Nintendogs + Cats demo on Nintendo eShop this week
Kitten out your 3DS.
A trial version of cuddly virtual pet game Nintendogs + Cats will be available to download from the 3DS eShop this Thursday, Nintendo has announced.
Nintendogs + Cats
Key events
25th October 2011
18th March 2011
8th February 2011
10th January 2011
29th October 2010
Nintendo hires Uggie as its first "spokesdog"
The Artist hound signs on to shill Nintendogs + Cats.
Hot on the heels of news that its Retro subsidiary has snagged key talent from Uncharted developer Naughty Dog, Nintendo's proud HR department has announced another big name hire: Uggie, the ubiquitous board-treading pooch from Oscar contender The Artist.
Miyamoto concentrates on conjuring Nintendo's next "big hit"
Mario and Zelda are in good hands.
Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has shifted his main focus from overseeing established series like Mario and Zelda to creating fresh game ideas.
Ice White, Coral Pink 3DS price hiked
For separate, non-bundle launch.
The Ice White and Rose Pink 3DS flavours will be more expensive than the existing range of colours when they launch separately on 10th February.
Ice White, Coral Pink 3DS pictures
18th Nov with Mario Land, Nintendogs respectively.
18th Nov with Mario Land, Nintendogs respectively.
Ice White, Coral Pink 3DS bundles announced
UPDATE: Ice White bundle date pushed back.
UPDATE: Nintendo has updated their original press release to say the Ice White bundle will be available on 2nd December. The Coral Pink date remains unchanged.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The upcoming Ice White and Coral Pink flavours of 3DS will be available in Europe from 18th November in two new bundles, Nintendo has announced.
VideoSaturdays play more Nintendogs + Cats
Discovering SpotPass, AR modes.
Discovering SpotPass, AR modes.
Wags.
Japan chart: 3DS price cut boosts games
Ocarina of Time sales up 548 per cent.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Nintendogs + Cats saw healthy sales bumps in Japan last week thanks to the 3DS price cut.
Demon's Souls! Nintendogs + Cats! Pikmin!
It's Wednesday, so it's time for our weekly roundup of cut-price games. This week's comprehensive selection includes a classic from yesteryear, a hidden gem that you might have missed at its lowest price yet, a cheap pre-order and a couple of new releases nicely discounted. If you want more cheap games pumped into your web browser around the clock, get yourself over to SavyGamer.co.uk, the home of cheap gaming in the UK.
Get out claws.
In times of stress, I often turn to videos of kittens on the internet to make myself feel better. As such, Nintendogs + Cats provides a valuable service for me. You don't feel quite so bad about the state of the world after you've opened up a 3DS and tickled a puppy or a kitten for a few minutes. Purely as stress relief, this might actually be the most effective game I've ever played – it's way better than shooting at 12-year-olds over the Internet.
If you're of a similar disposition, Nintendogs + Cats will melt you into a puddle the first time you see it. The puppies are terribly, terribly sweet, and there's a big enough selection of breeds on each version to ensure that there are at least a few that will tickle your individual cute sensors into helpless submission. They are hyper-adorable versions of their real-life inspiration, with big, sparkling eyes and playful, obedient dispositions.
Upon first loading the game, you're prompted to pick one puppy to take home to your cream-and-beige, tastefully plain, very new-age-Nintendo house. Each breed comes in all sorts of different colours – I opted for a brown-eyed black, white and brown Pomerian. You're gently guided through the basics of pet care, teaching the pup to remember its name (Albert, obviously) then stroking it with the stylus to calm it down. Nintendogs are not demanding virtual pets. They need the odd bowl of water or food, but when the game's off, they don't wither away without you.
Nintendo 3DS UK game launch line-up
The games available on day one.
15 games will be available to buy for the Nintendo 3DS when it launches in the UK on 25th March.
They are:
Pilotwings Resort
Nintendo thought about Nintenhorses
"Horses would definitely sell well in Europe."
When brainstorming the follow-up to 2005 smash DS hit Nintendogs, Nintendo considered adding new animals - including horses.
Nintendogs 3DS here to lick your face
Aw! They're so cute! Etc.
Aw! They're so cute! Etc.
Nintendo 3DS Japanese launch line-up
Plus battery life details.
Nintendo has announced the Japanese launch line-up for its upcoming 3DS handheld and posted detailed specs for the handheld that reveal its battery life.
The biggest of the launch games are probably Nintendogs+Cats and Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, with the rest of the list made up of third-party titles.
Here's the line-up and pricing courtesy of Famitsu:
Nintendo hints at 3DS launch line-up
Ocarina of Time, Pilotwings are first up.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats and Steel Diver will be the first party 3DS launch titles, judging by a release schedule included in Nintendo's annual fiscal report.
The list, posted by GoNintendo, states that the four games are down for a Spring release in Japan.
Kid Icarus: Uprising is listed merely for 2011. Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing and Starfox 64 3D are all down as "TBA".
Nintendogs and Cats, Pilotwings and Hollywood 61.
You can forgive Nintendo for leaving 3D alone for more than a decade after the brain- and eye-breaking abomination that was the Virtual Boy. This time, they really have got it right. The 3DS needs to be played to be believed, and a post-E3 showcase this afternoon gave us the chance to have some hands-on time with the handheld's first playable demos.