iPhone App Review: TouchPetsDogs
Name: Touch Pets Dogs (iTunes Link)
Written By: Ngmoco Inc
Category: Games
Price: Free
Size: 50.3 MB
Requirements: iPhone / iPod Touch
Version: 1.1
Rate: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Who can resist adopting a cute and cuddly virtual pet? Now you can have one right in your iPhone / iPod Touch with the Touch Pets Dogs app. With the power of the Plus Network, you can share your little puppy with all your friends too!
Touch Pets Dogs is a very well-written and polish iPhone app that’s enjoyable for the whole family. Adopt a puppy from one of 7 loveable breeds — Labrador, Portuguese Water Dog, West Highland Terrier, German Shepherd, Jack Russell, Dachshund, and even Robot Dog!
After you adopt your puppy, take good care of it by pampering it with clothes and showering it with plenty of accessories and toys. Don’t forget to train and educate your little pup as well. There are five career paths that your dog can take part in — Crimefighting, Rescue Dog, Scientist, Celebrity, and Politician. Be the ultimate dog and complete all 5!
You can also level your puppy in three categories: Caretaker Level, Trainer Level, and Social Level. To earn points in Caretaker level, take care of your puppy by feeding it, taking it out, and cleaning it daily. To earn points in Trainer category, be sure to play with your pup so it gets some exercise as well as teach it new tricks. For the social level, be sure to take it out on playdates to meet other dogs. Adopting another dog also helps with this as well. The maximum level for each category is 1000 and the higher the points you earn in each level, the more items you unlock that can be bought in the pet store.
Also earn puppy bucks by taking good care of your pup and keeping them happy. These puppy bucks can be traded in the pet store for food, clothes, career items, etc.
The winning aspect of this game is the social connection using the Plus+ network. The ability to take your puppy on a playdate with a friend’s dog is just a lot of fun! Just like with people in real life, dogs can build relationships with other dogs over time. If you want two dogs to fall in love, take them on plenty of playdates and keep them happy on those dates. Dogs tend to fight if you don’t watch them closely, and some just want to be friends. Each dog comes with its own personality and you get to figure out what works best for each dog.
There are currently five versions of Touch Pets Dogs — Touch Pets Dogs (Free), Touch Pets Dogs 10 (Free, usually 99 cents), Touch Pets Dogs 20 ($1.99), Touch Pets Dogs 120 ($9.99), and Touch Pets Dogs 400 ($29.99). The difference between these versions is the price and the amount of food available for your puppy. Your last bowl of food will get recharged every 15 minutes, or 1/10th every 1 and a half minutes. The advantage of buying a more expensive app is earning puppy bucks faster. 15 Bowls of food is equal to 20,000 puppy bucks. So you get to decorate your puppy without having to play as long. Your best choice right now is to get “Touch Pets Dogs 10″ since it is free right now plus you get 10 (plus 8) extra bowls of food. You can also purchase additional food later.
The game is near perfect, but it does have some small glitches. Sometimes, when training your pup with the agility ball, your dog will hop on it and get stuck in midair. You can remove the ball and the puppy would be floating. A way to clear this is by switching the environment.
Another drawback to the game is that you need internet connection in order to play. Your dog’s data and profiles are stored online so they can interact with other dogs on the Plus+ Network. I think a better way of doing this is to have some temporary data storage on the iPhone / iPod Touch for point keeping, and disable options like playdates when no internet connection is available. Maybe this can be added in a future release.
Also, when the game was first released, many complained that their dogs were always hungry and tired. This was quickly fixed and the food is recharged every 15 minutes now instead of 2 hours. Ngmoco Inc. did a great job listening to the community feedback.
So what are you waiting for? Download Touch Pets Dogs and raise your puppy now! For more information, see the official Touch Pets Dogs website.
This article was originally in iProng Magazine’s #55 issue.
Let’s socialize! Want our Touch Pets Dogs to connect? Just add me on the Plus+ network. Look for “daynah.”
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