Nintendogs
Encyclopedia
is a real-time pet simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo
for the Nintendo DS
handheld video game console
. It was first released in Japan
, and was later released in North America
, Australia
, Europe
, and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions: Dachshund & Friends, Lab & Friends (Shiba & Friends in Japan), and Chihuahua & Friends. It has been re-released twice since then, first as a bundled release with a special edition Nintendo DS with a new version called Nintendogs: Best Friends, and then later as Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends.
Nintendogs uses the DS's touchscreen and built-in microphone. The touch screen allows the player to pet a dog, as well as to use various items that can be found or purchased. These range from balls and frisbees, to toys, to grooming supplies to keep the dogs happy. The microphone is used to call to the player's dog by speaking the name given to the dog in the beginning of the game as well as to teach the dog commands such as "sit" or "roll over". Players can bring their dogs on walks and to the park if they so choose. They may interact with other players in multi-player by using the DS's wireless linkup. It also uses the DS's internal clock and calendar to allow the dog to grow hungrier or dirtier based on the elapsed time.
Nintendogs received mostly positive critical reception. It has an aggregate score of 85% at Game Rankings, and has won many awards, including the 2006 Innovation Award from PC World
and Best Handheld Game from the Associated Press
. As of March 31, 2009, all versions of Nintendogs combined have sold 22.27 million copies worldwide, making it the third best-selling standalone game of all time. Because of Nintendogs success, Nintendo has made several related products, including Nintendogs toys and a series of Nintendogs trading cards. At E3 2010, it was announced a sequel, titled Nintendogs + Cats
, would be released for the Nintendo 3DS
.
, the owner can play with, train, pet, walk, brush, and wash a virtual dog. With the microphone that is built into the DS, the player can create voice commands which the puppy will understand and, if properly trained, follow. Dogs can be walked to the park where they can practice their disc catching skills, and to the gymnasium to practice dog agility
. The game features two brands of currency: money and "trainer points". Money is used to purchase items, whiles trainer points grow or shrink depending on the actions of the player. As points accumulate, more dogs become available for the player to adopt, and more background can be purchased to decorate the player's in-game house. By walking their dog, players earn trainer points; the amount of points varies depending on the length of the walk, and activities participated in on the way, such as contest training. While walking, question mark icons on the map point out areas that may contain neighborhood dogs or presents, though presents can be found unmarked as well. The player's dog will usually bark once when encountering a "?" mark icon that is a present, and usually bark twice if it is a neighborhood dog. When encountering another dog and one's trainer, the player's dog may fight or play with the other.
Only three dogs may be kept at the player's in-game dwelling at one time, and five dogs may be stored at the "Dog Hotel". The dogs may also be swapped, dropped off, and picked up at any time. The player may not have any more than eight dogs at a time, but dogs may be donated to make space for more pets. The dog can be cared for by being fed with different types of food and groomed with varying items. As time passes without the dog being cared for, its condition will slowly deteriorate, as it becomes more hungry and dirty. The condition of the player's puppies can be found by clicking the dogs' name. Hunger is listed as Full, Normal, Hungry, and Famished. Thirst is listed as Quenched, Normal, Thirsty, and Parched. The condition of the dog's coat is listed as Beautiful, Clean, Normal, Dirty, and Filthy. If its condition is neglected for long enough then the dog may run away, eventually to return, sometimes with a present. Dogs do not age, meaning they remain as puppies.
Nintendogs features a variety of contests, which are the player's main method of earning money and trainer points. There are three contests: Disc Competition
, Agility Trial
, and Obedience Trial
. In each of them, there are 5 classes: Beginner, Open, Expert, Master, and Championship. Each contest is commented on by two men, named Ted Rumsworth and Archie Hubbs. (It was said that Archie sometimes eats dog treats. ) If the player's dog places 3rd or higher in whatever class who is in, the dog will proceed to the next class, where the contest increases in difficulty level. Prize money earned differs depending on which contest has been entered, what place is finished, and the class the dog is in. If the player does not place at least 3rd, they will be dropped to the previous difficulty level, unless they were in the Beginner class, at which point they will remain there. Dogs that are especially dirty or hungry are not able to participate in contests.
