Topic: Nintendogs: Best of show challenge

[NWR_pap64]

I was watching some Nintendogs videos on You Tube when I started imagining how a Nintendogs for the Wii would be like. Then, some ideas started popping up.

Keep in mind this is still, but I think these ideas would make Nintendogs Wii something unique and special.

Premise
The basic premise is still the same as in the original DS game. You go to the kennel, adopt a puppy and give him or her lots of love and care. You can enter them in competitions to earn more so that you can buy some new items, a new house and other puppies.

This was pretty much it. While the game was fun and all the game repeated itself way too many times and the replay ability was low.

I was thinking that for the Wii they should add more challenges so that the time invested in raising the puppies is actually worth it and provides a goal.

So the idea I hatched was that of a Dog show. I know there were challenges in the DS games, but they were mini games designed to earn you money. The focus of this Nintendogs would be competition.

Gameplay
As I already mentioned, the gameplay would still be similar to the DS version, But instead of touch screen controls you have motion sensing.

To throw a ball, you make the motion with the Wiimote, to use the freesbie you make the motion with the Wiimote. In order to pet a puppy, a hand would appear on screen and the way you move the Wiimote would simulate how you would pet a dog.

The pointer would be used to select items and open menus along with the A button while either the one and two button would be the whistle to call your dogs.

The problem I see so far would be voice recognition. That would involve Nintendo making a headset microphone for the game. If they do, then there's no problem.

So far the game has been exactly like the DS game, I know that, but here are the changes I have come up with.

You know the walk option, right? In the DS version you planned your route, then you walked your puppy. Along the way, you could either meet with other trainers and their pups or presents hidden throughout.

I was, what if instead of just taking the same route with the same scripted events, you walked on a neighborhood that takes place in the online world?

Of course you would have the option of walking the puppy offline, but online what happens is that instead of  meeting scripted AI you get to meet other players from around the world and interact with their puppies in real time. You can even chat with them with the microphone! As expected, you would have the option of meeting strangers or just the friends you have on your friends list.

You could even drop presents for other people to find it online! It would be like a scavenger hunt where someone could drop a valuable or rare item and people would race to find it.

And speaking of online features, the game could use some of its Wiiconnect24 features. For example, you can make it so that your puppy goes out while your game is off and he or she would randomly visit a friend's house and play with their puppies, and when they get back they bring you a random present!

But this is the biggest addition to the formula. As I mentioned, the original DS game had Dog show like contests that were fun but were never part of the challenge. So I figured that if Nintendo does make a new game they should focus on this.

They should take those mini games and evolve them into a full fledged element of the gameplay. That would be the "Best of show" element of the game. You can enter a dog show filled with many challenges and contest for your puppy to enter. The better your puppy does the higher he or she will go in the ranks.

Here are some basic ideas for contest:
- Obedience test: Same as in the DS version
- Puppy races: Its a test of skill, speed and stamina. Your puppy races against other puppies in tracks that range from the normal to the obstacle filled.
- Fashion show: One of the best features in the original game is being able to dress your puppy up. So why not make a contest which rates how well you can dress your puppy up? Your puppy would model his or her accessories and be judged according to the style and presentation. How well you clean and groom your puppy also plays heavily on your puppy's appearance.
- Obstacle course: Same as the DS game
- Puppy tug of war: A battle against two puppies. One puppy would try to pull the other puppy into the end of the line.

These are what I have so far. If you can contribute some other ideas for contests post them here.

Here are some other additions/improvements for the Wii version:
- Have individual stores for every aspect of the game: While it was neat to be able to find items while walking, it does grow tedious. So instead of walking in order to get these items, why not have stores that specializes in each of the items in the game? For example, there would be the puppy care shop, the puppy accessory store, the toy stores and the house supplies store.

- The puppy doctor: I know that in Nintendogs the puppies never get sick, but this wouldn't be just another doctor. What this doctor does is that he will examine your puppy and tell you he or she feels. The doctor will also tell you what you need to do in order to raise him or her properly, what items to use and the of attitude the puppy has towards you.

- No limitations: One of the things that got in the way in the DS version was its limited gameplay. You could only teach your puppy up to three tricks a day, and then the puppy would have a limit of how many tricks it could learn. They should get rid of this in the Wii version. They should make it so that YOU have absolute control of the puppy, meaning that you can teach them as many tricks as you want.

This is what I have so far. If you can contribute any other ideas, please do.

Note that I know that if a Nintendogs Wii game is made chances are none of these will make it and could end up being just a jazzed up version of the DS game for all we know.