GBA goes to the dogs @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on October 11, 2005

News: Two separate puppy simulators are coming to the GBA this holiday season.

With the success of Nintendogs, it was only a matter of time before more "puppy simulators" hit the market. That time appears to be this Christmas as companies plan to fast track two such games to the GBA.

First up is Dogz, to be published by Ubisoft in November. Dogz will give players the chance to name, train and play with 48 different dogs from 18 breeds. They must feed and groom their dog and then take part in three mini-modes:

Three Mini-games Available: Run Puppy Run!, Puppy Reversi and Puppy Quiz with a cuddly new companion.

Visiting Mode: By linking two Game Boy Advance systems, players can send their puppy off to a friend's house.

Always Together Mode: After players complete the game, up to three puppies' data are saved through an included backup feature. When players go to Always Together Mode, they will be able to load one of their previous puppies' data and play with it anytime.

After Dogz, O3 Entertainment has Pocket Dogs all set for a late 2005 release. Pocket Dogs is based on the popular Hana Deka Club line of toy dogs.

Pocket Dogs will feature eight breeds to play with and raise. It will also use "fisheye" photos from the Hana Deka Club to simulate part of a player's interaction with their puppy.

"I defy anyone to play with these dogs for one minute and not be totally charmed. They're just too darn cute," said Chris Jelinek, president of O3 Entertainment. "Furthermore, the Game Boy Advance is the bestselling handheld system by far, with 29 million players of all ages, and Pocket Dogs is the only virtual pet product on this system [he said before Dogz was announced]."

I'm sure we'll have a little more on both of these games before their release dates hit.