Nintendogs supports a link-up method through the Nintendo DS's built-in wireless network
ing capabilities. A player can link one's system with that of another person who owns a copy of Nintendogs to let the players' puppies play together. This is called Bark Mode. If connected with a player who has a dog not in the current player's kennel, that dog will become available. Also, players can use an item called the "White Record" to record a message. This can be used to say something to the other player. Dogs may also carry a present to give away for good to the other player.
long before it was considered for the DS. It made its way to the handheld when the DS was still in development. Shigeru Miyamoto
originally came up with the idea for the game when he and his family bought a dog, which inspired him to create the project. The game's producer, Hideki Konno
, looking for a game to take full advantage of all of the Nintendo DS's features, decided on a dog simulation game. Nintendogs, first called Puppy Times, was originally designed to have 15 different versions, one for each breed of dog. Satoru Iwata
suggested this to convey the feel that the player was choosing a dog from a kennel
. However, the debugging process for each version would have been too time consuming to be feasible. After going back and forth between numbers of versions, they eventually settled for three, with six dogs each and the rest available after completing in-game goals.
, a popular Japanese gaming magazine, Nintendogs received a perfect 40/40 score. Only four other games had attained this score at the time. It also received an 8.5 out of 10 in Nintendo Power
. Game Informer
gave Nintendogs an 8 out of 10, reflecting on the game's lack of an ending. Game Oracle gave it 85% and a recommendation saying that unlike most sims, it has a lot of depth.
, BusinessWeek
, and the Chicago Sun Times
, Nintendogs also won a wide variety of awards.
On March 23, 2006 at GDC 2006
, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata
announced that international sales of Nintendogs sales had reached 6 million. By March 31, 2008, the game was the best-selling Nintendo DS game published by Nintendo. As of January 30, 2009, all versions of Nintendogs combined have sold 21.67 million copies worldwide, and it has retained its status as Nintendo's top first-party title for the DS.
included Nintendogs in their list of five "Essential Newcomers" of the decade, describing it as one of "five revolutionary new games" of the past 10 years, for its impact on drawing "non-gamers to console
and portable
systems," and establishing the "new" Nintendo. Despite derision from many hardcore gamers, Nintendogs sold tens of millions, mostly among casual gamers, and paved the way for the Nintendo DS
's worldwide success. This gave rise to a non-game
trend, previously limited to PCs, on consoles and portables. Nintendo followed it up with more casual game
s such as Brain Age, Wii Sports
and Wii Fit
, establishing Nintendo as the most successful developer and publisher of the decade.
released the first series of Nintendogs "6-Card Fun Paks". Three different pack designs (each based on the US-released designs of the DS game) contains an assortment of "Collectible cards, stickers & more!". Each pack randomly contains two of 18 different Breed cards, one of nine different Dog in Training tip cards, one of six different Miscellaneous cards, one of 18 different Pop-Up Cards, one of six sundry sheets of stickers, one of four temporary tattoos, and one Sweepstakes card.
Another series of these cards were released in early 2007 by Enterplay, LLC. These cards, officially licensed by Nintendo, were created by the same individuals who worked on the first series. As such, the cards greatly resemble the first series. Keeping the "6-Card Fun Pak" name, each package contains two of 20 different At the Kennel cards (which feature all eighteen breeds from the games, including the Dalmatian and Jack Russel Terrier), one of nine Dog in Training tip cards, one of four Miscellaneous cards, one of 20 Pop-Up Cards, one of six sheets of stickers, one of four temporary tattoos and one Sweepstakes card. The next series also features three sundry packages, this time with a Dalmatian, Beagle, and Pug on the front of the package.
were released in Japan, featuring the most popular breeds in each game. They are also available at the Nintendo World Store. Various Nintendogs T-shirts were also made available at the Nintendo World Store. In Europe and Australia, a series of plush toys with an electronic sensor were released, and when the owner shook the bone, the dog would walk and bark. Nintendo has also released a set of plushes through Earthwood Toys.
, in which the player must make the dog give the paw. There are the icons "Home" and "Supplies" on the screen, but the player's hand is visible, and that's something that doesn't exist in the game. A Nintendogs Labrador Retriever puppy also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
as an assist trophy; owing to the nonviolent nature of the Nintendogs game, rather than fighting actively, the dog "plays" in front of the screen, blocking view. Also, there are multiple Nintendogs downloadable content available in the game Animal Crossing: City Folk.
is currently working on a new Nintendogs project, involving some new innovations. The game, titled Nintendogs + Cats
was just finished for the Nintendo 3DS
and was released as a launch title on all regions.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was first released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and was later released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions: Dachshund & Friends, Lab & Friends (Shiba & Friends in Japan), and Chihuahua & Friends. It has been re-released twice since then, first as a bundled release with a special edition Nintendo DS with a new version called Nintendogs: Best Friends, and then later as Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends.
