There are two kinds of people in the world: dog people and cat people. Both parties can sit and talk about the great things about canines or felines but there’s one thing they can pretty much all agree on and that is the fact that puppies and kittens are so darn cute. Personally, I’m a dog person but I melt whenever I see a kitten. So Ubisoft has brought us two very distinct games in their Petz series. One caters to all kitten lovers out there while Dogz cater to those who love puppies. As it turns out, Dogz just doesn’t have what it takes to surpass the best pet simulator on the Nintendo DS … Nintendogs.

Dogz is a children’s title that first has you picking from a male or female child avatar and then picking clothing options as well as giving your avatar a name. You begin the day excited about the prospect of owning your first dog and your parents are good-natured enough to buy one on the condition that you take care of your puppy’s every needs. The next morning you’re at the pet store deciding what kind of dog you’d like to purchase. As you’ll find out, there is a nice amount of dog breeds to chose from and once you find the right one for you it’s off to deal with all the things that come with a new pooch.

There are 18 breeds to pick from so if you’ve always loved a Yorkshire terrier, Pomeranian or even a Welsh Corgi you’re in luck. Like the real thing, each breed of dog has their own unique personality whether they’re shy or highly energetic. The game does a great job of taking gamers through the first steps in teaching your dog the basics as well as learning where the dog food is stored in the house as well as teaching your dog why it’s wrong to “make a deposit” on the carpet. As your avatar’s parents clearly make it known, it is you who will be taking care of all your furry friend’s needs.

One of the first things you’ll be doing is teaching your dog his name and you can do this by either touching your character with the Stylus or calling your dog by his or her name using the microphone the way you do in Nintendogs. You can touch the screen and tap your avatar to bathe and brush your dog. Oh, but you can teach your dog a few tricks. At your command, your dog will sit and stay. Icons above your pet’s head will reveal their feelings. In short, your puppy will reveal its emotional state and it’s your job to keep him or her happy. 

What the game does right is the way in which it stresses many important factors in raising a dog. When your pet does something it’s not suppose to you have the option to scold your dog. You can also praise your dog if it’s doing something right. You’ll go to the vet to get shots so you can go out and play with your puppy and you can teach your dog how to interact with other dogs. You’ll encounter other kids with their dogs and your avatar will be interacting with others as well. In a way, Dogz is like an instructional game for kids who want a dog.

The problem with Dogz is that it is way too repetitive, often repeating the same 30-day cycle. This is too bad really, since there are some cute features like throwing a dog party for all your pet’s friends and a dog competition complete with a race that includes fences and tunnels. You can even go to the pet shop to purchase toys for your dog. There’s even a multiplayer mode that allows players and a friend to trade items as well as play two mini-games.

On the graphics front, Dogz looks more like a GBA game than a Nintendo DS game and that’s not good. Sure, it’s a colorful game with cute human characters and even cuter pups but we’ve seen better-looking DS games. The game also has some Ok sound effects, including some decent dog barks. Unfortunately, the soundtrack can get a bit grating, although I hardly think young gamers will care.

Dogz for the Nintendo DS tries hard to be interesting as well as fun but ultimately falls short in many of the things that could have made this a great alternative to Nintendo’s other “game.” Yes, there are a number of cute puppies here and it can be fun playing with them for awhile but sadly, this game is just way too repetitive that younger gamers might abandon the game way too soon. Still, if you love dogs or have been looking for a game that teaches kids about the responsibilities of taking care of a puppy then you might want to buy this game. Everyone else should consider buying or dusting off their copy of Nintendogs. 

Gameplay: 5.2
The game uses the Nintendo DS features but not as creatively as we would have wanted and the puppy rearing just doesn’t seem as fun. If anything, Dogz is a decent training tool for kids thinking about getting their first dog. Besides, who doesn’t love puppies?

Graphics: 4.0
The game’s visuals aren’t the best you’ll see and sometimes even the different breeds of puppies will start looking alike. The human characters and the backgrounds look like they would fit right at home on the Game Boy Advance.

Sound: 4.0
The music will drive you out of your mind but younger gamers won’t mind it at all. There are some cartoon-like sound effects and barking noises.

Difficulty: Easy
Some pups are easier to train than others are and some might take a long while to learn new tricks. Bonding with your dog isn’t very hard and there’s nothing here that will have really young gamers scratching their heads wondering what to do next.

Concept: 4.5
You can dress up your pooch and parade them outside for further humiliation and you can teach your dog new tricks but the heart of Dogz is in the way it teaches kids that taking care of a dog means you’ll have to go out of your way to feed, wash and care for their every needs. There are even a number of breeds to pick from and they’re all adorable. Oh, and there’s even wireless multiplayer.

Multiplayer: 4.5
You can trade items you earn while playing solo with a friend but the real treat comes in playing the two mini-games. Match-A-Pup is a memory card game while Puppy Puzzle is a nice game where you move puzzle pieces to form a picture of a puppy.

Overall: 5.5
Dogz never quite reaches the fun and innovation that Nintendogs brings to the Nintendo DS. It does teach kids that having a new puppy means new responsibilities but, in the end, there could have been a lot more to this game.