Catz

• Release Date: December 01, 1999
• Genre: Simulation
• Style: Life Development Sim
• Similar Games: Dogz II: Your Virtual Petz (IBM PC Compatible), Tamagotchi (Game Boy), Tamagotchi (IBM PC Compatible), Creatures (Hybrid PC/Mac), Creatures 2 (IBM PC Compatible), Dogz 3: Your Virtual Petz (IBM PC Compatible), Tamagotchi (Game Boy), Creatures 3 (IBM PC Compatible), Creatures Adventures (IBM PC Compatible), Babyz (IBM PC Compatible), Catz 3: Your Virtual Petz (IBM PC Compatible), Catz II: Your Virtual Petz (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

PF. Magic's popular virtual pet series makes its Game Boy Color debut in this handheld adaptation of Catz. Players can adopt digital versions of a calico, Persian, or Siamese kitten from an in-game pet store before naming and then caring for their animal in and out of a playpen. As in most games in the genre, players must monitor a number of traits to help care for their pet as well as develop a feeding schedule and make time to play with or groom the animal.

Achieving high rankings in categories such as affection, health, and energy will not only ensure a cat's long life but also increase the number of available toys, supplies, and other items for players to use. Each cat can also be immortalized in a hall of fame after being retired, and different breed variants will gradually open up as players become more proficient in raising their pet. Every game of Catz comes with a distinct toy, such as a wind-up mouse or jingle bell, that can be traded with other Catz owners using the Infrared Communications Port.

Roots & Influences

"Virtual Pets" lived long before PF Magic's acclaimed Dogz: Your Computer Pet and Catz: Your Computer Pet appeared for the PC and Macintosh (and before PF Magic seemed to disappear into the conglomerate that is Mattel/The Learning Company/Mindscape Entertainment, etc.) Bandai actually produced Tamagotchi, the original "virtual-pet," which went on to evolve with videogame console versions on the Game Boy and the Nintendo 64. The Dogz and Catz series specifically was a PC and Macintosh product up until 1999. In that year both Dogz 4: Your Virtual Petz Pals and Catz 4: Your Virtual Pet Pals were released, as well as the first versions of each for the Game Boy Color.

Bandai's beeping multi-colored pocket-sized toys were a monster hit in Japan, and like everything from Hello Kitty to Pokémon they finally hit the U.S., and while the Tamagotchi craze eventually died, its seeds sank in and grew beyond it. Simulation games have since become a large market for interactive entertainment, with new "Life-Development" simulation products being planned and released at an increasing pace. Virtual beings including babies (Babyz), entire families (The Sims), and everything from the fantastic (Creatures) to the creepy (Seaman) have come to life on computers, consoles, and handhelds.

Review: Overall

Catz might be a delightful diversion in the Windows environment where you can take a short break from whatever you're doing to play with your Catz, and where you can keep your Catz running while you're away from the keyboard. But on the Game Boy Color, the experience is different, as the game is supposed to be the whole focus of what you're doing at the time. As a stand-alone game, Catz fails to satisfy either your gaming desires or your need for a furry friend all your own.

The essential problem with Catz is its narrow scale, which is the same as the PC version with a few additions tacked on in an attempt to give it some extra playability. The game gives you a couple of different experiences that are all very similar and fail to challenge you in almost every way. You can play with your Catz, you can pet your Catz, you can feed your Catz, and you can watch your Catz fall fast asleep. Sound like fun? Well, that's all there is. That's about the extent of the excitement you can have with the title.

A game with such limited features might be perfect for Windows, since you can come to it and go as you please. You could leave it running 24 hours a day. And in the PC version, the Catz are done with vector-ball graphics, giving them a good amount of features and personality. Plus, they actually grow up. But on Game Boy Color, you have to settle for small, select frames of animation. The Catzcan't grow up, either.

With that in mind, all you can do is monitor their progress and make sure they don't run away, occasionally getting some secret toyz for your troubles. But your troubles, which include gobs of repetitive play for relatively little reward, are great if you force yourself to play Catz for long. Poor graphics, even poorer sound and no incentive to play over the long haul makes Jack a bored kid, and this Jack will pass on Catz.

Review: Enjoyment

While it might have been an admirable attempt, this decent game for the PC just didn't translate well to the Game Boy Color.There isn't enough to do for extended play, and what little there is to the game is only enough to enjoy minutes at a time, meaning if you want your cat to develop, you'll just have to leave the Game Boy on at all times.

Review: Graphics

The backgrounds, while you can change them, are all incredibly simple. The animations and visuals of your actual cat are lackluster and fail to convey the personality that this title needs to keep people interested.

Review: Sound

The Catz themselves do not make enough different noises, usually not making any of the sounds that you'd like to hear from your feline.

Review: Replay Value

While this experience can be all right for a few minutes, off and on, over a long period of time, the lack of anything to do will eventually make that aspect of the title old and boring.

Review: Documentation

The instruction manual does a fine job explaining all of the different {*Catz} and aspects that this game offers.

Production Credits

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