A game only for those with an open-mind, a heart of gold and not much else to do.
Yes, the game is cute, unique, and in most cases, addictive. The graphics are the smooth and fluid. The music is cute and upbeat. However, after a while, I began to feel the awkward limitations. Everything that I stated above is the bulk of the game. That is all you can do with your dog. I know it sounds like a lot at first, but it isn't. If you're the type of person that wants to see and do something new every now and then in their games, all of the daily tasks will begin to run together and get boring. If you have other, more fun games to play, chances are you'll play those instead. If you neglect to do your chores for your pup, it will suffer and eventually run away, though. Poor thing... That being said, if you have an ounce of compassion in your heart, you will feel bad about it.
Another thing that bugged me was that your puppy will never grow up. When I first got this game, one thing that made me excited was being able to actually raise a puppy and watch it grow. That was really my main reason for buying it. So, basically, your puppy never changes. It's personality may change, but I really couldn't see the difference and chances are, you'd have a hard time noticing as well. It'll also learn and get better at certain things as you teach it and train it, but that's it. Like I said, if you're the type of person that likes to see progress and something new after a while in your games, you won't be very satisfied.
Conclusion:
This game tries to give it's players a lot of content and give you the entire puppy experience, but personally, I think raising a real one is more fun than playing this. It IS a good game, but is a bad example of what it's like to raise an actual puppy. I feel a little bad saying this, but I just couldn't love this game. After a while, it felt stale and left me wanting to do much more with my puppy than the game allowed leaving me feeling frustrated. Thats my personal opinion, however. If like things like Tamagotchi or any type of virtual pet, you'll probably enjoy this. Nintendogs is exactly like a Tamagotchi, except it will never change much at all... That's why I suggest renting it BEFORE you buy. Just to make sure that this is the type of thing you want. Think of it as a sample. Otherwise, you'll be left feeling as disappointed and guilty as I do.
....*sigh* I feel like such a Grinch.