Nintendogs uses the DS's touchscreen and built-in microphone. The touch screen allows the player to pet a dog, as well as to use various items that can be found or purchased. These range from balls and frisbees, to toys, to grooming supplies to keep the dogs happy. The microphone is used to call to the player's dog by speaking the name given to the dog in the beginning of the game as well as to teach the dog commands such as "sit" or "roll over". Players can bring their dogs on walks and to the park if they so choose. They may interact with other players in multi-player by using the DS's wireless linkup. It also uses the DS's internal clock and calendar to allow the dog to grow hungrier or dirtier based on the elapsed time.
Nintendogs received mostly positive critical reception. It has an aggregate score of 85% at Game Rankings, and has won many awards, including the 2006 Innovation Award from PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
and Best Handheld Game from the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. As of March 31, 2009, all versions of Nintendogs combined have sold 22.27 million copies worldwide, making it the third best-selling standalone game of all time. Because of Nintendogs success, Nintendo has made several related products, including Nintendogs toys and a series of Nintendogs trading cards. At E3 2010, it was announced a sequel, titled Nintendogs + Cats
Nintendogs + Cats
is a real-time pet simulation video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a sequel to the Nintendogs games for the Nintendo DS systems. It was announced alongside the 3DS during Nintendo's E3 press conference, and is a launch title, being released February 26, 2011 in Japan, March 25, 2011 in Europe...
, would be released for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
.
Gameplay
Using the touchscreenTouchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
, the owner can play with, train, pet, walk, brush, and wash a virtual dog. With the microphone that is built into the DS, the player can create voice commands which the puppy will understand and, if properly trained, follow. Dogs can be walked to the park where they can practice their disc catching skills, and to the gymnasium to practice dog agility
Dog agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...
. The game features two brands of currency: money and "trainer points". Money is used to purchase items, whiles trainer points grow or shrink depending on the actions of the player. As points accumulate, more dogs become available for the player to adopt, and more background can be purchased to decorate the player's in-game house. By walking their dog, players earn trainer points; the amount of points varies depending on the length of the walk, and activities participated in on the way, such as contest training. While walking, question mark icons on the map point out areas that may contain neighborhood dogs or presents, though presents can be found unmarked as well. The player's dog will usually bark once when encountering a "?" mark icon that is a present, and usually bark twice if it is a neighborhood dog. When encountering another dog and one's trainer, the player's dog may fight or play with the other.
Only three dogs may be kept at the player's in-game dwelling at one time, and five dogs may be stored at the "Dog Hotel". The dogs may also be swapped, dropped off, and picked up at any time. The player may not have any more than eight dogs at a time, but dogs may be donated to make space for more pets. The dog can be cared for by being fed with different types of food and groomed with varying items. As time passes without the dog being cared for, its condition will slowly deteriorate, as it becomes more hungry and dirty. The condition of the player's puppies can be found by clicking the dogs' name. Hunger is listed as Full, Normal, Hungry, and Famished. Thirst is listed as Quenched, Normal, Thirsty, and Parched. The condition of the dog's coat is listed as Beautiful, Clean, Normal, Dirty, and Filthy. If its condition is neglected for long enough then the dog may run away, eventually to return, sometimes with a present. Dogs do not age, meaning they remain as puppies.
Nintendogs features a variety of contests, which are the player's main method of earning money and trainer points. There are three contests: Disc Competition
Disc dog
Disc dog is the more generic name for what is commonly called Frisbee dog. In disc dog competitions, dogs and their human flying disc throwers compete in events such as distance catching and somewhat choreographed freestyle catching. The sport celebrates the bond between handler and dog, by...
, Agility Trial
Dog agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...
, and Obedience Trial
Obedience trial
An obedience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler. According the American Kennel Club obedience regulations...
