Dogz: Information from Answers.com

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 Windows/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 Dogz. Players can adopt digital versions of a mutt, Scottish terrier, or a Chihuahua 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 dog's long life but also increase the number of available toys, supplies, and other items for players to use. Each pooch 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 Dogz comes with a distinct toy, such as a wind-up mouse, ball, or flying disc, that can be traded with other Dogz owners using the Infrared Communications Port.

~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

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 and Catz 4 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. with a vengeance. 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. Games such as the "virtual family" in Maxis' (The Sims), virtual babies in (Babyz), plus everything from deep sea fishing to the fantastic, (the Creatures series) and the creepy, (Seaman for the Dreamcast), are either out, on the way or planned, with no end in sight.

~ Tara Hernandez, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Both Catz and Dogz have been a long running PC series, bringing the fad of life simulations home in the forms of everyone's favorite furry friends. On the PC, each program would run constantly, allowing you to multitask and still keep an eye on your virtual pets, giving them praise, punishing them, feeding them, and helping them play, all in an effort to make certain that they grow up healthy and happy. Now the experience has been brought to the portable level, but, as one might imagine, it's not quite the same.

While this is a faithful reproduction of the Dogz series on Windows, the big difference is that on the computer, taking care of your virtual pet was something to do for a few minutes while you took a break from doing something else. In that way, it was a fun little diversion. Here on the Game Boy Color, however, it is the focus. And despite the various toys and activities you can perform with your little guy, the essential problem with the title is that there really isn't enough to do to keep you occupied for anything more than a few minutes.

While there are a number of different things to do with your dog, from brushing it, feeding it, or playing with it with a variety of different toys, these little things don't translate into strong gameplay. They aren't like mini-games, you just do them and then the dog's meters go up, signaling that it is more happy and satisfied. Keeping these meters up is the only point of the game, and it is merely done through the repetition of the above activities. Again, this is fine in small doses, but when you're expected to play for a longer period, the game gets old fast.

The developers, to their credit, tried to include some bonuses to keep things more interesting, such as the number of different toyz you can earn if you keep your dog satisfied for a long enough period of time. While these toyz are a nice addition, they aren't that much different from the ones you already have, and fail to add any significant amount of replay value to the game.

Another big problem with Dogz is the animals themselves. On the computer, the appearance of the Dogz gives them a lot of personality. You can literally tell the differences between pets by their demeanors. They also grow, helping you to get a good read on their development as well as giving you a better chance to bond with them. On the Game Boy Color, the graphics have been reduced, and your Dogz cannot grow or exhibit the diverse personality as their computer counterparts. Instead, they all have similar frames of animation that really don't give you an indication of their identities.

All in all, while it is a fine representation of a virtual life game, this title is meant for playing in increments measured minutes at a time. People interested in these types of games would be better off purchasing one of the PC versions, as there isn't enough on the Game Boy Color to keep people interested for long.