Nintendogs + Cats

Nintendogs + Cats (ニンテンドッグス＋キャッツ, Nintendoggusu + Kyattsu) 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[3][4][5] and is a launch game, released February 26, 2011, in Japan, March 25, 2011, in Europe and March 27, 2011, in North America, launched earlier in Australia.[2][6]

Nintendogs + Cats
North American box art for Toy Poodle & New Friends
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Yasuyuki Oyagi
Producer(s)Hideki Konno
Designer(s)Daisuke Kageyama
Composer(s)Asuka Hayazaki
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • JP: February 26, 2011[1]
  • EU: March 25, 2011[2]
  • NA: March 27, 2011
Genre(s)Pet-raising simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

It is one of the first online-enabled games to use the Nintendo Network and is the first such Nintendo-published game, although the Nintendo Network brand itself was not revealed until early 2012. All three editions of the game were re-released on the Nintendo eShop on January 30, 2013, in Japan, December 19, 2013, in Europe and November 6, 2014, in North America.

Gameplay

Much of the gameplay is common to the original Nintendogs, including various breeds of dogs and cats, and training exercises. There is now a tutorial for each trick as the game progresses, and the player is no longer required to say the exact name of the trick. Touchscreen, microphone, and camera input uses facial recognition technology to interact with the player.[3][7] For example, after a while, the pet will facially recognize and greet the player, and may react negatively to a new player. If the face is close to the camera, then the puppy will come up to lick it; they will also mimic a head tilt.[8]

Competitions have five cups each: Junior, Amateur, Pro, Master, and Nintendogs. In addition to Disc Competition and Obedience Trial, there a new competition, Lure Coursing.

The screen is in stereoscopic 3D.[3][7] Augmented reality projects the player's dog or cat onto one of the "?" AR Games cards.[9] If one of the Nintendo character cards (such as Mario, Link, Samus, or Kirby) is used, the dogs will appear wearing hats, fitting the theme of their respective games. These hats are also in the 3DS built-in app, StreetPass Mii Plaza by unlocking them when a dog or cat hero defeats an enemy depending on the room they are in during the game "Find Mii". The game uses SpotPass and often a Presidential Victor will appear, which is a President with the pet dog.

Versions

The game comes in three different versions: Nintendogs + Cats: French Bulldog & New Friends, Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever & New Friends, and Nintendogs + Cats: Toy Poodle & New Friends.[10] Each version features many breeds. In Japan, the Golden Retriever version is called Shiba Inu & New Friends.

Each version begins with nine dog breeds, but all twenty seven are unlockable in each game. All the breeds from the original Nintendogs games return plus eight new breeds including: French Bulldog, Basset Hound, Great Dane, and Pomeranian. Three cat varieties appear in each version of the game, however there are no distinct breeds.[11]

Development

Designer Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the idea of dogs and cats getting along came from his own pets. This made him think of the Disney movie The Incredible Journey and its 1993 remake, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. He stated that "Making a game called Nintencats just didn't seem right for Nintendo", so he brought cats into Nintendogs.[12]

Reception

Nintendogs + Cats has received generally positive reviews by critics, having an aggregate score of 74.14% on GameRankings and 71/100 on Metacritic.[13][14] Japanese magazine Famitsu gave the game a 38/40 but still the highest points for a Nintendo 3DS launch game.[16]

Two months after the first launch, Nintendo announced sales of 1.71 million units, making it officially the first platinum game for the 3DS.[22] As of December 31, 2015, the game has worldwide sales of 3.99 million.[23]

References
  1. "3DS Software Release Windows Revealed". NintendoWorldReport. October 29, 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  2. "Kotaku - The Gamer's Guide". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  3. "E3 2010: Nintendogs & Cats 3DS". IGN. June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  4. Nintendo Press Conference 2010 Part 7. June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2010 – via YouTube.
  5. "Nintendo Introduces Glasses-Free 3D gaming". Nintendo. June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  6. Tom Bramwell (January 10, 2011). "Nintendo 3DS Japanese launch line-up 3DS News - Page 1". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  7. "nintendogs + cats". Nintendo. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  8. North, Dale (June 17, 2010). "E3 10: Tilt your head at Nintendogs + Cats". destructoid. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  9. New Nintendogs + Cats Gameplay Footage (including Augmented Reality) for Nintendo 3DS. February 8, 2011. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021 – via YouTube.
  10. "3DS Post Launch in Japan". IGN. January 13, 2011. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  11. "Nintendogs + Cats Breed Lists Revealed - News". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  12. East, Thomas (February 10, 2011). "3DS News: Nintendogs + Cats inspired by Disney film - Miyamoto - Official Nintendo Magazine". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  13. "Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever & New Friends for 3DS". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  14. "Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever & New Friends for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  15. MacDonald, Keza (March 18, 2011). "Nintendogs + Cats Review". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  16. Gifford, Kevin (February 23, 2011). "Japan Review Check: Nintendo 3DS Launch Edition". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  17. Helgeson, Matt (March 25, 2011). "You Really Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  18. Petit, Carolyn (March 6, 2011). "Nintendogs + Cats: GR Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  19. Gilbert, Henry (March 26, 2011). "Nintendogs + Cats review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  20. DeVries, Jack (March 23, 2011). "Nintendogs + Cats: Toy Poodle & New Friends Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  21. Hogarty, Steve (March 24, 2011). "Nintendogs + Cats Review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  22. Thorsen, Tor (April 26, 2011). "Nintendogs + Cats sells 1.7 million, Pokémon Black & White top 11.5 million". GameSpot. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  23. "Top Selling Software Sales Units - Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo. December 31, 2015. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
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