The folks at GamePro have put together a pretty interesting feature listing their picks for the top 52 most important games ever. These aren't necessarily the best games, or the best-selling games, but their choices for those titles that have been the most influential on gaming as a whole. And while we're sure many of their picks will be questioned and debated to the point of exhaustion, we're really only interested in one small part of the list -- that is, the only DS title to make the cut. Nintendogs weighs in at #44. Does this mean it's the most influential of all DS games? Since it's the only one on the list, it would seem so, and while we agree that Nintendogs certainly advanced gaming, we might argue that since the franchise draws heavily on both Animal Crossing and the digital pet phenomenon, it's hard to see Nintendogs as a "focusing lens" that forever changed gaming. Does that mean Nintendogs did nothing new? Of course it did. But the idea of a needy digipet existed long before Nintendo popularized the portable pooches with their array of titles. GamePro says "first" doesn't matter -- it's being the folks that do it right that matters -- Nintendogs certainly did a lot of things right, but is it the most important game on the DS? It's an interesting question.And we have a question of our own -- where's Brain Age? The game that started the training phenomenon is easily equally influential, or perhaps even more so. But we won't argue; rather, we admire the effort that goes into such a list, and after skimming the comments on the article, we don't envy the flood of angry e-mails that are surely flowing into the mailboxes of the writers.
And she might! Thanks to the alluring and radical power of the DS. How many of you guys have been searching for your DS high and low for a rousing game of Metroid Prime: Hunters, only to find your mother or sister locked away in their rooms caring for their virtual canines? How about Animal Crossing, Electroplankton, or even more traditional fare?
Jake Nickell assures us that he never ignored Norman, his Pug/King Charles Spaniel mix, in favor of playing the copy of 
It's becoming more and more common for games to require or expect you to play every day; quite a few of the big sellers on the DS encourage daily gameplay, in fact. Frankly, we're hesitant to say that we really like that. Expected every day is one thing, but Animal Crossing and Nintendogs seem to take it pretty far. In the former, you often find yourself gently scolded by the other inhabitants, and in the latter ... by not playing, you are starving puppies and are therefore a bad person. That's just harsh.
As president of the Australian Veterinary Association, Kersti Seksel thinks that video games were the major factor in reduced pet ownership numbers in the country this year. She thinks that these games are getting in the way of important developmental skills in the country's young, stating that these days "children interact more by playing computer games and less by going out there and throwing the ball to a dog. We need to learn people skills, physical skills, and sitting in the lounge room with a computer doesn't teach you that,"
Where can you find Hannah Montana hanging out with FFIII? No, not on a shelf at your local GameStop -- in Next Generation's list of the top 100 best-selling games in North America in 2006. But you get more than just a regular ol' list; they also broke the games down by average critical rating, and it's pretty interesting to compare sales with review ratings. More signs that the review system could use an overhaul? Or just an indication that critics and gamers often look for different things?
We don't have to tell you about the resounding success of Nintendogs -- it's likely that you've played it, or at least known someone caught up in the doings of their electronic pups. Dozens of knock-offs and other pet franchises are crowding in as well, hoping to cash in on the demand for portable pets. The DS does seem uniquely suited as a system to virtual pet games of all types; the touch screen, after all, offers a level of versatility most control schemes can't match. Convenience is another likely factor in the popularity of such games, and the DS is nothing if not convenient. The 
Just when you thought the Nintendogs franchise had gone as far as it could go, here comes one of the most clever uses of the license yet -- trainable toy dogs based on breeds from the games. There are two types; the simpler Trick Trainer Pups come with a magnetic bone that can be used to guide them through tricks. The more elaborate, aptly-named Interactive Play puppies do just that -- they interact by wagging their tails when they're stroked, howling when you howl, and some will even snarl and growl during a game of tug-of-war. Toss in a slipper-chewing feature and it's almost like having a real dog!
When gamers choose, the DS wins! A few awards, at least. And oh, shall we ever covet them. At the Golden Joystick awards, wherein most winners are chosen by the gaming public, Nintendogs took home Family Game of the Year and Girl's Choice, and New Super Mario Bros. snagged Nintendo Game of the Year. Poor Mario Kart DS was the bridesmaid of the day -- nominated for several awards and winning naught but a big goose egg. Oh well. It still reigns in our hearts.
The lovable digital puppy title known as Nintendogs has widely been regarded as one of the select games that really opened up the flood gates and caused the insane demand the DS has seen in Japan. Turns out, all of us outside of that country didn't think the game was too shabby, either, as total worldwide sales of the pet-sim have hit a cute 7 million.
Given the success of Nintendo's dog-training, dog-loving sim Nintendogs, it's no wonder third-party developer Digital Kids is trying to strike while the iron is hot. We've seen clones centering around cats and dogs already, but this is a first. Now you'll be able to virtually pet and talk to a hamster in Love Love Hamster, which is set for release on the 2nd of November in Japan.
While they eagerly await the release of the DS Lite this Friday, the fine folks at Eurogamer have taken it upon themselves to review Nintendogs: Dalmation & Friends and, in doing so, reevaluate the praise they heaped upon the game when it was first released. Though they still find it to be an innovative and remarkable achievement, they also discover that the repetition inherent in raising a puppy can be somewhat ... dogged.
Nintendo of Europe has announced that Nintendogs: Dalmatian and Friends will ship to canine-loving Europeans on June 16th for £30/40 Euros, just days before the DS Lite launch. A nice companion for the new DS design, the game will feature 6 breeds to choose from at the beginning of the game, and a total of 14 unlockable pup. There is sure to be a great variety of canines to play with and/or train come release. The canines in the game are the most popular breeds from the other Nintendogs titles, along with the given dalmatian breed.
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