Nintendogs and Cats Poodle 3DS

Released on 23/03/2011

• Nintendo considered making Nintenhorses

  Nintendogs was one of the defining games of the DS: a family favourite that roped in granny and the little sister, but proved weirdly addictive to even the most hardened gamer, too. It's weird to think that Nintendo almost followed it up with a game about horses.

  "After Nintendogs was complete, we wondered how cats would work out and experimented by converting the dog model to a cat," said Hideki Konno, a Nintendo developer, when interviewed in the latest Iwata Asks. "That's right," chimed in Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of Zelda and Mario. ut we just stuck on cat visuals, so the cat was wagging its tail!" Konno added that, here were even ideas for animals like horses and dolphins. Some people said that horses would definitely sell well in Europe." "Fate just wasn't with those experiments and weren't able to find that key element to validate them as a product," concludes Nintendo's head honcho, Satoru Iwata.

  What fate did find room for, however, is Nintendogs + Cats, which will be appearing as part of the early 3DS line-up. As the name suggests, it's... Oh, we're sure you can work it out.

• Canine superstar Uggie signed up as Nintendo 'spokesdog'

  Nintendo has scored a unique publicity coup by recruiting the beloved showbiz canine Uggie as its first ever official "spokesdog".

  The loveable Jack Russell terrier, who has been winning rave reviews for his scene-stealing role in the award-winning movie The Artist, will be touring the US to help promote the hit Nintendo 3DS title Nintendogs + Cats.

  Tying in with Responsible Pet Owners Month, Uggie and his owner Omar Von Muller will be showing fans how playing the game can teach them skills about how they can look after their real-life canine and feline companions more effectively.

  Nintendo's Scott Moffitt said: "It's truly our pleasure to work with a star of Uggie's magnitude, especially to help animal lovers and portable gaming fans discover the fun of Nintendogs + Cats."

  The game was released alongside the 3DS system last year and allows players to take care of more than 27 breeds of dogs and cats, interacting with them via the Touch Screen and watching their antics in stereoscopic 3D.

  Three versions of the game are available: Golden Retriever, Toy Poodle and French Bulldog.

  Published: 13/02/2012

• Nintendogs + Cats demo coming to 3DS

  A demo version of the ever-adorable Nintendogs + Cats will be scampering on to Nintendo 3DS consoles across the UK this week.

  The free trial will be released via the Nintendo eShop and will allow players to try their hand at caring for their own virtual kitten, using the Touch Screen and microphone to interact in various tactile ways.

  In the demo, players can choose from a range of fuzzy felines, including pointed oriental kittens and tabby cats, which they can stroke, tickle and scratch as they come to life in stereoscopic 3D.

  Toys such as tennis balls and balloons can be used to win your kitty's favour, with responsible owners rewarded with special gifts from their adoring pets.

  Nintendogs + Cats was a launch title for the 3DS and is the sequel to Nintendogs, one of the original Nintendo DS console's biggest breakout hits.

  Three versions of the game are available: Golden Retriever & New Friends, French Bulldog & New Friends or Toy Poodle & New Friends.

  Published: 21/02/2012

• Miyamoto would like to make a first-person shooter

  Cheery Nintendo man Shigeru Miyamoto is best known as the creator behind bright, family-friendly games such as Mario, Legend of Zelda and Nintendogs, but he's admitted that, if he had the time, he'd quite like to try his hand at a first-person shooter.

  "I actually do kind of want to make a first-person shooter but I don't have time," Miyamoto revealed in an interview with Kotaku. "Having that 3D space that in theory you are in and being able to look around and explore that, particularly being able to do that in conjunction with another person, is very interesting."

  He's even given some thought as to how the genre could work on the upcoming Wii U to create a fully immersive 360 degree experience using the console's touchscreen game pad controller. "If you're playing a first-person shooter and you have the game up on the television screen and you have your subscreen below, within that game world you're able to turn in all directions around you. Obviously that would be very fun," Miyamoto explained. "If you have two people doing that in the same room, that could create a very fun and unique gameplay experience."

  The Wii U launches later this year in Japan, with Miyamoto's Pikmin 3 slated to be one of the leading launch titles.
  

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