Nintendogs 2

[baratron]

I got Nintendogs a few months ago - played it obsessively for a while, then put it down in favour of other things. The impression I've got from other people on the #pokecharms irc channel is that they've done much the same. Frankly, I'm not all that surprised. I was the same way with the GameCube version of Animal Crossing - nice sim, but kinda lonely.

Well, it seems to me that what's missing from Nintendogs is the ability to go online. You can play it with friends now, but only DS to DS, which requires that you and your friends all live in the same place. I think it would be fantastic if they released a Nintendogs 2 that could be played through Wi-Fi? I personally think that just adding the Wi-Fi option to it would be enough to justify buying a new game . Add a few more breeds and items, and people would be happy.

Of course, they'd have to work out some capability for you to transfer your existing dogs, items and trainer records from the non-Wi-fi game to the new one, but that could possibly be done through DS Download Stations in stores. To be honest, I could probably live with losing my old trainer record if I got some special star or badge on it to say I was a Nintendogs 1 trainer.

So has anyone heard anything about Nintendo releasing a Nintendogs sequel? Should I start lobbying them now? ???

 

[Linkachu]

I haven't read anything about a rumored sequel, no, but I'd say one is very, very likely. Especially one with online capabilities - which, like you, is something I've always felt the game was lacking. Maybe it wouldn't add that much more to it, but it'd be enough. Maybe there could even be a way to take part in the contests with friends? Competition breeds interests

I've been wondering about the possibilities of Nintendogs on Wii, but would it lose part of its charm by not being on a hand-held system? Then there's the rumored and largely wanted "Nintencats", lol. Make something like that with online access and it'd definitely sell. There are a lot of kitty freaks in this world ^^;

 

[baratron]

I have to admit, I don't see the point of Nintencats. You can't train cats to do tricks, you don't go on walks with cats... what would the game involve? Just having a cat, dressing it up and watching it claw the furniture? ???

OK, I'm not a cat person and it shows, but seriously... I do wonder!

 

[Persian]

Dude, if there was a Nintencats, I'd buy it the second I had my hands on enough cash. 8D

But I have to agree with Bara-sensei...as my mom always says: "there are two things in this world that don't do demos- babies and cats."

Cats don't do demos. Nintendogs is all about dogs doing demos.

Plus Nintendo+gs = Nintendogs. It sounds more gimmicky. @_@

 

[Linkachu]

Actually, I agree on every point you two have made. (a) You can't train cats - unless they're circus tricks =D - so what would you do beyond playing with them, grooming them, and cleaning out their litter boxes? (b) Nintendogs naturally sounds better than Nintencats.

That said, there are A LOT of kitty fans out there (heck, this forum itself is filled with 'em =p). I am first and foremost a "dog person", but I own my own cat now, and kittens/cats are incredibly cute animals. Even if what the cats did in the game was extremely basic - heck, even if all they did was lie around and look cute - the game would still sell just because. Sad, but true.

But sorry to take this off-topic... To get it semi-back on the original subject, I'm wondering what people think about the idea of a Nintendogs 2 being on Wii verses DS.

 

[Doctor Oak]

Catz is one of the best selling PC games of its time. It did fine enough.

 

[Linkachu]

Catz is one of the best selling PC games of its time. It did fine enough.

What do you do in that one anyways? o.O

 

[Doctor Oak]

You played with kitties.

The saving graces were the varied locations you could go to play and the fact you could download extra stuff for it.

Both things you'd probably require the Wii to do for a Nintencats.

 

[baratron]

To get it semi-back on the original subject, I'm wondering what people think about the idea of a Nintendogs 2 being on Wii verses DS.

Hmmm. I dunno. I fundamentally think of Nintendogs as the sort of game you boot up to pass idle minutes, rather than something you decide to sit down and play for an hour. Of course, if you have multiple dogs already, you certainly can spend an hour playing it - by the time you've taken three dogs for a walk each, and entered the three allowed Contests for the day, that's taken up a lot of time, especially if you stopped during the walks to do some training. But I think of it as a passing-idle-time game rather than a planned-time game, if that makes sense. This means I also fundamentally think of it as being a DS game rather than a Wii game.

But I can immediately see the possibilities that the Wii would open up, and that's before I even have a Wii of my own. The dog-walking would be very much less tedious with the Wiimote - it might actually be possible to get the dog to slow down or stop, or change direction, and you'd "feel" the pressure of the dog on the lead. Throwing a stick or frisbee for the dog to catch would involve actual throwing - although the people at Wii have a problem would no doubt recommend against throwing the Wiimote through your TV screen! ;D So yeah. Hmmm. What sort of Wii-necessary features did you have in mind?

 

[Linkachu]

What sort of Wii-necessary features did you have in mind?

I hadn't put much thought into it beyond the increased strength of the Wii over the DS. The online could be more fleshed out, and the selection of breeds and items you find/buy could be expanded, but my thoughts on the lack of portability were much like your own. It's the sort of game you'd play on the fly, not spend hours a day on. There's just not a lot to do.

Just as you said yourself, though, and considering what Alex said about Catz on PC, having a non-portable home for the game wouldn't be all that bad if there was more to do with it (ie. varied locations to play at). Using the Wiimote would also add a new level of depth the DS stylus' couldn't. It's one thing to flick the stylus to throw a frisbee; it's another to actually move your arm to throw it. Easy to see which would be more enjoyable.