Feature: My life with Nintendogs! - By Tetsuo
Day one
I chose a beagle because I'm pretty sure they are the same breed as Eddy from Frasier - he seems like a pleasant enough type of dog. I decided to name my Nintendog 'Avril' because I liked the idea of being able to say that word and someone with that name come towards me. We settled in our new apartment quickly and got to know each other with a few games of "throw the tennis ball", which she seemed to be very good at. I could see the potential to make money from this animal quicker than expected...
Day two
I started to develop a strange sort of "bond" with Avril today. It began with me turning the on Nintendo DS, quite innocently. As the game loaded, I could see my digital dog running towards me, as if she was excited to see me. Glancing around awkwardly, clutching my DS, Avril reached up to the screen and placed her paw on the invisible screen separating her world from mine. Using my stylus, I patted her head and she sat down, patiently looking at her bemused owner. A symbol appeared in the corner of screen, which I touched and issued the command "sit" by speaking into the microphone. "Woof!" Avril seemed to recognise what I had said, so I repeated: "sit" and sure enough, she sat. I had just taught Avril to sit by speaking to her - by talking into my DS! Incredible! This, folks, is what's known as "Nintendo magic": a moment of complete and utter absorption and the suspension of time itself through a videogame. It can also (more accurately) be seen as "shouldn't you get a girlfriend, mate?" time. Well, it would have been, if I wasn't already completely bumming my Nintendog! "Good girl, good girl."
Day three
By now, I had taught Avril three or four tricks including sit, lie down and roll over: all of which she can do by recognising my voice commands. It was time to take her out for a walk. Initially, your Nintendog can only walk a certain distance before having to return home, but over time, your pup will grow in confidence and further ventures are opened up. Avril is very well behaved and seems to get on well with other dogs we encounter on our walk. She also surprised me by finding a gift: a pair of huge sunglasses! These and other accessories can be collected and used to decorate your mutt. I bought supplies from the pet store such as milk, dog biscuits, canned food and a brush. After seeing how obedient Avril was on the walk, I decided tomorrow was the day when I would enter her into the local obedience trials.
Day four
At the obedience trials, Avril was required to perform a trick list in front of three judges who would award her on appearance, efficiency and obedience. There were some commands I couldn't issue to her as she had not learnt them properly yet, but sure enough, Avril walked away with the top prize and I earned £100 as my reward for being a good trainer. You soon learn that the only way to get ahead in this game is by winning these tournaments, which also include frisbee throwing and agility trials, all of which get progressively harder to win after each competition victory. And the only way you can win, is to be a good trainer: practice, practice, practice. Unfortunately, I didn't realise this for some time, and found myself almost out of money for a good few days before Avril started raking in the cash again by winning frisbee tournaments.
Day five
Avril was allowed to meet up with a friend today, Morgan, via the game's Bark Mode, which permits two Nintendog owners to wirelessly link and trade items and let the dogs to play together. She belongs to my pal, and we spent time down the virtual park exchanging stories and training tips (well, actually, more like recording stupid messages on the record function to listen back to when you encounter a player in Bark Mode). Although Morgan is nearly twice the size of her, Avril got on very well with her new friend, and we exchanged gifts before leaving. A cloth die was given to Morgan (or at least it would have been if the connection wasn't terminated half way through the session) and we received a "bark ball". This device emits a strange noise that Avril didn't like at all. It was too scary for her, and so we traded it at the second-hand shop for a few pounds. Once a session has finished in Bark Mode, a list of the trainers you encounter are stored in your "Friends List", and this catalogues details such as their trainer points and personal details.
Day six
You can get some strange reactions from people when you play Nintendogs: "No, Avril...Avril? That's right... now, sit...SIT!" As comfortable I am touching and stroking a virtual dog, I'm not sure I would ever have the guts to use the voice commands in public (or rather, blatantly in front of someone who would notice me talking to my DS, but that's more to do with me not being a complete ignorant tit, I think). It's just as well Nintendo has taken this into consideration, as almost all of the voice commands can also be issued via the stylus: when talking to yourself in public is too embarrassing or if there are too many background interferences going on for your dog to understand you. I have whipped out Nintendogs in front of people; on the train, (directly opposite a pretty girl, who quite understandably blanked me), in a canteen, during a lecture, and in a bar, but still haven't met any other players wirelessly.
Day seven
After our first week together, Avril and I have managed to do and see what most of the game has to offer. Feeding, watering and cleaning your dog everyday is all part of the experience: it's as demanding as I imagine a real dog would be, but without the shit everywhere. I don't think Nintendogs has a long enough lifespan (there's a collect-em-up element that it relies on a bit too heavily at times - everything else can seem mundane after a while), but it still draws me in each time. It's the best example yet of duel-screen, touch-screen and microphone gameplay, merged into an original and charming format. It's a title which cannot be surpassed in terms of the engagement and affection it creates towards it's 'characters' by any other game of its type. Still, it's all a bit gay though, innit?
