Nintendogs + Cats

$40, Nintendo 3DS

Teaches: life simulations, logic, problem solving, economics

CTR Rating: 94%

CTR Review

Cuter, smarter and now in 3D, Nintendogs + Cats is a case study in how to improve an already excellent game; a fact that has been verified by the scuffle among our testers eager to test our single cartridge. But the game comes with a price. This is a one person per cartridge game, because your pet lives on your cartridge -- making this a poor consideration for library circulation. There are 27 dog breeds, depending on which cartridge you buy. Each pet comes with a different personality, unique accessories and a cat companion. As with previous versions, you can teach your pet tricks and pet it with the lower touch pad but the 3DS version has some new tricks, including the ability to see your pet move around in 3D space. It can also recognize you by way of voice and face recognition, and an augmented reality (AR) feature uses the stereo 3D cameras to let you watch your pet walk around your living room. Finally, a built-in pedometer can also keep track of the number of steps that you walk in a day. Networking features include the ability to share your pet with nearby players who also own their own $40 cartridge. You can also exchange Mii characters, puppies and kittens over the wireless connection using StreetPass. Or (of course) you can buy new new content online. So, while this game will pull at the strings of both your heart and your bank account, you have to hand it to Nintendo for raising the bar in virtual pet games.