been added in order to make sure that those who played the first game do not become bored with the whole experience and feel like they are merely playing the same thing they tried out a few years ago. Screens revealed so far illustrate the walking mode, whilst talking to other animals is to be included, yet knowing Nintendo, there will be some even greater additions that we have not considered. The end result is most certainly that nintendogs + cats will be a winner no matter what, but we can rest safe in the knowledge that Nintendo will indeed attempt to ‘wow’ us even more with the finished title. Definitely something to look forward to in the 3DS line-up!
- Adam Riley, Senior Editor.