. In each of them, there are 5 classes: Beginner, Open, Expert, Master, and Championship. Each contest is commented on by two men, named Ted Rumsworth and Archie Hubbs. (It was said that Archie sometimes eats dog treats. ) If the player's dog places 3rd or higher in whatever class who is in, the dog will proceed to the next class, where the contest increases in difficulty level. Prize money earned differs depending on which contest has been entered, what place is finished, and the class the dog is in. If the player does not place at least 3rd, they will be dropped to the previous difficulty level, unless they were in the Beginner class, at which point they will remain there. Dogs that are especially dirty or hungry are not able to participate in contests.
Nintendogs supports a link-up method through the Nintendo DS's built-in wireless network
Wireless network
Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind. It is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise installations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment...
ing capabilities. A player can link one's system with that of another person who owns a copy of Nintendogs to let the players' puppies play together. This is called Bark Mode. If connected with a player who has a dog not in the current player's kennel, that dog will become available. Also, players can use an item called the "White Record" to record a message. This can be used to say something to the other player. Dogs may also carry a present to give away for good to the other player.
Development
Nintendogs began as a technical demo on the Nintendo GameCubeNintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
long before it was considered for the DS. It made its way to the handheld when the DS was still in development. Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
originally came up with the idea for the game when he and his family bought a dog, which inspired him to create the project. The game's producer, Hideki Konno
Hideki Konno
was born May 13, 1965 in Chiba, Japan and graduated from the Electronic Data ProcessingDepartment of Japan Electronics College. Konno joined Nintendo in 1986, realizing his dream after a long adoration of playing Famicom games. Konno began working as a graphic designer on a variety of Nintendo...
, looking for a game to take full advantage of all of the Nintendo DS's features, decided on a dog simulation game. Nintendogs, first called Puppy Times, was originally designed to have 15 different versions, one for each breed of dog. Satoru Iwata
Satoru Iwata
is the fourth president of Nintendo, succeeding the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. He was responsible in great part for defining Nintendo's strategy both before and during the release of its Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001, a vision which...
suggested this to convey the feel that the player was choosing a dog from a kennel
Kennel
A kennel is the name given to any structure or shelter for dogs. A kennel is a doghouse, run, or other small structure in which a dog is kept...
. However, the debugging process for each version would have been too time consuming to be feasible. After going back and forth between numbers of versions, they eventually settled for three, with six dogs each and the rest available after completing in-game goals.
Reception
The game has been well received by critics, with an average score of 85% at Game Rankings. In the May 2005 edition of the FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
, a popular Japanese gaming magazine, Nintendogs received a perfect 40/40 score. Only four other games had attained this score at the time. It also received an 8.5 out of 10 in Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
gave Nintendogs an 8 out of 10, reflecting on the game's lack of an ending. Game Oracle gave it 85% and a recommendation saying that unlike most sims, it has a lot of depth.
Awards
In addition to recognitions from publications such as Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
, and the Chicago Sun Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, Nintendogs also won a wide variety of awards.
- E3 2005 Game Critics AwardsGame Critics AwardsThe Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 major North...
: Best Handheld Game. - TheG33ks Bronze Award for best Nintendo DS game.
- Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
: "Best Game of 2005" - 2005 Japan Media Arts FestivalJapan Media Arts FestivalThe Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...
: Excellence Prize - PC WorldPC World (magazine)PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
: "2006 Innovation Award" - D&AD: Yellow Pencils Award 2006
- PETAPeople for the Ethical Treatment of AnimalsPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
: Best Animal-Friendly Video Game 2006 - IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
: Editors' Choice Award - IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
: Best use of touch screen for Nintendo DS - GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
: Editors' Choice award
Sales information
In the first week of its release in Japan (April 18, 2005 to April 24, 2005), the three versions, Shin Isu & Friends, Miniature Dachshund & Friends, and Chihuahua & Friends, sold 75,000, 49,000, and 44,000 respectively, totalling 168,000 units. This title game also boosted the Nintendo DS system sales by over 4.2 times the previous week to 95,000 units, up from 22,000. It was the 91st best-selling game in Japan in 2008, selling 142,591 copies combined, with lifetime sales of 1,850,984 combined. Nintendogs also had very successful launches in North America and Europe, with first week sales of over 250,000 and 160,000 respectively.On March 23, 2006 at GDC 2006
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata
Satoru Iwata
is the fourth president of Nintendo, succeeding the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. He was responsible in great part for defining Nintendo's strategy both before and during the release of its Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001, a vision which...
announced that international sales of Nintendogs sales had reached 6 million. By March 31, 2008, the game was the best-selling Nintendo DS game published by Nintendo. As of January 30, 2009, all versions of Nintendogs combined have sold 21.67 million copies worldwide, and it has retained its status as Nintendo's top first-party title for the DS.
