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group=lower-alpha (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2005 Digital pet video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was released in Japan, and was later released in: North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and other regions. It was originally released in three different versions: Dachshund & Friends, Lab & Friends ( Shiba & Friends in Japan) and Chihuahua & Friends. It has been re-released twice, first as a bundled release with a special edition Nintendo DS with a new version called Nintendogs: Best Friends and later with Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends.
Nintendogs uses the DS's touchscreen and built-in microphone. The touch screen allows the player to pet a dog, as well as to use various items that can be found or purchased. These range from balls and frisbees, to toys, to grooming supplies to keep the dogs happy. The microphone is used to call to the player's dog by speaking the name given to the dog in the beginning of the game as well as to teach the dog tricks such as "sit" or "roll over". Players can bring their dogs on walks and to the park if they so choose. They may interact with other players in multi-player by using the DS's wireless linkup. It also uses the DS's internal clock and calendar to allow the dog to grow hungrier or dirtier based on the elapsed time.
Nintendogs received positive reviews from critics and won many awards, including the 2006 Innovation Award from PC World and Best Handheld Game from the Associated Press. All versions of Nintendogs have sold a combined 23.96 million copies worldwide, making it the second highest-selling game on the Nintendo DS, behind New Super Mario Bros. Because of Nintendogs success, Nintendo has made several related products, including Nintendogs toys and a series of Nintendogs trading cards. A sequel, titled Nintendogs + Cats, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011.
Only three dogs may be kept at the player's house at one time and up to five dogs can stay at the dog hotel, where dogs can be swapped, dropped off and picked up at any time. The player can also choose to part ways with a dog by donating a dog to the hotel.
As time passes without the dog being cared for, its condition will slowly deteriorate as it becomes more hungry and dirty. The condition of the player's dogs can be found by clicking its name. Hunger is listed as: "Full", "Normal", "Hungry", and Famished. Thirst is listed as "Quenched", "Normal", "Thirsty", or "Parched". The condition of the dog's coat is listed as "Beautiful", "Clean", "Normal", "Dirty", or "Filthy".
Nintendogs features a variety of contests, which are the player's main method of earning money and trainer points. There are three contests; disc dog, dog agility, and obedience trial. In each of them, there are five classes: Beginner, Open, Expert, Master and Championship. Each contest is commented on by two men, named Ted Rumsworth and Archie Hubbs. If the player's dog places 3rd or higher in its class, the dog will proceed to the next class, where the contest increases in difficulty level. Prize money earned differs depending on which contest has been entered, what place is finished and the class the dog is in. If the player does not place in the top three, they will be dropped to the previous difficulty level.
Nintendogs allows users to communicate wirelessly to other Nintendogs users through Bark Mode. Before activating Wireless Mode, the player can choose to give the other user a present. When another user with Bark Mode activated is nearby, the player will have an opportunity to play with the other trainer's dog and if the user has recorded a voice message on their White Record, the other user will hear the voice message.
The project which ultimately became Nintendogs began as a technical demo on the GameCube long before it was considered for the DS. It was migrated to the DS when the handheld was still in development. Shigeru Miyamoto originally came up with the idea for the game when he and his family bought a dog, which inspired him to create the project. The game's producer, Hideki Konno, looking for a game to take full advantage of all of the Nintendo DS's features, decided on a dog simulation game. Nintendogs, first called Puppy Times, was originally designed to have fifteen different versions, one for each breed of dog. Satoru Iwata suggested this to convey the feel that the player was choosing a dog from a kennel. However, the debugging process for each version was deemed too time-consuming to be feasible. After going back and forth between several versions, they eventually settled on three, with six dogs each and the rest available after completing in-game goals.
A line of Nintendogs stuffed animal were released in Japan, featuring the most popular breeds in each game. They are also available at the Nintendo World Store. Various Nintendogs T-shirts were also made available at the Nintendo World Store. In Europe and Australia, a series of plush toys with an electronic sensor were released, and when the owner shook the bone, the dog would walk and bark. Nintendo has also released a set of plushes through Earthwood Toys.
Nintendo also commissioned several specially designed Nintendo DS systems to tie in with the game's release, with one of them being a diamond-studded pink Nintendo DS designed by Peach NYC. This particular DS went up for auction in 2024, with bids easily exceeding nearly $20,000.
In Europe, it was the top-selling Nintendo game of 2005 with copies sold that year. The game went on to sell copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling Nintendo DS game of all time. According to Nintendo, the majority of Nintendogs owners were female.
Nintendogs also had very successful launches in North America and Europe, with first week sales of over 250,000 and 160,000 respectively. Lab & Friends received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom. ELSPA also gave Dalmatian & Friends a "Platinum" award, for at least 300,000 sales in the United Kingdom. By August 2006, in the United States, Chihuahua & Friends had sold 570,000 copies and earned $17 million; Labrador & Friends had sold 620,000 copies and earned $19 million; and Dachshund & Friends had sold 730,000 copies and earned $22 million. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, the games were respectively the 50th, 44th and 32nd highest-selling games launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable in the United States.
On March 23, 2006, at GDC 2006, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata announced that international sales of Nintendogs sales had reached 6million. By March 31, 2008, the game was the best-selling Nintendo DS game published by Nintendo. As of March 31, 2015, the combined sales of all versions has reached 23.96 million and it is now second on the Nintendo DS best-sellers list behind New Super Mario Bros.
A microgame based on Nintendogs appears in the game . A Nintendogs Labrador Retriever puppy also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an assist trophy; owing to the nonviolent nature of the Nintendogs game, rather than fighting actively, the dog "plays" in front of the screen, blocking view. A French bulldog appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, taking the role of the Labrador Retriever, and the Nintendo 3DS version features a Nintendogs + Cats stage. Both the assist trophy, now represented by a Toy Poodle, and the stage reappear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Multiple Nintendogs themed items are available as downloadable content in as well as its sequel, , where they can be purchased with in-game currency.
Awards
In addition to recognitions from publications such as Entertainment Weekly, BusinessWeek and the Chicago Sun Times, Nintendogs also won a wide variety of awards.
Legacy
In 2010, 1UP.com included Nintendogs in their list of five "Essential Newcomers" of the decade, describing it as one of "five revolutionary new games" of the past 10 years, for its impact on drawing "non-gamers to console and portable systems" and establishing the "new" Nintendo. Despite derision from many hardcore gamers, Nintendogs sold tens of millions, mostly among and paved the way for the Nintendo DS's worldwide success. This gave rise to a non-game trend, previously limited to PCs, on consoles and portables. Nintendo followed it up with more such as Brain Age, Wii Sports and Wii Fit, establishing Nintendo as the most successful developer and publisher of the decade.
Sequel and later references
It was announced during Nintendo's 2010 E3 presentation that Shigeru Miyamoto was working on a new Nintendogs project, involving some new innovations. The game, titled Nintendogs + Cats was finished in 2011 for the Nintendo 3DS and was released as a launch title in all regions.
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Categories: Official, 2005 Video Games, Casual Games, Multiplayer And Single-player Video Games, Nintendo Ds Games, Nintendo Ds-only Games, Nintendo Franchises, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development Games, Touch! Generations, Virtual Pet Video Games, Video Game Franchises Introduced In 2005, Video Games About Dogs, Video Games Developed In Japan
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