Impact
In 2010, 1UP.com1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
included Nintendogs in their list of five "Essential Newcomers" of the decade, describing it as one of "five revolutionary new games" of the past 10 years, for its impact on drawing "non-gamers to console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
and portable
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
systems," and establishing the "new" Nintendo. Despite derision from many hardcore gamers, Nintendogs sold tens of millions, mostly among casual gamers, and paved the way for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
's worldwide success. This gave rise to a non-game
Non-game
Non-games define a class of software that lies on the border between video games, toys and applications. The original term non-game game was coined by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. The main difference between non-games and traditional video games is the apparent lack of goals, objectives and...
trend, previously limited to PCs, on consoles and portables. Nintendo followed it up with more casual game
Casual game
A casual game is a video game targeted at or used by a mass audience of casual gamers. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre. They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games...
s such as Brain Age, Wii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
and Wii Fit
Wii Fit
is a video game developed by Nintendo for the company's home video game console, Wii, designed by Hiroshi Matsunaga. It is an exercise game consisting of activities using the Wii Balance Board peripheral...
, establishing Nintendo as the most successful developer and publisher of the decade.
Trading cards
In late 2005, Nintendo of AmericaNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
released the first series of Nintendogs "6-Card Fun Paks". Three different pack designs (each based on the US-released designs of the DS game) contains an assortment of "Collectible cards, stickers & more!". Each pack randomly contains two of 18 different Breed cards, one of nine different Dog in Training tip cards, one of six different Miscellaneous cards, one of 18 different Pop-Up Cards, one of six sundry sheets of stickers, one of four temporary tattoos, and one Sweepstakes card.
Another series of these cards were released in early 2007 by Enterplay, LLC. These cards, officially licensed by Nintendo, were created by the same individuals who worked on the first series. As such, the cards greatly resemble the first series. Keeping the "6-Card Fun Pak" name, each package contains two of 20 different At the Kennel cards (which feature all eighteen breeds from the games, including the Dalmatian and Jack Russel Terrier), one of nine Dog in Training tip cards, one of four Miscellaneous cards, one of 20 Pop-Up Cards, one of six sheets of stickers, one of four temporary tattoos and one Sweepstakes card. The next series also features three sundry packages, this time with a Dalmatian, Beagle, and Pug on the front of the package.
Plush toys
A line of Nintendogs plush toysStuffed animal
A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibres, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw,...
were released in Japan, featuring the most popular breeds in each game. They are also available at the Nintendo World Store. Various Nintendogs T-shirts were also made available at the Nintendo World Store. In Europe and Australia, a series of plush toys with an electronic sensor were released, and when the owner shook the bone, the dog would walk and bark. Nintendo has also released a set of plushes through Earthwood Toys.
In other games
There's a microgame in WarioWare: Smooth MovesWarioWare: Smooth Moves
WarioWare: Smooth Moves, known in Japan as , is a party video game developed by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems. The game was published by Nintendo for its Wii video game system in Japan in December 2006, and in Europe, North America, and Australia in January 2007...
, in which the player must make the dog give the paw. There are the icons "Home" and "Supplies" on the screen, but the player's hand is visible, and that's something that doesn't exist in the game. A Nintendogs Labrador Retriever puppy also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
as an assist trophy; owing to the nonviolent nature of the Nintendogs game, rather than fighting actively, the dog "plays" in front of the screen, blocking view. Also, there are multiple Nintendogs downloadable content available in the game Animal Crossing: City Folk.
Sequel
It was announced during Nintendo's 2010 E3 presentation that Shigeru MiyamotoShigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
is currently working on a new Nintendogs project, involving some new innovations. The game, titled Nintendogs + Cats
Nintendogs + Cats
is a real-time pet simulation video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a sequel to the Nintendogs games for the Nintendo DS systems. It was announced alongside the 3DS during Nintendo's E3 press conference, and is a launch title, being released February 26, 2011 in Japan, March 25, 2011 in Europe...
was just finished for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
and was released as a launch title on all regions.